The Legend of Tyoga Weathersby (29 page)

Seven Arrows had tied a leather collar around her neck and led her into camp on a leash made of the strap he had used to beat her. He had the backpack slung over one shoulder because Sunlei was barely able to stay on her feet.

He pushed her to the ground while he slung the pack off of his shoulder and said, “A-gi yosi.
(I’m hungry)
What’s for dinner?”

Chapter 32

No Way Out

S
unlei had not slept in forty-eight hours. When Seven Arrows threw her to the ground she mercifully passed out from exhaustion and pain.

Loss of consciousness was a blessing. The swelling and open wounds she had suffered from the terrible beating would grow worse and more painful in the coming days. Her suffering would make it nearly impossible for her to get any sleep at all.

The gentle nudge of a moccasined foot against her back startled her awake. Not sure of where she was or how she had gotten there, she bolted upright while instinctively searching her surroundings for immediate threat and possible escape.

The searing pain in her back brought the terrible events of the past twenty-four hours into sharp focus. Through the spinning haze that the mind conjures as a protective shield between reality too cruel to comprehend and the dreams that make everyday life bearable, the living hell that her life had become hit her in the gut like an iron fist.

She saw the shadows and silhouettes of the Shawnee braves she would soon be forced to call “family.” There was no stopping the bile she felt rising to fill her mouth. The vile mucousy froth made her wretch. She did not bend over, or even turn her head to the side. She let the foul humor course down her chin and dribble a viscous yellow-green slime onto her torn and bloody tunic.

A voice that was much kinder than Seven Arrows’s said softly to her, “Get up now, Little One.” Two Fox handed her a cold wet rag to wipe her face.

She was grateful to get the dried blood off of her lips and nose, and the cool dampness of the cloth felt good against her swollen face.

He handed her a gourd of fresh, cold water. She filled her mouth, swished it around, and spit the mucousy red froth onto the ground. She rinsed her mouth again before taking several small sips of the water. She looked up into Two Fox’s face, and could tell from his expression that she had been hurt even more severely than she had thought.

Pointing toward the firepit, Two Fox said to her, “Pick out what you can of the left over fish. Then, you must go to Seven Arrows.”

“Wa-do
(Thank you)
,” she said barely above a whisper. Her lips were swollen and it was difficult for her to speak, but she managed to say, “Eh ya to batsh-te.”

Two Fox reached his hand down and helped her to her feet. She shuffled-stepped away from the campfire, and squatted to relieve herself. She limped back to the fire pit and fell to her knees to search the ground for chunks of fish not consumed, or spit out, by Seven Arrows and his men. A large backbone still had a good amount of meat on it. After brushing the dirt and ash from the discarded fish carcass, she was able to salvage enough to stem her hunger.

Feeling a little stronger, she stood up, and looked around for Two Fox. He was nowhere to be seen, so she said to another of the braves, “I need to clean my wounds. May I go to the river to bathe?”

Without saying a word, Sky Hawk motioned for her to follow him down to the river.

Sunlei paused at the bundle she had been forced to carry to grab the tiny sack that contained the few belongings she had managed to bring with her. While following Sky Hawk to the river, she removed a bar of soap and a small towel from the sack. She felt the tears begin to well up in her eyes when she thought of how Tyoga’s mother had lovingly packed these ordinary, everyday items for her to take with her to her new life. How horrified she would be to see her now.

Late evening, it was completely dark away from the light of the campfire, except for the light of the rising moon. Sky Hawk stopped about ten feet from the bank to allow Sunlei to continue into the river alone. When she turned to him to see if he was going to look away while she disrobed, she got her answer when he sat on the ground, folded his arms, and smiled.

The river was lower than usual, so she had to step down from the bank to reach the water’s edge. She dropped her tunic to reveal her perfect figure in the moonlight, and bent down to wash.

Unable to contain himself at the silhouette of Sunlei’s naked body glowing in the moonlight, Sky Hawk let out a little whoop that summoned his companions to join him for the show.

