Yellowstone Romance Series - Bundle (# 2-5) (108 page)

“Fix my friend’s leg. We are wasting time.” He motioned for Etienne to lower his weapon. Etienne shoved her toward Gaston, who still stood next to Dan, his pistol pointed at him.

Jana looked toward Dan, who nodded his head slightly. There was nothing on his face that gave away what he was thinking. Jana took a deep breath, and motioned for the trapper to sit by the fire.

“Let me look at your leg,” she said.

“You have the power to heal?” he asked, an almost fearful look in his eyes.

“Well if I don’t, you’ll soon find out, won’t you?” Jana answered heatedly. She didn’t have to look up, but she heard Dan chuckle. Annoyance, mixed with fear, filled her, and made her reckless. If this was going to be the last day she and Dan lived, what did she have to lose? She didn’t need to resort to niceties.

She glanced toward the backpack. “I need my medical supplies,” she said, looking over her shoulder at Etienne. “Go bring me that pack.”

The man’s eyes widened briefly. “Do it,” Claude ordered. Etienne grabbed the pack and dropped it at her feet.

“If you want me to examine your leg, I need you to remove your pants, or whatever it is you call what you’re wearing.” She looked in disgust at the blood-soaked, ripped leather wrapped around the man’s leg. She didn’t have to be a medical genius to know that this man’s leg was beyond saving. The stench of rotting flesh and gangrene filled the air.

Jana knelt down to unzip the pack, when her eye caught the bear spray canister hanging on the clip. Her heart sped up as a plan formed in her mind. She hastily unclipped the spray, and released the safety.

“Etienne, Claude, come here and help this man cut this leather strip from his leg,” she commanded. “How long ago did this happen?” She stood to her feet. While the two trappers leaned over their companion, Jana glanced at Dan.
Close your eyes
. She formed the words with her mouth, hoping he understood. The corners of his lips twitched.

With Gaston on the ground, and the two other trappers right beside him, Jana said, “look at me for a moment, boys.” All three raised their heads, looks of surprise on their faces. She quickly held the bear spray in front of her, nozzle pointed at the men, and pressed the trigger. At the same time, she ran backwards to get out of the vicinity of the spray. Luckily, she was facing upwind from them. Dan sprinted after her, his hands still tied behind his back.

The three trappers coughed, gagged, and one even managed to shout.

“Argh, my eyes. I am blind!” Claude screamed. They scrambled to their feet, neither Etienne nor Claude waiting for Gaston to get up off the ground. They stumbled blindly through the camp, their hands on their faces, trying to rub at their eyes.

“You were amazing,” Dan said quietly in Jana’s ear. They ducked behind some trees, well out of the path of the three blind trappers. Jana shuddered. She could only imagine the pain their eyes and lungs must be in at the moment. Using bear spray on a person in modern times, even in self-defense, would probably be grounds for arrest. And she had sprayed it at such a close proximity, she had no doubt the men would suffer permanent eye damage, and possible lung damage, if they survived.

With trembling hands, she fumbled with the knot that tied Dan’s hands together. After he was free, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

“I love you,” he whispered huskily in her ear.

“I was . . . am so scared, Dan. They wanted to kill you, and—” Dan kissed her, stopping her from saying more.

The trappers, still howling and screaming, had found their way to the lake, and plunged loudly into the water. Jana’s skin began to crawl. All three were destined to die a horrible death, and she was the cause of it. She had sprayed them directly in their faces, and it would take days for their eyesight to recover, if at all. A blind man in the wilderness was as good as dead. She collapsed against Dan’s chest, unable to hold back the tears.

“Shhh. You did what you had to do in order to survive,” he said, stroking her back. “It was either them or us.”

Dan gripped her tightly all of a sudden. His body tensed. Jana’s head shot up to look at him. Her heart sped up again. Something was wrong. What danger could there possibly be now?

Slowly, she turned her head in the direction his eyes pointed. Her heart sank to her belly. Standing among the trees behind them stood four Indians, bows in their hands. One man stood slightly ahead of the others, looking at Dan as if he had just seen a ghost.

Chapter 22

Dan slowly released his hold around Jana’s waist. He didn’t take his eyes off the Indians, who continued to stare at him. In the distance, the howls of the trappers echoed through the valley. They were still in the water. Their attempts to wash away the burning sensations on their faces and in their eyes would be futile. Dan could only imagine the blisters forming on their skin. If one of them came away without serious eye damage, it would be a miracle. In his mind, they got what they deserved.

The Indian at the front of the group leaned forward, his wide, almost terror-filled eyes scanning Dan from top to bottom, then lingered on his face. He stood rooted to the spot. Dan didn’t know what else to do, so he took a hesitant step toward him. Jana grasped his arm tightly, and attempted to pull him back.

