by Ron Schwab
Jeb said, "Boss, we could smoke them out."
"Block the chimney?"
"Yep. We did that a good many times when I rode with the U.S. Cavalry, and we were taking down Comancheros and other renegades at their hideouts. Got a nest of Kiowa that squatted in a settlor's house once."
"That would bring them out. But would they kill the women first?"
"More likely to make shields of them. But I don't see how we get this done without some risks."
"No, you're right, of course. It's the best idea that's showed up so far. Let's do this. You and She-Bear position yourselves with the rifles, maybe one to the east and one to the south. Can you see well enough in the dark to hit somebody from this distance?"
"We've got some moonlight. We can hit somebody. Challenge will be not to shoot Skye or Antelope. But we'll just be damn sure when we squeeze the triggers. We'll have to wait till they spread out some."
"And don't shoot Badger Claw and me."
"Why would we do that?"
"Because we'll be waiting right outside the door. We'll try to separate Skye and Antelope from the others or kill anybody who thinks he's going to use one of them for a shield. Before we do that, we'll stuff the chimney. If we take the coats from the dead men we left out in the woods, that should work fine."
"I don't know about this hand to hand idea, Boss."
"Jeb, I won't be sitting up here safe and snug when Skye comes out that door. Besides, you know I'm just as likely to shoot one of our own trying to hit somebody with a rifle from this range."
Jeb grinned. "I can't argue that. Okay, me and She-Bear will get set up."
29
Nobody leaped up to go look for Rat when Captain Quint ordered it, so Goliath went out to check. Skye noticed the men didn't seem so fearful of Quint now, and given his obvious physical deterioration, that was understandable. The man was walking death, and she had been the cause of it. That was a sobering thought, and she unsuccessfully chided herself for not feeling some remorse. She guessed she was becoming a callous and wicked woman.
They all knew about the gold now, and they were hanging around for their cut. She assumed that Quint had not planned on a split. McLarty had probably been promised a share and, perhaps, Goliath, who seemed to be Quint's second-in-command, but she was confident the others were in for a pittance, and most were probably stupid enough to settle for that. Who would end up with the gold if they found it? It was hard to say, but it was certain many would die before the day for dividing the spoils arrived.
McLarty still had his hand on her thigh, but at least his fingers had tired. She cast a sideways glance and saw that his eyes were closed and that his chin was resting on his chest. She knew that was deceptive, though, because she doubted he ever truly slept when danger lurked nearby. Until tonight she had not thought she could ever despise a man more than Quint, but McLarty had pulled ahead in that race. Quint was an evil, vicious man, who did not pretend to be otherwise. McLarty, though, was a traitor whose colors changed like a chameleon's when opportunity presented. He was the more dangerous man.
Most of the men were nodding off or dozing when Goliath burst through the door and slammed it shut. "Captain Quint," he yelled, startling Quint so much he almost tumbled from his chair.
"Goddammit, Goliath, what is it? You almost scared the shit out of me." Strangely, Quint did not raise his voice, sounding like he was reading a script when he spoke.
"I found Rat. He's out front with two arrows sticking in him."
That captured everyone's attention, and the men began to get up and reach for their weapons. Goliath marched over to Quint and looked down at his employer, who was still fastened to his chair with a confused look in his single eye. Skye felt a sharp tug on her neck as McLarty stood up, so she got off the floor, too. As she did, she thought the smoke from the fireplace was starting to irritate her eyes.
"What do we do, Captain?"
"About what?"
"Rat."
"I don't know. What do you want to do about him?"
Skye thought Quint was acting like a drunk. It appeared Goliath was coming around to the realization that his captain was no longer in command of either his faculties or the troops.
"There's Indians out there, men. Two of you get to the window," Goliath yelled.
The only window was no more than two feet square and covered with a single gunny sack, so unless they tore the bag off, Skye didn't see how men posted at the window would help much. She suddenly found herself starting to cough, and she noticed several of the men were also.
