The sound of arguing intruded into her dismal thoughts. She glanced up and spied red braids. For a moment Grace’s thoughts turned to something other than her own pending fate. Didn’t all Indians have dark hair? The woman’s locks shone like fire, but her sun-kissed skin made it difficult to tell if she was white. Could she be a captive, too?
Before Grace could speak to the red-haired woman, Grace’s captor tugged hard on the leather strap that bound her and yanked her so hard she fell. Fiery pain blazed through her already bleeding wrists. She tried to get to her feet, but he dragged her body through the powdery dirt. Wracked by pain, she closed her eyes and silently prayed for help. If I’m to die, dear God, please let it be swift.
* * *
Where was Lone Eagle? Green Eyes needed to speak with him about the white girl. “Oh, Little Elk,” she mumbled, pacing the floor. “What were you thinking, getting mixed up in something so horrible?”
Her thoughts of her son no longer worried her. He had always enjoyed the independence and trust given all Indian children. He’d straggle in soon enough. Right now her thoughts were on the captive.
She walked back and forth until her feet grew tired, then sat and thought about the situation. Maybe she ought not interfere. As the chief’s wife, she had no desire to shame him in the eyes of his people. Green Eyes was chewing her fingernails when her husband entered.
Lone Eagle dropped cross-legged in his usual spot. He leaned against his woven backrest and stretched his arms over his head. “I suppose you know what happened?”
The scowl on his face told her he wasn’t in a good mood. Worry lines etched his brow, and his supple lips stretched into a thin line.
She nodded. “Yes, I heard, but I am so confused. Why would Little Elk be party to such a thing?”
Her husband massaged his brow. “The talk of war has excited our young men and made their blood boil with hatred. They are not experienced enough to know the consequences, and now we have lost Tall Trees and Climbing Sun…two of our people walk the spirit trail before their time.”
Disappointment etched lines in his face.
Green Eyes shook her head. “It is too soon to fill the air with the sounds of mourning again. Broken Feather has only just left us.”
During the silence, she thought from her perspective as the chief’s wife. “Should we pay our respects to their families?”
“Later, but now I must decide what to do about Black Crow’s captive.”
Green Eyes leaned closer and rubbed her husband’s arm. “I saw her. She looked terrified. What can you do?”
“I do not know.” He ran a hand through his thick, black hair then rested his chin between his thumb and index finger. “The elders are not pleased, nor am I. Black Crow’s actions may cause retaliation against our people. He is a man… a warrior, and I cannot make him release her, but I can send him away from the tribe. Yet what good would come of banishment? The harm is done.”
“Can you at least reason with him to set her free?”
Lone Eagle shrugged. “He has the right to keep her if that is his wish, but I will try to change his mind. I can only pray he will listen to my words and honor my wishes. I will go speak with him now.” At the lodge flap, he glanced back at her. “Has our son come home?”
She joined him and grasped his hand. “Not yet. Do not worry about him. Seeing Black Crow is important, so go.”
* * *
Their fingers touched until distance drew them apart. Lone Eagle disappeared among the lodges.
Chapter Five
“Granddaughter, are you inside?” Rain Woman called.
“Yes, Un`ci. Come in.” Green Eyes pushed aside the flap for the kindly old grandmother.
“I saw Little Cloud. He’s at his Un’ci’s lodge.” Her gaze turned serious. “Did you hear the news?”
Green Eyes motioned for her to sit. “Yes, I did. Lone Eagle has gone to speak with Black Crow now.”
Rain Woman’s knees popped as she sat. “I heard that the council elders are angry with Black Crow. They want Lone Eagle to send him and his captive away from the village.”
“How do you find out these things so quickly? I only just heard myself, and I’m married to the chief.”
Rain Woman cackled. “The wind has ears.”
“Has anything like this happened before?” Green Eyes stirred the waning embers in the fire pit. “Have there been others?”
Appearing to sort through memories, the wizened old woman stared into space and gummed her lip. “Not in our village...at least not a white captive. Many years ago, Howling Wolf brought a Crow woman to our camp, but traded her to another brave for horses. I have seen whites with other tribes at the Sun Dances, but no one has ever brought one to our village.” Rain Woman displayed her almost toothless grin. “Except you, but you did not appear to resist.”
Green Eyes sat across from her visitor. “I definitely came of my own free will.”
The old woman’s eyes softened with affection. “That was a lucky day for our people. You have become the daughter I never had.”
Green Eyes leaned over and kissed the woman’s leathery cheek. “And you, the grandmother I never knew.”
* * *
Silence gripped the lodge. Green Eyes almost wished Little Cloud wasn’t staying with his grandmother. Rain Woman had returned to her own tepee, and now Green Eyes had nothing to do but sit and wait for Lone Eagle. He’d been gone for hours, and curiosity gnawed at her.
Green Eyes recalled how frightened she’d been, surrounded by people who looked at her with such perceived animosity. Now she knew the tribe had been only curiosity about someone they considered an enemy. Surely the young captive suffered the same terror. What must be going through the girl’s mind? The thought of being dragged behind a horse sent shivers up Green Eyes’ spine. Seeing the agony in her parents’ eyes when she announced her decision to return to live with the Lakota was the worst moment of her life, but nothing compared to the fear gripping the young white woman.
