Wind Warrior (Historical Romance) (11 page)

As far as the eye could see, there was not one tree, just the vast prairie. The spiky grasses rose and fell with the whims of the wind, giving the appearance of waves upon a restless sea.

But the prairie was not devoid of life. Rain Song watched a deer mouse scamper among the grass while a watchful hawk glided overhead. Farther away a gopher burrowed into its hole.

Loneliness enveloped Rain Song as she stared into the distance. She craved the sight of Wind Warrior. Chinook buried her nose into Rain Song’s hand, and she smiled down at the animal.

“Daughter,” Tall Woman said, coming out of the tipi. “Come, sit beside me, and sing one of your songs.”

Another day had passed, and still the baby had not come. Rain Song knew Tall Woman was uncomfortable although she would never admit it to anyone.

They both longed for the cool hills beside the Milk River.

Rain Song jerked awake.

Something was wrong.

Her heart was thundering inside her and she sat up quickly, shaking her head to clear her sleep-drugged mind. A bright moon shone through the opening at the top of the tipi and she could see Tall Woman sleeping peacefully nearby.

Had it been the howl of a wolf that awoke her?

Scrambling to her knees, she automatically reached for Chinook, only to discover the wolf was not beside her. Rising slowly, she quietly made her way outside, trying not to awaken Tall Woman.

The night sky was strewn with thousands of stars. A full moon lit the countryside and she watched the dried grass bend in the wind. It was desolate here on the prairie—the wind never seemed to stop blowing, and the heat was intense.

At first she hoped she might have heard some of the others returning from the hunt. But there was no sign of anyone—all was quiet.

Too quiet.

Suddenly Chinook came bounding out of the shadows, whining. The wolf bumped against her leg, and her golden eyes probed Rain Song’s.

She bent down to Chinook, rubbing the stiff hair on her neck. “What is it? What is wrong?”

Chinook moved away from her, trotting to the horses, which were kept in a roped-off area. Then the wolf trotted back to Rain Song. There was no doubt; Chinook was trying to warn her of something.

Then she smelled it—smoke.

Twisting around, she froze in fear as she watched flames lick at Spotted Flower’s tipi.

The fire must be extinguished before it spread to the other tipis. With the dried grass and the strong wind, it wouldn’t take long for the fire to rage out of control and kill them all!

“Chinook, wake the others! Hurry!”

The wolf seemed to understand because she threw her head back and gave a fearful howl that would have awakened the deepest sleeper.

Rain Song ran through the camp shouting as loudly as she could, “
Fire!
Everyone wake. Bring your water skins. Help me put out the fire.”

Racing across the distance, Rain Song knew she had to reach Charging Bull’s tipi and make certain Spotted Flower got out safely.

Rain Song caught her breath and slid to a halt: It was too late—the tipi was engulfed in flames; no one could have survived. Driven by a strong wind, the fire was already spreading to the nearby dry grass. If she couldn’t contain it, the fire would soon engulf the entire encampment.

Watching the tipi poles collapse, Rain Song was horrified to think of Spotted Flower being burned alive. Later she would grieve for Spotted Flower, but for now she must help the others. Utter mayhem broke out among the women and children as they saw the approaching flames. Realizing it was too late to save the remaining tipis, Rain Song and one of the older women tried to direct everyone to the horses.

She was learning about the strong ties within the Blackfoot tribe. They took care of each other in times of trouble.

Looking around, Rain Song noticed that Tall Woman was not with the women and children who had fled their tipis.

She gathered up the reins of two horses and quickly led them to the far end of the camp, where Tall Woman’s tipi stood.

Chinook glanced up at Rain Song, whining. “Stay beside me, Chinook. The fire is spreading quickly.” With Chinook running beside her, she reached the tipi. After she tied the horses to a stake so they would not run away, she rushed into the tipi and dropped down beside Tall Woman, who was stretched out on her mat. “There is a fire—we must leave this place at once.”

Tall Woman groaned, grabbing her stomach. “The baby comes. I cannot go.” She bit her lip against the next pain. “You must leave without me.”

“Never! You are coming with me.” Rain Song helped Tall Woman stand and watched her sway on her feet. “Can you make it to the horses?”

Tall Woman grimaced in pain. “I will try.”

