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Adelaide had secrets of her own and kept them closely guarded.
The tall warrior stepped forward, reaching for Isabella as she slept.
"I can only take you so far - until we reach Mohawk territory. After that, you will be on your own, but if we hurry, we may be able to catch up to the Jesuits and the others who left a few days ago. One of the women is with child so they will travel at a slower pace for her benefit."
Adelaide looked over her shoulder at the home she had come to know over the past few days before turning away.
"Let's go. I want to be far from here by sunrise."
"Is Dad coming?" Joshua frowned as they left the fort behind, keeping to the shadows within the forest.
"No," Adelaide admitted when she was certain that Joshua wouldn't be foolish enough to run back toward the forest. "He is...busy, but may join us later when he has more time. Your father knows I'm taking you on an adventure."
"Then why are we leaving in the middle of the night?" Sarah covered a yawn with her hand.
There was no point in trying to deceive the children.
"Your father has a family of his own - a separate family. He'll always love you but he's in love with Arlana and what little free time he has will be spent on the new baby. You know how it is when you get something new. That baby will be like that.
Do you remember how I've told you over the years that I used to want to live among the Natives? Well, after that priest's sermon on Sunday, everything came rushing back. This is my destiny - my purpose. I believe it is why God put me on this earth. I would rather be like David Brainard giving my life for these people than at the fort or back home living in sin."
"Dad said this was normal in the Bible, so there's nothing wrong with it. A lot of Christians have more than one wife, they just don't go blabbing about it," Joshua explained with the patience of a saint, still looking back over his shoulder.
Given the choice, he'd still be at the fort, but it had long disappeared as they moved quickly, heading east.
Adelaide rolled her eyes.
"Your father is in love with my sister. Of course, he would tell you that nonsense. Enough about that, let's focus on the future, shall we? Bear Claw has agreed to take us east toward where Brebeuf was headed - you know, the priest who spoke at the chapel on Sunday. If we hurry, we might be able to join him, but if not, surely there will be someone who will know where to find him."
"There is a French settlement a two day's journey from here - they will know where to find him. The priest stays at that fort when he returns from the wilderness. If it is Brebeuf you seek, that is where you will find him. I can take you to the fort. It is before we reach Mohawk lands."
"Oh thank you!" Adelaide was breathless with happiness.
Everything was falling into place.
***
CHIEF LONG KNIFE SAT on the shadowy grass as the first shards of light permeated the trees promising a warm day. He didn't notice or care. Tormented, he prayed to the only one who could do anything to help him. In a moment of weakness, Long Knife allowed his Creator to see what others never would: Vulnerability.
The chief stood as he heard the soft rustle of his people stirring within the wigwam. An air of solemnity enveloped them as the men prepared to go on the warpath.
Gentle Doe would be found, and if not... He didn't want to complete the thought, refusing to lose hope. There would be a price to pay for his great loss.
The men assembled, paint smeared on their faces.
Intimidating.
Following Chief Long Knife's signal, they entered the woods in search of their enemy.
The hunted had officially become the hunter.
Chief Long Knife acknowledged beyond a shadow of a doubt he would never see his wife again, and in turn, never gaze upon the face of their child. Battling his rage, he concentrated on the clearing
Trespassers.
The air was hushed save for the lone cry of a whippoorwill.
On the signal, painted warriors vaulted from the trees encompassing the log cabin. The inhabitants would be unsuspecting, and now, it was much too late.
Emitting a piercing war cry, the warriors didn't falter in their goal, seizing those who sought to escape.
There was no place to flee, no hiding place accessible as their homes were set ablaze. Those who managed to make it to the perimeter of the forest were captured as well. Horror and hysteria infused the atmosphere.
Desperation.
Bear Claw reached for his knife, slashing at the warriors who jumped from the trees at the unsuspecting travelers who hadn't expected to be ambushed.
Adelaide clasped her daughters' wrists, uncertain where to run, yet adrenaline ignited her veins. A split second later, a warrior wrapped his arm around her waist, wrenching her away from her children. Adelaide screamed, gouging her captor's arms until she drew blood, kicking him with her legs, yet it was as though he were made of steel, unflinching beneath her best efforts.
Chief Long Knife glanced down at Adelaide's ebony head a moment before he secured her hands together, leading her along with the other captives toward their canoes, the children restrained as well. Draping Isabella over his bronze shoulder, he prodded the two older children ahead.
Tears blinding her eyes, Adelaide retained her gaze on her children. If she cooperated, would they be spared? It was worth the risk, the alternative something she wouldn't think of. Not now. Not ever.
By the second, it was becoming painfully clear there was nowhere to run and Adelaide had been a fool to leave the safety of the fort behind. Tears blinded her eyes as she looked down at the corpse of their guide, Black Claw's unseeing eyes staring up at the blue sky.
Marguerite watched in horror from where she hid behind a rock engraved with strange markings hoping the war party would continue past where she remained hidden, waiting for her husband to return from the river. He'd stayed behind, not going off with the other men because she had been desperately ill during the night. Her pregnancy was proving to be difficult and Guillaume was concerned. Maggie inwardly prayed her husband wouldn't return - not now.
In the distance, she saw her man reach for his rifle as he took in the scene at the river's edge, willing and capable of protecting his wife against the unexpected raid. Guillaume, however, was no match for the band of warriors, noticeably outnumbered.
Seeing the tomahawk raised over his head, Guillaume knew the end had come. He watched in his peripheral vision as Maggie was dragged from her hiding place behind the overhanging rock. Guillaume prayed the savages would show his bride mercy, at that moment incapable of viewing them as souls, only barbarians. If they harmed her...
There was no time to think as Guillaume was bludgeoned with the backside of the raised hatchet, his world turning black. The warriors wouldn't leave any bodies behind. What became of them, however, was something the women and children were not forced to witness as they were carried off to an unknown future.
The warriors entered their waiting canoes with their captives bound securely, and slipped away as soundlessly as they had appeared, fading into the shadows. Their canoes skimmed over the tranquil water as they withdrew from hostile territory.
The Wyandotte Nation did not pursue war, but they would strike back if provoked.
Chief Long Knife and the warriors who had lost their wives and children were at last pacified although their captives could never fully heal the pain in their hearts, knowing they would never see their own wives and children again.