Red Hawk quietly shut the door. He understood the reason for her upset—he had not been with her at a time of urgency. That didn’t mean it was easier on him. Pivoting, he took another step forward without looking where he was going. It was a mistake. His guard was down, and he hadn’t sensed she had crossed the room. He fell into her, knocking them both to the floor.
He landed on top of her. The scent of her delicate skin filled his nostrils, and the soft touch of her body beneath his caused his own to respond to her, quite out of his control. Feeling much more like a young boy than a seasoned warrior, Red Hawk gulped.
“You are heavy.” Her breath, sweet and intoxicating, sent his thoughts on to other, much more pleasurable things. She was so close, so very, very close, and he had only to move his lips a short distance…
He did it. He kissed her. Given their circumstances, he wondered if any man would have been able to resist the temptation.
His lips lingered over hers, his tongue dipping into the delicate recesses of her mouth. For a delicious, wonderful moment, she responded in kind.
As though coming to her senses, she pushed against him. “Mr. Hawk, you are heavy.”
He fell to her side, but he didn’t release her…not yet. Passion still raged within his heart, and although unlikely, there was always the hope she might be persuaded.
With one arm thrown over her and one leg atop hers, he said, “I am sorry I was not here to help you. I feel bad that you, alone, had to confront your attacker.”
Reaching up, he ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek. He knew he played with fire, for he could sense her wrath, but the prospect of touching, of feeling her soft skin beneath his fingers…
She slapped his hand away. “You are still on me, and I am not overly pleased with you.”
He nodded. “Aa, that I am, and I know.”
“Well, remove yourself at once.”
He withdrew his leg from across her, though his arm still held her tightly.
“Mr. Hawk?”
Rolling onto his back, he released her completely. “I was not here because I have been following the man I thought might be your attacker.”
“You have?” She sat up and raised an eyebrow at him. “If that is the case, then you should have been here, shouldn’t you?”
“Aa, I should have. But the man I was following was not your attacker.” Red Hawk followed into a sitting position. Crossing his legs in front of him, he looked at her.
She was adjusting her clothing, he noted with interest. The action was curious, for the waist of her dress was very tight against her tiny stomach. Still, she made herself as comfortable as possible, then stared back at him with as defiant a countenance as any warrior he had ever fought. All she said was, “Yes? As you were saying?”
“I was wrong to follow this man. I admit this now. Know, however, that I did not realize this at the time.”
“Hmmm… I suppose this could be true,” she conceded.
“I have discovered, nonetheless, that whoever is doing this to you is clever.”
“Indeed. But you still have not answered my original question, Mr. Hawk. Whether or not you were following this person, you forget our arrangements. We had agreed to meet. I…expected you.”
He frowned. Had her voice quivered?
Omaniit, had he disappointed her that greatly? He inhaled deeply, but the simple action didn’t ease his spirits. Instead the erotic scent of her filled his lungs, distracting him.
“I am sorry I kept you waiting. Perhaps I might be excused when I tell you that the man I followed was one whom I saw enter your room earlier today. I waited until he let himself out, and then I trailed him. This person, however, was not your attacker tonight, for I have had him well in my sights all evening.”
“Oh? And who was it you followed?”
“The sheriff of this town.”
“The sheriff? That’s the most puzzling piece of news I’ve heard tonight. Why would the sheriff come to my room?” She scowled. “Unless… He must have been searching for something.”
“I believe he was.”
“Yet I saw no evidence that someone went through my things.”
Red Hawk smiled at her. “Remind me once we have embarked on our journey to teach you how to look and observe things properly.”
Effie blew out a breath in disgust.
Red Hawk continued to smirk at her. Without another word, he rose and took a few steps toward the window. “I must leave you now.”
“Where are you going?” she asked crossly, as she too stood up.
He glanced at her from over his shoulder. “Your assailant will have left a trail. He will have no choice but to do so, for our Mother, the Earth, will have recorded each step he took. I would find his tracks now before others in this town awaken and take away the evidence.”
“Yes, yes. Of course you must, but please, we have other things to discuss, don’t we?”
“We did, but perhaps we should leave that talk until tomorrow.” He took several more steps toward the window.
