Just before Tag led her out of the room, she couldn’t resist a backward glance at Morgan Prescott. He was standing alone, staring at her with the oddest expression on his face. Some inner instinct told her she hadn’t seen the last of him. She would see him again—this she knew. Their paths would cross many times in the future. A shiver ran the length of Skyler’s body and she didn’t know if it was from delight or fear.
Chapter Nine
Danielle regained consciousness slowly. Her head was pounding painfully, and when she opened her eyes the sun was so bright, she quickly closed them again. As her memory slowly returned, she sat up looking about her fearfully. A hand tightened about her waist to still her struggling.
She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious, but it must have been several hours, because the sun was sinking in the west, and there was no sign of the river that ran beside the Blackfoot village.
The motion of the horse was making her feel sick at her stomach. Danielle clamped her mouth tightly together, hoping the sickness would pass. Fearfully glancing up at the man with the scarred face, she shivered uncontrollably.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that a second Indian had joined them. A choking sob escaped her lips as she felt terror encase her whole being. The Indian who held her tightly against him clamped his hand over her mouth, hissing what could only be a command to be silent.
“Why are you doing this?” she cried out after prying the man’s hands away from her mouth. “I don’t even know you. Let me go!”
As before, the man spoke harshly in her ear, and she felt renewed fear. Evidently he couldn’t speak English, and she knew very few words in Blackfoot.
Danielle felt tears of hopelessness sting her eyes. What did this Indian want with her? She tried not to think about what his intentions might be. Closing her eyes, she thought instead of her home back in Philadelphia, her father, Alexandria, and her brother. Would she ever see them again? Surely the Indian intended to kill her. Why else would he have taken her away by force?
Would her Uncle Windhawk come after her? Yes, he would come, but suppose he didn’t find out about her disappearance until it was too late.
The Indian shifted her weight, causing Danielle’s body to come back more firmly against his bare chest. She shuddered, not wanting to be in such intimate contact with the filthy savage. His chest was wet with sweat and again she felt her stomach churn.
A sob broke from her lips, and she felt her body begin to tremble. Uncle Windhawk, she prayed silently, come and get me! Please save me!
For some unknown reason Danielle wondered what Wolfrunner’s reaction would be when he found out she had been abducted. She remembered all the unkind words she had hurled at him and wished she could take them back.
Danielle’s fear seemed to make her mind clearer. Never had the sky looked so beautiful. Never had she wanted to live so desperately. As the sun sunk slowly in the west, she wondered if it was the last sunset she would ever see.
Sun Woman was worse, and Joanna feared Windhawk’s beloved mother wouldn’t last through the night. As she bathed the old woman’s forehead with cool water, she wondered where Danielle had disappeared. She had been irritated when she returned from berry picking and found Sun Woman alone. How could the girl be so thoughtless? Didn’t she care in the least that her own grandmother was dying?
Joanna was too angry to search for Danielle at the moment. Fearing she would say things to her niece in anger that she might regret later, she tried to put the incident out of her mind.
Sun Woman opened her eyes and looked at her daughter-in-law. “Joanna,” she said weakly. “I am so weary, my spirit longs for its release.”
“Do not say that, my mother. I am going to help you get better. I have made you some of the nice herb tea that you always liked.”
The old woman shook her head. “I have lived a full life, my daughter. You have brought joy into my life, but I want to walk with Morning Song. I will leave you before the sun makes its appearance for a new day.”
Joanna felt the tears gathering in her eyes. She dearly loved Windhawk’s mother and couldn’t bear to think of her dying. She remembered the woman her mother-in-law had once been. Sun Woman had been strong in word as well as deed. Joanna now realized how much she had come to depend on Sun Woman.
Gazing at the wrinkled face that was etched in pain, she felt as if her heart would break.
“Hush, my mother. You are but weak from the illness. When you are stronger you will forget that you said these words to me. Come, take a sip of the tea—it will make you feel much better.”
