The late spring sun beat down on his naked skin as the war party rode out, the women encouraging them with trilling cries. Although Rand was fast becoming a good tracker, Gopher was an expert, and only too happy to follow the traders’ trail for the man who had saved his son’s life.
Rand glanced up at the sun as they rode out, wondering how long ago the traders had left and trying not to think about what Kimi might be going through at this very moment.
One Eye must have seen his worried expression, because he reined his horse so that he rode alongside, resplendent in his shirt decorated with the hair of enemies. “They will not touch her yet,” he said. “They will be intent on putting much distance between us and them, knowing we will follow.”
Rand glanced up at the sun, cursed under his breath. “They’ve got a long head start, but you’re probably right. No doubt they won’t feel safe until they get closer to a fort where they think the Sioux fear to ride.”
As if to reaffirm his words, Gopher galloped back from scouting ahead. “I think they may be headed to the fort.”
Rand said, “Fort Rice?”
Gopher shook his head, “No, not that one; the one farther up the Wakpa Rehanka.”
Rand glanced questioningly at One Eye.
“You whites call it the Missouri River,” the respected Shirt Wearer explained. “They may be headed for Fort Berthold. They are smart; no doubt they wouldn’t head south for fear of running across Sitting Bull’s Hunkpapas or a war party of Sans Arcs. They may expect to lose us somewhere between the Heart and the Knife Rivers.”
“Pilamaya, Gopher,” Rand said. His sturdy friend nodded and galloped back up to scout ahead.
“Gopher is the best of trackers,” One Eye comforted. “He could track a mouse from here to our sacred hills. He is in your debt, so he will try very hard.”
He only hoped it was enough, Rand sighed, thinking about the day moving slowly into afternoon. Kimi was safe for now, maybe. They wouldn’t stop to enjoy her probably until dark, knowing the Sioux might be following.
After a couple of hours of hard riding, they lost the trail in an area of rocky ground.
Gopher frowned. “These wasicu are smart as coyotes. It would be hard to track a grasshopper across here. The only thing we can do is fan out, search to see where they might have come off the rocks. There are a dozen different trails they might have taken out. I think the traders are smart enough to wrap their ponies feet in buckskin, so there’ll be no tracks. No doubt they made a cold camp at noon, so there would be no smoke scent in the air.”
Rand’s anxiety built as more precious time was lost searching the area to pick up the trail again. How many hours was it to nightfall? He glanced up at the sun. Past high noon. In six or eight hours, Kimi might be spread out and raped by the trio. He tried not to picture the scene because it added fury to an anger that was already blazing hot. He told himself it was only because she was his as his horse and rifle were his. No man took anything that belonged to Rand Erikson.
He reminded himself that he was engaged to be married to an elegant beauty back in Kentucky and that, sooner or later, he’d be leaving the Dakota territory. The thought crossed his mind that if the war party passed near the fort, it would be easy to ride in, give himself up, tell the army he was no deserter, but that he’d been held captive.
Even as the thought came to him, squat Gopher called out in triumph. He had picked up the trail again and the war party was once more on the move.
When they crossed a little creek and he saw his own reflection in the water, he was stunned at how much like a warrior he looked with his naked, tanned body and painted face. True enough his hair was light and getting shaggy, but otherwise ... Hinzi. Yellow Hair. Except for that, he looked as much like a savage as any of the men who rode with him. Underneath the thin veneer of civilization, there lurks a primitive savage in the most sophisticated of men, Rand thought grimly. His old life didn’t seem as appealing as it once had. Sometimes civilization had stifling restraints and restrictions. In contrast, the Sioux lived without clocks and drifted across thousands of miles, following the great herds of buffalo.
Time passed. Again they lost the trail in a rocky place. They spent precious time searching for some sign. Just as Rand thought they had lost the trail completely, he saw something glittering in a small bush.
His heart beating hard, he galloped over and retrieved it. Kimi’s medicine object hanging from its thong and reflecting the light. “Hohay!” he exclaimed, “she knows we will be on the trail. She left this to point the way!”
