Passion's Series (16 page)

He'd made love to her only with his words and soft kisses. To do more would have been to go against the spirits of the willow and of Grandfather River.

A smile curved his lips as he considered how far he'd come, not just in terms of the distance he'd traveled from his homeland but in the very perception of all around him.

His eyes scanned his surroundings as he pushed his horse faster. He would like to smell the air and feel the crisp morning breeze, to take time to hear the spirits of the earth.

Not long ago, though he'd been drawn in a mighty way to this land, he didn't understand the true beauty of it, or the life flowing through it to man. He would have scoffed the same as other white men at the talk of spirits or man's brotherhood with nature. Living among the Choctaw had helped him understand, and loving New Moon brought about a heightened awareness for the native people and their culture.

Two days after his journey began, the warrior Red Panther called for entrance into the city of Great Telleco. Permission came and he led his horse through the narrow passage.

Once inside the village he went directly to the lodge of the old shaman, the
dida:hnvwi:sg
, and called out, "I am Red Panther."

"Enter," said a voice from within.

James stepped through the doorway. "I have come," he said solemnly and noted that Du Prey sat beside the old man.

Gray Bear chuckled, "Yes, you have. It is good!" The old shaman's face shone with pleasure at a visit from the warrior who had done so well in the ball play. He indicated for James to sit.

"I see you now wear the warrior's feathers," he said, a wide grin splitting his weathered face. Clapping his hands loudly he called, "Wife, come serve our new guest."

Then to James, "You must tell us the story of how you earned the name Panther. It is a name of great strength and cunning."

James nodded in acceptance as Gray Bear's wife lowered to her knees beside him and reached across to set a bowl of roasted deer-meat on the cane mat that lay on the floor between the three men. He looked into her face and was surprised by her youth. She glanced at him and then quickly lowered her lashes.

"Do you like her?" Gray Bear asked.

"She appears strong and able to bear many sons."

The old shaman put a gnarled finger under her chin and tilted her face upward and toward James. "And she is good to look at."

James looked at her again. She was too young to be married to an old man. She was hardly more than a child.

"Yes," he answered, a sense of apprehension tingling along his skin.

"Good! I give her to you for the night." Gray Bear waved his arm impatiently at the trembling girl, "Go! Prepare yourself and the guest lodge. Our guest is weary."

James looked to DuPrey and saw both amusement and challenge in his eyes.

He turned back to Gray Bear, "I thank you for your, gift. It is wonderful beyond my ability to express..." he paused.

Gray Bear sat straight and proud. He waited to hear much praise on his ownership of such a young and lovely wife, and the greatness of his gift.

James felt uncertain how to proceed. He was familiar with the custom of a warrior buying a girl to be his wife. He would turn her over to his older wife to train and then when she was of an age to be truly married the ceremony would be performed. No custom allowed for adultery among the Cherokee.

A warrior was proud of his family and would kill another for the virtue of his wife. Only women who were unmarried but had been married before were offered to visitors and only then if they were agreeable. This girl fit into none of these categories.

"Our Emperor does honor you greatly with such a gift," DuPrey interrupted his thoughts. "Little Dove is our Emperor's youngest wife. She was married to him when she was fourteen summers. He has seen to it that his other wives trained her in all things necessary to be a good wife and now, at sixteen summers she knows all that is necessary for a wife to know. Look around you and you will see all the many things she has made for her husband."

James looked at the beaded moccasins, the soft leather quiver, woven baskets and painted bowls, even the mat on which their food sat and the back rest against which they leaned. Every item in the lodge showed the careful even hand of its creator.

"Can you see why she is his favorite?"

James covered the emotion in his eyes as they slid back to DuPrey. The little Frenchman must indeed have a great deal of influence on this tribe of the
Ani-Yunwiya
. He felt the responsibility of his mission bear heavily down on him.

Extracting DuPrey from this camp would not be an easy matter. The governor's foolish attempt to intervene could very well backfire. If he did manage to extract DuPrey, many of the white settlers living on the frontier near Cherokee lands would pay the price with their lives.

DuPrey took three puffs from the pipe that now made its way around the small circle and passed it to James.

"Little Dove has just returned from the woman's lodge. It was her first visit there. The Emperor does truly honor you by giving her to you first."

James saw the challenge in DuPrey's eyes. Did he hope to introduce this new custom to Chota Town through him? If he accepted the door would be opened to his village.

If he refused his influence in this village would be blocked, not to mention whatever danger might be in store for him personally.

Nothing in his life had prepared him for these events.

His undercover missions had often involved undercover activities of a softer nature. He had particularly enjoyed that aspect of his duty. But never before had a father sent his daughter to him for protection or a husband thrust his wife under his nose. How would he explain this one to New Moon?

He made his decision. DuPrey had to be stopped. He could not allow his personal feelings to undermine his influence in this village. His mission was too important to England and too important to the Cherokee as well.

James turned to Gray Bear and accepted the gift as graciously as he could. As he let the beautiful speech roll easily from his tongue he killed DuPrey a hundred times over in his mind for planting this seed of corruption in a tribe of people he'd grown to love and respect.

As the evening wore on he listened to DuPrey, who proclaimed the shaman to be Emperor and himself the Imperial Majesty's Principal Secretary of State.

"I have taught The People many useful and wonderful things," he announced smugly. "I have shown why a woman ought not to belong to only one man. A Great warrior should mix his blood with that of many women whose ancestors were also great warriors. This is the quickest and surest way to build a might army."