Finally, Lone Eagle ducked inside. His face showed no indication of how he’d fared.
“Is everything all right?” She jumped up and blocked his path, anxious for answers.
Lone Eagle shook his head.
“Did Black Crow listen to you?”
He expelled a loud breath. “He listened, but does not agree.”
“Agree to what? Let her go? Is it his decision?”
Lone Eagle pushed past her and sat, his gaze fixed on the ground. “I must admit, he was right about some things we discussed.”
“Can you tell me what things?” She pressed for information even though she wasn’t sure how much her husband could or would share.
* * *
He stretched out on the pallet of robes. “Black Crow feels taking a captive is his right as a warrior. I tried to reason with him, but he was adamant.” Lone Eagle turned on his side and propped his head in the palm of his hand. “When I mentioned setting her free, he laughed. He said she would only perish on the prairie, and he is right. He insists that keeping her makes up for the two braves who died during the raid.”
“That is foolish reasoning!” Green Eyes snapped. “She did not take anyone’s life, nor did she ask to become a captive. She is only a child.”
Lone Eagle gazed into her eyes. “It pains me to say this, especially to you, but she is wasichu, and right now the people consider her to be an enemy.”
“But what will happen to her?”
“Even though Black Crow has a menacing presence, I do not believe him to be a bad person. He will keep the young girl in his lodge, and she will do his bidding. I plan to speak with Little Elk. Perhaps he can help me convince Black Crow to at least treat her fairly.”
Green Eyes shook her head. “I do not know Black Crow as well as you, and my encounter with him today frightened me. He spoke very rudely to me, and if you remember, he and his family were among the last of the tribe to accept me. I am sure his captive would not agree with you eith
er. After the way he has treated her, she must be scared to death. His English is poor, and I am certain she does not understand Lakota. They cannot even communicate. Did you ask if I could see her?”
“At first he said no, but then we talked for a while, and he agreed. You can see her after the morning meal tomorrow.”
Although Green Eyes wanted to go right away, she appreciated being able to speak with the girl at all. “Thank you, my husband.” She caressed his smooth cheek. “Perhaps I can at least calm her fears. If she sees that another white woman is happy here, maybe she will be less frightened.”
* * *
Green Eyes awoke before sunrise. She lay next to her sleeping husband and watched the sunlight stretch across the dark sky through the smoke opening atop their lodge. Small critters, waking from their night’s sleep, rustled the tall prairie grass outside. She pictured a hungry field mouse skittering after its breakfast or a coiled garter snake waiting to strike at unsuspecting prey. Her thoughts turned to what she could possibly say to calm the white girl’s fear.
Lone Eagle rolled over and draped an arm around her waist. Still asleep, his breath came in shallow inhalations. She snuggled beside him to enjoy the warmth of his body. He smelled of wood smoke and musk—a masculine aroma, sexually stimulating. She traced the outline of his lips with her finger.
He stirred and peered at her through half-lidded eyes. “Did you wake me for a reason, my wife?” He pulled her closer and smiled.
“Not really, I just love looking at you. But if you have something in mind, I might be persuaded.”
Lone Eagle buried his face in the hollow of her neck and dusted kisses along her collarbone. She giggled. “That tic...tickles.”
She pulled her knees up to her chest; her toes curled.
* * *
Tugging his hair, she brought his head close to her mouth, and then softly blew into his ear. In reaction, he pushed her backward and straddled her. Selecting the area just above her waist, where he knew she was most sensitive, he tickled her until she couldn’t catch her breath. She made a half-hearted attempt at escape by pushing against his chest, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the blanket on either side of her head. In a fit of giggles, she couldn’t muster up much of a fight.
The flap of the tepee flew inward, and Little Cloud jumped inside. Grass and brambles covered the leggings and matching vest she’d fashioned from elk hide. Beneath his crooked headband, he eyed his parents but said nothing.
Lone Eagle rolled off his wife and cleared his throat. “Good morning, Little Cloud.”
Although they routinely made love while Little Cloud slept, Green Eyes sensed warmth creeping up her neck at being caught in a compromising position. At least her son had walked in on the beginning of what would have culminated into a much more embarrassing scene.
She sheepishly glanced around her husband. “Good morning, my son. What wakes you so early?”
Excitement sparkled in his ebony eyes. “Grandmother says you should come for breakfast. And did you know there is a white captive in camp?” The words tumbled out of his mouth. “Can I see her, please, Father? I have never seen a captive before.”
Green Eyes rose to her knees in front of her son. “Little Cloud, she is a person just like you and me. Being a captive means you are somewhere against your will. Imagine how scared she is to be among strangers who look at her as an enemy.”
“She is the enemy. All whites are. We will kill them all.”
His response chilled her.
“Little Cloud!” she shouted. “Enough! My skin is white. You—”
She stopped short, almost letting it slip he was white, too. He needn’t know that Walt was his true father. She and Lone Eagle were the only ones who shared that secret.
