by D. B. Silvis
“Lupan!” gasped Killian.
Lupan bared his white teeth. “Yes it’s me, Taglito Silaada,” he hissed. “After all these years, and now I have you.”
Killian tried to rise, but Lupan jabbed the bayonet into his stomach. He fell back. He could feel the pain of the bayonet as well as that of his other wounds, which were beginning to heal. He could also see the wounds of the two Navajo’s were healing with similar speed.
Lupan snarled as he twisted the bayonet in Killian’s gut, and then turned to his fellow Blue.
“Narvezgane, pick up that flamethrower, It’s time we put an end to this red-bearded soldier’s life. He has lived too long.” Lupan threw back his head and laughed.
Narvezgane turned and approached a dead soldier lying on the ground, who had been holding a flamethrower. But he was startled; when he saw a woman pick up the flamethrower, and point it at him. As the reporter, Dolly Blue stood facing Narvezgane she transformed into a tall, long-haired Navajo Indian woman. Narvezgane stopped and stared at her.
Lupan looked over, equally shocked at the woman’s transformation. “Doli, it is you!” He hesitated, as though incapable of believing what he was seeing. “Look,” he shouted, pointing at Killian, “We have the evil Taglito Silaada, who has killed so many of our people! Set him on fire, Doli, send him to his death!”
Killian lay stunned as he watched Dolly Blue, or Doli, whom he had thought dead, standing before Narvezgane, transformed into a Navajo Indian woman. He stared at her in disbelief.
“No!” the woman shouted back at Lupan. “It is you and Narvezgane, who are murdering monsters that need to die. Lupan, you are both evil Navajo Blue Warriors. Years ago you murdered my parents and my older brother because they would not join you. I have been looking for you these many years!”
“Get her, Narvezgane!” yelled Lupan.
Narvezgane started to move toward her. She pulled the trigger on the flamethrower, and the Blue Warrior was instantly set ablaze. He screamed as he was set on fire. He turned into a wolf standing on its hind legs. He howled, and then there was a bright flash of blue light, followed by a ribbon of blue-white smoke that ascended up into the sky.
As soon as Doli set Narvezgane ablaze, Lupan sprinted for the tunnel opening, and dove in. Doli started to go after him.
Killian sat up and shouted at her. “No, it’s no use! He’s gone; it would be too dangerous for you in the tunnels.”
“I can’t let him get away.”
“It’s no use. By now Lupan has transformed back into a Viet Cong. You’d never find him.”
Doli halted and came back to him. “Are you going to be alright?” she asked.
Killian gave her a pained smile. “The stomach wound is the worse, but they’re all healing.”
Doli dropped the flamethrower to the ground, and knelt next to him.
“I have been following you, Killian. I was sure you’d lead me to Lupan. Now I’ve let him get away. I’m angry about not killing him.”
“You saved my life. Someday we’ll find Lupan, and end his evil.”
She nodded. Doli stood up and looked around at the bodies of the Viet Cong, and the American soldiers.
“I’m going to see if any members of the patrol are still alive, but I don’t think so. I know Narvezgane and Lupan would have killed any soldiers who were still living.”
Killian started to get up.
“No, you heal. I’ll be back in a minute.”
She walked away as Killian lay back in the grass, letting his wounds painfully heal.
Minutes later she returned. She stood looking down at Killian and shook her head.
“They’re all dead, even Lieutenant Jamison.”
“When the Viet Cong stage an ambush, they always send two or three men out front,” Killian told her. “Their job is to destroy the radio, and kill the radio operator so neither he nor the officer in charge can call for help. The lieutenant and the scout were the first to die.”
Doli sat down next to Killian. He shot her a puzzled look.
“I wonder why I didn’t know you were a Blue. In the past, I’ve always known when another Blue was nearby.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman.”
Killian smiled. “It could be. I’ve never encountered a female Blue before.”
For a few moments there was an awkward silence.
