Passion's Series (21 page)

Red Panther chuckled, "We'll stay here all morning if you like." He gently pushed a stray strand of hair from her face and then let his fingers linger in the soft silkiness. "I have no demands on my time more important than making love to you."

New Moon ran her hands up and down along his back while she studied each feature of her beloved's face. Her eyes sought out the tiny scar on his cheek that could only be seen when she was so close.

She let her vision travel along the tiny creases at the comer of his eyes that deepened when he smiled. Her gaze then traveled to and lingered on the curve of his full, firm lips, and then finally rose again to look into the azure depths that made her heart flutter and her insides tighten.

Panther slide his lips across hers and whispered even while he kissed her, "I love you, my little Wa-sa. I'll love you forever, straight through this life and into the next.
Igo hi dv
!"

With his hands he worshipped her. His hold on her was firm, his growing desire unmistakable, his gentleness a gift of praise. Gently, tenderly, caressingly he pressed her to him as if he needed to feel every inch of her against every inch of him.

He rose slightly so he could look into her face. "Tell me what you want, Little Wa-sa. Let me hear the words."

New Moon did not smile. Her face held an almost desperate plea as she clung to him. "I want to feel you," she answered. "I want to feel you above me, below me and all around me. I want to feel you in me, in my heart and in my soul. I want to feel the heat of your love surrounding me even when we are apart."

"We will never be apart, my little Wa-sa," he said as his lips came crushing down on hers.

For a little while she was able to forget her dream vision of loneliness and separation and pain. Such pain.

Chapter Twenty-six

The day dawned bright and clear. A gentle breeze ruffled the leaves and slid along warm, still sensitive skin, causing a sudden chill to pass through New Moon to be repeated in an answering quiver deep within James.

For all her trying to hide it, he knew by the desperation in her lovemaking that she was as deeply troubled as he. Her dreams had also been as frightening. More than once he'd awakened to secretly watch her as she sat and stared into the dying embers of their fire, tears glistening on her cheeks. He gently placed his lips to her forehead.

"It is time to go back, Wa-sa."

"I know."

They both rose from the robe. Panther bent down to pick it up and wrapped it snugly around New Moon's shoulders. Her eyes came up to meet his and another episode of quaking dread exploded in the pit of his stomach.

When the sounds of panicked shouts reached their ears neither flinched or broke their hold on one another. Each wanted to hold onto this moment as long as they could, knowing that once they left this, their special place, their lives would be forever changed.

New Moon was first to take her eyes from the face of her beloved as she turned her head and looked back over her shoulder. "Must you go back?" she asked softly. Then she turned back to look into his face. James felt outside himself. They were about to walk a path neither could control.

He let his hands drop from her shoulders and stepped around her. New Moon watched him go. He knew she would soon follow.

***

As New Moon stepped around the boulder she heard Panther's voice raised in anger and desperation.

"Why didn't you catch him?" Panther turned to look at her and her heart pained with the knowledge that it was starting.

"A runner has just entered the village." The fear and anger she saw in his eyes pierced her heart. "He comes to warn of illness."

Smythe tried unsuccessfully to control his mount's prancing as he pleaded, "He didn't understand, Colonel. None of these people understand about such things."

"Of course he didn't. Don't you think I know that?" Panther bellowed, causing Smythe's horse to shy nervously. "These people have no idea what they are about to face."

Panther grabbed the horse's reins with one hand and a fist full of buckskin in the other as he gripped Smythe's leg. "Couldn't you have stopped one small boy? It would have been better if you had shot him!"

At the sound of New Moon's startled gasp, Panther turned toward her and she took a small step back before she caught herself. Only when her warrior had fought another for her life had she seen such rage on his face.

New Moon squared her shoulders and walked toward him. His features softened only enough for her to see and to know that his rage was not at her for her show of weakness, but at this strange illness that caused such fear in his heart.

"You must go with Smythe, away from the villages. He will take you to the home he shares with Gentle Rain. You will be safe there."

New Moon stopped. She stiffened her back but she was unable to hold back the one silent tear that slide over her brown cheek to cascade down her face.

