Passion's Series

by Adair, Mary

  Just as the sun stained the eastern skies with its first fiery rays the holy man ran the sharp comb down the last arm and gave the command for the warriors to go to water.

  The coldness of the mountain stream stung the deep scrapes on James' arms as it forced the heat from his body, causing the bile to rise in his throat and his muscles to contract in painful spasms. With iron control he forced himself to dip, as did the others, below the surface seven times.

  Once this was completed and the final prayer spoken by the magi, the warriors lined up and sang as they marched toward the playing field.

  The village watched their warriors coming forward in silent awe, but as soon as the first foot touched the field the loud cheering and whooping of the crowd drowned out the warrior's song.

  James and Silent Deer fought like the warriors they were. Between them they disabled six of the opponents. Everyone knew the two had a wager going, and each tried to outdo the other but in so doing they were single-handedly winning the game for their team.

  James' only regret was that DuPrey was not on the playing field.

  As the game wore on, Dancing Cloud observed his sister.

  New Moon, unaware of her audience, watched James with rapt attention. She watched the long heavy muscles of his legs as he ran and jumped and her heart beat faster. She watched the rippling play of strength along his back as he swung the ball stick and her stomach tightened. His great strength was obvious to the eye, but she had not expected the stamina or the skill he displayed.

  She never expected a white man to last so long.

  One of the opponents struck a vicious blow across James' body with the hard wooden ball-stick and she cringed. Why should she care, she reprimanded herself. She couldn't stop the small smile that curled her lips when he delivered his own bone-cracking blow.

  Even though blood flowed freely from his nose and facial wounds to drip and smear along his powerful chest, he continued to push, run, throw, and punch his way rapidly about the field. This game would be remembered for a long time to come.

  New Moon stole a glance at her brother, Cloud. His face glowed with pride as he watched the blue eyes. She contemplated her brother's recent actions as well as his obvious pride in this white man. There was something here she did not know.

  Her mind drifted to a story her brother often told of a white man, one he had come to know while visiting in a land called Eng-land. Her eyes turned back to James.

  Dancing Cloud had said the man was tall, and built like a warrior. In fact, Cloud said he was a warrior, one of the Great White Father's best and most beloved warriors.

  She watched closely as James ran with the ball stick. Not only did she observe the play of his muscles but the form of his movements as he swung the stick as if it were a kind of weapon unknown to her. Maybe they had a similar game in the land called Eng-land.

  Cloud said everyone called him by a woman's name, Robin. Cloud teased him about it until his new friend explained to him that the name was for the color red rather than for the small bird.

  Since the color red to The People represented war and fearlessness in battle, Cloud understood the significance of his name. He admitted that, though they chose a feminine representative for the color, it was a good name.

  It had been told as a lesson to the children of the village that one must look closely to see the color of a man's heart.

  New Moon had never heard of a white man called by an Indian name before. If he were accepted into the village the old magi would give him another Indian name.

  New Moon grinned, she was certain he was the warrior from Cloud's stories. Her body tingled. This time she didn't mind so much. She should have recognized sooner that he was a true warrior. Tilting her head to one side, she studied the white man from a new perspective.

  When had he actually shown fear or weakness? He'd shown no fear when he rode into the village with Thomas, only wonderment. Without the least show of awe or discomfort he sat down with the chiefs and conducted business.

  He teased the children. He even dared to touch her! And she had hurt him. Why had he allowed it? A warrior with only half the skill he demonstrated would have been able to prevent it, but he had not expected her to fight back. Her strength had surprised him.

  The only other break in his composure was when she stepped from her hiding place among the cane. She'd thought then that his reaction was one of fear, was sure it was fear, but he did not back down. Every warrior knows fear, she reminded herself. Fear is not a bad thing.

  This newcomer to their village was more a warrior than she had first noticed. Memory of her vision drifted before her mind's eye. This time it brought less pain to her as she considered the feats of this white man. For a No Thing he moved well and with courage.

  James ducked a swinging stick and swung his own out to catch behind the knees of his most recent antagonist. The unfortunate warrior fell hard on his back as James leapt nimbly over him and jumped, higher than his bulk should have allowed, and caught the ball with his stick.

  He swung the stick sharply around and sent the twentieth ball to pass neatly between the goal sticks at the moment two opponents hit him from different directions.

  The three bodies fell to the ground in a tangled mass. New Moon stood rooted to the spot while spectators from both teams rushed onto the field in a frenzy of excitement. Within moments James was raised above the heads of the warriors and ceremoniously carried from the field.

  New Moon watched as his arms dangled from his body. Unreasonable anger flared in her heart as she dashed toward the receding parade. She pushed and shoved her way to the warriors that carried him on their shoulders. Dashing around them she planted herself firmly in their path.

  "Stop!" she demanded as she placed a small, yet determined hand on a broad chest. "I must see his wounds!"

  The warrior looked down in puzzlement, "If he were wounded we would take him to the Medicine Man. Get out of our way, woman! He has need of water."

