Blind Fury (8 page)

“And most of them have been dead for nearly a hundred years,” Kara said as she threw an arm around her friend's shoulder and led her to the bedroom door. “If you want cake, we'd better get it now. Your dad will be here in ten minutes.”

Kara had a glass of milk, while Tia polished off a huge slice of birthday cake. When a horn honked in the driveway, she walked her friend to the porch and waved good-bye. She watched until the taillights on Tia's father's pickup disappeared around the corner, then leaned against the porch rail and looked up. It was cold and clear, with no moon, and the sky was studded with at least a zillion stars.

Diamonds on black velvet
. That's what Mom always called them.
Look, Wakara, have you ever seen anything more beautiful? Just try and count those stars, then remember God's blessings are more numerous than the sky can hold
.

Kara hugged herself and closed her eyes. She could almost feel Mom's arm slip around her, warming her shoulders.
I love you, Wakara
. The words flashed through her mind as if someone had actually spoken.

She shivered and gazed once more into the sparkling sky. “I love you too, God,” she whispered. “And Mom too. Please tell her for me, okay?”

Suddenly she realized her feet were freezing. Even thick, wool socks and a heavy sweatshirt weren't enough protection for a night like this.

She closed the door quietly behind her, turned the latch, and then hung her sweatshirt on the rack in the entryway. She was halfway across the living room before she noticed Colin watching her from the bottom of the stairs. “Whoa! You scared me. How long have you been there?”

Colin grinned. “Sorry. It's after nine o'clock. You've been out there for awhile, so I was just coming down to see if you were all right.”

Kara didn't know if she should feel irritated or pleased that he was keeping track of her. She decided it didn't matter. “I was just coming up to check on Ryan.”

“He's out for the count,” Colin chuckled. “I couldn't even interest him in a second piece of cake. Too much excitement for one day, I guess.”

Kara felt a flash of guilt. Ryan had been quiet at dinner, but she and Tia had been so caught up in their own conversation, she'd forgotten to ask if he'd recovered from his fall.

“Is he okay?” she asked Colin now. “Does he have many bruises?”

“Nah. Just a sore bottom from bouncing around so much. That pony saddle isn't padded.” He laughed out loud, then shook his head. “Sorry, I know it's not funny, but I'd bet that old horse hasn't ever moved so fast in his life. He's probably twice as sore as Ryan.”

Kara slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Oh, no! Tia said Star was pretty stiff. I meant to go back out there and forgot.”

“Don't worry about it. I rubbed him down and gave him a dose of Banamine. He'll be fine in the morning.”

“Thanks.” She laid her hand against his arm. “I owe you one. No, two. You took care of Ryan while I was goofing around with Tia. I'm sorry, Colin. That's not your job.”

“Hey.” His head snapped up. “Don't be so hard on yourself.” He drew his arm away and turned to face her,
the look in his eyes both wistful and sad. “And please don't say it's not my job, okay? I like to think I'm part of this family too.”

He stepped aside and motioned her up the stairs. “I'll get the lights. You'd better get some rest. We've got a lot to do tomorrow.”

His grin was back, and she felt a thrill of excitement. Tomorrow they would collect the final equipment and do a test run for the survival class. She started to tell him “Thanks,” but he was already through the kitchen doorway and out of sight.

Is Colin part of the family
? She thought about it as she went upstairs, brushed her teeth, and headed to her room. He'd only been around since June. And yet, so had Anne, and she had definitely become a part of the Sheridan clan. Did that mean she had to treat Colin like a brother? Worse yet, did he think of her as a sister?

The thought made her chest ache.
Knock it off, Wako
. She propped up two pillows and plopped down on the bed. Colin might be part of the family, but he wasn't a blood brother. Nothing could change that. And nothing could change the strange way she felt when he was around. Sometimes life was so confusing. She closed her eyes. “Oh, Mom,” she whispered, “I sure wish you were here. Who am I supposed to talk to about this stuff?”

She looked at the clock. It was after ten, her brain felt like a bowl of mush, and she still didn't have her homework done.

She went back to her history lesson, but the stack of computer printouts kept drawing her attention away from the Civil War. After reading one paragraph three times, she gave up and closed the book.

She scanned the stack of papers. A few of Ishi's blood relatives might have joined some of the other tribes in the
area, but what difference did that make to her? Her great-grandmother had been found near a Nez Perce reservation. And the Nez Perce were nowhere near California.

Kara sighed and laid the papers on her desk, then shut down the computer. All this stuff about Ishi and his brain might be great for Tia's report, but as far as she was concerned, it just added more pieces to a very frustrating puzzle.

T
HUD
! T
HUMP
! The pounding sound interrupted a pleasant dream. She'd been riding bareback, cantering across an open meadow, the warm wind tossing her hair around her face and shoulders. She could feel the horse's muscles bulge, then extend, as strong legs churned through a sea of springtime grass. Never before had she felt so weightless and free.

Wakara rolled over and stretched. She shoved the covers away from her face and propped herself up on her elbows.

“What?” Her question sounded as groggy as she felt.

The door flew open and a skinny, flannel-draped body bounced onto the foot of her bed.

She sat up straighter, glanced at the clock, and groaned. “Ryan Sheridan, it's seven o'clock on a Saturday morning. You'd better have a good excuse for waking me up.”

He leaned forward and peered into her eyes. “You awake, Kara? Cuz Colin said to get up and come downstairs, he wants to get going.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, tell His Majesty I'll be there in a few minutes.” She yawned and flopped down on her pillow, but Ryan tugged on her arm.

“What's a majesty?” Ryan went on before she could answer. “Colin said don't let you go back to sleep. Anne's making waffles, and I got to get my survival kit so you can borrow it for your class.”