"For the baby, New Moon, you must do as I say." Panther's voice was firm and the look on his face told her he would not accept disobedience from her. "A terrible sickness has come and only your departure now with Smythe can protect you and our baby."

For long moments she stood and silently listened to her inner self, felt the stirring of her child and knew that Red Panther was right.

He no longer needed to be taught the ways of the Principal People. He knew them as well as she, but now she knew a new enemy had entered their village, one that the ways of the Principal People would be useless against. It was time for the Principal People to learn from a white man. With a heavy heart she nodded.

Panther turned and headed toward the village. He hurried through the gate in desperate need to stop the boy before too many of the villagers came in contact with him, but he was too late.

The villagers crowed so tightly around the young runner to hear of the strange illness that James had to push his way toward its center.

James' voice boomed into the tightening crowd, "There must be no runners sent from Chota Town."

A low rumbling erupted from the crowd as they parted to let him pass.

Silent Deer, who had become his blood brother only a few days before, wedged his powerful body through the press of bronzed bodies, each one quickly stepping aside to let him pass. He stopped directly in front of James.

"A runner will be sent to the next village. I will not have members of my family die while I sit and hide in fear of a white man's illness."

Deer's eyes fixed on a point somewhere above James' left shoulder. He had spoken, he would say no more. He was a warrior and would fight to the death, if need be his own brother, to save even one life of the Principal People.

James in turn stared over Deer's shoulder. Silently he cursed the custom that told a warrior not to look into the eyes of his opponent. It was not his brother's weakness or his fears that James wanted to see in Deer's eyes, but rather he wanted his brother to see the fear in his own eyes, and the love.

James forced his arms to hang relaxed yet ready at his sides. His fingers curled tightly into his hands as if he held the weapons he'd so foolishly left within his lodge. But no matter, if a fight became eminent a weapon would be hastily shoved into his hand.

Silent Deer stepped closer. His resolve no less than his brother's. He placed a hand to the knife at his side and as James had thought it would be, a knife was placed in his.

The warriors faced each other. Each tall, each heavily muscled and each equally respected as a beloved warrior.

James let his gaze travel insolently over the body of the warrior who faced him and then looked again over his shoulder. The challenge had been made.

Deer's own coal black eyes traveled over the bronzed chest of his brother before settling on a point above James' shoulder. Neither warrior would give in to anything short of death.

Dancing Cloud stepped between them. "It makes my heart sad to see two brothers preparing to make war on one another. It is foolish for brothers to fight when the enemy is within our walls."

Dancing Cloud turned to Red Panther and looked into his eyes but for a second before turning and looking into Deer's. "I will hear what each of you have to say. I will hear Panther first."

James' stance did not relax. "The illness that the runner has come to warn against is a white man's disease. It is called small pox and it is like none the Principal People have seen before."

The crowd shuffled nervously.

"The illness brings with it high fevers and a sickness of the skin. It carries with it pain and death. Any who do battle with the illness and survives will be marked for all to see throughout his days. And now this disease has been brought into our village. If any runner leaves and goes to another village they will also carry it with them."

Silent Deer gritted his teeth. "If this illness is as you say then we must warn others of The People. The medicine men must take out their rattles and their magic things and chant their prayers to keep the people well."

James turned to glance into Dancing Cloud's eyes. He quickly looked away knowing that the others would see his forwardness as an insult, but he hoped his old friend would see his fear for the Cherokee people.

"Each person affected by this disease must find the strength within himself to overcome it. If he does not find the strength he will die, and all his belongings must be burned because the spirit that causes the illness will live on his blankets in wait for another to touch them. Only a person who has suffered the illness and lived will be able to care for the sick and not become ill as well.

"I am such a one. The only scar that I have is the one on my face," he raised a finger to the small circular scar at the side of his face. "And the one on my arm," he showed a much larger scar on his forearm.

"I am fortunate this is all the illness did to my body. I have seen others whose faces were covered with such marks. I will care for The People of Chota Town. I will fight the illness, but for the sake of the other towns, no one from here must enter through their gates. We must defeat the spirit of small pox here, within these walls."

