Bittersweet Ecstasy (22 page)

When Bright Arrow regained his senses, these “messages” filled his mind, both haunting and stimulating him. He glanced at Silver Hawk and believed he was still swaying and mumbling incoherently under the power of his peyote. Not once did he recall the time when Windrider had tricked him in a similar manner, or suspect that he was being duped today. He waited patiently until Silver Hawk was released by the Great Spirit. Then he smiled and told him, “All you said was
true, my brother. Now, I must find the strength of mind and body to obey.”

“Do not speak of your vision this sun, my brother, for the Great Spirit told me to reveal them to no one but our shamans or they would lose their power. When all has come to pass, we will reveal our visions to each other. We must refresh ourselves and return home.”

“It will be so, my brother,” Bright Arrow agreed. “I must ride swiftly, or others will worry over my delay. Soon, we will meet again, for the Great Spirit has locked our destinies together.”

In the Blackfeet camp, Bright Arrow spoke privately with the chief. “My words are for your ears alone, Medicine Bear. Soon, I will seek a new wife, and I wish her to be Singing Wind. It is not the time to approach her, but if others speak to you for her hand, know I have spoken for it first. Our union will create a stronger bond between the Blackfeet and the Oglalas. I will bring you many gifts to prove my desire for her and my prowess. Say nothing to her or to others until I return. Is this agreeable with her second father?”

Medicine Bear smiled and nodded. “I will hold your words and desires in secret, Bright Arrow, and I will give you the hand of Singing Wind when you return and ask for it before my people.”

“I must leave swiftly. It is a happy day in the life and heart of Bright Arrow. Medicine Bear is a wise and good chief. May your suns be many and happy.” Bright Arrow clasped Medicine Bear’s forearm and smiled.

Silver Hawk rode a short distance with Bright Arrow, then watched him continue his misguided journey. A wicked smile played over his features as he praised his courage and cunning. He headed his horse in another direction, to leave a message in the appointed place for Red Band to collect that night.
When he met with his temporary ally on the morrow, his final plans would be put in motion…

In the Oglala camp, Sun Cloud could not stop thinking about Singing Wind. The days were so busy and filled with dangers, and he longed to see her again. A curious panic was plaguing him that day, as if some evil force was at work in his life and lands, other than the whites. He had given Windrider’s Cheyenne band his father’s message, but he had been unable to meet with Soul-of-Thunder. Sun Cloud had made it a point not to speak with Thunder Spirit again about Tashina, and would not do so unless the Cheyenne warrior’s feelings did not match hers. He worried over his brother’s late return, and wished Bright Arrow had not sent Flaming Star home when the Blackfeet camp was in sight.

He had noticed how weary his father and mother were, and he was concerned for them. Some days, they seemed filled with life and energy; on other days, they seemed tired and weak. When they returned from the war council, he was going to find a slave to help his mother. Too, he must find the right words and time to speak with his father, to implore him not to accept the leader’s role in the upcoming battle. As difficult as it was for Sun Cloud to admit, he knew his father should follow, not lead, this time. His father had borne the weight of the white man’s wars on his shoulders for many years. He had held the tribes together; he had given them hope, courage, and guidance. He had planned great defeats and he had ridden to great victories before united tribes. Gray Eagle had given much of himself to his people and to other tribes, but he must be persuaded not to do so again. Gray Eagle needed to conserve his strength and to enjoy his remaining days with Shalee. It was time for another to
bear this heavy burden. Yet, Sun Cloud knew that his father would feel that others would lose hope and courage if they lost the one man who could hold them together, the one man whom the whites feared. He wondered,
If the Legend steps aside, what will it do to our mutual cause?

Sunday, April twenty-third, was a beautiful day, but treachery abounded in the Dakota Territory. After meeting with Silver Hawk, Red Band reported to Major Gerald Butler.

“What a stroke of luck, Red Band. You’ve earned a month’s extra pay. Before Cooper arrives, our problems will be solved. You sure the area you’ve picked is perfect for our plans?” he asked.

“Gray Eagle must pass that way to reach war council.”

