The Indian looked calmly into Chase’s eyes, seemingly unaffected by his rough handling. Chase clenched his jaw, and set the old man on his feet. He sucked in a deep breath.
Cool off, man. This isn’t gonna get you anywhere. He blinked, but held the elder’s stare. He’d be damned if he’d let himself be intimidated by this walking corpse.
“I will give you what you seek, Chase Russell,” the man rasped. “In exchange for a promise from you.”
“Promise?” Hell, he’d do just about anything to get his hands on that snakehead. He could just take it from this decrepit corpse, no sweat. The Indian knew it, too. He could have simply kept it hidden. There was no doubt the old geezer was testing him, waiting to see if Chase would do just what he was thinking.
“What sort of promise?” he asked slowly, his eyes narrowed.
“An artifact was taken from the sacred land, and it must be returned, or the secret of the Sky People could be revealed. This would have grave consequences for everyone.”
Chase shook his head. Why did these Indians love to talk in riddles? Elk Runner was a master at it, and he enjoyed goading Chase with his nonsense talk every chance he got. He sucked in a deep breath. Best to just play along. He needed that time travel device.
“And what do I have to do?”
“I will give you the vessel so that you may return to the future. In doing so, you have the means to save your daughter’s life, and in exchange you will promise to find and bring back the artifact.”
Chase leaned back. His forehead scrunched as he assessed the old man. Go to the future and bring back some ancient trinket? “Why don’t you just go and get it yourself?”
The Indian shook his head. “I cannot directly interfere with the actions of the ground people, the mortals. I can only make suggestions. It is you who must make the choice in which way to act.”
Chase stared at the old man. What the hell was he supposed to believe? The time travel device was right in front of him. It’s what he’d come here to retrieve. And now it was being handed to him.
“Whatever it is you need me to get from the future, I’ll do it. You have yourself a deal, old man.” Chase reached out his hand. The Indian made no move to shake it. Instead, he held the snakehead out to him.
“Take the vessel, Chase Russell. Take your wife and family, and save your daughter.” He raised his hand. “But understand that if you do not fulfill your promise, you will be returned to this exact time and place where you are right now, and you will never know of our meeting.”
Chapter Four
Chase eyed the little old cabin that sat nestled between a stand of lodgepoles a short distance across the meadow from the Madison River. The little one-room dwelling had been his home for, what? Six months now? Before it officially became his permanent residence, it was also the place where he and Sarah had first consummated their love, and created Emily that night. He filled his lungs with a deep breath of crisp evening air. Life would be perfect again soon, just as it had been that night when Sarah gave herself to him. He’d gone and done what he had to in order to become the kind of man she needed in a husband, and now he would do what had to be done so that he wouldn’t fail Emily as a father.
A faint light shone through the burlap that covered the only window in the old shack. It was time to build a new cabin for Sarah, but it didn’t look as if that was going to happen this summer - not if he wanted to save his daughter. The weather here turned cold fairly quickly by September, and it would be snowing by October. Not enough time to build a cabin. At least this winter he’d be warm, and not stuck camping out in the snow most of the time. Those five months after he went on his vision quest had to have been the hardest and longest of his entire life. For someone born and raised in sunny L.A., getting used to the climate here was probably his greatest challenge.
He wiped a hand across his whiskered chin. He wanted to share his news with Sarah, but first he needed to clean up. Four days on the trail and he no doubt looked as grungy as he felt. His hand went to the pouch around his neck that contained the time travel device – the vessel, as the old Indian had called it. Chase fingered the object, just as a reminder that his encounter with the old man hadn’t been a figment of his imagination, or his mind playing tricks on him.
The sky wasn’t completely black yet, but more of a midnight blue. Thousands of stars twinkled overhead, and only a faint glow of the setting sun remained in the distance. Crickets chirped loudly, and bugs swarmed the water over the Madison. Chase pulled his shirt off over his head, then dropped his britches. He didn’t remove the pouch from around his neck. No way was he parting with that thing. He entered the cold water, and quickly rinsed the dust and grime from his body. He chuckled. A hot shower would be mighty nice right about now.
