by Sadie Conall
Madeleine opened her eyes and glanced across at Ryder and Te’tukhe and saw the recognition on their faces. They knew as she did, that men such as these were the most dangerous predators alive.
She took short panting breaths of fear, recognizing these men as similar to the men who had offered to take her and her father and his friends north from St Louis to Lower Canada all those years ago.
And Madeleine knew, just as Ryder and Te’tukhe knew, that they couldn’t win a battle with men such as these. And just when it seemed the renegades would see them, the lead man flicked his rawhide reins and turned his mount west, and the men behind him followed without question.
Madeleine heard Te’tukhe let out a long deep breath, but as he did so the last rider looked back behind him as though he heard it, as though he felt Te’tukhe’s energy. He glanced in their direction, then leaned over to spit, his cruel black eyes searching the forest depths before he rode on.
They waited long minutes, hidden in the dense trees and ferns, ready to fight to the death if those men returned, but at last Madeleine relaxed. “We’re alone,” she said, her voice almost a whisper yet seeming to echo in the silence, for every creature in those woods seemed to have paused while those men rode on by.
“They must have camped not far from our own last night,” Te’tukhe said, his voice brutally hard. “Lucky we didn’t light a fire. And mercifully, they don’t have your instincts Esa-mogo'ne’.”
Ryder ran his hand through his long dark hair, a gesture which Madeleine knew as stress. But like him she was also thinking of their son, the two Bannock girls and Wesa'shangke and Aishi-waahni’. They would never escape men such as this. It couldn’t be done.
“Let’s get moving,” he said, but Te’tukhe reached out to stop him.
“We have another week before we reach the Mandan. I think I should ride on ahead and scout out the territory. One man and a horse can hide better than three. If I find nothing, I’ll meet you at the Mandan. But I suggest you go in quietly,” he turned to Madeleine. “Don’t mention Deinde'-paggwe to anyone until you’ve had a chance to talk to her, Esa-mogo'ne’. See how she feels about leaving, who her enemies are. We don’t want a war on our hands by riding in demanding a trade. And you don’t want them knowing you’re a friend of the Bannock. I doubt they would let you live, were you to reveal that. I’ll find out what I can if I get there before you, but if I’m not there, if you feel you are in danger, ride out as soon as you can. I’ll follow when I’m able.”
But neither Madeleine nor Ryder saw the need to separate and as Ryder began to protest, Te’tukhe raised a hand to silence him.
“Remember those fur trappers we met? They said the Mandan and Arikara were on the brink of war. If they are, then we ride towards death, so I say again brother, let me go on as scout. If there is trouble ahead, then I’ll ride back and warn you,” he looked at Madeleine who watched him dismay. “Take heart Esa-mogo'ne’, for if need be, we shall find another way to get your girl,” he glanced back into the trees then turned and pointed due north.
“Head for the river, the Missouri. You’ll find the village easily enough once you reach the two tributaries which flow off it. The Mandan call them the Knife and Heart Rivers,” he mounted his horse in one easy movement then turned back to Ryder and Madeleine, astonished by his decision to ride on alone.
“Take care brother, sister,” he said. “Tell everyone you meet that you’re riding to join that party of European explorers, the ones the fur trappers spoke of. Tell everyone they’re expecting you, for no-one will bother you knowing they stand behind you,” he nodded once in farewell then turned his horse and was gone.
in the wild: April 1805
The four men sat astride their horses high on a cliff, yet hidden from sight beneath a forest of elm, cedar and dogwood. They sat watching the progress of a small party of riders far below them who were making their way slowly along a wide deep ravine, bordered on both sides by high steep cliffs and an almost impenetrable forest. The small party were unaware they were being watched.
“Is she with them, can you see?” the man asked impatiently of the three men beside him.
The men said nothing for a moment as they studied the small group far below them. Then one of them shook his head. “No,” he said, his voice hard and cruel. “It’s not her, but they have other things of interest to me,” he nodded towards the two teenage girls, the two travois and the nine horses, all packed down with belongings.
