by Karen Kay
Kristina was obliged to follow the zigzag paths of the buffalo. She weaved through the tall prairie grass, which stood higher than her horse’s back, and unless she stood in her stirrups, she could not see over the top of the grass.
But the grass was green. It was not the great fire hazard that the dried bluffs had become. Tall prickly flowers and wild pea vines tore at her riding habit and the sun beat down upon her bare head, for her hat had blown away when she had first entered the prairie. Her progress was impeded by these conditions, and Kristina began to worry that she would not see the blue ridge before sundown. Having laid her course, though, she kept onward.
The wind swept up behind her. Kristina twisted in the saddle to scan the horizon behind her, but she saw nothing.
She urged her mount into a quickened pace. She didn’t like this. The wind seemed to blow up out of nowhere.
Briefly the warning she’d received both from Julia and Tahiska leapt into her thoughts. Nervously she kicked her mount, pressing him on to a swift run.
The wind increased; an eagle soared by, its screams alerting her to a danger she could not comprehend.
Kristina peered over her shoulder. Where only a moment ago it had been clear, a black cloud now rose behind her. She could hear the distant roar. How could this have happened? She bit down the panic and straightened in her stirrups, gaping at the ridge ahead of her. It no longer appeared blue. She could now make out its distinct shapes and colors, its browns and greens telling her she was close by. Could she make it there in time?
“C’mon, boy,” she said to her mount. “There is no turning back.”
The wind blew by her, bending the grass into a waving ocean of green. An antelope overtook them. The sun no longer beat down on her from overhead, and a great shadow rapidly advanced.
She spurred her horse to sprint through the tall grasses, but her situation was impossible. The tall grasses did not permit a direct run, and Kristina was so panicked, she could not guide her horse through the weaving trails.
She could smell the raging fire. She knew it was close, but she didn’t dare look back. There was no time to think.
Her eyes stung. She coughed. The dense column of smoke swept before her. She spurred her horse, but the animal was terrified and rearing before the savage storm of fire; the pony refused to move.
She could feel the heat of the blaze. She thought of Tahiska and his warning, despairing to think she would never feel the touch of his kiss again.
She gave her mount one last swift kick, but the animal simply swung in circles. She gave a piercing yell at her own stupidity and bad luck. Then cursing herself, she cried.
Tahiska stood on a tall bluff. He was enjoying a fine sport. The burning bluffs were driving the wild birds out of their hiding places. As long as he kept slightly ahead of the blaze, he could shoot as many as five or six of these birds at a time.
He gathered up his kill and stood upon the edge of the bluff gazing down at the tall prairie grass. The day was dry, the sun hot. To travel through the land beneath him at this time of year was to court disaster. Already he could see the beginnings of the fire storm. A small cloud of smoke was forming just above the prairie, where the fire had started. In a matter of minutes, it would sweep over these plains as far as his eye could see.
Already the wild eagle flew to the very bluff on which he stood. Soon, very soon, the fire would roll by this bluff, leaving destruction wherever it touched.
His eyes detected the movement of a lone horseman within the prairie itself. Tahiska snorted. Who would be foolhardy enough to test the Fire Spirit at this time of year? Such stupidity deserved its own fate.
He clicked, signaling his pony to his side. Gathering his game, he jumped onto the horse’s back. He snatched up the rope that he used as a bridle and gave one last glance at the impossible situation of the rider challenging the wrath of the Fire Spirit. His attention was rapt. There was a familiarity about the rider. But at this distance it was impossible to note specific features. He sat forward and peered over the plains. The sunlight caught the highlights of the rider’s, hair. It was golden. As pure and sweet as honey.
Tahiska froze. He could have been suspended in time. It was Kristina!
His game forgotten, Tahiska urged his pony down the bluff, the animal bounding into the tall grasses as though sharing its master’s raw fear. His pony was swift, but was it swift enough? Or would his mount freeze in terror when the Fire Spirit howled and loomed closer?
He directed the pony into wild leaps, not bothering to follow the beaten buffalo paths. He saw the swift jack rabbit flying past him. The wild animals fled toward him and swept on by.
The prairie was endless, the grass too high. Although he had calculated his direction to intersect with Kristina, he could miss her and never know it.
Occasionally the fantastic leaps of his horse gave him the opportunity to ensure his direction, but he bore on, more from instinct than actual sight. He could smell the fire; ahead he could see the billows of smoke. Even if he found Kristina, could he outdistance the pace of the fire?
He knew she was close, but he could not see her. And he could sense his pony’s mounting tension. Would he perish here, never to see Kristina again?
He would not allow it. The Fire Spirit could not have her.
He heard a yell and tore toward it.
He could see her. Her horse refused to run. The animal was terrified.
Tahiska leaped to her side.
“Move!” he howled at the animal. He tore some long grass and used it as a whip. He grabbed the reins, but the animal bucked. He could hear the thunder of the raging fire. Without another thought, he swooped Kristina off her mount, depositing her before him. Kicking his own mount, he hurled the animal forward.
The grass billowed around them as they burst through its long treachery. His pony was swift and, using the grass he had plucked as a whip, they shot ahead only seconds before the tempest.
