by Lynn Landes
Slowly he sits up straighter and dares to speak. “Judging from my vision you wish for me to save the girl. Does this train have something to do with that?”
His great ebony head turns back to look at the train and he chuffs. Blood Eagle climbs to his feet, slowly and calls to his horse. “I will follow it and find out where it leads.” The wolf nods and stands, watching him mount up. It takes off running down the hill chasing after the train, and Blood Eagle whoops, chasing after him. He follows the train, keeping pace with the wolf. There can be no denying his place in this. He’s been given a chance to redeem his sins, but why would one female be so important? The meaning of her place is elusive, but he’s thankful for the opportunity. His pace is slower than the train, but it should be simple enough to follow the tracks.
They lead to an abandoned Fort, or that is what he’s expecting. Instead, he finds a bustling building site. Blood Eagle stops some distance away using his binoculars to watch. Soldiers? No, civilians from the looks of it. They unload building supplies, and the train is refueled.
Low split rail fencing surrounds the old fort, with Gatling guns set at each corner. He counts, eighteen men guarding the area. Four Gatling guns that he can see, and each has two men posted against what enemy?
A frown of concern has him sitting back. He turns to look, and the wolf is gone. Once the sun sets, he will move closer and have a discussion with one of them. From his vantage point he wonders what they are building. Whatever it is, they are worried about protecting it. His questions will be answered one way or another he settles down to watch and wait for nightfall.
As the sun sets most of the soldiers retreat to the sleeping quarters, leaving only the gun crews to guard into the night. Blood Eagle slips his binoculars back into his saddlebags. “Time to go get some answers.” He’s planning on taking a soldier and questioning him.
A sound has him whipping around with his pistols drawn. The wolf is glaring at him with golden eyes and tosses an unconscious man at his feet with a thud and groan. Blood Eagle grins and points the pistol at the stunned soldier.
“You just saved me some work, thank you, Ban-chu,” he nods and returns to his saddlebag drawing out his blade and rope. He ropes the man’s feet and hands together before gagging him. Then tosses him over the back of his horse. “I need to move to the tree line back a few miles,” He leaps on the horse and kicks him into a trot. Privacy is essential when questioning a prisoner.
A moan of pain escapes him as his brown eyes open, the Soldier struggles to break free of the ropes. After a few minutes of thrashing, he glares at Blood Eagle sitting near a small fire in the center of thick trees. Dangling from a tree branch by his arms and his feet tied to stakes he realizes that he is in trouble.
Blood Eagle watches and carves a piece of dried meat off with his bowie knife.
“I’d be careful, you look like a fish on a hook. What if my friend decides he likes fish?” Blood Eagle points his knife at the massive wolf sitting near the fire. A low growl rumbles from his chest.
His brown eyes fly open wide, and his pulse starts pounding erratically. The wolf leaps to his feet and trots over to the man, stopping just a hair away from him and stares into his eyes. He snarls, and the man pisses his pants. The beast snorts in disgust and steps over to the fire to settle back down.
“I have questions that need to be answered.” Blood Eagle rises and strides over to the man. “If you cooperate, I will set you free. If you don’t, I will carve you up and feed you to my friend, one piece at a time.” His eyes promise what he’s saying is the truth, and the man nods quickly.
“Good, I need to be moving on, but first I have questions.” He slices the gag free and steps back.
The man coughs and says in a hoarse voice, “What do you need to know?”
“What are you building? I thought this Fort was abandoned.” Blood Eagle steps close to hear.
“Cut me down, and I’ll tell you,” he groans. “My arms are…”
Blood Eagle reaches up and slices through the ropes holding his hands. The wolf rises to his feet with a snarl, and his head drops low when the man crumples to the ground.
“Thank you,” he moans, “I think.” He sits up and slowly shoves back against the tree. His arms start burning as the blood rushes into them.
“What name do you go by?”
“Ben,” he nervously watches the large beast pacing behind the Indian.
