Apache Protectors: Running Wolf Part 19

"I could save you. I could take you out of here now. Put you on my horse."

"I will not leave them."

"Alone you could make it." Even as he made this offer, he held her tight, fearing she would pick the others over her life. While he would pick her over anything and anyone.

He drew back.

"What is it?" she whispered, her voice telling him that she sensed some change in him.

"I cannot be chief."

"But you must."

"No. I would not have done what you have done. And even if I let you go, I would wonder if it was your tribe I faced. If it was your village I raided. It would make me weak."

"Not if I stay."

"You said you would escape again."

"I said I would help the others escape. If you marry Spotted Fawn and become the next chief, you can free them. Do this and I will be yours."

"I do not want to marry her. I want only you."

Raven shook her head. "Marry her."

"If you were not Crow, I would make you mine."

"I am Apsalooke and I will be yours."

Running Wolf thought of her offer and her words. She'd just said she would give everything she had to save them. That included staying with him as a captive instead of riding free across the open prairie toward home. Did she love him so much or did she love her people so much?

If he cared for her, could he really do this to her?

If he didn't, he would lose her forever.

"Please, Running Wolf. Do you not see? This is a chance to help them. A different kind of coup."

He pressed his lips to the top of her head. "Yes," he said. "Yes, I will do what you ask. I will marry her and keep you safe. I will become the next chief and free your people. To have you, I would do anything."

She sagged against him, her breath ragged. He wanted to stay with her, love her. But not here in this place.

He released her and reached for his bag, offering her the food he had brought and waiting while she ate.

"I would keep you here until the council has decided. If they think you bleed, they will not touch you. It gives me some time to convince them to spare you and the others."

He offered her water and she drank thirstily.

"You will not leave this lodge until I come for you?"

"I promise."

Then he left her to return to the council. It was bright enough outside to see the other lodge and the shadow moving between them. Was that Spotted Horse returning with the wolverine?

He walked around to the front of the common women's lodge to find Spotted Horse guarding diligently. The young man straightened at his approach.

"Do you need anything?"

The young man shook his head and Running Wolf made note to bring this one and Living Elk on his next raid. Time for these young bucks to earn a feather or two. And he needed only a handful more to make his war bonnet.

Running Wolf returned to the council lodge after their dinner recess to find Weasel speaking about their war chief's bravery on the last raid. Red Hawk was not among the circle. Running Wolf frowned as a trickle of dread slipped through him.

He joined the circle, sitting between Yellow Blanket and Black Cloud, one of the council elders. Running Wolf glanced about to note that Big Thunder had not returned.

Weasel gave him a look that told him things were not going well.

"He is war chief and it is his decision whether to take captives or kill enemies. None who follow should question him. It is easy to question after there is time to think. It is harder to make the choice at the moment with what information you have. I would not want to follow any other than Running Wolf."

He pa.s.sed the talking stick to the next man, Winter Horse, who held it for a moment as if considering whether he would speak. Running Wolf stared at the large open sockets of the coyote skull and the jaws that, even when tied shut, seemed to be laughing at him. Winter Horse pa.s.sed the talking stick to the one beside him, Lone Feather, who spoke.

"Running Wolf is a good war chief. But he was different on this last raid. I do not know why."

The stick went next to Turtle Rattler, who also spoke. "We are gathered to speak about the captives and their escape. Are the two subjects related or are we drawn down a false path leading nowhere?"

Big Thunder ducked inside the lodge, followed by Red Hawk. They moved together and sat directly across from him between Walking Buffalo, an elder, and Yellow Cloud, a warrior. Red Hawk and Running Wolf divided the circle in half, with the elders on one side and the warriors on the other. Big Thunder sat closer to Red Hawk.

A second row of younger warriors surrounded the inner circle. Running Wolf looked around at the faces. There were those who were also in contention for chief: Yellow Blanket, the chief's eldest son, Two Knives, Spotted Horse, Lone Feather and, of course, Red Hawk.

Red Hawk was not favored by many because of his lack of skills, the most recent being that he'd counted no coup in the last battle and was unseated by a woman in the last raid. More recently he had faired poorly in the buffalo hunt. Before this last raid, Running Wolf would have said that the three favorites were Two Knives, who preferred hunting to war, Yellow Blanket and Lone Feather, who were both wise but old in a time when many men wanted a young, vital chief.

And then there was himself.

