"I vote with my head, not my heart, Sky Eyes. You said I have fooled Tamaha. I have not. I have told her she cannot be my woman. I have told her we cannot love each other. I have told her to stay where she is safe and happy. She cannot live here. These things I have told her. When you go free, you must also tell her. Do not allow her to dream of what cannot be. Our people are enemies, and we battle to the death. She must not be forced to choose between her bloods, for she must be white or Indian. Do you understand, Sky Eyes?"
"Yes, Blazing Star. You love her enough to spare her from death. I will do as you ask, if I am freed. You are a very generous and unselfish man. I'm sorry you can't share a life with her."
The look of yearning in his eyes exposed his feelings. As he turned to go, Amanda added, "She loves you very much, Blazing Star. Now, I understand why. If-if the council doesn't vote to free us, will you ... go to her and tell her ... what happened? If you don't, she will come to you for answers and comfort. If they kill us, they will kill her too. The truth will be softer coming from your lips."
He did not turn. He simply inhaled loudly and responded, "Yes. But if you do not go free, she will hate Blazing Star and Sun Cloud. She will blame us for your deaths. I cannot go against the council vote."
"Blazing Star!" she called out to him as he ducked to exit. "I have a plan! Wait!" When he came back to her, she entreated, "Will you go to our cabin and speak with my sister and cousin? Perhaps they can tell you what really happened today!"
If Crazy Horse agrees, I will go seek the truth," he replied. "I will tell Reis you are safe and unafraid," he added, then smiled.
She smiled in response and thanked him. Their fates were probably in Blazing Star's kind, strong hands. Surely he would help free them. But what if he failed? No, she could not think that wayl
When Bloody Arrow returned to camp, no one suspected his thwarted plot, or comprehended the true reason for his fury over the near massacre. Fortunately for him, but tragically for others, he had been assigned to scout the only direction from which soldiers did not arrive. He had sat alone, dreaming of fame, while he presumed the attack was taking place. When he went to view his victory, he found the same thing Custer had: nothing! Not a trace!
When Custer checked with the Indian agencies, all chiefs were present and no hints of trouble were sighted or reported. Custer had no choice but to accept this mission as a wild goose chase, somebody's mistake or clever ruse. He planned to question Brody the moment he returned to camp. He wished now that he had not sent Lucas Reardon back to the fort under guard. Even if that writer had gotten away from his two men, he could not have warned the Indians in time for so many to vanish completely. Perhaps he should interrogate both Reis Harrison and Lucas Reardon, and perhaps the two women with them. Or perhaps that arrogant scout was playing games with him; that was where the information had originated! He would have his answers by tonight, and someone's head! He ordered the regiment back to Fort Sully.
Not expecting Custer to return so early, Tom Fletcher pretended to have found Sheen's bloody body and brought it to the commanding officer just before Custer's stormy arrival. Tom had just identified the arrow and charged Blazing Star with the crime when Custer swaggered into the room. When Tom was asked to repeat his tale about the council meeting once more, he lied again, claiming he had overheard several warriors who had been talking around a campfire. No matter how Custer debated or challenged his words, Tom stuck to his false claims.
Tom was furious when Custer placed him under arrest. He knew he had to find some way to escape, for he was holding the unconscious Miranda prisoner in a place no one could find. If he did not return in a few days, she would die! Yet if he had to, he would sacrifice her life rather than expose his guilt by revealing her location. He was taken to the blockhouse and imprisoned.
Custer headed for the cabin. Lucas was pacing anxiously, awaiting word of Miranda and the others. Custer could not deny the man's shock at the news of Brody's death and Miranda's abduction. Custer related the events of the day, which further stunned Lucas. He told Custer he did not know anything about such a meeting. He asked Custer to send out a search party for Reis, Amanda, and Miranda, for Lucas knew something was terribly wrong.
"You have no idea where they are?" Custer demanded sternly.
