It was nearing one o’clock in the morning when the united tribes began to creep toward the sleeping camp. The guards were quickly and silently slain, then the sleeping soldiers were attacked without warning, for the Indians’ plan was clever and their skills were superior.
Silver Hawk sneaked to where Medicine Bear was waiting with the horses, for the Blackfeet chief wanted to view this stunning defeat, but was too old to participate in a sneak raid of such importance. The chief’s mind was distracted by the talk he had had with Singing Wind earlier that day, when she had confessed her love for Sun Cloud. He had reminded her of her duty and of Bright Arrow’s claim on her. Then she had warned him that evil was in their camp and to watch his life carefully. He envisioned a terrible rivalry between the two Oglala brothers, for the chiefs bonnet and the same woman. He decided it was best to end this matter quickly, perhaps by giving Singing Wind to another man.
A warrior sneaked over to join him, and he smiled at Silver Hawk. Then, he saw the white man’s gun in the young warrior’s hand, pointing at him. He read the evil intent in Silver Hawk’s eyes, but it was too late to defend himself or to call for help. Guns were firing as the soldiers scrambled for their weapons, so Silver Hawk’s attack went unnoticed. He shoved the barrel against the old man’s heart and fired. Medicine Bear sank to the ground, dead. Silver Hawk grinned wickedly, then flung the gun into the concealing bushes. He cleverly did not drag a soldier’s body over and try to claim he had slain the bluecoat after the foe had slain their chief. Instead, he stealthily returned to the battlefield and made his presence known with a vengeance. He fought with sheer ecstasy, knowing he would become chief before dawn.
The assault finally ended, and no soldier was left alive. Their bodies were loaded on horses, to be dumped near the fort as a warning and a taunt. The weapons and supplies were stolen so they could not be retrieved and used against them another day. Soon, the signal was given, and all learned of Medicine Bear’s fatal wound. The Blackfeet warriors gathered around Silver Hawk and declared him chief on the spot.
Bright Arrow had been annoyed to find more than half of the soldiers were gone, but it had assured their victory. He checked each dead man to make certain
Moore was not among them, and was pleased to make this discovery, for he wanted Moore to himself. As he watched Silver Hawk’s vision come to pass, he smiled in relief, deciding there must be truth to it, for Silver Hawk was not responsible for this great victory which Mind-who-Roams had foretold or for the death which made him chief as they had both foreseen. He went to congratulate his friend.
Sun Cloud looked at Soul-of-Thunder whom he had guarded that night and murmured, “It is good you put your claim on Tashina before this event. I do not know how he did this thing, but he killed Medicine Bear; I am sure of it. Join her quickly and guard both your lives well.”
That next morning at the fort, a grim sight was exposed by the morning light. The Indians had traveled like a wildfire to display their victory as soon as possible, to terrify the soldiers, and to hold them still for a time while they hunted and prepared for the next battle.
General Cooper stared at the antagonistic sight, gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes as his rage mounted. This was more than a bloody challenge to him. He vowed he would slay ten Indians for every soldier who lay dead outside the fort. He turned to the man beside him and accused, “This is your doing, Butler. You were told not to rile them. I promise you, you’ll be in the front line when we ride against them. I hope they cut out your heart and feed it to you. You aren’t worth even one of those dead men.”
“I told you they were provoking us, General,” Butler debated. He did not know what to do now that Smith and Rochelle were dead and he was standing alone against this formidable foe in blue and yellow.
“Provoking you, my ass,” Cooper sneered frostily. “This is the work of Gray Eagle; he can’t be dead. Nobody else could band these redskins together and pull off a clever attack like this.”
“Sun Cloud could, and probably did,” Butler refuted as respectfully as possible. “What are we going to do now?” he asked.
“We?” Cooper echoed sarcastically. “I’m going to kill the bastards.”
“What about Colonel Sturgis? Maybe he could settle them down.”
“There won’t be any savages left by the time he gets here. Send a detail after that James Murdock. I have a plan in mind.”
“He’s done said he won’t help us, sir.”
