Black Fox?”
Her head lolled to her shoulder. “I-I don’t
know,” she said hoarsely.
“Don’t you dare go to sleep on me!”
he raged and hit her across the face hard enough to send the heavy
chair toppling backward.
She groaned in pain as the fall jarred her back
and she hit her head on the hard dirt. She felt blood running down
the side of her face and tasted blood in her mouth, but she still had
no answer.
He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her
and the chair back into an upright position again, getting a cry of
pain from her. He put his nose to hers. “You will talk,”
he growled, his big face red with anger and heat. “Now.”
“I don’t know anything,” she
sobbed. “I’ve told you that a hundred times so please let
me go,” she begged weakly.
“Never,” he hissed and stomped around
to the other side of the table again and sat down. He watched her cry
for a moment, breathing heavily. With another burst of anger, he
flung the heavy table onto her lap. He picked it up by the legs and
rammed it into her face, sending her to the floor again, not at all
bothered by the fact that she didn’t cry out this time or that
she was very still.
Without remorse, he pulled the door open and
grabbed the two sentries who were standing outside. “Get this
whore out of my sight,” he shouted and walked outside, slamming
the door.
The two men were shocked to find her beaten and
bloody and stood looking at her for a moment before releasing her
from the shackles.
“My God, he beat a woman,” one said
with wonder.
“Forget you ever saw this or you’ll
end up like Taylor,” the other warned gravely. “Let’s
get her back to the stockade.”
~~~
Suzanne was awakened when she felt cool water hit
her mouth and face. She opened her swollen black eyes as much as she
could and saw her two male cellmates at her side with wet rags trying
to clean her up and feed her water out of a cup.
She tried to sit up, but the pain in her face and
head sent her back down.
One held her head up with his hand and slowly fed
her water. “Easy there,” he said softly.
“Thank you,” she said barely above a
whisper.
“He had no right,” the other man said
with a twinge of anger in his voice. “She’s a woman.”
“He’s a sick son of a bitch,”
the man agreed. “If I ever get out of here, I’m going to
report him.”
“I’m not,” he said coldly. “I’m
going to kill him. It’s one thing to do this to a man. It’s
another thing to do it to a woman. I heard him yellin’ at her
and hittin’ her. He had no right. None at all.”
He nodded slowly as he looked down at the beaten
woman who was barely recognizable.
“And I hear she’s in a fragile state,”
he continued.
“I heard that, too.”
“She needs to see a doctor.”
“We’re the only doctors she’s
gonna see, Caleb,” he said sadly. “Nobody can help her
‘cept us so we’d better get to doctorin’ with what
we got.”
Suzanne grasped the man’s hand who was
giving her water. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Oh, you hush, ma’am,” he said
politely. “You need to rest.”
“I don’t know anything,” she
squeaked as tears fell. “Honest, I don’t.”
“I know,” he said compassionately. “We
heard Cody at the window last night and he didn’t tell you
nothin’.”
“He’s just helping me,” she
wept. “That’s all.”
Both men nodded understandingly and watched her
slip into an exhausted sleep.
“She needs a doctor.”
Caleb looked at his friend, the man who had been
giving her water, and nodded slowly as he looked at her. “She
does at that, Zack.”
Chapter 15
It didn’t take long for Cody to get the
chief and the men organized for war. They did their rituals of
dancing and cleansing on the night he’d returned from the fort
as he looked on, never invited to participate even though he was one
of their fiercest warriors. To them, he was still a white man inside
an Indian body. His mother had
Her head lolled to her shoulder. “I-I don’t
know,” she said hoarsely.
“Don’t you dare go to sleep on me!”
he raged and hit her across the face hard enough to send the heavy
chair toppling backward.
She groaned in pain as the fall jarred her back
and she hit her head on the hard dirt. She felt blood running down
the side of her face and tasted blood in her mouth, but she still had
no answer.
He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her
and the chair back into an upright position again, getting a cry of
pain from her. He put his nose to hers. “You will talk,”
he growled, his big face red with anger and heat. “Now.”
“I don’t know anything,” she
sobbed. “I’ve told you that a hundred times so please let
me go,” she begged weakly.
“Never,” he hissed and stomped around
to the other side of the table again and sat down. He watched her cry
for a moment, breathing heavily. With another burst of anger, he
flung the heavy table onto her lap. He picked it up by the legs and
rammed it into her face, sending her to the floor again, not at all
bothered by the fact that she didn’t cry out this time or that
she was very still.
Without remorse, he pulled the door open and
grabbed the two sentries who were standing outside. “Get this
whore out of my sight,” he shouted and walked outside, slamming
the door.
The two men were shocked to find her beaten and
bloody and stood looking at her for a moment before releasing her
from the shackles.
“My God, he beat a woman,” one said
with wonder.
“Forget you ever saw this or you’ll
end up like Taylor,” the other warned gravely. “Let’s
get her back to the stockade.”
~~~
Suzanne was awakened when she felt cool water hit
her mouth and face. She opened her swollen black eyes as much as she
could and saw her two male cellmates at her side with wet rags trying
to clean her up and feed her water out of a cup.
She tried to sit up, but the pain in her face and
head sent her back down.
One held her head up with his hand and slowly fed
her water. “Easy there,” he said softly.
“Thank you,” she said barely above a
whisper.
“He had no right,” the other man said
with a twinge of anger in his voice. “She’s a woman.”
“He’s a sick son of a bitch,”
the man agreed. “If I ever get out of here, I’m going to
report him.”
“I’m not,” he said coldly. “I’m
going to kill him. It’s one thing to do this to a man. It’s
another thing to do it to a woman. I heard him yellin’ at her
and hittin’ her. He had no right. None at all.”
He nodded slowly as he looked down at the beaten
woman who was barely recognizable.
“And I hear she’s in a fragile state,”
he continued.
“I heard that, too.”
“She needs to see a doctor.”
“We’re the only doctors she’s
gonna see, Caleb,” he said sadly. “Nobody can help her
‘cept us so we’d better get to doctorin’ with what
we got.”
Suzanne grasped the man’s hand who was
giving her water. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Oh, you hush, ma’am,” he said
politely. “You need to rest.”
“I don’t know anything,” she
squeaked as tears fell. “Honest, I don’t.”
“I know,” he said compassionately. “We
heard Cody at the window last night and he didn’t tell you
nothin’.”
“He’s just helping me,” she
wept. “That’s all.”
Both men nodded understandingly and watched her
slip into an exhausted sleep.
“She needs a doctor.”
Caleb looked at his friend, the man who had been
giving her water, and nodded slowly as he looked at her. “She
does at that, Zack.”
Chapter 15
It didn’t take long for Cody to get the
chief and the men organized for war. They did their rituals of
dancing and cleansing on the night he’d returned from the fort
as he looked on, never invited to participate even though he was one
of their fiercest warriors. To them, he was still a white man inside
an Indian body. His mother had
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