“You are sure they reject her?” Windrider pressed before making his irrevocable decision.
Windrider was not aware that Cloud Chaser was playing his own spiteful game. He did not know that the Sioux warrior had ulterior motives for his actions, black and evil motives. He did not know that Cloud Chaser was betraying their bargain, that he had spoken to no one about Rebecca Kenny or Bright Arrow. He would never have guessed that the Sioux warrior wanted Bright Arrow to return home, but without the strength and joy of Rebecca’s love and courage. He would never have suspected that the fierce, envious Sioux warrior wanted to destroy Bright Arrow and his memory.
Without a flicker of guilt or remorse, Cloud Chaser lied convincingly, “Upon my life and honor, she will not be allowed to return or to join with him. They refuse to see her. They say she is the enemy of the Oglala. They say she cast evil magic on the son of our chief. It is best for all if she does not ever enter the camp. Her coming has stirred bitter memories to life. If Bright Arrow is a man and a warrior, he will do what he must. Come, I have no need to use the plan we made on the moon of Little Crow’s feast. My people’s demand will free Bright Arrow, not our trick.”
Cloud Chaser had observed the strong attraction between Windrider and Rebecca. He cursed the white girl for entrapping another mighty warrior. He hadn’t expected Windrider to actually fall in love with the woman. Yet his quarrel was with Bright Arrow. He should have known his rival would return one day. As long as he lived, he was a threat. To destroy him for all time, he had to get within reach. He had to be stealthy and careful. He could not trust Windrider to carry out their malicious plan. A man enslaved by passion would not hurt the woman he loved and desired. Once he spoke his crafty lies, Rebecca would seek out the Cheyenne warrior—and Bright Arrow would be devastated by their betrayals.
“Do you hate her, Cloud Chaser?” the Cheyenne warrior asked. He did not want the Sioux warrior to be cruel when he spoke to her.
“I do not hate her. I am angry because it is Bright Arrow’s doing, not hers. My words will be as the icy snow falling on her ears and heart. She might resist them, but she cannot enter the village when it is forbidden. If you desire her, help her. She must choose you over him. You must not allow her to sway him with pleas and tears. Pull her from his life. She will not harm you. You are strong. You know her great magic. Your people will accept her,” he deviously explained.
The horse was watered and hobbled by that time, and the two men walked to where Rebecca sat. Cloud Chaser spoke in Cheyenne; Windrider translated his words. The astounding, vengeful tale poured forth.
Cloud Chaser began his charade. “Bright Arrow is my friend, my brother. I spoke for his return. The council has agreed.” He halted as Windrider spoke words that brought a sunny smile to her lips.
“I told the council of his love and need for you. I told them of three children you share. I told them Bright Arrow wants to come home. I said he wishes to join with you by our laws. I told them of his many sufferings. I spoke until my lips and throat were dry.”
Windrider translated those words for Rebecca. When Cloud Chaser did not continue, she asked, “What did the council say?”
“The council said Bright Arrow can return home. Bright Arrow can bring his children to his camp. He can take his place of honor at his father’s side. He will be accepted into the Warrior Society. He can have such things returned… if he meets their demand.”
Rebecca held her breath as Windrider spoke those words. The Sioux warrior had not mentioned her, and she sensed what was coming. “What is their demand?” she inquired in a deceptively calm tone.
‘To prove his loyalty and love for his people, he must join with an Oglala female, or a female of a tribe who is our ally. Rebecca cannot be his mate. No white female can share his life. Tell her of the two warriors who have been banished for this same deed. Tell her the other words I spoke to you.”
Windrider grimaced inwardly as he interpreted those agonizing words. “Ask Cloud Chaser if they might change their minds,” she instructed him, maintaining her control over her tears and nerves.
