by Merry Farmer
“I need to find Two Spots and tell her the plan,” he murmured, as quietly as he could.
“No,” Katie said. “I’ll tell her. It makes more sense for me to be seen speaking to her anyhow.”
He nodded. She was right. It would save him from a scrutiny he didn’t need as he set everything in motion.
A grin followed his thoughts. “Maybe you should have been named Also Thinks Like Fox?”
Katie laughed. “I like my name just fine.”
She surged closer for one last, fleeting kiss, igniting fireworks with the simplest touch of her lips on his. Then she untangled herself fully from his blanket and dashed off into the night.
There was no easy way to find Two Spots and explain Aiden’s full plan to her after dark as everyone was lying down to sleep. Magpie Woman had a few narrow-eyed questions for Katie when she slipped back into the tipi, but without Two Spots there to translate, Katie could only guess what they were, and she couldn’t reply. She could do nothing but lie down on her palate and close her eyes.
Sleep refused to come to her, though. With her eyes closed, she remembered the heat of Aiden’s touch. Why had she never let herself enjoy the power of his body before? He’d held her a hundred times for so many reasons, and she knew he was fit and tall and strong, but the sizzling sparks of pleasure that the mere touch of his body ignited in her was something new. He’d kissed her before, back at the wagon train, but now there was something exciting in his kiss that pooled like liquid in her core.
No, his other kisses had made her feel that aching heat as well. This one was different. This one had reached into her soul, made her long to be one with him for more than just her body’s curiosity. He’d let her take the lead, let her explore with the promise of more. It was that promise, that more, that kept her from sleeping until so long into the night that she had no idea how much time had passed. Aiden Murphy was her adventure.
By the time morning’s first light filtered in through the gap at the top of the tipi, Katie was wide awake. She was surprised not to be tired after a mostly sleepless night and jumped up to start her chores without being told. As soon as she could, she left the tipi, using gestures to show she was going to fetch water, but she went to find Two Spots instead.
As she rounded a painted tipi, heart pounding with excitement for what they would attempt that day, she bowled straight into Grandfather as he was emerging from the door.
“I’m so sorry, Grandfather,” she said, helping him to right himself and walk out into the sunlight.
“Burns With Fire is in a hurry today,” he smiled at her. “What is so important that she would run right through an old man?”
Katie couldn’t help but laugh at his jovial tone, even if her laughter gave away that she was up to something. “I am off to find Two Spots,” she said.
Grandfather nodded. Rather than letting her go, he rested a hand on her arm. “Thinks Like Fox had the same look in his eyes when he spoke to me last night.”
A swirl of giddy anxiety pulsed through Katie’s gut. “Did he… did he tell you anything?”
Grandfather’s smile grew. “He tells me that he will take you away from us. He also tells me that he will unite two young lovers long apart.”
Of all things, relief flooded her. She stepped closer to Grandfather and whispered, “So you know what he has planned, then?”
“I know.” Grandfather nodded. “It is a bold thing you will do, but I think it will be a good thing.” With a sad smile, he cupped her face with one old, gnarled hand, much like her own grandfather would have. “You do not belong here. It is pleasant to see you wear our clothes and learn our ways. Two Spots has needed a friend like you for a long time. But you do not belong here. If you were to stay, there would be more trouble.”
“I know, Grandfather,” she answered, resting her hand on top of his. “It makes me sad in a way, but we have to leave.”
He nodded. “Some of my people think the soldiers are gone, that they will never come back now that they are fighting each other. I do not believe this thing. They will come back and bring more trouble with them. If they were to find a white woman with us, married to a brave and unhappy, they would be angry. The young men think they can win a war against the soldiers, but even they are not certain of that in their hearts.”
“I wish it wasn’t so,” Katie answered. Grandfather lowered his hand and she drew in a steadying breath. “So you are willing to help us?”
Grandfather nodded. “I think I know how to make this thing come to be.”
