Tykota's Woman (Historical Romance) (21 page)

"I have waited long for this day, my brother.
My heart sings with joy that you have returned."

"I, too, have wanted our family reunited. I
know that while I was in England, you spent a
summer at Biquera Ranch."

Inea lapsed into English. "Yes. Your white
mother taught me to speak her language."

He embraced her and whispered so only she
could hear. "Come to me after the council
meeting. We have much to talk about." He rested
a hand on her head. "Will you go to the healing
woman for me and stay with the white woman
there? Her name is Makinna, and she will be
frightened, because she is not accustomed to our
ways."

Inea bowed her head and smiled, her heart
filling with pride that he had asked this of her. "I
will do as you say."

"Until later, little sister."

He moved on down the line, talking to as
many as he could. At last, he came to Santo once
again. "Your sister has grown into a very
beautiful woman," his friend said.

Tykota smiled. "So she has."

"Can I speak to you about something
important?"

"Later tonight," Tykota replied, knowing there
were many who would now seek his advice.
"Find me after the council meeting."

Santo nodded. "It is good to have you home."

Tykota moved on through the crowd, and
when he reached the end, he was still looking for
another familiar face. He turned to Mangas and
asked, "Where is my brother, Coloradous?"

Mangas bent forward and said in a low voice.
"Have you forgotten that your father sent him
from the village? Coloradous has not been here
since the night you left the valley."

Tykota's jaw clamped tightly. "Then you shall
take me to him tomorrow. For now, ask the Old
Ones to meet me in the council room."

Makinna awoke in total darkness and felt panic.
She heard voices, but she could not understand
what they were saying. She reached up to her
eyes and found a cloth had been tied about her
forehead. She tried to pull it away, but a pair of
hands grabbed hers, and she heard a woman
speak softly to her. Although Makinna did not
understand the words, she responded to the
kindness.

"Where is Tykota?" she asked.

A second gentle voice, this one younger, spoke to her in English. "Tykota said to tell you
he would come to you tonight."

"It is not night now?"

"No. The darkness is because the healing
woman, Huara, has put herbs on your eyes and
bandaged them. You are not blind, but your
eyelids were burned from the sun."

"When can I get up?"

The young voice spoke to the older woman,
and then to Makinna. "Huara says you may get
up tomorrow, if you do not do too much."

"And when can I take the bandages off my
eyes?"

Again, the young voice spoke to the older
woman. "Huara says that the bandages must
remain in place for a while yet."

"Who are you?"

"I am Tykota's sister, Inea."

Makinna felt relief wash over her. "You speak
English very well."

"Tykota's white mother taught me."

Makinna relaxed and felt herself getting
drowsy. "Mrs. Silverhorn," she said fondly.
Then her voice trailed off, and she surrendered to
sleep.

Tykota felt like an imposter as he sat on the
sacred white buffalo hide where his father had
once sat, and his father's father, and his
ancestors for as far back as the history of the
Perdenelas was told.

He allowed his gaze to move over the twenty
men who waited for him to speak. His
expression was grave. "I know that you all
grieve with me for the passing of my father from
this world to the Spirit World. I see several of
you who were in this chamber many moons ago,
when you pledged your loyalty to a small boy."

The remaining Old Ones nodded their heads.

Frowning slightly, Tykota continued. "That
boy is now a man returned to fulfill his own
promise to his father. But first I must say this. If any one of you feels that another chief would
be better than me, that I am not the man to lead
our people, let me hear your voice, and I will
step aside."

Mangas stood, his eyes sharp and intelligent,
his jaw tight. "Before any man speaks, let me say
that this young chief who stands before you has
never lost sight of his responsibilities to the
tribe. His eyes and heart have always turned in
the direction of Valle de la Luna, and he would
have come home sooner had his father allowed
it. By birth, he is your rightful leader, and let no
man say differently."

Batera, the most senior of the Old Ones, stood,
his back curved and his hair white but his eyes
keen and his voice strong. "Since I have lived
more seasons than anyone in the tribe, heed my
voice. You, Chief Tykota, were born to lead our
people. It is not for us to say if you should turn
away from your hereditary duties. We put our
trust in you when your father asked it of us, and
we will gladly follow you."

Tykota felt a surge of pride. "Are your feelings
shared by the others in the tribe, Bat-era?"

"If any man feels differently, he has never said
so to me. Since your father left us to walk with
the spirits, all eyes turned beyond the valley,
waiting for you to come and take up your
rightful place among us. There has been strife
and unrest among our people, but only because
we had no one to settle our disputes."

"There is another matter I wish to put before
you," Tykota said. "It is something I have done,
and I want you to know about it. I have slain my
half brother, Sinica."

Again Batera spoke. "We heard the Apache
drums speak of this. Sadly, it had to happen.
Sinica's blood was long tainted by his mother's
hatred."

"I want accounts of my other brother,
Coloradous. I know he still dwells in the valley,
and I want to bring him back into the tribe. If
any man can say why I should not do so, let him
tell me now."

Mangas stood, his voice carrying to the far
corners of the chamber. "I have known
Coloradous to be an honorable man. He has
honored his father's words and has not come
among us. But I have sought him out over the
years and judge him to be worthy."

The others nodded in approval.

"Then I shall go to my brother and embrace
him. He should no longer have to bear the shame
of Sinica and his mother."

Again the Old Ones nodded.

Tykota sat back on the white buffalo robe,
wondering if his father would approve of his
decision. He wanted to think he would have done
so if he had lived.

