Savage Spirit (38 page)

As now, Charlie smiled and watched his sister enjoy being kissed. He did not even resent it when she moaned with pleasure. Her happiness had been one of his goals ever since his parents had allowed him to witness her birth.

This had formed a special bond between him and Alicia. He would never forget that very first cry from her lungs.

His only regret was that he would not be at her side to hear the first cries of
her
child.

Then again, he thought to himself as he pulled absently on his red beard, just perhaps he
could
manage to be there. If the weather cooperated, and the good Lord was willing.

The excitement was growing outside. The children were laughing and playing. The men and women were talking excitedly as they left their homes for the lagoon.

Alicia swung away from Cloud Eagle. Her eyes danced into his as he placed her gourd in her hands. She was pleased when Charlie got into the fun of the occasion as he bent over and got Cloud Eagle's gourd and handed it to him.

And so Alicia was not at all surprised when Charlie grabbed two blankets and flung them over the crook of his arm as he left the lodge with Alicia and Cloud Eagle. She knew that he   was worrying about her discomfort when she left the lagoon. The air was crisp. The water would be bone-chilling. The blankets would warm her.

The thought of entering the water did not alarm her. She had already gotten used to its sting when she bathed each day.

Cloud Eagle sent several young braves into his lodge to collect the other emptied gourds into a bag for him. They soon brought the heavy bag out to him, then darted away, excitement dancing in their eyes.

Feeling carefree for the first time in weeks, Alicia smiled and walked in a half skipping fashion between Cloud Eagle and Charlie as they left the stronghold behind and headed toward the lagoon. The sun was burning a path through a thin layer of clouds overhead. An occasional rabbit hopped into view, then scampered off just as quickly to take refuge in taller grass.

Alicia looked ahead at the women walking with their warrior husbands. Alicia realized then that she was not going to be the only woman to enter the water in pursuit of the ducks. Several of the Apache women carried their prized gourds. The children were carrying buckskin bags to put the ducks in after they were caught in the water.

She looked toward Cloud Eagle. He was dressed in buckskins. He toted his heavy bag of gourds, and several buckskin bags hung from his waistband, where he had thrust them for safe-keeping. From the looks of things, he expected to capture many ducks today. Alicia would have a hot pot of stew cooking every day, the broth rich.

When they reached the lagoon, at least a hundred ducks were swimming gracefully in the water on the other side, occasionally foraging   for food as they ducked their heads beneath the surface.

Everyone became quiet. Alicia stood back and watched the Apache release their emptied gourds into the water, keeping their carved ones so that they could place them over their heads at the appropriate time. There were so many gourds in the water now that Alicia did not bother to count them.

Wide-eyed, she watched the wind do its duty as it began propelling the gourds across the lagoon, directly toward the ducks.

The gourds bobbed and swayed.

In alarm, some of the ducks flew away, while others took wing only briefly, then settled back into the water again and went about their business, ignoring the intrusion of the gourds.

A hand on Alicia's arm drew her attention from the ducks. She looked over at Cloud Eagle and giggled when she discovered that he had placed the gourd over his head and was staring at her through the carved eyes. His nose was only barely exposed, as were his lips.

Charlie chuckled. "Well, sis?" he said, his eyes twinkling. "You're next."

The smell of the gourd made Alicia's nose twitch. And the thought of the raw, wet insides of the gourd getting all over her hair and skin made her flinch. But she noticed that many of the men and women were already in the lagoon, the children watching breathlessly.

She had no choice but to act now, or not at all. Cloud Eagle was patiently waiting, but his patience would run out. He wanted to be there when everyone else began catching the ducks, or those left untouched might fly from fright, leaving   none for Cloud Eagle's store of food.

Alicia's insides tightened and she held her breath as she slipped the gourd over her head. When it was finally in place, she looked through the small holes Cloud Eagle had carved out for her eyes, then broke into soft laughter when she realized how funny she must look. She turned to Charlie and saw it in his eyes. She could tell that he was holding back his laughter.

Sighing, she hurried to Cloud Eagle's side. She took the bag he handed her, then moved slowly into the water. The coldness grabbed at her as her wet clothes clung to her flesh. Her teeth chattered. Her toes felt quickly numb.