“I promise you we’ll come back for them once we finish with our other business,” the man in front said and although the other men nodded they kept silent, well aware of the fine layer of sweat which covered his body and the slight tremor in his limbs, which suggested that the infection from the knife wound on his upper right thigh had begun to spread.
That he was still following her instead of lying abed under the care of a healer was proof of his hatred of her and determination to make her suffer. And suffer she would. But he knew she was close. He could almost smell her fear.
“Let’s go, while we still have some tracks to follow,” he said then kicked his horse on, soon disappearing through the trees as he headed southeast.
The other men watched the small party far below with some regret, then they turned and kicked their horses on, following a man filled with so much bitterness he seemed unaware his own body had already begun to betray him.
Arikara and Mandan territory: April 1805
They rode their horses at a walk through the trees, their muskets balanced on their thighs, for they were now riding on the western borders of Arikara and Mandan territory. Yet in the few hours since they left Teton Sioux country they had seen no-one and soon they must stop, for night had begun to settle and the woods were full of shadows and night sounds. Ryder glanced at Madeleine who rode just off to his left and knew she was as anxious as he was to get settled before full night came down. Yet they must choose a place and soon, for they could not light fires, not this close to the Mandan village.
“Ryder, over there,” she called out softly and he turned, seeing a wall of boulders which lay deep in shadow against a high bank. He nodded and turned his horse towards them, with Madeleine following close behind. The bank rose some twenty feet or more, offering them a wall of protection and as Ryder dismounted and stepped behind the boulders, he found just enough room to stable the horses. This was a stroke of luck indeed, to have the horses out of sight if anyone passed by. He moved with care, his pistol held out before him, but the place lay empty of predators. He stood up as Madeleine came in behind him. They stood in a narrow opening of no more than twelve feet, surrounded by rocks and large boulders which had settled over the years to form a small cave. It wasn’t high enough to allow either of them to stand, but they could crawl inside and it offered them shelter for the night and more importantly, security, for here they would be hidden away.
They unpacked their furs from the back of their horses along with Ryder’s saddle, their waterskins and the box of duelling pistols which Madeleine had wrapped carefully in several layers of buckskin to keep them from getting damaged. They carried nothing else other than cold smoked meat and their weapons. Although their supplies were quickly running out, but desperate not to light a fire and draw attention to themselves, they hadn’t bothered to hunt. They wondered how Te’tukhe was faring for his supplies were even less than their own, for he had left them the bigger share.
The ground within the small cave was slightly raised and therefore dry and as they spread their furs Ryder was tempted to light a fire, but decided against it. The Mandan would have scouts riding through this territory and they would smell the wood smoke. Better to stay hidden and get a good night’s sleep then alert everyone passing by to their camp. Besides, it wasn’t cold. After hobbling the horses they settled on their furs, eating their fill of what remained of the smoked meat as night came down. But before it was full dark it began to rain, nothing more than a slight drizzle but enough for them to be grateful f
or their crude shelter. And in that dull glow between end of day and full dark, Madeleine reached for Ryder’s hand and bought it to her lips.
“I’ll take the first watch,” he said, his voice soft, leaning towards her, conscious of the quietness of the forest all around them. “You get some sleep. I’ll come to bed when I know we’re safe.”
“We are safe,” she whispered. “We are well hidden. And for the moment there’s no-one around, I would know it if there was. Stay with me halfbreed. Please, stay with me.” And in the gathering dusk he saw desire sweep across her face and his own desire, always present, always wanting her, conquered him.
