Running Elk rested his head against the wall and looked up at the small bare window. When the dim light that permeated the small cell darkened, his body tensed and his hand automatically reached for the knife that was no longer strapped to his leg, and in moving so quickly he learned his restraints wouldn’t have allowed him to reach the weapon anyway.
“Running Elk,” the man said through the opening of the window. “I am Captain Percival Armstrong.”
Running Elk stayed silent.
“I have heard you speak English. And I know you communicated with Alexandria before she was even aware of your language,” he explained smugly.
Running Elk’s expression didn’t change, but inside his blood was boiling.
“You look like hell,” the soldier continued the one-sided conversation. “Alexandria will be by later with some food. Would you like that?”
Running Elk remained silent and unblinking.
“She really is an amazing woman. While you’re in prison, if they don’t hang ya, I will be taking care of her and your son,” he informed the silent Indian.
It was evident the captain had been looking forward to torturing Running Elk, but it sounded like the soldier’s actions had not been as fulfilling as the man had hoped.
“Nei mah-ocu-ah,” Running Elk seethed, telling the captain that Two Fires was his.
“Next time I visit, I’ll bring a scout. I want to know what you are saying to me,” the captain informed him before he disappeared from the window.
***
Percival walked straight to his sister-in-law’s house with the sole purpose of speaking to Alexandria. He wasn’t sure what was coming over him. Since he was a young man, every woman he’d ever smiled at had fallen at his feet. Alexandria was the exception, and he considered her reaction a call to arms. Shame wasn’t an emotion he had experienced before. He was well aware the woman he was pursuing was beginning to hate him, and it was becoming increasingly clear there was nothing he could do to sway her. When Alexandria had described her time with Standing Bear, Percival had thought the Kiowa was unsure of himself. Yet he was doing the exact same thing. It appeared she was only ever going to love one man and, much as he hated to admit it, he was jealous of the Comanche.
Once he reached his sisters-in-law’s porch, he knocked on the door and waited to be admitted.
Jatana slowly opened the door and looked at him with disappointment on her face.
“What!?” he asked irritably.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” she spoke as she let him in before following him to the living room.
“Where is she?” he asked, rubbing his forehead.
“Sleeping. Why?”
“Because I want to speak to her. That’s why,” he informed her testily.
“Percival, she needs to sleep. Little Eagle has just gone down for a nap, and I have no intention of waking either one of them,” she informed him as she sat on the divan and picked up her knitting needles.
“I didn’t ask you to wake her. What do you think I am?” he asked, plopping down beside Jatana.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I’ve never seen you like this. You were always so charming, the knight in shining armor. What has come over you?”
“She has come over me, Jatana,” he admitted defeatedly. “I will stop by again later. The general said the prisoner has to eat, so will you fix something? I will deliver it to him when I return,” he asked, rising from a sitting position and walking back towards the exit.
“I will do as you ask,” Jatana said quietly, not looking up from her knitting.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Alexandria woke slowly, taking the time to stretch and yawn before sitting up.
The wonderful aroma of chicken being fried filled the home and forced her to realize just how hungry she was. Before getting out of bed, she reached for Little Eagle.
When she didn’t see him, she wasn’t overcome with worry. She knew he was in good hands with Jatana. Alexandria was grateful the woman had thought to remove her son from the room. It was the first time she had slept uninterrupted since she arrived at the fort. She hadn’t realized how long she had slept until she noticed the sun had already began to set.
After smoothing her hair and crumpled dress, she walked towards the delicious aroma filling the small home.
“Did you sleep well?” Jatana asked when Alexandria walked into the kitchen.
“I did. Is Little Eagle all right?” she asked when she saw her son lying on a pillow on the floor, playing contently with a wooden spoon.
“He was no trouble. He is a very quiet baby. Are you hungry?” Jatana asked, smiling.
“Starving,” Alexandria answered. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No, everything is well in hand. Percival is coming by for dinner,” she said, watching Alexandria for her reaction to the news.
“Why? To torture me some more? I’m sorry. I know he’s your family, but I was so very wrong about him,” Alexandria said weakly as she sat at the table and rubbed her temples in hopes the throbbing in her head would calm.
“He’s never acted this way before. If it helps, I’m on your side. I wish I could say he will behave better. He did say something about taking food to Running Elk. You and I could go,” Jatana offered as she thought through her new idea.
“As badly as I want to see Running Elk, I’m afraid it is some kind of trap. But even as I admit that, I still want to go. I just don’t want to do anything that could cause matters to get worse for Running Elk. I’m confused, but my heart wants to go to him. You will come too, right?”
“Of course. We’ll leave Little Eagle with Percival,” Jatana said, even after seeing Alexandria’s disagreeable expression. “As out of character as he’s acting, he would never allow the child to come to harm. I can promise you that much. We just have to get him to agree to let us both go.”
“And just how are we going to do that?” Alexandria asked, not believing the captain wouldn’t insist on accompanying her.
“Simple. We will make him believe it is his idea,” Jatana informed her with a smile as she began laying out the table settings.