“Yes,” she repeated, and he glanced at her again from over his shoulder. What he saw puzzled him, for her gaze at him was odd. Was it shy? She said, “Please don’t leave me yet.”
He pivoted back toward her. “I must.”
“But I…” She hesitated. “I need your advice…on something. You see, I…I’m not certain I can trust anyone else in my party…at least not at this moment. In truth, I’m not so certain I can trust you, either—it was a trading knife that was found here, one that has been brought into this country specifically to trade with the Indians.”
“Easily obtained by anyone,” he pointed out, “not simply by an Indian.”
“I know that. It’s why I’m dismissing the information as insignificant. Yet, I need advice.”
He drew back into the room. After taking a few steps toward the bed, he pulled off one of the blankets, which he spread over the floor. Gesturing toward the blanket, he said, “Let us sit and talk.”
She nodded. “That is good. Yes.” They sat, she with her legs to the side, he cross-legged.
At first, she seemed reluctant to say anything, but as he remained silent, waiting, at last she began. “My father isn’t here to guide me, and…I do not know what to do. Therefore, I must turn to someone to hear out my thoughts, someone who might be able to counsel me.”
He was flattered. “My heart is happy you have chosen me to assist you. I will listen to you and help you as best I can.”
“All right.” She hesitated once again, then, “The truth is, I am doubtful of what I must do from this point forward. It is evident there is someone—possibly someone close to me—who does not have my best interest at heart. I have already been assaulted by this person twice since arriving in this town. This last time was the worst. If I continue on toward the Gates of the Mountains, do I invite more harm?”
Red Hawk might have answered forthwith, but before he could utter a word, she continued, “And what happens if I do reach that country, find the things for which I search, and another in my party takes them from me by force? All my plans, all my work, will be for nothing. I would have failed my father…and another people in more need.”
Another people in more need? Red Hawk sat up straighter, focusing on her words. However, she didn’t take heed of the change in him and went on talking. “Would it be better if I disband the entire project, cut my losses and return here later, having picked another crew?” Solemnly, she looked up to him.
Weighing his words carefully, Red Hawk didn’t respond at once. Though it was important to him and to the welfare of his tribe that she continue on exactly as she was, he couldn’t very well tell her this. So he said, “You could do that.”
“Then you believe that would be advisable? To return back East?”
He shook his head. “Saa, no, I do not. I merely said you could do that if you decide it is right. But I am uncertain that your returning to the East—without discovering who it is that is doing this to you—will solve your problem. You might well find you could be bothered by the same dilemma.”
“What do you mean? I would be back home. Things there would be different.”
“Would they?”
She frowned. “Wouldn’t they? Before I left, there were none of these occurrences. Nor did I encounter anything unusual on the way here.”
Red Hawk shrugged. “I understand what you say. However, without discovering who this thief is, the man remains free to do the same thing to you in the East, as well as here, or wherever you are.”
After a short space of time, she said, “I’m not certain I agree with you. I think things would be different there. In the East, my father would take great precaution, and he would lock up the valuables I carry.”
“Then you do bear something valuable?”
She gasped aloud. Clearly, she had not intended to give that away.
At last, she must have decided on a course of action, for she set back her shoulders. “I guess I might as well admit it, since it is evident someone else knows I carry something. In truth, simple deduction would prove I must have a thing of worth in my possession, otherwise…”
“May I see what this thing is?” asked Red Hawk carefully.
Effie tilted her head to the left, her glance piercing into his, as though she would read his thoughts. After a while, she seemed to give up the attempt. “I don’t think so.”
He had expected nothing less. Still he was disappointed, and he nodded. “I can only tell you this: Sometimes it is wise to go elsewhere if one’s life is in danger. But this is not always advisable. There are times when it is better to hold to one’s position and confront what danger exists—especially if the trouble might follow a person wherever she may go. Tell me, would you be as vulnerable on your trip back East, as you are here? Before you reach the safety of your father’s lodge?”
“I could be, but I could also travel alone, away from my colleagues, since I am beginning to distrust them.”
“Do you think traveling by yourself would help you?” he asked, startled at the idea that she might think this would be secure. “Is not one alone easier for an enemy to conquer than one of many?”
