Savage Splendor (Savage Lagonda 2) (11 page)

"Mara." It was no more than a whisper.

His eyes began to focus on his surroundings and he saw he was lying in a tent. He tried to rise but the pain shot through his body like a sharp-edged knife.

"Mara, the white men took Mara!" he said in a loud voice.

Falon, who was sitting beside him, ran out of the tent to find Jantu.

Moments later Jantu entered the tent and looked grimly at Palomas, who had managed to sit up with considerable effort. Beads of perspiration stood out on his face, indicating that he was in a great deal of pain.

"I am glad that you have awakened, Palomas," Jantu said as he sat down beside him.

"Have you found the queen?" Palomas asked.

Jantu dropped his eyes. "No, there is no clue to her whereabouts. I fear she has drowned, although we could not find . . . her body."

"Why do you say this?"

"There is no other explanation."

"You are a fool, Jantu," Palomas said angrily. "Mara did not drown, she was taken by two white men."

Jantu's eyes widened and he shook his head in disbelief. "I did not know. How can this be?"

"How did you suppose I was wounded? Did not someone remove the white man's bullet from my body? Does it not then stand to reason that your queen would have been seen by the white men, and taken away?" Palomas gave him a disgusted look. "Where is Matio, did you find him?"

"No, there has been no sign of him," Jantu said, feeling like the fool Palomas had called him.

"Matio was also shot. You have wasted time looking for the body of your queen, while she was being taken away by the white men."

Jantu looked Palomas straight in the eye without flinching. "You were unconscious, and I did not know what to do. I saw my duty and did the best I knew how without you to counsel me."

"Great Father, who thought you were ready to command men? Why were you chosen to come with the queen?"

Jantu stood up and folded his arms across his chest. "Garsa was the chosen one, but he broke his arm the day before we left. I took his place."

"On whose orders did you replace Garsa?"

"I was told it was your orders, Palomas," Jantu replied.

Palomas placed his hand over his eyes. He was not thinking   clearly.   Yes,   he  remembered  replacing Garsa with Jantu now. "Then the fault lies with me, Jantu. Why are you not searching now?" Palomas demanded.

"I will go now, but I fear there will be no trace to follow."

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"For two weeks."

Palomas tried to stand, but fell back. When Jantu tried to help him, he shoved him away. He tried again to stand and this time succeeded. The pain of his body did not match the pain in his heart. He had to find Mara! Taking a step forward he fell to his knees. He knew he was too weak to search for her.

"Go look for your queen," he commanded as he fell back on his robe.

Matio knew he was burning up with fever. His head wound was throbbing and aching. His teeth chattered, and even though it was a warm day, he felt cold. He had been wandering aimlessly for days, seeking any trace, any clue that would help him find his queen. He sank down on the ground, knowing he could go no further. He managed to make it to the shelter of a tall tree and curled up on a bed of dry leaves. Matio had had very little to eat, only what roots and berries he could find. He was weak from lack of nourishment. Only intending to close his eyes for a short time and then to resume his search, Matio fell into an exhausted sleep.

7

Life is a cycle, each spring is to renew.

Where there is life, there is always hope.

I will always search for you.

Mara made good use of the two days Zeke and Jake had been gone. She scrubbed the wooden floor until it sparkled. The dishes were all clean and stacked neatly in the now gleaming cupboard. She had aired all the bedding, washed the blankets and the dirty clothing she found tossed carelessly in corners or stuffed under beds. The fireplace had been scrubbed and was now gleaming brightly, as was the iron pot that had been returned to its hook over the glowing hot coals.

She had found deer meat hanging in the lean-to at the back of the cabin. Slicing it into nice-sized chunks, she added it to the pot of boiling water. When the meat was almost done she added potatoes and some wild onions she found growing at the edge of the woods. The aroma was delicious, she had to admit. She then mixed up flour and lard, and added some water, thinking she would try her hand at making dumplings. Dropping the flour mixture into the boiling juices, Mara put the lid in place, and hoped for the best. Jake had told her they would be home before sundown today and she wanted to surprise them with a good dinner, since they had been so kind to her.

The door swung open and Jake stood motionless on the threshold, struck dumb by the sight that welcomed him. Zeke came up behind him and both brothers were awestruck. The cabin sparkled with cleanliness, and the smell from the bubbling stew filled their nostrils.

"Wipe your feet before you come in," Mara greeted them, smiling.

