As the setting sun painted an orange glow on the mountain, and the birds called to each other as they settled into their nests for the night, Nicole was feeling a loneliness she had never known before. This would be her first night of having no parents.
As dusk fell, Nicole hugged herself.
When Eagle Wolf groaned softly in his sleep near the campfire she had managed to build, she looked down at him.
Before he had drifted off to sleep again, Eagle Wolf had told her how to build the fire. She had never had a reason to know how before now.
After she had gotten the rest of the campsite ready for the long night ahead, she had pulled her own blanket from her travel bag, and a shawl, which she’d wrapped around her shoulders to ward off the chill she felt as fog drifted in on all sides of her.
Starved, Nicole had found berries enough to fill her emptiness until she got the courage to
hunt something more substantial. But not until morning.
She did not dare wander from this place in the dark. Nicole had no doubt that mountain lions were aplenty. And once again, she only now heard the frightening call of a wolf.
She peered up at the moon, which had now replaced the sun in the sky. She shivered at how ghostly it looked as it shone through the fog. She scooted to the edge of her blanket, closer to the fire, then looked over her shoulder when she heard crickets begin their nightly song.
As a child, she had listened to them from her bed. She had always loved their chirping. Even when she was a child, they had brought peace to her heart.
When she thought of them now, she recalled the time when she had decided to call the song of the crickets “night music.”
She felt a growing inner peace even now as she listened to another familiar night sound that she had heard while in her home on the shores of the Mississippi just outside the bustling city of St. Louis. An owl was hooting in the dark.
When she saw fireflies with their flashing lanterns begin to rise from the grass all around her, tears came to her eyes. She thought about the times she had gone outside on early evenings with her mother and played amid the fireflies, giggling when one landed on her arm.
Those were such innocent, wonderful, happy times. She would never know them again, unless she had her own child one day to share such things with.
She had never thought about children of her own before, but now, strangely enough, she did.
She hated to believe that she would remain so alone in the world all of her life. Now she longed to find a man she could share her life with.
“Your name?”
It was almost eerie the way that male voice interrupted her thoughts of finding a man to share her life with. It was as though her thoughts had carried to Eagle Wolf, awakening him.
She blushed and then gasped softly when she saw that he was moving to a sitting position.
His face was no longer flushed, and his eyes were clear. Both things surely meant that his fever was gone.
His warm, wondrous smile, and his voice as he again spoke to her, made Nicole’s heart skip a beat. Her reaction confirmed just how attracted she was to him.
“What is your name?” Eagle Wolf asked again, wondering why asking her such a simple question should bring color to her cheeks in a blush.
He had been too ill earlier to even think about her name, much less ask it.
But now?
Something inside himself, beyond mere curiosity, made him want to know more about her.
He brushed aside the fact that she was white. She was like no white person he had ever known.
She was generous and kind. She was absolutely beautiful, both outside and in.
It was because of her that he was beginning to feel like himself again, instead of an injured animal, at the mercy of any who might come across him while he was ill and alone.
“Nicole,” she murmured. “Nicole Tyler.”
“How is it that you are not afraid of Eagle Wolf?” he asked.
“When I first saw you, I must admit that I was afraid,” Nicole said softly. “But then I realized you were ill. I hoped to help you, and I believe that I have.”
She paused, then said, “I have, haven’t I? You do look as though you are feeling better. I don’t believe you have a temperature any longer.”
Eagle Wolf smiled over the fire at her. “
Ho
, it is gone,” he said, slowly nodding. He laughed softly and good-naturedly. “Eagle Wolf sees you now as a white shaman.”
Again Nicole blushed, for she knew that Eagle Wolf was teasing her.
“Why are you traveling alone?” Eagle Wolf suddenly asked.
The question unnerved Nicole. She had not been able to tell him about her parents earlier. Could she do it now?
If so, would the burden of the pain and sorrow she was carrying in her heart be lessened?
And was this man the right one to tell such a thing to?
Yet it did seem so right to talk to him and even share her grief with him.
She had never met a man who seemed so sincerely kind and caring. Surely it was because she had been the same to him.
