“I asked him what he wished in return for granting Blue River’s request,” Bright Feather quickly admitted, collaborating his explanation. “I sensed that there might be something that would persuade him.”
Bright Feather might have meant good with her addition, but Lijuan suddenly jerked towards her, gritting her teeth furiously once more. "So now you are negotiating on behalf of this family?" she scolded. "Blue River might be your half-brother, and you may be David's love, but that doesn't make you a Wilde!"
“Lijuan!” Honor gasped.
“No, she is right,” Bright Feather surprisingly conceded. “No Wilde blood runs through my veins, but your interests are my interests because of my love for Dutch. I know how important this is to you and especially to Blue River.”
“Miss Lijuan, she had my full support to make a deal with my uncle,” Blue River interjected. “He has always favored her in a way he would never me. I am too much of a reminder of what the judge’s love for my mother cost the tribe. In fact, it may have been her presence that help sway some of the elders who were hesitant to grant our request.”
“Well, I must say their attitude towards you darn well is surely not fair, and we all know it!” Honor cooed angrily.
“Agreed!” Lijuan said, “But I need to know … what did Thunder Cloud’s support cost us?” she asked, turning to Blue River.
"In exchange for sending a group of warrior braves to escort our replacement shipment I agreed to his terms—and remember sister when I left, you gave me free reign as we knew he might want something in return. The tribe's interest will always be his greatest concern in this world."
“What did he want, Blue River?” Catalina wondered, having been oddly quiet the entire time.
The question seemed to make Blue River anxious. He exhaled, his eyes roaming the room to glance nervously at everyone.
“I granted his wish to open up the Topenka Valley as hunting grounds for the tribe for six months,” he finally answered quietly.
Silence prevailed in the room immediately after the words left his lips. Lijuan’s eyes fluttered ceaselessly, her mind filled with the same thoughts that quickly slithered through the mind of every other Wilde present in the room. The lush game-rich Topenka valley had been closed to the Yavapai for the past fifteen years after long-term bloodshed that had stemmed from the hunting there.
Once the Halas were a proud and united tribe that had sent hunting parties to the Topenka Valley who had always returned with great bounty. However, the troubled history of that valley had begun when Whip Wilde, had met and gotten involved with Red Wing who, in turn, bore him Blue River. The furor that ensued led to the Hala tribe dividing into two factions; one led by Thunder Cloud and Red Wing’s father, High Eagle and the other by a fierce young warrior, Black Hawk, brother of Red Wing’s late husband who had died in battle before meeting Whip. He was also a man who had loved her and for a time had raised his young niece, Bright Feather, as his own. Losing the woman, he loved along with a girl he considered his daughter, served to fuel Black Hawk further, as he already hated the white men’s continued encroachment into Arizona.
As the owner of the land holding the Topenka Valley, Whip Wilde had allotted time when it could be used for their hunting between the two different camps; this at first didn't sit well with the fierce warrior. Soon, Black Hawk was not content to share the gaming land with the other faction. So, he waged war against the white men as well as against his former peaceful brothers. He slaughtered hunting parties that entered the valley during the periods that were allotted to the original Halas, further ripping the tribe asunder.
As fair as Whip Wilde had been about allocating part of his land to their sport, he didn’t have a choice than to close the valley to both factions in order to end the bloodshed. That however only made Black Hawk more enraged. It didn’t make High Eagle quite pleased either, but for the past fifteen years, there had been no hunting in the valley, as well as there had been no bloodshed as desired.
Apparently, that was about to change, considering the condition from Thunder Cloud that Blue River had just approved. The silence in the room was finally broken when Catalina whistled, a single act that brought everyone back to the present.
“Not like there is any real choice now is there girls … and you too, Blue River,” she said.
Everyone had turned to Lijuan to see if they were going to get the volcanic hellcat or the level-headed businesswoman, both of which she could be rather efficiently. Fortunately, it was the businesswoman that stared back at them, her brown eyes fluttering closed as she sighed deeply and went back to sit in her chair.
