Tykota's Woman (Historical Romance) (31 page)

"So Coloradous is a good and wise man?"

Tykota looked at his mother for a long
moment. "Yes. Yes, he is."

"You changed your father's law and brought
him back into the tribe?"

Tykota felt his heart lighten. "Yes, I did that."

"Then what is your answer?"

Tykota looked thoughtful. "I know what I
must do." He hurried to the door and called over
his shoulder. "And I know what will be best for
the Perdenelas!"

Tykota faced the council. "I have two reasons I
called you here today. One concerns my brother,
Coloradous, and the other concerns Santo. First,
bring in Santo, and I will put his deeds before
you."

By now, everyone in the village had heard
about how Santo had brought shame on his
family. The Old Ones nodded.

Santo wore a surly expression as he was led
before Tykota.

Tykota spoke. "You know why you are here?"

"I know that we were friends." Santo's rage
was simmering below the surface. "I know that
you have turned away from that friendship."

"While I was away, you took it upon yourself
to make my sister, Inea, your intended wife. She
was afraid of you, and yet, since she had no
protector, you treated her as if she did belong to
you.

"I was only taking care of her until you, her
brother, returned to see to her well-being. She
was a maiden alone and needed someone to keep
other men away from her."

"Enough!" Tykota said, standing so he would
be eye-level with the man he had once loved like
a brother. "We both know you kept the other
braves away because you wanted her for
yourself." Tykota's voice was hard, his tone
menacing. "You are fortunate that I do not kill
you for what you did. But I do demand that you
leave this valley in shame and never return."

"You will be sorry for this," Santo hissed.
"You will regret this day!"

Tykota grabbed the bear-claw necklace around
Santo's neck and jerked him forward. "You dare
to threaten the chief in this council room? Men
have been put to death for less."

Santo lowered his eyes so none could see the
hatred and defiance there. "I was wrong. It is right that I should be expelled from the tribe. I
brought dishonor upon myself and my family."

Tykota flung him backward, and he landed
hard on the stone floor. "Get out of my sight.
Never let me see your face again."

Santo was helped up and escorted to the door
by two warriors. He did not look back, but hatred
burned in his heart, and he would know no peace
until Tykota was dead.

Tykota took a steadying breath. "Now, before
I bring my brother in, I have something I want to
say to all of you. Hear me out before any of you
speak."

The room grew quiet, and all eyes were on
Tykota.

"I love this valley, and the Perdenelas will
always be my people. My father taught me that
my wants and needs must come after those of my
people, and I believe this."

Heads angled in puzzlement.

"I have come to know in my heart that I
cannot give the people all they need from their
chief. The fact is painful but true. I have walked
too long in the white world to recognize the
wants and needs of each of you."

There was a long silence.

"I have come to see that my father was
misguided when he sent my brother, Coloradous,
away. Coloradous was my father's oldest son,
and he has remained true to the tribe even when he could not be a part of it. All of you
know of the irrigation ditches he has dug for our
fields. He is strong of spirit and honor. It is he
who should stand in our father's shoes."

"No!" cried one brave.

"You are our chief!" said an Old One.

"It was your fathers wish that you lead us,"
Mangas said, standing. "You were raised to do
this. Would you go against your father's
wish?"

Tykota held up a hand for silence. "Know this.
I would die for my people, but it has become
clear to me that I cannot live for my people."

Mangas shook his head. "Do you say this
because you want to be with the white
woman?"

"No, old friend. The white woman has gone
from my life forever. But it was she who made
me see that I am more like the white race than I
am like the Perdenelas. I want what is best for all
of you and your families. Coloradous is the best
man to stand where I stand."

There was a murmur among the warriors and
the Old Ones. At last, Batera, the most senior of
the tribe, spoke. "We have waited a long time for
a wise chief to lead us. By your actions today,
you have proven that you are both wise and
worthy. It is you we want to lead us. We believe
that as the years pass, you will become less
white and more Indian."

Tykota was touched by their loyalty. "I honor each of you. I wish I could be the chief you
deserve. But that man is my brother.'-'_

Tykota walked among the council and spoke
to each one individually, convincing them that
Coloradous, and not he, was the one they should
honor.

Sadness hung heavily in the chamber when at
last Tykota spoke to the guard at the door.
"Bring in my brother."

Coloradous had not been in the council room
since the night his father had stripped him of all
honor. He did not know why he had been called
now. There was a worried frown on his face as
he stood before Tykota.

"I have questions to put to you, my brother. I
will ask you to answer them with a true heart."

Coloradous nodded.

"Will you always put the good of the people
before any wishes you might have for yourself?"

Coloradous was more puzzled than ever, but
he did not hesitate. "Yes. Always. Why do you
ask?"

"Think carefully before you answer me,
Coloradous. Would you be willing to stand in
my place if it was for the good of the
Perdenelas?"

Coloradous shook his head, his gaze pained.
"No, brother. I have never wanted to stand where
you stand. I am content to do what little I can to
help our people, but not as their chief."

"If it fell to you to lead the people, would you do it with truth and wisdom? Would you make
any sacrifice in your life for their good?"

Coloradous frowned. "What are you asking of
me? I love you, my brother. I would never do
anything to harm you."

Tykota reached up and removed the leather
headband with the golden eagle and slid it over
Coloradous's head. "It is my wish, and that of
the council, that you become chief of the
Perdenelas."

