Savage Hero (21 page)

He ushered her to the door of the parlor, then stopped. “My dear, I'm going to make those savages pay for what they did to you and your son,” he said thickly. “I'm sorry for how you've been treated.”

She wanted to speak up and defend Brave Wolf, to say that he was anything but an evil Indian. He was everything good, and had even worked to keep peace with whites.

But she had to keep quiet, at least for now. She had to be able to sit among the men and hear, firsthand, just what their plans were.

“My dear, I know that you said Chief Brave Wolf rescued you from renegades and escorted you safely here, but he is no less a savage than any other redskin, and he must be dealt with and made to know who's the boss in these parts,” Colonel Downing said. “He will be the first to know our wrath.”

Shaken to the core by this man's hatred for all Indians, and especially Brave Wolf, Mary Beth fought hard to show no emotion.

“I understand,” she murmured. “And, yes, Brave Wolf did assist me, but I do not know of any atrocities he is guilty of against whites. He may have pretended to be peaceful only to please me. You see, I believe he was infatuated with me. Had I not insisted on being brought to this fort, I imagine he would have tried to get me to marry him.”

She absolutely hated playing this game, but she had to find a way to make the colonel open up to her.

“Why, the thought!” Colonel Downing gasped, shuddering. “It sickens me! Well, I'm here to see that he never gets such a ludicrous idea again.”

She forced another smile, then went into the parlor, where several soldiers were waiting, already enjoying sweet breads and coffee.

She felt uneasy when they all turned and stared at her. She saw in them the same resentment the soldiers had shown when she first arrived in Indian attire. The beautiful dress she wore seemed to make no difference in their thinking about her.

She smiled a silent thank you to the colonel as he escorted her to a chair, then as she sat, sat down beside her.

She waited stiffly, trying to ignore the continued glares. For the moment, everything in the room was quiet. Mary Beth could hardly even hear anyone breathing.

No one said anything except the colonel. He first gave her a plate of sweet breads, a cup of coffee on a beautiful saucer, then smiled at her as he spoke.

“I have brought Mary Beth to join us today for two reasons,” Colonel Downing said, looking from soldier to soldier. “First let me say that she has agreed to be my wife.”

Mary Beth flinched when she heard the gasps of shock on each side of her.

“The wedding will be as soon as our resident preacher can prepare things,” Colonel Downing said, smiling at Mary Beth. His smile waned when he saw her flushed face and the uneasiness in her eyes. He understood. More than one of his soldiers was giving her angry glares.

He directed his eyes back at his soldiers. “Mary Beth will spend only a few more days here among us. Then she will go to Boston, where she will make her residence at my home until I can join her when I retire, which I plan to do very soon,” he blurted out. “The recent massacres have awakened me to how short life can be. Now that I have found a woman like Mary Beth who has promised to marry me, I want no more of the military life. I'll be retiring soon. I am anxious to become a mere citizen of Boston, a
husband
.”

There were fresh gasps, and Mary Beth was the center of attention again.

She, too, was stunned, that the colonel was ready to give up everything for her. She began to wonder if she would be able to get away from him as planned. She knew that he would be out for blood once he discovered the truth behind her promises.

He would hate her with a passion, for she would be responsible for making a fool of him in the eyes
of all who knew him. No man liked to be made a fool of, especially by a woman . . . and not just any woman . . . one who loved an Indian.

“But first, men, I want to make one last splash as a colonel,” he went on. He leaned forward in his chair. “Today we finalize our plans against Chief Brave Wolf. He is to be the first of many who will pay for our losses at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. And as I have told you, I have a bone to pick with that particular savage, anyhow. No Injun looks down at Colonel Downing as though he is my superior. Well, he will regret ever putting himself above me. Let us talk now and agree to a plan to erase that savage from the face of the earth . . . and then onward, to others.”

Immediately all attention was averted from Mary Beth. The soldiers got a look of greed in their eyes, like a man gets before winning a hand of poker.

