Wild Whispers

by Cassie Edwards

  “Why, she’s so tiny, and . . . and . . . she’s an Indian,” Kaylene gasped out.

  Kaylene’s mother and father had followed her. “John, why?” Anna asked, giving him a despairing stare. “Why did you have to steal another child?”

  He turned an angry glare at her. “Just keep your mouth shut,” he growled out. “If you know what’s best for you, you’ll not interfere.”

  Good Bear was icy cold inside as he watched the carnival tents being dismantled. He was frantic because he hadn’t been able to find Little Sparrow. She was missing and it was all his fault. He shouldn’t have separated himself from the others. He shouldn’t have allowed Little Sparrow to leave his side.

  Good Bear hung his head. He had let his chief down. He couldn’t face Fire Thunder.

  His heart aching, feeling so ashamed for being such a disappointment to his people, Good Bear broke into a run and left the carnival and San Carlos behind him.

  Fire Thunder had bathed after having been assured that all of the longhorns’ brands had been changed, and was dressed in a fresh, fringed buckskin outfit. His horse had been brought to him and he was ready to mount it when one of his warriors, who had left for San Carlos to trade his wares many days ago before the women and children, rode up to him.

  “Did you make good trade?” Fire Thunder asked as he looked at the burro attached to a rope behind the warriors’ horse. It was loaded down with supplies beneath a leather covering.

  “Very good,” Big Left Hand said, smiling. “My trade was good for my wife, I should instead say.”

  “That is why she smiles and is so good to you,” Fire Thunder said, returning the smile. “You bring her more than is required from a husband.”

  “She pleases me in many ways,” Big Left Hand said, his eyes gleaming with silent meaning. “I never want to be disappointed. What I bring her today will assure me that I will not be.”

  Black Hair rode up, a troubled look on his face as he glanced over his shoulder at his daughter, who stood at the door of his lodge, pouting.

  “More trouble with Running Fawn?” Fire Thunder asked, giving Running Fawn a quick glance.

  “She will be the death of me,” Black Hair said sullenly. “I just discovered a tattoo on one of my daughter’s legs, put there with the juice from a poison ivy plant. Three of her friends have the same tattoo.”

  He hung his head, then looked slowly up at Fire Thunder. “I cannot understand this daughter who has turned wild and rebellious,” he murmured.

  “Perhaps she is rebellious, yet not as much as I am sure those daughters are, who are forced to live in carnivals with their parents,” Big Left Hand blurted out.

  The mention of “carnival” sent Fire Thunder’s eyes to Big Left Hand, and his heart to racing. “Why do you speak of carnivals now?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

  “While in San Carlos, I saw many pitched tents, and was told it was a carnival,” Big Left Hand said matter-of-factly. “I walked through the carnival. I saw beautiful women dressed up in scanty clothing. I assumed they were daughters of those men who own the carnival. Do you think they enjoy living such a life? I would think they feel ashamed.”

  His heart pounding harder, his throat dry, Fire Thunder reached a hand to Big Left Hand’s shoulder. “My friend, your knowledge of reading and writing matches my own,” he said thickly. “Did you see the writing on the sides of the wagons that belong to the carnival people?”

  “Yes, and the name Shelton was there,” Big Left Hand said, taken aback by the sudden look of wonder in his chief’s eyes. “Why . . . do . . . you ask?”

  Black Hair and Fire Thunder exchanged quick glances.

  Then, trying to control his anxiousness to get to San Carlos, to possibly get another look at the beautiful white woman, perhaps even one of those that Big Left Hand had referred to, Fire Thunder gave Big Left Hand a forced, easy smile.

  “I have seen that particular carnival caravan and wondered if it might be the same, that is all,” Fire Thunder said.

  He was relieved when Big Left Hand’s wife discovered that he was there with all of the wonderful gifts on the burro. All smiles, she ran up to Big Left Hand. She giggled when he reached down and pulled her onto his lap on his horse.

  He cast Fire Thunder a mischievous smile over his shoulder as he rode away toward his lodge, his wife clinging to him.