“He won’t have a choice; it’s help us or lose his damn hide!” Cooper stared at the figure in the distance. “What the hell is that?”
The men were gathering around and gaping at the lone rider who was poised on a small knoll within sight, but not gun range, of the fort.
Butler felt damp and trembly. He called to the sentry to toss down his field glasses. He stared through them and inhaled sharply. “Lord, help us, it’s the Eagle himself,” he spouted nervously.
Cooper yanked the field glasses from Butler’s shaky hands and looked through them. The rider’s face was masked with yellow warpaint, in sunny dots and strips. He was wearing a Sioux chiefs bonnet. The shield in his grasp displayed the Shooting Star design, which had to be earned. He was sitting astride a cloud white horse. An eagle amulet was around his neck. The warrior dropped something to the ground, then vanished from sight into the forest. The brave who was flattened against the ground and brushing away their tracks could not be seen due to the lay of the land. “Fetch that message, Butler.”
“Are you crazy?” Butler shouted in panic. “It’s a trap!”
“I don’t give a damn, you glory-seeking snake!” Cooper snapped. For a moment, Cooper worried that the wildness of this land and of these “uncivilized” people was bringing out the “savage” within him, for he was known for his poise and self-control, known for his easy domination over his soldiers, known for his clever strategy and numerous victories. He did not like having soldiers—especially officers—talk back to him or doubt his capabilities, didn’t like being edgy and short-tempered, or displaying such silly and authoritythreatening traits before his command. Maybe this land and its people were bringing out the worst in him, for it was said that every man had a dark side. Maybe it was the loss of nearly half of his regiment, a stunning blow to any leader, for he had believed his strategy was so clever.
That maybe sent Cooper’s mind to racing with questions and vexation. Who could have imagined that those infernal savages would dare to attack his camp! Who would have imagined they could succeed so grimly, so thoroughly? How had they known about him and his camp? Why weren’t they off hunting buffalo like they were supposed to be? Because that damned Butler had riled them, he concluded, new fury blazing through him. He ordered himself to calm down, for a man could not think clearly or act soundly in an agitated state. Besides, more than this unforgivable defeat was troubling him.
Maybe it was the soldiers and conditions he had been sent to shape up and to lead, for he had never seen worse, and this was not how he wanted to spend his time and energies. Maybe he was just tired from the grueling pace he had set for himself and his men, only to get here too late to prevent Butler’s lethal recklessness. Maybe it was the Indians’ total lack of respect and fear for the U.S. Army and America, which he would remedy very soon. Maybe it was his hip throbbing from a past wound. Maybe it was from leaving, not his proper wife, but his splendid mistress behind; a powerful man had plenty of frustrations and energies to get rid of, and there was no better way to release them than with fighting or loving. Maybe there was something strange in the air here, but not Gray Eagle’s ghost! Whatever was eating at him and changing him had to be comprehended and changed pronto!
Butler had no choice but to retrieve the object, which turned out to be a Bluejay with an eagle’s feather piercing its heart. When he and the scout returned to the fort, the news spread rapidly, news of the implied message and of no tracks…
“Dinna ye worry, sir. I hae ae feelin’ tis tha work o’
them Sioux tae scear us or fool us. Dinna fall fur their tricks. They be sneaky, sly divils. Gie me ae week, an’ I’ll hae ‘em runnin’ sceared. I owe ‘em death ‘n destruction, sir. They made ae fool o’ me, an’ destroyed my men ‘n command. I was outnumbered an’ had tae hide in tha bushes tae survive. Fur wha’? Tae be dishonored an’ stripped o’ me rank. I know ‘em an’ their tricks. Gie me ae detail tae send ‘em runnin’. Wha’ sae ye, sir?” the flaming-haired, blue-eyed officer subtly pleaded.
General Phillip Cooper studied Major Timothy Moore with keen interest. No man had worked harder to regain his lost honor and rank. Moore had been with him for several years, and they seemingly knew each other well. Looking no more than forty, despite his fifty-three years, Moore was strong and alert, and he was familiar with this land and its people. “Timothy, let’s me and you do some serious talking and planning,” Cooper suggested, smiling and placing his arm around the man’s broad shoulders. They headed for Cooper’s quarters, as Butler glared at their backs.
