Passion's Series (34 page)

Chapter Twelve

That night was moonless in a sky empty of clouds.  Cold air seemed to sharpen the brilliance of the stars above.  Gusts with ice on their breath whirled through a ravine full of shadow.  Some of those shadows began to move.

They split their forces once more.  Two were to climb up either side of the base after creeping around from the ravine's edge.  The rest were to come straight up into the camp from the drop into the gulley below.  Climbing would be treacherous, but once accomplished it would almost guarantee their success.  All of the men of the camp were too confident that none had found them, and that the walls and location would help protect them.

Raven and another scrambled back up the sandstone.  Farthest Running Antelope went with another that was good at climbing; those two were scaling the wooden wall, shoving their hands into the gaps between each log to pull themselves upward.

Antelope and his partner swung over the top of the wall.  They came out right next to the tower, leaping out and catching handholds on the beams making up its floor.  One went up each side and pulled themselves into the cramped room as one.  The guard's surprise was short lived, death taking its place.

Raven waited to see Antelope's profile break the top edge of the palisade.  As soon as the other team broached the camp, he propelled himself over the cliff top.  The two on the rocks made short work of the sentry there.  Both guards were silenced perpetually within moments of each other.  Only two fires flickered inside the walls, but the men watching those flames would have destroyed their night vision.  It was unlikely that they had seen or heard anything.

An owl's call drifted over the camp, the sound a practiced signal given by one of the war party in the tower.  Those quiet shadows from the ravine had been waiting, hanging on the edge of the walls facing the gully in tense expectation.  Now they sprung on the men below.  There would be no pity for lazy guards and warriors lacking caution.  They flooded over the walls like a river in a storm, each of the braves leaping from the top and landing with a roll.

The Cherokee spread out, assaulting the tents with savage efficiency.  Some of the Spaniards rose at the last moment of their life, but at first none managed to give shout or cry to warn the others.  That did not last.  One, who slept lightly, woke before he could be silenced.

A rapid shout of Spanish rang out, “
despertar!  Estamos invadidos!  Los indígenas están aquí!” 
Wake
up!  We are overrun!  The natives are here
!”

All rose in a state of excitement, panic, and fury.  They had no time to prepare themselves, and some were still in their small clothes.  Many were confused and frightened, unable to see who or what they faced.  To them, it appeared the night was dark and full of terror.  Once the enemy's base had been alerted, silence was no longer needed, and the war party yelled out with war cries and ululating shouts.

Raven Cloud was the first to jump down into the camp after helping dispatch the guards.  His target was not the men in their tents, but the small prison and its occupant.  However, as he approached the small enclosure a figure broke from the darkness in that corner.

Red Panther stalked forward, moving at a crouch, “I knew tonight would be lucky for breaking out.  The moonless sky would be a favor, but little did I know that friends would be near.”

Raven could not believe how his heart surged to see his near-father again, “Looks like you'd hardly have needed us to come.  You were almost free on your own.”  Relief welled up in his mind.  He would not be fatherless again.

Panther smirked, “I would have had much more of a fight before me.  One of the fellows by the fire was watching me.

“And doubtless you'd still have escaped with a dozen or more scalps.”

Panther chuckled.  There was still tension between them, but for the time it was forgotten.  When Raven offered his arm Panther clamped arms in welcome and then pulled Raven into a quick embrace that did much to mend the drift between father and son.

They broke apart to face the mounting battle to their side.  Each gave one last glance, a nod, and then they rushed forward to finish off the Spaniard's and rogue Choctaw.

It was a tough fight even with their initial element of surprise.  By the time the camp woke, the odds were evened.  Before that, the mercenaries' numbers were over double that of the Cherokee braves.  Still, the effects of enemies’ cries of war and springing up as if by magic were severely demoralizing, and none was able to ready their rifles or don armor.

Every one of the warriors of the war party would be taking home multiple scalps after this night of rescue and justice claimed for fallen warriors.  They worked well as a team, sometimes fighting back-to-back while acts of singular bravery filled other moments.  Every warrior was committed and willing to give his life.  This was not simply a matter of rescuing Panther, but one of revenge and ensuring peace for their people.  Every threat would be eliminated.