“All right. But how do you plan on doing that?” Alexandria asked curiously; she was still not convinced there was anything they could do.
“By making him believe the closer he becomes to your son, the closer he will be to you. You are his weakness, plain and simple. You may have to deceive Percival to get your way.”
“I will never give in to him,” Alexandria replied stubbornly.
“I am aware of that, and truthfully, he should be too. But he doesn’t seem to have a good grasp on reality at the moment. Maybe if you lead him on a little, you will get what you want,” Jatana explained, clearly believing her idea was a good one.
Alexandria listened to Jatana’s thoughts and knew a horse would be helpful when she returned to the reservation in the morning and being able to see Running Elk with no one eavesdropping was something she hadn’t even considered a possibility until Jatana began talking about her plan.
After a few minutes of thought, Alexandria spoke again. “I will try it your way. But I will not have him touch me,” she said through clenched teeth when she heard the knock on the door.
“I understand. You will soon see this is a rather easy thing to do. Just follow my lead,” Jatana whispered before she left the room to open the door for Percival. “Percival, it is good to see you,” she said sweetly.
The captain’s confusion grew when he followed Jatana into the kitchen and saw Alexandria attempt a genuine smile.
“Ladies,” he said, greeting both of them before removing his hat.
“Have a seat,” Jatana suggested as she pushed the man closer to the table. “Alexandria, why don’t you give Little Eagle to Percival while we finish preparing dinner?”
Instead of turning to Jatana and telling her she was crazy, Alexandria bent down and picked up her son before turning to the captain. “Would you mind, P
… Percival?” she asked, after swallowing the bile in her throat.
“No. Not at all, Alexandria. You know, I believe that is only the first or second time you have actually called me by my name. I like it,” he said, smiling as Alexandria cautiously handed her son to the soldier.
She moved beside Jatana, who was finishing mashing potatoes at the stove. “This had better work.”
Jatana turned and smiled at Alexandria before filling the first plate with food. Alexandria took it and laid it in front of Percival before turning to take her son.
“No. He can stay on my lap during dinner. Does he like fried chicken? I’ll bet he’s never tasted it. Well, we will fix that,” he said, talking to Little Eagle more than anyone else.
Alexandria was about to object when Jatana spoke up. “Little Eagle is Alexandria’s whole life, Percival. You know that. She needs to be sure you won’t say anything or do anything to hurt the child,” Jatana explained sternly.
“I would never do or say anything to hurt the boy,” he said, sounding offended by the idea. “Little Eagle and I need to get to know each other better. Don’t you agree, Alexandria?” the captain asked as he moved the child to a position where he was looking at the plate of food.
“Why … yes. Would you like to spend time with him?” Alexandria stammered, attempting with everything inside herself to sound the slightest bit sincere.
“I would. How about you two go take Running Elk his food? I mean, you can’t save him, and maybe you should be able to say goodbye before he’s moved. With Little Eagle’s father in jail, or worse yet, dead, I believe I will be the one who will teach him things, right?” he asked, holding a forkful of peas halfway to his mouth, watching Alexandria closely.
“Percival! That isn’t something either one of our guests need to hear! Maybe it is a bad idea, leaving Little Eagle with you!” Jatana chastised her brother-in-law.
Alexandria was appreciative of her new friend’s attempt to shift the captain’s attention back to Jatana, simply because Alexandria wasn’t sure how much more she could take before she ruined everything.
“No, you’re right. I will do better. After we’re finished eating, I will give you written permission to be admitted to visit with the prisoner. Hell, the man is becoming less of a threat with every passing minute,” the captain commented as he placed a piece of chicken meat into Little Eagle’s chubby fingers.
Even with Jatana’s help, Alexandria had heard about all she could and stood up, pushing her chair from the table as she did. Her intention was to grab her son away from the awful captain, but Jatana spoke before she could act.
“If you are getting up, Alexandria. I will take some more lemonade,” she said sweetly, allowing Alexandria to see her glare.
Alexandria turned and poured the drink. While she was doing so, she realized Jatana was right to stop her from acting rashly. As difficult as keeping her emotions in check was, the captain seemed to be falling for their ruse. So after taking a few deep breaths, she bit her bottom lip and turned back to the pair.
“I think he’s startin’ to like me,” Percival said to Alexandria as she placed the freshly-filled glass back in front of Jatana.
“He doesn’t seem to mind you,” Alexandria admitted, thinking to herself the only reason her son wasn’t screaming was because the child was unable to decide yet who was a good person and who was a bad one.
“Eat up, Alexandria,” Jatana nudged.
Alexandria ate very little but kept her eyes on her son. The captain was whispering to Little Eagle, and she found his actions infuriating. After repeatedly telling herself Little Eagle wouldn’t remember anything of the man, she breathed a little easier.
Jatana pushing her chair from the table pulled Alexandria from her daze.
“We should start packing the basket for Running Elk,” the woman said as she picked up her plate before placing it on the countertop.
Alexandria followed but kept her eyes on her son.
“Try not to worry so much. Soon you will be with Running Elk. Holding your tongue is paying off. I promise,” Jatana whispered as she filled a basket with food. “Percival, you need to write that note,” she reminded her brother-in-law.
