by Mike Rhynard
Elyoner embraced her, glared at Ananias through her own tears. “Are you happy now? Look what you’ve done!”
Ananias pleaded, “Ellie, I . . . I . . .”
“Don’t say anything! Just go sit somewhere while we cry . . . put your mind on what we should do. Poor lass.” She stroked Emily’s neck.
Ananias frowned, walked solemnly to the fire, sat on his stool; he leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, chin resting on his clasped hands, stared into the glowing coals.
After ten minutes, Elyoner said, “We’re ready.”
Ananias didn’t move or speak.
“Ananias! We’re ready. Come sit.”
He gave a start, looked over his shoulder at Elyoner. “Oh! Sorry. Deep in thought.” He stood, walked to the two, sat beside them, then looked at Emily, who forced a tentative smile.
“First, Emily, I’m deeply sorry this has befallen so kind, innocent, and wonderful a person as you.” He shook his head. “We will see this varlet hang. The only question is when”—he looked at Elyoner then back at Emily—“ for I fear our situation dictates that it will not be now.” He took a deep breath. “If you’ll bear with me, I’ll explain my logic. I’m certainly not a legal expert, but I am observant.”
Elyoner and Emily held each other close, focused on Ananias while he reiterated the tenuous position the colony’s leadership was in, as well as the challenges of prosecuting rape and extortion cases, under any circumstances. He then suggested dangers to informing more than Governor Baylye and Lieutenant Waters of events; particularly dangers to Emily, Virginia, and Isna. “So, what I’m saying, albeit not what any of us wish to hear, is that with our weakened authority, it may be safer to keep this to ourselves—ourselves being the three of us, Baylye, and Waters—until John returns with more soldiers; and meanwhile, vigilantly guard against Tayler and his men doing anything to threaten Em, Virginia, or Isna. I think, because of Emily’s wounding him, Tayler may tread softly for a time, particularly if he believes his transgressions remain undisclosed . . . and mayhap he’ll do so long enough for John to return, crush the conspiracy, and hold him accountable for his crimes. On the other hand, I fear that if he suspects that anyone besides Emily knows of his misdeeds, he’ll be tempted to follow through on his threat as a matter of principle and credibility—even if it be through his proxies after his arrest. So”—he hesitated, eyed Emily cautiously—“I believe we should immediately inform Baylye and Waters of the rape and the extortion, so we have their added protection; but we must exact their promise not to prosecute Tayler until John returns.” He shook his head. “Surely, he’ll arrive within the week, so we should not have too long a time to engage in our deception.” He looked at both with a pleading look. “Forsooth, I believe this to be the safest course . . . though ’tis most unpalatable. And Emily, you should also tell Isna what has happened and what we plan to do. He and his men may need to defend themselves, though I seem to recall hearing that they plan to return to their people in a matter of days. Is this so?”
Emily and Elyoner stared silently, glumly at one another as Emily’s eyes filled with tears. She looked at Ananias, sniffled. “Yes, Ananias, that is correct. And I agree, your proposal is the safest course; but soon, the entire colony will know my condition, and I know not what I shall do or where I shall turn, and—”
Elyoner hugged her, said, “Emily, when the truth is told, no one will condemn you, for all the colony knows your moral strength and gentle kindness . . . and the opposite of Hugh Tayler . . . and . . . and Father will know how to help you. So fear not, my dear, dear friend.” She shook her head. “You’ve suffered so much for Virginia’s sake . . . and were it in my power, I would hand Tayler over to the Powhatans and instruct them to treat him as they did James Lassie, but slower.”
Ananias took a breath, blinked twice. “Then we are agreed. I shall inform Baylye and Waters and exact their promise of silent vigilance. And, Emily, you will inform Isna?”
Emily nodded, rubbed her eyes.
Elyoner took Emily’s hands in hers. “Em, you are staying here with us tonight . . . and moving in with us permanently tomorrow!”