Whether it was proper or not, Katie burst into a smile and threw her arms around Grandfather in a grateful hug. “Whatever happens,” she said when she let him go, “you will always be my friend. Two Spots will always be my friend. I will do whatever I can for the Cheyenne whenever I’m able.”
“It makes my heart glad to hear it,” Grandfather said, his smile as sad as it was endearing. “Now go find Two Spots. I think the two of you have much to talk about.”
Chapter Seventeen
Two Spots agreed to Aiden’s plan. Grandfather was willing to help. But for the rest of the day, every unexpected word that was spoken to Katie, every bush that rustled, every tool that wasn’t in exactly the right spot, made her jumpier than a March hare. She could make excuses for most things, but when she finished her work preparing for supper that night and then donned the wedding tunic that Sky Bear’s female relatives had made for her, she couldn’t escape notice.
As soon as Katie wriggled into the soft leather tunic and felt it settle heavily around her shoulders, Magpie Woman dropped what she was doing and stared. She crossed the tipi with two long strides and stood face-to-face with Katie. Her usually stern expression was bright with alarm. She said something low and serious to Katie, placing a hand on her arm.
“I can’t understand you,” she said. Nearly ten days at the Cheyenne camp had taught her a few important words that helped her get by, but without Two Spots, serious communication was impossible.
Magpie Woman seemed to know the same thing. She shifted anxiously, glancing to Yellow Sun, who crouched by her bed, taking out a brush to fix her hair. Yellow Sun shrugged and shook her head, eyes round. Magpie Woman turned back to Katie and blew out a breath. She said something that prompted Yellow Sun to nod and stand. Yellow Sun gestured toward the tipi’s door. Magpie Woman jerked her head in the same direction. Both women were telling her to go.
Katie did as she was asked and headed across the tipi and out into the village, Magpie Woman and Yellow Sun behind her, but not on whatever errand Magpie Woman imagined they were leaving for. As soon as Katie stood in the warm-hued sunlight of the early evening, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and said a quick prayer. Aiden’s plan was a good one. It would work. Sky Bear and Two Spots would be together, and she and Aiden could head for home.
She opened her eyes and turned her steps toward the center of the village. If Grandfather played his part right, he would be waiting there for her with the other elders right now. Magpie Woman had started in the direction of Two Spots’ aunt’s tipi, but stopped and called after Katie. She tried to verbally stop Katie and get her to turn around, then followed behind her, talking all the way, and went so far as to grab Katie’s wrist when they were near the center of the village. As soon as she saw Two Spots waiting by Grandfather’s side, serving him supper as though by coincidence, Magpie Woman let Katie’s wrist go.
Aiden sat to one side of the large fire pit where the elders were gathered, close enough to hear everything that went on, but not a part of it. Follows The River was with him, showing Aiden something with his flute. Aiden had a flute of his own, and was trying to play it, but as soon as Katie strode around the fire pit, he stopped and sat straight.
Magpie Woman tried to run ahead, speaking to Two Spots and presumably urging her to translate what she wanted to say for Katie, but the script of the evening was already set.
“I have come to a decision,” Katie said as she stopped in front of
the elders.
Two Spots sent a wary glance to Magpie Woman, then stood, ignoring whatever plea the older woman was putting to her. She translated Katie’s words for the elders. Magpie Woman whipped around to face Katie, something close to panic in her eyes. She tried to say something, but was ignored.
Grandfather stood. “What do you have to say?” he asked. They hadn’t worked through every step of the plan, but Katie trusted him to know what to do. She trusted him like she trusted her own family, like she trusted Aiden.
“I have thought about a great many things,” she said, careful to look at each of the elders. She met Magpie Woman’s eyes. Magpie Woman shook her head. “I have thought about Sky Bear’s offer, and I have decided to accept it.”
Two Spots translated. The elders hummed and nodded. Magpie Woman’s face pinched with worry.
“Let the people be called to witness,” Grandfather declared, first in English and then in Cheyenne. “Let Sky Bear be called to hear this thing.”
