Forbidden Fires (21 page)

Shinte Galeska invited Rafe to sit down, then offered him his pipe, leaving Caitlyn standing alone near the door.

“Sit down, Caty,” Rafe called softly. “Over here, behind me. Don’t talk.”

Caitlyn sent him a mutinous glance, but she did as she was bidden. She had no robe to sit on, so she sat on the hard ground, her legs tucked beneath her, and tried to make some sense of the conversation between Rafe and Shinte Galeska, but the language was unlike anything she had ever heard before and she was amazed that anyone could understand it.

After a few minutes, Rainbow Woman offered Rafe and her husband bowls of venison stew. Then she handed one to Summer Wind and prepared to sit down again.

Just then, Caitlyn’s stomach growled loudly. Rainbow Woman frowned, then glanced at Summer Wind. “Do you want me to feed her?”

Summer Wind was about to say no when Rafe spoke up, “I would appreciate it if you would feed the white woman,” he said, smiling. “She is a good worker and I would not see her strength depleted by a lack of food.”

Rainbow Woman nodded, then grudgingly offered Caitlyn a bowl of stew. She had no love for the whites and it annoyed her to share her food with a paleface woman.

After dinner, the women sat in the back of the lodge, talking softly, while Shinte Galeska complained of the increasing number of white eyes crossing the plains, of the small Arapaho village that had been massacred several days earlier. He spoke of the Sun Dance, just passed, and lamented the fact that Stalking Wolf had missed it.

Shinte Galeska offered Rafe his pipe again, and then the two men went outside. Rainbow Woman and Summer Wind rinsed out the bowls, and then they, too, stepped outside.

Caitlyn sat there for a moment, angry at the way Rafe was ignoring her. Frowning, she rose to her feet, intending to find him and tell him so, but as soon as she stepped outside, Summer Wind ordered her back into the lodge.

“You slave,” the Indian girl said haughtily. “Stay inside.”

“I will not,” Caitlyn retorted.

“Stay inside or you will cause much trouble,” Summer Wind hissed. “Here, I am wife to Stalking Wolf, not you.”

Stalking Wolf.
Caitlyn repeated the name in her mind as she glared at the Indian girl, too angry to notice that Summer Wind’s English had improved drastically in Rafe’s absence.

She felt her spirits rise when she saw Rafe returning to the lodge.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“She won’t let me outside,” Caitlyn said petulantly. “She said it would cause trouble.”

Rafe let out a long breath. “I’m afraid she’s right, Caty. An Arapaho village was wiped out by the Army last week, and tempers are high. It might be wise for you to stay out of sight.”

“What are you going to do?”

“One of the warriors is celebrating the birth of his first son. He’s giving a feast in his child’s name. As a guest of Shinte Galeska, I was invited to attend.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Stay inside and sit tight. I’ll be back as soon as I can get away.”

Caitlyn glanced at Summer Wind. “And what will she be doing?”

“Sitting with the women.”

Caitlyn’s shoulders drooped disconsolately. She did not like it here, and she wanted to go home. Without another word, she turned on her heel and went back into the lodge and sat down on a thick buffalo robe. She hated to admit it, but she was lonely and scared. The lodge was filled with alien smells and furnishings. The ground was hard beneath the robe. From outside came the sound of laughter and singing and the rhythmic beat of a drum. She heard voices she could not understand.

Bored, she rose to her feet and peered outside, curious to see what an Indian celebration was all about.

She quickly spotted Rafe. He was sitting next to Shinte Galeska, nodding as the warrior spoke to him.

There was a change in the beat of the drum and one of the men stood up and walked to the center of the circle. Dropping his robe, he began to dance around the fire. She could not understand his words, but she had the impression that he was telling a story about a battle he had fought, and how he had killed three enemy warriors.

She was surprised when, a few minutes later, Rafe stood up. He did not speak, but she had no trouble understanding what he was doing. In steps and movements that were easy to follow, he told of hunting the buffalo with the Lakota, how his horse had stepped into a prairie dog hole and been crushed to death when it fell beneath the hooves of the herd. He had barely escaped with his life, and then, on foot, he had brought down a big buffalo cow with a single well-placed arrow.

