Riverbreeze: Part 3 (46 page)

Someone did, (Dolnick actually), slamming it so hard the house shook. Four more arrows landed in the wood. Then all was quiet except for everyone’s harsh breathing.

Robert lay on the floor, groaning and writhing in pain. “I’m going to kill every one of them.” He growled, reaching behind him to feel where the arrow stuck out of the meaty part of his left buttock. The arrowhead was deeply imbedded and the pain was excruciating, but he knew he would live. If the arrows had been coated with poison, Jamie would be a lot sicker than he was and Owasewas would have already died. And thinking of Owasewas… He wriggled his way to him, still laid out on the floor, two arrows sticking out of his back. One was sunk deeply into his body, the other was much shorter, having gone through his body and broken off when he had fallen.

That didn’t matter to Robert. His heart had hardened towards Owasewas. “What took you so long?” He demanded, grabbing the hair at the back of the savage’s head so he could yell into his face. He didn’t care that Owasewas was suffering, possibly dying. “You said you were going to come early and warn us! So we could get away. You devil; you traitor; you’re just like them, befriending me, making me trust you just so you could betray me in the end.”

“Not true.” Said Owasewas, his words sincere. “
Mawchick chammay
, you and I.”

“You lie.” Robert spat. “We’re not the best of friends. A friend would not lead a war party to his friend’s house to kill him and his family.”

“I didn’t! Why you think they shoot me?” Owasewas cried.

“I don’t know.” Robert grumbled.

“I sorry I late.” Owasewas apologized, reaching for Robert’s hand.

Robert pulled back, making a noise of disgust in his throat. He still didn’t believe him.

“Rob, come away.” Jamie said from behind him, putting a hand on his uninjured shoulder. “Abigail will see to our wounds.”

“In a minute.” He waved Jamie off. Glaring at Owasewas, he said, “Now, you’re going to cut these arrows out of me and you’re going to do as good a job as you did with Burcher, you hear me?”

“Rob, how is he going to do that? He can’t even sit up.” Jamie pointed out.

“We’ll pull the arrow out of his back and he’ll do it then.”

“You’re being unreasonable! He is incapable of doing anything!”

Robert glared at Jamie for a few seconds, mulling that over and then studying Owasewas. As much as he hated to admit it, Jamie was right.
Damn!
But then, on second thought, Owasewas would probably slice him up anyway.

In the silence that ensued, Nathan spoke up. “Sir, I’ve reloaded the guns and have them ready in the kitchen. Dolnick has wrenched a board away from the window, so we can watch and shoot at them.”

Robert just looked at him, then at Jamie, then at Abigail hovering in the kitchen doorway. God, he felt so tired. All he ever wanted in life was to establish a prosperous plantation, raise crops and animals and children, live a peaceful existence with a wife and family surrounding him with love and laughter. And look where he was, on the floor with two arrows in him, along with his brother whose shoulder was torn open and seeping blood, and Nathan and Abigail looking pale and terrified, and two Indians on the floor with him, one dead and one dying, traitors to him and his family.

He just wanted it to all go away, but it wasn’t over yet. Six more savages, including that sneaky Pannoowau, waited outside, calculating the right time to strike again. This wasn’t the time to admit defeat; this wasn’t the time to lie down and die.

As if to remind him of his purpose, he heard Robin cry out. “Daddy? Daddy, where are you?”

“I’m here, son.” He responded. “I’m all right.” Then he turned back to Owasewas and hissed, “I’ll deal with you later.” Turning away, he added to anyone who was listening, “Help me into the kitchen.”

* * *

Abigail was not an expert at cutting out arrows; in fact she had never done it before. Robert knew this; therefore he had ordered Elizabeth upstairs with Robin and the dogs. Thankfully, she didn’t put up a fuss. As much as she wanted to assist Abigail, she knew that Robin should not be present while his father had two arrowheads removed from his body.