The area around the fire pit rustled with a sudden burst of activity. A handful of people sitting nearby jumped up and dashed off to spread the word. One brave in particular, a man Katie had seen make announcements throughout the village before, stood from his spot near the fire and called out something in a loud voice. Before long, people were poking their heads out of tipis and wandering into the space near the fire pit.
Magpie Woman said something quick and desperate, first to Katie, then to Two Spots. Two Spots looked as though she might answer, but when Aiden stood, her eyes flickered to him. Aiden nodded. Two Spots answered with her own nod, then turned and fled, leaving Magpie Woman’s question unanswered.
Magpie Woman twisted toward Katie, and Aiden beyond her. Her gaze flickered between the two of them, and she closed her mouth, which had been open with her questions. She narrowed her eyes and tensed. Curiosity that bordered on understanding lit her eyes. Then she too dashed off, in a different direction than Two Spots.
Grandfather beckoned for Katie to come stand near him. She started to move, but before she had gone more than a few paces, Aiden hopped after her.
“I don’t know how long he’ll give us,” he whispered, touching Katie’s arm but glancing all around at the gathering Cheyenne. “It’s only just beginning to get dark. It needs to be much darker for us to escape. See if you can buy us some time.”
“Buy us some time?” Katie balked. “Aiden, I can’t even speak to these people.”
“I know you’ll think of something, a ghrá. You’ve got a warrior’s spirit.” He squeezed her arm before turning on his heel and running off.
Katie scanned the growing crowd of curious Cheyenne. She had come to know their faces in the past days. She knew tiny bits and pieces of their stories. Not one of them looked at her with anger, only curiosity. They were as close to being her friends as the fellow travelers she had met on the trail. But in that moment, she had never felt more alone.
She swallowed her fear and faced Grandfather. As she approached him, he said something to the people gathering. A wave of excited murmurs followed in the wake of his words. When Katie reached his side and turned to look out at the people with him, he said, “I have told them that great magic will be performed tonight. I have asked them to bring their drums and their flutes. We will dance to celebrate this magic.”
Prickles of hope raced up and down Katie’s limbs as Grandfather invited her to sit beside him. Dancing might be just what they needed to buy the time Aiden wanted. She had no idea what a Cheyenne dance entailed, though. She was kept in suspense as more of the village came out to see what was going on. A few people brought drums with them. They sat to one side of the fire pit and began to beat a steady rhythm. A few of the men started to chant an ethereal song in time to the drums.
It was several moments before Sky Bear arrived. Katie tensed at the sight of him, her stomach turning over. If this plan went wrong, he was her future. At least he arrived with Brave Wolf by his side instead of Sharp Arrow and Wolf Walking Alone. The Cheyenne gathered around the fire made way for him. Sky Bear searched their faces, craning his neck as he looked through the crowd. He was looking for Two Spots. Something in Katie told her he had to be looking for her, for the woman he truly loved. When he didn’t find her, he continued forward, confusion hardening his expression.
His searching froze for a moment when he spotted Katie in her wedding tunic. Surprise masked his features a moment before he schooled his face into neutrality. He spoke something, gesturing to Katie. Grandfather answered, inviting him to sit on his other side. Reluctantly, with a suspicious glance to Katie, he complied. He kept his back straight and stared straight forward as more people gathered.
Katie’s gut was a bundle of knots as she watched the center of the village switch from quiet, summertime suppers in the open air to a communal celebration. More than a few people smiled at her as they came to join the revelry. A few approached Sky Bear, congratulating him with a slap on the back. Some even brought gifts. They all thought they were attending a wedding. Katie’s heart pounded in frantic counterpart to the singing drummers whose music filled the air.
The only thing that kept her from a flat panic was the fact that neither Aiden nor Two Spots came back to the village center. Neither did Magpie Woman, but that was the least of her worries. As long as Aiden and Two Spots were out there, putting the plan in motion without being caught, there was hope.