“No, there really wasn’t, was there?” she said.
In a quick response, Honor, and Catalina exchanged a grin, understanding that Lijuan had chosen to be reasonable this time around.
“But …”
Lijuan’s whisper, however, stiffened both sisters, getting them to believe that their jubilation had been premature.
“But what?” Honor asked hesitantly.
“… but we do have to consider what this means for the future,” Lijuan said, her eyes meeting everyone’s. “Word eventually will get back to Black Hawk and his renegades about his former Hala brothers being let back in. He is a son of a bitch, but he has stayed away from that valley once we made it clear none were allowed there.”
“Please do not try and make him out to have a shred of honor in him,” Honor hissed. “From what Daddy has told me, shortly after he closed the valley, a whole passel of Indians joined his fight against the settlers of Arizona, swelling the ranks of his so-called Omegas! He just had bigger things with which to concern himself than that valley, is all.”
“Still that bein’ said, just hearin’ about the valley being open to Thunder Cloud’s people is sure to put a bee in his bonnet,” Catalina said, agreeing with Lijuan.
“Bright Feather and I knew this when we made him the offer. There is a danger in Black Hawk’s reaction,” Blue River said, preferring not to mince words.
“It will not be for a while, though. We stopped off at the fort on the way back here to see if they knew when Dutch might be back from his mission,” Bright Feather said, trying to get everyone to stop worrying. “While we were there, Captain Vellaneau mentioned Black Hawk and his Omegas were reported having launched a raid way over by the California border. It should be some time before he is back this way.”
Mentioning the name Vellaneau surely got Lijuan’s eyes to light up with interest. “You say Captain Vellaneau told you this? How is he, by the way?” she asked.
“The same close-minded lout that he has always been,” Bright Feather murmured, putting her hands on her hips.
“Well, that was not my experience when I met him at your awards ceremony,” Lijuan countered sternly.
“Never mind all that,” Honor said, waving her hands in the air to get everyone back on the subject, “The bottom line here seems to be that it will be some time before Cedar Ledge has to deal with any ramifications of opening the valley, and now our new shipment is going to be protected, guaranteeing the family will make the delivery to the railroad this time!”
“When you are right, you are right, Honor! I’ll drink to that!” Catalina commended her sister’s observation by removing a small silver flask from her back pocket and pulling the tip to her mouth for a sip.
“What do you have in there today, Cattie? Red or white?” Lijuan asked, shaking her head and chuckling at the same time.
“It’s some fancy new chardonnay my Uncle Hector down at my family’s vineyard in Mexico cooked up,” Catalina said with a wink. “He shipped me a case of it last week. Couldn’t touch any of it until now on account a me bein’ sick an’ all.”
"You just save me a bottle of that for when I get back." Honor said with a wink of her own. She stood from her chair and glanced interchangeably at Catalina and Lijuan. "I think it's best I am on my way. I got a long drive ahead of me to go pick Daddy up with the carriage over in Selby Flats
."
“I wish his trial had not run long,” Lijuan bemoaned. “I would have liked to have him here. His presence always gives us such strength, and I would have appreciated his counsel.”
Honor nodded before crossing the desk to lay her hand on her sister’s shoulder.
“You know full well he would have supported any of your decisions, Lannie,” she spoke warmly. “Daddy’s trust in you when it comes to this ranch is beyond all measure.”
"Thank you, Honor," Lijuan responded, feeling humbled. "Now off with you!"
“Okay, I will be back with Daddy tomorrow afternoon. Blue River you be careful on that delivery!” Honor pleaded, already heading towards the door.
“Hey what about me?!” Catalina asked behind her.
“Whatever do you speak of?” Honor asked, glancing sideways at her.
“Yes?” Lijuan asked, too.
“You don’t think for a hot minute that I’m lettin’ Blue River go off to escort the shipment by himself. I don’t care how many braves ol’ Thunder Cloud is sendin’. I’m gonna be right there next to my brother!” Catalina announced.