“Doli, how did you know I was a Blue, and might lead you to Lupan?” Killian asked.
“I was able to sense it, plus I knew Taglito Silaada was a tall white man with red hair and beard. You were looking for Lupan, as he was for you.”
“I guess I’m easy to spot.”
“You are.”
Killian stood up and stretched stiffly. “These are the worse wounds I’ve ever suffered.”
“Are you healed now?” she asked.
“There’s still some pain. But I’m okay. How about you? I saw you take two hits to the chest.”
“I’m fine, totally healed. The wounds were small.”
Killian stood looking at the field of carnage. “The rules of engagement state that the dead are never left behind. They’re to be extricated to the nearest safe ground, if humanly possible. This is an impossible situation. The only thing we can do is to remove their dog tags, and return them to headquarters.”
One by one Killian carried the dead American soldiers to a collection point, which was next to the body of Lieutenant Jamison. Doli collected all the dog tags.
When they’d finished Doli looked at Killian. “How do we explain our not being killed or wounded?
“I’ve been thinking about what to tell them at headquarters.”
“And…”
“You stepped in a hole and sprained your ankle.”
“I did?”
“Yes, and I stayed to help you. We fell back a few hundred yards behind the patrol. We heard the firefight begin, but by the time I caught up to the battle the slaughter was over. Everyone was dead. Maybe some of the gooks retreated back into the tunnel.”
“Will headquarters buy it?”
“I believe so. It’s well known the Viet Cong like quick ambushes and battles. They strike and run. This time they killed the entire platoon.”
“Yes, it makes sense.” Doli thought for a moment. “Why’d you stop me from going into the tunnel? I might have found Lupan. The VC couldn’t kill me.”
“I told you, it was dangerous. It would have also been futile. The VC has built an enormous system of underground tunnels. They’re not just concealment shelters, but fighting bases to provide troop support, plus,” he smiled, “you’d never fit into the tunnel; you’re too big.”
Doli shot him a kiss-my-ass look.
“The Viet Cong force the villagers to build the tunnels low and narrow, so only people of their stature can move through them,” Killian explained. “Our soldiers call them ‘spider holes’. Most westerners are too large to move through them.”
“I could have transformed.”
“Yes, but still it would have been too dangerous.”
“She nodded. God, this is a weird war, Killian. We’re not only fighting in the sky and on land, but underground as well.”
As they walked back toward their base camp, Doli morphed back into Dolly Blue.
“Damn, that’s it,” said Killian.
“What?”
Killian grinned. “I just figured out your name, Dolly Blue. Doli is the Navajo word for ‘bluebird’. Doli Bluebird is Dolly Blue.”
“Took you long enough to figure it out, smart guy.”
A little over an hour later they were outside their base camp.
“What now, Killian? We can’t walk in looking like this.”
“I think we can make it to our tents unseen and change clothes. Later, you go see the medics and have your ankle treated. I’ll report to Captain Wheeler, and give him these dog tags.”
“That’s your plan?”
“It’s the best I’ve got.”
“Remember to limp,” said Killian.
Captain Wheeler accepted Killian’s report. His face was as pale as death as he looked at the pile of dog tags on his desk. He fumbled through them and held up Lieutenant Jamison’s tag.
“Jamison was only a kid.” He looked at Killian. “For Christ sake, they were all baby-faced kids.”
The Captain arranged for copters to go in and evacuate the bodies of his men.
Later in the evening, after Doli had submitted her story of the day’s events to her newspaper, she and Killian went to the Caraville Hotel. As soon as they reached the rooftop lounge, they were joined by Ellen Devoe and other reporters eager to hear about their tragic day. Dolly sat with her well-wrapped left ankle resting on a chair seat, answering questions. As Killian watched, and occasionally answered a question, he made the decision to go back to the States.
After leaving the hotel bar, and while returning to the base camp, he and Doli discussed his decision. She didn’t like the war any more than he did. Doli, however, wanted to pursue Lupan.