He was under attack but must depend on the warriors who trusted and respected him to speak, for a man who must defend himself had already lost. The talking stick went to his best friend, Big Thunder, who looked at him directly and then pa.s.sed the stick along without a word.

Running Wolf felt a p.r.i.c.kle down his spine. Everyone watched as the stick made its way to Red Hawk. He gripped it like a war ax and drew in a breath to speak.

Red Hawk had followed Running Wolf to the common women's lodge, and he told the gathering he had seen their war chief send away one of the guards so he could enter the place where women were unclean. This caused much shifting and troubled glances but none spoke.

Running Wolf sat as if a stone, for he knew what came next. Red Hawk was a poor rider, a worse shot and less than bold in battle. But he had an excellent memory and recited the words spoken between Running Wolf and Raven. How he was going to let her escape, but she would not leave the others, so they plotted for him to marry the chief's daughter so he would be the next chief and then free the enemy Crow. How he had said to her that he could not be chief because he would be a weak leader, unwilling to face and kill their enemy.

How this Crow captive had convinced their war chief to betray them all.

"Do you deny it?" asked Red Hawk.

When asked a question, a man could answer.

Running Wolf lifted his chin and replied. The shame was deep and red, but he was a man and a man admitted the truth. "I do not deny this."

The younger men forgot to be silent, and a buzz like a hornet's nest filled the lodge as Red Hawk pa.s.sed the talking stick to their chief. But Turtle Rattler stopped the coyote staff's progress.

"A young man who is brave in battle may be made foolish by a woman. All of us who are old were once young and remember this. An elk in the spring goes mad with love, crashing into trees, attacking any rival, even to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep. Men are little different. But when the spring has past the elk becomes what he was before and forgets his heated blood. I say that this woman must go, and when she is gone our war chief will forget her."

Running Wolf's skin dimpled in the warm air as an inner frost crept through him, freezing him to the spot. Suddenly he did not worry over his loss of honor or the certainty that he would never lead his people. Suddenly he feared for Snow Raven's life, and in that instant he understood that he loved her. He would do anything to save her.

The buzzing in his ears made it hard to hear for a moment. He concentrated, seeing Turtle Rattler's mouth move, but was unable to make sense of his words. At last he could understand again and his blood chilled.

"This woman must be killed. The others will then be as they have been. And as for Frog, who did not run, I think she should be rewarded and become Sioux."

Running Wolf started to rise and then recalled his place and settled back down. Inside his mind he was running back to Raven, taking her to his horse and letting her go. Why hadn't he done that when he had the chance? He knew she could have reached her tribe.

But she would not leave her people, and he had still believed he could have her. His selfishness would cost Raven her life.

Turtle Rattler handed the staff to the chief.

"I withdraw my favor from Running Wolf, and he is no longer welcome in my lodge." He looked at Running Wolf now. "I hoped to see my youngest wed to a fine man. I still hope she will choose such a man, but I will not live to see this." He looked back to his advisers. "As to my successor, I make no recommendations but leave this to the council, who I trust will choose wisely." He had to pause here because the wind had left his body. His lips were now a constant and unnatural blue, and the whites of his eyes had turned the color of the yellow clay used to stain buckskin.

How many more days did he have left? Running Wolf knew he had disappointed the man who had treated him like a son and he had embarra.s.sed his youngest daughter. The shame smoldered like the coals beneath the charred wood of a fire, burning hot.

Iron Bear regained enough wind to speak, but his voice trembled. "As to the captives, I begin with the one who remained behind. I agree with Turtle Rattler. She should be rewarded, adopted as a member of this tribe. The others I would put to death, for a captive who runs needs two to watch her, and that makes her a burden. As to the one they call Kicking Rabbit. This one may look like a woman, but her heart is that of a warrior. So let her die like a warrior."

"No," said Running Wolf. The word was just a breath, but he had spoken out of turn. Interrupted the chief. He stood to take his leave.

"Send warriors to watch him," called Red Hawk. "He will go to her and try to set her free."

Running Wolf found himself surrounded and escorted to the lodge of Turtle Rattler. Then a guard was posted. He knew he could take the man but he did not wish to add murderer to his list of failures. Once a man did that, he had left the Red Road. Such a man would never reach the Spirit World, but would be condemned forever to the circle of ghosts.

If they killed her, then he would die and they could be together.

Chapter Eighteen.

The following morning, Raven was examined by Laughing Moon and Buffalo Calf, who quickly determined that she did not bleed. They dragged her from the small lodge into the sunlight, where she squinted and shivered at once. Her lodge was cold, but not as cold as it was outside.

