Forever Young Birth Of A Nation (25 page)

Her disappointment at not having Moon Owl
for a roommate was tempered by the fact that James had bought her a
cottage in the west end of Boston. She had been wide-eyed and
deliriously happy to have a home of her own, completely paid for.
There were three acres with it, and a small barn in the back. It
was only four rooms, but that was so much more than she had been
used to in her apartment. She had cried tears of joy when James
handed her the title and the key to the front door. It only cost a
small fraction of what the two had stolen from the payroll ship
last winter anyway, and both James and Ian thought that she should
have it. James promised that they would make any repairs needed
when they returned from the wilderness.

Ian had bought two yokes of oxen and two
fine saddle horses with saddles for the trip. He had taken the time
to have the blacksmith remove all horse shoes. The horses would be
left with the Seneca people and there would be no blacksmith
available within three hundred miles.

The things that Moon Owl wanted to take were
packed away in a sturdy new wagon. She had given her best dresses
to Melissa to keep in case she returned. Ian and James had had more
copper boxes made that spring at Revere’s shop, and had succeeded
in hiding all of the rest of the startup funds in three different
cemeteries along with much of their loot from the payroll robbery.
They had more than enough money in gold and silver coin with them
for several excursions.

Ian had two short swords and scabbards made
to his specifications, designed to be hung in the center of their
backs between their shoulder blades as he was accustomed to. The
two of them each had custom oversized tomahawks and Ian had packed
six more of the standard-sized ones for gifts, along with six hair
brushes and hand mirrors for some of the women. He had bought a
tomahawk pipe as well and had a goodly package of tobacco, tightly
wrapped in oilcloth. The tomahawk pipe was a highly prized item in
the colonies among whites and Indians alike. James had bought six
baby chicks, two large bags of cracked corn, and a sizeable wooden
cage just two days before they were to depart. They reasoned that
Moon Owl could look after them and that she could start a flock
when she was settled.

With Moon Owl driving the wagon they
departed. Both men looked forward to the journey and to seeing the
sights in the great American wilderness. They would have to pass
through Mohican and Mohawk territory to get to where the Seneca
people lived, so both Ian and James were wary at all times.

They had passed into Mohawk territory some
days ago and were making decent time on a glorious spring day in
early May. Fording streams with four oxen and two vampires was
never a problem, nor did they ever find a hill too steep to cross.
Ian and James had been learning the Iroquois tongue from the time
they had met Moon Owl and both could speak it quite well. There had
been a cool front pass through the previous evening and the wind
was a steady light northwesterly breeze. Ian had been in the lead
since they had broken camp that morning. Dismounting now, he stood
waiting until James and Moon Owl had caught up to him. He turned to
James and said “James, let’s tie our horses to the wagon and I will
lead on foot.”

“I thought I smelled something too. How far
ahead are they?”

Shrugging he said “I can’t hear them and I
doubt that they know we are here yet. Let’s just drive ahead to
those rocks on our right hand. Act as if nothing is wrong. I will
lead, but you walk back here with Moon Owl.”

They proceeded to the rock formation and
while Ian kept watching the forest ahead, James got Moon Owl to
leave the wagon and to take cover beneath the rock outcropping
where they had stopped. Leaving both horses tied to the wagon, the
two fanned out; having some sixty feet of space between themselves,
and being directly out in front of the broadside of the wagon by
about the same distance. Both men stood rock still in typical
vampire fashion, waiting.

To Moon Owl, the time seemed to drag, but it
was only a matter of some three minutes or so when the first one
came into view. He stopped and held up his hand, not to greet them,
but to stop those behind him. He was puzzled because there before
him were two white men without their long guns. Presently nine of
them were in plain sight. Ian and James had attuned their hearing
now and could easily detect any others who might be hidden if they
moved. Soon enough, Ian decided that the nine they saw was all of
them. He spoke to James in French, saying “I make them at nine, no
others around now.”

“Agreed.”