Ananias said, “Indeed you are, Emily Colman.” He waved his index finger back and forth in front of her face. “Do not protest!” He looked at Elyoner. “Ellie, I want you to carry your dagger and your father’s pistol at all times . . . with the match lit. ’Tis good fortune he taught you to shoot. But since I am without such skill, I shall carry two daggers and a sword. And, Em, you must continue to carry your knife and your pistol. Thomas told me you’re an excellent marksman, so you, too, should keep your match lit, and do not hesitate to shoot a scoundrel if need be . . . no matter who it is. Oh, and let us place your father’s pistol here beneath your bed when you’ve brought it from your cottage.”
Elyoner and Emily nodded grimly, then all three stared thoughtfully at one another until Emily finally spoke. “One of us must be at Virginia’s side every moment . . . day and night . . . pistol in hand. We must never leave her alone. Hugh Tayler is insane and knows not right from wrong, but he’s clever and deceptive . . . loves me truly and deeply . . . believes he needs me . . . and that only I can save him from himself. Therefore, he will let nothing stand in the way of his having me. So I beg you, please be vigilant with this precious young gift.” She glanced at Virginia then back at the Elyoner and Ananias. “I shall find Isna in the morning and tell him what’s happened.”
Ananias said, “Does . . . does he know about . . .”
“Yes . . . and neither the rape nor the pregnancy has changed his feelings. He . . . he loves me . . . and I, him . . . and he wants to kill Tayler.” Her eyes again filled with tears. “But . . . but as you say, he will soon return to his people, for he has no choice in the matter . . . and . . . and he will then be safe.” She closed her eyes. Oh, my Isna, how can I ever live without you?
The sun was seconds from clearing the tree line. Waters said, “Here, Newton, help me with this log.”
“Aye.” Newton glanced around, saw Willes and Sampson surreptitiously eying him as they alternately pushed and pulled opposite ends of a six-foot saw, cutting another length of log from the downed tree at the edge of the clearing. He shrugged, raised his eyebrows, then turned back to Waters, bent down, lifted his end of the ten-foot log. “Whoa! Heavy!”
“ ’Tis indeed. Ready to go?”
“Aye.”
The two hoisted their ends of the log, wrapped their arms around it, staggered slowly toward the palisades. When they were halfway across the clearing, beyond earshot of the others, Waters whispered, “Speak softly . . . don’t look at me and don’t move your lips.”
Newton fixed his eyes on the ground in front of his feet, whispered through his teeth, “Tayler and the others are stealing food from the Chesapeakes. Threatened to kill them if they don’t cooperate or if they tell anyone.”
Waters looked dead ahead, said softly, “What else?”
“Taverner . . . he . . . he . . .”
“What man? Hurry! Say it!”
“He and five other soldiers . . .”
“Wait!” Emme Merrimoth and another woman, both carrying water buckets, approached on their way across the clearing to the loggers. “Good day, Mistress Merrimoth, Mistress Glane.”
Emme said, “You look as if you could use some help with that log, Lieutenant. May we?”
Waters smiled. “Thank you, but no. I think we’ll manage.”
“Very well. See you at yonder tree.”
After a few steps, Waters whispered, “What happened?”
“They came upon three Savage women.”
“Where?”
“ ’Bout four miles from here.”
“ ’Twould be the Nansemonds . . . allies of the Powhatans. What did they do?”
“They . . . they . . .”
“Out with it, man!”
“They raped them . . . then . . . then killed ’em, and . . . and cut ’em up a bit, if you know what I mean.”
“Tayler says Walsingham’s ship is due as early as four days from now, no later than seven . . . even allowing time to go to Roanoke and Croatan. Plans to make his move soon. Says . . . says John White will never return . . . Walsingham will see to it.”
“That’s drivel. He’s no inkling of that. If anything, the opposite is true, and Raleigh and White have trumped Walsingham. So watch yourself, Newton. Don’t be thinking you’re free.” God in heaven, let it be so. And I wonder what Tayler’s move will be. “Is that all? Be quick!” They were forty feet from a gap in the palisades, where three men waited to help set the log in place.
“By God, Lieutenant, you’d damn well better keep your word to me, or I be dead. That Colman lass . . . and her Savage . . . they be in grave danger . . . shouldn’t be in the forest alone . . . ’cause—”
“Ho, Lieutenant!” William Lucas said. “Let us help you with that beast.” He and the other two men stepped out from the palisades.