Finally, all of the camp's men were dead or dying.  None had tried to surrender.  It would not have been accepted.  The scene inside of those walls had turned grisly, and the place was set to flame.  The palisade walls were doused with lamp oil, the tents used as fuel, and a lit branch thrown to light it all.  Their task completed they pulled the gates open and slipped back into the night.

There pace was slower, but their hearts beat harder, buoyed by success and pride in their teamwork and personal ability.  They would stop soon tonight.  Tomorrow they would return to the camp victorious.

***

Red Panther went to water, rejoicing in the ability to do so again.  After being stuffed into that half-prison for weeks, though it felt like it had been even longer, it felt good to stretch his legs, and praise the sun.

Raven Cloud joined him, the two completing their rituals separately before addressing each other.  “You have been sorely missed, Uncle.”

“I made a mistake, and fell into a well-placed trap.  I regret the worry and pain that I must have caused.”  Panther smiled to Raven, “Thank you for being one of those that came after me.”

Raven shook his head, staring into the water, “I had worried that they'd kill you.  It seemed unlikely that you still lived, so sure we were that you wouldn't be kept away while breathing.”

“I think they would have murdered me, eventually.  They held out on the hope that torture would entice me to write them some documents.”  The blue eyes twinkled, amused, “All of this was just for money, a ploy to take over the transportation of goods.”

The other man scoffed, incredulous, “I hardly believed it when I gave you the message, and even now I think it ridiculous.  Greed drives men to such villainy.”  He thought of Dawn, his Little Funny Face.  The thought of what they could have done to her sickened him.

Panther shrugged, turning to leave the water, “I have settled some things so that I will not need to worry about this any longer.”  Laughter seemed to bubble in his words, “Come, let us go home.”

Raven Cloud shook his head, watching the sky's lightening streaks of color, “Home...”  He supposed that now he would find out where that would be for him.  If not Chota Town, then perhaps it was time to answer the questions about his past that haunted him so often.

The two returned to the hasty camp from the night before, helping to pick up and return to nature what little had been disturbed.  None of them had gotten more than a few hours of sleep, but it had been enough to refresh.  Without another word, they took off running through the forest once more.

They returned to the village showing strength, backs straight and heads held high.  As the last of their group filed through Chota Town's gate they began a chant of victorious warriors.  They had been victorious, and the village was ecstatic.  More than half of the war party bore bruises, scrapes, and other injuries.  Some would have proud scars in the years to come.

New Moon couldn't help herself from running to Red Panther.  She had hoped as much as she dared, and those hopes had come true.  The two embraced and Moon found that she was trembling.

Panther smiled softly, “Do'nae be a'feared any longer, m'lass.  I am home.”

Golden Dawn clamped onto her father, looking up into his eyes with her own wet with the promise of tears, “Father.”

Raven Cloud stood to the side with the rest of the war party.  He watched Panther with his true family.  It made him realize that the belonging he wanted would never be his here.  He had pushed others away from him through his own actions.  Despite that thought, peace filled him as the village moved with the energy of a happy, excited people.  They would have a feast soon.

This moment was cause for celebration.  However, this would be a turning point in his life because of a new journey coming his way.  Already he began to accept a future where he left Chota Town.  In that future, he would find his past and know his true father.  More important than that, he would make sure the evil that sought to kill his near-father and Dawn would cease to exist.

He turned to follow as the war party departed to begin the final ceremonies to complete their blood cry's process.

Chapter Thirteen

The next few days were a return to the normal.  Change and challenges had always been a part of the village's life, especially in the last decades.  They did not let it upset their lives, working together to make the best of any situation, and moving forward despite pain and loss.  This would be an eternal truth, despite the loss of one of their warriors, despite the wounds and troubles inflicted.  There had been triumphs, and difficult times often brought out their greatest strengths.

Triumphs and falls alike are celebrated during the ceremonies.  Dances reenacted battles and told of histories and futures.  Blankets were filled with offerings to the old, orphaned, and widowed.  Extravagantly prepared meals warmed hearts cooled by anger or fear.  The Principal People were bound together tightly, each individual supporting another so that none stood alone or lost.