“No. I don’t want the tea. Where is my son?” Sun Woman asked, trying to rise. “I want to see him.”
“Windhawk rode out with the hunting party early this morning. I will send someone for him if it would make you feel better.”
“Yes, send for my son, Joanna. I also want to see all my grandchildren. Why is Sky Dancer not here?”
Joanna knew Sun Woman was not thinking clearly, or she would remember that Sky Dancer had gone to Philadelphia. “Don’t you remember, my mother, Sky Dancer is visiting with Tag and Alexandria.”
The old woman nodded. “Yes, that is so. Sky Dancer will weep when she learns of my passing. Tell her…tell her, that she was the joy of this old woman’s heart.”
It was becoming increasingly difficult for Joanna to hide her tears from Sun Woman. “You can tell Sky Dancer yourself when she comes home, my mother.”
Sun Woman sighed wearily. “Where is Danielle? I want to tell her something.”
Joanna felt her anger burn deep. Sun Woman loved Danielle so much and the girl hadn’t even given her a thought when she had left her alone. “I will send someone to find her, my mother. You try to rest now.”
Sun Woman closed her eyes. Time was slipping away as quickly as was her strength. She would meet Napi, the Great One, before the night was over. She would walk in the mountains with her beloved husband and daughter, and together the three of them would wait for the time when the rest of their family would join them. Her gnarled hands gripped the beaded necklace her husband had given her on their wedding day. A smile curved her lips as she drifted off to sleep.
Matoka, the medicine woman, touched Sun Woman’s forehead and shook her head sadly. “She grows weaker, Flaming Hair.”
Joanna leaned her head against the lodge pole. Her body shook from the deep sobs that she was trying to hold back. Suddenly strong arms went about her and she was turned against a hard chest.
Windhawk held his wife tightly, silently sharing her grief.
The sun had set and it was a bright moonlit night. Danielle wondered if they were ever going to stop riding. Even though she hated to be in such close contact with the Indian, she was weary, so she rested her head against his shoulder. She wished they would stop, and yet she feared that they might. As long as they were on horseback she was safe enough, she reasoned.
Danielle became aware that the second Indian was hanging back to cover up any tracks they might have left behind. Why were they taking such pains to cover their tracks, and what were their plans for her?
She could hear the steady heartbeat of the Indian who held her, and wondered if she dared try to question him again. Remembering his reaction when she tried to speak to him earlier, she decided to remain silent.
Her mind wandered back to the Blackfoot village, and to her ailing grandmother. Sun Woman should not have been left alone in her condition. What had her Aunt Joanna thought when she returned and found her missing? Did she think she was off somewhere pouting? She hoped her aunt would know her well enough to realize she would never leave someone in her grandmother’s condition alone.
Taking a deep breath, Danielle closed her eyes. For the first time in her life, she was in a situation that she could do nothing about. If she were to die, would her father not regret forcing her to leave her home to spend the summer with the Blackfoot?
It seemed every bone in her body ached, and her eyes burned wit
h unshed tears. Danielle was so frightened she didn’t know if she would be alive to see the sunrise the next morning. If she were going to die at the hands of these savages, she hoped that God in his infinite mercy would make it a quick and painless death.
The moon was high in the sky when the Indian halted his mount. Danielle had fallen asleep and hardly stirred as he handed her down to his companion before dismounting himself. She opened her eyes when the Indian set her on her feet, and in her sleep-drugged state, she clung to his arm.
Danielle came fully awake when the Indian who had abducted her began tying rawhide strips about her wrists and bound her to a tree. She was past feeling fear as she sank down to her knees and rested her head against the rough tree bark.
She couldn’t see the two men very clearly since a cloud had passed over the moon. Straining her eyes in the darkness she watched the Indian who had abducted her spread his blanket nearby and sit down upon it, while the other one led the horses away.
Danielle could feel the Indian’s eyes burning into her, and wondered why she sensed such hatred there.