“It was not my intention to be alone,” Nicole finally blurted out, lowering her eyes so that he would not see the wetness of tears as she fought the urge to cry.
“Then why is that you are?” Eagle Wolf asked, lifting an eyebrow. “Surely you know the risks for a woman traveling alone in this land where so much danger is present.”
“Yes, I truly know the danger,” Nicole said, slowly raising her eyes, so that she could look into his. She swallowed hard. “I now know it much better than most people would.”
“Do you mean that you are in danger with me, because I am an Indian?” Eagle Wolf asked, hoping that his assumption was wrong. He had not wanted to put fear in her heart, but trust.
“Oh, no,” Nicole quickly said. “Certainly not. You have given me no reason to be afraid.”
“Then what did you mean?” Eagle Wolf asked, now truly curious.
Then a sudden remembrance came to him. He recalled seeing this woman riding toward the burning town called Tyler City. He had not yet asked her the purpose of her journey.
And then he recalled her last name.
Tyler!
The name of the town that had burned had been Tyler City. Was she associated with that town somehow?
“You seem hesitant to answer me,” Eagle Wolf said. “I saw you riding toward Tyler City as it burned. Your last name is Tyler. Did you have family there?”
That question stunned Nicole into silence.
He had seen her even before she had found him on the mountain. He had actually seen her riding toward Tyler City. She was sure he had guessed who her father was.
Did that mean that he knew her father by reputation? Did he know him as a gambler, known for cheating while playing poker?
She inhaled nervously, for she was suddenly awakened to just how widespread her father’s reputation might be. Would his shame now follow her around for the rest of her life whenever she was asked her last name?
At this moment she could not help resenting her father as much as she mourned him. He was at peace in death, while she would never know who might point an accusing finger at her because of who her father had been.
She would have to live with his bad reputation forever.
“I see that my question has made you uncomfortable,” Eagle Wolf said. “I can understand why.
Surely upon your arrival in Tyler City you saw the worst thing possible for a daughter. Surely your parents did not live?”
“No, they didn’t, and I truly do not wish to talk about it,” Nicole murmured, slowly looking up into his dark eyes. “It causes such pain in my heart even to think about it, much less…talk about it,” she said softly.
“I do understand,” Eagle Wolf said thickly. “I, too, have lost those I loved. I have told you that my wife died from measles. I also lost my father and mother.” Eagle Wolf gazed sadly into the dancing flames of the fire. “It is now only myself and my brother…”
He stopped at that, guessing that she did not even have a sibling to share her grief. In life, there were so many things that could cause heartache, but one must learn go on living.
The same philosophy applied to him. Although he had recently lost his wife, he could not help noticing the beauty of this woman, Nicole. Should it be the will of the Great Spirit that he love this woman, and that she love him, then so be it.
But it was too soon, just now, to think about such possibilities. Their relationship was too new to consider being in love.
He must never forget that being a chief required many things of him. He must use utmost care choosing a woman to bring into the Owl Clan as his future wife.
“I am suddenly hungry,” Eagle Wolf said, glad
that he had found a way to break through the awkward silence that had fallen between himself and Nicole.
He nodded toward his tethered horse and the parfleche bag that still hung at its right side. “My bag is on my horse,” he said. “In it is food that I packed for my journey. It is called pemmican. I would share it with you tonight if you can get it for us.”
Nicole was so glad that all talk of her parents, especially her father and how they had died, was forgotten by Eagle Wolf.
He had surely seen the hurt that it had brought to her heart, and understood. He, too, had recently lost loved ones.
She hurried to his bag and opened it. After searching through it, she found what she guessed must be the pemmican he had spoken about.
It was wrapped in a thin strip of buckskin.
She took it back to him.
He unwrapped the buckskin and tore the meat into two equal pieces, giving Nicole one. She chose to sit beside him, rather than across the fire from him.
They ate in silence for a moment, then Eagle Wolf began talking again about his wife.
“My wife Precious Stone and I were not married for long,” he said sadly. “It was a marriage of convenience only. I wanted children, for children are the future of our people. My clan has been de
pleted by wars with our enemy, the Ute, and with the United States government. Finally, I led my people to safety, to a place where no white men dare go. There my people will prosper again.”