Singing Wind watched her brother with dread as he donned the Blackfeet chief’s bonnet and grinned maliciously at her. They were in his tepee alone, for he had ordered Shining Feather to leave so they could speak privately. He was preparing to ride to the Oglala camp to join with Little Flower, and he had commanded that she go along.
“You can carry your things and join to Bright Arrow after I have taken my new mate. There is no need to linger over this matter. It is settled. As your chief, I command it.”
“No,” she refused bravely. “I will not marry him until he is voted chief. Let the vision be proven first; let me make certain he will become chief and not his brother.”
Silver Hawk laughed coldly and tauntingly. “It will be Bright Arrow, you will see. If you crave Sun Cloud, you are foolish, sister. I have snatched his new conquest from his grasp. He probably seeks another to chase this very moon. He does not desire a defiant wildcat like you. Until you join Bright Arrow, you will remain in Medicine Bear’s tepee and you will move it to the last circle while I am gone. I want no reminder each sun in the center of my camp of their old chief. I will paint my new coups upon my tepee and make it more beautiful than Medicine Bear’s. If you are afraid in the outer circle, go to join and to live with your new mate. Be grateful Bright Arrow will accept you. If you dare to reject him and dishonor both of us, I will sell you as no more than a slave. I warn you, do not cast your eyes upon Sun Cloud,” he stated in a tone which was intimidating and chilling.
“You bring a new wife home this moon. Do you wish Shining Feather to sleep in my tepee to give you privacy?” she asked, to change the subject and to release their tension.
He laughed strangely, satanically, and shook his head. “There is no need. A husband does not send one wife out into the darkness or cold each time he mates with another. They must share me, and see how it is with the other; it helps them to learn and it causes them to compete for my attention by seeing which can give me more pleasure.”
Singing Wind’s cheeks went scarlet, causing him to laugh harder. “That is cruel and wicked, my brother. Little Flower should not have another watching and listening on the first time she is taken.”
“You talk foolish again, sister. We will leave the Oglala camp when the joining ceremony is over. We will find a private place in the forest, and I will take her this first time before we reach camp.”
She lowered her lashes to conceal her modesty and to hide her curious feelings, for there was something about her brother’s mood and gaze which worried her where Little Flower was concerned. “It is good.”
Again that malicious laughter came forth when Silver Hawk said, “Yes, it will be very good for me.”
Singing Wind observed her brother’s departure with several warriors and with many gift horses for Dull Knife. She longed to go with them on the chance of seeing and speaking with her love, but it was too perilous, for Silver Hawk might try to force the issue of her joining to Bright Arrow that day; this was too early for a confrontation.
The Oglala war party returned to camp at midmorning and related their great victory. Bright Arrow announced the change in plans for Silver Hawk’s and Tashina’s joinings, and of how they had “mistakenly translated” this message in their visions. When the facts of Silver Hawk’s “love” for Little Flower and of Tashina’s love for Soul-of-Thunder were revealed, the people accepted it and were pleased by it, as they were already in an elated mood. Those who were still on Bright Arrow’s side saw this change as a favorable sign—to have his friend and fellow vision sharer join the daughter of Dull Knife, the council member who supposedly controlled the deciding vote for chief.
Neither brother comprehended how many councilmen and warriors were being swayed in Sun Cloud’s direction. As each member of the Warrior Society keenly observed them, many realized how mistaken they had been in their thoughts and charges. Several misconceptions had come to light, as well as the vast difference in the two sons of Gray Eagle. Some of the men were beginning to whisper amongst themselves, but most were holding their opinions secret for now.
Tashina and Soul-of-Thunder were joined before the midday meal so, they claimed, they could leave promptly and take advantage of the daylight, which would allow them to reach the Cheyenne camp by the time the moon was overhead. Tashina was ecstatic and she wished Sun Cloud were there to share this hardwon moment with her, but he had ridden to the fort to carry out a special mission and might not return until dawn. She could not wait for him, for Silver Hawk would arrive soon, and she wanted to be far away when that occurred.