‘Two members of the council spoke for another punishment. They said Bright Arrow should be allowed to keep you as his slave. Others argued, saying he would not touch his Indian wife while you shared their tepee. They have forbidden you to enter the camp. They do not wish to look into the face of Bright Arrow’s shame. They say you must free him of your evil magic. They say you blind his eyes to his customs and laws. They say you steal his love for his people. They say you make him weak like a baby. They say he cannot be a man or a warrior until your bonds on him are cut. They say you must go to your lands. Sun Cloud is but seven winters old. It will be many winters before he is ready to follow Gray Eagle’s path. Bright Arrow must return and prove his honor and courage. If our chief is slain in battle, the council will vote that Bright Arrow take his place. Will you deny him such happiness and honor? Prove your love is true and unselfish,” he boldly and vindictively challenged, the trace of a smile on his face.
Rebecca listened to those words. Anguish and suspense filled her. When she asked if they would make these same demands of Bright Arrow when he came home, Cloud Chaser told her yes. When Cloud Chaser added something, Windrider bristled in anger and shook his head, refusing to reveal those infuriating words. They argued loudly.
Rebecca insisted he tell her what the warrior had said. He grit his teeth and declared forcefully, ‘They say the choice is Bright Arrow’s, as before. Cloud Chaser said Bright Arrow might persuade them to let you live in his tepee as his… white whore. If so, there will be more demands. If he does not father a child by his Indian wife within one span of seasons, you will be sold to another tribe. You cannot agree, Rebecca. You know his wife would be cruel and cold to you. What if she is like Sucoora? What if she can bear no children? You must not agree.” His dark eyes blazed with fury.
“If he goes back home without me, his life will be as it was before he met me?” she questioned gravely.
Windrider spoke with Cloud Chaser, and they both nodded to her. Cloud Chaser spoke again. Windrider explained, “He says Bright Arrow will die if he returns to the wilderness with you. He says Bright Arrow will never be happy with another tribe. He says Bright Arrow can never become the warrior he was with another tribe. He says Bright Arrow will become bitter and angry. He says he will become careless. He says Bright Arrow must fulfill his life-circle in the Oglala camp.”
“What do you say, Windrider?” she entreated sadly.
“Do not ask me. I have the same prize to lose as Bright Arrow. I am selfish. I cannot trust my words to be true,” he replied.
Cloud Chaser spoke to Windrider a last time. ‘The council said it was wrong for her to come in Bright Arrow’s place. A woman should not interfere in a warrior’s affairs. It is worse because she is not Indian; she is not his wife. They fear Bright Arrow will be angry over her visit and their words. They say she should hold silent to him. They fear his pride will prevent his return. They fear he will rebel once more.”
When Windrider passed those words along to her, Rebecca frowned in dismay. It had been a mistake for her to come here. All she had accomplished was refreshing their resentment toward her. She should have let Bright Arrow handle this distressing and critical matter. He would be angry. He despised compromise, and he would never grovel before them. She knew he would be embittered and disquieted, and she didn’t want to create new problems and hard feelings. They were right; silence was best. “Is that all?” she inquired distantly.
Windrider smiled encouragingly. “You must decide what to do after Bright Arrow makes his choice.”
Rebecca’s solemn gaze fused with Windrider’s concerned look. “How can we refuse their demands? We’ve proven we can’t live alone in the wilderness. You saw what it did to Bright Arrow. We’re helpless, Windrider. Whether they’re right or wrong, we must all obey his people’s demands. Bright Arrow is to return home alone, and I am to take a separate path. The council
has made the choices for us.”
“There is one choice left for you to make,” Windrider tenderly reminded her. “You can fight a daring battle for Bright Arrow, or you can release him quickly with less pain… and marry me.”
Chapter Ten
Windrider had not expected the extent of the Sioux tribe’s hostility toward Rebecca. He had realized there was a chance the council could swing in either direction, yet he was stunned by the venomous reaction to her that Cloud Chaser had related. He almost wished he hadn’t brought her here to face such animosity and rejection. Windrider was torn between relief and empathy, and he wished there were an easier, less painful, way to win her. He told himself he should not feel guilty. If Bright Arrow couldn’t have her, why shouldn’t he? He shouldn’t feel he was betraying his friend. She needed to know of his love and desire before she was crushed by her losses. She needed to know that someone loved her and wanted her, that she wouldn’t be alone and needn’t be afraid.
