“No, she came this way—I’m sure of it.”
“Let her go and follow me up this bluff so I can figure out where the hell we are.”
She laughed as she shifted. Just as she thought. Tenderfooted Easterners. They were helpless without her. “I know where we are.”
Their heads simultaneously snapped in her direction and Diah’s arms wrapped around her faster than she could blink.
“Thank God you’re all right, Oni. I’ve been worried sick about you.”
His embrace chased away the chill and distracted her from the real reason she’d found them. Stars above, can I truly bear to be separated from him after knowing the comfort of his arms?
She pulled away. “I’m fine, but you’re not. Hinkle and a group of his soldiers are nearby. They have orders to shoot first and ask questions later.”
Cager’s jaw fell slack. “Shit! You mean I didn’t kill him at Fort McKeen?”
“No, but you left him with some nasty burns. Half of his face is gone and I have no idea of the extent of the scars under his clothes. But he’s still determined to find the White Buffalo.”
Diah refused to release her hand. “What do you suggest we do, Oni?”
“Why are you asking her?”
“Because she knows more about what’s going on around here than we do.” He searched her face. “You’re in charge now.”
She raised a brow and waited for Cager to say something to rebut his decree, but he nodded when she met his gaze.
“Fine, we need to go this way.” She ran toward the scent of the herd.
“Aren’t you going to ride?”
“No, I track better this way.” Before Diah could ask another question, she shifted back into a coyote and led them deeper into the valley. Her ears analyzed every snapping twig. Her nose scoured the ground for any familiar scents. She refused to be caught off guard while she was leading them.
The valley ended at a steep hill and she scrambled up the side. When she was about halfway up, Cager called from below, “Oni, we can’t take the horses up that way.”
She stopped and shifted. “Then leave them behind and follow me.” She sat on a rock and waited for them to catch up. Her eyes scanned the trees in the low light of dusk, and she was tempted to shift back so she could take advantage of the more acute senses she had as a coyote.
“Are you sure this is the best way to go?” Diah panted when he reached her. Despite the cold night, sweat beaded on his brow and she wiped it away.
“Are you suggesting I’m being unnecessarily cruel to you?”
“If he isn’t, I am,” Cager said. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to breathe when your nose is swollen shut?”
Oni laughed. “We’re much less likely to run into any of Hinkle’s men this way.”
“Yeah, because only an idiot would climb these rocks.” Diah slumped over to catch his breath, giving her a good view of the rifle he carried on his back. “How much farther?”
“To the top. From there, I’ll think you’ll be pleased with the view.” She resumed her climb. It would have been easier in her other form, but this way she wouldn’t get too far ahead of them.
When she reached the crest, she grinned. The opposite side sloped gently down to a flat grassy cove surrounded by the hills. The buffalo herd grazed under the starless sky and, although the full moon was concealed, its light diffused through the patchy clouds and illuminated the scene below.
Diah’s eyes widened. “I’ve never imagined such a place.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “We can go farther down, if you’d like.”
Cager frowned. “I see a lot of buffalo, but they’re all brown.”
“Quit griping and get a little closer.”
The air tingled with magic. The White Buffalo had to be in the herd. The only question was would she have the courage to pull the trigger when the time came? “Diah, let me take your rifle so you don’t have to carry it.” And so you won’t be tempted to fire it and get yourself killed.
His brows knitted together as he stared at her. “I can handle my rifle just fine, Oni.”
Damn it!
They dropped onto an outcropping below, which allowed them a good view of the cove. The clouds parted and revealed the full moon. Beams of light fell on the herd. Then she saw it.
Under the moonlight, the White Buffalo shone as brightly as polished silver. Although it was smaller than most of the herd—hardly more than a calf—Oni’s breath caught as she watched it move with a grace that defied the bulky body. Yes, this creature truly was wakan. And if that was the case, then the curse would come to pass as the legends said.
Diah gasped. “Oh my God, it is real.”