They both complied without question.

"My, my, this place do shine, princess. Looks like you have been mighty busy," Zeke said, placing his pack down in the corner.

"This place weren't this clean when it were new," Jake said laughingly.

"Both of you wash, and when you return, dinner will be ready," Mara told them, placing her hands on her hips to assert her authority.

Zeke looked like he might object for a moment, but he was silenced by a look from his brother.

Mara watched, smiling to herself, as the two men disappeared out the door. She had decided that preparing food did not come easy to her, and hoped she would not disgrace herself with the stew and dumplings she had taken such pains with. Removing the lid from the pot, she spooned the mixture into a large bowl.

When Jake and Zeke returned, Mara saw that they had apparently bathed in the nearby stream. Their hair was wet and smoothed down, and each of them grinned at her, awaiting her approval.

"Zeke here were afraid he would melt once he got in the water," Jake told her.

"Is it all right if we set at the table now?" Zeke asked looking undecided.

Mara's laughter was soft and held a note of amusement. "Of course you may sit at the table. This is your home."

"Don't look much like it," Jake admonished as he sat down on one of the wooden chairs and pulled it closer to the table.

Mara spooned up a generous helping of the stew and dumplings and set it before each man. Jake picked up his spoon scooped up a fat puffy dumpling and started to bite into it when Zeke kicked his leg under the table, reminding him of his long forgotten manners. Placing his spoon back in the bowl he folded his hands in his lap and waited for Mara to sit down.

"Eat," she told the brothers, and waited tensely for them to take a bite, hoping against hope that it would taste good.

Zeke scooped up a spoonful and tasted it carefully, noticing the apprehension in Mara's eyes. He grinned broadly. "Best stew and dumplings I ever tasted. Puts me in mind of the dumplings Ma used to make when I was a boy," he told her.

Mara lifted her spoon to her lips and took a bite. Her face lit up as she discovered that it was indeed delicious.

"Tell me about your family," she asked them. "Did either of you ever marry?"

"No," Jake said between mouthfuls, "ain't no woman ever wanted to marry up with the likes of us."

"Did you ever ask a lady if she would marry you, to come to that conclusion?" Mara wanted to know.

Zeke laughed. "We didn't have to ask them to know what they would say."

"You are wrong, both of you. A lady would have been proud to be the wife of such considerate, handsome men as yourselves."

Both brothers looked pleased.

"Ain't no woman would want to live out here. Most of them would think it was too lonesome. Me and Jake are gone for months at a time."

"I suppose some ladies would think it was lonesome out here, but had you found the right ones, they would have lived anywhere, gone anywhere with you. Have you always been trappers?"

Jake laid his spoon aside and his brow creased in thoughtfulness before he answered her.

"Let's see now. We been trapping for nigh on thirty years. Used to move around a lot, but the last ten years we built this cabin and stayed pretty much in one place."

"You have no family?"

Zeke had cleaned his plate and gone back for seconds. He sat down at the table, took a mouthful and swallowed it, then spoke. "We grew up on a small farm in Pennsylvania, where we lived with our Ma and Pa and baby sister. The farm weren't much, but we made a fairly decent living. Pa, Ma, and Rachel was taken by the pox when I was seventeen and Jake were twenty-five. We tried to make a living with the farm after they died, but it weren't no good. Folks kept crowding in on us, so one day we just up and sold everything, and lit out. Ain't never been back and ain't never been sorry."

"Some things I miss though," Jake spoke up, "like the nice little touches a woman can give to a home. Ma was real pretty, and she could read. Every night she would read to us from a book. Ma was born in France, but she could speak English real good. The one thing I really miss is Ma reading to us."

"Why did you never learn to read?"

"Pa didn't hold much with schooling, but he sure liked to hear Ma read."

"I found a book while I was cleaning. It is
The Odyssey
, by Homer. Is that the book your mother read to you?"

"Yeah, that's the only book we ever had."

"But it is written in French!" Mara said.

"Ma would translate it into English when she would read to us. Pa didn't want us to speak in French. He said we was Americans. I sure wish we could read it."

Mara stood up and began clearing the dishes away. "As soon as I have straightened up I will read to you, if you would like."

Jake began shoveling the rest of his food into his mouth and then stood up to help Mara. "Can you read French, princess?"

"I was surprised to find that I am very proficient in French. I did not even realize it until I began reading your book."