“Right away,” he said, standing and placing Little Eagle on his hip.
“Would you like me to take him while you do that?” Alexandria offered as she moved closer to the man.
“No, we’re good. See? I’ve already finished. Now you two take your time. We’ll be just fine,” Percival stated as he handed Alexandria the slip of paper before returning to the table. “Oh, and take a wrap. The nights are getting nippy.”
Jatana moved quickly and efficiently, but Alexandria was still concerned about leaving Little Eagle. Jatana seemed to sense her friend’s apprehension and pulled her through the open door.
Once they were outside of the house, they both let out a sigh of relief.
“You are an amazing woman, Jatana,” Alexandria declared, still quite shocked that the woman’s plan had worked so perfectly.
“Not really. Men are all pretty much the same. Percival, thank goodness, is an easy man to manipulate. Now, let’s so work some magic on the guards so that you and Running Elk can be alone,” Jatana said, taking Alexandria’s arm and walking at a brisk pace towards the guardhouse.
When they reached their destination, the women were met by two armed soldiers. Jatana smiled sweetly and handed one of them the note Percival had written.
Alexandria was struck motionless at the idea that she was mere minutes away from seeing the man she loved. Her temporary paralysis was broken when she heard Jatana continue to speak.
“While she is in with the savage, why don’t we sit over there and have some dinner ourselves?” Jatana suggested, smiling.
Both of the men looked dumbfounded.
“Ma’am? Do you think that would be all right?” one of the soldiers asked Alexandria, looking as if he really would enjoy eating dinner with the pretty Jatana.
“Oh, I’m sure I will be fine with the prisoner,” Alexandria stated, glaring at Jatana.
“Well, there you have it. Come on, boys,” Jatana flirted as she laid a blanket under a nearby tree before beginning to pull food from the basket. “Go ahead and unlock the door and then come over here and eat. I hear I make the best pie around.”
One of the soldiers fumbled with the keys hanging from his belt and unlocked the door as quickly as possible.
Before opening the cell door, he looked at Alexandria. “If you need anything, just yell. We will be right here,” the young man assured her.
***
The air rushed into the dark cell, chilling Running Elk to the bone. He heard the keys unlocking the latch but wasn’t able to hear any voices. His muscles tensed at the knowledge that someone was entering his cell. Every muscle screamed out when he tightened his body. The agony from the beating was the worst he’d ever endured. It was the worst beating he had ever taken. When he was captured, he was tied up before being introduced to the captain.
If he hadn’t been bound while the captain was administering his beating, he would have held his own, but that was of little solace. All he could do to ready himself for his visitor was lift his throbbing head and watch as the door slowly opened all the way.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Alexandria’s heart jumped to her throat when her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She saw Running Elk sitting slumped against a wall, his arms and legs tied to his neck with a thick rope. His handsome face was swollen and bloody and his hair was matted to the side of his face. Seeing his condition caused her to drop the basket before she ran to him.
“Oh God! Why have they done this to you?” she cried, nearing hysterics as she pulled at the rope in an attempt to loosen it.
When she realized she was speaking English, she immediately changed to Comanche.
Running Elk didn’t respond to her words. Panic and anger coursed through her veins. Without thinking, she gently held his face in her hands and
kissed his lips. Running Elk remained unmoved.
Alexandria scooted away and looked at him in shock. “It’s me.”
Running Elk lifted his head and looked at her through swollen eyes but still remained silent.
Alexandria told herself as soon as Running Elk acknowledged her, she would be able to breathe, so she spoke again. “We are alone, I swear we are. Please don’t do this to me. I need you to tell me what to do! We have to get you out of here. I went to White Buffalo today and asked him to locate Kicking Bird so that I can ask for his help. I just don’t know what else to do. Please just talk to me,” she whispered as she moved closer to him and spoke into his ear.
Her intentions were to stay strong, but it was proving impossible to hold back the tears.
Running Elk sighed before laying his head closer to hers. “Please stop crying. You had better be sure we are alone, Two Fires,” he mumbled.
Relief ran through her when she heard his deep voice. “We are, and we have a little time,” she assured him before kissing his swollen cheek.
Running Elk pulled his bound hands up to caress her face and wipe the tears from her cheeks.
Alexandria wept so much, she gave herself the hiccups. “Why? Why … did… they … beat … you?” she asked as she tore a piece of her skirt and poured some of the water from the canteen on the scrap before gently attempting to clean some of the dried blood from his face.
“Because I am a free Comanche,” he answered proudly.
Alexandria could see he was in considerable pain even though he was attempting to hide the extent of his discomfort from her.
“They’re bastards!” she seethed before moving the wet cloth towards the gash in Running Elk’s forehead.
“Kee!” he struggled through clenched teeth. “That is too much pain for me right now. First, we eat and talk.”
“Tell me what to do,” she begged as she handed him a piece of bread.
She wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, listening to him tell her everything would be all right. But from the look on his face, she knew she wasn’t going to get her wish. After attempting to paste a fake smile on her face, she fought to stop the tears from flowing.
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