Over the plains they flew, his pony’s legs as fleet as the antelope. And in this fight for life it was Tahiska’s muscle and tenacity that hurled them toward the bluff. They scaled it just seconds before the fury of the Fire Spirit swept over their path.
The cloud of black smoke roared on down the prairie beneath them, leaving nothing but desolation and terror behind.
The pony stood still. Tahiska drew in breath and tried to calm himself. He had never known terror before. He knew it now. He pressed his forehead against Kristina’s shoulder and drew her close to his breast. He had almost lost her.
Nothing, not the Fire Spirit, not his own battle for life had frightened him. But the threat of her loss had made him tremble with fear.
He held her close. He could not let go until he was certain she was really here with him, alive and warm. He didn’t know there were tears streaming over his face. And if he had, he wouldn’t have cared. The only thing of importance was that he held Kristina safely in his arms.
“Kristina!” He hugged her to him as though she might suddenly disappear.
She turned in her seating to face him, pulling one of her legs over and around the horse. In such a position she sat with her legs spread around his.
Tears streamed down her face. It tore at him.
Suddenly it was all too much. He was ready for her and pulling at her clothes and at his, he set her down upon him.
For weeks, months he had wanted her. He had thought of nothing but her this past month. And now he had almost lost her. There was no preamble. There was no foreplay. He wanted her and he wanted her now. They came together in wild splendor, their breathing mingled with the wind, their moans lost in the soft sighs of the breeze. They gave to one another and they took. And when at last they were spent, their spirits soared over the vast expanses of the prairie.
They were alone upon the land, a small speck upon a high prairie bluff. And yet their love was bigger and was more than the majestic and endless horizon. They had each other.
Chapter Fifteen
The prairie wind had died. Yet what was left of the breeze ruffled the golden and blue-black hair, twisting it together until it formed one multicolored mass. The two figures hadn’t moved in a long while, their limbs still entwined. The pony beneath them, seeming to sense his master’s emotional state, stood still.
Perhaps it was for minutes only that they sat embraced, perhaps it was hours. The exact time was not important, their need for each other was.
They drew strength from each other. Neither was in a hurry to end the tender contact, the simple touch reassuring the other that both were, in fact, still alive.
If the sun was slightly lower in the sky when they at last drew apart, neither seemed to notice. Tahiska fixed Kristina’s position in front of him so that she sat against him side saddle. But he wouldn’t allow her too far out of his embrace. He brought her back to him and hugged her tightly. He ran his hands through her hair, awed by the sparkling flecks of gold that shone in it. It had been these highlights that had drawn his eye to her upon the prairie. He shuddered to think what could have happened if he had not taken a second look at the lone rider.
“Kristina,” he uttered, his voice a hoarse whisper. His hands touched her everywhere. There was a mist in his eyes blurring his vision, and his breath caught twice before he was able to inhale deeply. He had stolen her from the Fire Spirit. And he would brave anyone or anything to keep her. “I claim you, Kristina, for all my life,” he whispered half to himself, half to the wind.
He pulled her even closer into his embrace. He could feel her tears upon his breast, and as he inhaled her sweet scent, he knew that he would challenge even the universe to keep her with him. It was a sobering thought, and sighing, he rested his chin upon the top of her head and closed his eyes.
The sun was much lower in the sky when at length he clicked his tongue, and urged his pony into motion.
Kristina’s shock took the form of grief. She stared straight ahead as Tahiska guided the pony, and the tears fell freely down her cheeks. She was overwhelmingly aware that her actions could have caused both their deaths. But it was not for the threat to her own life that she wept. She valued her husband’s life more than her own. Had he perished…
She shivered and snuggled further into Tahiska’s arms. His presence behind her comforted her. He was alive! They were both alive. His flesh beneath her acted like a salve and as the tears continued to fall, she slowly came back to life.
Tahiska guided them to a spot where tall grasses grew in profusion around a rushing stream. Hidden from the casual view, it was a safe refuge, yet his eye scanned the prairie for any signs of an enemy.
As he drew the horse beneath the cottonwoods, he jumped from the animal and hobbled it before helping Kristina dismount. Placing his finger over his lips, he asked for her silence. Then turning around, he stole swiftly away.
Assured this place was safe, he returned to Kristina’s side.
“I am sorry,” he voiced as he led her toward the stream. “I wish I could have saved your horse. But there was no time.”
“I know. Do not speak of it.” Kristina stopped and turning, placed her fingers over Tahiska’s lips. He was sure she meant it as a simple gesture, but it didn’t matter. He burned at the contact.
“I love you,” she continued. “I know I have caused you trouble. I owe my life to you and yet, I can’t be sorry. I have missed you.”
Tahiska swallowed hard, capturing her hand. “And I have missed you.”
“Why have you stayed away?”
“Is it not what you wanted? Haven’t you been embarrassed by my presence at the fort?”
Kristina gasped. “I did not wish to be parted from you.”
“Then you will come with me when I return to my people?”
“I…I am…”
He placed a finger over her lips, then said, “Don’t speak it. Let us leave these things unspoken for now.” He placed her hand to his heart. “Do you feel how my heart races whenever you are near? You are with me here. And I know it will be like this forever. Whatever you decide, this will never change.”