McLarty stepped over to Quint and looked him over. He turned to Goliath and said, "This guy couldn't find that box of gold if it was in his own bed. Somebody's got to take charge here."
"I guess that would be me," the big man said, as he began to cough.
McLarty started coughing, too. "They plugged the chimney," he yelled as the smoke started rolling into the room. "Tear that sack off the window."
Someone obeyed, but the smoke was too heavy now, and McLarty dropped to the floor to suck more air into his lungs. Skye followed and, at the same time, snatched up the hatchet. Goliath grabbed Quint's arm and started to lead him to the window. Two men, coughing and choking, barged out the door. Skye heard two gunshots and knew she had been given another chance at life. She looked around the room, seeking Antelope, and saw her curled in a corner in a fetal position. She had to get to her. She turned back to McLarty. He was on his hands and knees, inching toward the door. She had no choice but to follow him, but there was slack in the cord. She focused on the hand that clutched it, waiting for those fingers to touch the floor to hold his weight. When that hand came down, she raised her arm and arced the hatchet downward with all her strength. The blade sliced through the knuckle of McLarty's left hand, and she saw at least two bloody fingers drop on the splintered floor. Most important, the cord fell loose and she pulled it back and was finally free.
McLarty roared in agony and clutched his mangled hand. She got a glimpse of the anguished and enraged face before she crawled away into the smoke. She reached Antelope and grabbed her hand. The girl saw who it was, but she was nearly overcome by the smoke and had tears streaming down her face and refused to budge. Skye refused to leave her and huddled with her in the corner, pressing the girl's head close to the floor with hers, hoping to search out air. Through the haze, she saw several other men escaping through the now open doorway, and then she heard more gunshots. Several sounded very close.
She could not locate McLarty in the melee, but she saw Goliath dragging Quint toward the open door. Then someone leaped in the doorway and evidently saw her through the smoke. He raced toward them, a war club in one hand. It was Badger Claw. She saw Goliath release Quint, who dropped to the floor. The big man pulled his pistol and aimed at Badger Claw's back. She screamed a warning, but before Goliath squeezed the trigger a gunshot cracked, and a pool of blood spread on the big man's temple as his legs crumpled, and he dropped like lead to the floor.
Suddenly, Ethan was by her side, helping her to her feet, and Badger Claw lifted Antelope into his arms and was carrying her to the door and out into the darkness. She and Ethan followed close behind. A blast of cold struck her as they stepped outside, but she welcomed the fresh air and gratefully drew it into her lungs, coughing occasionally to kick out the irritating smoke.
It took her a few moments to realize Ethan was embracing her in his arms. It was not a bad place to be right now, she thought, and she gave into it, clutching him tightly. Neither spoke a word until she said, "I thought I'd never see you again."
"I'm not that easy to escape from," he said.
"Maybe it's time for me to stop running," she said meaningfully.
30
Ethan unplugged the chimney flue while Jeb and Badger Claw began the macabre task of removing the scattered bodies. The frozen, rocky ground made burial of more than a dozen bodies impossible, so after salvaging coats, weapons, and any other items that might prove useful, they
dumped the dead men in a nearby ravine. They could feed the buzzards and any other scavengers that happened by. Besides, Ethan figured, why should this scum have more royal treatment than the villagers they murdered?
The three women and Running Fox had left to retrieve the saddle horses, although, with the addition of the renegades' animals and gear, they were in no danger of being left afoot. At daylight, they would recover their own supplies and the pack and spare horses that had not wandered off.
As the smoke cleared from the trading post, Ethan entered the building, expecting to find more bodies. He discovered two, plus a man's severed thumb and forefinger. Captain Quint's pale, emaciated form lay crumpled on the floor not far from the corpse of Goliath. It appeared the smoke had finished him off. Dragging Quint across the splintered floor and out of the building was easy enough, but he had to recruit Jeb to help with the big man, and it required the three of them to escort Goliath to his last resting place. Then it occurred to Ethan that One Ball McLarty's body had not turned up.