After what felt like days and yet not enough time at all, as the evening sun dipped toward the horizon, bathing the Cheyenne village in hues of orange and coral, Grandfather stood and raised his hands. The drummers stopped their song. Grandfather addressed the people.
Katie glanced up at him, tense as a cat and ready to run if things went wrong. Whatever Grandfather said, it was well received by the people. They nodded and hummed, some of the women smiling as they peeked at Katie or Sky Bear. With Grandfather standing, Katie could see Sky Bear out of the corner of her eye. He continued to sit stiff and straight with no expression on his hard face. She may have been imagining things, but she didn’t think he looked happy at all.
Grandfather finished his speech to the people, then turned to offer Katie a hand up. At first, she sat where she was, staring at his hand. She could do this. She trusted Grandfather to help her and Aiden to be where he was supposed to be. Steeling her courage, she took Grandfather’s hand and stood. A flurry of comments and sighs met her as the Cheyenne got a good look at the beautiful wedding tunic.
“I have told them that they will see great magic tonight,” Grandfather explained to her. “That two people who love each other will be united. I did not lie to them.”
In spite of the danger around her, a smile tweaked the corner of Katie’s lips. “Thank you,” she told Grandfather, squeezing his hand.
Grandfather nodded and turned to address the people again. He gestured to the sky, to the earth, and around the horizon. His words held weight to them, significance, as if he was sounding a prayer instead of addressing friends. When he let go of Katie’s hand and gestured for her to walk forward, she did.
One of the other elders stopped her. His comment and accompanying frown were like a cannon blast in Katie’s ears. A cold sweat broke out down her back and she twisted to meet Grandfather’s eyes in desperation. That desperation grew when Sky Bear jumped to his feet, apparently based on whatever the other elder had said. He started toward Katie. Katie’s legs went weak.
Grandfather stopped Sky Bear with a hand to his chest before he could reach Katie. He spoke to him, then to the other elder, then to the people at large. A few people nodded, while others seemed confused. At last, he turned to Katie.
“Elk Man is confused. He says this is not the way of things. He says it is not the way for a woman to go to a brave’s tipi and to his bed without him to make two into one.”
Katie swallowed hard at the implication, glancing to Sky Bear. His expression was still hard and neutral.
“I have told Elk Man that great magic ne
eds different ways,” Grandfather went on. “True, this is not the way of a Cheyenne marriage, but you are not a true Cheyenne yet, and so things must be done differently. This is what I have told him.”
“Are you sure he listened?” Katie asked, voice trembling.
Grandfather answered with the slightest shrug. “We will see.”
He turned to Sky Bear and added a few more words to him. Sky Bear glanced from Grandfather to Katie. Something in the way he looked at her, something in the depth of his dark eyes, told her he was suspicious. He knew something was out of the ordinary. It was possible he knew he was being tricked. All the same, moving slowly, he stepped back to his place and sat. Grandfather said something else to the elders, and Sky Bear resumed his strong, impenetrable expression of neutrality.
“There,” Grandfather said. “Sky Bear has agreed to let this thing happen as I said it should. Elk Man is less certain,” he made a conceding gesture with his hands, “but he will not stop it. I think they all want to see the magic.”
Katie glanced around her. All eyes were on her. They did indeed want to see the magic. She wouldn’t disappoint them.
“I don’t know how I will ever be able to thank you or repay you,” she told Grandfather, suddenly choked up. “You have been so kind to me, helped me in so many ways.”
“If it is meant to be, the spirits will find a way for our paths to cross again,” he said, then nodded. “Go, Burns With Fire. Go take your freedom with your man.”
She wanted to hug him and kiss his wizened old cheek goodbye, but she had to play the game. Grandfather gestured to the drummers and they began their song again. She squared her shoulders, held her head high, and marched on through the people who had become friends of sorts in the last week and a half. They looked at her like one of them as she rounded the fire pit and started out toward Sky Bear’s tipi. She closed her eyes, wished them well, and as soon as she was far enough away from them, she broke into a run.