He put it around his own neck, feeling the heat of the sun-warmed gold against his brawny bare chest. It was almost like having her small, warm body against his. There was something familiar about the object, as if he’d seen it before, he thought, then dismissed the idea. The little acorn was surely not even gold–just a cheap brass trinket.
Nudging his big stallion into a gallop, he led the war party following the trail again. Rand glanced up at the sun. Only a few more hours and the trio would be camping. There, maybe feeling secure from pursuit, they would take the time to enjoy Kimi. The thought made Rand both sick and grim; wondering if he would get there in time. He put his hand on his big knife. One thing was certain, if and when he caught up with those three, he would take more than their scalps.
Kimi looked up at the sun as she and the three traders continued their journey. Relentlessly the sun moved toward the western horizon. Hoping that Hinzi and the Lakota warriors might be in pursuit, she delayed the traders as much as she dared every time they stopped to rest the horses or eat a bite. Buck noticed and slapped her around for it. “You think your man follows, huh?” the trader laughed. “He has the Pawnee girl to play with now, so he might not have even noticed you’re gone.”
Lucky stood up in his stirrups and looked behind him, peering at the horizon. “Maybe if they think she left on her own with us, they may not even bother to come lookin.’ ”
Tech agreed. “Shucks, we shore ain’t seen no sign of them, and I been watchin’.”
Kimi didn’t say anything. Maybe they were right; maybe Hinzi wouldn’t come or the warriors had lost the trail. In that case ... no, she didn’t even want to think about her fate.
All too soon the sun sank low over the hot, hostile country and Lucky reined in. “I know where there’s a little protected grove of bushes ahead. We’ll camp there.” He ran his hands up and down Kimi’s arm, holding her close in the saddle. “And you, sweet stuff, you know what’s coming tonight, don’t you?”
The three men guffawed and Kimi shuddered visibly.
Tech laughed and winked at Lucky, a grin on his hard face. “Shucks! She’s so eager, she’s tremblin’. Ain’t that right, Lucky?”
“Damned right! Why she’s almost as eager as we are, ain’t you, sweet stuff?” He nuzzled the back of her neck, and ran his hot hands over her body while she struggled to pull away from him. He nudged his horse and, in the deepening purple twilight, they rode on until they reached the cluster of straggly bushes.
The three men dismounted. Lucky reached up to lift Kimi down while the other two hobbled the horses. He held her by the shoulders, looking into her face. “Okay, sweet stuff. First we eat. Later we’ll see how much you know about pleasing a man–and how much we can teach you.”
He pushed her to Buck, who nuzzled her with his dirty beard while she struggled to get away from him.
Lucky began to unsaddle his mount. “Wonder if her name is Mae? Did anyone ask her?”
“Shucks! Are we gonna havta hear that story again?” Tech complained as he spat tobacco juice, began to build a fire.
“Mae is the one I’m waitin’ for,” Lucky began as if he hadn’t heard Tech. “A fortune teller tole me once that the keys to my future was four words, ‘Mae,’ ‘fire,’ ‘whiskey,’ and ‘cricket.’ ”
“Shucks,” Tech snorted as he gathered buffalo chips for fuel, “that ain’t much of a fortune teller. I wouldn’t have paid her. She t
ell you how the words fit together?”
Lucky finished unsaddling, carried his gear over by the fire. “The way I figure it, Mae is a special gal; one worth waitin’ for. I’ll spend my old age sitting by a fireplace with a big bottle of whiskey and this gorgeous, naked gal in my lap, and maybe a cricket chirpin’ on the hearth.”
“Sounds good to me,” Buck said. “I knew a gal named Mae once; she was real talented. Wonder if it’s the same one?”
Tech reached for a skillet. “They do say the Chinee think crickets is good luck.” He looked at Kimi. “Reckon that little half-breed gal can cook?”
“We can find out.” Buck untied Kimi. “Don’t go too far, you hear, sweet? Ain’t no place out on the prairie to hide no way.”
Kimi didn’t answer as she rubbed her wrists. Her arms ached from being tied all this time, and her mouth was sore from the gag. Even in the darkness, there wouldn’t be any place to run in this desolate stretch.