The ground was hard and cold and she was hungry, thirsty, and tired, but she dared not complain. Silently she cried tears of self-pity, wondering how this nightmare was going to end. She expected the two Indians to pounce on her at any moment.
When the second Indian returned from tending the horses, he dropped down beside his friend. They didn’t light a fire and were no more than dark shadows as they talked together quietly. Danielle wished she could understand what they were saying so she might learn her fate.
Tense moments passed and she tried to work her hands free of the rawhide ropes which were cutting into her skin painfully.
Danielle’s eyes were fastened on the two men and she felt relief when one of them took his blanket and lay down, while the other rested his back against a tree. Apparently they feared pursuit, so one of them would sleep while the other stayed on guard.
Leaning her face against the tree trunk, she felt weary and drained—there wasn’t a place on her body which didn’t ache. With her hands tied about the trunk of the tree, she couldn’t lie down, but was forced to sit up in a most uncomfortable position. At last, too weary to think or reason, her eyes closed and she drifted into a troubled sleep.
Windhawk had sent runners out in every direction to try and find some sign of Danielle. By now, they had all reported back to him and none had found the slightest clue to her disappearance.
He turned troubled eyes on Joanna. “I do not understand this. Danielle would never have gone off on her own, she would be too afraid. How can a young girl just disappear without a trace?”
Joanna moved into her husband’s strong arms. “I don’t know, Windhawk, but I am concerned. It is dark and she must be very frightened.”
“Did you have the women search the village?” he asked, feeling uneasiness in his heart.
“Yes, I did, but she wasn’t found. What is so strange is that no one has seen her since she came with me to your mother’s tipi early this morning.”
Windhawk glanced over to the buffalo robe where his mother lay sleeping. “I must go and search for Danielle, and yet how can I leave my mother when she needs me?”
Joanna raised her face and her eyes were tear-bright. “I know this is tearing at you. I will go with you to search for Danielle. I am so frightened that something has happened to her. Tag trusted us to keep his daughter safe.”
Windhawk’s expression was grim as he crossed the tipi and knelt beside his mother. “You cannot leave my mother, Joanna. One of us must stay with her in her last hours. I fear she will not see the morning sun.” Joanna could hear the grief in Windhawk’s voice. She knew what it was costing him to leave Sun Woman at such a time.
Kneeling down beside him, she laid her head on his shoulder. “I will stay with Sun Woman and give her what comfort I can. Take heart in the fact that I will not leave her alone for a moment.”
Windhawk stood up and lifted Joanna to her feet. Leading her away from where his mother lay, he whispered in a pain-laced voice. “My heart is heavy, Joanna. I grieve for my mother’s passing and for the daughter of my dead sister. I can do nothing about my mother, but you have my word that if Danielle is alive I shall bring her back to you.”
Without another word, Windhawk swept out of the tipi. Joanna gripped her hands together tightly. Looking upward, she sent a silent message of prayer that this night would not end in two tragedies.
Kneeling down beside Sun Woman once more, she took the old woman’s hand in hers. She had loved this woman as a mother and a friend. She couldn’t bear to think that this woman who had been so vibrant and had wielded so much power and strength was nothing more than a wasted body—an empty shell. Her heart ached for Windhawk, knowing what he was feeling.
At that moment, the wrinkled old hand that Joanna held tightened and Sun Woman opened her eyes. “My…son…” she said in a weak voice. “I…must see Windhawk.”
Joanna jumped to her feet and ran out of the tipi, hoping she could catch Windhawk before he left the village. Seeing a group of mounted warriors in front of her lodge, she hurried toward them.
The men moved their horses aside to allow their chief’s wife to approach him. One look at his wife’s face, and Windhawk moved to her side. “What has happened? Has my mother—”
“No, not yet, my husband, but she is asking for you. I think you had better come at once.”
Hand in hand Windhawk and Joanna hurried to his mother’s tipi. Once inside Windhawk sat down by his mother and took her frail hand in his.