Mary Beth stiffened and eyed the men, one by one, as each offered his suggestions as to how this surprise attack should be carried out.

They all agreed to the final plan, then left the room one by one, leaving Mary Beth and the colonel alone.

“I saw how uncomfortable that talk made you,” Colonel Downing said as he took Mary Beth's hands and urged her to her feet. “I understand. You're a woman. No woman wants to hear about death and destruction, not even if it is against the very people who stole her son from her.”

“It does sound so . . . so . . . bloodthirsty,” she managed to say in a soft voice.

“What happened to your husband in that dreadful battle was bloodthirsty,” he growled out. “And your son? Who is to say what the heathens have done to him?”

That made Mary Beth lower her eyes. She hated thinking about what might be happening to her son at the hands of the renegades.

She was reminded again, though, of how fortunate she had been. She had been rescued by a wonderful Crow chief.

She had to find her way back to Brave Wolf's village and tell him all that she had heard today. She might be saving more than him and his Crow people. The plans were to annihilate all of the Indians within reach of Fort Henry.

“I'm sorry,” the colonel said, gently placing a finger under her chin. He lifted it so that his eyes and Mary Beth's met. “I sometimes speak before I think. I did not mean to imply the worst about your son.”

She hoped that he wouldn't see the hate in her eyes, for at this moment she hated this man worse than Blackjack Tom, who had still not been found. Hearing the plans against Brave Wolf had been even worse than feeling fingers around her throat, tightening, tightening.

Right now it seemed as though a vise was around her heart, doing the same.

“It's alright,” she lied. “I understand how you feel. It's just terrible that life has to be this way . . . that there should be any more deaths.”

“Better they than we,” Colonel Downing said,
chuckling. “Now let's get on with talk about a wedding,” he said, smiling broadly. “I believe we'll have the ceremony before I ride out with my soldiers for the killing.”

She cringed at the thought.

Her mind was desperately planning how she was going to manage to get free of not only this fort, but also this man . . . especially before wedding vows were spoken between them!

For thee the wonder-working earth
puts forth sweet flowers.

—Lucretius

Brave Wolf pushed his half-eaten tray of breakfast foods away from him. He stared blankly into his lodge fire as he again became lost in troubling thoughts. Now that Mary Beth was no longer with him, he was not sleeping well, nor had he wanted to eat.

He even found it hard to perform his duties to his clan.

He only hoped that his people did not notice. He had tried hard to put up a good front.

But in his eyes, if anyone looked closely enough, was a quiet torment. He knew the sort of man Colonel Downing was. He was cold-hearted,
calculating, and had a deep-seated hatred for all Indians.

It had taken all the willpower that Brave Wolf could muster to tolerate the insolent colonel that day he had came to have council with Brave Wolf after renegades had ambushed and killed the army wives.

“I must at least try to see her,” he whispered to himself.

That was what he must do. He would hide close to Fort Henry and try to catch a glimpse of Mary Beth from afar. If he did see her and saw that she was alright, he would rest much easier at night. He would dream better dreams.

He wondered when she planned to return to him. How much longer would she feel that she must stay to know whether or not her son could be found by the soldiers?

And when she did decide to leave, how could she explain her departure to the colonel? If he knew that she wanted to return to the Crow village, to live among the Crow, he might not allow it.

Filled with so many doubts and questions, Brave Wolf decided that today was the day he would try to find some answers. He would go and watch for Mary Beth. But if he did not see her, what then?

How could he return to his village without knowing how she was? Might not the torment be twofold if he went and did not see her?

No matter what, he had to at least give it a try. If luck was on his side, she might even today ride from the fort on the beloved steed that was now
hers. She might be ready to put her old life behind her and forge ahead with the new.

But if she had not received any word yet about her son, would she be ready to look forward and let the past die as it should die?

They had such a wonderful future together.

They would have many children to replace the one she had lost, if indeed David was gone. They would have sons
and
daughters.

That made him smile despite the misery of missing her.