“Well, we got whiskey and a woman,” Lucky grinned.
“Shucks,” the scar-faced one complained, “you’re lucky some woman’s husband ain’t kilt you yet.”
“How do you think I got my name?” He flopped down on the ground, leaned against his saddle.
“Quit jawin,” Buck complained. He motioned to Kimi. “You, gal, get some grub out of the supplies, cook us up a little dinner. Tech, don’t built that fire so big.”
“Shucks, you don’t really think those Sioux are still on our trail? Why, we’re within five or ten miles of the fort.”
“You can’t never tell about Injuns.” Buck spread his blanket by the fire. “They’re most dangerous when you least expect them; like snakes when you step on one in the dark.”
The other two grunted agreement, and Kimi looked around, deciding that with all the horses hobbled and the weapons where the trio could watch them, she didn’t have a chance of escaping at the moment. She needed time. Food would occupy their minds for a while. She got a small skillet and a slab of bacon from the supplies, moving as slowly as possible.
It was dusk now, a pale lavender-and-gray twilight. Quail called somewhere, cicadas chirped in the stillness.
Lucky got out a bottle of whiskey and some tobacco. “Yep, no man could want a better life than this; I’m a lucky man, all right.”
Buck grinned and reached for the bottle. “After supper, that’s when we all get lucky.”
Tech took a big drink as Buck handed him the bottle, “Hey, Injun, your name Mae?”
Kimi shook her head, and didn’t look up, although she felt all three of the men watching her as she cooked. She pretended not to notice, but her skin crawled at what she knew they were imagining. Maybe if they drank enough, she might have a chance of escaping.
“Shucks, she’s the prettiest I’ve seen in a long time.”
Buck took a big drink, wiped his bearded face on his dirty sleeve. “Hell, Tech, any woman is purty once a man’s had a few drinks.”
“That’s a fact,” Lucky grinned and leaned back against his saddle. “I ain’t never gone to bed with an ugly woman, but I’ve woke up with a few.”
Tech scratched his pox-scarred face. “If they ain’t, I jest close my eyes. Then you can’t tell what color they is, how old, or if they’re purty or not. All cats look gray in the dark.”
The three guffawed and passed the bottle around again.
Kimi watched them out of the corner of her eye while she fixed food as slowly as possible. It was dark now, and the fire she cooked over wasn’t much bigger than her hand. She thought about gradually adding fuel to it, maybe turn it into a roaring blaze that might be seen a long distance, then decided against it. The traders weren’t that stupid. Better she should delay getting the food ready, hoping they would drink enough on empty bellies to render themselves either unconscious or too impotent to be interested in her later. It was a dim chance, Kimi knew, but it was all she could cling to at the moment. She’d almost given up the idea that Hinzi and a war party would catch up to them soon enough to help. In a few minutes, it would be as black as these men’s hearts. It appeared nothing would help her tonight.
Rand looked up at the sun now low on the horizon. At least it would be cooler with the sun down, he thought, it’s been hot for early May. Then he wished he could turn the time back a dozen hours, no matter the heat, because he knew all too well the ordeal Kimi would endure after dark when her kidnappers finally camped. He wasn’t sorry he had helped the Pawnee girl, though. He’d do it again.
He looked over at One Eye as they rode. “Friend, do you speak any Pawnee?”
“A little. It helps when you’re trying to get information from captives. Why?”
“What does the name Kirit mean?”
“Cricket. Why?”
Rand shrugged. “Just wondering.”
Gopher returned just then, interrupting Rand’s thoughts. “Hinzi, I think I smelled just a trace of smoke carried on the wind.”
Rand’s heart quickened and he looked at One Eye. “Can it be–?”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” One Eye cautioned. “It could be a prairie fire or the brown coal, the whites call lignite, that lightning’s set on fire. Some of the areas of the Bad Lands have burned for years. Many think Inyan, the ancestor of all things, dwells in the rocks.”
“Let’s hope it’s a camp fire.” Rand nudged Scout forward.