But still she went deeper into the lagoon, her eyes now focused only on the ducks that she and Cloud Eagle were approaching. The ducks' bluish-green feathers shone like silk beneath the rays of the sun. Their beady eyes glistened as they guardedly watched the gourds approaching them. But they did not move away. They continued swimming in a half circle, watching the gourds.

"Now!" Cloud Eagle said suddenly. "Grab one of the duck's feet. Drag it under the water. Slip it inside the bag."

Alicia was clumsy with the first duck. But after it was caught, and the bag was tied together at the top so that it could not escape, she gave it to a young brave who had come to assist them. She then caught another duck and then another.

When she and Cloud Eagle left the water, they had caught ten ducks between them. Only a few ducks remained in the lagoon that had not flown or been captured.

Charlie came to Alicia to drape a blanket over her shoulders. It felt warm. She trembled. Her   teeth would not stop clicking together.

"Your lips are purple," Charlie said, frowning down at her. "You've got to get those wet clothes off and get warmed by a fire."

Alicia nodded.

Cloud Eagle nodded his approval. "Go to our lodge and get warmed," he said. "I will come later. Then we will join the celebration together."

Charlie drew Alicia next to him, his arm around her waist holding the blanket snugly against her. Alicia walked away with him, savoring these moments with him that she knew would soon end.

But she also looked forward to the celebration today. It would be a time of harmony and peace with the Apache people. She had lived with them long enough now to have grown fond of them all. They were generous, kind, and very sociable. Always after the chief meal of the day, which was usually eaten in the evening, they sat about the outdoor communal campfire. They talked endlessly about the happenings of the day, or exchanged tales of past deeds in raids and battles.

She had even come to know that every Apache was a gambler. Man, woman, and child, there was nothing they would not stake, from their horse to their shirt.

She also knew they had little desire to create things of beauty. Their most notable achievement was their basketry, but there were two kindsburden baskets and water jugs. She had learned that to the Apache, beauty was subordinated to function.

When distant horsemen came into view, and Alicia saw that they wore the blue coats of the   soldiers from Fort Thomas, wariness surged through her. She stopped quickly and turned to see if Cloud Eagle had seen the approach of the soldiers.

Of course he would have, she thought. He did not miss a sound or a movement that might bring harm to his people.

"What the hell do they want?" Charlie said, also watching the soldiers' approach. "From what I have seen of the soldiers in this area, they are negligent, worthless sons-of-bitches."

"They are worse than that," Alicia said. She broke away from Charlie and ran to Cloud Eagle. She stood devotedly at his side as they waited to see why the soldiers had come this time. She knew that she might never witness a true peace between Cloud Eagle and the soldiers.

When General Powell drew a tight rein before Cloud Eagle, the few soldiers accompanying him following his lead. Cloud Eagle did not offer any gesture of welcome to the commandant.

Nor would he until he knew the reason for the blue-coated pony soldiers' interference in the life of his people again.  

General Powell slid easily from his saddle.

Alicia stood her ground as Cloud Eagle took a step toward the general.

"Why have you come to Cloud Eagle's stronghold?" he said, his shoulders rigid. "There are no plans for council between us tonight."

"My visit is for two reasons," General Powell said, extending a hand of friendship toward Cloud Eagle and nodding a welcome to Alicia. "I wish to set up a council meeting with youlet's say, day after tomorrow?"

Cloud Eagle's eyes leveled with General Powell's as he paused, then accepted the handshake that was being offered him. "Yes, after two sunrises it will be good to have council with you," he said, shaking General Powell's hand with a firm grip, then easing his hand to his side. "But only if it can be held within the perimeter of Cloud Eagle's stronghold instead of Fort Thomas."   ''That suits me just fine," General Powell said, resting a hand on the pistol holstered at his right hip. "I shall arrive shortly after sunup with several of my soldiers to share a smoke and a talk with you."

Cloud Eagle nodded, then his eyes narrowed. "Your second reason for being at Cloud Eagle's stronghold?" he asked, aware of his people moving in behind him, solemnly quiet. "What is it?"

