Chase the Wind

by Cindy Holby - Wind 01 - Chase the Wind

  “Did you ever kill anyone?” Jamie moved further back as the flames from the fire flared up. Night was settling over them, closing around the glade like a blanket.

  Chase’s eyes gleamed silver in the firelight as memories came rushing back, as a face flashed before him, a knife held above his heart, a struggle in the dirt, a fight for life, his or that of this man who was trying to kill him. “I did what I had to do to survive.”

  Jamie nodded, hoping that he, too, would have the determination to survive when he needed it. He picked up the knife that was still in its sheath and held it out to Chase. “This was my father’s. I want you to have it.”

  Chase took the knife and pulled it from the sheath, watching as the light from the fire danced on its shiny surface. He ran his thumb down the blade and pricked it on the end, sticking the injured surface in his mouth to suck off the blood. “It’s a fine weapon. I’m honored that you would give it to me.”

  A few moments passed as they contemplated what they had told each other, both wondering if they would need the weapons they had just strapped on. Jamie’s eyes searched the heavens above, Chase stared into the fire. Finally Chase broke the silence as a crescent moon rose above the treetops. “Tell me about your father. I’ve never heard you talk about him.”

  Jamie closed his eyes and leaned back against a tree. “My father ...” He didn’t know where to begin. “I guess I look like him. I’m a bit taller, and I have my mother’s chin, but the rest, it’s all him. His name was Ian, and he had this... I guess you would call it magic, with horses. They just responded to him like nothing you’ve ever seen.”

  “I’ve seen it.”

  “You have?’

  “Yes. I’ve seen it with you, with those big plow horses at the mission, they worshiped you.”

  Jamie grinned at the thought. “My mother always said I had the same touch. I haven’t thought about it since we left our stock. We had the best horses west of the Mississippi on our ranch. My father had a reputation for having only the best, and we were starting to do a really great business when they were killed.” He paused for a moment, to get past that day and back to happier times. “Dad was funny, too. He was always telling some simple story but turning it into a great adventure. Even if it was just the cat getting stuck in the woodpile, he made it wonderful. We were always laughing and carrying on over something. And he loved my mother. She was so beautiful. She was smaller than Jenny, and more silver. Where Jenny is all golden, like sunshine, my mother was more like the moon.” Jamie picked up the wooden box and ran his fingers over the carved angel. “He always said she was his angel.”

  “Was that box hers?”

  “Yes. As long as I can remember, it sat on the table next to their bed.” Jamie handed the box to Chase, who held it carefully as he examined the carving.

  “Jenny said that your father saw your mother when he was dying, that she was waiting for him.”

  “She told you that?” Jamie closed his eyes and pictured his father’s death from what Jenny had told him.

  “I think the only reason she told me was to stop me from doing something crazy.”

  “like what?’

  “Walk through a blizzard with a broken leg and dig up my mother’s body so I could send it to the spirit world.”

  “Yeah, that would have been crazy.” Jamie flashed his grin, then became serious. “Chase, do you believe in heaven?”

  “Yes. My mother taught me about heaven and hell, you can’t have one without the other. The Kiowa have the same thing, just called something else, so I believe it’s all the same.”

  “We were brought up the same way. I hope there’s a heaven. I know that if there is, my parents are there, watching over us. I hope they are watching over Jenny right now.”

  “Me too.” Chase lay back on his blanket, placing his arm under his head so he could look up at the stars popping out in the night sky. “She’s looking at the same sky wherever she is.”

  “She’s probably madder than a wet hen, too.”

  Chase laughed at the vision of Jenny that filled his head at that comment. “Yeah, I bet she hasn’t been the easiest thing to get along with.”

  “I bet they wanted to return her as soon as she woke up,” Jamie added. “I’ve seen her mad, and it’s not a pretty sight.”

  “I’ve seen it, too. Remember when she threw that mug at my head?” The two of them collapsed in laughter as they compared ideas on what Jenny’s kidnappers were going through at the mercy of her temper. They finally settled down, quieting as they both thought of Jenny alone. Eventually they slept.

