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When he stayed still so long, the Comanche believed him dead. The Comanche seemed satisfied they killed everyone, since there was no return fire. They hadn't swarmed the shack. They left the area and Chase approached the shack with caution. It was too quiet. Something was wrong. He could almost smell it in the air.
He silently opened the door. He figured to hear voices, to see movement, but there was nothing. Something wasn't right and Chase knew to be cautious.
"Katherine," he called. There was no answer. This disturbed him, because as concerned as she was of his leaving, he knew she would be at the back door, waiting and watching. But she was not there.
He held his gun ready as he moved into the kitchen. He spotted the Captain on the floor first, motionless. His eyes scanned the room through the darkness. He bent to examine him. There was a goose egg size bruise and a slight cut but he'd be okay. Chase took his bandana out and wrapped it around the wound. He offered him water from the canteen he'd found on the counter. There was still no noise and an eerie feeling assailed him.
Chase moved quietly on into the room and found Lee, a gunshot wound oozing blood from his side. He bent to help him. Someone had spit tobacco on the floor and Chase rushed to gather it to stop the bleeding. He glanced around for something to plug the hole in Lee's side. There was nothing but dirty old rags on the floor. He couldn't use those because they would infect the wound. He ripped one of Lee's sleeves open and tore the material, Lee stirred but wasn't quite awake yet.
"Lee, can you hear me?" there was no answer, but as he tried to plug the hole, Lee stirred.
Chase bandaged them as best he could. He wasn't concerned about the Captain, but Lee and Josh were hurt badly. He had to know for sure what happened. Lee's wound was more serious. He'd lost a lot of blood, for it still dripped onto the floor. There was more blood, but it splattered the wall. Chase couldn't be sure if it was from Lee's wound or not.
Lee was the first to come to. "What's happened here?" Chase asked as Lee drifted in and out of consciousness.
"Don't know…all I remember is Hawks hitting the Captain."
"Hawks…" Chase muttered the name like an evil presence.
He knew instinctively Katherine was alive, for he had the dream. Burning Tree sent it and he knew. It shocked him how in his dream he had taken Katherine, so innocent, and she was so willing. But Burning Tree had broken a Shawnee law to do it. Marriage was sacred to the Shawnee. A woman taken before marriage was disgraced. Still it brought them together, whether for marriage or only to help the people, he did not know. He knew her.
He would know if anything happened to her, he would feel it.
Perhaps the dream was the only way Burning Tree could tell Chase she was still alive and well. That made sense. These were desperate times and a magic long forgotten kept them tied to one another.
Knowing Katherine was alive was enough, he would take care of the others.
But putting away the dream was near impossible. At first he was shocked at how real it all was. It saved him, for had he not been knocked down by the intensity of the dream, he could never remain that still. Because he knew he had touched her in that dream, he had made her his. And in such a short time too. He remembered how embarrassed she was when she woke in his arms. He saw her burning cheeks. She had the dream then. But he had not known it then. How strange this power Burning Tree used.
It came to him after he left her. It was so unexpected, and yet, he saw the need of it. Through those dreams he could keep in touch with her, make sure she was all right. He needed to concentrate on how to help the wounded here and get them to safety, not the whimsical dreams he and Katherine shared.
Josh moaned aloud and Chase went to his side, "Josh, can you hear me?"
"Yeah, I hear you." Josh tried to open his eyes. His glanced around the room though, as though he didn't know where he was or what had happened. His voice was weak now. He'd had nothing to eat, little to drink, and his wound was open now. Chase saw it and grimaced. Josh was in bad shape. "Where's…"
"Hawks has her." Chase tried to keep him from talking, from straining.
Josh's eyes widened with fear. "What…what for…"
"I will take care of Katherine, never fear. But you, can you stand, are you better?"
Josh shook his head, "No…I think I'm done in…"
"Josh, hang on, please, for your sister's sake, hang on," Chase pleaded. "I don't think she could stand to lose you."
"I can't. I want to, I don't want to die, but…" Josh whispered as tears fell down his cheek unchecked, now pulling on Chase's arm he bent to hear.
"Oh, God…Chase…you…gotta tell her…"
"Tell her what?" Chase asked holding Josh closer to hear his words.
Josh's eyes glazed over several times but he looked desperate to tell Chase something.
"She ain't …she ain't…white…" Josh cried, tears rolling down his cheek once more. "Least not all white…."
"What are you saying, Josh?" Chase's face screwed up into a frown. How could Josh know this?
"Ma…told me…"