Knock it off, Russell. You made your choice. No hot shower is worth what you have here.
Chase left the water and pulled his clothes on. He stared up at the sky, and inhaled a deep breath. His lungs expanded unlike they’d ever done in the smog-laden air of twenty-first century Los Angeles. He closed his eyes, the smells of the buffalo grass and the chirping of crickets becoming more pronounced. No. There was no comparison to his life here with what he’d willingly given up. He bent to pick up his belt and rifle, and headed across the meadow toward the simple little lodge that had been his father-in-law’s first cabin.
He shot a quick glance toward the larger cabin that stood some twenty yards from the older structure. If Daniel was home, he would have known already that Chase had returned. It was impossible to slip anything past that man. Since he hadn’t come out of his cabin, yet, to chew him out for going off to find the snakehead, it was a fair assumption that Daniel had followed him.
Chase grinned. He’d taken a different route home, just to avoid a confrontation with his father-in-law for a little while longer. There would be plenty of time to butt heads with the man, but he’d rather talk to Aimee first. She seemed a bit more open-minded to the idea of using the snakehead to save Emmy.
He slowly opened the door to his cabin and stepped inside. A fire crackled in the hearth, bringing a warm feeling to his chest. Sarah lay on their bunk, her eyes closed. Emmy was nestled against her breast. The girl he called his wife, his angel, looked peaceful in sleep, even if the red splotches around her eyes were a telltale sign that she’d been crying. Her long dark hair fanned out and spilled over her shoulders. Chase’s throat tightened, and he held his breath. How had he gotten so lucky? It was a question he asked himself daily. He’d completely screwed up his life before coming here and meeting Sarah. Every day, he strived to be a better man because of her.
“I love you, Angel,” he mouthed. Our little girl is gonna be safe.
Slowly, he backed out of the cabin, and headed toward the bigger home. Aimee Osborne opened the door just as he lifted his hand to knock. His lips widened in a smile, and she frowned, then stepped aside and waved her hand for him to enter.
“Daniel said you’d ride off to the Dragon’s Mouth. I told him to just let you go, but he thought it might be a good time to have a man-to-man chat with you.” Her lips twitched in a suppressed smile. “’Right after he ‘strips the hide from your backside,’ as he put it.”
Chase ran his hand along the back of his neck. “Well, I didn’t see him. He must have gone a different way.”
Aimee faced him fully, and placed her hand on his arm. A pained expression filled her eyes. “Chase, I know this is hard, and not an easy thing to accept,” she said softly. “You and I come from a time where we’re used to easy fixes for most things. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to come to terms with since I decided to leave my old life behind.”
“I know, but –”
She squeezed his arm and shot him a stern look that meant, without a doubt, that she wasn’t done talking. His mother-in-law, although she was a small woman and had to tilt her head back to look up at him, was a force to be reckoned with. She was usually quiet and patient, but she said what was
on her mind. She was the only person he knew who could make Daniel toe the line. If he wanted Aimee Osborne in his corner, he’d better stay on her good side.
“Don’t you think I’ve often wanted to go to the future when one of my kids was sick? What I wouldn’t have done for antibiotics one summer when Matt nearly hacked his foot off while chopping wood? I thought for sure it would need to be amputated, and even that might have killed him.” Aimee stepped away from him, and wiped at her eyes.
“I get all that,” Chase said slowly. “I’ve told myself a million times that I left the old life behind. But, dammit, Aimee, this is my baby girl we’re talking about. How the hell do you expect me to simply watch her die? Not to mention what it’s doing to Sarah.”
He fisted his hands at his sides and strode to the hearth, facing away from his mother-in-law. He tossed another log on the fire, then turned toward her again. She met his eyes, and waited. The distraught look on her face was encouraging. He had to sway her to his way of thinking. Hell. Even if he couldn’t, no one was going to stop him from taking Sarah and Emily to the future. Chase inhaled slowly.
