The Devil Between Us
Page 24
Toby didn’t complain, but she knew this couldn’t be any more pleasant for him than it was for her. As soon as she mounted, he wrapped his arms around her waist, lay his head on her shoulder, and struggled to get comfortable. He was exhausted and the novelty of looking for trees had long faded. She, too, was beyond tired. Abby caught herself falling forward in the saddle several times. She sang softly, trying to stay awake. Toby sometimes hummed along behind her.
They reached the mountain lake by dawn, giving her a renewed sense of hope. They were on the right path, getting closer. The final stretch to the cabin was fast and easy. Even though Abby made the journey in record time, she felt as if she’d been traveling forever.
Abby called Jesse’s name as she ran toward the cabin. Her heart sank the instant she opened the cabin door; Jesse wasn’t there and hadn’t been since they left together. The cabin had the same empty, unoccupied feel it had when she first visited. She dropped into the chair by the fireplace and cried into her hands.
Toby placed the rifle on the table and went to Abby. He patted her on the back. “It’s all r-r-right.”
Remembering her promise to Jesse, Abby wiped her eyes and stood. “Toby, why don’t you have a seat at the table and I’ll get you something to eat,” she said. She offered him a large piece of jerky from Jesse’s supply. The dried meat seemed to mollify him, giving Abby a chance to let her mind run through several different scenarios. None of them ended well. Jesse, where are you?
Toby finished the snack. His eyelids were so heavy he could barely keep them open.
“Why don’t you go lay down and get some sleep?” Abby said.
Toby said nothing. He walked to the bed and fell asleep quickly.
The blanket beneath Toby brought back memories of the incredible night she and Jesse shared under the stars. A fresh round of tears flowed freely. She sat at the table, distraught, weighing her options. She knew what she had to do. The thought of having to head straight back down the mountain was overwhelming, but she had no choice.
If Jesse wasn’t here, then they would have to keep looking. She decided when Toby woke, they would start the trip back down. Abby wouldn’t stop looking until she found Jesse, dead or alive.
I’m just going to rest my eyes for a minute. She rested her head on the table and closed her eyes.
Abby woke with a start when she heard a noise out on the front porch. She jumped up, knocking the chair over in her haste to get to the door. Jesse’s here, thank God.
She flung the door wide open. Her mouth dropped and her stomach sank. She stepped back. Oh, God. Indians. It never crossed her mind she would need protection. Jesse had told her repeatedly no one knew about this place. No one knew how to cross the river.
She was totally defenseless, no rifle within reach. Fear took hold. She knew what these men were capable of. Her first thought was to protect Toby. Before she could move, the men in front of her stepped aside, revealing a third man approaching the cabin. He carried Jesse’s limp body.
Forgetting her fear, Abby pushed past the men on the porch. She rushed to Jesse, lying cold, blue, and motionless in the stranger’s arms. He’s dead! Invisible hands choked Abby, rendering her speechless. When she finally found her voice again, she cried out, “What happened?”
Toby watched in silence as the man carried the lifeless body into the cabin. He gently lay Jesse on the bed. An old native man followed, skin so aged by the sun it seemed to be made of leather. His hair was pure white and held in place at the back of his head by a leather thong. He said nothing, nor did the three beautiful native women who trailed behind him.
One of the women grabbed Abby softly by the arm. “Come, let him give medicine,” she said, motioning for both Abby and Toby to follow her outside. The woman closed the door behind them.
The two women who remained in the cabin stripped Jesse of her clothes. The old man tended to the infected wounds. Jesse was barely alive. They would do everything they could to save her, though the situation was grave.
Outside, Abby approached the man who carried Jesse to the cabin. “What happened?” she said, pleading with him again.
“Me Kaga. My people keep eye on river between trees. If white man cross, we know if ‘em walk this side of river. My people see you cross. Running Bear track you. Follow up mountain. White Feather see Burning Bush laying other side of river. White Feather get Burning Bush. Little Deer run to village. Get help for Burning Bush. Burning Bush shot. We go. Help White Feather bring Burning Bush to white man home. Tribe friend to Burning Bush.”