"Reis and Amanda went for a picnic; they're just married, you know. The last time I saw Miranda, she was waiting for your Major Sheen to take her riding and picnicking. What's going on here? That scout said Sheen was murdered and scalped, and Miranda is missing. Here it is nearly dark, and Reis and Mandy haven't come home. I'm worried, sir. Something awful is going on out there. You've got to do something; you've got to locate them. Is that scout trustworthy?"
"Frankly, I doubt it, but he's sucking to his story. I'm beginning to think there wasn't any parlay. But you're right about one thing; there's a stench in the air I don't like. If any of them return home tonight, you wake me at any hour. If not, we'll take us a look around tomorrow. A man should know his enemies, Reardon; I do. Blazing Star doesn't take full scalp, only a small lock. That was his arrow in Sheen's back, but not his handiwork. When you come over in the morning, bring Harrison's papers with you. They could give us a clue."
Lucas did not fall into his baited trap. He suggested slyly, "Why don't you take them tonight and study them? If there's a clue in them to help find my cousins and Reis, you can have'em now. I'll fetch'em." He went into the bedroom and retrieved the false set of papers, then handed them to Custer. "Just make sure you return them undamaged."
To the west of the Missouri River, there was a small and narrow cave which had been dug into the side of a hill by miners as a hiding place from the Indians. At one time, large boulders had been used to conceal the entrance. Later, they were left aside and trees were propped before the opening to hide it, being replaced as they wilted. It was in this cave that Miranda regained consciousness.
When Miranda stirred, her entire body ached. Any movement sent pains washing over her. Her head throbbed and her mouth was cottony dry, but she endured the anguish to sit up and look around her.
She was groggy and disoriented but managed to lean against the damp surface at her back. She appeared to be inside a dirt chamber, the oblong entrance to which was sealed by a barrier of crisscrossed ropes. She stood on rubbery legs and struggled with the unusual fence which refused to yield. The confining door was covered with numerous branches, no doubt to prevent anyone from locating her. She pressed her sensitive face against the ropes to discover why they refused to give way. Obviously they were secured around heavy rocks, and all covered by leafy branches. The square openings were too small to allow escape, even for someone as slender as herself. Trying to unsnag the ropes, she yanked until she had rope burns on her palms. She finally ceased the futile waste of energy. Without a knife, the ropes were as strong as iron. Someone had used plenty of skill and time with this confining doorway!
She returned to her former place and collapsed to the makeshift pallet of two blankets over supple branches. Nearby, she discovered a canteen of fresh water and a leather pouch with dried beef strips and compones. Inside a square cloth, she found wild berries. She sipped the water but did not eat. There was no knife inside the pouch or any other weapon for defense, but she had expected none.
As she leaned weakly against the moist wall, she surveyed her sepulchral surroundings once more. The cave was seven feet from back wall to sealed entrance; from side to side, it was almost three feet; and from floor to ceiling the walls were between eight and ten feet high. Due to the recent rains, it was musky and damp but oddly clean.
Around five in the afternoon, there was still light inside the dirt prison. She stared longingly at an opening far above her, frustratingly beyond her reach. She tried to suppress the visions of snakes and crawly things that assailed her. Normally such creatures did not frighten her, but she was vulnerable here. She shuddered as she prayed her captor would free her before darkness, or at least come to guard her.
She had underestimated the hatred and evil in her Indian cousin. Would he get away with this satanic deed? Until Tom killed him? Until he killed Tom? Even if the Indians were warned in time to prevent or respond to Custer's attack, they would hold Reis and Amanda responsible. What if an awesome battle was raging somewhere this very moment? What if Tom and Bloody Arrow were slain? No one would find her; she would die here in this cave alone. What if her love thought she had betrayed him? No, he would never think such evil of herl
All she could do was wait and pray. If they were all dead, she would make no attempt to dupe Tom. If they were only captured, she would do anything to gain her freedom to help them, even kill him. She lay down on the blanket and wept at her helplessness.
In the Oglala camp, a fierce debate was in progress.
