Lakota Winds (Zebra Historical Romance) Read Online Free Page A

until he was exhausted and hoarse. He recalled how his heart had ached
and felt empty of emotion for a long time. Then he had accepted his
fate and the reality his son traveled the "spirit trail." Yet, he had never gotten over loving and missing the boy or hungering for revenge on
the Crow, one in particular.

    Not wanting to reopen that wound, Wind Dancer changed the
subject, "Grandfather says a war is coming, one like a lance with sharp
points at each end, each facing a different direction. I do not fear death,
my friend, only dishonor and being denied the ranks of hunter and
protector for my family. I am certain Morning Mist was not a woman
who would bend like a willow to become a supple bow. I do not need
a woman with skills and prowess to match mine; I need a woman who
gives joy, warmth, and obedience."
    "If the Great Spirit crossed your path with the one of Morning Mist,
is it not wise to find it and walk it?" Red Feather speculated, "Come,
let us ride to the Brave Heart camp to seek word of her fate and to
learn if she has a mate. We need only to say we come to visit our allies,
words which are true."
    "Your words are wise, my friend; let us seek enlightment."
    The following evening, Wind Dancer and Red Feather camped at
the edge of their hunting grounds after leaving the Brave Heart's camp.
    The oldest son of Chief Rising Bear said, "I do not understand, my
friend. How can it be they do not know and have not heard of a woman
who dresses and battles as a man and is called Morning Mist?"
    "It is strange, mitakola. Perhaps she was a spirit helper sent to guide
you to the Crow so you could defeat them before they scouted our
camp or the Brave Heart's. As with the coming of White Buffalo Maiden
long, long ago, after her task was done, Pte Skawin disappeared and
has not returned."
    "It is as if she vanished as did my mother and half-white brother
many seasons ago. We do not know why either was taken away or why
only one was returned to our family. Perhaps it will be the same with
Morning Mist. Perhaps our paths will cross again as they did with my
mother, or perhaps she is gone forever as happened with my second
brother. Until her truth is revealed to me, I must push away all thoughts of her and think only of the perils before us," Wind Dancer concluded
aloud, and his best friend agreed with him.

    Ten days had passed since Wind Dancer encountered the mysterious
woman in the forest when bad news arrived at their winter encampment
which was nestled in the protective foothills of the Paha Sapa. The two
sons of Chief Rising Bear along with several other men had just returned
from a successful hunt when they heard someone approach and call out
to them.
    Wind Dancer turned and saw a rider slide from his horse and slump
to the ground and surmised one of their tribal members was injured.
Before he and others could reach the fallen warrior, the man called out
a warning in a weakened voice.
    "Hiya! Lila makujelo! Lel mayazan!"
    Wind Dancer halted everyone's approach when Badger said, "No! I
am sick! It hurts here," and touched his stomach. He asked where the
rest of the trading party was and Badger told him they would not be
returning.
    "Upi kte sni yelo. "
    Sighting no wounds, Wind Dancer asked him why not. "Toke sni?"
    "Come no closer; I am bad medicine; I carry the white man's sickness
within me. All others are dead. This evil will leap upon you and slay
you as it did with us. I must tell all before my spirit leaves my-"
    Wind Dancer grabbed one man's arm and halted him from going
to their friend's aid when the warrior clasped his arms over his abdomen,
groaned in agony, and dry-heaved so hard he shuddered. Liquid ran
down his thighs from beneath an already soiled breechclout. His heart
ached at Badger's torment, but they could not risk bringing him into
camp and infecting others with a lethal disease. He still remembered
the mikosica-the smallpox epidemic-which ravaged many tribes