Why did I leave Jesse with those two? I should have stayed. Abby tried to process the information. She understood they called Jesse ‘Burning Bush’, but she was surprised to learn they considered Jesse a friend. Not once had Jesse mentioned an association with them.
Abby asked, “You’re friends with Jess—I mean, Burning Bush?”
“It long story,” Kaga said. “You sit, I tell. Many, many moons ago, we go Dothka village to talk white man problem. Meet white couple. Lost son. Dothka welcomed white couple. ‘Em good people. My tribe make trade with white couple. We bring ‘em up mountain. They teach my tribe white man talk. Must know white man talk. We know ‘em come someday. Good trade for tribe. We build white man shelter with white couple,” he says, pointing to the cabin. “Nathaniel was name. Wife of white man, taught tribe white man talk. Great Spirit come for Nathaniel. Tribe keep eye on Frieda. She good to us. We good to her. We friend to Frieda. She sad for many moons. White woman have no people on mountain.”
“But she had Jess—Burning Bush. I don’t understand,” Abby said, brow pinched in confusion.
“Many moons ago, Lonato hunt bear, see white girl with hair of fire in woods. Lonato track bear. Bear track girl. Bear want to eat girl. Lonato kill bear. Lonato bring girl to Frieda. Same skin go together. Frieda no more sad. Tribe talk to Frieda. Best we no tell girl about tribe. If white man come for girl, girl tell ‘bout tribe. Tribe secret on mountain. Tribe no trust white man. Tribe always on mountain. Tribe live other side. Frieda need tribe she put eagle feather in hole in tree in meadow. We watch. Always keep eye on Frieda and girl. Frieda take good care of girl. Girl grow. Great Spirit come for Frieda. Tribe keep eye on girl with hair of fire.”
A woman opened the door and asked for more water. A young man took the bucket of bloody water and poured it out on the ground before fetching fresh water from the stream.
“What happened to the girl?” Abby asked, looking back at Kaga, her mind still unable to put all the pieces together.
Kaga pointed to the cabin and said, “There Burning Bush. After Great Spirit come for Frieda, Burning Bush cut hair of fire. Leave mountain.”
For a moment, Abby was lost. A vice tightened around her chest as she understood. Jesse was the little girl in the woods! Blood rushed from Abby’s face and she felt like she might be sick. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to understand.
Jesse was the little girl from Granite Falls who went missing after her family was murdered. The possibility tore at her heart. She didn’t want it to be true but the circumstances were starting to add up. Abby understood why Jesse wanted those two men out in the woods. Why Toby was so important. Why Jesse shied away from her insistent advances.
Abby’s vision blurred. It was too much to take in all at once. Her head felt light and her body had started to shake. Kaga noticed Abby’s condition, perhaps due to a change in her color. He grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her. His lips moved silently. The only thing audible was the sound of her own blood pumping through her ears. It took a moment to come to her senses. She nodded to assure Kaga she was in control once more.
Abby had been distantly aware of the voices coming from inside the cabin. Now, the rhythmic chanting ended and a woman motioned for her to come inside. Abby entered the cabin with trepidation. Jesse was on the bed, covered with blankets. The old man standing next to the bed finally spoke. “Now up to Great Spirit.”
Abby nodded her appreciation
. He left without another word. A woman sat silently on the bed, wiping Jesse’s face with a cool rag. Abby kept her distance, choosing to stand in the doorway.
Outside, the women prepared a freshly killed deer. The men tended to a large fire out by the stream. It’s obvious these people care about her, Abby thought. Not yet ready to face Jesse, she went outside and took a seat by the fire. Her mind was somewhere else as she watched the women prepare food.
As dusk turned to shadow, the native people sang and danced around the blazing fire. After taking their turns tending to Jesse, the women also joined in the dancing. Abby didn’t understand their chants, but found their movements and harmonies beautiful.
Toby, who had spent most of the night sitting quietly, jumped to his feet. He did his best to imitate the native dance. Even though her heart was broken, Abby smiled as he clumsily hopped from one foot to the other around the fire, his own chants mixing in with the chorus.