“I will put you on a horse—just hold on until we are free of the fire. The wind is coming out of the north, so we must ride south.”

Tall Woman bent, gasping. “I do not know if I am able to sit a horse.”

“You must think of the child. Lean on me, my mother, and I will lend you my strength.”

At that moment another pain hit and Tall Woman doubled over. When it passed, Rain Song led her out of the tipi. By now she could feel heat from the rapidly approaching fire.

In that moment, a rider appeared in front of them,
the horse rearing, and Rain Song had to duck to keep from being struck by the flailing hooves.

“Spotted Flower,” she cried out in relief. “I am glad you are safe.” She saw Spotted Flower had untied their horses and held the reins in her hand. “Thank you for coming to help us. If you will assist my mother to mount, I will make certain everyone else got away safely.”

“The others have gone,” Spotted Flower said, her face distorted in the shadows of the dancing flames. “I think only two perished in the fire. Too bad you will not be among the survivors. Neither will Tall Woman.”

Rain Song met Spotted Flower’s eyes and she saw hatred reflected there. “At least help my mother—she could give birth at any time.”

Shaking her head, Spotted Flower looked at the older woman and said with venom dripping from each word, “If you had chosen me for your daughter, I would save you. But you chose
her,
and today you pay the price for that choice.”

Shaking her head, Tall Woman turned to Rain Song. “What is she saying?”

“She is saying she will not help us, and she is taking the only remaining horses with her.”

“I started the fire,” Spotted Flower boasted. “I planned everything and it worked even better than I imagined. I will tell the others I tried to help you both, but I was too late.” Her expression hardened and her hands tightened on the reins of the other two horses. “Everyone will understand how sad I feel.”

While Spotted Flower spoke to Tall Woman, Rain
Song took the opportunity to dart around her toward the horses. “You cannot do this.”

Spotted Flower laughed, swinging the reins to strike Rain Song across the cheek, drawing blood. “I have waited a long time for this night. I am only sorry I cannot stay to watch you burn.”

They were running out of time, so Rain Song gave the order, “Chinook, attack!”

The wolf was suddenly airborne, leaping at Spotted Flower and knocking her from her horse. Not wasting any time, Rain Song grabbed one of the horses’ reins and turned to Tall Woman, helping her mount. “Leave now. I will help Spotted Flower and then follow you.”

Knowing she had no choice, Tall Woman nodded, urging the horse forward. “Hurry. The fire advances swiftly.”

“I will be right behind you.” Hurriedly turning to Spotted Flower, she saw that Chinook was standing over the woman, growling low in her throat, her teeth bared in a menacing snarl. One word from Rain Song and the wolf would rip Spotted Flower to pieces.

“Help me before this beast devours me!”

Dark smoke was billowing in the air and Rain Song felt it clog her throat. “Let her up, Chinook.”

The wolf immediately obeyed, going to Rain Song’s side, her yellow eyes still on the woman. “Give me your hand. I will help you up, Spotted Flower.”

Spotted Flower watched the wolf. “Keep her away from me.”

“Chinook will only attack if she thinks I am in
danger. You had better get on your horse and leave now. Let me help you.”

The redhead batted Rain Song’s hand away. “I do not want your help. You were supposed to die and Wind Warrior was supposed to be discredited for exposing the tribe to the prairie fire.”

“Why would you want to place blame on Wind Warrior?”

“Not I. I am not his enemy.”

Rain Song could not believe anyone could hate as fiercely as Spotted Flower. She had involved innocent people in her need for vengeance, and that was unforgivable. “Stay or leave as you will. The fire is dangerously close—you should not hesitate.”

“Is that all you have to say? Do you not want to tell me how evil I am?”

Rain Song struggled to lift the wolf in her arms, then mounted her horse, setting Chinook across her lap. “You do not need me to confirm what you already know. You must live with what you have done.” Rain Song suddenly lapsed into English. “Lillian, you will face justice for what you have done here tonight. Because of you, people may have died.”

Spotted Flower was crying as she mounted her horse. “I don’t care. Being dead is better than living with Charging Bull.”