Grimacing from the sting of the soap in her open wounds, Sunlei paid little attention to the sound of the others running to join him. She had learned from helping Tyoga’s mother care for Tes Qua’s wounds after the battle with the wolves that keeping a wound clean was critically important.

The braves could only see Sunlei from the waist up, but it was view enough. Watching her in the moonlight lathering the cloth, washing her arms, her neck, breasts and abdomen was nearly more than they could stand. She would disappear when she bent down to the water to rinse herself off, and then emerge again to repeat the process.

One of the braves, stroking himself, got up as if to go over to her.

“Nay ya.” Otter reached out to grab him by the arm. “Seven Arrows will kill you if you touch her first. He will share when he is through. Be patient. Your turn will come.” At this the four braves laughed, stood up, and went back into camp.

Sunlei followed after them when she was finished bathing.

She pulled a clean tunic out of the leather pouch and threw the torn bloody one into the bushes. She unbraided her hair and brushed it out so that her long raven tresses curtained her shoulders in an ebony veil that simmered in the firelight. She felt better now that she had bathed and changed her clothes, but the sting of washing her wounds with soap and water made the lacerations even more painful.

Fighting to keep from thinking of her family and Tyoga, she moved closer to the fire and sat down to warm herself. How she longed to hear their voices and to feel Tyoga’s strong arms wrapped around her in a warm embrace. She winced when she thought of the words that Walks Alone had whispered in her ear when he said goodbye.

How horrible it must have been for Tyoga to stay hidden in the glade while I was being handed over to Seven Arrows.

She shivered in empathy at the self-control and courage it must have taken for him to stand helplessly by and watch her disappear into the woods.

He could have killed them all. Wahaya-Wacon would have helped. He would have torn them apart.

She felt ashamed that she had called out to him in desperation.

How I wish they had just …

“Stop it Sunlei,” she heard herself say. She looked around to see if anyone had heard her outburst.

Tyoga and Wahaya could not have saved her. To do so would have been to condemn all of the People to certain death. To rescue her now would do the same.

“Sunlei,” she heard one of the braves call out. “Et ta ya ho.”

The words cut through her like an icy obsidian blade slicing her heart into little pieces. She felt her entire body go numb. The horrible reality of what was to be dulled her senses and blackened her soul.

Seven Arrows would take her. It was inevitable and there wasn’t anything that she could do to stop it. She searched her brain to come up with an excuse, an option, a way out. The anguish seemed to dull her senses and render her incapable of thinking clearly.

She thought of running—but they would catch her.

She thought of claiming her unclean time—but that would not stop him.

And then she saw the gleaming blade of a butchering knife embedded in the log upon which she was seated.

She knew that it was the coward’s way out, but it would end her nightmare.

The gruesome thought oddly erased all others, as what her death would mean for her tribe seemed of little consequence.

Ever so slowly she eased toward the blade, moving so cautiously that her progress went unnoticed.

She reached out her hand, and closed her fingers around the elk horn handle.

The handle grew warm in her hand as she sat for a long moment staring at the blade as it reflected the light from the campfire. With one quick pull she could free it from its mooring and put an end to the nightmare her life had become.

It won’t be a terrible thing for me to do, will it?

Warriors were known to take their own lives when they had been disgraced in battle. In some nations, it was expected when a chief had led his tribe to defeat in battle.

The pain of slitting my wrist will only last a moment. I’ll just sit here on the log, close my eyes and feel myself grow sleepy.

A smile came to her face as she thought,

That will fix him. He will have no prize at all. All of his efforts, all of his bluster and the esteem in which he has fooled himself to believe he will be held, will be snatched away from him in an instant.

She nearly giggled out loud as she pictured the moment that he would discover that she had beaten him with such finality.

Tears streamed down her face when she thougth of never seeing her family, or Tyoga, again.

They’ll understand, won’t they?

