Never Surrender (7 page)

“How the hell should I know?” Taima erupted from the
water and strode naked toward the rock where he’d left his clothes with his
knife.
Why couldn’t they just leave him be?
He dressed, then walked back
to Ahanu as he tied the breechcloth about his hips.

Ahanu leaned back on his elbows, his body stretched
out beneath the sun. The ever-present smirk still cut across Ahanu’s face, and
to avoid it, Taima turned his attention to the hunting knife at his side.

“I want you and Kaga to join me on a hunt,” Taima
said. “The others can look after the women. The white woman can stay with
Aiyana to help with the children and the chores.”

“Aiyana may kill her before we return.”

Taima snapped his head up to see if his friend
actually meant what he’d said, or whether it was a poor attempt at mislaid
humor.

“I thought that might get your attention.”

His breath caught in his throat. “Does Aiyana hate
her, too?”

“Probably about as much as you do. It was not only
your wife, but her sister those trappers killed three years ago.” Ahanu
stretched his arms overhead, swung them forward, and propelled himself to his
feet. “Maybe Kate can’t read you, but I can, though you try hard not to show
it. She, on the other hand, doesn’t hide the fact that she can’t stand you.”
Ahanu chuckled. “Are you sure she won’t escape while we’re hunting?”

“Positive.” Taima purposely strode ahead of his
friend, dodging the sagebrush.

In two long strides, Ahanu walked at his side. “Did
you threaten to torture her if she attempts to escape again?”

Taima looked at Ahanu. “Just trust me.”

Ahanu chuckled again and shook his head. “You’re
asking for trouble, my friend.”

“Just be sure she stays with Aiyana...and I want her
alive when we return. I’ll provide her with warm hides for sleeping and extra
food.”

Ahanu’s insinuation that he might have personal
feelings for Kate was ridiculous. Taima kept her only for the future
possibilities of trade; if he could stand her presence for that long. The
trouble she caused was beginning to affect all of his people.

“The hunt will allow us to gather extra meat before
our journey to the Hot springs when we make our offerings to the spirit gods,”
Ahanu stated.

“Kate will also travel there with us. The women could
use the extra help,” Taima added, even though he knew her presence would cause
problems.

“You know outsiders aren’t allowed near the springs.
Why do you wish to upset the gods?”

“There are things I need to find answers to.” Taima
scratched his chest. “Today Sakima told me of visions he’s had about the white
woman. He believes she was sent here for a reason.”

He glanced toward Ahanu’s lean-to as they walked. “Why
is everyone standing around Aiyana?”

“Likely because your prisoner is with her.” Ahanu’s snide
tone grated on Taima’s ear.

Taima met the anxious gazes of those standing at the
back of the crowd. When those gathered stepped aside so he and Ahanu could
approach, Taima stopped abruptly.

There, before everyone, Kate sat wide-eyed, still tied.
The blood had drained from her face, making her look like a ghost. Aiyana held
a knife to her throat as she gripped the front of Kate’s doeskin dress, the
taut material cutting into her skin.

Even from where he stood, Taima could see a faint
trickle of blood where the knife’s point had penetrated Kate’s neck. Aiyana’s
slender fingers were white from her grip on the bone-handled blade.

“Aiyana!” Ahanu roared.

Without turning away from Kate, Aiyana replied in
English. “She is
my
prisoner. Taima left her with me. Witashnah would be
alive today if it were not for
her
people. She must pay with her life as
my sister did.”

Taima watched yet couldn’t move. Kate’s raised chin
quivered; her eyes never left Aiyana’s. A lifetime of anger and hatred spread
over Aiyana’s delicate features, her eyes relaying her deadly message. She
reminded Taima of a mountain lion, poised over its prey, showing white teeth as
she prepared for the kill.

“Aiyana...give me the knife,” Ahanu demanded.

“Come closer and I will sink this blade without a
second thought.”

Taima watched as Ahanu circled behind his wife without
her knowledge, so intent was she on her victim. Then Ahanu’s fingers covered
Aiyana’s hand and his other arm encircled her waist. He gently pulled her away,
and relief spread over Kate’s face.

Taima stepped toward Kate, and Aiyana sprang from
Ahanu’s grasp to point her knife into Taima’s chest. He knew her pain; he also
missed his wife. Should he have allowed Aiyana to do what he couldn’t bring
himself to?

“She must die, Taima! She must pay!” Aiyana screamed
at him in English, her eyes wide with burning rage.

“Her death will not bring my wife back, Aiyana. I
suffer the same loss...as does my son.”

She pressed the blade more firmly against his chest,
though he knew she would do him no harm. Pain and loss were easily read in her
sorrow-filled eyes. A single tear slipped down her cheek.