“Ben, start talking, or Ban-chu here will begin,” Blood Eagles snaps.
He gulps, “We are building an oil refinery.”
Blood Eagle stops moving and glares, “On whose order?”
“General Barclay. He is using the trains to deliver supplies.”
What the hell is going on? “The General found oil?”
“Not exactly. The oil has always been there, they just weren’t looking for it. Only Gold or Silver. Barclay is using the Army to clear his land and building refineries on it.”
“His land?”
“Yes,” the man looks nervously at the wolf who is pacing near him.
“He’s using the army to clear it of the Indians?” Blood Eagle asks.
“Exactly, and then he buys the land at low prices. No one wants to buy land that isn’t safe to live on.”
Rage flickers to life in his soul. “All of this for oil?”
“Not oil, money!” The man’s voice grows excited as he explains the possibilities of oil. “I can get you a share of the refinery, for a low buy-in, of course,” he offers nervously.
Blood Eagle glares at the man who is just a young kid. Once, he would have killed him without a thought, but those days are behind him now. “I’ll think about it, Ben. Thank you for the information.” He reaches down and cuts his legs free.
“That’s it?”
“Yes. I have no further business here.” Blood Eagle kicks dirt over the fire, returning them to darkness.
“But, the wolf?” the kid’s voice asks.
“What wolf?” Blood Eagle laughs as he jumps on his horse and trots away leaving him to find his own way back to the Fort.
It only takes a few minutes to find the tracks again. He follows them through the dark covering as much ground as possible. The plan is to go to the nearest town and catch a train to find Barclay.
When the wolf appears on the tracks in front of him, he glares in frustration. “What now? I’ve done what you asked? I will go after Barclay. He must be stopped.”
The wolf snarls and causes his horse to stop and whinny in fear. “Easy,” Blood Eagle murmurs.
“What do you want me to do now?” he asks.
Throwing back his massive head he howls loud enough to cause Blood Eagles ears to ring and the horse to try to run. “Damn!” Blood Eagle struggles to control his horse as the beast howls again.
When he stops baying, he turns his golden eyes on him and chuffs softly. Then pads away, stopping as if to say, ‘Well?’
“That’s how you ask me to follow you?” he grins and kicks the horse into a trot. They travel through the night, man following beast in the pure black darkness of the night.
Chapter 33
Harris laughs as Vanessa grumbles. “Harris, this would be much more productive if you did the wash and I caught our lunch.”
“I’m wounded woman, don’t you trust me to keep you satisfied?” his teasing question causes her to blush.
“That’s not funny,” she turns away to hang a shirt on a rope Harris had strung up between the branches of two trees.
Warm arms embrace her, and she leans back into him with a sigh. “I wasn’t teasing. I will make it my life’s work to see you happy and safe,” his kiss sends shivers down her body. She twists in his arms and grins at his look of surprise.
“What of our clothes? We should wash them first.” She slowly begins unbuttoning his shirt, “This is filthy.” Her teasing grin has him throwing back his head with laughter and lifting her from her feet in his arms.
Vanessa stiffens in his ar
ms and whispers, “No,” with a fear-laced gasp.
Harris lowers her and draws his pistol, keeping her behind him he turns to face the unseen enemy. The wolf has returned, and he is growling at them, deep in his throat. Vanessa peeks around Harris and sensing the danger, leaps in front of him with a hand raised.
“No, Ahote!”
“I’d step carefully, he’s pretty determined to have his way.” A deep voice says from behind them. Harris turns to face a second enemy and stares at the strangely dressed Indian.
“Who are you?” Harris asks.
Vanessa refuses to take her eyes from the wolf. She steps forward only to have Harris grab her arm, “Don’t even think about it?” he hisses.
The moment he touches her the wolf snaps and snarls at him. Harris keeps his pistol drawn and pointed at the Indian.
“What business do you have here?” Harris demands.
Blood Eagle shrugs and sits on a large boulder, suddenly exhausted. “The beast here, drove me hard all night. He was determined to get to you, or rather her, I think.”