He asked Jeb, "Have you or Badger Claw found McLarty's body?"
"I was thinking the same thing, Boss. I haven't seen a sign of the creepy bastard."
"I know he was in the trading post. Skye said she took her hatchet to his hand, and I found a thumb and finger on the floor."
"At least she doesn't take scalps."
"I don't know. Nothing would surprise me about the woman. Nothing. I'll feel better when we find McLarty, but we'll probably have to wait till daylight. There's a good supply of wood in the post. Let's build the fire back up and cover the window and spend the night there. I don't like the wind that's coming up."
"You'll get no quarrel from me on that idea."
The men had the fire going and the worst of the blood wiped off the floor by the time Skye and the others returned with the horses. The old trading post looked like business had reopened with the stacks of saddles, guns, coats, and blankets that had been gathered at one end of the room. Quint's renegade army had been well-supplied, and Jeb had searched out some bags of beans and flour and jerky that would shore up their own dwindling food supplies.
Ethan pulled his timepiece from his pocket. It was nearly three o'clock. It had been a busy night. He told Jeb and She-Bear to take the old sleeping room if they wanted, unless they wanted to be closer to the fireplace. Jeb, with a suggestive wink, said they'd be plenty warm, and the two collected extra blankets from the appropriated goods and disappeared.
Running Fox was already dug into his robe and sleeping off to one side of the fireplace. Ethan tossed a few more logs on the fire and laid out his bedroll next to the boy. Without invitation, Sky put her buffalo robe a few feet from Ethan. That felt right somehow. He noticed that on the other side of the fireplace, Antelope and Badger Claw, with a respectable distance between them, had seemingly started to pair off. The girl was nothing if not resilient. But it was damned hard to survive this country without that trait, he guessed. There was nearly half a ton of resilience sleeping in the old trading post tonight.
As he pulled a blanket over his shoulders, Skye, snuggled in her robe nearby, spoke softly, "Ethan?"
"Yes?"
"You didn't find McLarty, did you?"
"No. We'll look again after sunup."
"You will not find him."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I do not know if he can be killed. He seems to be protected by evil spirits. I would not be surprised if he grew new fingers."
"He's just a man. And he's a badly hurt man. If we don't find his body, he's probably off someplace dying. He's no threat to us now."
"Not now, but I fear we have not seen the last of him."
"I fear we're not going to get some sleep." He pulled the blanket over his ears.
"Ethan?"
"Will you help me find the gold in the morning?"
"Do you think we can find it?"
"I think so."
"Okay, we can try." Again, he tugged his blankets around him. He started to nod off to sleep.
"Ethan?"
What in the hell did she want now? "Yes."
"When McLarty brought me here, I thought I might never see you again. Then, I knew."
"Knew what?"
"That I did not ever want to be separated from you again."
He could not believe what he was hearing. "I do not want us to be separated either. I never did."
"Ethan, you would be warmer in my robe."
"Do you mean—“
"Yes, I do mean."
He abandoned his blankets and slipped under the buffalo robe and onto the layered confiscated blankets that cushioned the rough floor. Her body melted into his and his arms encircled her. He savored her closeness for some moments, and then his lips found hers and lingered, brushing gently before devouring. The urgency struck him even before her fingers touched him. He helped Skye remove her garments, and she helped as best she could with his. When they were naked, there was no holding back, and their coupling was frantic. Later, there was patience and gentleness, and they finally fell asleep with Ethan spooned against her back, his arm flung over her breasts.
31
When Ethan awakened, daylight was sifting through the burlap sack that covered the window opening and a fire was crackling in the fireplace and tossing warmth his way. He was acutely aware of the naked body that still snuggled against his own, and, under other circumstances, he would have been more than ready to take advantage of Skye's proximity. Ethan pulled the robe back a bit and peaked out. Running Fox was up and warming himself in front of the fire, and Jeb appeared to have a Dutch oven doing its work on some hot coals off to one side of the fireplace. There would at least be some biscuits for breakfast. He had intended to return to his own bedroll before anyone else got up, but he had dropped off into a sated sleep. It appeared Skye was still lost in slumber land.
