The Devil's Paintbox (19 page)

He didn't know why that occurred to him just then, but it did. It was like a blindfold lifting off his eyes. He had seen
the looks between them, the way they kept a careful distance, but the way that distance always felt charged, like the air before a thunderstorm. She was too young, he was too damaged; Aiden didn't like it, but it was there regardless, and he would not have it ended this way. Carefully he reached down, drew an arrow out of the quiver and shifted it to his right hand.

Keeping his eyes on Todd, he felt for the bow. Todd seemed to have forgotten about them, but Aiden knew the smallest sound would panic him. He fitted the arrow, stood and drew the bow. Blood pounded at the sides of his head, but when his fingers curled around the string, he felt suddenly calm and steady. A good shot came from stillness. Time stopped. He slowly let out his breath and focused on the small target. He let the arrow go. He could see it move slowly through the air. He could hear the sharp point punch through the tough neck muscles and the soft whooshing pop as it pierced the throat. He saw Todd's head slowly snap to his left, as if giving an exaggerated shrug. He didn't hear the man hit the ground. He didn't even hear the shouts and gunshots that followed.

Things happened and people moved around and sounds were made, but Aiden couldn't hear them. Todd lay motionless on the ground. Gryffud dismounted, walked slowly over and fired one shot into Todd's head. Friedrich caught his horse. Carlos walked off alone into the darkness. A shooting star blazed across the sky. But all Aiden heard was the river and the wind and Sergeant Todd's blood bubbling softly out of his wound.

“You all right?” Jackson stood in front of him.

“Yeah.” Aiden blinked and things got more normal. “Is Carlos all right?”

“Yes.”

“You sure?”

“He's walking, ain't he? He went off. The way he does. Joby will catch him up.”

Silent Wolf pulled his buffalo skin off the fire. The leather was singed and smoking. He threw it on the ground to cool. The breeze spun through the coals and made them glow anew, casting yellow flares of light on the men nearby. Aiden put the bow down and turned his face away from the fire.

“Is there something I should do now?”

“Like what?”

“I don't know. You ever killed a man?”

“Yeah.”

“What did you do after?”

“Buried him. Took his boots and buried him.” Jackson spat a stream of tobacco juice. “Soldiers will tend to that.”

One of the soldiers led a horse over. Two men lifted the limp body onto the saddle. Gradually the army began to vanish into the darkness beyond. Tupic threw some more driftwood onto the fire. Silent Wolf sat down in the shadows and began a soft chant. Clever Crow came up to Aiden and rested both his hands on Aiden's shoulders and murmured some words.

“It is prayers,” Tupic explained. “For the warrior who has killed in battle. Silent Wolf chants to send the bad spirit away.”

“Well, that's welcome.” Jackson nodded. Aiden didn't know what to think. Prayers hadn't ever done any good before; he wasn't sure what they were supposed to do now.

“Come sleep back with the wagons,” Jackson said. “Never can know if a dead man had friends, though I'm not thinking that likely with that son of a bitch.”

“They don't want me there.”

“You ain't catching. Doc said so.”

“I don't think I want to be among people right now.”

“You did no wrong here,” Jackson said. “That man needed killing.” He slung his rifle up on his shoulder and picked up his lantern. “Still, it ain't like shooting wolves, is it?”

“No,” Aiden replied. “Nothing like that.”

The wagon camp was surprisingly quiet. People had been wakened by the commotion, but once the men all returned and word went around that the stolen horse had been recovered, most went back to sleep. The whole thing had happened so quickly. It wasn't fifteen minutes, Aiden realized, from bugle call to blood on the ground. Jackson ordered the men who had been there to shut up until morning. The gunshots were explained as a soldier matter. Gossip would be thick tomorrow, Aiden knew, but for now only a handful of men knew what he had done. Even Maddy, who knew he was camped out there and waited to hear he was safe, didn't know the drama had involved him so directly. It was easy for Marguerite to coax her back to the bed of fragrant quilts.

Back at Jackson's wagon, William Buck and the widower, who had been left behind to guard the camp, were awake and eager to hear the story, but Jackson stopped their questions cold with a glare. He pulled a key out of his pocket, unlocked a wooden box and pulled a stoneware jar out of its bed of straw. He uncorked the bottle, took a long drink, gave a sigh of satisfaction and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. He turned to Aiden.

“You ever drink whiskey before?”

“No.”

“Then use a cup, else you'll choke.”

Aiden obediently pulled his tin cup out of his kit bag and held it while Jackson poured out a generous amount. Cup or not, the whiskey still made him choke and burned all the way down, but soon a warm, peaceful feeling flowed through his whole body. All the jitters and awfulness melted away. He felt his mind go soft and easy.

iden woke with a chill. When he groped for his blanket, a sharp pain stabbed through his right hand. He looked at it and saw red spots on his fingers. He sat up with a gasp. His first thought was smallpox, but then he remembered picking up the hot rock from the fire. It was only little blisters. He felt a flood of relief. He gingerly pushed back the blanket and got unsteadily to his feet. It took a few minutes for the world to sort itself out. It was barely light but people were already breaking camp, eager to get miles between them and the soldiers’ pestilence.

He saw Doc Carlos walking toward him.

“The Indians want to talk with us,” the doctor said without overture. His voice was hoarse and he had deep circles under his eyes.

“What? Why?” Aiden's head felt foggy and thick.

“We have to hurry, the wagons are moving soon.”