Aiyana glared at Kate. “Then she must replace
Witashnah. She must take over my sister’s role as wife and mother to you and
Kelee.”

Taima met Ahanu’s surprised gaze. Her statement had
shocked them both.

“She doesn’t realize what she says, Taima. She misses
Witashnah.” Ahanu peeled the knife from Aiyana’s fingers, embraced her, and she
cried onto his chest.

“Why did she have to die, Ahanu? Why?” He caressed her
hair as he looked at Taima and Kate.

For Taima, the too-familiar heartache of losing his
wife returned. Aiyana might as well have stabbed him; the pain would be no
greater. He glanced at the smear of Kate’s blood on his chest left by the
blade, then looked at Kate. Strands of dark, wind-blown hair caressed her pale
face and neck. Tears slipped down her cheeks, her green eyes glistened with
fear--something he’d yet to see from her.

Aiyana’s statement echoed through his mind:
She
must take over Witashnah’s role as your wife! How could he even consider it?
Yet...found he did. But he’d be damned before he let anyone know it. Taima
lowered his gaze to Kate’s feet. Her moccasins had been removed and a strip of
rawhide bound her bare ankles.

“Father...will I have a new mother?” his son asked,
tugging on the fringe of his buckskins.

The child’s tender, innocent voice threatened to
soften Taima’s hardened heart. He knelt on one knee before his son, Kelee’s
friends behind him. Taima gently placed his hands on Kelee’s upper arms. “I’m
afraid not, my son.”

“But she’s pretty, like grandma was.”

Taima cursed beneath his breath. Why had his mother
thought it necessary to teach his son English? If not, Kelee wouldn’t have
understood any of this.

“I loved your mother very much. It will be a long time
before I feel that way again.”

Kelee’s small hand caressed Taima’s cheek. “But one
day you will, Father.”

Smiling, Taima patted Kelee’s shoulder. “Perhaps one
day I will. Now go play.”

Kelee obeyed, running off with his friends.

Taima rose and looked at the fear in the faces of his
people. They didn’t know English so had no idea what had transpired. In
Shoshone, he said, “Go back to your fires. All is well.”

Obediently, they dispersed. He returned his gaze to
the remaining three. Aiyana still whimpered in Ahanu’s arms, and surprisingly,
Kate sat silent, her anxiety expressed in her eyes and face.

Taima strode toward Kate, never once breaking eye
contact with her. He was unsure if he was angry that she still lived, or angry
at Aiyana for not completing her deed. But truth be told, he knew he couldn’t
bear to lose Kate even if she did hate him.

He stood before her. “
I
will deal with you
now.” He bent over, picked Kate up, and tossed her tied body over his shoulder.
Glancing at Ahanu, he asked, “You will keep Kelee tonight?”

Ahanu nodded, and Taima strode toward his lean-to some
distance from the others, balancing Kate’s slender body.

Kate refused to show her fear by struggling against
Taima. The blood rushed to her head while she lay over his shoulder, but she
remained motionless as he strode toward his lean-to. Now, alone with him,
anything could happen. Her mind conjured up the worst, and she prayed he
wouldn’t carry through with his earlier threat to bare her flesh for his
pleasure.

Taima leaned forward and suddenly they were immersed
in darkness behind a buffalo hide covering the front of his lean-to. The strong
smell of leather and pine penetrated the interior of his quarters. To her
amazement, he carefully set her down on the ground. She stretched her stiff
legs out and arched her back. Then warm fingers slid down her calves to her
ankles and fumbled with the leather bond. Within seconds, her ankles were
freed.

Silence.

She waited.

Why was Taima being so still? If he intended to kill
her, she wished he’d just get it over with. She flexed her feet to increase the
circulation cut off by the leather straps. Her stomach knotted with anxiety,
and her muscles ached from the tension of what Aiyana had put her through.

Worried, Kate sat in silence while her eyes adjusted
to the darkness of her new prison; dampness from her tears still clung to her
lashes as she tried to see the interior. Layers of pine branches, coupled with
thick tree limbs, formed the low roof and sides. With her hands tied behind
her, Kate rubbed her fingers into the thick pelt of buffalo hides, which made
her own soft mattress come to mind.

If she could only get back to her own bed...and her
own time.

Kate bit her lower lip. Oh God, why was she here in
the first place? Her frustration mounted. Memories filtered through her mind of
friends at home. Could she possibly have traveled
back
in time?

Nonsense, that could never happen
.

Her head throbbed from the memories, from lack of food
and sleep. She couldn’t think about anything until she filled her stomach, or
at least got some rest. Last night wasn’t the best night she’d ever had.