  “Black Hair, I am going into San Carlos to see the woman again,” Fire Thunder said as he grabbed up his reins. He looked over at Black Hair. “Perhaps you should come, also. You might find you as intriguing a lady.”

  “One woman in my lodge is enough,” Black Hair grumbled. “But I will ride with you. It might be interesting to see the woman’s reaction to seeing you.”

  “While in San Carlos, we can also see if our women and children’s chilies are selling,” Fire Thunder said to Black Hair. “We can later escort them home.”

  As they made their way down the mountainside on the rocky, uneven path, their hearts were happy . . . until they came upon their women and children returning from San Carlos way too soon. One look at their faces told Fire Thunder that things weren’t right. Everyone was quiet and troubled. They lowered their eyes as Fire Thunder and Black Hair drew tight rein before them.

  His blood pumping cold through his veins, sensing something terribly wrong here, Fire Thunder looked hurriedly among the crowd for his sister, and Good Bear.

  His stomach tightened with fear when he saw neither of them.

  “Where is my sister?” he finally asked, his voice trembling as fear mounted within him. “Where is Good Bear?”

  There was a prolonged silence, and then one of the women stepped forth. “Both are gone,” she said, her voice quaking.

  Feeling as though someone was squeezing his gut, Fire Thunder couldn’t speak for a moment. Then words came to him so quickly, hardly anyone could understand him.

  He demanded answers. He demanded their attention. He ordered them not to be cowards now when his sister had disappeared.

  The same woman explained that they had been peddling their chilies when suddenly they realized that Good Bear and Little Sparrow were not among them. They had immediately searched for them.

  When they could not find them, they had gone to the Mexican authorities. They had searched then with them. The search stopped where the carnival had been pitched. It had disappeared, it seemed, right before their eyes.

  The blame then seemed cast on the carnival people, but the Mexican authorities said it was not their duty to go farther than their town to search for Indian children. They told them to go to their chief and tell him. It was his job to see that his children were all right, not the Mexicans’.

  An instant rage filled Fire Thunder. He was beside himself with anger and grief over his sister’s disappearance. “The carnival,” he shouted. “I must find the carnival!”

  He turned to his people. “Go to the village,” he ordered. “Tell many warriors to come quickly to my aid. Black Hair and I will head for San Carlos, and then we will be on our way to find the carnival once we find their trail out of San Carlos.”

  He rode off with Black Hair.

  When they reached San Carlos, they went to the site where the carnival had been pitched.

  Fire Thunder saw tracks made by the many wagons, and the direction in which they were headed. He and Black Hair followed the tracks.

  Fire Thunder’s mind went to the beautiful lady whom he had seen with the carnival caravan. If Little Sparrow and Good Bear had been forced to travel with the carnival, did that mean that the beautiful woman approved of kidnapping innocent children?

  His very soul burned with the need for revenge, even if it was against the lady whose petiteness and pantherish eyes had touched his heart.

  Fire Thunder vowed to himself that he would kill her as easy as looking at her if she was, in part, responsible for the abduction of his beloved sister!

  Kaylene was glad when the caravan stopped for the night. She had already bathe
d, eaten, and was ready to go to bed beside the outdoor fire, but had not been able to get the small Indian girl off her mind. She hadn’t seen her since that one time in Magnolia’s tent. Everytime she asked about her, her father told her that the child was being cared for by Magnolia. The child was bringing something to Magnolia’s life. Leave her be. Let her enjoy it.

  Wanting to check on her welfare before retiring for the night, Kaylene, in her cotton nightgown, slipped away from the others and ran to Magnolia’s wagon. It was dark. She had to guess that Magnolia was already asleep.

  But that would not stop Kaylene.

  “Magnolia?” she said, sticking her head through the opening at the back of the wagon. “It’s me. Kaylene. I’ve come to see the child. Please let me.”

  “She ain’t here,” Magnolia said, her voice thick with alarm. “Go away, child. Leave me be.”

  “I thought . . .” Kaylene said, then stiffened when she heard a soft whimpering coming from somewhere close by.