Vanessa watches the wolf slink around them to stand next to Blood Eagle, and when her eyes meet his, she gasps in recognition. “You!”
“Yes, I can’t explain…”
“You don’t need to,” Vanessa turns to look at the wolf and steps forward this time, ignoring Harris’s shout of warning. Her eyes fill with tears as she closes in on the animal.
“Ahote?” Her trembling hand reaches out to touch his fur and tears stream down her face. He rumbles and nuzzles his massive head into her hand.
“Oh, God! How is this possible?” she murmurs.
The beast sniffs her, and a rumble of anger rips through him. He can smell Harris all over her, and it infuriates him.
Blood Eagle leaps to his feet before Ahote rips into Harris and throws up a hand, shouting at him.
“Enough! Your time is running short, Spirit Walker.”
“Why would you kill the man who saved my life, Ahote? Can you not face me in your true form?” Vanessa demands. Harris stalks over to her, ignoring the eyes of the beast tracking him.
“Why have you come?” Harris demands of the Indian again.
“I don’t know. The Spirit Walker came to me in a dream and showed me your woman.” A ripping snarl erupts from the wolf.
Vanessa glares at him. “You’ve no right to be angry, not after what you did!” Fearless now, she stomps over to glare into the eyes of her dead husband. “No one survived! Two hundred and nineteen of our tribe and families butchered,” she sobs and turns away.
“What?” Blood Eagle demands.
“Harris?” She calls, and he pulls her into his arms, but keeps his pistol raised.
“Our people are gone, Barclay slaughtered them all,” Vanessa’s muffled voice says.
“Barclay?” Blood Eagle hisses and demands, “Tell me everything.”
Vanessa turns to look at the wolf who sits with his head hanging low and her heart breaks. “I can’t. Harris will you explain it to him.”
“If you’re sure it’s safe?”
“I’ll be fine,” Vanessa says wiping her eyes. Harris takes Blood Eagle inside the small cabin and offers him coffee. He leaves the door open, so he can see Vanessa and explains the situation to the Indian.
Ahote walks over to her, and she sniffs, stroking a hand over his lush, black fur.
“Why are you here?” She ignores the tears streaming down her face. “Am I to be punished for surviving?”
He lifts his head to hers and licks her cheek, causing her to jump in surprise and laugh softly. “This is strange.”
His head cocks sideways, and he stares at the cabin and grumbles.
“I’m sorry, Ahote. I know this is unexpected, but I love him.” She drops her face to her hands and covers it in shame.
A soft grumble from the beast has her jumping in surprise. He licks her face again causing her to laugh, “Stop, that’s gross.” He pads over to the river to pull on the fishing line, she jumps up and steps forward to grab the string. Vanessa drags it in, empty. She strings up more bait on the hooks before tossing it back into the river.
“Harris, can’t fish, Ahote, but he can take care of me. I hope that one day he will grow to love me,” she whispers and begins tugging at the line. He sits beside her, content to be at her side once more.
Ahote turns to look at her and growls low. “No. He lost his wife years ago. His heart was broken. I hope that he will have room for me…” her voice fades when Harris speaks behind her.
“You hope?” Harris demands.
Vanessa jumps and whirls to face him. Embarrassed she stammers, “Harris! I, I…”
“I love you Vanessa, Kimani Schmidt.” He walks forward ignoring the wolf, who chooses that moment to back away from them. “I’ve had feelings for you, but guilt kept me from acting on them. No more!” Harris pulls her gently towards him. “Life is too short to live with regret. I love everything about you, and I’m ready to begin our life together. Do you dare dream with me?”
Tears stream down her face, and she looks into his blue eyes and leaps into his arms. “Yes!”
Harris catches her and laughs, “This is where you say you love me too.”
Vanessa glances at Ahote and gasps when he begins to fade. His solid form shifts to mist, and he grins just as he takes his human form. “Be happy, Butterfly!”