Dim light seeped in where the hides joined together
and between the branches overhead, giving her a glimpse of Taima as he sat
before her. Did he plan to leave her tied and just sit in silence?

Fine. She could wait as long as he could.

Then Taima’s arm slowly rose in her direction. Warm
fingers gently caressed her cheek and she flinched at the contact.

“You
should
fear me, woman.”

Kate sat silent, refusing to beg for his mercy. What
did a savage know about showing kindness to an enemy?

“You have nothing to say for a change? This afternoon,
words spilled freely from your tongue.” He paused, obviously waiting for her to
respond. “Am I to believe you have learned a lesson, or is this perhaps a trick
on your part, waiting for the right moment to try something else?”

“Is that what you hope? So you can strip me naked,
march me in front of your people, and use me like you do other women?”

His silence made her realize she had gone too far yet
again.
Would she never learn?

His voice rang stern when he finally spoke. “Know
there were
no other women
besides my wife...and there hasn’t been
since.”

A savage who roamed the countryside abducting women
wanted her to believe he doesn’t ravage them? Kate found that idea hard to
swallow. Frustration confused her thinking. She was too tired for this. “Then
what do you want with me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper as her
throat tightened. Another tear slipped from her eye. “Why do you keep me here?”

More silence.

Taima’s deep voice finally penetrated the quiet air,
sounding calm this time. “Where would you go? None of your people live in these
mountains. Other Indians would only capture you. The Crow and Blackfoot aren’t
as friendly to their captives as the Shoshone.”

Kate’s heart sank and she lowered her gaze. “What do
you care?”

“I’m not so cold-hearted as to send you into the
wilderness to fend for yourself. I may not like the white man, or you, but I
would not kill in cold blood.”

She snapped her gaze back to Taima, suddenly wishing
her hands were free. “Yet you were willing to allow Aiyana freedom with her
blade. My neck still bleeds!”

“Aiyana would not have killed you.”

The beating of her heart kept pace with her rising
anger. “I saw the hate in her eyes. It matches yours whenever you look at me;
the same with all your people.”

“My people will not harm you.”

Her patience had worn thin after her episode with
Aiyana. “Just leave me be. I need to sleep. And where can I go like this?” She
stared at him a long moment before he answered.

“I can’t leave you by yourself. But should you wish,
you could stay with Aiyana if you feel safer there,” Taima said.

A beam of light cut across his face, enough that Kate
saw the curve of his lips and a quick glance in her direction before he lowered
his lashes.

“Like I’d be safe anywhere here.”

“I could allow you an opportunity to escape,” he said
sarcastically.

As though a bucket of cold water had been tossed at
her, Kate’s breath caught in her throat. His previous promise to strip her
naked should she try another escape reverberated through her mind. Did he
actually think to rape her or was he asking her permission?

“You bastard!” She wished she weren’t tied. He’d not
taunt her like this then.

“Your temper will get you in trouble just as easily.”

“Am I to be yours for the taking?”

“I don’t
take
my women, I’ve already told you
that!”

Kate saw Taima’s shadow rise, and light flooded the
area as he lifted the hide at the entrance, securing it open. The aroma of food
drifted about the fresh air. Taima stepped from her view then muffled voices
sounded just outside the lean-to.

When Taima reappeared in the doorway, Ahanu stood
behind him with two plates of food. Taima knelt at her back and she glanced at
Ahanu. She lowered her lashes as Taima untied her, also releasing her hands.
She flexed her fingers and blood immediately flowed into them. Kate rubbed her
stiff hands and the deep indentations left on her wrists from the ropes.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice just above a whisper.

“You have Ahanu to thank, not me. I would have left
you tied had he not asked that you be released.” He took an obsidian plate from
Ahanu and handed it to her, then took his own.

Ahanu bent and laid a red blanket at her side. “I
think this belongs to you.”

Though she could only see his outline against the
lighted opening, Kate knew a smile rested on Ahanu’s face. “Thank you.”

Ahanu nodded and left the lean-to.

Taima had already started eating his meal. Kate
couldn’t see what her plate contained, but it smelled delicious. She quickly
sank her teeth into the hot meat. A hard biscuit soaked what little juice
remained on her stone plate.

Minutes passed before Kate found the courage to ask
him a question plaguing her. “How is it that you and Ahanu speak such good
English?”

He stared at her across the light beam.

“My mother taught us before . . .” He paused, a long
silence stretching between them. “. . . before she and my wife were killed
three years ago by trappers...after they were used for the white men’s
pleasures.”

The sarcasm that laced his voice nearly cut Kate as
deep as Aiyana’s knife would have. Taima rose and strode from the lean-to,
dropping the exterior hide over the door as he left. It appeared curiosity had
gotten her into trouble again.