Bloody Arrow demanded the torture and deaths of Reis and Amanda as strongly as Blazing Star and Sun Cloud demanded a chance to prove their innocence. Bloody Arrow listed the crimes of all whites during his verbal condemnation. When Sun Cloud used Amanda's heritage as a favorable point, Bloody Arrow disputed it by saying there was no proof that either woman was the daughter of Morning Star. And even if it were true, they would have learned treachery from their mother, who had brought shame and sadness to her family and people.
As the meeting went on, it became clear to all that Bloody Arrow despised his female cousins and wanted them dead. Yet no one could deny the accuracy of many of his arguments. Bloody Arrow asserted that only Reis or Miranda could have betrayed them to the soldiers. How else could the bluecoats have known exactly where to attack? The cavalry had not merely been out scouting; it had been sighted heading straight for the location of the council meetingl
When Blazing Star suggested Reis would not have knowingly brought his wife into danger, Bloody Arrow contended that the two white-eyes had assumed they would be safe because of Amanda's claim to be the granddaughter of Sun Cloud. He declared that Amanda probably had been ordered to sneak away during the talks but had not been given the chance before her capture.
When Bloody Arrow feared his vengeful arguments were failing, he sneered, "Sun Cloud's eyes are blinded by love for the child of his child. The eyes of Blazing Star are clouded by lust for the white girl's sister who came here as Tamaha. I tell them to think and vote with the head, not loin or heart."
Blazing Star stiffened and glared at the insolent warrior. "I do not deny I have love and desire for Tamaha, but it would not prevent me from voting against this white man and woman if I believed them guilty. I do not. Let me go to the wooden teepee of Tamaha and speak with her. Let me see who lies and who speaks truth. A man can die on any sun or moon, but he should die in guilt, not innocence."
"How can we trust Blazing Star to return with the truth he finds? I will go," Bloody Arrow announced. "I claim the right to prove the guilt or innocence of my family. Tamaha and her sister are of Sun Cloud's bloodline, as I am. It is my right."
"Do you think us fools, Bloody Arrow?" Sun Cloud shrieked in unnatural anger and agitation. "Your hatred of Tamaha shines as brightly as Wi. I feel shame that you are of my blood. I choose Blazing Star to seek the truth. Who challenges me? Who votes for the child of my blood to be slain and for the death of her mate?"
The ceremonial lodge was deathly silent after Bloody Arrow stated coldly, "I do. I will prove the three white-eyes are guilty."
Crazy Horse's unfathomable gaze went from one man to the next. In a resolute tone, he stated, "We will take the vote. All warriors will accept it or leave our camp and tribe. Do you wish them to go free? Do you say they are innocent? Do we seek the truth?"
In each man's hand were two painted sticks, one black and one white. The pure white was an affirmative vote; the deathly black was negative. As it came to each man's turn, he tossed in the stick which revealed his vote. Blazing Star and Sun Cloud could not watch as the pile grew larger ...
The Oglala Sioux warrior keenly observed the cabin near the edge of the bluecoat settlement. Soon, the fates of many would be sealed; soon, he would be free of the past. There was no sign of the half-blooded scout or Tamaha, but there was one dark-haired witness who knew the truth! The warrior waited impatiently until all signs of movement ceased. Then, he daringly headed for the cabin to see what the white cousin knew ...
In the Oglala camp, Amanda nestled as closely as possible to the powerful frame of her husband, whose chest and feet were bare. After the council meeting, Reis had been cut free and imprisoned in Sun Cloud's teepee with his wife. Though this could be their last night together, there was no way they could have a loving farewell, for the hands and ankles of both were bound securely to prevent escape. All they could do was snuggle close to each other and share intoxicating kisses.
Suddenly Reis rolled to his back and lifted his bent knees. He wiggled and struggled, grunting and breathing heavily with his exertions. Amanda watched silently, as it was obvious what he was trying to do. At last, he was successful and knelt before her with extended arms beckoning her into his confining embrace. She worked her way to her knees and slid between those muscular bands of warm flesh. He smiled radiantly at her, lowering his bound arms to encircle her in them.
