The Lone Warrior by Lori Austin

Author:Lori Austin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2014-01-07T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

The three Dog Men returned with the dawn. They appeared no different from when they’d left. No wounds. No blood. No bodies.

“Did they—” she began.

“If they hadn’t, they wouldn’t have dared come back.”

As far as Rose could tell, Luke hadn’t slept. She had done so fitfully, waking every hour or two. Each time, Luke had been sitting nearby, staring at the night. Once she had murmured, “Come here,” but if he heard her he gave no indication. He didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t blink.

He’d been given no bedroll. She would have shared hers as she’d shared her food. They’d shared much more than that. Just because he didn’t remember it didn’t mean it hadn’t happened.

Or did it?

For days they traveled from sunrise to well past sunset. First they rode west, then south, east, and north. A few times Rose could have sworn they crossed their own trail. The swaying grass looked the same no matter which horizon it spread to. But she assumed the Cheyenne knew what they were doing, or at least where they were going.

Every night was the same. She was given food and water, which she shared with Luke. He sat next to her and stared into the darkness. When she asked him to lie at her side, he either didn’t hear her or pretended not to. At times she heard him whispering, though she could never make out what he said. He often stared at the land behind them as if he saw someone following. But no one was there.

As the days passed, he spoke to her less. He stopped arguing about sharing her food, just ate what she gave him, drank when she urged on him, and watched over her night after night.

Late on the seventh day the Dog Men’s horses picked up their pace. Rose twisted, leaning sideways so she could see around the broad shoulders of Many Horses. As far as she could tell, no one was following them still. There was no reason to run.

As if the Cheyenne would ever run.

Many Horses made a guttural sound of annoyance and slammed his shoulder into hers. He did not like it when she wiggled or turned or did anything but stare forward and remain silent and still. Her movements caused his horse to slow, and Many Horses always rode in the lead.

Was that smoke on the horizon? Clouds? Perhaps both. She didn’t bother to ask. Many Horses might speak perfect English, but he didn’t like to waste it on her.

Though the prairie seemed to stretch endlessly to that smoky, cloudy horizon, as they neared, the ground dipped, revealing the uppermost branches of a few precious trees. She blinked, squinted.

There were people in them.

A movement to the side had Rose jerking her head in that direction. She ignored the grunt that became a growl at her movement. Her heart pounded; her breath caught as warriors rose from the grass all around them.

Sentries. In both the trees and on the prairie. They could warn of

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