“It’s okay, Jana,” he told her quietly. “I don’t think we have anything to fear from them.” She didn’t answer. Dan eyed the weapons these men carried. Hunting bows not made from wood, but from the horn of mountain sheep. He’d only seen an authentic hornbow in a museum once. There was no doubt in his mind he stood face to face with a group of mountain Shoshone – Sheepeaters - an indigenous people to the Yellowstone area whose way of life and existence had died out after the government took over these mountains as a national park. The few Sheepeaters who had survived on the reservations had long lost their culture by integration with other, far larger tribes.

Historical accounts of these people painted them as poor beggars, and cowardly. Standing before these four men, Dan could see nothing that would give truth to those words. These hunters, although they were not of large stature, stood tall and proud, their buckskin shirts and leggings made of the finest hides.

Dan extended his hand in greeting, and the apparent leader of the group took several steps back. The other three murmured amongst themselves, nodding with their chins at Dan.

These are your ancestors
. The thought raced through his mind. Although he had very little Shoshone blood in him, he could trace a small part of his roots back to these people through his great-great grandfather, Josh Osborne. Dan’s interest in the tribe had led him to learn all he could about their culture and language from some elders on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Only a few could tell him about the Sheepeaters, and the dialect they spoke was a lost language.

“
Hakaniyun
,” Dan said, and continued to hold out his hand. The three men behind their leader murmured louder. The one in front cocked his head to the side, his eyes filled with uncertainty.

“You speak Indian?” Jana whispered loudly, and gripped his arm tighter.

Dan turned his head toward her without taking his eyes off the men. “I speak a little Shoshone. I’m not sure if they can understand. The dialect I know is different from these people’s. I can only hope it’s close enough.”

“
Tsoapittsi
,” the man said hesitantly. He made no move to shake Dan’s hand.

“What did he say?” Jana whispered.

Dan had to think for a moment, trying to decipher the word. “I think he said something like ghost, or spirit.”

Jana squeezed his arm even more, surprising him with her strength. “Dan, that guy is looking at you like you’re possessed. What if they know Daniel? That’s why they’re all looking at you like that.”

“Do I really resemble him that much?” Dan asked. The trappers, at least Bautiste, had immediately thought he was Daniel. And the way these Sheepeaters were looking at him was downright unsettling.

“You do,” Jana confirmed. “Daniel has shoulder-length hair, and there’s some minor differences, but it’s uncanny how much you look like him.”

At that moment, an angry roar reverberated through the trees. Everyone’s heads turned. The trapper, Claude, came stumbling through the trees like a rabid dog, his pistol raised. His bloody face and eyes were a gruesome sight. Dan shoved Jana behind him. Without hesitating, the Shoshone at the head of the group raised his bow, and with practiced speed and grace, reached behind his shoulder for an arrow from his quiver, strung the bow, and released the deadly projectile. It happened so fast, Dan barely had time to make out the movement.

The force of the arrow’s impact in Claude’s chest made him stumble back several steps. He hit the ground with a loud thud, and lay still.  Jana buried her face in Dan’s shirt. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her up against him, shielding her from the gruesome sight.

The Indian spoke to his companions, and two of them trotted off through the trees, in the direction of the lake. Dan could only guess that the other two trappers were about to meet a similar fate as Claude. Dan slowly turned back to the Shoshone. Their eyes met. There was no hostility in the other man’s expression, only a sort of awe, and a certain amount of confusion.

Dan nodded his head in a gesture of thanks.

“
Patuhuyaa nuukwi
,” the man said, and his eyebrows raised expectantly. “
Samopuu?
” He took a step toward Dan, then first to one side and then the other. He stooped forward, and assessed him again with a critical eye.

Dan’s mind was furiously trying to translate what the Indian was saying. The words sounded familiar, even if the dialect was a bit different.

“Brother?” Dan translated out loud. The other words raced through his mind.
Moose, deer, elk… elk running through the forest. Elk Runner!

“Jana,” Dan gripped her arm. “I think I know who this is.” She shook her head, her forehead wrinkled with incomprehension. “Daniel’s Shoshone brother, Elk Runner.”

Jana’s eyes widened, and she looked at the Indian, whose expression of bewilderment was almost comical. “Now I understand why he looks so perplexed.”

“Daniel Osborne,” Dan said, pointing his thumb at his chest. The Indian’s eyes widened, and he shook his head in a fierce gesture of denial. Dan slowly spoke in Shoshone, hoping this man could understand. “I come to warn White Wolf of a great danger.”

Elk Runner’s forehead wrinkled. “What tricks are the spirits playing, White Wolf? Have they punished you?” he asked. “I have warned you many times that you will make them angry. Now they have given your likeness to someone else.”

Dan wasn’t quite sure what Elk Runner was talking about. “I must find your brother.” He wished he could express himself more clearly. He wanted to tell this Indian that he wasn’t the Daniel who Elk Runner knew. If he had to guess, it sounded as if Elk Runner believed that the spirits had created another version of Daniel.