But as he reached for her, as her arms went about his broad shoulders, his own arms thick with muscle, Ryder became aware of her desperation and understood in that moment that this was more than lust. This was a need to be close to him, to lose herself for a little while and forget about her fear, for them and Te’tukhe and the Bannock girls and Wesa'shangke and Aishi-waahni’ and especially their son. He helped remove her clothes as she panted, her hands almost feverish as she touched him and he lifted her effortlessly as her legs moved to straddle him, to encircle his hips, imprisoning him and she heard the soft groan in his throat as she lowered herself slowly down on him, allowing his male strength to drive them and as they moved together, oblivious to the rain as it began to thunder down outside, Madeleine at last forgot where she was, where they were going, even the needs of her little boy.
And as the night deepened into utter blackness, for not even the stars shone through that thick barrier of cloud, as the rain continued through the night, they slept naked on their furs, coming together again during the night, unable to not touch, unable to take their fill of the other, aware of the simple joy of being together at last after so many years apart.
*
Ryder woke just after dawn, naked within their tangle of furs, startled that he had slept so long. It was still raining outside but as he turned to Madeleine, he found himself alone. He sat up, puzzled, and instinctively reached for his musket as he moved to crawl from their shelter when he saw her outside, just beyond the cave.
She was standing naked in the rain washing herself, her hair hanging long and wet down her back as she crumbled wild, sweet smelling herbs she had found nearby in her hands to scrub her body. Ryder watched mesmerized, seeing the fullness of her breasts, the taut muscle in her arms and legs, her slightly rounded belly, showing the place where their son had once lain, hidden within.
The forest was a drenched wet thing, sodden from the rain. Water dripped off leaves and branches and ferns and shrubs, it ran down the trunks of trees and the bank behind them, even the boulders were slippery to his touch, yet the woman who stood naked and wet before him, in that dull grey light of early morning was something so ethereal, so beautiful, he moved as if she called to him, yet in fact she was oblivious to him watching her. He left his musket on the furs and crawled from the shelter, at once feeling the rain on his own naked body, yet it wasn’t cold.
And after weeks of riding hard, the rain was as refreshing to him as if he were in a bath of hot scented water at Diccon House or Millbryne Park. Madeleine turned as she saw the movement to her left but then she paused, remaining utterly still as she recognized the look on his face, as his eyes devoured her. His long hair lay wet upon his shoulders and the week-long stubble on his face gave him a look of something primitive, something hard and ruthless and determined. His shoulders and arms and belly were thick and taut with muscle, his narrow hips tapered down to meet long muscular legs and every part of him seemed to move in slow poetic beauty as he stepped towards her.
Madeleine was spellbound by him, by the hardness and strength of him, by the scars earned from his battle with Jarryth, by the urgent heat of his sex, and instinctively, as a woman, she took a step away from him, aware of the brutal masculinity of him, his scent, his power and then his arm reached out and went around her waist and with a grip of iron that brokered no argument, he pulled her towards him, every part of them touching.
Ryder said not one word as he looked at her, his blue eyes almost black with longing and then he lifted her in his arms and laid her down on a bed of moss and grunted as he looked at her, pure male, primeval. And then he bent and kissed her, his mouth hot and urgent and demanding and as the rain fell on them, as his lips moved down her throat to her breasts, her belly and lower, in those woods in the dawn light under a shower of rain, nothing other than the creatures in that early morning world heard their soft cries of pleasure.
Mandan territory: May 1805
One
The Mandan village of earth lodges lay spread out below them, one of two situated along the banks of the Heart and Knife tributaries of the Missouri river. There were other Mandan villages along the Missouri, but they had been abandoned over the years, their people left decimated after outbreaks from smallpox.
The earth lodges were like those lived in by the Omaha people and were laid out in a circular fashion around a central square. Although in this village there was a difference and Madeleine and Ryder could see it even from this distance for in the central square was a tall lone pole, beautiful carved and surrounded by a wooden fence. This was the lone man pole, which some of the men around the camp fire at Manier’s trading post had spoken of. This was the most important figure in the Mandan’s spiritual beliefs.