A woman grabbed Abby by the arm and tried to get her to stand. “You dance, Great Spirit come. Heal Burning Bush,” she said. Abby had no desire to partake in their dance, but understood their belief. Somehow, the dancing would call the Great Spirit to save Jesse. She stood and accepted the invitation, and although challenging at first, it wasn’t long before she found her rhythm. Toby and the others looked on, smiling, as Abby lost herself in the dance. It was only temporary, but she let herself forget about the pain tearing her up inside.
After dancing and feasting late into the night, the natives settled in various spots around the fading fire. Abby asked Toby if he wanted to come inside, but he preferred to sleep under the stars with his new friends.
Abby paused for a moment, her back against the weathered door. Her emotions were turbulent, barely held in check as she approached the bed where Jesse’s restless body lay. She floated across the cabin as if in a nightmare. She replaced the rag on Jesse’s burning forehead. She wondered if it was the fever causing Jesse’s restlessness, or if it was something more deeply rooted that haunted her.
The emotional onslaught was relentless. She was relieved Jesse was alive yet angry with her for the deception. Abby felt violated. Confusion painted everything. It has all been a lie. Since the first day we met, nothing but a lie. How could I have been so stupid?
Abby’s mind wandered back to the evening they spent by the fire. She had no idea another woman could make her feel that way. She had never been attracted to a woman before, never thought about it.
She took a seat on one of the old wooden chairs near the fireplace. Staring at the flames, her mind raced. There were so many times she should have known Jesse was a woman: Jesse’s modesty; the reluctance to be intimate; why she was never allowed to touch her.
The man she loved more than anything in the world wasn’t a man at all. Abby’s anger turned to grief. All she has wanted was to be with Jesse, and now those hopes and dreams had been destroyed. Abby was left with nothing. Silent tears rolled off her flushed cheeks and landed soundlessly in her lap. So caught up in her angst, she didn’t hear the door open. She jumped when a hand settled lightly on her shoulder.
It was the native woman who had persuaded her to dance earlier. “My name is Aponi. Don’t cry. Burning Bush doing better. I think Great Spirit will save her.”
“I hope so.”
“Did you know Frieda, too?” the woman asked.
“No, I never got to meet her, but I’ve heard a lot about her. Did you know her?”
“Oh, yes. Frieda was a great woman. Kind spirit. She was my teacher long ago. I used to come here when I was a child. We’d sit out front and she would teach us. Sometimes she would come to our village and teach us.”
“I notice you speak my language quite well.”
“Some of us speak your language better than others. Older people in my tribe had a harder time learning the new language back then. They were, how you say, old dogs no tricks. It was easier for us younger ones to learn it, and we have continued to teach our children your language over the years. It’s important that they learn it too.”
Can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Abby smiled inwardly at Aponi’s misinterpretation. “Do you live far away?”
“Not far. Half a day’s walk, if you know the way. You should come to village.” Aponi smiled.
“I’d like that. I’m sure Jesse would like to see your village, too.”
“Jesse? That’s Burning Bush’s white man name?”
“Yes it is. Well, that’s what I’ve always called her.”
“You and Jesse are welcome at our village. You in love with Jesse?”
The question stunned Abby. Why would she think that? The idea disarmed her. If asked the question hours earlier, the answer would have been yes, without a doubt. A lot had changed, though, in a short time. Abby was unsure what she felt.
“Honestly, I don’t know what I feel anymore.”
“I saw you when we brought her here. You really care about her. I call it love.”
“Well, I do care about her. Don’t wish her any harm. But things aren’t always as they seem.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know if I can even say it out loud.” Abby felt her face burn, knew she was turning bright red.
“You can tell to me. Maybe I can help.”
Abby took in a deep breath. The words came out in a rush. “I’m not sure why, but Jesse pretended to be a man. I don’t know why she would do that. I fell in love with a man, not a woman. I don’t even know who that person is.” Abby pointed an accusing finger at Jesse.