No wonder he hated her people. Yet when he touched
her, it wasn’t always his hatred she felt. There had been genuine caring in his
fingers as they’d brushed her cheek moments earlier. Had he been thinking of
his wife then and how much he missed her?

Kate wondered from whom Taima and his son had received
their blue eyes. No whites lived among Taima’s people, so his father must also
be Shoshone. She glanced toward the covered entrance. If his mother was white,
had his father captured her years ago? She must have lived surrounded by
hatred, yet bore a son. A cold shiver ran down Kate’s spine at the thought of
how that might have come about.

A chill crept into the dark interior, and she grabbed
her blanket, wrapping it about her shoulders, hoping that perhaps Taima’s anger
would keep him away tonight. She stretched out on the thick fur hide and flexed
her toes beneath the covers. Achy muscles occupied her mind until she relaxed
enough to feel warmth seep into her body.

She wondered about Taima’s wife. Obviously, he’d loved
her very much if he hadn’t been with a woman since her death, yet he’d allowed
her to assume he’d taken many women. Guilt flooded her over the comment she’d
made to him earlier. Three years is a long time for a man, Kate mused. Perhaps
he was interested in a woman among his people.

Suddenly, Kate’s eyes widened and she sat up. Aiyana’s
words tumbled through her mind.

She will replace my sister as your wife!

My God, now what would happen?
Aiyana’s comment was likely the very reason she sat here
in Taima’s lean-to. She listened for noise outside. Taima probably slept before
the door so she couldn’t escape. But only the distant howl of a coyote
penetrated the hides of the lean-to.

She slumped back, allowing sleep to overcome her
anxiety of the night ahead, hoping her dreams wouldn’t replay her daytime
fears.

* * * * *

Morning sunshine glared at Kate when she threw back
the hide and stepped from the lean-to. She shaded her eyes and looked about.
Daily chores occupied Taima’s people, but he was nowhere in sight. She released
the nervous breath she held, anticipating a confrontation with him. The man
constantly kept her nerves on edge.

She wished for a hot bath to soothe her nerves and
wash away four-day’s worth of grime, along with the odor. Scrunching her nose
at the smell, Kate couldn’t remember ever feeling so filthy. Even cold water
from the stream would feel good right now.

Kate halted.

Her headache throbbed again. It seemed to happen
whenever she thought of her personal life. She had to quit thinking of home.
The chances of ever going back there were getting slimmer. She glanced around
at the snow-capped mountains beyond their valley, but saw nothing familiar.

Kate closed her eyes and gently massaged her temples,
willing herself back to where she came from. When would all this end? Beyond
the blackness of her mind, a soothing shower appeared with rising steam and a
brass showerhead. A memory of hot water cascading over her shoulders made Kate
moan aloud, bringing her back to reality among Taima’s people. The children’s
laughter sounded behind her as they played, and she reopened her eyes.

If she had indeed traveled back in time, in what
century had she landed in? And how on earth would she ever return? She wouldn’t
survive stuck in this time period.

Hopeless, Kate shook off the uncertainty. She strode
to the water’s edge and washed her face and hands. Even a simple bar of soap
would help. Maybe tonight Taima would have enough heart to allow her bathing
time...after dark. She stood, flicking the cool water from her fingertips. The
clean morning air did much to revive her spirits as she stretched and breathed
in new energy.

An eagle soared over the treetops before a blue
background. Kate longed for his freedom as she watched the graceful bird with outstretched
wings glide through the air.

Wanting freedom and getting it were not options open
to her at this moment. She should get back and straighten the hides and blanket
in Taima’s lean-to. Turning on her heel, Kate ran into Aiyana, nearly knocking
the other woman from her feet. Now a knife would likely be pulled on her for
her clumsiness.

Kate stepped back. “Aiyana, I’m sorry.”

Annoyance slowly appeared on Aiyana’s finely
sculptured face, and she narrowed her dark eyes. “I am to instruct you in your
daily duties. Follow me.”

Kate followed Aiyana back to her lean-to. Perhaps
having something to do would help pass the time. She chopped nuts and crushed
berries with a stone pedestal, placing them in stiff, hide-pouches for the
evening meal. Aiyana showed her how to make biscuits from baked roots that had
been ground and mixed with water and berries for flavor.

Again, Kate thought of the conveniences in her own
time that made life so much easier; electricity, for starters. Then they could
plug in a food processor and have all this done in three minutes.

As Kate helped, she glanced around their camp. “Where
is Taima?”

Aiyana stopped crushing her roots to stare at her.
“Why do you care?”

Kate didn’t answer, only looked at her.