Savage Autumn (21 page)

After riding a few hours, Windhawk called a halt so the horses could rest. He leaned back against a rock and invited Tag to sit beside him.

“I bet you never expected to see me in Running Elk’s lodge, did you?” Tag asked, scooting close to Windhawk.

Windhawk looked at the boy who had been so badly mistreated. He remembered a time when Tag’s face was smiling and happy. Now he looked careworn, older and wiser.

“You are the reason I went to the Piegan camp, little brother. I was told by the crazy white man where to find you.”

“You mean you came to get me?”

Windhawk’s eyes gleamed. “Yes, I had a good reason for wanting you safe which I will tell you about later.”

Tag felt the long weeks of tiredness slip away. It didn’t matter why Windhawk had rescued him. He was free!

“Am I going to go to your village with you, Windhawk?” he asked happily.

Windhawk smiled kindly at the small boy, thinking one of the first things he would do would be to see that Tag had some proper clothes to wear. His heart gladdened, thinking how happy Joanna would be to see her brother.

“Yes, little brother, I am taking you to my village,” he answered, knowing now was not the time to tell him Joanna was alive.

Tag became serious. “I’d better get back to Amanda. She needs me to look after her.”

He stood up. “Thank you, Windhawk. I’d rather be with you than anyone I know of.”

Windhawk watched the small boy walk away. His clothes were ragged and he probably hadn’t had a proper meal in weeks, but he held his head proudly, reminding Windhawk so much of his sister.

Tag stood over Amanda with a look of concern on his young face. She was sitting beside the campfire staring into space, and hadn’t uttered a word since Windhawk had taken them away from the Piegan village. He had tried to talk to her and assure her that they were safe now, but she didn’t seem to comprehend anything he said to her.

Windhawk came up beside Tag. “I have seen women like this before.”

“Do you think she will be all right?”

“I cannot say, little brother. Perhaps with time…”

Tag looked up at Windhawk. “I’m real worried about her, Windhawk. She doesn’t even answer me when I speak to her.”

“As I said, Tag, give her time.”

“I guess time is all we have now, Windhawk. Amanda hasn’t got any family to go to…of course I have my father.” His eyes brightened. “I’ll bet if Amanda could talk, she would thank you for saving her from Running Elk.”

Windhawk’s hand rested on the red-gold hair which was so much like Joanna’s. “I owe you my life, Tag. Had it not been for you I would now be dead.”

Tag smiled. “You once saved my life; now we are even.” Tag looked up at the tall Indian. “Windhawk, today I killed a man, and I don’t feel bad about it. I’m glad Running Elk is dead. I made a promise to my dead sister that I would avenge her. I’ve kept that promise.”

“Walk with me, Tag. I think there are some things you should know.”

Tag fell into step beside Windhawk. The night was cold and he hadn’t eaten all day, but he felt neither the cold nor the hunger. “I bet no one but you could have killed both of those men today, Windhawk.”

Windhawk smiled down into the blue eyes that were filled with admiration. “I could not have done it without you, little brother.”

They both lapsed into silence as they neared the side of a deep cliff. “I gotta find a way to get to my father,” Tag said, looking out over the vast wilderness and wondering how he would ever find his way back to civilization.

“Why is it important that you leave, little brother?” Windhawk said, thinking he could feel the same restlessness in the boy that he had seen in Joanna.

Tag’s eyes narrowed. “I have an old score to settle.”

Windhawk sat down and braced his back against a pine tree, motioning for Tag to join him. “Tell me about this thing that pulls at you.”

Tag sat down and laid his head over on his bended knees and stared across the valley thoughtfully. He told Windhawk all that had happened to him and Joanna since their mother had died. Windhawk listened quietly, trying to envision what Tag was telling him.

When at last Tag lapsed into silence, Windhawk put his hand on the boy’s slight shoulder. “I can see that you feel you must find your father, little brother. You must be patient in this. First you must have food and rest so you can grow strong again.”

“Windhawk, have you ever lost someone that you really loved?” Tag questioned.

“Yes, I lost my father.”

“I missed my mother a lot after she died, but she was sick for a long time. Joanna was taken from me so suddenly. One moment she was smiling and happy, and the next moment she was…dead.”

“Little brother, put your grief for your sister aside. She is not dead, but is living in my village. In two days time you will see her.”

Tag thought he couldn’t have heard correctly. How could Joanna be alive? Surely Windhawk would never jest about anything so important. His eyes were wide and hopeful as he searched for the truth in Windhawk’s eyes.

“Joanna…is…alive?” he asked hesitantly, fearing he had misunderstood.