Ian spoke then in the Iroquois tongue,
saying “Greetings. We come in peace. We travel to the land of the
Seneca.”

The leader spoke then saying “Why do two
unarmed white men go to the land of the Seneca?”

“We only wish to take a daughter of the
Seneca to her people.”

“What daughter of the Seneca would travel
with two unarmed white men?”

Without turning around Ian continued in the
Iroquois tongue saying “Moon Owl, show yourself, but stay
there.”

She stood up then in plain view and spoke
saying “I am Moon Owl of the Seneca people. I go to my mother, of
the people of my Sachem Tall Elk, and these two take me.”

“How is it you travel with these two?”

“They took me from a white man who killed my
husband.”

“How do we know that you are not here but to
trap beaver in the land of the Mohawk?”

“They only travel with me to keep me safe
until I am home.”

“Your home will now be with the Mohawk, and
your white men’s scalps will decorate my lodge.”

Ian spoke then in French “Be ready to stay
down, Moon Owl and cock those two pistols I gave you right now.”
Then switching back to the Iroquois tongue Ian spoke again, saying
“We come in peace, but if you make war against us, we will kill
seven of you here and now.”

There was laughter then among the band as
the leader said “Why not kill all of us, boaster?”

“We will leave two of you alive to tell what
happened this day when you made war on a daughter of the Seneca.”
Switching to English he said “James, let your eyes glow now!”

There was a muttering and three of the band
pointed to the two, talking excitedly as both Ian and James’ eyes
glowed brightly.

“Death to the shining eyes!” cried the
leader, throwing his spear straight at Ian’s chest. About that time
another gave a loud cry and ran forward throwing his spear at
James. Both vampires simply reached out with one hand and caught
the spears in mid-air. There was a wondering cry from several of
them, and then the leader unslung his bow, sending an arrow toward
Ian. Several of the others did so too and both Ian and James
deflected some, batting them away with their hands. They each
caught the last two sent their way, then holding them aloft for the
braves to see. The leader was enraged more than afraid and pulling
a massive stone tomahawk he charged Ian who simply stepped to meet
him and grabbed his wrist as he tried to strike his head. He
stepped back then, and while pivoting he slammed his hip into the
leader, he throwing him high and some thirty feet toward the wagon.
The leader tried to roll and come up but Ian was on him in a blur
of motion and twisting the tomahawk from his grasp, he smashed it
down on the man with such force that his skull burst like a ripe
melon.

James had been rushed by two of them so he
simply drew his sword and decapitated the one who got to him first
and then ran the second one through in less than the blink of an
eye. The two rocketed toward the six remaining Mohawks then, eyes
blazing and began to slaughter them. In only seconds, there were
only two remaining, and both of them were lying flat on their backs
with James and Ian’s feet on their necks. The remainder were lying
about in the awkwardly skewed positions of death, all
decapitated.

Eyes glowing fiercely Ian bent near the one
beneath his foot and wiped his sword clean on his buckskin leggings
as James did likewise. Both were silent, but trembling and wide
eyed, not able to take their eyes off of the ones who stood above
them. Ian reached down and jerked the one lying at his feet upright
and then he put one hand around his neck and lifted him from the
ground, arm outstretched as if he was holding an apple instead of a
grown man. The brave gagged and kicked his feet as Ian said “We
have no time to play with silly children like you two. Run and tell
your people what you have seen this day.” He dropped the brave who
immediately collapsed and coughed repeatedly, catching his breath.
He got to his feet, trembling as he asked “Who will we say has done
this thing?

“We are those who hunt at night. You will
say that the night hunters did this to protect a Seneca woman.”

He backed away from Ian, who picked up a
spear and tossed it to him saying “Take your toys with you. We have
no need of such things.” The two picked up their weapons, still
wide-eyed and backed warily away and Ian shouted “Stop!” Pointing
south he said “go that way lest we see you again and kill you.” The
pair did as he said, watching warily as they backed away to the
south. Ian turned his back on them in contempt as did James and the
two fled without looking back.