Waters said, “Thank you, men. Could you put it in place without me? Got an urgent matter to attend to. Many thanks.” He handed his end of the log to Lucas, immediately climbed over the small pile of logs in the palisades gap, then sprinted for the Dares’ cottage.
Elyoner held her pistol behind her back, opened the door a crack, peeked outside. “Lieutenant Waters, please come in.” She opened the door.
Waters spoke rapidly. “No, Mistress, no time. Your husband told me what’s amiss. Do you know where Mistress Colman is? Must find her immediately. She’s in grave danger.”
“My God. What—”
“Please, Mistress. Do you know where she is?”
“She went to the Chesapeake village early this morning to find Isna . . . said they’d be in the forest all morning.”
“Do you know where?”
“No . . . I do not, but—”
He grimaced. “I’m going to form a detail and search for them immediately. Perhaps you could take your child and find your husband or Governor Baylye and inform them of this.”
“Certainly, I . . . Lieutenant, please, please find them, quickly . . . I beseech you.”
Emily and Isna sat side by side in the forest. Tears ran down her cheeks as she finished telling him about her encounter with Tayler and her discussion with Ananias and Elyoner. After a moment of quiet, his stern look softened to his wry smile. “Emily’s heart beats strongly with bravery, the greatest of all Lakota virtues.”
Emily brushed the tears from her eyes. “But Emily acted selfishly . . . foolishly. She has endangered those she loves . . . to save herself.”
“No, my little white fawn, Emily did what was right for those she loves, for now they know of the danger that stalks them and can prepare to defeat it . . . is this not so? And will not Isna always be prepared to fight Tayler and his men? And will not the parents of the little one now be prepared to help you protect their child? And will not this evil man who hates himself and is a coward now wonder if his enemies wait for him and will try to kill him?”
“Yes . . . but, Isna, Tayler’s men are as evil as he is and will now hate Emily and Isna more than before . . . and be more careful in their treachery . . . and perhaps, if Ananias is correct, try to fulfill their threats.”
“Isna is not afraid. He will find these cowards who have twisted, knotted hearts and kill them, so Emily and her people can be free of them, for they will hurt your people and others if they remain alive.”
Emily paled, shook her head as a vexed look clouded her eyes. “Isna, these men will not fight with honor, but from the shadows and behind.” She sighed. “Ananias speaks wisely when he says we must wait for John White to return with more good men. Will Isna not heed his words?” Forsooth, he is so like a Viking: fears nothing, courts risk and violence, revels in danger, tempts death beyond all reason . . . for honor. Dear Lord, how can I love such a man . . . and how can I live with the constant, gnawing fear of his death?
“Isna will heed Ananias’ words . . . for a time . . . because Emily asks this; but if John White does not come before Isna returns to the Lakota, Isna must kill Tayler, for he cannot leave Emily here while Tayler lives.”
Emily sighed, stared at him, wondered when he would leave; she prayed for John White to return, arrest Tayler that very day. In less than two seconds, she visualized her transformation from a carefree girl in love with life to a debauched, pregnant, frightened woman, desperately in love with a man she couldn’t bear to be without, but from whom she would soon part . . . a young woman with no future but that of unwed mother and whore to the man who raped her. And, she thought, even if Isna kills Tayler and escapes the wrath of his men, it won’t help, for no one will accept his having killed a white man . . . even a wretch like Tayler . . . nor will they accept our being together in the colony. But if Governor White returns and prosecutes Tayler, then . . . mayhap . . . we will have a chance to be together. “When will Isna leave?”
He looked at her stoically. “Ten days . . . perhaps a few more. The Lakota are restless to return to the people . . . yet the thought of leaving Emily pains Isna’s heart like the cut of a sharp arrow.” A twinge of sadness crept slowly across his face.
Emily looked away, rubbed her eyes, then looked back at Isna. “Will Isna return to Emily?” She rubbed her eyes again, thought, I know his answer.
“Isna will return . . . he must be with Emily . . . but he does not know if he can become like a white man. They seem ignorant of the meaning of life and care only for themselves . . . not the good of the people. This is different from the Lakota, who shun or even kill people such as these, and it would be difficult for Isna to live like them.”