“Cattie, you don’t have to …” Blue River trailed off, taking a step towards Catalina.
"I sure as heck do!" Catalina interrupted, "Now I should have been on that cattle drive instead of Cassie, but since I couldn't be, I'm fixin' to make myself useful and ridin' shotgun with you into the dangerous territory. That's dang well what I'm gonna do!"
“Do not even try and talk her out of it, my brother.” Bright Feather laughed, “You know once Catalina has made up her mind …”
Blue River already threw his hands up in mock surrender before anyone did the job of convincing him beyond necessary. “Okay, okay, I know better,” he laughed before, growing serious. “I will admit I feel a lot better already knowing you are going to be at my side.”
Catalina smiled widely at him before reaching for his hand and drawing him close into a brief tight hug. “We Wildes stick together!” she told him.
She let him be and moved on to hug Honor next. "And you, Honor, have a safe trip to Papa. Send him my love."
“Absolutely!” Honor said, hugging her back before moving on to give a farewell hug to the rest in the room.
"We'll see you off!" Catalina said as Honor began to hurry out of the office.
She grabbed Blue River and dragged him out, exiting the same time Honor disappeared into the outside hall. Bright Feather turned to leave, too, but Lijuan said her name in a soft voice before she could move too far off.
“Bright Feather.”
“Yes?” she responded warily.
"Thank you for helping persuade the chief to come to our aid," Lijuan said quietly. "It was a great help. Nothing must happen to this next shipment. Especially with those, we care about going with it."
“You are welcome,” Bright Feather said, giving a small smile. “As you said, those we care for must remain safe.”
Lijuan nodded. She paused for a second before she asked, “So, that little bit of unpleasantness between us before. I know the others won’t say anything to David … will you?”
“I should have known,” Bright Feather said, frowning. “Your compliment and thanks before … just an insincere attempt to soothe me so I wouldn’t speak with my love of your rudeness because you value his opinion of you above all others.”
“My gratitude was … is sincere.” Lijuan insisted.
“Will it be if I tell your brother how you spoke to me?”
Lijuan didn’t respond to the question. Seeing that there was nothing left to be said, Bright Feather turned immediately and left the room.
CHAPTER 3
As the sun rose over the ranch the next morning, the grand two-story "L" shaped Cedar Ledge house stood like a dark mountain surrounded by vast land, tall trees, the ever-flowing Rock River and hundreds of cattle. That morning, four fully loaded wagons and their teams of strong horses were prepared in front of the house. While Blue River quickly went around to check that everything was in place, Bright Feather stood on the front porch with Catalina and Lijuan, all three women quite close to the first loaded wagon. Catalina looked fully prepared for the long journey in a corduroy jacket and denim jeans.
Soon, Blue River joined them at the porch, informing them that everything had been loaded properly, and they only needed to wait for the braves that were promised them. He hadn’t finished speaking about this when from a distance, they watched as a group of twenty braves, led by their uncle, Chief Thunder Cloud, began to ride up the semi-circular roadway towards their home. The group halted their horses right in front of the house, as Thunder Cloud warily scanned the ranch before dismounting. Blue River quickly rushed over to him and took the reins of his horse.
The Chief wasn't as old as their father but definitely commanded the same respect as the judge. With his long, grey hair and hard cheeks, he could still pass for a man in his early fifties. His broad shoulders and strong, muscled arms spoke volumes about that commanding presence he presented as well as the way his black eyes seemed to be aware of everything that happened around him.
“Greetings to you, great Chief. Welcome to Cedar Ledge,” Lijuan said as soon as the man stepped towards the porch, his eyes still scanning the ranch.
Greeting him seemed to finally draw his full attention. Thunder Cloud glanced at Bright Feather and gave a small smile which she warmly returned with a nod.
“Long has it been since my feet have stood on the earth before this very house.” The Chief’s croaky voice echoed. His eyes ran over the sturdy walls of the ranch house before he murmured, “It is as I remember it.”