Fortunately there was a lull in the fighting. Once the remaining six Indians heard gunshots and saw two of their party killed, they quickly retreated. Robert assumed this particular group didn’t have any guns of their own, just bows and arrows, tomahawks and war clubs. Did they really believe they could prevail with only their traditional weapons? Apparently so, or they would have never attempted to attack in the first place.

At this moment, nothing mattered more to Robert than getting these arrows out. He was useless otherwise. Nathan and Jamie had already removed his shirt and slit his breeches down from the waist to the site of the wound. Then Abigail had directed him to drape himself over the table, a most ignominious position, but he couldn’t sit down! Fists clenched and teeth sunk into a roll of leather, he braced himself for the moment of extraction. Which one would they cut out first, the shoulder or the bum?

Jamie was now at his side—sitting down, the little rat—his warm hand holding one of Robert’s fists in comfort. His wound had already been stanched and bandaged by Abigail. “’Twill be over in no time.” He said. “Mine came out rather easily.”

Robert snorted and looked away. He was certain it hadn’t been easy for Jamie to pull that arrow out, yet he had and without a sound. But Jamie had been lucky. The arrowhead hadn’t penetrated too deeply and hadn’t been in too long yet, enough for the sinews holding the arrowhead to the shaft to disintegrate and therefore separate from the shaft.

His predicament was quite different, yet he hadn’t taken any whiskey or poppy syrup. He needed to remain alert, although he didn’t know how alert he would be once he was consumed with pain. At Abigail’s suggestion he had drank a cup of willow bark tea, extra strong. It sloshed around in his stomach, mixing with the acid that burned all the way up to the back of his throat.

“Ready, Robert? We’re going to work on your shoulder first. We’ll try to pull it out. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to cut.” Abigail said, placing her chilly fingers against his skin on either side of the arrow. He jumped from the cold. “Just do it.” He ground out, pressing his forehead against his forearm.

Someone else put a firm hand on his back to steady him; Nathan, he was sure because Dolnick was keeping watch at the window, a musket pointed outwards.

“Now.” Abigail whispered.

A quick, strong yank and it was out, brutally ripping apart muscle and skin. Robert couldn’t help it. He cried out, the roll of leather falling from his lips. His shoulder was a throbbing, bloody mess and his whole body as tense as the bow string which had propelled the arrow into him. A warm, moist cloth was immediately pressed against the wound. From the corner of his eye, he saw Nathan toss the arrow into the fire.
Good
.

“Quick, do the other one.” He hissed. He wanted this over and done with, the faster the better. He was in so much pain already he didn’t think any more would make much difference.

How wrong he was, though. This pain was worse, a hundred times worse, a thousand times worse.

“We can’t pull this one out. We’ll have to cut.” Abigail said, her voice trembling.

“Just do it.” He breathed, already feeling weak. Jamie helped him place the leather back between his teeth.

First they cut the arrow shaft away, shifting the arrowhead within the muscle. Moderate pain that stabbed and receded. He could handle that. He let out a long breath.

Then there was more movement, a slight tug which caused him to inhale sharply, then groan and bite down hard on the leather. Jamie patted his hand again and whispered, “You’re doing fine.”

He wasn’t so sure of that. There was whispering going on between Abigail and Nathan, then more probing by fingers that felt like daggers. His body kept jumping uncontrollably. Nathan held him still with two firm hands on his hips. Then the worst of all, a stab with the point of Abigail’s little knife, sharpened on a stone just minutes ago. Stabbing, cutting, digging. It was pure agony. Robert groaned loudly and squeezed Jamie’s hand until his bones grated together. They worked as quickly as they could and within a minute or two the arrowhead was drawn out. Another cloth was quickly pressed onto the wound.

“Sorry, sir.” Nathan said, throwing the second arrow into the fire.

“Thank you, Nathan, Abigail.” He mumbled, laying his head down. His entire body felt on fire, like the pain from both points had reached out to each other, spreading over his entire back. His legs shook; his arms shook. The pain was making him faint and nauseous. He breathed deeply through his nose, willing himself to not get sick. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he lost several minutes, his mind in a white haze.