  A few mornings later Jamie cautiously stretched his abused muscles as the first sounds of dawn woke him. He was sore, unaccustomed to sleeping on the hard ground, and his legs were cramping from the hard exercise after weeks of inactivity. He could hear Chase stirring under his blanket, and he wondered if his friend was also suffering. At least having horses would make the travel easier, and he hoped they would find Gray Horse soon.

  “Jamie,” Chase called out.

  “What?” Jamie bit the word out as he squinted against the bright sunshine.

  “We have company.”

  Jamie sat up instantly, bringing his revolver level with his waist. Gray Horse was sitting between their blankets, sizing up Chase, who was still under his blanket.

  “Hello, young Duncan,” the Indian said without looking at Jamie.

  Jamie laid his gun down and shoved his hair back. “Chase, this is my father’s friend Gray Horse. Gray Horse, my friend Chase the Wind.” Chase kicked his blanket off, standing before Gray Horse, who had also stood. The Indian turned to Jamie and extended his hand, helping him to his feet. He carefully scrutinized the scar on Jamie’s face as he held on to his arm.

  “I am glad the white doctors were able to help you,” he commented.

  Jamie turned his cheek away from the Indian’s dark eyes. “We’ve been looking for you.”

  “I saw that I was being followed, so I waited. It is good to see you.”

  “I need some horses.” Behind Gray Horse, Jamie saw Chase shake his head as if in warning. Jamie looked into the eyes of his father’s friend and apologized. “I’m sorry. A lot has happened, and I haven’t even thanked you for what you did for Jenny and me after our parents died.” Jamie began to pace, shoving his hair back.

  “You are much like your father, young Duncan. Come, let us go to my camp and you can tell me your story.”

  Jamie and Chase gathered up their things and followed the Indian to where his horse was waiting with two other riders, both boys a few years younger than Jamie. He recognized them as Gray Horse’s sons, whom Jamie had shared many adventures with, and they smiled when they saw him. Jamie and Chase swung up behind the boys and they took off for the village.

  Jamie’s thick russet hair drew more attention than his scars as they rode in. After he dismounted, several children gathered round his knees, chattering like little birds as they pointed up at his hair which the sun had turned to molten copper. Jamie grinned at them and knelt, waiting patiently as they took turns touching the top of his head, some of them jumping back as if they had been burned by the heat. One little girl tentatively touched his scar and he jerked self-consciously, accidentally scaring the child.

  Gray Horse touched Jamie’s shoulder and led him to his tent, with Chase following. Gray Horse’s wife shooed the children away as the men stepped inside, each taking a seat on the ground. They sat patiently while the woman prepared them a meal. Jamie carefully copied Chase’s eating manners so as not to insult his host.

  “Now, tell me your story, young Duncan,” Gray Horse said when the remains of the meal had been taken away.

  Jamie looked at Chase, who gave him an encouraging look. As succinctly as possible he told Gray Horse everything that had happened since they had left the ranch. Gray Horse listened carefully, asking a few questions about the things he didn’t understand, nodding at the things he did. When Jamie was finished with his tale, G
ray Horse left, stopping to speak to someone outside.

  “He’s sending someone to get us horses,” Chase whispered to Jamie. Jamie shoved his hair back and looked up anxiously when Gray Horse came back in.

  “Come with me,” he said, holding the flap open so they could follow him out. They followed him to another tent, where several men of the village were holding council. Jamie and Chase were led to places away from the main group and sat waiting while Gray Horse conferred with the men seated around a small fire. Chase listened intently to the conversation, and Jamie followed as best he could, not being fluent in the language. Gray Horse motioned for them to join the circle, and they complied, Jamie edging as faraway from the small fire as he could without seeming rude.