“What do you know about that time travel device, Aimee? How did Daniel’s dad, Zach Osborne, get hold of it?”
Aimee’s forehead wrinkled, and she stared at him for a moment. Her eyes roamed his face as if she was trying to decide how to answer, and why he was asking the question.
“He told me an old Indian came to him during a blizzard while Daniel’s mother was in labor. He told Zach to take the device, that it would save his baby.”
“Do you know what happened to the old Indian?”
“According to Zach, he was dead when he returned from the future with baby Daniel.”
Chase rubbed his neck again. That pretty much confirmed the story the old man he’d encountered had told him. He reached into the pouch around his neck, and pulled out the snake. Aimee stared at him, wide eyed. Chase held her gaze.
“I met another old Indian. He told me the same story about Zach and Daniel. Haven’t you ever wondered where this snake came from?”
Aimee blinked, her eyes darting from him to the time travel device in his hand.
“I’ve lost many sleepless nights wondering about it,” she whispered. “Until I finally decided that I’d probably never find out, and it didn’t really matter, since we no longer had it.”
Chase stared at her for emphasis. “Those Sky People the Shoshone talk about, they’re real, Aimee. They’re not just the spirits of birds, but real people.” He held up the snakehead in front of her. “The old man Zach encountered, and the Indian who gave it to me, he said he was one of them. That’s where this snake comes from.”
Chase paced the floor. He laughed nervously and shook his head, then shot another glance at Aimee. She hadn’t moved, and simply stood in the middle of the room, her face devoid of color, watching him.
“They seem to call all the shots. They wanted Daniel to be born, they wanted Zach to send you here, and they wanted me to be here. It’s like they can’t directly interfere, but the way they go about manipulating us to do what they want makes it hard to say no. He gave me the snake to save Emily, but I have to do something for him in the future. Some artifact was found or dug up somewhere that he says is important and needs to be returned. If I don’t bring it back, he’s gonna bring us back to this time, before I met him, and I’ll never get my hands on this thing.”
“Us?” Aimee said almost inaudibly.
“He told me to take my family – and I thought that meant you and Daniel, as well as Sarah and Emmy, and go to the future, Aimee.”
Aimee laughed. “And what if you had simply refused him?”
Chase shook his head. “Why would I do that? If I’d told him no, then Emily will die.” He clenched his jaw.
Aimee stood, studying him for a long time, then she turned to the window and gazed out into the darkness. “I told Daniel last summer, after we returned from rendezvous and found you here, that there were greater forces at work than we’d ever comprehend. I was standing right here, looking out across the meadow.” She laughed again and faced him. “I suppose I hit the nail on the head.”
“You have to convince Daniel that we need to go to the future.” Chase stuffed the snake back in his pouch, careful not to touch the eyes, and reached for Aimee’s hand. She gave him a weak smile, then nodded.
“All right. When Daniel gets back, we’ll talk to him. He’s not going to be happy. He’s always been adamant about not going to the future for any reason.”
The door to the cabin opened at that moment, and Chase groaned. Damn. Why couldn’t he have at least until morning before facing his father-in-law? Daniel filled the doorframe, then he stepped inside. Wordlessly, he propped his flintlock against the wall.
“I’ve kept some stew warm in the hearth in case you came back tonight,” Aimee said cheerfully. She shot a quick glance at Chase. “Looks like you could both use some food.”
Chase mumbled a hasty thank you, and pulled a chair away from the table. He was about to sit, then stopped and straightened. He met Daniel Osborne’s hard stare, facing him fully. Why the hell should he cower in front of his father-in-law? The man commanded respect just by being in the same room, but this was one time Chase wasn’t gonna back down.
“What do you know about the Sky People, Daniel?” he asked quickly. It was best to start this conversation and not give Daniel a chance to dress him down first.
The older man’s eyes narrowed on him, his expression impassive. Only the almost imperceptible movement of his pupils as he studied Chase’s face gave away that he was at all surprised at the question.