Windrider’s ire against the Oglalas returned. They were being unjust. Did they possess no mercy? The evil and prejudice were in their hearts and minds, not Rebecca’s! It was understandable that Bright Arrow had taken her away from such coldness and cruelty. How could he have expected the woman he loved to live in such a demeaning way? The Cheyenne warrior felt that the least they could have done was to see her and talk with her! Nevertheless, Windrider was glad he wouldn’t have to use his previous ploy to free Bright Arrow and win Rebecca. The council had spoken and they would not change their minds, even for the son of Gray Eagle. It would be wrong and destructive for her to force her way into the camp, and he hoped she would not try.
Rebecca looked at Windrider. Her gaze was unreadable, but her words reflected his thoughts. “Yes, I have to make up my mind soon. This not knowing what to do or say is destroying my happiness. But we must keep our promises, Windrider. Bright Arrow must be given the chance to work things out for himself and for us. I know we’re not joined by any man’s law, but I did commit myself to him long ago. I can’t be unfaithful to him or myself. How could you ever trust me, knowing I turned to you while… committed to him? You would always doubt my honesty and loyalty.”
There was a faraway look in her golden brown eyes. “It seems as if we’ve shared a lifetime in only a few years. I helped to tear his life apart, and I must help him to rebuild it. Losing him, I’ll also lose my children. I love my girls, and I want to raise them. Don’t you see? I must wait until I’m certain our life together is over. I owe him that much. Can you understand what I’m saying and feeling?”
A smile of admiration filled his eyes and softened his features. “You are a special woman, Rebecca. Your heart is good and pure. I will do as you ask. I will go with Bright Arrow to see his people when the time is right. I will try to ease his pain when he hears their demand. I did not wish to see you hurt. I will help ease your suffering. Will you tell him of your pleas to his people this sun?”
“No. It would only hurt and confuse him. I don’t want him to be filled with new bitterness. Cloud Chaser said the council would not tell him of my visit. It’s best that he doesn’t know just yet. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, Windrider, it’s that you cannot go against the council’s orders and votes. It can do no harm for Bright Arrow to hope for a while longer. This way, I’ll be ready for his departing words.”
“I will leave you to think,” Windrider offered kindly. He returned to where Cloud Chaser was sitting.
The demands seemed harsh and cruel to her, and Rebecca could not accept them—any of them. She had no hatred or prejudice, and she knew she could live peaceably with the Sioux in the Indian world if they would allow it. Yet Bright Arrow could not live contentedly with her kind in the white world. Nor could they live between the two worlds, as they had tried to do for so long. Bright Arrow could not live or work as white, and he could not survive without his people, his ways, his customs, his warrior rank. He needed the rituals, the ceremonies, the excitement, the danger, the glory, the honor. For such a complicated problem, there was only one answer. If only she could accept it and end this torment.
That night, Rebecca slept under the dying tree, while the two men slept near the campfire. Windrider had offered her more of the sleeping potion, and she had accepted it quickly. Tonight she hadn’t wanted to think or dream. She hadn’t wanted to cry before the two men, exposing her anguish. She only wanted black nothingness to fill her mind and to halt the agony deep within her soul.
They rode for two days without mishap. The return trip was similar to their ride out, except that the food was better. They resumed the same riding and camping schedule as before, camping in the same places. But Rebecca wasn’t the same. She kept as much to herself as possible. Sensing her attempts to come to terms with herself and her news, Windrider respected her privacy and feelings.
The following night, two Blackfeet hunters ate and camped with them. Rebecca wished she were wearing a buckskin garment instead of the faded cotton dress, for the visiting braves stared and leered at her as if she were a lowly white slave. She barely restrained her anger. How could they justify their double standard? A white woman was good enough for them to bed but not wed! How she loathed this hostility and scorn! Why couldn’t people live in peace and harmony? she wondered. Why was there so much hatred and killing? Why couldn’t some powerful person plant seeds of joy and peace instead of seeds of fury and aggression?