“I am here, my mother,” he said softly.
The tired old woman smiled. “I…feared I would walk in the spirit world without…saying what is on my mind…my son.”
“Don’t talk, my mother, save your strength,” Windhawk gently urged.
The dark eyes seemed to clear as Sun Woman stared at her son. “No, just listen…I have so much to say and such a short time to say it in.”
Windhawk nodded grimly, knowing he could not deny his mother her chance to speak her mind.
“I wanted to tell you, my son, not to grieve for me.” Her voice seemed to grow stronger as her eyes caressed Windhawk’s face lovingly. “No mother had a finer son than you. I have been well proud of you. You have led our people through many hard times, but I have seen a vision and I must tell you about it.”
Windhawk touched her face softly, knowing that when one saw a vision on his deathbed it came from the Great Father, Napi. “I am listening, my mother.”
“In the vision I have seen our people herded like cattle by the white men. I have seen women and children slaughtered as the white men take over our lands.”
Windhawk took a deep breath. This was nothing new to him. He knew the time would come when the Blackfoot would have to fight for their land to stop the encroaching white man.
“The Great Father has sent me a message from your father, Windhawk!” Sun Woman said excitedly. “Your father wants you to move our people into the Canadas so they will be safe. I know you, my son. You are a proud man and would never run from the white man, but you must promise me that you will consider what I have told you tonight.”
“I will think on what you have told me, my mother.”
Sun Woman’s eyes wandered past her son, to the white woman whom she loved as her own daughter. “I will not mind leaving you…my son. You…have this woman to take care of you. I…have loved you both so well.”
Joanna dropped down beside Sun Woman. “I have loved you, my mother. You have been my friend and have taught me many valuable lessons.”
Sun Woman smiled sadly. “You have also taught me many things…my daughter.” In that moment Sun Woman’s eyes seemed to cloud over and her slight body trembled.
“Do…not grieve for…me,” she whispered.
Joanna watched as the old woman’s eyes seemed to go blank, and she knew Sun Woman’s spirit had just flown to the sun. Tears spilled down Joanna’s face as Windhawk
turned to clasp her in his arms. Their tears mingled as they both looked on the face of the woman who had given them so much.
After a long moment of silence, Windhawk stood. Joanna knew inside he was grieving, but he must show a strong face to his people. She knew he would cry no more tears, and no one but her would ever see his weakness.
“I must go and search for Danielle,” he said in a deep voice as if he were dazed by what had just happened. “Look after my mother,” he said, turning away.
Joanna did not watch Windhawk leave the tipi. Her grief was so deep she had been trying to hold it in until he left. Deep broken sobs issued from her throat as she took Sun Woman’s still warm hand and raised it to her lips.
By now others had heard of Sun Woman’s death and had gathered outside the tipi. Joanna heard Windhawk and his warriors ride away, and she stood up, knowing there was much to do. She had the heartbreaking task of directing the building of a scaffold which would be Sun Woman’s final resting place, and her gateway to the sky. Sun Woman had been much loved and the moans of the death chant reached Joanna’s ears.
Several women entered the tipi weeping loudly. Matoka, the medicine woman, came to help Joanna dress Sun Woman in her best doeskin gown.
Touching the old woman’s face, Joanna closed Sun Woman’s eyes. She whispered, “Rest easy, my mother—I have loved you well.”
Chapter Ten
Skyler slowly slipped into her life in Philadelphia. Since the ball she had attended several teas and luncheons. She found the people she met to be warm and friendly. They were curious about her background, but she managed to tell them very little about herself.
She did make one good friend. Priscilla Wendham was Skyler’s age and lived in the house next door. The two of them seemed to talk easily, and Skyler found that Priscilla had a sweet and generous nature.
Alexandria was often ill. Her pregnancy didn’t seem to be going well, and as a result it gave Skyler an excuse to turn down many dinner invitations to stay home and look after her aunt.
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