“Doli, I understand your feelings. I want to find Lupan as much as you do. But this isn’t the place. He’s joined the Viet Cong, and is living in the tunnels, which are long and complex. They weave hundreds of miles between dozens of villages. This is now his territory, he knows it well, and we don’t. It could be months or years before we’d find him again, or maybe never.”
“I’ve been looking for him for a hundred years. What’s a few more, Killian?”
He grinned. “So have I, but I’m going to be patient. He’ll come back to the United States someday.”
Doli didn’t say anything.
“I’m going to check and see what time I can get a flight back to the States. If you change your mind, let me know.”
The next morning Killian met with Captain Wheeler. He informed him he’d had enough of Vietnam, and intended to catch an afternoon plane for the United States. The captain understood. The two men embraced and wished each other well.
When Killian exited the captain’s tent, Doli was waiting for him.
“Do you think you could help me with this luggage?” she asked.
Killian smiled, picked up her suitcase, and they headed to the airport.
CHAPTER 19
On the plane, Killian told Doli the story of how he’d become a Blue, of his being in the military, and of serving during the Civil War. He told her about his ranch in El Paso, about meeting his best friend Kipling Smith, and about Zack Smith’s ranch in Virginia. He also told Doli how he had gone after Lupan when he took to killing the despicable people in charge of the Indian boarding schools, and of his later involvement with the team investigating the CIA, and the Mafia’s connection to that organization. He finished by telling her about Vietnam, and the death of his friend Connor Boyle.
He leaned back in his seat as if exhausted by telling her what had passed in his life over the past one hundred years. Doli didn’t say anything for over a minute, and then took his hand in hers.
“Killian, we were close to one another when you became a Blue. I was a young girl in a Navajo village near Canyon de Chelly and Fort Defiance. My father, Chief Bidziil, was known, in name, to the soldiers at Fort Defiance as, ‘He is Strong’; he welcomed the Sky People and their Star Warriors. When you and your friend saw the metal bird landing in our village, it was the beginning of the ceremony the Star Warriors preformed to make me, and others, a Blue. I was twelve years old and known as Princess Doli. Back then, the Star Warriors were our teachers. They taught us many things about life and the future.”
“A princess?” asked Killian.
Doli smiled. “Not here, but back at the Navajo reservation, I am.”
They sat in companionable silence for a few moments.
“Do the Star Warriors still come to your village?”
“They came a few times after you saw them, but in 1864, when I was sixteen, the beligaana led by a Colonel ‘Kit’ Carson began a campaign against the Navajo nation in the sacred Canyon de Chelly and surrounding area.”
“‘Beligaana’ meaning white men?” asked Killian.
“Yes.”
“The United States was wrong to do that, Doli.”
“It was horrible, Killian. I can remember it like it was yesterday. The troopers stormed our village. They rousted the people out and burned everything, including our food. They slaughtered all of our animals. Lupan and a small band of our people found a freshwater spring, in the canyon behind Navajo Mountain, and were able to escape. The rest of our nation, including Chief Manuelito and others of our winemas,” she hesitated, “I mean, chiefs, were imprisoned, and forced on a grueling three-hundred mile march across New Mexico. When we arrived, the men were forced to mold adobes and build Fort Summer. It became a military fort, which was used for the internment of my people. We weren’t given any wood for fires; the water was bitter and foul tasting; and the soil wasn’t any good for growing corn. We were starving. Many people became ill and many died.”
“I heard the story while fighting the Confederates in the South. I was saddened by what I heard.”
For a few moments Doli sat looking out the window. She sighed heavily before continuing. “I was taken from my family, and put into a boarding school run by missionaries and matrons.” Again she looked out the small airplane window, deep in thought.
“Did you spend many years in the boarding school?”