The last morning on the trail, Cloud Chaser rode out with the Blackfeet braves, and Windrider and Rebecca completed their journey alone. When they reentered the Cheyenne camp, nine days had passed, and it was past dusk.
When Sucoora learned of Rebecca’s defeat, she was not surprised by it. She smiled and offered words of encouragement and sympathy as she quickly prepared the leftover food for the weary travelers. After eating, Windrider headed for the ceremonial lodge to discover what had occurred during his absence.
Kajihah’s reaction was very different. She had returned to the tepee from the menses hut to find her husband and their beautiful female guest missing. She made no attempt to conceal her resentment and suspicion of the time Rebecca and Windrider had spent alone together. Kajihah glared at Rebecca, refusing to speak with her. She strode about, inhaling and exhaling in scornful puffs and huffs and, when Sucoora warned her to behave, Kajihah sneered at her and spouted Cheyenne curses at both women.
“She is jealous. Do not look at her or speak to her. She is bad. I pray Windrider sends her home to her father. She fears Windrider’s eyes are for no female but Becca. I pray it is true,” Sucoora chatted freely and openly, delighted by Kajihah’s envy and sullenness.
Rebecca neither agreed or argued with the gregarious woman. Moving to sit with her girls, she began playing and talking with them. Later, she sang several songs for them. Moon Eyes and Little Feet fell asleep during the story she was telling. When Rebecca lay on her mat, Tashina crawled over and snuggled up with her, as if sensing that her mother needed her love and closeness. Rebecca embraced the child, and both fell asleep.
Five days passed before Bright Arrow and White Antelope returned to camp. Windrider was on a hunting expedition, Sucoora and Rebecca were washing clothes at the river, and Kajihah was the one to greet the Sioux warrior. Once Rebecca had returned to the tepee, Kajihah’s jealousy and hatred had mounted with each new sunrise and sunset. She feared that Windrider would soon compare her with the hard-working and beautiful woman of Bright Arrow. Worse, she feared Rebecca would be irresistibly drawn to her powerful and virile husband, for her man seemed much less desirable. Determining to see the white creature gone, she spitefully revealed Rebecca’s secret journey to Bright Arrow.
Kajihah smiled warmly and deceptively at the Sioux warrior. “You have changed much since you rode from our camp, son of Gray Eagle,” she began the malicious conversation. “It is good to see you become a man once more. Your woman’s eyes and thoughts will now return to you and leave her foolish ways behind,” she hinted cleverly.
&nb
sp; When Bright Arrow appeared to ignore her statements, she added, “I hope your anger at her behavior does not darken your reunion. I begged her not to ride to your father’s camp and speak in your place. I told her others would laugh at you. She is white and does not understand our ways. She is stubborn and grows weary of exile. She would not listen to Kajihah’s words. She asked my husband to ride at her side. They were gone many days… and many nights. When she looks upon you, her eyes and feelings will return where they belong. The men of our camp regard her beauty highly. Perhaps you should not leave her side again,” she remarked suggestively.
“What silly words run from your lips?” Bright Arrow inquired impatiently, knowing there was some sinister point to this talk. “Rebecca would not ride into my camp without my permission,” he argued stiffly.
“If you did not speak it, then she rode without it,” she declared, then revealed only the details which she knew about the trip. She guilefully pressed the point of the solitude shared by Rebecca and Windrider along the trail and belabored Rebecca’s daring behavior.
Bright Arrow listened to this tale told with deceitfully innocent eyes and a honeyed voice. He was astounded by this incredible discovery. Rebecca had dared to ride to his camp and confront his people! It was not her place to intercede for him. He was the man! He was the warrior! He was the Indian! She had no right to interfere!
His turbulent mind was besieged with questions. Why had she wanted to spoil things? Why hadn’t she waited for him to approach his tribe and the council first? Why had she been so disloyal? He should have been the one to explain matters to his tribe. He should have been the one to arrange their return. He agonized over the crushing points that Kajihah had voiced aloud. Had she revealed his self-destruction? Had she revealed his return to life? What had she told them? Why had she gone?
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