Although the air was filled with the tantalizing aroma of duck roasting over many open fires, the celebration had come to an abrupt halt. Those sitting at the drums and those who held rattles in their hands were as though frozen as they watched their chief.

General Powell shuffled his feet nervously and clasped his hands tightly together behind him as his eyes wavered into Cloud Eagle's. "It's about Sandy Whiskers," he said guardedly. "He was found and arrested."

The news made Cloud Eagle's heart skip a beat. Not so much over hearing that Sandy Whiskers had been caught and jailed, but because it had not been
he
who had found and dealt with the man in ways that he thought were more effective than the white man's judicial system. The white man's ways of punishing a man seemed no punishment at all compared to those used by the Apache.

"He is at Fort Thomas?" Cloud Eagle said, a plan forming in his mind. He would take some of his most trusted warriors and abduct Sandy Whiskers from the jail. He would take the Englishman far out in the desert . . .

His thoughts and plans were interrupted when General Powell slowly shook his head back and forth. "No, he is not imprisoned at Fort Thomas,"   he said. "The clever bastard got away. That's why I have a full battalion with me tonight. We're on Sandy Whiskers' trail. We should have him captured and back in our jail by daybreak."

The news made a soft smile flutter across Cloud Eagle's lips. He would find Sandy Whiskers before General Powell did.

Cloud Eagle would have searched high and low for Sandy Whiskers before now except that his duties to his people had come before vengeance. Now his stronghold was rebuilt with new lodges. There was cause for a celebration tonight as ducks roasted over the outdoor fires.

There was once more a semblance of peace for his people.

He now felt free to go after Sandy Whiskers and end the yearning for revenge that had eaten away at him since the very day that the Englishman had captured his woman. That had been a deed that had even then marked the Englishman for death.

Sandy Whiskers' days were now numbered, Cloud Eagle vowed to himself.

"And so you see, my friend, I must be on my way," General Powell said, mounting his horse. "I shall see you soon. I look forward to our council."

"Talk and smoke is good between friends," Cloud Eagle said, nodding. "It makes way for an even more enduring friendship."

"And that is important between us, Cloud Eagle," General Powell said, his eyes locking with Cloud Eagle's. "We don't want any more crazy misunderstandings between us, do we?"

"Crazed people cause crazed misunderstandings," Cloud Eagle said solemnly. "Choose whom   you listen to more carefully, and misunderstandings will be less likely to happen between us."

General Powell nodded and smiled. "The smell of duck is heavy in the air and is inviting," he said, looking past Cloud Eagle at the ducks dripping their juices into the flames of the fires. "Were it not for Sandy Whiskers' flight, I might invite myself to dinner with you tonight." He shrugged and gave Cloud Eagle a quick glance. "As it is, I must be on my way."

General Powell turned his gaze to Alicia. "And Alicia, it has been good seeing you again," he said. "It is good to see you looking well."

"Thank you," Alicia said, her hands subconsciously going to her abdomen. Her pregnancy was the reason she looked healthier than before.

She had so badly wanted to tell Cloud Eagle about the child tonight. But Sandy Whiskers' escape might change everything. She saw the look in Cloud Eagle's eyes as he turned and gazed at her. She could see a restlessness, an eagerness.

Also within them she could see a guarded rage, which could only be there because of Sandy Whiskers.

"Please, Cloud Eagle," Alicia said, going to him. She placed a gentle hand on his cheek. "Please forget about Sandy Whiskers. Let the soldiers deal with him."

"You know me well and you read my thoughts accurately," Cloud Eagle said as he took her hand and fondly held it. "I
am
going for Sandy Whiskers. I
will
find him before the soldiers have the chance to. Finally I will have my revenge. I will have it in my own way, not as the soldiers would want it."   "Cloud Eagle, the celebration," Alicia said, looking over her shoulder at the people quietly watching and waiting. Whatever he chose to do tonight would affect his people, perhaps forever.

The delay in the celebration was only a minor problem. The chance that he might bring the wrath of the soldiers down upon him and his people was a far worse problem than putting off talk and laughter and eating roasted duck.