She drew her brows together. “Of course you are right. But I don’t think I could stay here in this town until the culprit is caught. Why this hotel, as dull and dirty as it is, is costing me a fortune. I’m afraid my finances will not permit a long stay. Besides, now that I have a guide, I only have need to stay here until the rest of our party joins us. Yet if I continue on with this journey, don’t I risk putting the entire project in danger?”
“Is it not already in danger?”
Her eyes met his, and there, within her glance, he could see clearly that she at last understood her situation.
He pressed onward. “Why not continue your trek to where you originally intended going? Haiya, it is the best way, for you are right. You cannot stay here. There is trouble here for you. If you leave immediately, it is true you might bring the danger with you. But it is also true that if this person means to take something from you, no matter where you go, the threat will go with you. At least here you have several people to defend you. Annisa, I am afraid that until you complete the task set before you, there will be much difficulty for you.”
“You may be right.”
“Aa, I believe I am. I think your best course is to go onward, as you have already planned. At least once you have finished the task set before you, everything will be out, for it is my belief your attacker will have no choice but to present himself. Then, and only then, can you once more live your life without fear of assault.”
She stared at him as though she could see him clearly for the first time. “You present quite a persuasive argument, Mr. Hawk. But at the same time, I wonder why you champion so greatly going forward.” She hesitated. “Tell me, I know why I am here—and at this moment, so do you. I have told you this plainly. It is your turn to share now. Tell me, what draws you here?”
Truth be told, Red Hawk had prepared for their meeting tonight and had braced himself for this very question, deciding his best defense was to impart at least a portion of the facts. However, he quickly revised his plan.
Genuinely, he might be tempted to tell her the details of his plight, for he had discovered he had feelings for her. This alone carried with it a tendency to trust her.
But he hesitated. Too much depended on his ability to discover what she sought, why she sought it and what she stood to gain from it. Besides, if he were completely honest, it was doubtful she would believe him.
So he evaded her question. Hoping to draw her attention onto something else besides him, he said, “It is true I desire you to continue to the Gates of the Rocky Mountains and that I wish you to succeed in your quest. ’Tis also true there are reasons why I am here and why I am giving you aid. But I do not think you have been open with me with the facts as I see them. Let me retell a few of the facts as I understand them. Aa, you seek something, but your very profession proclaims this. This thing which you desire to find is valuable. But the fact someone else is attempting to steal it from you would show me that what you seek, and what you have, is valuable. So do not think you have deceived me.”
“I am not trying to deceive you.”
“Are you not? And yet you have not told me what this thing is.”
“Yes, but we made a pact, and I still know nothing about why you are here and are so interested in this thing I carry. Is it not unusual for an Indian to have concern for such things?”
“Perhaps.”
She paused. “Check. Once again we are at an impasse.”
He nodded.
“Mr. Hawk,” she began after a short while, “I…actually… Well, if you must know, I am caught. I am afraid to go onward. I’m also afraid to go back. And I cannot, nor do I want to stay here. What am I to do?”
He reached out to touch her, his fingers clasping hers. “I am here, and I will remain with you, no matter your decision. And though I think it wise to continue onward, I cannot tell you what to do—you must make that choice yourself. Know that whatever you decide, I will lend you assistance.”
“I… Thank you.”
Again, he nodded. “Perhaps, once on the road, others will come to your defense as well.”
“Others?”
“Aa. Besides myself, our Mother, the Earth, will protect you.”
“Mother Earth?” She stared at him. “We’re not talking about a live being, are we?”
“All things are alive, even the air we breathe.”
Effie gave him a wide-eyed gawk. He ignored the look and went on to explain, “Does the air not nourish us? Can we live without it? Does it not impart life to us?”
“But it’s not…really…alive. I can’t talk to it, and it certainly can’t speak back—”
“Because you do not know how to listen. It is in contact with you every day. ’Tis all a matter of perception. Haiya, all things are alive, or were once alive, and all living creatures are a part of life’s circle and are able to receive and give communication.”
She frowned at him. “You are speaking of things which I do not believe, and I—”
“Just as you have intuition, so, too, can every living creature sense whether or not another intends harm or good.”
“Maybe, but—”
“As an example, it has been told to me by my elders that there was once a tree that saved the lives of seven helpless people.”