  She turned and peered into the darkness, the campfire giving off just enough light for Kaylene to make out something in the dark....

  She felt faint at what she saw. But she had no chance to do anything about it. Her father loomed suddenly tall and threatening before her as he stepped in the line of her vision.

  “Get back to your bedroll,” he grumbled. “This ain’t none of your affair.”

  “But, Father, you . . . have . . . the child in a cage, like some . . . predatory animal,” Kaylene said, stupefied that her father would do such a thing.

  “You’d have found out soon enough, anyhow, so’s I see no choice but to tell you now,” John said coldly. “Kaylene, this child is going to be used as a sideshow. She’ll be the cause of us makin’ lots of money. So now get on back to the fire. Pretend you didn’t see nothin’ if it’s somethin’ you find hard to live with.”

  Kaylene tore past her father and stared wide-eyed at Little Sparrow as the small child stood in the cage, gripping the bars, begging Kaylene with her wild eyes.

  “It’ll be good for us, Kaylene,” John tried to reassure her. “I will say she’s been raised by a pack of wolves. I’ll say she can’t speak, read, or write, full proof of how she’s been raised.”

  “I’m sure she was raised by loving parents,” Kaylene cried. “She can’t help it if she was born without the ability to hear or speak. Let her out, Father. Oh, God, set her free.”

  John grabbed Kaylene by the shoulders and gave her a rough shake. “You shut up, do you hear?” he shouted. “With you gettin’ older has come a bolder tongue. Never forget who makes the decisions around here. Never forget the importance of me finding new ways to lure people to our carnival. If not, all those who work for us will have to cut down on their food rations.” He leaned down into her face. “I might even be forced to set your panther free, for Midnight eats almost as much as we humans.”

  This shut Kaylene up. Her panther was her only true friend. The other women of the carnival had always been jealous of her because of how beautiful she was, and because her father owned the carnival. She had learned to find comfort in her pet.

  She nodded and went back to the fire.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she watched her father until he was asleep. And although she knew that she must accept the fate of the small Indian child, she went and sneaked Little Sparrow extra food and blankets and talked slowly to her so that she could read her lips.

  As Little Sparrow emitted a strange, forlorn cry from the depths of her throat, Kaylene’s insides grew cold. She knew now that she had to find a way to make her father understand just how wrong it was to treat the child in such a way.

  But for now, afraid that her father may have been awakened by the child’s cry, Kaylene rushed back to her bedroll.

  But she didn’t get the chance to climb inside.

  A sudden commotion drew Kaylene back to her feet.

  She stumbled backward and paled when she discovered the arrival of many Indian warriors on horseback, surrounding the campsite. The handsome, blue-eyed Indian of her midnight dreams was at the lead.

  Fire Thunder moved away from the other warriors and drew a tight rein only a few feet from where Kaylene stood. Slowly he slid out of his saddle, a rifle clasped in his right hand.

  So taken by him so suddenly being there, after having thought and dreamed of him so often, Kaylene was not frightened of Fire Thunder. Noble in his bearing, he was a tall, straight-backed man. He was great in physique, and surely as great in prowess, purpose, and in intelligence. His blue eyes were large and vivacious.

  Seeing him made Kaylene’s heart thud strangely. Even her knees were somewhat weak.

  Fire Thunder quickly recognized Kaylene. His gaze roamed over her. In the light of the fire, he saw the deep cleavage of her youthful breasts where the cotton nightgown gaped open. He saw her delicate, dewy white, pale skin, and glossy, waist-length deep black hair. As he remembered, she did have a fragile, doll-like appearance.

  He couldn’t deny the heat that grew within his loins at being near her, so captivated by her sheer loveliness. His eyes locked with hers and again, as the other time when they had seen each other, he saw in their depths something that made him realize that she was as intrigued by him.

  For certain there was no fear in her crisp, green eyes. Only a keen interest.

  But a shrill cry came from somewhere behind Kaylene. Recognizing the efforts of his sister to speak made Fire Thunder’s heart leap.

  He had not only found the woman of his midnight dreams—he had found his sister!