A delicate hand stroked his hair. A kiss to his temple. He opened his eyes to see Elizabeth. “You’re going to be fine.” She murmured. “As good as new once you’re healed.”

“He may have a slight limp.” Abigail said softly, working steadily, cleansing the deep wounds and treating them with applications of yarrow and turpentine.

“What is that awful smell?” Robert moaned.

“Spirit of turpentine. ” Abigail replied, keeping pressure on the buttock wound. It felt like she was grinding her thumb straight through his hip.

“And stink from that dead savage in the hall.” Nathan said.

“Ugh.” He grunted. He didn’t want to think about Askook in the hall. He turned to Elizabeth. “Why are you here? Where is Robin?”

“Worry not.” She said, tenderly brushing his hair back from his face with her fingers. “Evelyn traded places with me.”

“I think you’re going to have to call her down, Elizabeth. This wound needs stitching.” Abigail said.

Robert groaned loudly.
Lovely
, he thought.

All of a sudden, Dolnick yelled out, “I see two of them! They’re heading for the stables!” With bared teeth and a growl, he shot the musket, nearly falling backwards from the recoil.

The blast echoed throughout the kitchen and smoke drifted in through the slot made by the wrenched-out board.

“No! Not the stable!” Jamie cried, frantic. He rushed to the table beside the window where the loaded pistols were being kept, along with powder and shot.

“They’re trying to draw us out. I’m surprised they’ve not tried to set it on fire.” Robert said, attempting to push himself up, but it was too quick too soon. Dizzy and faint, he collapsed back onto the table.

“You must stay still, Robert.” Abigail scolded him.

Damn it!
She was right. All he could do was watch and listen, frustrated as hell. He wanted to do something, not stay bent over this table with his arse exposed.

At the same time that Jamie rushed to action, Nathan hastened to Dolnick’s side. He grabbed the spent musket from him and handed him the second one. While Dolnick aimed and shot again, Nathan started to reload the first.

“Yahoo!” Dolnick exclaimed, jubilant. “I hit one.”

“Good job.” Jamie said as he grabbed the pistols and moved to the other side of Dolnick to look out the window. “You’ll not hurt my horses, you miscreants.” He growled as he shot one pistol, then the other in quick succession. “Haha!” Jamie laughed. “Got you, you ugly bugger.” Moving as fast as they’ve ever moved in their lives, he and Nathan reloaded the guns and it went on like this for several minutes.

“Look! Over there! Another one!” Dolnick shouted, immediately shooting the musket again. White smoke swirled throughout the kitchen, lifting and collecting close to the ceiling, making it look like they were under a bank of clouds.

Robert couldn’t stand it any longer. He needed to do something. His head had cleared; the dizziness had passed. “Go upstairs, Elizabeth.” He ordered. “You too, Abigail.” .

“I can’t leave you.” Abigail objected. “I must keep pressure on these wounds.”

“Go, I said!” Robert barked, his voice hard. “Both of you. Now!”

Elizabeth didn’t wait another second. With a look of terror in her eyes, she dashed out of the kitchen and ran all the way up the staircase.

“Robert—“ Abigail hesitated.

“Go! Do as I tell you!”

Finally, she went, leaving the bloody cloths stuck to his wounds.

“What’s happening?” He asked, pushing himself up, taking it slow this time. He pressed one hand against his buttock as he carefully slid onto the bench that Jamie had just vacated. Putting all his weight on his right buttock, he sat breathing for a moment, willing his stomach to settle.

Jamie glanced back at him. “You’re exasperating, you know that? You’ve got a hole in your arse the size of a walnut and you think you can help?” He turned around, his attention focused out the window again.

“I can help Nathan reload.” Robert retorted.

“Hmmph!” Jamie snorted.

It was strange what happened next. Silence. Pure silence. A roof timber creaked, a log popped in the fireplace, Nathan sneezed into a rag, but otherwise, quiet.

“I think they’ve given up.” Dolnick whispered. He remained vigilant, however, never pulling his attention away from the yard.