“Vellaneau, ride back to the fort and apprise Colonel Caine of what has happened. We are going to deliver Stalking Wolf as we promised,” Dutch said.
He got a salute from the man and a nod. Bright Feather received one, too, before he rode off into the night. They mounted and tied Stalking Wolf into the saddle of one of the horses they had ridden to the camp on. Stalking Wolf had awoken on his saddle and refused to speak. That was fine with Dutch.
“What do you figure the Coyoteros chief will do with Stalking Wolf, he did try to murder him after all?” Dutch asked Bright Feather.
“I don’t know, Dutch. If he does too much, the war drums will begin with a ferocity that will be heard all the way to the California border,” she answered. He sighed and they put their heels to their horses. They had to be there by dawn.
Word must have spread fast to the Coyoteros camp, for as they approached the camp, there were two lines of braves forming a pathway to the chief’s tent. They rode slowly and cautiously before the tribe and stopped in front of the chief who stood before his tent now. His medicine man was right after all. The man looked healthier than the last time they saw him. They both dismounted, helping Stalking Wolf out of his saddle.
“Your attacker,” Dutch said, pointing to Stalking Wolf. Bright Feather was the translator again. Dutch wondered if the chief could speak English anyway.
“You and your squaw keep your word, pony soldier. There are those who have counseled me that Stalking Wolf must die. However, I will not break the peace by punishing him too severely. Four war ponies are the price for his release,” the chief said through Dutch’s lover. She translated Dutch’s next words for the chief’s benefit.
“It sounds like you are getting a heck of a deal, Stalking Wolf. Are your people agreeable to those terms? They didn’t give you up for Sampson’s pelts,” he said something in his own language and Bright Feathers relayed it.
“He says this is different, and they will pay. What Vellaneau tried was dishonorable, this is not,” she said. The chief looked at his enemy and said something too. Stalking Wolf only nodded mutely but managed a small smile that spoke of pride.
“What was that?” Dutch asked.
“The chief wanted Stalking Wolf to know that his father fought bravely in their battle to the death. If he had been the one to have met the Great Spirit that day, it would have been an honor to have done so at the hands of such a warrior as Stalking Wolf’s father,” Bright Feather told him.
Dutch and Stalking Wolf shared a long menacing glare at each other as he was led away, both certain their two different paths would cross again someday.
***
The next day, Col. Caine, Vellaneau, Bright Feather, and Dutch were atop the wall of the fort, watching the four tribes approach. It was a moment of quiet for a job well done. There would be peace between the tribes, Dutch knew. He wasn't sure how long it would last, but it was a good start, he thought, looking at his lover proudly.
“Now that the Chiricahua and the Coyoteros have burned tobacco, all the tribes are coming for the peace talks. Looks like peace will be the order of the day after all,” Col. Caine said with a tinge of relief in his voice. Dutch didn’t blame him.
“Thanks to Bright Feather. She knew that a fight for my life was the only way to get Stalking Wolf turned over,” Dutch said proudly.
“Maybe so, but it was your bravery that made all the difference,” she responded back at him with a smile.
"There is enough credit to go around to all of us. Including you, Vellaneau. You couldn't have known your plan wouldn't work. If I'd consulted with Bright Feather first, we would have known better. I am sure our superiors will look favorably on my report. It should go a long way toward having my request for Bright Feather to join us approved," Col. Caine said with a nod and a puff on his cigar. Vellaneau was smoking one, too, and both puffed on with relief.
They suddenly heard a shout go up from the opposite wall, and they ran around the top to see what was going on. What now? Dutch wondered. Couldn’t they get a break for a little bit? They could see beyond the fort; a single rider was approaching fast.
“It’s Blue River!” Bright Feather exclaimed.
“I can tell by his speed something is wrong, terribly wrong. Let’s go!” Dutch said and they all ran down to the gate as the teenager was allowed in. Blue River jumped off his horse and ran towards them.
“Dutch! Dutch! You must come to Cedar Ledge right now. It’s the judge, Father, he is gravely injured! The bridge to the north pasture collapsed under him as he was riding across. We don’t know if he will live, or …” He trailed off, flushed and afraid. Dutch was stunned at the sudden, terrifying news.
“Colonel?” he asked, turning to his commander.
“Go! If Judge Wilde needs you, then be on your way, soldier!” Col. Caine told him.
“I will get your horse from the stable,” Blue River said and ran off.
"I got things covered here. If Bright Feather will stay to help with the negotiations as planned," Vellaneau said, looking to the lady for approval. He knew he couldn't do it without her help. She, however, turned to her lover with an encouraging smile.
“Go! I will catch up with you at Cedar Ledge after my role here is done. Go be with your father and tell Catalina to be strong. She must be beside herself,” she said.
Dutch saluted the officers as Blue River brought his horse. The pair mounted up and Dutch locked eyes with Bright Feather for a moment. Then the Wilde brothers charged off to their father’s side.