“No kidding. And I couldn’t ask for a clearer shot.” Cager reached for his rifle-shaped wand and attached the scope without taking his eyes off the White Buffalo.
Oni tensed and war waged in her mind. What was Cager to her? Let him kill it. Then he would die, the pelt would be delivered to Lamont, and she and Diah could live happily ever after. But when she heard the rifle click on her other side, her heart jumped into her throat.
“Stop it, both of you. You can’t kill it.”
“Watch me.” Cager took aim at the White Buffalo.
“No!” She grabbed his wand and tried to yank it from his hands.
His face darkened. “”What the hell do you think you’re doing, Oni? This is what I came here for, and if I need to shoot you first, so help me, I will.” He aimed the wand at her and magic trickled along the orichalcum.
Oni grabbed her dagger and called on her own magic. He didn’t intimidate her.
“What has gotten into you two?” Diah shoved her behind him and pushed the end of his brother’s wand up to the sky. “We’re supposed to be a team.”
“Tell that to your little tart who’s trying to ruin everything.”
For a second, Diah’s jaw tightened and it looked like Cager might get a black eye to go with his broken nose. Then his gaze flickered to the cove and he drew in a breath through his teeth. “Cager, let me borrow that scope. Now.” The last word left little room for argument.
“What it is?” He slipped the brass cylinder off.
Diah took the scope and held it up to his eye. “Shit!” He handed it back to Cager, who also looked towards the valley to the east that opened into the cove.
“Jesus Christ, will that man ever die?”
“Hinkle?” she asked.
Cager nodded and let her take a glance through the scope below. Hinkle and two soldiers crept toward the herd with their weapons drawn. Hope filled her momentarily. If Hinkle killed it, then maybe…
“Give me back that scope.”
“But he’s closer than we are, Cager.”
“I know, but we have the better view.” He yanked it from her and reattached it to his wand. “If I have to take him out, I will.”
The sound of rifle shots echoed off the hills. Smoke wafted up from the two soldiers’ guns. Blood stained the formerly unblemished fur, and the White Buffalo slumped forward.
Oni’s heart thudded to a stop and she forced herself to breathe. Stars above, they just killed it.
Cager’s face twisted in rage. “Goddamn it, that’s my pelt!”
Hinkle aimed his rifle at them and they ducked behind a rock. The bullet ricocheted over their heads. Diah cocked his rifle and peeked around the boulder.
“I wouldn’t do that, sir.” A click sounded behind them. Sergeant Stiles aimed his rifle at Diah’s head.
“There’s three of us and only one of you.” Cager tightened his grip on his wand.
“That’s what you think.” A twig snapped in the trees, and four more shadows stalked them in the darkness.
“Please, Sergeant Stiles, you don’t have to do this,” Oni said quietly.
He frowned, and his gun wavered. “Do I know you, ma’am?”
“No, but I know you’re having trouble obeying Colonel Hinkle’s orders.” She offered a quick p
rayer to the Wakan Tanka that he would show them mercy.
“Have you been spying on us?”
Oni stepped forward, ignoring Diah’s hand on her wrist. The wind stirred the loose hairs from her braid around her face. Ancient magic electrified the air. Thunder rolled nearby, even though it was too late in the year for a thunderstorm. Icy dread trickled down her spine. The curse would come to pass. “Something bad is about to happen because of what Hinkle just did. He has killed something wakan and he will not go unpunished by the Ptesan Wi. If I were you, I’d try and find shelter.”
As if to emphasize her point, a hurricane-force gale ripped through the cove. The impact of the wind knocked the air from her lungs and drove her to her knees. Pine needles turned into weapons under its influence, pricking her exposed skin. Diah pulled her closer and shielded her with his body. She peeked over his shoulder at the soldiers crouching low to ground, their faces covered.
The ferocity of the storm increased and the temperature dropped until her teeth chattered. She clung tighter to Diah, wanting to protect him with each beat of her heart. Are we all going to die here tonight for Hinkle’s actions?