Aponi scooted her chair closer and said, “Sometimes some women love women and some men love men. Some women dress like men and some men dress like women. Not all men like to hunt for meat. Some like to pick berries. Not all women like to pick berries but like to hunt for meat. We call them Ashatas.”
“Ashatas? What does it mean?”
“They have more than one spirit. The Great Spirit chose them to be special.” Aponi paused, maintaining eye contact. Finally, she nodded once and spoke again. “I have to go now. You sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll try, and thank you.”
Abby spent the long night tending to Jesse, her mind reeling as she tried to come to terms with the chaos that was now her life.
Chapter Twenty-Three
All throughout the night, Jesse tossed, calling out in her frail voice. Abby, overwrought about Jesse’s fragile condition, tamped down her own tumultuous thoughts, and focused solely on caring for the woman still clinging to life.
In the early morning hours, Abby noticed a slight change in Jesse’s color. Her cheeks, so ashen and corpse-like, gained back a hint of pink. “That’s a good sign. Thank God,” she whispered. Abby lay her head on the bed. She was beyond tired. Sleep took her quickly.
“Abby, wake up.” A distant voice, muffled as if underwater, tugged at the back of her consciousness. “Abby”. She felt her body move. “Abby, w-w-wake up.” She jumped up, ignoring the hand on her shoulder, panicked thinking Jesse was gone. Jesse’s cheeks still had color, rendering Abby’s fears premature. Abby thanked God again. She shifted her gaze on Toby.
“S-s-s-sorry I w-w-woke you. I’m gonna go huntin’ w-with ‘em.” Toby pointed over his shoulder at two men standing in the doorway. “I d-d-didn’t want you t-to worry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’m glad you let me know. Thank you.”
“I’ll b-be back later.”
“All right. Be careful.” Abby gave Toby’s arm a gentle squeeze.
“I will.” As Toby left the cabin, two women came in to relieve Abby and took over tending to Jesse.
Abby thanked them and went outside. She stepped onto the porch, hands on the small of her back, shivering in the cool morning air. She was exhausted, but grateful for the break. She had not been alone in days, and she needed some time alone to think. Abby started walking, and found herself at the spot where Jesse had taken her fishing. The rock where they sat together seemed like the perfect place
to rest. She sat and stared into the current.
Inside the cabin, Jesse stirred. Squinting, she tried to get her eyes to focus on the blurred figures of the two women standing over her. After a few seconds, she recognized her surroundings. She was in her own home, in her own bed. She had no recollection of getting there. Her last memory was collapsing to the ground by the river. The end, or so she’d thought.
The women explained to her how she was found at the bottom of the mountain and carried home so her wounds could be treated. The severity of her injuries came rushing back. She flipped the blankets in a panic, expecting to see festering damage, a death sentence. Her heart went light when she saw how well it was healing.
Toby! It came back to her in an instant. Her brother was still alive. Toby was with Abby.
Abby, I have to get to Abby. Jesse tried to sit up, sending pain shooting through her body. She was in no condition to go anywhere. There was no way to get word to Abby, who must have been frantic.
Jesse looked up at the figures standing by the bed. She had no idea who they were or where they had come from. The only obvious thing about them was they had been caring for her. In a voice raspy and thin from disuse, she asked for her clothes, explaining she needed to go outside. They helped her dress. Although movement was painful, the trio made their way slowly to the outhouse.
“That’s Lonato,” one of the women informed Jesse, pointing out a tall, older man. “He found you in the woods and brought you here long ago.”
“No,” Jesse said. “Frieda did.”
The two other women exchanged a knowing glance. As the women helped Jesse back to the cabin, they asked Kaga and Lonato to come inside. Kaga pulled a chair next to the bed and repeated the same story he told Abby the day before.
Jesse couldn’t believe it at first. It didn’t line up with what she’d always believed, for years, living up on the mountain. The more she repeated the facts Kaga gave her, the more she realized it all added up. Frieda hadn’t wanted anyone to know about the native village on top of Mount Perish, not even her, ensuring their clandestine existence.