“They are the spirits of everything that lives in the skies. The spirits of sky, earth, and water are all connected, and keep everything in balance.”
Chase expelled the breath he held. Maybe this would go over better than he expected. Behind him, Aimee rattled tin plates at the workbench.
“Do the Tukudeka shamans ever mention that these spirits are human? I mean, real people rather than the spirits of the eagles, or hawks, or whatever else is in the sky?”
Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “Why these questions? What has Elk Runner been filling your head with this time?”
“I met a man who said he was of the Sky People.”
Daniel studied him intently for a moment. “You had a dream, and were visited by a spirit helper,” Daniel stated matter-of-factly.
“A spirit helper?” Chase frowned.
“Someone who guides our dreams.”
“No.” Chase shook his head. “This wasn’t a dream. This was a real person. An elder.” He reached into his pouch, and pulled out the snakehead again. “He said he was of the Sky People. He gave me the snakehead.” Chase held it out to Daniel, who glanced at it warily. “I promised him I’d collect some artifact in the future that shouldn’t have been discovered, and in return, Emily can have the surgery she needs.”
Daniel looked up at Chase. Slowly, acceptance of the inevitable filled his eyes. Chase moved toward him, not breaking eye contact.
“You know there’s no other way I could have gotten this thing on my own,” Chase said in a low tone. He inhaled deeply. “I need your help, Daniel,” he added slowly. “Whatever this artifact is that I’m supposed to find, you’ll be able to identify it better than I can.”
Chapter Five
Chase lifted his head off the hard ground, and blinked repeatedly to focus his vision. The roar of a nearby waterfall compounded the throbbing in his head. Déjà vu hit him like a kick to the gut. He’d awoken in much the same disoriented manner a year ago after time traveling to the past. His hand was fisted around a hard object. He gripped the snakehead tighter, and quickly stuffed it into the pouch around his neck. Adrenaline surged through him, and he scrambled to his feet. He was back in the future, back in his time. Sudden dread and apprehension washed over him. There was only one reason he’d returned. Emily.
Sarah stirred on the grassy ground a few feet away fr
om him. Chase reached down to help her into a sitting position. A short distance away, Daniel and Aimee stood on unsteady legs. Daniel’s face was impassive, while Aimee shot him a quick smile, holding tightly to her husband’s arm.
“Chase?” Sarah rasped. Wide-eyed, she glanced around.
“How’s Emmy?” he asked, and knelt before her. He shook off the dizziness that still clouded his full alertness. If memory served him right, it would be several minutes before he’d feel normal again.
Sarah’s gaze dropped to the sling around her shoulder, and she reached inside. Chase parted the soft doeskin to expose their daughter’s sleeping head. She looked at peace. Time traveling hadn’t seemed to affect her at all, although her complexion was paler than he’d like to see. Her little chest rose and fell faster than it should, an indication that her lungs had to work harder because of her heart.
“How are you?” Chase glanced up at Sarah, cupping her cheek with one hand.
Sarah nodded. “I’m fine. A bit dizzy.” She smiled tentatively, and looked past his shoulder toward the loud water rushing over the side of a cliff above them and plunging more than a hundred feet to the bottom of the canyon. “Is this the future?”
“I hope so.” Chase grinned.
“This looks no different than our time,” Sarah said. She moved to get on her feet. Chase reached for her arm and pulled her up, steadying her.
“These are the Sheepeater Mountains,” Daniel remarked. He pointed toward the sides of the canyon where tall rocks rose in a columnar formation skyward. “We are in the canyon of the Fish Hawk.”
No wonder the area looked vaguely familiar. Chase had been mountain sheep hunting in this area with several members of the Tukudeka clan right after Sarah gave birth to Emily. He’d bagged a nice Bighorn ram that day, which he’d presented as a gift to the village to celebrate the birth of his daughter. He’d seen these falls from higher up, not from where he stood now. His gaze followed the current of the narrow river that flowed northward, if his sense of direction wasn’t playing tricks on him.
A Yellowstone Promise: Yellowstone Romance Series Novella Page 3