Lijuan cleared her throat now, taking a step towards him. “You have my gratitude and that of my entire family for coming to our aid in this time of need,” she said. “With most of our men away on the cattle drive, having your braves serve as our protection is most welcome.”
“You say I have the gratitude of your entire clan,” Thunder Cloud responded, his eyes perusing around the porch, “and yet your father does not come to greet me,” he concluded.
“Papa would have, but you know, he’s a judge, and he’s away right now on the circuit, but we are expectin’ him back later today. I reckon he’ll be sorry he missed you,” Catalina explained.
“I wonder about that,” Thunder Cloud mused, grudgingly, earning an exchange of glances from the Wilde sisters. “Your father,” he continued, “is the face of the white man’s law. Laws that have done great harm to my people.”
“Words of truth you speak, Uncle, but William Henry has done much to HELP our peoples with that law,” Bright Feather, sensing that an irreversible tension might stem from the current accusation, stepped in.
Again, Thunder Cloud eyes skimmed the building in front of him as he moved on to a totally different topic. “So many moons have passed since I first came here with your mother. Those days seem like a vision from another time.”
Before anyone could say anything else, he turned swiftly and returned to his horse, gathering the reins from Blue River's hands. After mounting up he turned his horse around and roared a few words in the Pai language to his braves.
“What all was that?” Catalina asked.
“He was telling them the Great Spirit watches over them should they be riding into battle, as well as a prayer for their safety.” Blue River translated.
"And that goes for you as well, young nephew," Thunder Cloud said, looking down at Blue River from his horse. A small smile appeared on his face, aptly returned by Blue River. The chief nodded afterward, then kicked his horse forward so he could be close to Lijuan. "The barrier?"
Years ago, when Whip had decided to close the valley off, nature had made it very possible. The Topenka was a bowl-shaped valley with soaring cliffs on all sides. Only a narrow ravine lead into it. On his orders, a towering barricade of rocks had been constructed sealing it off, keep all men from gaining entry.
“It’s coming down even as we speak,” Lijuan confirmed. “Now
that our big order from the railroad is complete, I sent men from our logging operation into the backcountry to dismantle it. Your people can be hunting there in a matter of days.”
“Then you are a woman of your word. My people shall begin their hunts three moons from now,” Thunder Cloud nodded.
“Chief, it is likely to be some time before Black Hawk hears of this but …”
Lijuan allowed her words to trail off, fully aware that the chief understood her completely. As expected, Thunder Cloud pursed his lips and subtly shook his head to stop her.
“My people shall be on their guard during the hunts … any Omegas that dare interfere … it will be more than just game that is slain on that day!” he assured her.
He kicked in his heels and charged off down the drive, his eyes only staring backward once to give the large house a last glare.
“Let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that.” Blue River mumbled after him. The young half-Yavapai looked back at the pair of men in the three wagons behind the first one and called for everyone to rein their horses. “The time has come for us to roll out! Devil’s Canyon awaits! Nothing shall stop us from making this delivery!” he yelled.
The men, respecting his strong lead, cheered from the wagons while the Braves joined in with a louder and stronger cheer. Blue River nodded appreciatively at everyone before climbing into the lead wagon beside Catalina. She cracked the reins with a cheer of her own, sending the first wagon down the sloping hill as the rest followed suit. The caravan cautiously rolled out then, heading to their destination while Lijuan and Bright Feather were left to wave through the dust that was raised behind them. Both women looked at each other briefly, as a chill flowed through the summer air, saying nothing before walking away in opposite directions.
***
The caravan rolled out of Cedar Ledge with energy, moving fast and cautiously onto the road that was to take them through various deserts and canyons until they arrived at Devil’s Canyon. They rode throughout the first six hours, the braves breaking into guard-formations around the four loaded wagons.
Disaster At Devil's Canyon: Blue River Wilde Western Adventure (Half Breed Haven Book 7) Page 4