  At the sound of New Moon's voice James rose up from his precarious perch and looked groggily down at her. With the most irritating grin he said, "Did you see that, Little Wa-sa?" Then in a serious tone he added with an impudent swing of his arm that nearly toppled him to the ground, "Get out of the way, woman. I must go to water." The warriors laughed with great merriment as they stumbled with their load and made a wide circle around New Moon.

  How could she have been so foolish? The white man was nothing to her. He was a No Thing. But in her heart a seed of doubt had been planted.

  "Little sister."

  New Moon turned toward Dancing Cloud before focusing her vision somewhere over his left shoulder. "Why have you not told everyone who he is?" She demanded petulantly.

  "So you remember the story." Cloud did not hide his pride in her for her cleverness. He studied the firm set of her jaw and found amusement in the way she refused to look at him from beneath lowered lashes.

  "How long have you known?" He asked, not letting his amusement make its way to her ear.

  "Just today. Why have you not told anyone?" she persisted.

  Dancing Cloud studied her proud profile. Cherokee warriors did not look eye to eye when they spoke, but rather straight ahead over the other's shoulder. It was their way of proclaiming their independence.

  This show of independence was not tolerated often in women, who should drop their chin and lower their eyes to show proper respect, but Cloud did not scold New Moon. It pleased him to show tolerance of her uncommon forwardness.

  New Moon's husband had called her Little Sparrow with Eagle's Heart. The name suited her. And like the eagle, when her sharp eyes saw what her heart desired there would be no escaping her. He wondered how long it would take his friend, Robin, to come to understand that he was the prey of an eagle.

  "The other chiefs know. So does Silent Deer. My friend wants to prove himself to the village. He has already proven himself to me." Cloud was unable to resist turning his eyes to New Moon. "Maybe to you as
well?"

  New Moon jerked toward her brother, and stared into his eyes, an act that would have made a weaker man angry. Dancing Cloud only smiled with affection.

  New Moon stiffened, her brother played with her. She hated that he was always right. After a short while, her eyes slid back to the horizon.

  "Not yet!" She snapped and walked away, leaving him standing alone. A happy twinkle brightened Dancing Cloud's eyes. "It makes my heart happy to see you again my sister. You have hidden behind your grief for too long."

  New Moon did not hear, or chose not to answer.

  Chapter Seven

  James woke sore and stiff. He needed to stretch and loosen his muscles, but first he would go to water and greet the morning sun. He looked up at the sound of someone nearing his lodge.

  "It is Silent Deer. May I enter?"

  "Yes, come in." James reached for his loincloth.

  Silent Deer's grin looked out of place on such a fierce, ragged face. He and Deer had reached a new level of understanding since the game. They respected each other. In this culture that was about as close as you could get to friendship.

  "You sleep much too long, my friend. It is late," Deer scolded.

  "Well I'm up now, let's go." James slapped Silent Deer on the shoulder and followed him through the doorway.

  "You have been to New Moon's cove. Would you like to go again?

  "New Moon's cove, is it. No wonder it made her so mad when I showed up. I'm afraid she would scalp us both if we went there today."

  "No, she is not there. Today she is with the women where she belongs."

  James didn't miss the hint of sarcasm in Deer's voice. As they sprinted through the gate Silent Deer broke the silence that had settled over them. "You want New Moon."

  James rather liked the Indian's straightforwardness. "New Moon is a beautiful woman."

  As they reached the boulder that lead to the cove Deer reached out a hand and placed it on the smooth surface. "She is barren," he tossed over his shoulder and then slipped between the boulders.

  The cove was beautiful. It had quickly become one of James' favorite places but he hardly noticed it now. "Why do you tell me this?"

  The two stripped down and waded into the water. This time James led the way. He had the distinct feeling that such a thing as who stepped out first would hold more influence over Deer than most.

  "New Moon has great pride." Deer said from behind. "Like that of the warrior. She says she will not join again because her spirit is too strong for any man to give her a child."

  "I am not looking for a wife, Deer."

  Deer took his place beside...yet slightly ahead of James. James controlled an urge to inch forward. He was, after all, the invited guest.

  "If I understand your custom," James continued, "it would be no dishonor to New Moon if she came to me."

  "It would be no dishonor, she is a widow and may chose a man if she desires." Deer shrugged his massive shoulders. "But she will not come. You do not understand, my friend.

  "New Moon is a woman of my tribe. We are the same clan, the wolf clan. If you dishonor her by taking what she does not offer, I will kill you. If I fail, there will be others. It does not matter that we are friends."

  Deer glanced over at James. "You should find a woman who likes you more, then maybe you would not wear your need for New Moon like a warrior's spear."

  An auburn brow arched. He was not one of them. It was going to take more than a game of stickball. "I didn't know I was being so obvious."

  Deer cut in gruffly, "Enough talk. Grandmother sun is about to show herself."

  James and Silent Deer performed the ceremony with proper respect, but James' mind was elsewhere. Maybe Silent Deer was right. He had been parading around camp like a buck with the sent of a doe up his nostrils.

  One good tumble with a willing squaw and he'd be able to get his mind back on his business. Why go crazy for a woman with too much pride for her own good? All he needed was a little feminine companionship for a night or two.

  The two waded to shore. "I'd like to thank you for your advice, friend. You..."