Windhawk smiled kindly at the boy. “Yes, Joanna is alive, have I not said so?” He watched as tears gathered in Tag’s eyes and his face lit up with overwhelming happiness.

“Joanna is alive!” he shouted, propelling himself into Windhawk’s arms.

Windhawk laughed as he held Tag close to him. His heart felt lighter than it had in days. He would give Joanna the one thing she wanted most in the world: Her brother, Tag. Perhaps now Joanna would be contented.

Joanna and Farley had ridden all night and well into the next day before the old man called a halt.

Farley led the horses up a steep incline where he would hide them behind a thicket. Joanna followed closely behind him, trying to keep her balance on the rocky hillside.

She was too tired to even think straight. All she wanted to do was lie down and sleep.

Farley knew that they were still deep in Blackfoot territory. If he wasn’t careful to take every precaution, Joanna would again be prisoner and he would be dead. He knew that the rocky ground would hide their tracks and throw anyone who was following them off the trail for a time. They would stop only long enough to sleep a few hours and rest the horses, before starting out again.

Joanna sat quietly, watching Farley unload the pack horse. She felt numb inside. Her heart ached at what she had left behind. She leaned her head over, too weary to examine her feelings too deeply.

Farley watched her head slide sideways to rest against a tree. He placed a warm blanket over her and then lay down nearby. His rifle was beside him, cocked, and ready to fire. Tonight he wouldn’t have the luxury of sleeping.

Windhawk stood over Tag, watching him sleep. The little brother was brave and had a valiant heart like his sister.
Windhawk was anxious to return to Joanna. She had been angry with him when he left, and he could still feel her anger in the depth of his heart. He wanted to see her eyes light up when she saw her brother.

He lay on his bedroll and gazed at the darkened sky. He would do anything to please Joanna. He was a strong-willed man, but she was his one weakness. She was his wife and she would be waiting for him to return. Did she regret being angry with him? The ground he lay upon was hard, and he began to think of Joanna’s soft body lying next to him. He was impatient for the night to end so he could start the journey home. He wanted to hold Joanna in his arms and tell her how much he had missed her.

Farley gathered up the reins of Joanna’s mount and led him to the stream to drink. Should he tell her about her brother being a captive of Running Elk? he wondered. No, he had best wait to tell her until he had her safely at the fort. Then she would have women about her to comfort her in her grief. To Farley’s way of thinking, it was better to be dead than be in the hands of Running Elk.

He scanned the horizon, looking for any Indian signs. He knew that devil, Windhawk, would come after the girl, but they had a good head start on him. If they continued at the pace they were going, they would easily outdistance him.

Walking back to Joanna, he stared at her sleeping form. She surely was a pretty little thing. He wondered if Windhawk had left her untouched? It wasn’t likely. Windhawk had been too possessive of her, and hadn’t he found her in Windhawk’s lodge?

He bent down and shook Joanna lightly. “Best be on our way, little lady. We don’t dare light a fire to cook grub. You’ll have to make do with jerky for a spell.”

Joanna opened her eyes and stared blankly at the old man. It took her a few moments to gather her thoughts enough to remember where she was. Sitting up, she felt as if her body ached all over from sleeping on the hard ground.

“Do you think he will come after me, Farley?” she asked, standing up and folding the blanket that had been covering her.

Farley didn’t have to ask who she meant. “He’ll come. But ifen you do just like I tell you, he ain’t ’bout to catch up with us.”

Joanna handed Farley the blanket, and followed him over to the pack horse to watch him slip it into a leather saddlebag. “I will never be able to thank you for helping me get away. It was a very brave thing you did, Farley.”

“Shoot, ma’am. I couldn’t just ride away and leave you there. It weren’t the Christian thing to do.”

She placed a delicate hand on his arm. “I shall always be grateful to you.”

“Save your thanks, we ain’t out of this yet. Are you up to some more hard riding?”

“You lead and I promise I’ll keep pace.”

“All right, here’s the way it is. We ain’t got no time for lolly-gagging. We’ll ride ’til you think we ain’t never gonna stop. You ain’t gonna get much sleep, and there is danger from not only Indians, but wild animals as well. You look kinda puny to me. Are you sure you’re up to it?”

“I will do anything you say, Farley. I am strong for a girl, and I promise I can keep up.”

He looked at her slight form thinking she didn’t look very strong to him. “You had best eat now. I want to be away as soon as you’ve finished.” He handed her a slice of dried meat and watched as she bit into it.

Hell, he wasn’t about to let them Blackfoot take her again. He shivered, thinking how angry Windhawk would be when he discovered his captive had gotten away. Farley knew he was now a marked man, and Windhawk would never give up until he was dead. There wasn’t a corner of this land that would be safe for him to hide in. He was an old man and had lived a full rich life. All that mattered now was that he save the little lady.