EPILOGUE
* * *
Present Day
At the gates of the fort, the Wildes were standing outside of the two carriages they had arrived in. They were preparing to leave after the lovely dinner provided by the colonel. Lijuan saw Vellaneau standing off to the side and concluded that there was something interesting about him that she wanted to explore. She went over to him and stood beside him where they could speak privately.
“Yes, ma’am?” he said.
“You know you were pretty obvious giving me the once over earlier?” she said rhetorically.
“I’ve just heard about you all these years. To actually see you for the first time … I am just sorry we didn’t get a chance to talk,” he said honestly.
“No, we didn’t. We will all be leaving shortly. Why would you want to talk to me?” she asked him outright.
“Because of you, I became a student of the Chinese culture,” he said, surprising her.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“Didn’t your brother ever tell you? He saved my life by performing one of those fancy kicks you taught him. After that, I started teaching myself all about those fighting skills and the Chinese culture. It is a rich and fascinating history,” he said at her raised eyebrows.
Not too many people had ever said they found her heritage fascinating, she thought, smiling.
“He did once tell me how he saved his life and that of a captive with such a move, as I vaguely recall. So, that captive would be you?” she said, still smiling. Vellaneau had beautiful blue eyes. They sparkled when he looked at her.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
“I noticed before you don’t have any love for the guest of honor,” she said plainly.
“We have had our ups and downs over the years,” he said, nodding. “Mostly downs, even though my commanding officer was sold on her years ago, there is just something that still makes it hard for me to trust her,” Vellaneau said.
“I know what you mean,” she answered crossing her arms. “I find it hard, too.”
She glanced over to where Dutch and Bright Feather were standing with the judge and Marisol. Everyone was already on the move towards the carriages, getting prepared for the ride back home. Vellaneau drew her attention back when he cleared his throat.
“You know … I was speaking with a corporal who was on furlough at that Founder’s Day celebration the other day. If you believe the man, it was YOU who was the re
al hero of the day, driving that train, saving everyone. I must say you are one impressive lady, Miss Lijuan.”
Reveling in the compliment Lijuan said nothing but the smile on her face said all and she batted her eyes at him as she nodded.
Over at the coaches, Whip was saying buoyantly, "Into the carriage, Marisol. Cedar Ledge waits!"
“Yes, Whip,” Marisol answered the judge before turning to the other two with them. “But first I just want to thank you again for sharing your story. There is one more thing I would like to ask. Did you ever encounter Stalking Wolf again?”
"Did we ever!" Dutch said, a dark shadow passing over her face. "Shortly afterward he, Yellow Knife, and a bunch of his braves left the tribe for good and went to join Black Hawk and his Omegas. He's his right-hand man now on his war against the whites of the territory. In fact, I …"
Dutch broke off the narration, however, when he noticed Lijuan talking to Vellaneau. “Can you excuse us please?” He asked of his father, so the judge and Marisol climbed into the carriage.
Dutch and Bright Feather stepped to the side looking at Lijuan and Vellaneau.
“What could they possibly be talking about?” Bright Feather wondered out loud.
“His old prejudices haven’t changed, as you saw how he totally ignored Honor and Catalina tonight, but you know she is probably different,” he said.
“Yes, his infatuation with the Chinese culture, ever since that day of the peace conference,” she said while Dutch just shook his head.
“Well I don’t like him talking to her, not one bit,” he said.
Luckily, Cassandra was approaching and Dutch grabbed her arm. "Cassandra, can you tell Lijuan that it is time to leave?" He asked his sister. Cassandra's eyes traveled to where Lijuan was speaking with Vellaneau and fumed angrily.
“Absolutely,” she said fiercely and Dutch and Bright feather watched as she stalked over to where Lijuan was talking to the soldier.
She said something to her younger sister and they turned back to the carriages together, leaving Vellaneau alone. Moments later they had crossed to where pair awaited.
“Why were you talking to him?” Dutch asked.
“The captain was just sharing with me his appreciation for the Chinese culture,” Lijuan answered nonchalantly.
“You should pick who you have your conversations with more carefully,” Bright Feather said, earning a strict glare from Lijuan.
“Please join us in the second coach. Blue River has decided to borrow my horse and go visit his tribe, so we have room,” Dutch offered Lijuan pleasantly.
“No, I think I will kick Catalina out of Father’s coach, and I’ll ride with him, Marisol and Honor Elizabeth. See you back at the ranch,” Lijuan said.
Dutch was surprised as she had never turned down an invitation from him before. He held Bright Feather’s hand and turned towards the second coach. Soon, everyone was seated in their coaches and they pulled away, a fascinated Vellaneau watching on. He was joined by a lieutenant.
“Would you look at that?” the younger officer said, “I will never get used to that family walking around like it is normal to mix every race under the sun into one family. Colored girls, injuns, Mexicans, and even one of them shifty Chinese,” the officer finished.
Vellaneau elbowed him in the gut hard enough that he doubled over wheezing for breath.
“I don’t care what you say about the Mexican girl or any of the rest of those half breeds. Just don’t let me hear you saying anything bad about Miss Lijuan. That pretty little lady has got more class and culture in her thumb than some hick from Oklahoma like you has got in your whole body,” he told the baffled man.