Butler turned to Captain André Rochelle and asked, “You sure you can carry off your part, Rochelle? If you mess up, we’ve got hell to pay, and you know what I mean. Gray Eagle will eat us alive.”

The Frenchman laughed arrogantly. “My greatgrandfather belonged to King Louis’ grenadiers, and he passed his knowledge and skills to his son, and my grandfather passed his secrets to my father, and my father gave them to me,” he boasted accurately. Tapping the curved
sabre-briquet
which he always wore in a crossbelt strapped over his chest during battles, the forty-seven-year-old soldier told them again, “He was given this saber in 1770 for his talents and courage when he fought for your infant country against France’s enemies.”

“We know all that, Rochelle, but will it work?” Butler pressed.

“The grenades are ready. The smithy made them exactly as I instructed, and I have trained twenty men in how to light and throw them. But to make certain no one learned of our secret weapon, I did not allow them
to practice with loaded ones. I will position them on both sides of the canyon. When I give the signal, the Indians will not know what hit them. Most will be killed, and others will be put afoot during the commotion; then your men can pick them off easily. As you ordered, we will aim for Gray Eagle first. He will not escape. If my little ones fail, I will give you my entire year’s pay.”

“Excellent,” Major Butler remarked with a devilish grin, as he rubbed his hands together with anticipation. “By this time tomorrow, that bastard will be dead and those Injuns will scatter like a dandelion in a stiff breeze. By God, we’ve got the son-of-bitch this time.”

“What about the others, Major?” Captain Smith asked eagerly.

“We’ll send a regiment over to their meeting place and have them pick off as many leaders as possible, just in case one of them gets the bright idea of replacing Gray Eagle. But right now, my only concern is getting rid of their legend; that’ll make ‘em think twice about who’s the most powerful and indestructible force around. Let’s get all of this set up tonight. I don’t want any horses in sight or sound of them Sioux when they head out in the morning. Red Band, you make sure all our tracks are covered before their scouts ride through.”

“You want any camps attacked?” Smith asked his final question.

“Not this time. Let’s make it look like we’re only after the warriors. My guess is most of the bands will hightail it out of my area. The ones that don’t, we’ll run ‘em out with a few more of Rochelle’s babies. Any more questions or comments?”

The men exchanged glances and all shook their heads. Major Gerald Butler laughed coldly as he declared smugly, “Then let’s go burn the Eagle’s wings. If no other redskin is killed tomorrow, make sure he
doesn’t come out of that canyon alive. Make sure I get his body and possessions. Understand?” The men nodded, then were dismissed.

Outside, Captain Clarence Smith asked the Crow scout, “You sure you can trust Silver Hawk? He ain’t setting a trap for us, is he?”

Red Band replied, “I promise him truce for his people and many trade goods. I promise he be new Blackfeet chief. He crazy; he believe. He hate Gray Eagle much as whites do.”

“You’re a sly and cold-hearted devil, Red Band,” the captain teased.

“Silver Hawk is mine. I cut out traitorous tongue and heart before I kill. No warrior with honor betray own people. He must die.”

“But you’re helping us to destroy them,” Smith reasoned.

“I help destroy enemies of Crow, not my people. You white, English white, but you kill each other. Same is true of Indian. We not alike. We ride, much to do before sun awakens.”

Bright Arrow asked Powchutu and Sun Cloud to sleep in his tepee so Gray Eagle and Shalee could have this night alone before they rode out to the council. While Bright Arrow met with the shaman Mind-whoRoams, Powchutu and Sun Cloud talked with Tashina, who was delighted that her father had not mentioned Silver Hawk to her.

Mind-who-Roams observed Bright Arrow intently as he revealed his vision near the Blackfeet camp yesterday and his talk with Silver Hawk before it. When Bright Arrow finished, he looked at the shaman and stated honestly, “I do not understand, Wise One, for this is not what my father has told me, and it is not what he believes. Tell me what the vision means.”