As Joanna mounted her horse, she could feel something tugging at her heart. She would never see Windhawk again. She would return to her own world, but she would never be
happy, for she had left her heart behind. She wished in the deepest recesses of her heart that she didn’t have this obligation to her father.

Joanna had changed from the person she had once been. She had been Windhawk’s wife, and she knew wherever she went, and whatever the future held for her, she would always feel married to him.

As the distance separated her from Windhawk, her heart grew heavier, but she knew she must not weaken. Please understand that I loved you, Windhawk, she sent him a silent message. I love you, but I could not stay with you.

She thought that with the passing of time, Windhawk would turn to one of the lovely dark-eyed maidens who adored him. Would he find forgetfulness in the arms of another? That thought was so painful that Joanna pushed it out of her mind.

She nudged her horse in the flanks and rode ahead of Farley. I must not look back. I have to be strong, she told herself.

It was barely daylight and the Blackfoot warriors were preparing for the long day’s journey. Tag had taken Amanda some food and had fed it to her. She still had not uttered one word. It was as if she no longer cared about anything. All she did was stare blankly into space.

Windhawk looked toward the sunrise and saw a cloud of dust on the horizon. There were several riders coming in his direction and he became alert. They were too far away for him to tell if they were friend or foe.

“Look to your weapons,” Windhawk called out. His warriors gathered about him and stood tensely waiting to see who the riders were. As they rode into view Windhawk could see they were men from his village. He waited for them to reach him.

Long Bow halted his horse and looked down at his chief. “The crazy one has taken your woman,” he blurted out.

Windhawk’s eyes narrowed dangerously, “When did this take place?”

“It was but two nights ago, my chief. We found evidence that the crazy one was in the village, and your wife left with him.”

“Did he take her away by force?” Windhawk had spoken hardly above a whisper, and his heart cried out to know the truth. Joanna would never leave him. The old man must have forced her to go with him.

“There was no sign of a struggle. A slit was cut in the back of your tipi where they escaped.”

Windhawk’s eyes swept the countryside as he calculated in which direction they would have gone. “Did anyone try to follow their trail?”

“Yes, my chief, but no sign was found of them. The crazy man is clever, I think.”

Anger swept through Windhawk’s body like a strong wind. He would see the old man dead. Joanna had told him many times that she could not stay with him, but he hadn’t thought she would leave him. He was sure that she had come to love him. Joanna had betrayed their love and ripped his heart to pieces. He would not readily forgive her.

“I will track them alone,” he said, looking at Gray Fox. “The rest of you take the boy and the white girl back to the village.”

Tag could see the confusion about him. He watched as Windhawk mounted his horse and rode swiftly away. “What has happened?” he asked Gray Fox.

Gray Fox shrugged his shoulders. “Windhawk has something to do. We will go on to the village,” he replied, thinking Windhawk would not want the boy to know about his sister’s disappearance.

The breeze tossed Windhawk’s ebony hair as he rode across the wide prairie. There was a look of hatred in the depths of his dark eyes. The woman who had taken his heart had played him false. She would pay for what she had done. He pushed the love he had felt for her to the back of his mind. His heart had been wounded and cried out for revenge.

Only Gray Fox knew the torment Windhawk was feeling. He had seen the anger in his chief’s face and could almost find it in his heart to pity Joanna. Windhawk would find her, Gray Fox was certain of that. What would be her fate when Windhawk saw her? He had rarely seen his chief so angry.
The few times Windhawk’s anger had made itself known, he had been merciless.

Gray Fox had liked and admired Windhawk’s woman. Had it not been for her bravery, his son would now be walking among the spirits.

He mounted his horse and motioned for the others to do the same. He wished Windhawk had allowed him to go with him. Windhawk wasn’t thinking too clearly and Gray Fox wanted to be with him when he found Joanna. Perhaps had he gone, he could stop his friend from punishing her too severely when he caught up with her. He never doubted for a moment that Windhawk would find Joanna and the old trapper. No one could outsmart his chief. Windhawk had some kind of uncanny ability when it came to tracking.

Joanna and Farley had bedded down for the night. They had eaten dried jerky and washed it down with water from the waterskin. The weather had turned colder and Joanna could feel the chill through the heavy blanket which covered her. The tall pine trees they were lying under swayed with the wind, giving off a lonesome sound.

“Farley, have you any idea what month it is? I have lost all track of time.”

“Surely I do. I always keep a calendar in my head. It would be November the twentieth. I don’t recollect the weekday, though.”