Green Eyes took a deep, composing breath. “You have a white mother. Does that mean you believe I should die just for the color of my skin?”
His eyes widened. “Oh no, Mother. You are different.”
“And how am I different?”
“The people call you by an Indian name, and you speak the language. Father says you have white skin, but a Sioux heart.”
Her heart warmed at his childlike innocence. “Yes, my son. I do have a Sioux heart because I love your father. But I was given a choice. I was not forced to do something I did not want to do. Can you understand?”
Lowering his head, he stared at the floor. “Yes, Mother.”
She held him by the shoulders. “Little Cloud, look at me!” She tilted his chin up with two fingers and looked into eyes as dark as coal. “Your father has given me permission to speak with the young girl. Would you like to go with me? Maybe another friendly person will lessen her fear of our people.”
He looked to his father for approval, and Lone Eagle nodded. “Yes, oh yes, Mother, I will go.” Little Cloud’s excitement resonated in his voice.
Chapter Six
After the family shared breakfast with Singing Sparrow, a runner came and summoned Lone Eagle to further council with the tribal elders. Green Eyes and Little Cloud stayed behind to visit for a short while, but Green Eyes’ thoughts kept wandering to the captive—the poor girl. Unable to concentrate on anything else, Green Eyes excused herself, and with Little Cloud, hurried toward Black Crow’s tepee.
Despite the sun’s warming rays, the cool and crisp morning air greeted her with a chill. The camp, normally alive with sounds, was unusually quiet, but in a short time the sound of wailing would once again fill the air. For the moment, the only noise was the scuffling of Little Cloud’s moccasins as he walked.
The flap on the lodge was closed. Properly, she prepared to announce herself, but not before taking a deep breath. “It is Green Eyes. I have brought my son with me to visit your captive. Lone Eagle says you agreed to let me speak with her.”
Black Crow stepped through the doorway. His arms folded across his chest, he looked down his angular nose at her. “She is not here.” His tone sounded as gruff as he looked.
“Not here? Where is she?”
“My mother refuses to have a wasichu captive in her lodge. I sent the girl to Little Elk.”
Green Eyes spun on her heel and strode across the compound to the tepee Little Elk had once shared with his mother. Little Cloud tried to keep pace but found more delight in kicking pebbles and raising dust. He caught up with his mother as she announced their visit.
Little Elk peeked through a slight opening and scanned the area, then beckoned them inside. She pondered his suspicious behavior, but said nothing. Instead, she bent and scanned the dimly lit interior, then ducked through the opening. Little Cloud followed.
The white girl sat against the side of the lodge, hugging her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth. Her eyes, red from crying, stared vacantly into space. She was silent.
“Can my son and I please speak with her alone?” Green Eyes asked. “I promise I only want to help calm her.”
“Why must I go?” His reluctance to leave evident, he stood over Black Crow’s gift. “What will you tell her?”
“You know I would say nothing bad about you. I have known you since you were twelve, Little Elk. You are a good person, and I will tell her that. You are my friend, and I want her to know she is safe with you. If she sees that you trust me and my son to be alone with her, perhaps she will learn to have confidence in you, too.”
He moved toward the door. “I will leave you, but only for a short time.” He waggled his finger at her. “Do not try to fool me, Green Eyes. It will not work. Black Crow has made me responsible for her.”
He ducked through the flap.
Making no quick movements, she approached the trembling young woman and knelt in front of her. “My...my name is Green Eyes.” A long time had passed since she’d spoken English, and she strained to remember her words. “What is yours?”
She waited for a response, but the vacant look in the girl’s eyes didn’t change. “I have come as a friend, not to hurt you.” She gestured toward the do
orway. “This is my son, Little Cloud.”
* * *
The girl glanced over at the youngster, a sign she listened. Matted and muddied hair hung in her face—probably the result of tears mixed with dirt from the floor. Green Eyes pushed the filthy locks away from the captive’s face. “Can you tell me your name?”
She kept her eyes focused on the floor. “G...G...Grace.”
“That is a lovely name.”
Little Cloud came and sat next to his mother. “Her name is Grace,” Green Eyes said to him in Lakota. “Say hello to her.”
“Hau,” he mumbled, his hand raised in greeting.
“Are you in need of food or water?” Green Eyes asked the girl.
Grace lifted her chin and shook her head. Her gaze, no longer vacant, showed a hint of sparkle. “You are white!” Her voice trembled. “I saw you yesterday through the crowd.”
“Yes, I am wasichu. I thought if you knew another white person lived in the village, you might not be as afraid. I know you are terrified. I would be.” Green Eyes touched the girl’s hand. “I want you to know you have nothing to fear. Little Elk is a good person. He won’t hurt you.”
Grace recoiled and squared her shoulders. “How can you say that? He and the others killed my family. They shot everyone but me. I wish I were dead, too.” She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Green Eyes hesitated before touching Grace’s shoulder. “I am so sorry. I didn’t know that, and I’m sorry I do not know what to say to make you feel better. I cannot believe Black Crow and the others acted without being provoked.”
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