Coloradous reached up and removed the
headband, handing it back to Tykota. "No,
never! It was our father's wish that you be chief.
I honor my father, and I honor you."

Tykota clasped his brother's arm. "You may
very well be one of the wisest chief's the
Perdenelas will ever have."

Coloradous was stunned into silence as the
warriors and the Old Ones gathered around him.

Tykota smiled. "Have I your word that you
will look after my sister and see that she
becomes the wife of the warrior who has her
heart?"

"Yes-but-"

Tykota placed the headband of the chief
around Coloradous's hair once more. "I honor
you as chief. Your word is law, and I will obey."

Makinna watched the servant pack the last of her
clothing and close the trunk. She glanced around
to make certain she hadn't forgotten anything,
but the room was as clean as it was impersonal,
and she had left nothing behind.

She and Adelaide were moving to a hotel
until they could decide what they were going
to do.

Going down the stairs, Makinna saw her sister
close the front door. Adelaide's face was ghostly
white as she turned to Makinna and held out a
folded piece of paper.

"It's a telegram for you. They always mean
bad news. The last telegram I received was that
my husband had died."

Makinna was afraid to reach for it for fear it
did contain bad news. "You read it. I can't."

Adelaide's hand was shaking as she unfolded
the paper, and her voice trembled as she read.

Please come. You are needed.

Adelaide raised her head. "It's signed Hannah
Silverhorn."

Makinna placed a hand to her heart to stop the
furious beating. "Something is wrong with either
her or Tykota." She took the telegram and read it
as if it would reveal its secrets to her. "Oh,
something is terribly wrong!"

"Let us make arrangements to return to Texas
at once. Mrs. Silverhom would never have sent
such a message unless she needed you
desperately." She ran through the house, calling
for the housekeeper. Then she turned back to
Makinna. "We will send her a telegram telling
her we are coming, and we will take the noon
stage tomorrow."

Tykota bid his sister farewell, and he could
see that she was fighting to keep from crying.
"Marry your young warrior, and be happy,
Inea."

"I will miss you."

He touched her cheek. "Name your first son
after me."

Inea nodded and turned away as Tykota mounted his horse. Mangas had insisted on
accompanying Tykota, while Coloradous rode
with them as far as the twin peaks.

The brothers dismounted and stared at each
other, both knowing that an old wrong had been
righted.

"I never wanted it this way, Tykota. You were
the chosen one."

Tykota smiled. "Sometimes the chosen one is
the wrong one, my brother. You are the one who
should have been chief all along."

"Will you return?"

"I believe I will for visits." He gripped his
brother's arm. "My only sister and brother are
here. I will want to see you from time to time."

"Will you marry the white woman and settle
down at Biquera?"

"I do not know, Coloradous. But I will try. For
if I do not find her, I will be empty inside." He
looked at his brother. "Have you ever felt that
way about a woman?"

Coloradous smiled. "For a very long time.
Before I was disgraced and sent from the village,
I wanted to make her my wife. She loved me and
would have come with me, but her father would
not have it-he wanted her to marry a war chief.
And I did not want her to share my disgrace. She
never married, and I hope it is because she still
loves me."

Tykota smiled. "I believe her father will have a change of heart. He will crow if his daughter
marries the chief of all the Perdenelas." Then
Tykota became serious. "I will need to reveal to
you the sacred treasure."

Coloradous turned away. "This is hard for me,
Tykota. Our father showed you the treasure."

"And I am revealing the secret to you."

Coloradous turned back to his brother. "There
is much that I must do to establish my right to be
chief, so I cannot leave the valley just now."

"I know. At next full moon, meet me at the
cave where our father took us as boys."

"The treasure cannot be there. I have explored
that cave, and there are but the two caverns."

Tykota smiled. "Things are not always what
they seem."

Coloradous nodded. "I will meet you there."

Tykota mounted his horse. "Until then, my
brother. I know the people will prosper under
your wise guidance."

Coloradous reached up and placed a hand on
Tykota's arm. "I want to warn you to watch out
for Santo. He was making threats against you. I
do not know if he will do anything, but a man
eaten up with anger is not to be trusted. We
know this from our brother, Sinica."

"Have no concern, my brother. I have no fear
of Santo."

"Do not dismiss him so easily. In his eyes, you denied him the woman he wanted and drove
him from the tribe."

"I will look out for him."

The two brothers looked into each other's eyes
and saw love and respect reflected there. "Take
care, my chief," Tykota said, smiling. He turned
his horse, and he and Mangas rode out of the
valley and into the desert.

The sun was low in the west when Tykota swung
to the ground and spoke to Mangas. "We will
camp here for the night."

Mangas dismounted and took the reins of
Tykota's horse before he spoke, following him
up the mesa. "Why do we come this way? This is
the place where Sinica died."

"I need time to think, so I am going to a cave
two days' ride from here. You cannot go with
me, but tomorrow you can ride on to Biquera."

Mangas staked out the horses while Tykota
stood at the edge of the mesa remembering the
last time he'd been there. He touched the
mesquite tree where Makinna had been tied that
day, and he remembered that he had died a little
when he'd killed his own brother.

Later, when they sat before the campfire,
Mangas spoke. "I still think of you as my chief,
and so will many of the others."

"You will think of me as such less and less as
time passes. Coloradous will make a much better
chief than I."

"That may be so, but my heart does not accept
anyone but you to stand in your father's shoes.
When do you want me to leave?"