"I hear what my brother says with my heart," Deer beat a fist against his chest. "But the towns must be warned. Our medicine men must be ready to fight this evil spirit. And they must know to shut their gates. How will they know if we do not send a runner?"

Dancing Cloud turned toward the crowd, "My ears tell me that each warrior speaks from his heart and wants only what is best for The People. A runner must be sent to warn the other villages against visitors and alert the medicine men to begin their prayers."

James stood perfectly still as a young boy of about thirteen summers stepped forward. He recognized him as Runs Far, a young boy who had proven to be their fastest runner and was showing promise of some day being a great warrior.

Dancing Cloud laid a hand to Runs Far's thin shoulder. "You must go to Tellico, but you must not enter through the gate. Call out to the Wolf on the gate and tell him they must not allow visitors and that their medicine men must began their prayers. Then return here."

At that moment the runner to their village, which had been all but forgotten, collapsed and James' last thread of hope that the village had not been infected broke.

He turned again to the chief, "You are right. The People do need to be warned. We now know that the illness is among our village, but Runs Far may not be affected. If he returns to us he must camp outside our walls until it is again safe for him to enter."

James glanced down at the boy and saw anger and embarrassment etched into his young features. Even at his age the boy showed a warrior's pride. Loudly he added, "We will need someone who is brave and unafraid to guard our outer walls and do battle with any of our enemies from without while we fight the enemy from within."

The boy stiffened his spine and smiled smugly. His honor had been restored.

Dancing Cloud nodded in approval. Panther had learned well the gentle speech.

Silent Deer's eyes were drawn to the panting boy who, without meaning to, had brought the evil spirit of death into their village. He nodded his agreement.

Dancing Cloud raised his long spear high above his head and announced to the village, "Runs Far will now leave on his finale test of manhood." He turned to Runs Far. "You leave us as a boy. You will return to us a warrior!"

All the warriors raised their arms and sounded the cry that befitted a young man embarking on a trial that could end his young life or mold him into a warrior and protector of his people.

Runs Far ran from the crowd and quickly gathered the few items allowed on a journey of manhood. As he proudly ran through the gate the loud cheering of the warriors followed him to give him honor and encouragement. Once the boy was out of sight of the village the whoops silenced and all turned back to their chief.

Dancing Cloud watched the young boy as he sat cross-legged and shivering on the ground and knew that this illness was indeed powerful.

James spoke up, "Let me take the boy to my medicine hut at the back of the village."

Dancing Cloud looked at the boy through misty eyes, "You may take the boy, Red Panther, but our medicine men will come to pray over him."

Panther stooped down and scooped the boy up into his arms. The heat of the boy's fever burned into his chest and his heart contracted as he looked into eyes that shone bright with the fever.

***

As the weeks passed the entire village lay in the cruel grasp of the illness. Young and old alike died faster than the death ceremonies could be performed. The low, sad mourning songs of death and lost loved ones were sung without ceasing.

The medicine men tried all the cures and chanted all their prayers, but still The People died. Some of the medicine men burned their holy instruments thinking they were contaminated with evil.

The whole village held the stench of illness and death, and the black curling smoke from the charred homes and cherished belongings of the ones who traveled the hanging road to the village of their ancestors. Surely the spirit of death held the village in its grip.

The ones who managed to survive the onslaught emerged scarred. Many of the survivors were not only scarred on their bodies, but in their minds as well.

James wept as he remained at the side of his blood brother through the days of high fever and the nights of anguished struggles with demons that only Deer could see.

Finally Deer's heart became weary and his struggles became prayers for the spirits to take his life and leave him in peace. When this did not happen, he swore to end it himself.

In a desperate attempt to save his friend from himself James ordered all sharp objects removed from his lodge and placed a guard to watch him when he had to be away.

Silent Deer looked down at his arms and snarled at the sight of the scars on his body. Panther had talked for hours in his attempt to ease Deer's heart about the scars.