Chase the Wind (40 page)

“Yes. My mother taught me about heaven and hell, you can’t have one without the other. The Kiowa have the same thing, just called something else, so I believe it’s all the same.”

“We were brought up the same way. I hope there’s a heaven. I know that if there is, my parents are there, watching over us. I hope they are watching over Jenny right now.”

“Me too.” Chase lay back on his blanket, placing his arm under his head so he could look up at the stars popping out in the night sky. “She’s looking at the same sky wherever she is.”

“She’s probably madder than a wet hen, too.”

Chase laughed at the vision of Jenny that filled his head at that comment. “Yeah, I bet she hasn’t been the easiest thing to get along with.”

“I bet they wanted to return her as soon as she woke up,” Jamie added. “I’ve seen her mad, and it’s not a pretty sight.”

“I’ve seen it, too. Remember when she threw that mug at my head?” The two of them collapsed in laughter as they compared ideas on what Jenny’s kidnappers were going through at the mercy of her temper. They finally settled down, quieting as they both thought of Jenny alone. Eventually they slept.

A few mornings later Jamie cautiously stretched his abused muscles as the first sounds of dawn woke him. He was sore, unaccustomed to sleeping on the hard ground, and his legs were cramping from the hard exercise after weeks of inactivity. He could hear Chase stirring under his blanket, and he wondered if his friend was also suffering. At least having horses would make the travel easier, and he hoped they would find Gray Horse soon.

“Jamie,” Chase called out.

“What?” Jamie bit the word out as he squinted against the bright sunshine.

“We have company.”

Jamie sat up instantly, bringing his revolver level with his waist. Gray Horse was sitting between their blankets, sizing up Chase, who was still under his blanket.

“Hello, young Duncan,” the Indian said without looking at Jamie.

Jamie laid his gun down and shoved his hair back. “Chase, this is my father’s friend Gray Horse. Gray Horse, my friend Chase the
Wind.” Chase kicked his blanket off, standing before Gray Horse,
who had also stood. The Indian turned to Jamie and extended his
hand, helping him to his feet. He carefully scrutinized the scar on
Jamie’s face as he held on to his arm.

“I am glad the white doctors were able to help you,” he com
mented.

Jamie turned his cheek away from the Indian’s dark eyes. “We’ve
been looking for you.”

“I saw that I was being followed, so I waited. It is good to see
you.”

“I need some horses.” Behind Gray Horse, Jamie saw Chase shake
his head as if in warning. Jamie looked into the eyes of his father’s
friend and apologized. “I’m sorry. A lot has happened, and I haven’t
even thanked you for what you did for Jenny and me after our parents died.” Jamie began to pace, shoving his hair back.

“You are much like your father, young Duncan. Come, let us go
to my camp and you can tell me your story.”

Jamie and Chase gathered up their things and followed the Indian to where his horse was waiting with two other riders, both
boys a few years younger than Jamie. He recognized them as Gray
Horse’s sons, whom Jamie had shared many adventures with, and
they smiled when they saw him. Jamie and Chase swung up behind
the boys and they took off for the village.

Jamie’s thick russet hair drew more attention than his scars as
they rode in. After he dismounted, several children gathered round
his knees, chattering like little birds as they pointed up at his hair
which the sun had turned to molten copper. Jamie grinned at them and knelt, waiting patiently as they took turns touching the top of
his head, some of them jumping back as if they had been burned
by the heat. One little girl tentatively touched his scar and he jerked
self-consciously, accidentally scaring the child.

Gray Horse touched Jamie’s shoulder and led him to his tent,
with Chase following. Gray Horse’s wife shooed the children away
as the men stepped inside, each taking a seat on the ground. They sat patiently while the woman prepared them a meal. Jamie care
fully copied Chase’s eating manners so as not to insult his host.

“Now, tell me your story, young Duncan,” Gray Horse said when
the remains of the meal had been taken away.

Jamie looked at Chase, who gave him an encouraging look. As succinctly as possible he told Gray Horse everything that had hap
pened since they had left the ranch. Gray Horse listened carefully, asking a few questions about the things he didn’t understand, nodding at the things he did. When Jamie was finished with his tale, Gray
Horse left,
stopping to speak to someone outside.

“He’s sending someone to get us horses,” Chase whispered to Jamie. Jamie shoved his hair back and looked up anxiously when Gray Horse came back in.

“Come with me,” he said, holding the flap open so they could follow him out. They followed him to another tent, where several men of the village were holding council. Jamie and Chase were led to places away from the main group and sat waiting while Gray Horse conferred with the men seated around a small fire. Chase listened intently to the conversation, and Jamie followed as best he could, not being fluent in the language. Gray Horse motioned for them to join the circle, and they complied, Jamie edging as faraway from the small fire as he could without seeming rude.

“You must consult the spirits before you begin your journey,” Gray Horse explained. Chase sat stone-faced in front of the fire as Jamie looked questioningly at his father’s friend. “The spirits will give you a sign to guide you.” Jamie heard the undercurrent of conversation going on around the circle, but he still did not understand what was happening. Chase seemed to turn in on himself, leaving Jamie feeling very alone and vulnerable as a bowl of liquid was passed around the circle. He watched Chase take the bowl and drink from it, then pass it on to Gray Horse, who drank also. “Let the spirits guide you, young Duncan,” Gray Horse said as he handed the bowl to Jamie, who quickly examined the contents before taking a sip. Gray Horse tipped the bowl up to Jamie’s mouth with his finger, making him swallow more of the bitter mixture than he intended to. Jamie’s eyes grew wide with surprise as the mixture began to take effect, then they lost focus, and he felt his limbs go numb. The small fire flickered in front of him, and against his will he felt himself being pulled closer and closer to the flames. He began to tremble as he felt the heat, and he could feel himself screaming, although he didn’t make a sound. The fire surrounded him until he shot up out of the top of the flames, floating above like an ash, then drifting up through the smoke hole in the tent until he was suspended in the air above.