He sealed his mouth over hers, and as his fingers interlocked with hers behind her back, they savored this contact of bodies and spirits. Reis guided her carefully to the buffalo mat. They lay on their sides, kissing and nuzzling each other.
He murmured earnestly and tenderly, "I love you, Mandy, and I would give everything I own to have you one last time."
She leaned her tawny head away from his hard, smooth shoulders, and smiling at him, she replied, "So would I, Reis. I love you so much. Don't blame yourself for this. I'd rather be here with you, even if it's to die together. I couldn't live without you."
Reis's dark blue eyes sparkled with moisture, and he cleared his lumpy throat to speak. "I could never watch you die, my love. If we must end this way, I pray they show mercy with you but take me first. You see, I'm a selfish coward after all."
A gaze as soft and light as baby blue cotton fused with his. "I wish I could slip my arms around you, but I doubt I'm that limber," she teased, both attempting to lighten the dismal mood and ease the anguish of the other.
"One day, I'll teach you," he promised with a playful grin.
"I hope so," she responded, forcing a cheerful smile. "Reis, do you think he will tell the truth when he returns? What will he do with Randy? What if he captures her and brings her back to die with us?"
"He was ordered to seek the truth, Mandy. Warriors are famous for their obedience and honor," he reminded her.
"But are honor and honesty the same in this affair?" she deliberated worriedly, rubbing her lips over his furry chest. "What if the truth doesn't suit his purposes? How do you suppose Custer found out about the meeting?" she inquired gravely.
"I wish 1 knew, love. Even if Randy dropped a clue with Sheen today, the timing would be wrong. Custer knew last night or early this morning. But who told him, and why? There's something else, love," he hinted ominously, dreading to mention it.
"What?" she asked, sensing his alarm and reluctance.
"Why didn't Sheen ride out with the others? Blazing Star said the man who rode at Custer's side was missing today," Reis revealed.
"I don't follow your insinuation," she murmured. "Maybe he was left in charge of the fort or other men."
"If Custer knows you and I are involved in this parlay, I wonder what he's done with Randy and Luke. On a patrol this important, something urgent kept Brody at the camp. By now, Custer knows we're missing, but does he suspect why? I'd bet my scalp he's reading those false report
s right this minute," he surmised astutely.
"If they arrested Luke and Randy, they wouldn't harm them without proof, would they?" she fretted at this distressing news. "And they couldn't possibly have any firm evidence against any of us. Besides, you're working for the President. He'll protect us, if we get out of this."
In the vanishing light, Reis observed the unfamiliar shadows in her eyes. He questioned them. Tears began to ease down into her tawny curls. "Randy and I have always been close, Reis. There's some kind of mystical bond between us. She's in terrible danger. I sense such a chill and blackness. It's like she's..." Amanda shuddered violently, unable to say, in a grave.
Tom Fletcher angrily paced the dirt floor of his cell. He had demanded his release; he had demanded to go scouting for the facts to exonerate him. He had demanded to be shown any evidence against him. None of his demands had a favorable effect on Custer. It was past midnight, and he was still imprisoned. But he had left food and water with Miranda and she was not severely injured. There was no danger of her dying within two or three days. Surely he would be free by then. Besides Miranda, only Bloody Arrow knew the truth about their daring plot; and neither would ever reveal it. Tom intended to slay the antagonistic Indian as soon as he was free. Then he would take Miranda to another place and begin a new life. At least he had earned one reward from this devastated plot! No one would locate her, for the cave was in an area no one ever visited.
Tom exhaled in vexation as he leaned the back of his head against the window bars. He could not even trick a sentry into giving him freedom, for Custer had not placed one at the stone brig. It seemed Custer had felt no Indian would dare sneak into this settlement with him in command, certainly not to free a halfbreed scout!
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