  “You must consult the spirits before you begin your journey,” Gray Horse explained. Chase sat stone-faced in front of the fire as Jamie looked questioningly at his father’s friend. “The spirits will give you a sign to guide you.” Jamie heard the undercurrent of conversation going on around the circle, but he still did not understand what was happening. Chase seemed to turn in on himself, leaving Jamie feeling very alone and vulnerable as a bowl of liquid was passed around the circle. He watched Chase take the bowl and drink from it, then pass it on to Gray Horse, who drank also. “Let the spirits guide you, young Duncan,” Gray Horse said as he handed the bowl to Jamie, who quickly examined the contents before taking a sip. Gray Horse tipped the bowl up to Jamie’s mouth with his finger, making him swallow more of the bitter mixture than he intended to. Jamie’s eyes grew wide with surprise as the mixture began to take effect, then they lost focus, and he felt his limbs go numb. The small fire flickered in front of him, and against his will he felt himself being pulled closer and closer to the flames. He began to tremble as he felt the heat, and he could feel himself screaming, although he didn’t make a sound. The fire surrounded him until he shot up out of the top of the flames, floating above like an ash, then drifting up through the smoke hole in the tent until he was suspended in the air above.

  Jamie looked down and saw his body sitting inside the tent, his shoulders slumped, his chin resting on his chest. He saw Chase also, only his head was thrown back as if he was looking up at him. Come with me, he wanted to say, but no words formed. He heard someone calling his name and he looked out of the village and saw the plains beyond. His body followed where his eyes went, soaring above the ground like a hawk. Horses were running below, a huge herd, and at their lead he saw Storm, flying over the ground like the wind. Jamie willed his body to go down, until he was hovering right over the gray’s back as he ran, his head even with the horse’s, so close that he could feel Storm’s mane beating against his face. He stayed with him until the mountains rose up before him, stopping the horse’s mad flight. Jamie continued on, following the voice that was still calling to him.

  He looked down and saw a lake, the center of it full of churning waves. In the midst of them he saw Jenny thrashing about in the water, her hair swirling around her. She was calling his name, begging him to help her, so he willed his body down, reaching his hands out to Jenny’s outstretched one, but she was out of reach. The water was pulling her away, spinning her round and round until a whirlpool formed in the lake. Jenny was flying around in the water, her body tumbling out of control. As the whirlpool grew stronger, the bottom of the lake became visible where the water had pulled away. Jamie looked down, but instead of seeing sand or mud, he saw green grass, and Chase. His long hair was blowing in the whirlwind, and he was just standing there looking up, his eyes shaded with his hand as if he was looking into the sun. Jamie knew that Chase could help him rescue Jenny, so he willed his body to go to him, and as he passed through the whirlpool, he caught Jenny’s hand and pulled her through, so that she landed next to Chase on the grass. He could see them standing there together, but he could not stop his flight.

  He continued on, flying away from them until they were so small he couldn’t see them. He kept on going, desperate to go back but having no control over his direction. He finally came to a stop in a small glade. He was so tired from his journey that he lay down in the cool grass and rested, totally alone except for a red fox that walked out and sat before him, watching him curiously as he lay there. He closed his eyes and slept.

  Gray Horse gently lowered Jamie so that he was on a blanket beside the small fire. On the other side of him was Chase, who was still deep in the spirit world.

  Chase had heard Jamie calling to him from above and he had followed, soaring with him over the plains, feeling the excitement of the horses as they ran, until they stopped short of the mountains. He went on, following Jamie, until he heard Jenny’s voice calling to him. She was swimming in a beautiful pool of clear water, and she called to him to join her. He felt himself pulling off his clothes, and his body slicing through the water as he joined her, taking her in his arms, and feeling her skin, slick with the water, press against his own. He held her, and as he looked into her deep blue eyes, he felt her golden hair float around him, entwining with his own long, dark hair, until the only way he could tell where her hair ended and his began was by the color. The water was warm and comforting, and he felt as if he could stay there forever, even when he looked up and saw that a pack of growling, snapping wolves had surrounded them, the only thing holding them back their fear of the water. Through his dream, he felt himself being lowered onto a blanket, and he smiled, content to stay where he was for the time being.

