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Running out into the clear, clean air of night, Jolena moved relentlessly onward, knowing she must put much distance between herself and Two Ridges. When he came to and found her gone, he would surely not leave a stone unturned to find her again.
And if he found her, what then?
Would he kill her?
Or continue where he had left offand rape her?
Both thoughts sent chills racing up and down her spine.
"His horse!" she cried. "Why didn't I think to get his horse?"
But she had been too eager to get as far from him as she could, and since she had not seen the horse, it had not come to her mind to take it.
Stopping to draw the blanket over her shoulders, she looked in all directions, wondering which route would get her to civilization the fastest.
Fort Chance was many miles away, and she knew not where the Blackfoot village might be.
It truly didn't matter which way she went. Spotted Eagle would not be there.
She gazed through a break in the trees overhead and stared at the flecks of stars blinking down at her. "Oh, Lord, why did this have to happen?" she prayed. "Why was I allowed to fall so madly in love, and then have to learn how to live without him? Why, Lord? What have I done to deserve this?"
She lowered her eyes and gazed cautiously around her. The only sounds were frogs fairly cracking the air with their noise. The night was filled with a queer, luminous darkness. It was like velvet, soft yet heavy, but the moonlight enabled her to dimly see the different objects all around her.
The forest, always a thing of mystery at night, stood as though ready to enfold her within its dark arms, chilling her with terror at the prospect of never being found.
She shuddered at the thought of being attacked by a panther, wolf, or bear. A coyote's sudden long howl from somewhere in the distance startled Jolena into a mad run. She stumbled through the darkness, soon discovering that all the forces of nature seemed pitted against her. The bushes were so close-set that they tangled her progress slowed to that of a snail. When she stepped from the forest onto a stretch of open meadow, only then could she run again as the moon now lighted the mountains looming ahead of her.
Tears streamed down her cheeks again at the thought of the sheer drop from the cliff that had taken the lives of so many.
"Spotted Eagle," she cried mournfully aloud, her voice echoing back at her, hauntingly over and over again.
A horse whinnying stirred Two Ridges awake. He blinked his eyes nervously and reached a hand to his throbbing head, suddenly recalling what had happened.
Angry at himself for allowing a mere woman to take advantage of him, he moved quickly to his feet.
The fire was almost out. Smoldering ashes gave off only enough light for Two Ridges to see that he was quite alone.
He kicked at some loose rock at his feet. "She escaped!" he hissed between clenched teeth. " Hai-yah, she escaped!"
Dizzy from a severe headache, Two Ridges stumbled through the gray darkness until he found his horse, which had been secured in the farther depths of the cave, where a stream meandered into the cavern through cracks and crevices.
Flinging his saddle onto his horse, Two Ridges tried to decide what he must do. If he didn't find Jolena before Spotted Eagle found her, she would tell Spotted Eagle everything!
Taking the reins, he led his horse through the dank darkness of the cave. To keep his honor intact, Two Ridges knew, either Spotted Eagle or Jolena must die. Or both.
Frowning, he led his horse out into the open space where daylight was breaking along the horizon. Swinging himself into the saddle, he knew that he would be killing whomever he came across first, whether it was his long-time friend or the woman who he now knew would never be his.
He sank his heels into the flanks of his horse and rode into the shadows of the forest.
Chapter Twenty
The loss of her brother and Spotted Eagle lying heavy on her heart, Jolena walked aimlessly onward, relieved that it was now daylight so it would be easier for her to keep watch for dangerous animals. In her mind's eye, she kept reliving the night the panther had stalked her.
But Spotted Eagle had been there for her then!
Now she was solely dependant on herself. She hoped she would come upon travelers or perhaps even find herself in a Blackfoot village.
Bone- tired and sleepy, Jolena found it hard to move one foot ahead of the other. She was traveling through a wilderness that was not easily traversed. If she wasn't going through dark forests with close thickets and rapid streams, she was walking along cliffs with sheer drop-offs and wildly flung rocks.