“You said that you led your people to safety,” Nicole murmured, trying to sort through this information he had suddenly revealed to her. She was surprised that he would be so open with her, especially about a wife he had not really loved.
“I am chief of the Owl Clan of Navaho,” Eagle Wolf proudly stated. He noticed that her eyes widened in wonder.
“I did not know,” Nicole said softly. She didn’t tell him that she had guessed he might be a leader of his people.
A chief! She was in the presence of a powerful Navaho chief.
Yes, she was impressed.
“When my father died at the hands of the white man’s cavalry, I was named chief after him. After the battle was ended and our people were victorious over the white-eyed soldiers, I took them to safety on this mountain and here we shall remain,” Eagle Wolf said thickly.
Nicole knew, from his description of the battle, how he had fought and won, that he must have killed many white men. But she couldn’t fault him for that. Eagle Wolf’s father had most likely died right before his eyes, shot by a soldier who saw Indians as nothing but savages.
No, she did not blame him for fighting for his people’s survival.
She had always thought it wrong that the white man had taken everything from the Indians. She knew the government was still trying to make certain all Indians were rounded up and placed on reservations.
It was disgraceful, and she was ashamed to say she was part of a nation that had wronged the Indians so badly.
“Tell me about yourself,” Eagle Wolf said. “But only what you are comfortable telling.”
“I love children,” Nicole said, then found her cheeks burning suddenly with a blush when she remembered that he had just spoken about children being the future of his people. She hoped he wouldn’t think she had said that to impress him. She had only meant to tell him about wanting to be a teacher.
“I went to school and received my teaching credentials,” Nicole blurted out. “It was my deep desire to teach children, for I do love them so much.”
At her words, a new thought came to Eagle Wolf, but he decided not to voice it aloud. If Nicole loved teaching children so much, could she not teach Navaho children what she had learned to teach white?
His people’s children could learn the ways of white people so that they could avoid their tricks.
But the presence of one white person in his stronghold could lead to others discovering it. No matter how he was attracted to this woman, he could not chance taking her to his home.
Nicole suddenly realized just how weary she was from the long day she had just gone through. “I am so tired,” she said softly. “I must retire for the night. Will you be all right while I sleep?”
She glanced hesitantly at his weapons. Was she being foolish to trust that he would not kill her as she slept?
Eagle Wolf noticed Nicole looking at his weapons.
Although he thought she did not see him as her enemy, he understood her hesitance.
“Do not be afraid to sleep,” Eagle Wolf reassured her as he reached out and gently took one of her hands in his. “White woman, I understand why you might still be afraid to trust me, for it is rare that white people trust men with red skin. I assure you that you are safe while you are with me. When I look at you, I do not see the color of your skin, but the kindness of your heart.”
He gently squeezed her hand. He saw that his words caused a flush to rise to Nicole’s cheeks. She now looked trustingly into his eyes.
“I thank you for what you have done for me,” he said, then slowly eased his hand from hers.
He nodded over the fire toward her blanket, then again gazed into her eyes.
“Go now,” he softly encouraged. “Sleep in peace. I shall do the same. Tomorrow is another day, but tonight we must rest.”
Nicole smiled sweetly at him, then rose and walked over to where she had spread the blanket for herself earlier. She stretched out on the blanket, sighed, and was soon fast asleep.
The moon scarcely showed through the smoke that continued to rise from the burned town of Tyler City. As Jeremiah and his friends rode toward the grayish haze that lay heavy in the air, he knew that he had found the city that had been erased from the map in a single day.
As Jeremiah rode into what remained of the city, his horse’s hooves scattered ash on both sides of him. He gasped as his lungs were filled with the stench of burning wood and death.
His eyes filled with tears as he looked from body to body. The glow of the moon pushed its way through the ash-filled air, showing Jeremiah and his friends just how horrendously the people of this new little town had died.
They had not had a chance against those who had come with hate in their hearts. Not a soul had been spared. He mourned for these people who had surely risen from their beds for a new day this morning with hope and love, and dreams of tomorrow.