Shards of ice assaulted them from the sky and a thick white fog enveloped them. She could barely see Diah’s face above hers. She reached up, desperate to touch him, to know he still lived. His breath warmed her palm and reinforced her faltering courage.
“Hold on, Oni.” He tightened his arms around her. “We’ll get through this together.”
His words calmed her heart for a moment and she prayed he was right. She’d faced the harsh Dakota winters and lived to tell about it, but this rivaled the tonwon attack. Her fingers tingled from fear and her mouth turned dry. But as before, she had Diah at her side. He was right—they would get through this together or die in each other’s arms.
The ground trembled under them as the thunderous rumble of hundreds of hooves rose above the howl of the wind. A stampede. Oni tensed and listened to find out which direction the herd was running. Their height above the cove should protect them, but buffalo didn’t always take the path of least resistance when spooked.
A high-pitched scream pierced the low drone of the storm. Diah squeezed her so tightly, she struggled to breathe. As the shrieks continued, she closed her eyes and imagined the flesh being ripped from Hinkle’s bones. It was the only thing that soothed her terror. The Ptesan Wi was punishing him, not her or those she cared about. At least, she hoped that would be the case.
Then everything halted and an eerie silence filled the cove that frightened her almost as much as the storm. The fog cleared, revealing the almost empty flats below. Oni gasped. Where the White Buffalo had collapsed now sat a woman dressed in a white buckskin dress. She rose to her feet. A beam of moonlight broke through the clouds and shone on her like a spotlight.
“Holy shit,” Cager whispered beside her. “You weren’t lying, were you, Oni?”
Diah’s arm went slack and she wriggled free to watch the woman below. The soldiers scrambled to the edge of the rocks beside them. None of them said a word.
“Lower your eyes and show her some respect, gentlemen,” she whispered.
The Ptesan Wi strolled across the deserted plains to the three piles of bones surrounded by the remnants of the blue army uniforms. She stared at them for a moment and, with a wave of her hand, the piles disintegrated into dust and blew away with the wind. She left behind no evidence of Hinkle and the two soldiers who shot her. After the last fragments of her murderers had been carried away, she turned her gaze toward them.
Oni cast her eyes down, not wanting to see the wrath in the holy woman’s face. But when nothing happened, she glanced up and saw the slight smile that played on the Ptesan Wi’s lips.
“Hecheto welo. Nahan rei ni wayon heon,” the White Buffalo Calf Woman said loudly enough for them to hear.
“What did she say?” Sergeant Stiles asked.
“All is well. I am still alive,” Oni replied.
The Ptesan Wi then dropped to the ground and a cloud of dust surrounded her. When it cleared, she had changed back into the White Buffalo. She turned and wandered deeper into the shadows of the hills.
Cager rubbed his eyes as if waking from a dream. “I don’t believe this shit.”
“That doesn’t make it less real.” Diah held Oni’s hand as they watched the White Buffalo disappear.
“Sir, what are we going to say happened to Colonel Hinkle?” one of the soldiers asked. “Because no one is going to believe this.”
One corner of the sergeant’s mouth rose. “We tell them the truth. Colonel Hinkle and Privates Green and O’Leary were killed by a buffalo stampede.” He turned to the men. “There was nothing left of them to bring back.”
Diah grinned. “That account sounds close enough to me.”
“I think we had better gather the rest of the men and make camp for the night.” Sergeant Stiles tipped his hat to them. “Good evening, ma’am, gentlemen.” He waved his arm and the four other soldiers followed him down the hill into the cove.
Oni rolled over onto her back, and the first snowflake hit her nose. Giddiness filled her as if she’d just drunk several glasses of her uncle’s moonshine. They had witnessed the return of the White Buffalo and they were still alive to tell the story.
Cager threw his wand down in disgust. “Well, since we can’t kill the White Buffalo, how are we supposed to get that damn pelt now?”