“Isna, all white men are not like these evil ones. Many are good men and care for the people as the Lakota do—Lieutenant Waters, Ananias, John White, Roger Baylye, others—but Isna has not met these men, so he cannot know this.”
He nodded. “Isna understands this; and so he tells Emily that even if he does not wish to become a white man, he will return to her . . . perhaps stay with the Chesapeakes . . . or the Monacans, in the mountains . . . and perhaps come to know some good white men, and then think more of becoming one of them.”
Emily’s face bloomed; she laid her hands on his. “Oh, yes, Isna. Yes.” She took his hands in hers, looked pleadingly then sadly into his eyes. “If Isna stays with the Chesapeakes or Monacans, he will bring hides of Tatanka, and it will take him longer to return.”
With a suddenly contemplative look, he said, “Yes. But three more important things chew on Isna’s heart. The first is the killing of Tayler by Isna. If, as Emily believes, the white men will then hate Isna, he will not be able to remain here. Second, if Isna does not kill him before he leaves, Tayler will force himself on Emily . . . again and again. And last, unless your chief returns soon with many more men of strong heart, the Powhatans will overwhelm your village, kill all the men, and use the woman as wives for a time . . . before they kill them, as well.”
Emily stared numbly at the forest, mused his words, grasped for the logic to refute them; she finally acknowledged their inescapable truth, yielded her mind to sprouting seeds of depression. She looked solemnly into his eyes. “Isna’s words are true . . . what will we do?”
“Isna does not yet know. He asks Wakan Tanka and his truth bearer to show him the pathway ahead; they have not yet answered him, but Isna believes they will do so soon. No matter what happens . . . as long as he still breathes . . . Isna will return to Emily, wherever she is.” He paused, touched her cheek. “Does Emily believe her people’s leader will return soon?”
With suddenly misty eyes, Emily said, “No. She knows not why, but she does not.”
He held her hands while reluctant tears crept down her cheeks, fell onto her chest; he hardened his look, stared silently at her for a long moment, then said, “It is difficult
to know what to do . . . but Emily and Isna must soon decide.”
Emily nodded, blinked at her tears. “ ’Tis so. And Emily will also pray to God to show her the way.” The two stared thoughtfully at one another until Emily suddenly forced a smile. “Will Isna now tell Emily about the dreamers among the Lakota?”
Isna nodded, smiled, then rolled onto his knees, turned to the north, sat back on his heels. Emily positioned herself beside him in a similar pose. He scraped a bare spot on the ground, drew the circle with a stick, marked the north, south, east, and west points on the circumference, then scratched the two lines that joined the north and south points, east and west points. “ Isna said Emily was born a person of the north and east, with wisdom and enlightenment; he now believes she was also born a person of the south, with innocence and trust. But as Isna has also said, in Emily’s short life, she has also touched the west and acquired a strong gift of introspection . . . her dreams tell Isna this is so, for no one can dream such dreams as Emily, and certain Lakota dreamers, without a strong looks-within gift of introspection that finds the dreams in her soul and mind . . . or without a deep, natural innocence that accepts the dreams and trusts them to show themselves with purity and truth. So Isna now tells Emily that he was wrong when he drew her position within the circle of life. Emily’s true position within the circle”—he quickly drew a very small circle around the mark at the center of the large circle, placed a mark on it midway between the north and east lines—“ is very close to the center and Wakan Tanka.” He smiled, took her hand in his. “She approaches being a truly whole human being with all four gifts—her wisdom and enlightenment allow her to understand and respect many things, like Lakota ways and beliefs; and her heart of innocence and introspection, which is filled with purity and truth, allows her to dream as no human being can dream, except for a few who possess the same gifts. And it is these gifts, and Emily’s quiet way of possessing them, that draw Isna to her and cause him to love her above all things in the world.” He paused, glanced at the circle then back at Emily. “ Isna now tells Emily that all Lakota dreamers are women, and all have strong gifts of introspection and innocence, but none also possess the gifts of wisdom and enlightenment as Emily does. So Isna again tells Emily she is very close to Wakan Tanka.”