“Yes, sure.” A breeze brought the scent of carbolic soap, and Aiden noticed that Carlos's hands were raw and pink from scrubbing and his hair was slightly damp.

“Did you take some kinda whole bath or something?” Aiden asked.

“Yes.”

“In the middle of the night?”

“I was covered in blood,” he said flatly, clearly not eager to discuss it any further. “Come on.”

Clever Crow, Silent Wolf and Tupic were waiting for them down on the river plain, near where they had camped the night before. Clever Crow wore a beaded band across his forehead, with three eagle feathers on each side. Silent Wolf and Tupic both wore beaded belts. They had painted designs with charcoal on the necks of their horses. It was clearly a more formal meeting than Aiden had expected. Clever Crow greeted them in English but then nodded to Tupic and began to speak in his own language.

“Our hearts are heavy today,” Tupic translated. “But at the same time they fly—are free, I mean—ah, like the heart of a bird—” He faltered and tried again. “When men go through a—trial, a challenge—it brings the, ah—the touch— of our spirits—closer.”

Tupic paused and turned to Clever Crow. They had a quick exchange, then Tupic relaxed a little. “My uncle speaks in a way that is difficult for me to translate. It is for ceremonies or important talks,” he explained. “It is a way of speaking that I don't know how to put in English. It is both formal and like close family will speak, or friends when they have traveled long together. There are many more—colors— to the words. Do you see?”

He paused again and Carlos and Aiden nodded.

“We come to ask what you call a favor, but in our language, it isn't a favor. It is something we need, but that we expect you will do because it is right and necessary; so not a favor in your sense exactly. Can you understand that?”

“I think so,” Aiden said.

“All right. Dr. Carlos.” Tupic's tone became very formal. “We believe you are wise in the way of white man's medicine. We ask you to make vaccine for our people.”

“What?” Carlos said, obviously blindsided by the request.

“We will pay you with many horses.”

“I can't.” He looked directly at Clever Crow. “It isn't the payment; I'm sorry I just can't.”

“You said last night the vaccine is made in cows,” Tupic said, dropping the more formal speech. “There are many cows here. We will pay for cows as well. My people are rich in horses.”

“It isn't that,” Carlos said. “I would do it if I could, of course. I just don't know how.”

“But other doctors before you figured how to do it, didn't they?”

“Yes—yes,” Carlos said. “And I know generally how it's done, but even then, it takes time—several weeks, I think— to make a vaccine in a cow. I could experiment, but it still wouldn't help you in time.”

“Then do as your king did with the ship of orphans,” Tupic said, tapping the vaccination scar on his own arm. “Take my vaccine and give it to my cousin and my uncle.”

Carlos pressed his fingers hard against his eyes. “It doesn't work that way. I am sorry. You were vaccinated too long ago. If there was anything I could do for you, believe me I would.”

Clever Crow, Silent Wolf and Tupic spoke together in their language.

“We understand that there is no vaccine,” Tupic translated. “But there is time, yes? Seven days—before we make others sick, this is right?”

“Yes,” Carlos said cautiously.

“My uncle fears that other soldiers travel like these and
might be sick. These soldiers might take the smallpox to other Indians. We will ride to Indian places and bring the warning. After one week, we will make a camp alone away from all people. We will not bring the sickness to our people.”

“No,” Carlos protested. “If you do get sick you will need care. Stay with us. I will take care of you.”

Clever Crow spoke and Tupic translated. “Our guardian spirits will care for us.”

“Smallpox doesn't mean you have to die,” Carlos said. “Many people recover. But you will need someone to take care of you—to bring you food and water.”

Clever Crow shook his head and spoke again while Tupic translated.

“He says if we keep our people from the smallpox it doesn't matter if we die. He says this is a selfish act for us. If it is our time to die, we will live very well in—the spirit world. If we keep others away it will not be so crowded. We will have the best cuts of buffalo. We will have the fat from the hump and the tongue and the marrow all to ourselves. We will eat great baskets of berries. All this because we keep other of our people from crowding in. This is his decision. This is what his spirit has told him to do.”

“Goodbye, Wet Pony.” Clever Crow smiled at Aiden. “Many more river for you. Every river make you more— strong.” He gathered up his reins and turned his horse around. Silent Wolf followed.

“Goodbye, Aiden,” Tupic said. “In a different world, I would keep you as my friend.”

“Yes.” Aiden nodded and held out his hand. “I would like that different world.”

“Gentlemen.” Gryffud nodded as Aiden and Carlos returned to the camp. “I want to apologize for the events of last night,” he said with a stiff formality. “Sergeant Todd was under my command, and as such I am responsible for his actions, which I deeply regret.”

He looked as if he expected one of them to say something, but the awkward silence was broken only by the clink of harnesses as the first wagons started to move out.

“Thank you, Doctor, for tending to my men. And thank you …” He looked at Aiden and faltered. Aiden almost laughed. What was he going to say?
Thank you for an arrow in the throat; thank you for a geyser of blood in the starlit sky?

“Here.” Gryffud took out two rolls of paper. “It's nothing really, just some drawings. Your sister,” he said as he handed one to Aiden, then gave one to Carlos. “Mr. Jackson said you didn't have anyone, so I drew a general scene for you.” Gryffud turned bright red with embarrassment as he realized what he had just said to Carlos. “I mean—ah, I drew daily life in the wagon train.”

Aiden unrolled his picture and saw sketches of Maddy She was laughing in one, running in another. There was a sketch of her carrying water, and it looked as if she might walk off the page. There was a profile of just her face, and she looked serious and beautiful.