“But could that not be a myth? We have many such tales in my culture as well, but they are stories we relate to the very young in order to entertain them.”
“Are you certain that this is all?” he countered. “Do not discount those things you have not seen merely because you have not yet experienced them. Many myths are based on fact.”
“That’s probably true,” she conceded.
“Aa, I do think that our Mother, the Earth, is your best protection. In the open spaces, whoever this is will have to show himself or herself.”
“Herself?” Effie became immediately distracted, and said further, “Do you think the guilty party might be one of the women…perhaps Lesley?”
Red Hawk shrugged. “I do not know. The important thing to remember is that no matter where you go, I fear your attacker will follow you.”
Effie nodded. After a few minutes, she said, “I will consider all you have said, and I thank you for your advice. But now, since it is late, and before it gets any later, perhaps we should discuss the sheriff and what you discovered today. Why would he break into my room? And why would he rummage through my things?”
Red Hawk breathed out deeply. “All of the men in this town are loco, I believe. These men talk of nothing but gold and silver. They argue amongst themselves over who owns what piece of ground, and they work endlessly, digging into our Mother, the Earth, scarring her. They ignore her cries, because they have no ears with which to hear and because their machines drown out her voice.”
“But they are miners and seek their fortune. That is what miners do.”
“So I have been told. But there is more. Have you observed that there are few women here?”
“There are some.”
“But they are not the kind of women a man will most often marry.”
Effie lifted her brow.
“Therefore,” he said, “one can only wonder what purpose these men serve. How can a man build a town without women? Do they forget that without a woman, there is little happiness?”
“An excellent point, but what does this have to do with the sheriff?”
“’Tis simple, I think. The only conclusion I can draw from the manner of madness I see all around me is that these men hope to easily obtain something that does not belong to them, but rather belongs to our Mother, the Earth. Gold and silver hold these men’s hearts for ransom, and perhaps the sheriff suffers the same ailment as the rest and hopes to attain something easily, even though it does not belong to him. Perhaps that is all. I do not know. All I can tell you is that the man came to your room, he searched it and left. He did not return here, but spent the remainder of the day over the hills where the young men are digging.”
Effie nodded. “It is curious, Mr. Hawk. Very curious. But maybe you are right and he was hoping to obtain something more easily than the rest.” She yawned.
Red Hawk watched her for the space of a moment. “Are you going to tell me or show me what this thing is? So many people are searching for it…your life is in danger because of it. Do you not think I should see it?”
“No,” she said flatly, no explanation given. “Now if you will excuse me, I believe it is time that I get some sleep.”
He ignored her words. “I could readily find out what this thing is from the others. You realize this, don’t you?”
She didn’t utter a word. Instead, she gazed away from him.
Without taking his gaze from her, he said, “I would rather you show it to me.”
“They won’t tell you.”
“Your friends won’t have to tell me. I know how to listen.”
Effie gave a deep sigh and, resigned, said, “Oh, very well. If you turn your back and blow out the candle, I will show it to you.”
He nodded and did as she directed, listening. She must have adjusted her clothing once again, for he could hear the rustling of her garments.
She commanded him to turn around, and when he did so, he saw it.
She held out both hands to him. In the center of her palms were two pieces of white, glittering rock, beautiful even in this lighting, which was only a mere streak of moonlight. But it wasn’t only the rock that caught and held his attention. Imbued into the niche of each piece of quartz was the golden image of…
She said, “I don’t know if you can see the engravings well, for we have little light by which to view them. But they are figures, half bird, half human. They are supposed to represent the—”
“Children of the Thunderer,” he finished for her.
Her curious eyes caught his. “You must have heard about that part of the legend, then?”
He didn’t answer her right away. He couldn’t, for without warning, a memory had pressed itself into his consciousness:
“Four golden images,
When all in a row,
Slaves, your people will be,
No more.”
It was the song, the poem of his protector, the sea dog. He hadn’t understood it then. He did so now.
“Mr. Hawk,” she was saying. “Is something wrong?”
“Saa,” he replied after a long hesitation, “nothing is wrong. In truth, something is very right. And now it is time I tell you the truth about me, because we are united in cause.”
“I don’t understand…”
“’Tis simple. I am of the Lost Clan.”