Doli turned back to him. “No. On the third day the headmaster, who was an older missionary, took me into his office. I thought he just wanted to talk to me. However, he had something else on his mind. He told me to sit on the old brown leather couch and take off my clothes. I stared at him; I couldn’t believe what he was ordering me to do. Again, he told me to disrobe. I shook my head ‘no’. He slapped me hard across the face, and yelled for me to get naked. I refused. He fell on top of me and began ripping off my clothes. Then I did two things I had never done before. I transformed into one of the big, heavy-set matrons. He was shocked, sat up, and fell off the couch. I had become enraged and grabbed him by the throat. I choked him. As he struggled, I could see his eyes staring at me, but I continued to tighten my grip. He slumped to the floor, dead. My whole body was shaking, I began to cry. I stood up and walked around the office. I didn’t know what to do. I looked at him lying on the floor, his open eyes staring toward the ceiling. I left the office. No one paid any attention to the stout matron, who hurried down the dimly lit hallway and out the front door.”
Killian nodded. He noticed the tension in her body and voice.
Doli continued her story. “Then I went back to our adobe, in the compound, to live with my parents and older brother. The military and school officials came looking for me, but each time they came to our adobe, I’d transform into an old lady. Other times, over the next few months, I would transform into a matron again, and help children escape from the boarding school.”
Killian reached over and patted her hands.
“One day,” she continued, “when I came home I found that my father and brother had been killed, and my mother had been badly beaten. She was being cared for by an older Navajo woman.”
“Was it he military?”
“No. They had been stabbed to death by Lupan and the other Blue Warriors who traveled with him.”
“Why?” asked Killian. “Why would they do that?”
“They were forcing Blues and others to join them in the killing of the beligaanas. As chief of his people, my father had resisted Lupan.”
“Lupan is evil. He himself needs to die, and I promise you, Doli, I will kill him.”
Doli nodded in agreement. “I stayed with my mother until she recovered, and then I went looking for Lupan and his followers.”
“Did you ever catch up with him?”
“Yes. It was while he was attacking and killing Indian boarding school Christian missionaries, matrons, priests and nuns i
n the Dakotas. I hated Lupan, but I agreed with what he and his men were doing. So I joined them.”
Again she fell silent and looked out the window.
“And?” prompted Killian.
“And I traveled with them until they went to a school in New Mexico, run by strict Presbyterians, the same one you mentioned. At that time, Killian, you and I were close to one another.” She looked at him. “Then I left the group for two reasons. The first was that I received word my mother was ill. The second was Lupan’s insistence that I sleep with him.”
She clenched her fists. Killian could see the whiteness of her knuckles; he started to reach over to her, but stopped himself.
“I gave serious thought about going to bed with him,” Doli confessed. “I had a white phosphorus grenade. My plan was to pull the pin while we lay together. I knew we’d both die a fiery death. However, I couldn’t go through with it. I hated the thought of his touching me. I needed to go home to my ailing mother, and I didn’t want to die.”
She started to cry. Killian put his arm around her. They sat quietly until she looked up at him.
“During my travels I heard about you, and I tried to find you, Killian. I knew we had a similar goal.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “I didn’t realize it would take me over a hundred years, Taglito Silaada.”
“I wish you had found me earlier,” said Killian. He leaned over and kissed her.
Doli rested her head on his shoulder. They were both absorbed in their thoughts of the past.
After the airplane landed at National Airport, and they entered the terminal, Doli went into the restroom. When she came out she was Dolly Blue no longer, but Doli.
Killian grinned. “Hello, princess.”
She smiled and kissed him.
Killian had called Kip before he knew Doli would be joining him on his return to the States. He had asked his friend to meet him at the luggage pickup area. When he and Doli came down the escalator, Killian spotted Kip and Maggie looking up toward him. They waved. He returned the wave and purposely put his arm around Doli’s shoulders. He grinned as he saw the expression on their faces. Doli and Killian stepped off the escalator and walked over to Kip and Maggie, who were both smiling. Killian knew they must be surprised to see him with this beautiful stranger.