“Easy, my friend,” One Eye cautioned. “If they even suspect we’re out here, they may kill her or use her as a hostage.”
That was true enough. “All right,” Rand said, “we’ll be as sneaky as the coyote. We’ll fan out, surround the camp, if it’s them. Pass the word her safety comes before the counting of coups or revenge, even though I can hardly wait to dip my own blade in their blood.”
One Eye nodded. “We’d better use knives or lances. A gunshot carries a long way. There might be an army or Pawnee scout patrol in the area. More and more whites seem to be coming into our country, and the Great White Father sends more and more soldiers.”
An army patrol, Rand thought almost with disinterest as they dismounted, tied their ponies muzzles’ with strips of rawhide to keep them from whinnying and giving away the ambush when they scented the traders’ horses. Only a couple of weeks ago, he would have been pleased to run across an army patrol that might rescue him. Now all he could think of was the safety of a young green-eyed girl.
They rode forward. It was dark now; a moonless night as dark as the bottom of a well. Rand signaled the others to step silently as they crept toward the camp. He could smell the scent of smoke, too. With hand signals, he, One Eye and Gopher placed their men. Leaving their horses back with a waiting brave, the three crawled on their bellies through the dry, sparse grass toward the campsite.
It was them, all right. He had to force himself to lie in the grass quietly watching the scene. His first impulse had been to rush in, take Kimi in his arms, and kill the traders who lounged on blankets by the fire, drinking whiskey.
They had obviously just finished eating, judging from the dirty tin plates that Kimi was cleaning up. He watched her, sighing with relief. She didn’t appear to be much the worse for wear, except for a bad bruise on her face. When Rand imagined how she had come by that injury, rage boiled up in him, sour as bile, and he trembled.
One Eye must have realized his mood because his friend reached out, caught his arm, shook his head. Wait, he mouthed silently in Lakota.
One Eye was right. When Kimi was safe, Rand could enjoy a slow revenge. As a Lakota warrior, Kimi was his, and woe to the man who touched his woman.
He waited, watching the men drink and Kimi moving about quietly. The weary strain on her lovely face betrayed that she was almost to the breaking point. No doubt this had been a horrifying ordeal for the petite girl. He would see that the three were paid in their own coin. When he closed the trap, he didn’t want Kimi hurt, or any of the culprits to escape his vengeance. For now, he forced himself to watch and wait.
Kimi picked up the d
irty tin plate with a shaking hand. She had delayed the three as long as possible so they might drink enough to pass out, but it hadn’t worked. Now that they had finished eating and were back lounging on their blankets and guzzling the cheap, potent whiskey, it was only a matter of time until their interest turned to her.
What could she do? The night was hot and moonless, so that if she managed to slip away from the fire, maybe she stood a slight chance of not being found until daylight. By then they might give up and go on without her. In fact, if she could walk back toward the Sioux camp, she might run into Hinzi and the warriors if they were trailing. The traders were smart as hunted coyotes. They had done every trick in the book to throw a tracker off their trail.
Automatically she reached up for the comforting feel of her medicine charm; then she remembered it wasn’t there.
Lucky seemed to notice her gesture, stumbled to his feet and swayed toward her. “Hey, sweet stuff, what’d you do with that little fetish?”
Had Hinzi found it? She dare not let the trader know she had left it hanging on a bush to show the way. “I–the thong broke and I lost it along the trail somewhere.”
“Too bad,” he swayed over her, “it looked like it was real gold.” He reached out, caught her by the throat. “I envy the thing, know why?”
“Why?” She tried to pull away, but he held her.
He pulled her to her feet, grinning. “Because it’s been against your pretty tits all this time, that’s why. I’m getting ready to do something about that.”
The other two laughed.
“Yeah,” Buck said, “bring her over here. I been lookin’ forward to tryin’ her out.”
“I’m about to find out how good Sweet Stuff is.” Lucky pulled her to her feet.
“Wouldn’t you like another drink?” she said, trying to pull away from the feel of his dirty, sweaty hands. He reeked of sour whiskey.
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