Raven did not feel as if he were one of them, in fact finding it difficult not to think of Cherokee as “them.”  He thought of the colonists as “them,” thought of English as “them,” and even thought of other half-breed people as “them.”  For Raven, “us” had only been family.  Red Panther, New Moon, and Golden Dawn, and even Little Fox had been his, but no longer.  They had not become strangers, but that bond was one of beloved friendship. 

Golden Dawn alone still occupied that space in his heart that belonged only to the most beloved, and he knew he would always be there for her as well.  She would always be his Little Funny Face, his little sister.  Leaving her behind would be the hardest test he would ever face.  Golden Dawn belonged here.  She would grow and she would find her husband here.  He would find someone to truly belong to as well.

Panther interrupted Raven’s inner epiphany when he clapped Raven on the shoulder.  Panther sat next to him on one of the wooden benches lining the village's center field, “I would like to thank you, Raven Who Flies To Meet The Clouds.  You proved very useful in providing me rescue.”

The young-man smirked a little, watching the dancers as they acted out a battle.  Their movements were exaggerated, each motion repeated several times to spell out different actions and meaning.  He spoke without looking to his near-father, still somewhat unsure of his place with the other, “It hardly seemed as if you needed rescue.  You were already loose from your prison.  You needed only to slip away into darkness when we found you.”

“Perhaps I could have done such a thing, but the men would have come after me again.  They threatened to attack the village, thinking to hold all of Chota Town hostage to force me to write away my English businesses.”

“The village brave's would have killed them all, one way or another.  You could have returned and led the people to destroy the enemy.”

“Again, perhaps.  He Who Dances In Battle took the simpler path for us all.  The Spaniards were vain, thought themselves powerful with their guns and armor.  Such folly, such overconfidence, made the surprise attack too easy.  Any other way, we would have lost many warriors.”

Raven finally looked toward Red Panther, trying to find approval in those startlingly blue eyes, “What would you have me do now?”

Panther's expression turned rueful, “I have spoken to Dancing Cloud, and had a long talk with New Moon.  They are both very concerned for you.”

“They want to be rid of me, you mean.”  Raven let out a bitter laugh, “Dancing Cloud told me himself.  He thinks it wise that I leave the village.”

The older man was shaking his head, “Your words are proof enough that you do not understand.  Even now, you jump to conclusions like a man attacking upon first seeing a deer.  The action is aggressive and sudden, attention focused on the single moment.  Yet, you make this jump without first checking your surroundings, without considering the past or future.  You don't notice the mountain lion to your left, and you have not thought whether the animal's death is needed.”

“I think before I act, I plan and consider much of what is around me.  Why does everyone here treat me as if I am some wild creature, untamed and untrusted?”

Panther sighed, and switched to English.  “Raven, I think you've grown to be a good man.  Your lessons in England have stuck, and the people of Chota Town respect your skill and bravery.”

Raven answered in the same tongue, “Despite that, they don't seem to trust me.  I stand alone here, separated from others by who I am.”

Here, the other smiled, “You aren't alone because of who you are.  Heck, you shouldn't even think of yourself as alone.  You do separate yourself though, but I think that's because you don't accept this as where you should be.”

“I want to.  I really do, but everyone treats me so much differently.”  This topic haunted Raven daily, thoughts of where he belonged a constant question in his mind.  Once again, anger seeped toward the idea of a father who had left him.  It was hard not to blame that unknown figure.

Red Panther stared out toward the woods, watching the treetops sway beyond Chota Town's wooden walls, “We try to help you, but you can't seem to accept anything at face value.  Sometimes, a cloud is just a cloud.  They don't always mean that rain is near.”  He stood up, gesturing toward his lodge, “Come, walk with me.”

Raven stood up, walking beside the one person in the village he felt was most likely to understand him.  Panther had once been a part of another land and yet seemed fully accepted in this new one.  If he could learn how James Fitzgerald accomplished that, then perhaps he could do the same thing.