The hair on the back of James neck tingled but his expression remained solemn, revealing none of what he felt. He saw Gray Bear dozed. Now was his opportunity to get out of the lodge before he convinced himself to kill DuPrey with his bare hands.

"I grow weary, Emperor," he addressed Gray Bear. The
Dida:hnvwi:sg
nodded sleepily and James rose to his feet.

"I will walk with you to your lodge," DuPrey offered and rose as well.

Once they were outside and on their way to the rear of the village DuPrey asked, "Why are you here, Red Panther?"

"I am going to the trading post. Since I have never been to Great Tellico and it is only a short distance out of my way I decided to come by here first."

"How is it that you are Cherokee and have never been to Great Tellico?"

"There are many Cherokee villages. Some of these villages are far from here. I decided to leave my own and travel to Chota town. There is much talk in my village of Chota Town and the Chief, Dancing Cloud. Do not the warriors from your own country sometimes travel far from their own home?"

DuPrey's grunt was noncommittal.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. As they stepped up to the visitor's lodge a large Indian standing guard at the doorway moved to one
side. Around his shoulders lay a heavy buffalo robe, which he held tight against the night, chill. James glanced at his face and though it was too dark to see clearly, the moon reflected in his black eyes. James saw strong emotion flash quickly and then disappear.

"We are honored by your visit," DuPrey said at his side. "It will be an even greater honor to our Emperor if you leave your seed behind in his youngest wife."

James turned to face DuPrey. "I suppose it could pose a problem when your community children are ready to marry and have their own children. It has never been a custom of our people to mate within the same clan or to share our women. I do not believe they will accept this in Chota Town."

DuPrey looked up into the icy blue eyes of this strange breed that stood at least a head taller than himself. "Why were you going to the trading post, Red Panther?" He asked suspiciously.

James smiled and a visible tremor ran through DuPrey's body. "To talk of trade to Hague and Brown. I will trade for horses."

"Horses," DuPrey looked genuinely confused.

"Yes," James answered. "I will buy a wife. And," is voice lowered to a deadly tone, "I will not share her with another warrior."

With this James stepped through the doorway of his lodge. There, before him, in the center of his sleeping furs, naked and trembling with her head bowed low, was Little Dove.

If not so distracted by the trembling girl in his bed, James would have been able to concentrate on a feasible story for his guard to let him leave the lodge.

He knew he should follow DuPrey. Instead he walked over to Little Dove and pulled a pelt up over her thin shoulders.

She looked up at him with frightened eyes and he thought of another young girl with the big frightened eyes of a doe.

"Do not fear me, little one. I will not hurt you," he told her in the beloved tongue.

Her lower lip quivered and she caught it between her teeth. She pushed the heavy pelt from her shoulders and let it drop. James looked deep into her eyes. She was afraid of him or of what would happen to her if she did not give herself to him.

He smiled gently and rearranged the pelt so that it would cover them both. He slid her down beneath the covers and lay down  beside her as he pulled her trembling into the warm circle of his arms.

She placed a trembling hand to his chest. He felt the heat of her body against his and thought of New Moon. Soon he would be holding her in his arms. He gently stroked Dove's cheek pushing the hair from her face and then pulled her head forward to rest beneath his chin.

Taking heart by his gentle touch Dove moved her hand lower along his stomach to the bindings of his waistcloth.

James drew in a quick breath. He wasn't made of wood. His own thoughts of New Moon and the soft feathery touch of Doves fingers brought about an immediate reaction. He hastened to take hold of Dove’s hand and brought it back to his chest.

"I will not mate with you, Dove," he said softly. In the dim light he could see the fear and shame in her eyes. "You are very beautiful. You will bring many happy nights to your warrior, but this is not right. Let me keep you warm while you sleep. In the morning you may tell Gray Bear whatever you like about tonight."

Dove scrambled up and backed away. She dropped her head and James could see she swung it from side to side. He pushed himself up to his feet and looked down at her. He wrapped his fingers around his neck and massaged the tightening muscles there.

Dove looked up, tears cascading down her cheeks. "You do not understand. Tomorrow the old woman will examine me to see if you had your pleasure with me. When she learns that you have not, she will tell Gray Bear and he will beat me and shame me before the whole village." A loud gasp erupted from her lips to be followed by heart wrenching sobs.

From out of the darkness a body flew at James and knocked him hard to the ground. They rolled among the furs, his attacker trying to kill him, while he tried to figure a way out of this mess without killing his attacker.

He finally got an opening and caught him on the chin with a strong uppercut. The warrior's head snapped back and he fell heavily to the furs.

Little Dove dashed to the fallen warrior and wailed as if her life were coming to an end. James cringed for only a second before he snatched her up and put a hand roughly over her mouth. "Be Quiet!" he shook her until her struggles stopped. "Be quiet. He's not dead. Who is he?"

He carefully moved his hand just far enough away from her mouth to allow her to speak. "He is Blue Feathers," she sniffed as she tried to pull away.

"Why did he attack me?"

"Because he loves me."

James let her go and she dropped down to Blue Feather's side. He looked around until he found a water bladder and emptied it in Feather's face. Spitting and sputtering Blue Feathers jerked awake and jumped to his feet.

James slid an arm around Dove and pulled her tightly up against his chest. He pressed a knife against her throat and her struggles ended immediately, as did Feather's advance.

"I don't want Dove. I have a woman of my own in Chota. Why have you allowed the Frenchman to do this?"

"If I could have stopped him I would have." Feathers snarled between clinched teeth. "He has too much power in our village."