"I would be mighty obliged if you would read to Zeke and me, princess," Jake said excitedly.

Jake was building up the fire. "I'll just get some more wood, and you help the princess with the dishes. Then we can both sit down and listen to her read," Zeke said eagerly, as his blue eyes lit up with excitement.

When all the dishes were cleared away, Mara took the book down from the top of the cupboard where she had placed it the day before. Zeke filled his pipe, and Jake held the chair for her to sit down. Mara opened the green leather-bound book. Its pages were yellow with age, but she could tell it had been well taken care of. She began to read.

"
The Odyssey
, by Homer."

Both pairs of blue eyes were glued to her face expectantly.

"Tell me, muse, of that man, so ready at need, who wandered far and wide, after he had sacked the sacred citadel of Troy."

Mara looked up from her reading and noticed that Jake was mouthing the words along with her.

"And many were the men whose towns he saw and whose mind he learnt, yea, and many the woes he suffered in his heart upon the deep, striving to win his own life and the return of his company."

Mara read until the light had failed and she could no longer see the words on the pages. As she closed the book neither man moved.

She was deeply touched by them. They were rugged, outdoor men, and yet they had been moved by words from a book their mother had read to them as children. Mara doubted that they fully comprehended the complicated story, but it meant a great deal to them. She smiled warmly at them both.

"I shall read to you each night, if you would like."

"I would be powerful grateful if you would," Jake told her.

"You may be a princess," Zeke told her, "but your voice is like an angel's. Even Ma couldn't say the words like you do."

Mara looked at the crackling fire and the warm, friendly glow it lent to the room. She loved these two men who had taken her in, given her a home, and let her feel as if she belonged.

"I wonder if you can guess how grateful I am to the both of you for saving me from the Indians, and bringing me to your home, where you have made me feel a part of your family. I cannot remember my past. I do not know who I am, and in spite of that I am not unhappy, thanks to you Jake, and you Zeke."

"I wish we could keep you here forever, but it ain't no good for you out here. Come first snowfall we will have to take you to a settlement," Zeke said, thinking how lonesome this cabin would seem without the princess.

"I wish ... I wish it did not have to be so, Zeke, I like living here with you and Jake. I am frightened of leaving." Suddenly Mara felt her stomach churn, and she knew she was going to be sick in front of Jake and Zeke if she did not make it outside. Placing the book on the table she ran for the door, holding her hand over her mouth. Zeke followed and caught up with her just as she reached the woodpile and retched. Jake appeared beside her and handed her a wet cloth, which she used to wipe her face.

"You didn't eat something that didn't agree with you, did you?" Jake asked.

"I do not think so. I have been feeling this way every night after I eat. Tonight it took a little longer to develop, but it seemed worse than the other times."

Mara was not aware of the brothers exchanging glances over her head.

"Most probably it will go away before too many more days." Jake spoke up quickly before Zeke had a chance to mouth what was on both their minds. "Come into the cabin and lie down. Mayhaps you had better turn in for the night."

Mara lay in the loft feeling very foolish. She felt perfectly well now. She was beginning to see that Jake and Zeke had a tendency to pamper her, and she feared after tonight they would be worse than ever. Turning over, her hand hit against the wall and she felt something lodged against her bed and the logs of the outer wall. She picked it up and dangled it above her, feeling the warmth of it against her hand. The medallion! She had forgotten all about it. How strange that it felt warm, she thought. Should not metal feel cool to the touch? Suddenly she heard a sound. It was little more than a whisper: perhaps it was the sound of the wind in the trees, she reasoned. Closing her eyes, she began to feel frightened for some reason.

"Do not put on the medallion," a voice said. It came to her as clearly as if whoever spoke stood right beside her.

Opening her eyes, Mara saw a flash of white. It seemed to shape itself into the outline of a man. He was dressed in a white robe, and his long hair was white as well. She must be hallucinating, she thought. Perhaps she really was ill. Now she could see him more clearly. He was an Indian!

"Who are you?" she whispered in a voice that shook with fright.

"Do not put the medallion on," he repeated.

Her hand trembled as she threw the golden object across the room and heard it slam against the wall. Closing her eyes tightly she willed the vision to go away. Opening her eyes a crack, she could no longer see the old man. Mara felt relief. She was sick, she told herself. That was what was wrong with her. She would feel better by morning. It was the wee hours of the morning before she could get the incident out of her mind so that she could fall asleep.