“There are many things which the Great Spirit has not revealed to me, Bright Arrow. But I saw a great battle in my vision. I saw a new chief leading the Oglalas, but his face was concealed. I saw two brothers fighting the enemy and each other. I saw the bodies of Gray Eagle and Shalee upon the death scaffolds. But I did not see which moon would bring these visions to pass. It is true, Sun Cloud is young to become our chief. He has not sat on the council and he has not endured the Sun Dance. He has not lived and trained under the Eagle’s eye as long as you. It is true, the reason you were banished no longer exists. But it is also true, you once chose another path over your people and duty. I cannot say it was not a test or a means to remove your weaknesses and to make you stronger than before. Long ago, Gray Eagle told me of his visions, and I do not know why the Great Spirit gave you a different one, but I know you speak the truth. We must wait for Him to reveal more to me.”

Bright Arrow returned to his tepee, and was glad the others were asleep. He did not feel like talking anymore that night. He glanced at the mat where his brother was slumbering peacefully and wondered what troubles lay ahead for them. Whatever happened, he had to obey the will of the Great Spirit. Never again must he let his people down.

In the tepee of Gray Eagle, the chief murmured, “You are restless this moon, little one. Do you worry over the days ahead?”

Shalee knew she had been tossing for some time and it was wrong to pretend to be sleeping. She did not want to confess her fears about this impending journey, not after his talk with Sun Cloud. Nor did she want to tell him of the pains which kept attacking her near her heart. She was so weary, but rest was eluding her.
“Hold me in your arms, my love, for the night air is cool,” she finally replied.

Gray Eagle pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her. He was worried about her. She had been so pale and quiet that day. “Do not allow Sun Cloud’s words to trouble you, little one. He made me face the truth; I cannot be band leader this time. I will do nothing more than speak of all I have learned and hope it helps others in battle. I know my son does not hunger for my place, but he is right; it is time for Gray Eagle to yield his chief’s bonnet to one younger and stronger. I cannot allow pride to keep me from doing what is right.”

Shalee hugged him tightly and kissed his lips, for she knew how hard those decisions were. “Do not fret, my love, for I will keep you busy in our tepee. We will enjoy our remaining days with each other, and with our sons and grandchildren. I love you even more for your courage and strength to take these difficult steps. There is nothing wrong with getting old; it is the way of nature.”

“You have much wisdom, little one. There will be no more battles for Gray Eagle. He will be content to accept his age and new rank. I will ride to the war council one last time; then I will belong to you alone for the first time since we met so many winters past. No matter our troubles long ago, we have shared a good and long life. When the ever-moving line which draws my Life-circle closes, it will do so knowing I am complete for having captured Alisha Williams.”

“If I could return to England and be seventeen, I would take this same path once more, if the Eagle awaited me again.”

They embraced and kissed, then snuggled together to sleep.

Gray Eagle and Shalee kissed and embraced once more in the privacy of their tepee. Holding her in his arms with his cheek resting against her auburn head, he did not want to release her. He felt as if there was a curious force which was trying to keep them together today, yet another was trying to separate them. It was strange how he had awakened before dawn and lain there remembering the span of sixty-nine years which made up his current Life-circle. It had been as if every deed, word, feeling, and thought he had known since birth rapidly had visited his mind. He had reminisced about his mother Flower Face, a beautiful Sisseton female who had died at thirty-five winters from a fall in the sacred Black Hills while gathering herbs. He had been twenty; and he had refused for five winters to allow another woman that near his heart and life until the white, English girl had entered his territory. He had thought of his father Chief Running Wolf, who had known only two brief moments of weakness during his life-span—Leah Winston and Powchutu—yet both mistakes had damaged many lives and had caused Running Wolf and others much anguish.

Gray Eagle’s hands began to caress his wife’s back as
he nestled her closer to his body. He did not know why his mind and heart were so troubled and reflective this morning. Life had been perilous and hard on the Plains, causing a man of his age to feel, and often to look, much older than his years. He had thought about his sons, and had tried to imagine their lives after he and Shalee were gone. He had wondered what would happen in and to his cherished lands and people. He had thought about friends he had lost, foes he had defeated, battles he had fought, truces he had achieved, and mistakes he had made. He had thought about the changes in his lands, but mostly those within him. He had thought about White Arrow, who had ridden at his side since childhood, who had stuck with him during right and wrong, during good and bad. Whatever he had needed or done, White Arrow had stood beside him to give love, help, encouragement, or guidance.