  The rest of what James would have said was cut off by the sound of alarm coming from the village. He and Deer grabbed up their loincloths and dressed themselves on the run as they dashed toward the village.

  ***

  Christoph DuPrey stood partially concealed behind a large oak. The early morning air was cold, but that was not what made his body tremble. He took in several deep breaths and watched with interest as Chief Dancing Cloud told New Moon about the attack on their group.

  The battle had been exhilarating! However, it had not gone as planned. Seven of his men had been killed. He had not expected that many to fall in the attack, but one could not control the red savages. They would get the scent of blood up their nostrils, and even the best-laid plans would go astray.

  The task of killing New Moon's brother had fallen on him. What if he had been seen? Hell, he was seen, but he took care of that one easy enough, and the rest of his noble savages escaped with none made the wiser.

  He shook himself. The leftover adrenaline still pumped, and he had to clear his mind.

  DuPrey gritted his teeth. The next step was not going as planned either. Cloud had been expected to allow him to accompany New Moon on the warpath, but the chief had refused. That damn breed was Cloud's choice instead. He wondered briefly who this new breed was, and how he came to be in Cloud's village. Well, it didn't matter. All was not lost...not by a long shot. He had not gotten this far by not being quick on his feet.

  New Moon took the news of their brother's death just as he knew she would. There were no signs of grief, no tears, no show of weakness. Her pride would not allow it.

  DuPrey rubbed at his crouch. She was perfect, she was beautiful, she excited him, and she was the Great Dancing Cloud's sister. His marriage to her...his body stirred at the thought...would serve his lusts and his mission.

  New Moon turned away as her brother, Cloud, departed to go to the council. She stood stiffly, her gaze locked on a single leaf dangling precariously from a broken twig that held stubbornly to a crooked branch. Would the slight breeze break the grip of the leaf and send it spiraling on the currents of the winds? Was her brother's soul still traveling on that same breeze to join her husband?

  A thin figure moved from behind a tree that stood several feet away. It was the Frenchman DuPrey. He was there after her husband's death as well. Her body trembled in warning as he moved purposefully in her direction.

  There was something not to be trusted about this Frenchman. The chief of Great Tellico may have allowed him to join their tribe, but he did not belong here. Without waiting for him to reach her, she turned and walked away.

  ***

  Once inside the walls of the village James and Silent Deer were met by Dancing Cloud.

  "Our brothers were attacked yesterday on their way to their own village." The pain could be heard in his voice as he spoke loudly to be heard above the sad wailing of the village women.

  James found the sound unnerving.

  "The warriors who survived the attack are here to ask for our help. Come with me to the council fire. It is this way."

  When they arrived, James was not surprised to hear the Frenchman, DuPrey, speaking in the native tongue. He was well known for his ability to persuade others. He now attempted to manipulate an entire tribe.

  "The French soldiers would be willing to aid their brothers in this battle against the Mohawk. These attacks happen over and over." The little Frenchman waved his arms as he talked, adding strength to his words.

  "The Mohawk do not respect the Cherokee as warriors. With help from your French brothers you could conquer this enemy for all time. Their hearts..." he hit his chest in a dramatic gesture, "will be filled with respect. They will be too fearful to send another raiding party into your lands."

  James watched the face of his friend, Dancing Cloud. He saw too much consideration there for the Frenchman's w
ords.

  Tribes of Mohawk presently sided with the English in this yet unofficial tug of war with the French. If DuPrey proved able to draw the Cherokee into a war with the Mohawk Nation it would seriously unbalance England's control at the frontier.

  That conflict had to be averted. Such a war would find the English settlers on the frontier caught up to their hips in a blood bath.

  It was his mission to remove DuPrey from the Cherokee without creating an incident between the English and The People. If a way did not present itself soon, the cunning Frenchman would have more fires started than he and the whole of King George's special troops could put out, he mused with an amount of unwanted respect.

  He turned to DuPrey. "How many were in this party that attacked you?" he asked in Cherokee.

  DuPrey's eyes darted about the gathered counsel. "We counted ten. We killed all but three." With an indignant air he added firmly, "The attack was unwarranted. The blood of our brothers calls out to be avenged. We must retaliate!" DuPrey's eyes bulged with indignation.

  James wondered how this small, ugly man could have so much influence. His narrow face and long pointed nose gave him the appearance of a rat, but in his eyes James could see a store of intelligence and deceit. The man did not need size; he had the cunning of a fox and the poison of a viper.

  James stood silently for a few moments, his eyes locked over DuPrey's left shoulder as he listened to the mumbling of the others. The warriors were understandably upset.

  Finally, unable to hold his words a moment longer, he broke his silence, "There were many more of you. Why did you not go after them yourselves rather than come back here?" James saw a flash of anger in the other's eyes.

  "The warriors are tired, from the game." The little man appeared the picture of concern, but James was not fooled. Neither was DuPrey. On this, their first real encounter, they were on opposing sides of an issue.

  "Besides," DuPrey continued. "One of the warriors killed had a blood relation in this village. It was only proper that we bring his body here since he had no male relative in our village to avenge his death, and his wife traveled with us."