He was magnificent to watch. Clad only in breechclout and moccasins, he was a sight to take her breath away. The orange flames cast shadows on his swarthy skin and ebony hair, making him seem like something out of a dream. Or a nightmare. There was an eagle feather in his hair, a streak of paint across the bridge of his nose, and a copper band around his right bicep. She did not stop to wonder where he had gotten such things; she only knew that he looked as if he belonged there.

She watched the other men as they danced, each man’s steps unique, stirring up the dust as the drums beat faster and faster. There were shouts and war cries from the dancers, answering cries from the spectators.

The women danced next, their steps more subdued. She saw Summer Wind among the women, and her heart grew heavy with despair. The Indian girl had borrowed a doeskin dress from one of the women and the garment fit as though it had been made for her. She wore her long black hair loose, parted in the middle. Huge earrings dangled from her ears, a shell necklace lay against her throat. The part in her hair had been painted with vermillion. She looked primitive and sultry and quite, quite beautiful.

There was a pause in the drumming, and when it began again, the women had formed a large circle. They shuffled slowly to the right and then to the left and when the drumming stopped, each woman went to the man of her choice and tapped his arm. Summer Wind went straight to Rafe and when she tapped his arm, he rose to his feet and followed her to the circle. Now the men and women stood facing each other. The drumming resumed and the dancing began. The couples never touched as they moved right and left, forward and back, but there was a undercurrent of sexuality in the moves, a sense of waiting, of expectation.

Caitlyn stood up so she could see better and at that moment, Summer Wind smiled at Rafe, her eyes aglow, her expression radiant.

She couldn’t watch anymore. Closing the lodge flap, she curled up on the buffalo robe, her heart aching.

She was still awake when Rafe and Summer Wind entered the lodge an hour later, followed by Shinte Galeska and his wife.

She listened as Summer Wind and Rainbow Woman exchanged a few words, and then Summer Wind crawled under a pile of furs on the left side of the lodge. Caitlyn nearly choked when Rafe crawled in beside her.

This was carrying their little charade too far, Caitlyn thought, stricken by the idea of her husband sharing a bed with another woman.

She stared at Rafe, saw him shake his head, warning her not to make a scene. Feeling wretched, Caitlyn buried her face in her arms, trying to block out the whispers of Shinte Galeska and his wife as they settled down for the night. She heard Summer Wind whisper to Rafe in Lakota, heard his hushed reply, and then there was only silence.

It was a long time before she fell asleep.

Someone was shaking her arm, and she groaned softly as she opened her eyes, her whole body feeling stiff and sore after a mostly sleepless night.

“Wake up,” Rafe said.

“What’s wrong?” Caitlyn asked anxiously.

“Nothing. Shinte Galeska has asked me to go hunting with him.”

“You’re not going!” Caitlyn cried, frightened at the thought of being left alone with the Indians.

“I’ve got to go, Caty. It’s an honor to be asked, and I’ve no reason to refuse.”

“Aren’t I a reason?”

“You’re supposed to be a slave. Don’t worry, Summer Wind will look after you.”

“Oh, sure,” Caitlyn muttered sarcastically.

“Caty…” He placed a finger over her mouth when he saw she was about to argue with him. “Listen to me,” he said urgently, his voice low. “I don’t want to do anything to arouse Shinte Galeska’s suspicion. I’ve been banished from the Lakota. It’s like a death sentence, Caty. The only reason I’m still alive is because I killed Hump Back Bear in a fair fight, but the fact remains that I killed one of the People. If Shinte Galeska finds out what I’ve done, there’s no telling what might happen. He has a quick temper. I know all this is hard on you, but I’ll only be gone for a day, two at the most. Trust me, Caty, please.”

“I do, but if we’re in danger here, doesn’t it make more sense to leave right away?”

Rafe let out a long breath. “I promised Summer Wind we’d spend a few days with the Cheyenne if she’d behave herself.”

“You mean she’s blackmailing you?”

“In a way. She had a bad time of it with Beech and she wanted to spend some time with the People again. Who knows, maybe she’ll decide to stay here.”