He had no duties to tend to today for his people. His brother was faring well enough—so well, in fact, that soon a decision must be made about his future.

His people had begun to tolerate his presence among them, had even begun to forgive the error of his ways. Night Horse seemed to have changed back to the warrior he had been before being lured away by greed. His future was in his own hands.

Shaking his head, Brave Wolf went back to thinking of his own future. He had begun making himself a new medicine bundle, which he hoped would not only busy his hands and mind while Mary Beth was gone, but also bring him good luck.

The new medicine bundle was made now and before he left the village today, he would uncover it and get it blessed by his people's shaman, Many Clouds.

Having it with him today would almost ensure that he would see Mary Beth, for all the while he
was making the new medicine, she had been in his heart and mind.

He went to the back of his tepee, knelt, and began slowly, almost meditatively, unfolding the thin piece of doeskin in which he had kept his new medicine.

He unfolded the last corner of the doeskin and smiled as he gazed down. He had made a hoop from a red willow branch. He had wrapped it in buckskin, then painted it half blue and half black and tied a hawkskin and some red feathers to it. It had taken a good portion of one day to complete it.

“My chief?”

The voice of Many Clouds made Brave Wolf turn toward the lowered buckskin flap at his doorway. Even before the sun had risen fully along the mountaintops, he had gone to Many Cloud's lodge and told him that today was the day for him to bless his new medicine. He was there now, at his chief's request, to do so.

Brave Wolf gazed at his medicine once again, then rose from his haunches and went to the doorway. He held open the buckskin flap.

“Welcome,” he said, stepping aside so Many Clouds could enter.

Many Clouds returned Brave Wolf's smile, embraced him, then walked with the younger man to where the new medicine lay awaiting his blessing.

“I see that your new medicine has been properly made,” Many Clouds said, moving to his haunches before it. “The black paint represents night and
the blue the earth. The red feathers represent the clouds and the hawkskin, your vision.”

“
Hecitu-yelo
, yes, you have read my new medicine well,” Brave Wolf replied. “I have already smudged it and sung to it in order to make it powerful.”

Many Clouds turned his eyes toward Brave Wolf. “All it needs now is my blessing . . . then use it well, my chief.”

“I will have use of it today,” Brave Wolf said. “I will carry it with me on my quest.”

“I do not even have to ask what that quest is,” Many Clouds said, placing a gentle hand on Brave Wolf's shoulder. “I have seen your restlessness since the woman rode out of our village. I see in your eyes how you ache to hold her again.”

“You are the wisest of wise,” Brave Wolf said, nodding. “I
do
plan to ride today to try to get a glimpse of my woman. I must see that she is not harmed by the pony soldiers. I am glad that you understand the needs of a man who has fallen in love with a woman different from himself. When I look at her I see no color. I see my heart.”

“A man cannot choose which woman his heart leads him to, it is his heart that does the leading and choosing,” Many Clouds said, lowering his hand. “I trust your heart's judgment, my chief. It has never led you wrong.”

Brave Wolf gave Many Clouds a warm hug, then sat down beside him as the shaman began singing and chanting over the new medicine.

“It is now blessed,” Many Clouds said, slowly
rising. “Guard it well, my chief. You will be guarding your future.”

Brave Wolf embraced Many Clouds again, then led him to the door.

When the shaman had left the lodge, Brave Wolf knelt before his medicine again, then slowly folded it back into the doeskin.

He left it there until he had his stallion readied for travel, then went for it and carefully placed it in his travel bag at one side of his horse.

When he returned to his lodge he bypassed his bow and quiver of arrows. Instead, he fastened a sheath that held his large knife at his right side, then carried his prized rifle to his horse. After sliding it into his gunboot, and making certain he had enough ammunition, he mounted his steed and rode from the village.

When he reached open land, with the mountains behind him, he rode at a hard gallop. He hoped that before the moon replaced the sun in the sky he would have seen his woman. If she looked as though she had been mistreated at the hands of the whites, he would go to war without hesitation!