When Huara removed the bandages from
Makinna's eyes, she blinked against the bright sunshine that poured into the room. As she
adjusted to the light, she looked at the woman
who stood over her with concern on her aged
face. She said something Makinna could not
understand, but Makinna smiled and nodded and
said, "I can see." She took the healers hand.
"Thank you for your tender care."

The medicine woman looked pleased and
squeezed Makinna's hand.

Over the two days Makinna had been ill, she
had grown fond of both the gentle healer and
Tykota's sister. When a young Indian maiden
entered the room, Makinna instantly knew it was
Inea.

"I am sorry that I could not be here when your
bandages were removed." Inea gazed at her
inquiringly. "You can see?"

Makinna nodded and stretched a hand out to
Inea, and when she came forward, they hugged.
"I can see perfectly."

Inea was strikingly beautiful, with the same
deep brown eyes of her brother. She also wore
the leather headband with the golden eagle in her
black hair. She was dressed in a fawn-colored
leather dress and moccasins of the same color.

"Inea, will you thank Huara for me?"

Inea spoke to Huara, and the woman nodded
and smiled. She picked up a waterskin and left
the room, leaving Makinna and Inea alone.

Inea sat down on the soft fur rug beside Makinna. "I have come to feel a strong
friendship for you, Makinna. I know my brother
admires you, and it is easy to see why. You have
a sweet nature."

Makinna arched an eyebrow and laughed.
"Your brother could not have given you that
impression. He would never say I had a sweet
temper."

"You met my brother on the stagecoach before
the raid on Adobe Springs?"

Makinna nodded.

"I know what happened. We had word through
the Apache drums. For a while, we feared that
Tykota was dead."

"When will I see him?" Makinna asked.

"I have hardly seen him myself. He simply
falls on his mat at night, too weary to speak. It is
not easy for him to settle all the troubles of the
Perdenelas."

"When you do see him, would you tell him
that I would like to speak to him?"

"I will do this, Makinna."

Makinna smiled at the Indian woman. "Tell
me about yourself. Are you married, and have
you children?"

Inea shook her head sorrowfully. "I am a
maiden still. I have waited for my brother to
return so I would not have to marry a man I do
not like."

Makinna could see that Inea was troubled.
"Couldn't you just refuse the man?"

"No. His family is very powerful, and he is
also a friend of my brother. Santo would not
allow any other suitor near me. He threatened to
kill anyone who looked on me with favor."

"Tykota has told me they were good friends
and often went into the desert together to live by
their wits and test their skills."

"That is so. And the only peace I knew was
when Santo was away from the valley. I always
dreaded his return."

"Was there nothing you could do to
discourage him?"

Inea sighed. "I could not tell my father,
because he wanted me to marry Santo. After my
father died, Santo became more insistent. It was
my right to refuse him when he asked me to
become his woman, and I did that. I am afraid of
him and always avoid being alone with him for
fear of what he might do. I was happy when my
father sent me to spend time with the Silverhorns
so I could learn English. I hoped that by the time
I returned, Santo would have found another to be
his woman." She made a hopeless gesture. "But
it was not to be."

"Is there someone you would like to marry?"

Inea's eyes became dreamy. "My heart has
always turned to Kachee, and I am sure he
returns my affection, though he has never
spoken of his feelings to me. Since I am sister
to the chief, Kachee would not dare aspire so
high."

"But if you two love each other, why can you
not be together? You must tell this to Tykota."

"There is little he can do for me because of
our law. I must first get Santo to reject me before
Kachee can look on me with favor." Inea ducked
her head sorrowfully. "Santo will never reject
me, and I shall never marry him."

Makinna was thoughtful for a moment.
"Maybe we can come up with something to free
you from him."

Inea looked doubtful. "Nothing will make
Santo reject me."

Makinna thought of the story of Ruth in the
Bible and wondered if Ruth's method of getting
her dead husband's kinsman to reject her might
provide a solution to Inea's troubles. She peered
at Inea, who was looking so dejected. "I will see
if I can help you. Don't despair."

Shaking her head, Inea said despondently, "I
fear that no one can help me. Maybe not even
Tykota."

"Don't be so sure." Makinna smiled. "I'm
certain we can find the means to send Santo on
his way."

Hope flamed in Inea's eyes. "If only it could
be so!"

Tykota sat alone in his chamber, his thoughts
troubled.

Mangas ambled in, his footsteps light, his heart happy. "The children are eager to perform
their dance."

Tykota stood wearily. He hardly had time to
sleep, for all the ceremonies he had to attend and
laws he had to act on. "I suppose they are
waiting for me."

"Of course they are. This is in your honor."

Tykota moved to the door and gazed out at the
campfires and the people who had gathered
around them. "I am troubled, Mangas." He
glanced at his old teacher searchingly. "I do not
know what to do."

"It concerns the white woman?"

"Yes. I do not want to let her go."

"You must, Tykota," Mangas said sadly.

"Yet my father himself married outside the
tribe."

"And you know what happened with that
Apache woman. That is the very reason we
now have a law to keep that from happening
again."

"But Makinna is everything to me. I will not
give her up. No one should ask such a sacrifice
of me."

"Your people will ask it of you. You cannot
take her for your woman. She is white. The law
forbids it."

Fury burned in Tykota's eyes, and he turned
his back on his teacher. "I am the law here now.
I can change my father's ruling."

The old man inclined his head. "That is so,
Tykota. You can change any law you want to."