At that very moment, the face of her father, Nine Moons, presented to her mind’s eye as if he were standing right in front of her. When he came into focus, she gazed into his steely, grey, gentle eyes, and was struck by the fact that it was not Tyoga’s or her mother’s faces that she should see. When she heard his voice in her ear coming from the blackness of the forest night, she gasped and looked around her to see if he was truly standing next to her.

“Aukawak,” he was whispering softly in her ear. She heard him repeat the word, “Aukawak,” more loudly this time. A third time it pierced the night with an urgency that returned her focus like a bolt of lightening cleaving the night sky.

She released her grip on the knife handle and stood when she heard the cry of a lone, distant raven
“AUKAAWWWW”
carry across the river’s surface and vanish into the mist of the dark Appalachian night.

She remembered the story her father shared with her at their parting.

Aukawak never let her light go out.

Clenching both of her hands into determined little fists, she said out loud, “Neither will mine.”

The words that Tyoga had spoken to her, “You will never be alone,” filled her with the resolve that steeled her spine and rekindled the fires of self preservation.

I must stay alive. He will come for me. I know he will come.

“Sunlie. Et ta ya ho,” she heard the brave call out for her again.

There was no option. No way out. She could not save herself. This thing she must do for those she loved.

Sunlei had only made love to one man. Tyoga Weathersby. No other man had ever touched her—kissed her.

Will Seven Arrows want to kiss me? What will he taste like? What will he smell like so close? Will his hands explore where only one other’s have been? Would he be gentle or gruff? Will he hurt me ? Would he want her to use her mouth?

She felt the bile rise from her stomach again, and she choked it back to keep from gagging with fear and loathing. The thoughts careened and collided in a cacophony of noise, emotion, and confusion.

As if from outside of herself, she observed, more than felt, herself slowly turn toward the lean-to where Seven Arrows was waiting. She watched herself move in the direction of the entrance. She paused at the doorway, pushed the hide covering to one side, bent over, and walked in.

Seven Arrows was lying naked on a buffalo robe, covered from his waist down with the beaver and fox fur overcoat that he had worn when he walked into Tuckaseegee to get her.

“It is time, my little one,” he said with an evil grin.

Paralyzed with fear, not knowing how to act, what to do or say, Sunlei stood at the entranceway.

Seven Arrows took the lead. “You look as beautiful as I imagined, Sunlei. Turn around. Slowly.”

Sunlei turned to her left. He saw her stunning profile. Her firm breasts held the tunic away from her abdomen, and her soft shoulders were draped with her stunning black hair. She turned her back to him so that he could see her perfectly formed buttocks and the gentle curve ofher waist, hips, and thighs. Her right profile revealed the side of her face that was not swollen from the beating he had given her.

The exquisite proportion of her delicate facial features made Seven Arrows shake with anticipation.

He threw the overcoat off and revealed himself in his readiness to violate her tender soul. He got up on his knees and motioned for her to come closer.

Looking straight ahead, she took a step toward him, and felt him bury his face in her waist.

Throwing his arms around her buttocks, he inhaled deeply of her natural musk. Kissing her tunic he reached up with his strong hands and caressed her ribs so gruffly that her sides ached.

He glanced up at her face fully expecting to see her head thrown back while encouraging sighs escaped breathlessly from her full inviting lips. Instead, he saw nothing but a stoic stare that revealed dispassionate acquiescence.

Reaching up, Seven Arrows tore her tunic off of her shoulders with all of his might. It crumpled to the ground while he cupped her breasts in his hands and brought her nipples to his mouth.

Still, Sunlei stared straight ahead with dead eyes focusing vapidly into the night.

Jerking her down to her knees, he kissed her hard on the mouth, neck, and cheeks.

Sunlei winced at the pain when he forced himself onto her swollen and bruised cheeks and lips. She tasted the blood when the split in her lip opened and began to bleed again. She would not look at him, nor respond to his touch.

Seven Arrows picked her up off of the ground, threw her onto her back, and spread her legs wide. The saliva was spewing from his mouth like an enraged dog when he screamed into her face, “Now, you will feel what it is like to have a real man inside of you!”