She gave up and flung her legs over the edge of the bed. “There, are you satisfied?” She ruffled his prickly scalp. “Now, go tell Colin I'll be right down, okay?”

“Okay, but first I gotta get my bag.” He scrambled off the bed and out the door without shutting it behind him.

Kara looked longingly at her pillow, then pushed her feet into the fur-lined slippers she'd gotten last Christmas from Aunt Peg. She'd almost exchanged them for a pair of unlined moccasins, but now she was glad she hadn't. The leather soles and llama-wool lining kept her feet and ankles warm even on cold winter mornings.

“Brrr!” She grabbed her red flannel shirt and tugged it on over her cotton pajamas.
It might as well be winter
, she thought as she headed for the bathroom,
but it's only the end of September
. She brushed her teeth, pulled on jeans and a turtleneck shirt, then topped it with a knee-length wool sweater.

Downstairs she found Ryan, Colin, and Anne in the kitchen. “What is with this weather?” She rubbed a clear spot on the steam-clouded glass and peered out the window. Ice crystals made weblike patterns around the outside of the pane, and the few leaves that still dangled from the oak tree were rimmed with white.

“Winter Warrior visits in the night.” Anne set a plate of steaming waffles on the table.

Kara pulled out her chair and sat down next to Ryan, who was licking syrup-coated peanut butter off his knife. “Nuh-uh,” he said. “It was Jack Frost. Colin said.”

Anne smiled. “Among my people it is said that when the leaves turn brown and Mother Earth begins to sing her death song, Angel Maiden mourns for her. Winter Warrior collects Angel Maiden's tears and pours them on Mother Earth. Each leaf, seed, and blade of grass is wrapped in a blanket of ice, until the time of new birth. Then Angel Maiden's tears turn to rain, melt the ice, and new life is born from the frozen ground.”

Ryan scowled. “Then who's Jack Frost?”

Anne turned away from the table, and Kara bit her lip to keep from laughing. She flashed Colin a look that clearly said, “How are you going to get out of this one?”

Colin cleared his throat, thought a minute, then said seriously, “Well, it's like this. Your sister's name is Wakara, right?”

Ryan's scowl deepened. “Yeah.”

“But some people call her Kara.”

Ryan nodded.

Colin pointed to Kara, then to the kitchen window. “Kara is Wakara's nickname and Jack Frost is a nickname for Winter Warrior. Get it?”

Ryan looked at Anne for confirmation, but the cook was bent over the sink, intent on scouring the bacon pan. From where she was sitting, Wakara could see Anne's mouth twitching in silent laughter. When Ryan turned his head in her direction, Kara grabbed her fork and got busy with her breakfast.

He must have taken their silence for agreement. “Oh. I get it.” He shoveled the last two bites of waffle into his mouth, pushed his plate aside, and reached under his chair.

“Here's my survival bag.” He handed it to Colin. “But you can only borrow it. I need to keep it under my bed in case of emergency.”

“Thanks. I promise we'll take good care of it.”

Kara could feel Colin staring at her. She finally looked up.

“Are you about ready, Wakara? Winter Warrior hasn't done us any favors, but at least the training will be more realistic.”

His eyes dared her to laugh. She almost choked trying not to. She nodded, washed down the last bite of waffle with a swallow of coffee, and pushed to her feet. “I gathered some supplies. They're in my backpack. Do you have the manual?”

“Right there.” Colin pointed to his own backpack propped in the corner by the coatrack, right next to her dad's tool kit and a ball of thick twine.

She paused. “What's with the tools?”

He stood and flexed his arms, rolled his shoulders, and did some deep side bends. Kara flinched when she saw the pain flash across his face.

He must have seen her concern. “Just limbering up.” He moved past her to the coatrack and grabbed a thick, brown parka off the hook. “And to answer your question, we need the tools because we're going to build a travois.” Ryan's head snapped up. “What's a travois?”

“A cart without wheels. You pull it with ropes or strap it behind a horse.” Kara stared at Colin. “Why do we need a travois?”

Anne spoke up. “It is a way to carry those who cannot walk, especially over snow.”

Ryan's eyes widened. “Like the toboggan they use when they rescue people from avalanches and stuff?”

“Not exactly,” Kara broke in. But Ryan was too excited to listen.

“They wrap them all up, tie them in, and ski down the mountain. Can I help? I'll be the hurt guy.”

“Not this time, Sport.” Colin grinned at Wakara. “A travois is also good for carrying wood. I thought we'd take advantage
of the trip into the woods and clean up some of the debris along the trail. Anne can use the smaller pieces for kindling.”

“The trail? I thought we were going to practice in the pasture?” Kara felt a chill even through her sweater. She hadn't been on the trail through the woods since the Carlson boys chased off that cougar, and she wasn't sure she wanted to go back again so soon.

Colin wrinkled his nose. “For what we're going to do, I'd rather avoid the mud.” He grinned. “Besides, cow pies are great for building a fire if they're dry, but they're no good to us frozen.”

She couldn't argue with that. Still, she hadn't counted on venturing into those woods this soon. What if the big cat was still around? Worse, what if Lily was still spooked and wouldn't go?
Cut it out, Wako—if you're nervous, Lily will feel it for sure
.

She gathered up her dishes and carried them to the sink. Anne nodded her thanks, then whispered so that only Kara could hear, “God has not given you a spirit of fear.”

Where had that come from? She spotted Anne's Bible on the counter next to the telephone. That's right, it was part of a verse in 1 Timothy. She had probably read it a dozen times, but she couldn't remember the rest. She'd have to look it up later. Right now, Colin was waiting for her.

By the time she gathered her stuff and met him in the barn, Colin was busy on his project. While he finished nailing boards together, she pulled items out of the backpacks and went over the checklist.