"Morning, Boss. Hope you had a good sleep," Jeb said, grinning broadly.
Ethan was glad that the cowhand could not see his blushing face. "Uh, yeah, we all needed some rest, I guess."
Running Fox interjected, "Puma, me worry when not see you in blankets. Then see where you be. Happy you not lost."
Now what in the hell did that mean? He started searching for his clothes and found his shirt twisted between Skye's feet. His britches were on the floor next to the sleeping robe. After he had located all the pieces of his sparse wardrobe, he maneuvered into the garments while managing to remain covered with the robe. Skye slept on, oblivious. Finally, he crawled out from under the robe and left her sleeping there.
He went outside to relieve his bladder, and when he returned, he saw that Badger Claw and Antelope were missing. She-Bear was helping with breakfast. "Where are our friends?" he asked.
Jeb replied, "They're going to try to find us another deer . . . or maybe an elk. Antelope will help skin and butcher it. It's getting so damned cold, we won't have to worry about keeping the meat fresh, and Badger Claw insists snow is coming in tomorrow."
"I guess it's best to stay put then. If we have the option of shelter here, it makes no sense to be out on the trail in a snow storm. McLarty had said something about snow, too. I wouldn't bet against anything the two agreed upon."
"We should get the pack horses that we left by the Powder and pick up all the gear and few foodstuffs we have left and bring them back here. I don't know what we're going to do with all the horses we're ending up with. Anyway, I thought me and She-Bear and Badger Claw . . . and maybe Antelope . . . would head out after breakfast and try to take care of that job, if that's okay with you."
"More than okay. I promised Skye I'd go on the treasure hunt with her this morning. It's probably like looking for that pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. But we need to get it done."
"Don't make fun of my gold, law wrangler. You'll see soon enough." Ethan turned toward Skye's voice and was mildly surprised to see her sitting on top of the blankets, slipping into her ragged buckskins, seemingly unconcerned that one of her small brea
sts was quite exposed as she pulled the shirt over her head. The room was dusky, though, so he supposed one didn't have to make many concessions to modesty.
"Glad you decided to get up."
She stood up. "You sure don't have any apologies coming, but I guess I should send them Jeb's way. I'm not doing my share this morning. It won't happen again. I don't expect breakfast served in bed. On second thought . . . "
Badger Claw and Antelope returned with two does, and Jeb helped the warrior lash together a crude pine rack in front of the post on which to hang the skinned, gutted carcasses. Afterward, the two men rode off with She-Bear and Antelope to retrieve the pack animals and gear. At Jeb's coaxing Running Fox joined the group. Ethan saw this as a healthy sign. He was finding that the Sioux boy was growing on him and becoming more than special, but the clinging, for both their sakes, needed to be ending, and it was starting to happen. And now, especially, he needed some time with Skye to sort out what had happened between them during the night. He was concerned she might be having second thoughts, although her mood was cheerful considering all that she had endured these past weeks.
Skye and Ethan rode in the opposite direction with Razorback and Patch leading two spare horses with empty saddles and extra saddle bags, Skye's idea for packing the gold coins she seemed confident she was going to find. They rode side by side, and from time to time he furtively cast glances her way. His eyes were drawn to her bruised and scabbed face, and he saw nothing but stunning beauty there. She was lost in thought, but, from the first, their comfortable silences together had been an attraction. He knew some folks who would be uneasy with such quiet moments, but he was not one for constant chatter. He treasured his thinking time and enjoyed his own company.
"Do you think I'm a slut?" Skye asked.
"What?"
"Do you think I'm a slut? For seducing you last night? I don't think my Quaker friends would approve of my behavior. I suppose I'm going to go to hell now. I've killed men and done violence to others. Even worse, the Sioux frown upon a woman giving herself to a man before the marriage. And now I've fornicated."