Moon Owl came out then and Ian came to her
reaching out to take both pistols. He un-cocked them both then,
saying “Are you all right?”

She nodded, pale and wide-eyed. Never had
she seen them move at vampire speed before and was still in shock.
He smiled gently then and took her in his arms, kissing her
forehead softly and smoothing her hair. She reached around him,
pulling him tightly against herself. Finally she spoke “I…I did not
know that you could move that fast…that way.”

“We don’t do that unless we fight others of
our kind, but this time we had something very important to protect”
he said as he again bent to kiss her gently.

Margaret Milliken came to her husband,
Robert and sat on the arm of his chair. He sat poring over
dispatches from Ian, his brow furrowed in concentration. She put
her hand on his shoulder and peered at the text he was reading as
Robert paused and leaned back in the chair. “It looks like Ian is
in the Boston area now and has safely hidden away the balance of
the funds. Seems he has stayed a step ahead of a Colonel Grundy the
whole time. It is a personal matter involving a misunderstanding
over a young lady in New York.”

Margaret laughed softly saying “I will wager
that the lady took a fancy to Ian and this Grundy chap took
offense.”

He peered up at her and laughed as he said
“I should let you read these things since you seem to know what is
in them already.”

“No it is just that I am sure that Ian would
not jeopardize a bank startup by pushing his way into someone’s
life. That being the case, it may have been the young lady who was
the pursuer and I would bet that is the case here.”

“Well, he did the right thing hiding the
funds and leaving to avoid a conflict, however he did fight a duel
with the man.”

“Really!”

“Yes. It seems he was backed into a corner
where his reputation would have been tarnished, and by connection
the bank would suffer as well. He had no choice but to teach the
man a lesson. It says here that he humiliated him and that he
regrets that, but did not know how to get out of it.”

“I would have liked to have seen that!”

Looking up at her with a smile he said “Yes.
I will wager that you would like to see that, you vixen.”

Laughing then she bent to kiss him softly
and then began to nuzzle his ear and to kiss it softly as he said
“Before I lose my train of thought, Henri reports that regarding
that fellow who was sent to spy on him, he is building a list of
people he has contacted in France. One of them is Donatien
Francoise, the Marquis de Sade.”

“No! That pervert? How could he possibly be
interested in what Henri Lafayette does?”

“That is to be determined, but now that
Henri knows of Francoises’ interest in his affairs, he will be
examining his affairs very closely.”

“Too bad for Francoise” she said as she
laughed again. “Did you send all of the Lafayette’s mail to
them?”

“Yes, not more than four hours ago.”

Taking the report from his hands she said
“Then come along love. I have ideas that can’t wait.”

***

“Pass the butter please, Cosette.”

She reached into the picnic basket and got
the butter and passed it across the blanket to Stuart. Rebecca said
“Cosette, May I ask a personal question? I notice that you always
wear gloves outdoors and a very wide hat. Is there a reason for
that, if you do not mind my asking?”

Smiling sweetly she replied “I do not mind
at all, Rebecca. I have a skin condition that makes me break out
when I get direct sunlight.”
In fact we vampires break out in
flames, but you do not need to know that
she thought. “I have
light sensitivity too and that is why I have these sun glasses on
so much of the time too”
and we vampires love these things
she thought.

She had been watching a peculiar looking man
out of the corner of her eyes for some time now. Never once turning
her head his direction, nonetheless she had noticed him from the
moment he had slowly edged into her peripheral vision. He stayed in
deep shade, but he wore a rather lumpy shapeless broad-brimmed hat
of some sort, and she was certain that she had seen him somewhere
before very recently. As she thought back, it seemed that the man
was in deep shade that day too. She wondered if there were other
vampires in the New World yet and then she decided that she was
likely just overly sensitive because of all of the things that had
happened to Ian.
Just relax and enjoy the day
she
thought.