Then Jeremiah recalled his purpose in coming
to this horrific scene of death in the first place. For a moment the lovely woman had been forgotten in his horror at the bodies lying on the ground all around him.
“Nicole Tyler,” he whispered to himself as he glanced over at a sign bearing the name Tyler City, which had somehow made it through the devastation intact.
Yes, this had been Nicole’s destination. He had found out that much about her during their time together in the stagecoach. She had planned to join her parents there and become this small community’s schoolteacher.
“A community bearing her family’s name, no less,” he said, looking over at Jacob, who sat on his horse beside Jeremiah. “Jacob, it seems there were no survivors.”
“Unless those who did survive managed to escape without being seen,” Jacob said, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. “Lord a’mighty, Jeremiah, who could be so evil? How could anyone hate so much that they had no mercy on anyone?”
Jeremiah swallowed down vomit as he again looked slowly around him. “It’s certain there are no survivors here,” he said hoarsely. “But still, perhaps some escaped the wrath of those madmen. Perhaps Nicole arrived here after the massacre was over and then fled for her life, fearing the killers might find her there, alone.”
“They might even now still be near and see us
gawking at what they left behind,” Jacob said, fear in his eyes and voice. “Jeremiah, we’d best head back for home. What if those who did this go to our little community and do the same? Lord a’mighty, Jeremiah, they might be there even now. Our women and children…”
“Do not borrow trouble, Jacob,” Jeremiah said. “I believe the killers are far, far away now, avoiding being caught by the cavalry. Isn’t there a fort anywhere near here?”
“No. If there were, the cavalry would be here now, burying the dead,” Jacob said tightly.
“As it is, that chore has been left to us, for there is no way that I could ever rest again without knowing that we did the right thing,” Jeremiah said.
“But, Jeremiah, the risk we would be taking by taking time to bury the dead is too great. Surely it’s not worth losing our own lives,” Jacob argued. “We have our wives and children to consider. Let’s go home, Jeremiah. Let’s go home now.”
Jeremiah ignored Jacob’s whining as he dismounted. He was so glad that the others who had come with them had not spoken out. They just sat on their horses, stunned and quiet.
“Come on,” Jeremiah said, looking from man to man. “There has to be a shovel somewhere. Maybe even more than one. We must start digging graves. Now!”
The men dismounted and secured their horses’ reins to a hitching rail that stood some distance
away from the burned buildings. They found three shovels in the ashes and started digging graves beneath the moonlight.
“I wonder if Nicole arrived here just in time to be killed with the others?” Jeremiah worried aloud, ignoring Jacob’s frown.
Jeremiah laid his shovel aside, and fighting the urge to vomit again, he went to the first person that would be placed in the shallow grave he had managed to dig.
He swallowed hard, then grabbed the man by what was left of his wrists. He dragged the body over and rolled it into the grave. The other men followed suit.
“Indians sure didn’t do this,” Jeremiah said to Jacob as they each began digging another grave, side by side. “There were no arrows. That surely means this was done by white men, but what I don’t understand is how could white men hate other white people so much that they would kill them so heartlessly? Why would they do this? We Mormons teach love, not hate.”
“Jeremiah, you know as well as I that there is much hate in this world,” Jacob said, stopping to rest a moment as he leaned against his shovel. “It is not something that anyone can ever figure out. Let’s just get this done and return home to those we love. We can’t let anything like this happen to our peaceful little community.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Jeremiah said, stopping his digging when the grave was deep enough. He
dreaded with every fiber of his being having to drag another body over to it. “Jacob, surely Nicole Tyler is still alive somewhere, for I don’t see her body here.”
“Unless she is one of those that can’t be identified because of how badly they are burned,” Jacob suggested softly.
“Yes, perhaps,” Jeremiah said. He sighed heavily. “But something deep inside tells me that she is still alive, somewhere.”
They all continued burying the dead until none were left to bury.
A quiet prayer was said over the graves, and then Jeremiah and his friends mounted their horses and headed back toward their homes.
Jeremiah knew now that he must forget the woman. Since he hadn’t found her body among the others, she could be anywhere, with anyone.
His duties awaited him back at the settlement. It just wasn’t meant for Nicole Tyler to be his third wife, and that was that.