Their gazes met and held. For the moment, no words needed to be voiced. Gingerly, Tahiska brushed his fingers over her cheek, trailing a path to her neck.
“Was I too rough?”
Kristina smiled up into his eyes. “If you were, then so was I.”
Tahiska returned her grin, and they stood smiling at one another for a very long time.
“Come,” he said at last, laying his cheek against her hair. “We both are blackened from the smoke.”
He glided his finger down her nose, then showed her the ash upon his finger. He smiled. “I will wash you.”
Kristina trembled. Pulling back slightly, she gazed up at him. “Why are you not angry with me? Haven’t I disobeyed you?”
Tahiska hesitated. And taking her hand in his, he kissed each of her fingertips.
It was a good question, and Tahiska was pleased that his wife showed the courage to ask it, risking his wrath. He smiled.
“You are brave for a woman. Your question makes me remember that I forbid you to come onto the prairie.” As he spoke, he felt at her back for the buttons which fastened her dress. “But I have missed you too much to be angry. Besides, how can I criticize when you did as I would have done? I find I can only admire you, for your courage is great.” Tahiska released each button, letting the dress fall to the ground. “In truth, I only feel joy. We are together. It is enough.”
Kristina stood before him, naked. She wore no undergarments. She also shivered. But Tahiska barely noticed. His gaze clung to her every curve. “Did you dress like this for me?”
Shyly Kristina nodded.
Tahiska inhaled deeply as passion consumed him. He shut his eyes and shuddered, but it was no use. He couldn’t dampen his desire. He wanted her more now than he had ever wanted anything.
He scooped her into his arms, not relinquishing his hold until he had waded waist deep in water. Only then did he set her onto her feet in front of him.
“When I saw you on the prairie before the fire,” he said as he rubbed clean sand over her arms, “I thought I would die. I shed many lives, I think, before I found you there.”
Gently he scrubbed sand over her face. And as he kissed each part of her where his fingers had washed, he asked, “You were searching for me in the prairie?”
“Yes.” Kristina’s voice was little more than a moan. She arched her neck toward him, her action inviting him to kiss her further down.
He gladly obliged, scrubbing the area she offered with the cleansing sand. And where his fingers bathed her, his lips followed.
“Did you think I would be in the tall grass this time of year?”
“No,” Kristina moaned as he moistened her breasts with water, always trailing his touch with kisses. “I saw a reflection on this very ridge where we are. I thought it was you here. I came to see you. I waited for you at the fort, but I could wait no longer. I longed for you.”
Tahiska nodded, registering her words, but also that somewhere on this elevation in the plains there was other human life, for there was nothing he possessed that would reflect the sun. Yet, he didn’t worry. This place where they were was hidden. He felt no urgent need to leave.
He nudged Kristina onto the shallow bank of the stream, where the water only reached midway to her knees. Grabbing a handful of sand, he murmured, “It is my fault. I should have come to the fort sooner, but how could I come when I had no presents to offer?” He spread the sand over her belly and buttocks. “I was shooting game here. It was to be a present for you and for all at the fort. I could think of no other way to give you something without drawing attention to my love for you.” He rinsed her stomach, and kneeling before her, he licked her navel.
He wanted to please her, but more than that, he wanted to mark her as his own. He had saved her from the Fire Spirit. He loved her. He had given her life back to her. She was his now as surely as the flower grows in spring, and he inten
ded that after this day, Kristina would know that they were truly married.
He put his fingers over her mound at the junction of her legs as though by this action, he possessed her. Kneeling before her, he knew he would kiss her there, too. It would tie her to him. And this was more precious to him than any sort of Indian wealth.
Yes, Tahiska thought, before this day was out, she would be his.
Kristina was almost out of control. Every time he touched her, his caress created more warmth, more desire. These were heady sensations he was bestowing upon her and she realized with some surprise that she was aching for his love yet again.
“Tahiska,” she said, “what are you doing to me?”
Scooping another handful of sand, he rose to stand before her. He grinned down at her.
“I am washing the soot from your skin. Do you wish to remain dirty?”
She knew he had deliberately misunderstood, but she was beyond taking him to task. She was alive with need.
He spread her legs then and washed her. He stared down at her and frowned. “There are some pleasures, Kristina, you do not know. I think it is too soon yet to show you these joys, only I find I cannot wait. I almost lost you today. I wish to know you, Kristina, all of you. I would have the complete memory of you with me.”
Bringing her to her knees, he washed her legs, her thighs, all of her. Then he pushed her onto her back along the water. He rinsed, he felt, and where he touched his lips soon followed.
The sensations were erotic and Kristina was powerless in his embrace.
Nevertheless when he headed for her, she kept her legs firmly closed. “Tahiska?” Deeply embarrassed, Kristina grabbed a handful of his long hair. “I don’t understand. I am shy.”
“Do you not trust me? Do you think I would see something or feel something to drive me away from you? I would not.” He touched her there. “I wish to know you completely, Kristina. I need to know all of you. I would have the memory.”
