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Would she die immediately, or slowly bleed to death?
She wanted to shout at him that it was wrong to kill her. She was innocent of any wrongdoing against him or his people.
But she couldn’t.
She would not beg, not even for her life, for she would never forget the courage of the old man as he stood in the parade grounds being whipped, too dignified and proud to ask the soldiers to stop.
She would be just as dignified and proud!
She would show this young chief that she would never beg for mercy, not even at that moment when he touched her scalp with that horrid, sharp knife!
Her eyes widened in wonder when he began talking about his people, surely in an effort to distract her from what he was doing.
Candy tried hard to look attentive, while all along her heart was crying out to him to set her free!
She could ride to the next fort and seek refuge there. If Two Eagles agreed to let her go, she would promise not to tell anyone that it was he who had massacred everyone except herself at Fort Hope.
But she knew that her words would be wasted. She had to patiently wait to see what her final fate would be.
“The Wichita women are tilling the fields today around the plants that will soon be harvested,” Two Eagles said nonchalantly.
How could he be so casual about what was happening in this tepee, as though Candy were there just to be talked with, instead of his enemy and captive.
“After the final harvest of our corn, there is a great feast,” Two Eagles said as he went back to sharpening his knife. The blade occasionally caught the light of the fire, sending its glow into Candy’s eyes. “Corn is my people’s main food. It is sacred and called aitra, which means ‘mother.’ There is an ancient legend telling that when the plants fail to come up, the Wichita people will cease to exist.”
That made Candy’s eyes widen even more. She was surprised that these people’s lives seemed to be dictated by superstition. She listened, her curiosity making her momentarily forget her fear.
“When the first
shoot of corn comes up, an old woman goes there to perform a rite of thanksgiving over the plant,” he said. “She rubs the plant with her hands in blessing, saying, ‘Oh, big bow,’ which means corn stalk. Then she rubs a baby with her hands in a similar fashion, passing on the blessing from the plant to the child.”
He paused, smiled at Candy, then said, “Everyone is happy at the sight of the first plant.”
Candy was unable to sit still any longer. What he was telling her was interesting enough, but the constant sharpening of the knife finally unnerved and unraveled her.
“Go ahead!” she cried. “Scalp me! Get it over with! I can’t stand it any longer. Oh, please, just . . . do it . . .”
Two Eagles stopped and stared in disbelief at Candy. He was stunned that she actually thought he was going to scalp her.
But as he thought about it, he understood her fear.
There he was, sharpening his blade and occasionally looking at her beautiful hair. He could not help admiring the golden tresses. Surely it would feel like corn silk to the touch. He wanted so badly to run his fingers through it.
And he would.
Soon.
He would lay the locks he cut from her head in his hands. . . .
Suddenly Candy’s attention was drawn to a commotion outside.
When someone shouted that a wolf had entered the village, Candy and Two Eagles exchanged quick glances.
Laying the knife and razor strop aside, far enough away that Candy could not get to them, Two Eagles held the entrance flap aside. Outside, everyone was moving aside as a wolf with singed fur and burned paws came limping toward the tepee. The creature did not act wild at all, but meek; it ducked its head and kept its tail tucked between its hind legs, only occasionally glancing up at Two Eagles.
Two Eagles knelt and reached his hand out to the injured wolf. It seemed to be coming to him, but then suddenly leapt past him and rushed into the lodge.
Candy gasped. “Shadow! Oh, Shadow, you are alive!” she cried. “Oh, Shadow, you found me.”
