Wind Warrior (Historical Romance) Read Online Free Page B

took her only a moment to recall what had happened.
    Panicked, she realized she was still in the canoe. A deep sob built inside her—the Indians were taking her far into the wilderness where Uncle Matt would never find her. There wasn’t a part of her body that didn’t hurt. She was so heartsick and lonely she felt like weeping, but she didn’t dare.
    When she saw her captor staring at her, terror took over her reasoning. She could not control her quivering body, and she clamped her hand over her mouth, hoping the queasiness would pass. She felt feverish and the pain in her arm was agonizing, making her think it was broken. In an attempt to ease the pain, Marianna tried to cradle her arm, but it didn’t help.
    Anguish and fear battled for possession of her mind. She struggled to sit up, while averting her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at the Indian who had captured her. She felt disoriented and fell back weakly against the bottom of the canoe. There was a huge lump on her forehead where the savage had hit her, and it throbbed painfully.
    Glancing up, she met the Indian’s gaze, and was sorry she had—those eyes were like black holes, sharp and cutting, and devoid of human feeling. She would receive no mercy from him.
    Marianna cringed when he drew the paddle out of the water and hit her a stunning blow to the stomach.
    She lay in the bottom of the canoe, unable to move, lost in utter pain and dread. She felt bile rise in her throat and swallowed it back down. Slowly the world tilted and she closed her eyes, trying to right it.
    Then she pitched forward into darkness once more.
    When Marianna regained consciousness, her first thoughts were of Lillian and Susan. Easing herself upward, she fought against another bout of nausea. Reaching into the water, she splashed her face and then cupped her hands and took a drink. When she could focus, Marianna turned to the canoe beside her and saw Lillian huddled in the bottom.
    Moving her head was an effort for Marianna because the movement shot pain through her. But she had to know Susan was all right. Slowly looking over her shoulder, she was relieved to see Susan in the third canoe back.
    They were all still alive—at least for the moment.
    Marianna didn’t want to think about the people who had died in the raid, but she couldn’t help herself. Widow Harkin and Lillian’s mother were the only bodies she’d seen. She felt pity for Lillian’s loss. But then, perhaps those who had died were the fortunate ones.
    Hopelessness overwhelmed her. There was very little chance that they would be rescued. The Indians would expect to be followed, and had probably made plans to mislead anyone trying to overtake them.
    In despair, Marianna closed her eyes and finally fell asleep. Sometime later the roar of the Great Falls awakened her, and she realized the Indians were rowing toward shore.
    Marianna was ruthlessly jerked to her feet and yanked out of the canoe. Trying to stifle a cry of pain, she stood trembling as several of the Indians smashed the canoes and sank them to the bottom of the river. Any thought of rescue plummeted when other Indians emerged from the woods leading horses.
    Susan suddenly appeared beside Marianna, and clasped her hand. There was a deep gash on Susan’s forehead and one eye was swollen shut. “Are you all right?” Marianna asked.
    Lillian inched toward the other two. “None of us are,” she said woefully. “They are going to kill us all.”
    “I don’t think so,” Susan remarked in a quiet tone, but Marianna guessed she was merely trying to ease their fears. “Otherwise why would they have brought us this far? It doesn’t make sense.”
    “Then they’ll rape us all, which would be worse,” Lillian whined.
    “Lillian, I’m so sorry about your mother,” Marianna said, reaching toward the young woman.
    Lillian’s chin quivered. “Why should you care? Your aunt and uncle are still alive.”
    Susan shook her head. “This morning I was