As they walked, Panther shifted the conversation in an entirely different direction.  He began asking Raven about school back across the ocean.  The questions were almost like that of a schoolteacher.  Some required thought and figures, others were simply a matter of reciting things memorized.

By the time they got to Panther's lodge, Raven was getting fed up with the sudden quiz, “What are you trying to get at with all this nonsense?  What does multiplication have to do with finding my place in this village?”

Panther laughed, taking his seat in the dwelling, “That's where I wonder the most about you.  Why do you continue with this insistence that you will be staying here?”

Raven fumed, “See.  You are trying to get rid of me, too.”

Hands raised to placate the young brave, Panther reached forward, pulling some papers out from a leather-bound notebook.  Between some of the pages were sealed messages, all bearing the seal of James Fitzgerald.  He handed these to Raven, “I'm trying to give you choices.”

The other looked at the documents, not breaking the seals.  They were all addressed to the current directors at Fitzgerald Shipping.  Raven grimaced, “You are sending me back to England.  That is not a choice.”

“I've given you two sets of letters.  Two of those grant you full control over Fitzgerald Shipping, transferring most of its ownership to you in fact.  I'd retain certain fees and dues, of course, but the papers of ownership will keep your leadership unquestioned.”  Red Panther pointed at Raven, “You can choose that path.  Or, the other two letters give control of the company over to one of my good friends in England.  Either way, they won't be able to come after me anymore.  The owner of Fitzgerald shipping will be present and in full control.  It will no longer look like an easy mark.”

Raven searched for the words he needed.  He found himself gaping.  Shutting his mouth, he looked at the ground, “This is a great responsibility.”

“It is.”

“I don't know the first thing about shipping.”

“You know a bit of history, seem to be able to work figures in your head without much trouble, and have a grasp on supply and demand.  You've shown that you can learn and understand.”

“Is that where I belong?”

“Raven.  You are the only one that can decide where it is you belong.  If you stopped worrying about where you belong for a moment and just did what was needed, you'd be far happier anywhere you go.”  He raised a hand at Golden Dawn as she poked her head into the lodge's doorway, “Just a moment, lass.”

Raven glanced over his shoulder, handing two of the letters back to his near-father, “I'll go to England, but not because I think that's where I belong.”

Panther raised an eyebrow, “Oh?  Then why will you do it?”

Raven smirked, “I think I'll be good at it.”  Then his expression faded into something more serious, “Red Panther...  Uncle.  You've been a good father to me, I hope you know that.”

His thoughts continued with words unspoken.  Not my natural father, but maybe my real father, the father of the man I am becoming.  The other reasons for going to England were, first of all, to bring security to the ones he loved here and of course for resources.  Perhaps there he could hire someone to find out who had sired him.

Panther interrupted Raven's train of thought, “Getting sentimental?”

“Oh stop.  I'm trying to thank you for being here for me, for helping me find my way.  For being the father I needed.  And now you make me your heir.  Hell yes, I’m being sentimental.”  Raven suddenly understood Panther had offered him a lifelong connection to the only family he knew.

Red Panther stood up, holding out a hand toward Raven Cloud.  The young-man took the hand, and then the two embraced in a bear-hug.  They stepped back, and found that Golden Dawn had crept into the room.

She stood next to Raven, looking at him with a frown, “Mother asked me to get you two.  The meal is ready.”

Raven noticed she paused and saw the question warring with her features as she fought for control before asking the question he knew was coming.

Finally she spat out the question that terrified her, “You're leaving again?”

He nodded, smiling, “Yes, I think I've bothered Chota Town's people for long enough.”

Dawn hugged Raven tightly, grabbing him with a suddenness that made Raven grunt with surprise, “You won't be rid of me that easily, Little Buffalo.”

Returning the hug, his smile softened, “I'm sure I'll visit from time to time.”

She wiped a tear as she flashed a coy grin, “Or the other way around.”

Raven shook his head, confused, “Okay, but come on, we're missing tonight's feast.”

The three walked out, leaving behind the coals of a fire whose flames licked at their own meal.  The remains of two letters glowed red before fading to the black of charcoal.  The path Raven had not chosen drifted into the evening's sky as wisps of smoke.

The End