“How can she stay? You two are supposed to be married.”

“We’ll get a divorce.”

“I didn’t know Indians believed in divorce.”

“They do, and they’re a lot less complicated than in the white world.”

“Really?”

“Yes. When a woman wants a divorce from her husband, she simply returns to her parents. In this case, Summer Wind would stay with Shinte Galeska and declare our marriage is over.”

“Could you do the same thing?”

“It’s a little different for a man. If he tires of his wife, or decides she’s unfit, he waits until the next dance and then he announces that he’s throwing his wife away and whoever wants her can have her.”

“How embarrassing,” Caitlyn remarked, thinking she had never heard of anything so uncivilized. Marriage was a sacred covenant and as such should not be taken so lightly.

“Maybe, but you have to remember that a lot of Indian marriages are arranged by the parents. They don’t always work out, and I imagine a little embarrassment is better than living with a man who doesn’t want you.”

“I suppose.”

Rafe took Caitlyn’s hands in his. “Will you be all right while I’m gone?”

Caitlyn shrugged. “I guess so.” Ordinarily, she would have begged him not to leave her, but the thought that Summer Wind might decide to stay with the Cheyenne was too tempting to pass up.

“I’ve got to go,” Rafe said reluctantly. “They’re waiting for me.”

Rising, he reached for Caitlyn’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “I’ll miss you,” he murmured. His hand stroked her back and lingered in her hair, and then he lowered his head and kissed her fervently.

“Hurry back,” Caitlyn said, forcing a smile.

Rafe nodded. “You can count on it.”

Caitlyn followed him out of the lodge. He had discarded his buckskin shirt and the early-morning sun caressed his broad shoulders. There were moccasins on his feet, a knife sheathed on his belt, and a red headband kept his hair from his face. His skin was as dark as that of Shinte Galeska.

Summer Wind led Rafe’s horse forward, and he swung into the saddle. Shinte Galeska handed Rafe a bow and a quiver of arrows, and Caitlyn felt a twinge of unease. Rafe looked as Indian now as he had the first time she had seen him.

In moments, a half-dozen warriors had gathered near the lodge of Shinte Galeska. Rafe sent Caitlyn a long look, silently assuring her that everything would be all right in his absence.

Summer Wind tugged on Rafe’s ankle and he looked down at her.

“Good hunting, my husband,” she said, smiling up at him.

“Take care of Caitlyn,” Rafe said.

Summer Wind nodded, her expression sullen. If only the white woman would disappear, then she and Stalking Wolf could stay here with the Cheyenne forever. They could have a good life together, and she would give him sons, many sons. If only the white woman would disappear.

Rafe gave Summer Wind’s shoulder a quick squeeze, but he had eyes only for Caitlyn. He sent her a warm smile of farewell and then followed the other warriors out of the village.

Rainbow Woman waved to her husband and then went to stand beside Summer Wind. “Come along,” she said. “I must go gather wood and water.”

“Let the white woman do it,” Summer Wind said, and Rainbow Woman smiled in agreement. Going into the lodge, Rainbow Woman returned with a large gourd, which she thrust into Caitlyn’s hand.

“Go to the river and fetch water,” Summer Wind said imperiously. “And wood.”

“I will not.”

“You will do it if you wish to eat,” Summer Wind snapped. “Hurry now.”

Muttering a very unladylike expletive, Caitlyn headed for the river, her mind busily contemplating the many ways she would like to dispose of Summer Wind.

Kneeling beside the river, she filled the gourd, then placed it on the ground beside her and gazed into the distance. She could see a group of young boys shooting arrows at a bear skin pegged to a tree, and further down river she could see a trio of young girls splashing in the water.

Twenty minutes later, she left the river and walked toward a grove of trees. For a moment, she considered running away. Probably no one would look for her. Certainly Summer Wind would be glad to see the last of her. But the thought of wandering alone across the plains was less than inviting. She would be alone, prey to wild animals and Indians and whatever other dangers lurked in the wilderness. Better to face the devil she knew, she mused, than to go out to meet a new one.