Jamie looked down and saw his body sitting inside the tent, his shoulders slumped, his chin resting on his chest. He saw Chase
also, only his head was thrown back as if he was looking up at him.
Come
with
me,
he wanted to say, but no words formed. He heard someone calling his name and he looked out of the village
and saw the plains beyond. His body followed where his eyes went,
soaring above the ground like a hawk. Horses were running below, a huge herd, and at their lead he saw Storm, flying over the ground
like the wind. Jamie willed his body to go down, until he was hovering right over the gray’s back as he ran, his head even with
the horse’s, so close that he could feel Storm’s mane beating against
his face. He stayed with him until the mountains rose up before
him, stopping the horse’s mad flight. Jamie continued on, following
the voice that was still calling to him.

He looked down and saw a lake, the center of it full of churning
waves. In the midst of them he saw Jenny thrashing about in the water, her hair swirling around her. She was calling his name,
begging him to help her, so he willed his body down, reaching his
hands out to Jenny’s outstretched one, but she was out of reach. The water was pulling her away, spinning her round and round until a whirlpool formed in the lake. Jenny was flying around in
the water, her body tumbling out of control. As the whirlpool grew
stronger, the bottom of the lake became visible where the water had pulled away. Jamie looked down, but instead of seeing sand
or mud, he saw green grass, and Chase. His long hair was blowing
in the whirlwind, and he was just standing there looking up, his
eyes shaded with his hand as if he was looking into the sun. Jamie
knew that Chase could help him rescue Jenny, so he willed his body to go to him, and as he passed through the whirlpool, he caught Jenny’s hand and pulled her through, so that she landed next to Chase on the grass. He could see them standing there to
gether, but he could not stop his flight.

He continued on, flying away from them until they were so small
he couldn’t see them. He kept on going, desperate to go back but having no control over his direction. He finally came to a stop in a small glade. He was so tired from his journey that he lay down
in the cool grass and rested, totally alone except for a red fox that
walked out and sat before him, watching him curiously as he lay
there. He closed his eyes and slept.

Gray Horse gently lowered Jamie so that he was on a blanket
beside the small fire. On the other side of him was Chase, who was
still deep in the spirit world.

Chase had heard Jamie calling to him from above and he had followed, soaring with him over the plains, feeling the excitement of the horses as they ran, until they stopped short of the mountains. He went on, following Jamie, until he heard Jenny’s voice calling to him. She was swimming in a beautiful pool of clear water, and she called to him to join her. He felt himself pulling off his clothes, and his body slicing through the water as he joined her, taking her in his arms, and feeling her skin, slick with the water, press against his own. He held her, and as he looked into her deep blue eyes, he felt her golden hair float around him, entwining with his own long, dark hair, until the only way he could tell where her hair ended and his began was by the color. The water was warm and comforting, and he felt as if he could stay there forever, even when he looked up and saw that a pack of growling, snapping wolves had surrounded them, the only thing holding them back their fear of the water. Through his dream, he felt himself being lowered onto a blanket, and he smiled, content to stay where he was for the time being.

Jamie felt too warm, and a frown creased his face as he struggled against the discomfort. He knew that it was early summer, so he should be a little hot, but this was not right, and as he tried to surface through the many layers of fog that surrounded him, he came to the realization that he was lying next to a fire. He sat upright with a start, and slid away from the flames as he looked around to see if anyone was watching. He was alone, and he took a minute to collect his thoughts as he scrubbed his hands through his hair. He could hear the soft murmur of voices from outside and he staggered to his feet, grabbing a tent pole as his head began to spin. He could see through the opening that the sun was going down and the men who had earlier been drinking the potion with him were all seated outside, talking among themselves. Chase was in the middle of the group, speaking Lakota and signing the words that he didn’t know.

Gray Horse saw Jamie and came to him, a smile on his face.

“The spirits spoke to you, young Duncan?”

“I guess you could say that,” Jamie answered. His mouth felt like cotton, and he was having a hard time orienting himself as he took a trembling step forward. He managed to make it to the circle under his own steam and gratefully accepted a drink from one of the men
at the fire. Chase was grinning at him, his own cobwebs already gone, and Jamie fought down the urge to punch him. Strangely
enough, the drink refreshed him and he began to feel like himself
again after a few minutes.

“Tell us of your dream,” Gray Horse said when he saw that Jamie
had recovered.

Jamie looked around at the concerned faces and began to speak, haltingly of what he remembered about the strange vision he had
experienced. When he was done, there was a flurry of conversation,
all in Lakota, as the men in the circle compared opinions on what
they had heard. Jamie looked over at Chase, who just shrugged but continued to pay rapt attention to the words flying around
him.

“You and your friend are on the same quest,” Gray Horse began to translate. That wasn’t news to Jamie, but he let him go on. “You
will take the same path, but it will become difficult when you come
to the mountains. Your sister will go through many raging waters before you are reunited with her, but her path lies with you.” Gray Horse looked at Chase as he spoke. “There are many who will try
to separate you, but you must trust in each other.”

Jamie looked around the men of the circle, who were all nodding
in agreement with the words Gray Horse had spoken. He hadn’t learned anything new. He had known when he started out that it was not going to be easy to find Jenny, and his so-called vision hadn’t given him any revelations on how to find her. It had only added to his confusion. Why did he go on away from Jenny and Chase if their paths were all together, and what was the meaning
of the fox?