The advancing fire had already devoured everything in its path, and Rain Song was having difficulty controlling her frantic horse. She was not sure either one of them could outrun the fire that was suddenly upon them. The wind had whipped up and the flames were advancing like a hungry pack of wolves. She
jabbed her heels into the horse’s flanks and the frightened animal shot forward. As she raced ahead of the fire, Rain Song knew she had to catch up with Tall Woman.

A frightened herd of elk darted around her, as they also ran from the fire. Antelopes stampeded past, racing against the flames that roared violently forward, consuming everything around them.

As Rain Song raced down a gully, she saw Tall Woman waiting for her. “We must hurry, daughter. The fire is spreading fast.”

“Your pains?”

“They are coming close together. I hope to find a safe place to give birth.”

Glancing behind her, Rain Song shook her head. “I do not know what happened to Spotted Flower.”

“I saw her ride away in a different direction.”

“Where should we go—where would be safe?”

Tall Woman slumped on her horse as another pain grabbed her. “If we can make it to the bluffs,” she whispered, trying to catch her breath, “I do not believe the fire will follow inside the canyon.”

They both pushed their horses in an all-out run. At times Rain Song smelled the smoke and knew the fire was not far behind them. On they raced until their poor horses were lathered and weary. Rain Song saw Tall Woman’s horse stumble and she reached for the reins, but the animal managed to keep from falling, and Tall Woman hung on tightly.

“The horses…cannot run…much longer,” Tall Woman gasped. “The canyon…just ahead.”

When they finally reached the bluffs, Rain Song
released Chinook and leaped off her horse to help Tall Woman dismount.

The wall of smoke was so dense they could hardly see where they were going. Ash flew into their faces and singed their hair. Their throats were clogged and Tall Woman bent, coughing, while Rain Song took shallow breaths.

Somehow they made it to the cliff. “It is steep going down,” her mother warned her. “And there is no trail, so we must release the horses and continue on foot.”

“We will let Chinook lead us down,” Rain Song said, slipping her arm around her mother. Glancing behind her, Rain Song saw the flames were so near, they still might not make it. “Let us hurry.” She heard the frightened horses run away and hoped they would stay ahead of the fire.

Deep sobs shook Spotted Flower. Nothing had turned out the way she had planned. Pain hit her and stabbed into her abdomen, and then she felt a gush of wetness between her legs. She saw blood dripping down her leg and realized she was losing her baby. The miscarriage had probably been caused by the wolf knocking her off her horse.

Although she had not wanted the child, she blamed Rain Song for her loss.

If everything had gone as she’d planned, Rain Song would be dead now. Dull Knife had asked for her help. She was only supposed to start a fire, and then assist the others to escape. He had told her he especially wanted Rain Song to be safe, but she had taken it upon herself to alter the plan.

Spotted Flower turned to glance behind her and saw the wind had shifted, taking the fire in another direction. As she halted her horse, a slow smile curved her mouth. There was no sign of Rain Song or Tall Woman. They had not made it away from the fire after all.

A strong cramp hit her as she whipped her horse around and rode toward the buffalo camp. Everyone would feel sorry for her when they found out she had lost her baby trying to help Rain Song and Tall Woman.

She was in pain, but she had to go on. When she crossed a small stream, she dismounted and washed herself. She had lost the baby.

After Spotted Flower had washed the blood off her gown, she climbed back on her horse. If the Fates were with her tonight, and if there was any justice in the world, her most hated enemy would be dead.

Tall Woman fell to her knees. “I can go no farther. I do not think the fire will reach us here.”

Chinook dropped down on the ground as if on guard. Rain Song knelt beside Tall Woman, knowing she was going to have to deliver the baby. Fear took over her reasoning—she knew nothing about childbirth. Trying to sound calm, she faced her fear and conquered it. “You will have to tell me what to do.”

Tall Woman moaned, twisting in pain. When the pain subsided, she reached for Rain Song’s hand. Running her tongue over her dry lips, she said, “Stay beside me. I will instruct you.”

“We do not have water or a knife.”

Tall Woman pointed to the doeskin bag that had
fallen beside her. “You will find a knife and a soft strip of deerskin. They will have to do.”

Tall Woman labored through the night, and at times Rain Song was afraid she would die. When the pains came upon her and Tall Woman gripped her hand to keep from screaming, Rain Song looked away so her mother would not see her tears.