Smoke rose from the centre of each thatched roof and women and children were moving between those earth lodges, going about their chores. Just beyond the village at least a dozen men on horseback rode among a herd of horses, while another group of riders came out of the woods just behind the earth lodges. More men were padding downriver in canoes, returning from a morning’s fishing, or scouting, passing a group of women busy washing at the river’s edge.
Ryder glanced towards a massive, single story wooden building which lay some miles south of the village. Yet it looked out of place in that wide open country because of the palisade built around it, ensuring protection from predators. But it was clearly what it was. A fort.
“I remember the fur trappers spoke of it,” Ryder said, turning to glance at Madeleine. “They said Europeans built it to winter over here. Although they must have had a reasonable amount of men staying here, for it would take dozens of men and axes to build that goliath.”
Madeleine reined her horse in as the animal moved forward, eager to run. “I wonder if it was the Lewis and Clark Expedition? I can’t imagine anyone else with those numbers of men coming through this territory.”
Constructed of rough-hewn logs cut by axe, each log had been shaped to fit within the other. The men had packed the space between each log with chinking, a dense mixture of clay, salt, water and fire ash to ensure insulation. Although the fort was clearly deserted. Its huge double gates stood open, the rooms within it empty. The fur trappers had been right in that as well. The explorers had moved on.
Madeleine glanced up at the dark clouds looming on the distant horizon, suggesting a thunderstorm was on its way. “Let’s get this done,” she said. “The sooner we get Deinde'-paggwe and her daughter and ride north, the better.”
“I hope Te’tukhe’s down there,” Ryder said, glancing at Madeleine as she pulled a soft woollen blanket up over her hair, casting shadows over her face. “Keep safe behind me,” he said and she nodded, kicking her horse after him as they rode down the hill.
*
A group of boys riding bareback were the first to greet them, along with a vicious pack of dogs which came racing towards them, barking and snarling even as a group of some fifteen men came galloping up behind them. The men carried muskets.
Ryder raised his hands, showing he held no weapon and came as a friend. The Mandan and their dogs quickly surrounded them as Ryder called out in French, aware of the men and boys glancing at Madeleine before looking away. But she held no interest to them, even as she kept her head slightly bowed, submissively, her face half hidden under the blanket.
A man in front called
out to them in Sioux, speaking rapidly, but Ryder shook his head, only able to pick up a few of the words and again spoke in French, raising his hands to try and communicate in Plains sign talk. Yet it was impossible, for the snarling dogs were causing their horses to shy away, even as the Mandan youths and their horses surrounded them, causing Ryder’s horse to lift his front legs in terror. And then another man kicked his horse forward, rudely pushing aside the first man with his horse before shouting for the youths and their dogs to get back. Then he leaned toward Ryder and spoke rapidly in French, using the common guttural patois used by most tribes who dealt with French fur trappers.
“What business have you here?” he shouted before glancing at Madeleine. “Have you brought her here to trade?”
Ryder shook his head, feeling a pit of fear swirl within his belly. “She is mine. She is my woman,” he yelled back, then turned and pointed to the fort behind them. “We have come to join them. They were expecting us in the spring but we have been delayed. When did they leave?”
Several Mandan glanced back towards the fort and most look surprised by this.
“They left here more than two moons ago,” the man said, continuing to speak in French. “But come, you must speak with the Chiefs. They will want to talk to you about the redhaired one, Captain Clark.”
“We heard you had the pox here,” Ryder said, relieved when the man shook his head.
“The face eating disease was here two winters ago. We lost many of our people to it. Now we live in but two villages.”
The Mandan pulled aside their horses to surround Ryder and Madeleine as the man led them towards the village. Madeleine felt her heart thud within her chest, wondering how the Bannock girls had felt when they were first brought here all those years ago as slaves. She felt sick to think on it as they followed the men to the far end of the village, where scores of Mandan suddenly appeared from their earth lodges, eager to see these new visitors. To the rear of the village, near the river, Ryder and Madeleine were invited to dismount and Ryder quickly hobbled their horses before turning to follow the men towards the central square, aware of Madeleine just behind him.