He watched as the carriages rolled through the gates. He wondered when and if he would ever see Lijuan Wilde again.
He really hoped he would. Sooner rather than later, too.
PLEASE ENJOY A SNEAK PEAK AT AN EXCERPT OF OUR NEXT RELEASE:
HALF BREED HAVEN WESTERN SHORT STORIES: DISASTER AT DEVIL’S CANYON
(A Blue River Wilde adult western adventure)
Catalina managed to stay undistracted as she fired at the Indian, setting him off his horse immediately. She ducked just in time as an arrow shot right for her. Another Indian had appeared from nowhere on his horse, racing towards her with blazing eyes and arrow at the ready for another shot. Quickly, Catalina lowered herself on her horse, despite that the brute still moved at great speed, using the animal as a shield as well as a source of distraction for the Indian. Before her attacker could adjust his target, she fired twice, hitting him in the chest and sending him and his horse to the ground.
She raised herself to her previous position on her horse then, seeing from the corner of her eyes many of the braves already doing good justice to the enemy braves. The Apaches were fighting back, but they were no match. One came for her again, raising his tomahawk at her but this time around, Catalina didn’t shoot him. She only ducked and kicked the side of his horse with her feet, sending both towards a hard wall. The Indian fell to the floor, lightheaded for only a second. When he got back to his feet, he glanced around warily and noticed Blue River fighting another Apache brave a few feet from him.
Catalina cursed under her breath as he reached for his bow and arrow to target Blue River. She reached for her best weapon then, whirling it effortlessly in the air before sending the tip towards his face. Her bullwhip did its job quite efficiently. Its strong tip slashed across his face, getting him in so much pain instantly that his bow dropped from his hand.
Blue River, on the other hand, had managed to duck a tomahawk coming for his head while he shot at one of the Apache braves. He approached the railcar that was gradually going up in flames then, surprised to ride by what appeared to be a smashed birthday cake on the ground. He quickly dismounted his horse then, suspecting that there was more to the railcar than what could be noticed from afar.
He found out he was right when he got closer and saw the faces of two men and a woman through the windows of the railcar. They were all screaming with terror. Quickly calculating how to get them out, Blue River noticed that the windows were already opened but were too small to crawl through. He reached for the doors to help them but the Indians had already wedged railroad ties on either end of the doors to prevent escape.
Just when he thought about seeing if there was a way to widen the window holes, Blue River cursed under his breath as an Apache brave charged at him with his tomahawk raised. Instead of firing at him, Blue River quickly swung his rifle at him, knocking him from his horse and jerking his tomahawk into the air from his hand. The Apache brave fell unconscious onto the floor just as Blue River caught his tomahawk and wedged it into his belt. He slung his rifle with the strap over his shoulder quickly and climbed his horse making a leap over the rising flames to catch a hold of a stove pipe. With the right fling of his body, Blue River successfully landed on top of the railcar.
“Everyone away from the center of the coach!!” he shouted.
He got his rifle back in his hands and aimed at the railcar’s air vent, blasting a hole in it. Immediately, the men and woman shouted, urging him on and begging that he should be fast. Blue River glanced around him, relieved to see that no Apache brave would distract him this time around, for most of them had already been sent on the run by Thunder Clouds and his braves.
"Hurry! Hurry, please! We can hardly breathe! And the heat!" the woman in the railcar pleaded, getting his attention back to the task at hand.
He peered down into her pleading face. She was beautiful, there was no question about that and even with the look of terror on her face, he could see it. Long, dark scarlet hair spilled down around her shoulders in disarray, clearing having come undone from being pinned up during the past few chaotic moments in the boxcar. The woman's eyes were a mirror of his own brilliant blue ones. From his vantage point above, he found himself also staring down at the cleavage of her large breasts as they rose and fell under her labored breathing. He was going to save this beauty, the
re was no question in his mind.
Drawing back, Blue River pulled out the tomahawk from his belt then, lunging it mightily at the hole in order to enlarge it. Looking down again he saw hope in her face this time. He would not fail her.
“Stay strong! I will not let you die in there!”
And a reminder this and other Wilde adventures now available or coming soon.
THE WILDES OF THE WEST #1: THE DAUGHTERS OF HALF BREED HAVEN
HALF BREED HAVEN #1: WILDE-FIRE
HALF BREED HAVEN #2: IN DANGER’S SHADOW
HALF BREED HAVEN #3: DARK RIVALS
HALF BREED HAVEN #4: SILVER, GOLD AND DECEPTION
HALF BREED HAVEN #5: THE FORBIDDEN RANCH
HALF BREED HAVEN #6: SING THE DEATH SONG
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HALF BREED HAVEN WESTERN SHORT STORIES: DISASTER AT DEVIL’S CANYON
(A Blue River Wilde adult western adventure)
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Sing The Death Song: Dutch Wilde & Bright Feather Western Adventure (Half Breed Haven Book 6) Page 20