  Chapter 4

  Eyes full of starlight, moist over fire,

  Full of young wonder, touch my desire!

  —MAX EASTMAN

  Fire Thunder’s whole insides turned into cold, icy shreds when he saw the moonlight reflecting upon his sister in the cage.

  Then a fiery hate grabbed him at the pit of his stomach when a man stepped in front of the cage, blocking the way.

  Seeing red, Fire Thunder tensed, his long muscles knotted in his anger.

  Lithe as a panther, he rushed so quickly to place his hands around John Shelton’s neck, half lifting him from the ground, there was a ripple of startled gasps from those who had come out to see what the commotion was all about.

  That was followed then by a guarded silence as the Kickapoo warriors moved in closer on their horses, their weapons drawn.

  “You must be the leader of this caravan or you would not take it upon yourself to step between this Kickapoo chief and his sister,” Fire Thunder snarled out, his nostrils flaring. “Order someone to release my sister at once, or my fingers will tighten around your neck. Slowly, I will squeeze your breath away.”

  Panic filled John’s eyes. “Your . . . sister . . . ?” he managed to gasp out between choking breaths.

  “Yes, and who do you think you are to treat her as less than an animal?” Fire Thunder hissed into John’s face. “Do you have no respect for children? Our Kickapoo children are a gift of Kitzihiat, the Kickapoo Great Spirit. We treat them gently. We cherish them.”

  Fire Thunder leaned even more closely into John’s face. “Have her released at once or you will die with Chief Fire Thunder’s name on your last breath,” he said with stiff resolve. He tightened his fingers, causing John’s eyes to bulge and his tongue to partially protrude from between his lips.

  Black Hair dismounted and came to stand beside Fire Thunder. He glared at John. “You must listen to my chief,” he said coldly. “When Fire Thunder el manda, commands, it must be done . . . or else.”

  Seeing that he had no choice but to do as he was ordered, John looked past the two Kickapoo warriors. “Someone, anyone, come and let the little wench out,” John managed to gasp out.

  One of John’s men ran to the cage. “I’ll release the child,” he said, his hands trembling as he removed the lock.

  Kaylene rushed forth and opened the door and reached inside for Little Sparrow. “Come to me,” she murmured. “Let me help you.
Please forgive me for not doing this sooner. I feared my father’s wrath. I was wrong.”

  Little Sparrow looked up at Kaylene and recalled how Kaylene had brought her food and blankets. A bond had quickly formed between them.

  And she understood how Kaylene could be afraid to go against her father’s wishes. John Shelton was an evil-hearted man, who could put the fear of god into anyone’s heart. Surely even his daughter’s.

  Little Sparrow flung herself into Kaylene’s arms and hugged her. Then she ran to Fire Thunder and jumped into his arms. Sobbing, her legs straddled his waist as she clung desperately to him.

  Fire Thunder hugged Little Sparrow to him and gave her the comfort she so badly needed, reassuring her that she was now safe. He told her that nothing like this would be allowed to ever happen again. He would now guard her as though he were her shadow.

  Fire Thunder’s gaze went to Kaylene, filled with wonder at how she had gone to help Little Sparrow from the cage.

  Yet surely she did this only to fool him into believing she cared about the child, he argued to himself.

  But in her eyes he could see a softness and gentleness. It was hard to imagine her as anything but genuinely sweet and compassionate.

  Then another thought came to him that washed all of his wonder at this woman away. “The boy,” he said, glaring at John. “Where is the boy who was with Little Sparrow? Is he also in a cage?”

  “There was no boy, only the little girl,” John said, rubbing his raw throat. He laughed mockingly. “And I’m glad to be free of this little wench. She was becoming more trouble than she’s worth.”

  The man’s words about his sister stung Fire Thunder’s insides. Shelton would pay for them, and everything else he was guilty of. But first, Fire Thunder had to find out about Good Bear.

  Placing a gentle hand beneath Little Sparrow’s chin, he lifted her eyes to meet the question in his. “Where is Good Bear?” he asked, the moon giving enough light for her to read his lips.