The snow started falling heavier and Diah pulled her closer. As he kissed her forehead, she realized there were things in life far more precious than money and sacred objects. “Don’t worry, Cager. I’m sure we can figure out something.”
“Like what, Oni? Lamont wants that pelt.”
She laughed and brushed the snow off Diah’s arm. “Remember, I’m a Trickster at heart, and I think I have an idea that might work. But I’ll tell you about it in the morning.”
“I agree. Let’s set up the tepee and get out of this weather.” Diah stood and helped her to her feet. “This should be interesting, climbing down that hill in the dark.”
“Not when you have a Wielder.” She pulled out her dagger and the veins of orichalcum glowed brighter than a normal lantern as she guided her magic through it.
The light flickered when he cupped her cheeks and kissed her in a way that made her toes curl. “Thank you, Oni.”
“For what?”
“For saving us. If we had been the ones who shot it, we’d be dust now.” He took her empty hand and led her to back to the horses.
She decided not to mention that she would have pulled the trigger before him and carried the curse alone. She could always tell him later. Right now, all she wanted to do was cuddle under the warm skins next to him.
The cry of the falcon rang out from the trees. She turned to see a white bird flying through the snow. Chaytonska would report tonight’s events to the tribe and they would know the White Buffalo had returned.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Fort Pierre
Three weeks later
A warm beam of sunlight bathed Oni’s face as she stared at clear blue sky through the window of the inn. Perfect weather for traveling, she thought glumly.
The riverboat taking Diah and Cager back home to Mississippi was leaving today and neither had invited her to come with them. She wasn’t surprised. They were wasichu and, even though Diah loved her, she knew how things worked in his world. She didn’t expect him to make an effort to invite her into it, just like she knew it was selfish of her to want him to abandon his family for her.
Her heart grew heavy as she thought about it. The longer she stayed near him, the harder it would be to say goodbye. She needed to get out of here now.
Jim came in and sat across the table from her with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. “Good morning, Little Trickster. How are you this morning?”
“Morning, Jim.” She sank into a chair and accepted the cup of coffee that was offered to her. “So-so.”
Jim nodded.
“I figured as much. If I were you, I’d get on that boat and follow him.”
“But he didn’t ask me to. I’m not going to follow him like a homeless dog. Besides, I knew this day would come.” She shrugged. “Why should he be any different from any other wasichu?”
“Because Diah is different and you know it. I have half a mind to go upstairs with my shotgun right now and talk some sense into him.”
She grabbed his arm. “Don’t, Jim. It’s his choice, just like it’s mine.” She held his gaze until he nodded.
“I was just hoping you two could be happy together.”
“We were, while it lasted.” She took a sip of her coffee and frowned. It was colder than she liked. “It’s still all right if I stay with you this winter?”
“Of course, Oni.”
She drained the cup and nibbled at the food the innkeeper set in front of her when he refilled her coffee. “You have most of your supplies loaded up?”
“Yep. I was going to wait and see the boys off before I leave town, though. I’ve grown kinda fond of them, though now I’m trying to figure out why.” He scratched his new beard. “It’s going to take me two days to get back to the dugout with the wagon anyways.”
She pushed her plate away. What little bit of food she managed to eat sat in her stomach like a brick. “I think I should head up to the dugout today and make sure it’s warm and cozy when you get in tomorrow. Tell them goodbye for me.”
“I didn’t miss that sarcasm, Little Trickster. I know the real reason you’re itching to hit the road. You don’t want to see him leave.”
“It would be too hard, Jim.” She patted him on the shoulder and made sure to keep her back ramrod straight as she left the boardinghouse. She refused to cave in now. Just because she was sobbing inside, her body didn’t need to show it. She was stronger than that.
The low whistle of the riverboat woke Diah and he bolted up in bed. The covers had been ripped off the mattress, but that was the only evidence left to prove Oni had been there. He reached for his clothes and pulled them on as fast as he could while the boat sounded its whistle again.
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