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He cast Fire Thunder a mischievous smile over his shoulder as he rode away toward his lodge, his wife clinging to him.
“Black Hair, I am going into San Carlos to see the woman again,” Fire Thunder said as he grabbed up his reins. He looked over at Black Hair. “Perhaps you should come, also. You might find you as intriguing a lady.”
“One woman in my lodge is enough,” Black Hair grumbled. “But I will ride with you. It might be interesting to see the woman’s reaction to seeing you.”
“While in San Carlos, we can also see if our women and children’s chilies are selling,” Fire Thunder said to Black Hair. “We can later escort them home.”
As they made their way down the mountainside on the rocky, uneven path, their hearts were happy . . . until they came upon their women and children returning from San Carlos way too soon. One look at their faces told Fire Thunder that things weren’t right. Everyone was quiet and troubled. They lowered their eyes as Fire Thunder and Black Hair drew tight rein before them.
His blood pumping cold through his veins, sensing something terribly wrong here, Fire Thunder looked hurriedly among the crowd for his sister, and Good Bear.
His stomach tightened with fear when he saw neither of them.
“Where is my sister?” he finally asked, his voice trembling as fear mounted within him. “Where is Good Bear?”
There was a prolonged silence, and then one of the women stepped forth. “Both are gone,” she said, her voice quaking.
Feeling as though someone was squeezing his gut, Fire Thunder couldn’t speak for a moment. Then words came to him so quickly, hardly anyone could understand him.
He demanded answers. He demanded their attention. He ordered them not to be cowards now when his sister had disappeared.
The same woman explained that they had been peddling their chilies when suddenly they realized that Good Bear and Little Sparrow were not among them. They had immediately searched for them.
When they could not find them, they had gone to the Mexican authorities. They had searched then with them. The search stopped where the carnival had been pitched. It had disappeared, it seemed, right before their eyes.
The blame then seemed cast on the carnival people, but the Mexican authorities said it was not their duty to go farther than their town to search for Indian children. They told them to go to their chief and tell him. It was his job to see that his children were all right, not the Mexicans’.
An instant rage filled Fire Thunder. He was beside himself with anger and grief over his sister’s disappearance. “The carnival,” he shouted. “I must find the carnival!”
He turned to his people. “Go to the village,” he ordered. “Tell many warriors to come quickly to my aid. Black Hair and I will head for San Carlos, and then we will be on our way to find the carnival once we find their trail out of San Carlos.”
He rode off with Black Hair.
When they reached San Carlos, they went to the site where the carnival had been pitched.
Fire Thunder saw tracks made by the many wagons, and the direction in which they were headed. He and Black Hair followed the tracks.
Fire Thunder’s mind went to the beautiful lady whom he had seen with the carnival caravan. If Little Sparrow and Good Bear had been forced to travel with the carnival, did that mean that the beautiful woman approved of kidnapping innocent children?
His very soul burned with the need for revenge, even if it was against the lady whose petiteness and pantherish eyes had touched his heart.
Fire Thunder vowed to himself that he would kill her as easy as looking at her if she was, in part, responsible for the abduction of his beloved sister!
Kaylene was glad when the caravan stopped for the night. She had already bathe
d, eaten, and was ready to go to bed beside the outdoor fire, but had not been able to get the small Indian girl off her mind. She hadn’t seen her since that one time in Magnolia’s tent. Everytime she asked about her, her father told her that the child was being cared for by Magnolia. The child was bringing something to Magnolia’s life. Leave her be. Let her enjoy it.
Wanting to check on her welfare before retiring for the night, Kaylene, in her cotton nightgown, slipped away from the others and ran to Magnolia’s wagon. It was dark. She had to guess that Magnolia was already asleep.
But that would not stop Kaylene.
“Magnolia?” she said, sticking her head through the opening at the back of the wagon. “It’s me. Kaylene. I’ve come to see the child. Please let me.”
“She ain’t here,” Magnolia said, her voice thick with alarm. “Go away, child. Leave me be.”
“I thought . . .” Kaylene said, then stiffened when she heard a soft whimpering coming from somewhere close by.
She turned and peered into the darkness, the campfire giving off just enough light for Kaylene to make out something in the dark....