“You cannot find your way to your valley?” Elk Runner asked, looking stunned. “I have told you, have I not, that to stay with your wife at this time will anger the spirits. But you would not listen.” He threw his hands up in apparent exasperation.  “The spirits have even given you a new wife.” He nodded toward Jana.

Dan shook his head, and ran his hand through his hair, frustrated that his communication skills were so limited. “No, she is not my wife,” he managed to string together.

Elk Runner grinned. “You wish for her to be your wife,” he stated knowingly. It almost sounded like a challenge.

Dan glanced at Jana, who listened to their exchange intently. He was sure she had no idea what they were talking about. “Yes, I do,” he said, and smiled at her. Her eyes narrowed on him, and he quickly looked toward Elk Runner. The man’s grin widened.

“Then do not make the same mistake you made last season, when the spirits gifted you with Dosa Haiwi,” Elk Runner said, and took several bold steps forward, finally holding out his hand to Dan. They clasped wrists firmly, and the Indian nodded in approval. “Perhaps it is good what the spirits have done with you, White Wolf. You are much more agreeable in your second form, even though your appearance, and your lack of knowledge is not to my liking.” He looked Dan up and down, and his eyes lingered on Dan’s hair. “You will come with us to our village.”

“I must go home,” Dan said for lack of words to tell Elk Runner he had to get to the Madison Valley.

Elk Runner shot him a perplexed look. “You will make the spirits angry all over again. You cannot go home yet. You cannot defy the ways of the spirits. Perhaps if you do as they wish, they will return your former self, after you fulfill your duty as a hunter of the Tukudeka. Tell me, what has happened to my true brother? Have the spirits taken him away?”

Dan had no clue what Elk Runner was talking about. Apparently, he was under the impression that the spirits were punishing Daniel for something he had done that went against tribal custom, but Dan had no way of asking what Elk Runner meant. For now, he decided to play along and go with the Indians. He hoped to get more information somehow. Maybe the words would come to him later.

“I don’t know what happened to White Wolf. How far away is your village from the valley of the Madison?” Dan managed to ask. At least he hoped it was what he’d asked.

Elk Runner looked annoyed. His two companions that he’d sent off earlier came back at that moment, nodding solemnly. The trappers’ wails had quieted, bringing an eerie stillness to the valley.

“Our village is close to your cabin in the valley, but you cannot return yet. Our mother will let you know when it is time. We go now,” he said. “It is best you come with us. The sky people have spoken.”

“What did they say?” Dan couldn’t help from asking. Either he was missing a key point here, or Elk Runner liked to talk in riddles.

“They have sent you here, just as they brought
Dosa Haiwi
to you . . . to your true form, one season ago. You and your new woman have the same manner of dress as she did. Tell me, is this woman gifted with the power of healing as well?”

“Yes, she is,” Dan said.

“The spirits work in strange ways sometimes.” The Indian shook his head. “They have gifted you with a mild-mannered woman this time. She does not look to be as disrespectful as
Dosa Haiwi
.”

Elk Runner abruptly turned and led the way through the forest. Everyone stepped around the dead trapper, and Dan kept himself between the body and Jana, so she wouldn’t have to take a close look. Dan stopped at the site where they spent the night, and kicked dirt onto the coals of the burned-out campfire. He grabbed his backpack, and nodded to Elk Runner that he was ready to go.

Single-file, the Sheeepeaters walked along some invisible trail heading south, skirting expertly around deadfall. The forest seemed to close in on them with every step they took. The canopies of the tallest lodgepoles blocked out the rays of the morning sun, making it appear almost like nighttime. No one spoke, and the silent way in which these people moved through the brush didn’t disturb the loud chirping of countless birds in the trees.

“Where are they taking us?” Jana asked in a hushed tone. She reached for Dan’s hand whenever she could. Most of the time, he nudged her to walk ahead of him. The path simply wasn’t wide enough for two people to travel side-by-side.

“Back to their village.”

“Did you tell him we need to get to Daniel and Aimee’s cabin?”

“Yes, but he says I can’t go there. Something about angry spirits. I think he believes I am another form of Daniel that was conjured by the spirits. He kept making references to something Daniel did to make the spirits mad, and I am his punishment.”

Jana glanced over her shoulder at him. “Sounds like an insult to me.” She grinned.

Dan frowned, and swatted her on her rear. “Are you saying I’m the inferior version of Daniel?” he asked in mock anger. “Maybe Elk Runner thinks I’m the new and improved version. He did say he liked me better.”

“I like you better, too,” she blurted, then quickly faced straight ahead. Dan stared at her backside. Waves of desire rushed through him suddenly, and his blood drained south.

“We have to get to Madison,” Jana said almost desperately, and Dan was glad that she was completely oblivious to his thoughts. She didn’t turn her head this time, and kept up with the hunter in front of her. Dan gave silent thanks to be bringing up the rear.