“Thank you,” she whispers, and they both watch as he glances at Harris.
“Take her home. I will take care of the General.”
“I will,” Harris promises.
Ahote smiles and fades into mist. Vanessa hides her face in Harris’s neck, and he sits them on a boulder, expecting her to grieve. She pushes back and captures his mouth in a heated kiss. “I love you, Harris Rivers. I’ve loved you since I was a little girl watching from the shadows. My heart nearly broke when you left and came home married to another.”
Harris jerks in surprise and cups her face gently in his hands. Before he can speak, she shakes her head no. “Let me finish.”
“I wanted you to be happy, and you were. I could see how you loved her, and that’s why I stayed away. I thought we weren’t meant to be.”
“Now, what do you think?”
“I think I see your love reflected in those beautiful eyes and I see a future with lots of laughter and love. Though, I’ve decided you will not be in charge of fishing or our children will starve.”
“Children?” Harris smiles thinking of the possibilities. “I like the sound of that. I promise to make you never doubt my love for you. Let’s go home.”
“I’m ready. What about our guest?”
“He’s leaving in the morning. I think we should leave as soon as we can pack.”
Together they pack and clean up, while Blood Eagle sleeps.
A few hours later, as they ride away from the cabin, Ahote watches from the shadows and howls.
Vanessa lifts her chin and doesn’t look back.
Chapter 34
Blood Eagle jerks awake and grumbles. He slept for seven hours straight without any interruptions. His mind is still trying to process all that has happened. Barclay slaughtered two tribes of Shoshone for oil, no, for money. He slams his coffee cup down and glances around the small cabin. Harris told him how to close up the cabin before they left. He gets to work, determined to find Barclay and make him pay!
After meeting Kimani and hearing about the Shoshone, it makes the nightmare easier to understand. She was buried under a mountain of dead, carved up Indians. He hisses as he slips his feet into his moccasin boots. Still, he knows he’s been given a second chance to make a difference in the outcome of his people.
As he brushes his hair and straps on his pistols, he catches a glimpse of himself reflected in the glass window and freezes. The odd reflection makes him grin. He is clearly Indian, yet his clothing would hint that he was more. It will only aid in helping him move amongst the General’s people.
Once this is over, he will r
eturn to the fort where they are drilling for oil and claim a portion of it for himself. General Barclay won’t be able to complete it. A grin spreads, and he nods to himself in the mirror. “With that kind of money, perhaps I can make a difference for my People.”
Stepping onto the front porch of the tiny cabin he sighs when he finds the wolf waiting for him. “I don’t suppose you know where Barclay is?”
The beast pads inside the cabin and returns carrying a two-month-old newspaper and tosses it at his feet. “Wow, you would make a good pet,” he teases.
A huff of impatience has him laughing and picking up the paper. “The San Francisco Bulletin.” Blood Eagle grins. “He’s in San Francisco?” He thinks as he mounts up.
Once he’s mounted, the wolf tries to take the lead, but Blood Eagle nods no. “Not this time, friend. Change of plans. The Fort had trains coming and going all the time. I imagine the General will return to check on his pet project. I have papers showing that I have been conscribed into the good General’s service. Who’s to say he didn’t hire me to take over the security at the site?”
He grins at the beast, “We will wait for him to return and you will have your revenge.”
Chapter 35
“It’s roughly three more days to the Ranch,” Harris explains. “That will depend on the weather,” and Indians, he thinks.
“We need to be wary, Harris. Any tribes we come across will not treat us as family,” she murmurs and glances behind them nervously. She’s had an uneasy feeling for the past day that they were being watched or followed.
“I was thinking the same thing,” he replies. Three days in the saddle and they are sore and exhausted. They avoid game trails with Vanessa’s keen eyes and travel during the day and sleep at night. Working together to build camp has become routine, and Vanessa watches with a smile as he guides the horses along the side of a steep cliff face. They stop halfway up to look down on the river rushing below them, and she smiles at him.