Her eyes were still adjusting to the light when her wrists were bound by Living Elk under the supervision of Weasel, who looked apologetic, and Big Thunder, who looked as angry as a storm cloud.

"Where is Running Wolf?" she asked.

To this Weasel just shook his head and sighed.

Big Thunder answered, "You have destroyed him."

"What?"

Weasel spoke now. "Red Hawk was outside." He pointed to the lodge. "He heard you and Running Wolf. He told the council. Running Wolf is under guard."

"No," she whispered.

"Yes," said Big Thunder. "You shamed him and you have shamed the most wonderful woman in this entire tribe. If it is permitted, I will gladly kill you myself."

The look in his eye left her no doubt that he would do exactly as he said. He grasped her arm in a punishing grip and tugged her along to the front of the common women's tepee where the others stood, already tied in a line from wrist to wrist, so they looked like ponies ready for travel. Big Thunder tied her to the back.

"She should be in the front," said Weasel.

"If she had followed, they would not have escaped. Let her eat their dust for a change," said Big Thunder.

The line of captives was led to the central place before the lodge of the council of elders. The gathered a.s.sembly seemed to include the entire tribe. The people moved aside to watch them pa.s.s. They did not hurl insults or rocks, which surprised Raven.

It would have been better.

Now she did not know what to expect, but she found it took all her courage to put one foot before the next. It was hard to move forward when your mind told you to run. The other women hunched in a posture of humiliation and protection. The last defense of defenseless women. It made her angry.

"Lift your heads," she ordered. "You are Apsalooke women, not dogs."

The women obeyed, straightening and lifting their chins. Raven felt a moment's pride in them. Then they were lined up to face the elders, now wrapped in their finely painted buffalo robes against the cold, frosty morning.

The people gathered to hear the decision of the council. Their once great chief, now stooped and forced to hold his eldest son's arm for support, stood before them. The captives stood, arms tied behind them. Laughing Moon and Buffalo Calf reported that only Mouse had broken her link with the moon.

Raven heard Buffalo Calf mutter, "Her link is always broken. Do you think it is from all the men?"

Ebbing Water shook her head. "You saw her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. They are full of lumps like the bites of a horsefly and some of the sores bleed. She is sick as a rabid dog. I don't know why they even took her along. Stupid. She can barely stand."

The chief lifted his hands and swayed. His son looped an arm around his waist to keep him from falling, and the entire tribe gave a gasp and then fell silent.

Iron Bear's voice was so weak it reminded Raven of an infant's wail. He coughed and wheezed and finally motioned to Red Hawk to step forward. The man was dressed in his finest war shirt. As he lifted his arms for silence, Raven stared at the fringe of hair on his sleeves, suspecting it was horsehair from raids, rather than from the heads of his enemies. Still, it was an ominous sign that Iron Bear had chosen this man, her enemy, to speak for the council.

"These women are not like our women," said Red Hawk. "Once they ate our food, tended our sick and saw to the needs of our young men." He looked at Raven as he spoke. "Some have even tried to forget that they are enemy. But I do not forget. They steal our horses like Crow warriors. So they will die like warriors."

There was a gasp from the tribe, for all knew that captive warriors were tortured in the cruelest of methods, their bodies mutilated over days so they could not pose a threat in the Spirit World.

Frog, the only one of them who had elected to remain behind, fell to her knees and wept. Her sobs echoed loud in the still morning.

Little Deer fell forward in a faint, taking Wren to her knees.

Snake held her baby in her bound arms. "What of my son?"

Red Hawk's mouth twitched. "He will not grow to be a warrior. One less to kill later on."

Now Snake fell to her knees with Wren beside her. Both wept. Only Mouse, at one end of the line, and Snow Raven, at the other, remained standing.

Raven looked to Running Wolf, who stood between Spotted Horse and Yellow Blanket looking pale and grim. But he did not speak in their defense, and the way he was flanked by the two warriors made it appear he was now a captive, too. What would they do to him?

He was yet a member of the council of elders, so he could speak, but he could not vote. Whatever he had done inside the lodge of the council to save her, it had failed because Red Hawk had known what they had said last night.

Now her people were doomed to the most painful of all deaths and an afterlife where they would carry the wounds inflicted upon them through eternity. Would her own mother even know her when she stepped from the Way of Souls to the Spirit World?