Little Feet and Tashina hugged and kissed, wishing they were not being separated so soon after Little Feet’s return home. Both were married now, to the men they loved; and both looked forward to happy lives with their mates and children. Thunder Spirit and Soul-ofThunder promised the sisters they would arrange visits between them later.
Tashina embraced White Arrow, Pretty Woman, Flaming Star, Morning Light, and other close friends. Many gave them gifts and wished them joy and safety. Tashina approached her weary father last. She gazed into his eyes, then hugged him tightly. “I love you, Father, and I will miss you. Little Feet will see to your needs until your mate joins you. Be happy, Father, and always remember me.”
Bright Arrow embraced Tashina affectionately. He could see how happy she was, and knew this union was for the best. “You be happy, my little one. I will come to visit soon. Go with the Great Spirit and let Him guide you and protect you. I love you, my precious little one.”
Windrider and Bright Arrow clasped forearms and exchanged smiles. “It is good and wise, my friend and brother,” the Cheyenne remarked.
Bright Arrow glanced at the blissful couple and nodded. As he watched them ride away, he was aware of how his life had changed in the last year. Loneliness attacked him fiercely, and he prayed that Singing Wind would arrive with Silver Hawk. If she did, he would convince her to join him this day and ease his sufferings this night.
Silver Hawk reached the Oglala camp during the evening meal, after everyone had rested and eaten. He presented his many gifts to Dull Knife, making quite an impression with his generosity which was supposed to indicate his feelings about his impending mate and union. He watched Little Flower’s eyes sparkle with pleasure and conceit, and it made him eager to tame her wild spirit and to destroy her arrogance.
The joining ceremony was a little longer than most, for he was a chief. Afterward, fruit wine and fruitspeckled pones were served by the families of Bright Arrow, Dull Knife, and several others. There was singing, dancing, and other forms of merrymaking. There was much to celebrate this day, and all delighted in the happy occasion. Yet, Bright Arrow worried over Singing Wind’s absence.
The moon was climbing above the treetops and glowing brightly when Silver Hawk said it was time to leave. Bright Arrow tried to encourage him to spend the night in his tepee, but Silver Hawk smiled and declined, for himself. He encouraged his warriors to remain to indulge themselves during this speci
al feast, and they eagerly agreed. After gathering his things and his new wife, Silver Hawk bid everyone farewell and departed. They rode for two hours in silence, until they reached a spot which he had chosen earlier for his wicked intention.
Little Flower did not suspect a thing as he helped her to dismount. He placed a sleeping mat on the ground between several trees and then told the girl to remove her garments and to lie upon it. Recalling yesterday in Bright Arrow’s tepee, Little Flower quickly and joyfully obeyed.
But Silver Hawk did not join her as she expected and desired. He smiled as he bound her wrists, then secured the rope to the tree beyond her head, pulling the rope just tight enough to stretch her arms above her and to prevent their interference later. When she questioned his actions, he smiled again and told her it was a special part of the ritual for a first union. He teased her about protecting himself while driving her wild with so much pleasure that this was to make certain she did not claw him to pieces during her excitement and mindless state.
Little Flower’s desire and anticipation increased as she waited tensely for him to begin. He took a strip of rawhide and gagged her, telling her it was to prevent her from crying aloud with delight and perhaps causing someone to think there was danger and interrupt them. She watched Silver Hawk as he stood and stripped off his garments, exposing a manhood which evinced his hunger. She saw him position himself between her legs and let his eyes rove over her body.
By now, the reality of her misjudgment of Silver Hawk and her impending peril consumed Little Flower; she realized he was not going to stimulate her, or slake her desires, or be gentle with her. His eyes were like black ice and his hands were rough. She had watched his protective covering slip away before her wide eyes…
Singing Wind drew her knife to defend herself against the intruder who had unlaced her tepee flap and was sneaking inside. When the moonlight washed over him, she sighed happily and rushed forward…
Bittersweet Ecstasy Page 33