  Jamie felt too warm, and a frown creased his face as he struggled against the discomfort. He knew that it was early summer, so he should be a little hot, but this was not right, and as he tried to surface through the many layers of fog that surrounded him, he came to the realization that he was lying next to a fire. He sat upright with a start, and slid away from the flames as he looked around to see if anyone was watching. He was alone, and he took a minute to collect his thoughts as he scrubbed his hands through his hair. He could hear the soft murmur of voices from outside and he staggered to his feet, grabbing a tent pole as his head began to spin. He could see through the opening that the sun was going down and the men who had earlier been drinking the potion with him were all seated outside, talking among themselves. Chase was in the middle of the group, speaking Lakota and signing the words that he didn’t know.

  Gray Horse saw Jamie and came to him, a smile on his face.

  “The spirits spoke to you, young Duncan?”

  “I guess you could say that,” Jamie answered. His mouth felt like cotton, and he was having a hard time orienting himself as he took a trembling step forward. He managed to make it to the circle under his own steam and gratefully accepted a drink from one of the men at the fire. Chase was grinning at him, his own cobwebs already gone, and Jamie fought down the urge to punch him. Strangely enough, the drink refreshed him and he began to feel like himself again after a few minutes.

  “Tell us of your dream,” Gray Horse said when he saw that Jamie had recovered.

  Jamie looked around at the concerned faces and began to speak, haltingly of what he remembered about the strange vision he had experienced. When he was done, there was a flurry of conversation, all in Lakota, as the men in the circle compared opinions on what they had heard. Jamie looked over at Chase, who just shrugged but continued to pay rapt attention to the words flying around him.

  “You and your friend are on the same quest,” Gray Horse began to translate. That wasn’t news to Jamie, but he let him go on. “You will take the same path, but it will become difficult when you come to the mountains. Your sister will go through many raging waters before you are reunited with her, but her path lies with you.” Gray Horse looked at Chase as he spoke. “There are many who will try to separate you, but you must trust in each other.”

  Jamie looked around the men of the circle, who were all nodding in agreement with the words Gray Horse had spoken. He hadn’t learned anything new. He had known when he started out that it was not going to be easy to find Jenny, and his so-called vision
hadn’t given him any revelations on how to find her. It had only added to his confusion. Why did he go on away from Jenny and Chase if their paths were all together, and what was the meaning of the fox?

  “Tomorrow you shall begin your journey with the horses that I have been keeping for you,” Gray Horse said. “Tonight you will be our guests.” Jamie felt immense relief at Gray Horse’s announcement. Tomorrow they would be under way. With good horses, they should be able to catch up with the wagon that was carrying Jenny in just a few weeks. He stood, following the lead of the others, and when he saw they were all wandering off, he turned towards the west where the last rays of the sun were showing on the horizon.

  “There’s a lot of country out there,” Chase said as he stepped up next to him.

  “Yeah.”

  “Don’t worry, we’re going to find her.”

  “We are?”

  “Yes. That’s what the spirits told us. You found her, and I found her.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Was I there?”

  Chase puzzled over the question. “No, not when I saw her. I was following you, and then you were just gone.”

  Jamie wrapped his arms around himself as he looked off towards the west. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “Jamie, don’t worry about it. We both found her. We just found her in different ways, that’s all. You’re not supposed to take these things so seriously.”

  “I’m sorry, Chase. It’s my first vision. I didn’t know what to expect.” Jamie stalked away.

  Chase was shocked by his friend’s vehemence, and decided to give him some time to work it out. After all, Jamie did not have much experience with Indian ways.

  The next morning Gray Horse presented Jamie with two saddled horses. Jamie knew them, and as he began to whistle, they turned towards him, their ears pricked forward in recognition. There was a tall black with white stockings and a white blaze that he had ridden many times, so he chose that one, leaving Chase the buckskin. He didn’t want to know where the saddles had come from, he was just happy to have them, along with the food Gray Horse had packed for them.