Beyond the Dream Catcher Read online

  "Y-yes, I'm sure you are hungry." She tried to smile, only the smile felt wooden. She wasn't sure who to trust but the old soldier seemed harmless.

  "Been smellin' that stew for a spell." He chuckled and took his hat off at the table. At least this man had manners.

  "There's plenty here," she smiled and served him. "How about the young soldier out there?"

  "He's standin' guard right now; he'll have his turn though."

  "Guard for what?" she insisted, her hand going to her hip.

  "Injuns, ma'am. They see us in here, they'll be back for a visit, I expect. They are like dogs; they see a blue uniform they go to barkin'," The Sergeant said. "That's why we have to pack up as soon as he can travel." He cast a glance at Chase. "This place will likely go to flames by tomorrow."

  Katherine's breath hitched. She couldn't think of it, her home, in flames.

  Katherine busied herself in the kitchen; Joshua came in, glanced around, and sat down at the table. He ate then went back outside.

  "He's a good kid, your brother?"

  "Yes, but after what he's been through, I no longer consider him a child."

  "Your folks...they dead?"

  "Yes. The fever took them."

  "I'm sorry ma'am. But...well, I don't understand you worryin' yourself over a half breed like that one in there, though ma'am," The Sergeant said, twirling the bread between his fingers. "After all, he's just a breed, more an animal than a man."

  "I disagree, he's a human being? He bleeds red blood, just as we do," she insisted and then looked outside to see Josh talking to the young soldier. When they walked toward the barn she returned her attention to the Sergeant. "I'd nurse him, even if he were full blooded Indian."

  "He's a breed...that ain't a man. Never had much use for his kind. Been through too many skirmishes, I guess." The Sergeant said matter-of-factly.

  "What kind is that, sir?" she asked.

  "Breeds, they turn on their Indian friends, help us soldiers. Seems almost wrong to turn on your own kind, if you know what I mean."

  "Maybe, but if he's a breed, as you say, isn't he part white too?" Katherine said trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice.

  "Got me there, ma'am." The Sergeant chuckled. He seemed to study the statement a while then added, "Never looked at it that way before. Guess you're right. Yeah, I reckon they could be pulled in two directions at once."

  "It's merely the Christian thing to do, sir," she replied, and cast Chase a quick glance.

  The Sergeant ate two plates full of stew, stretched, and put his hat on. Sweat marks ringed his hat, and a hole decorated the top.

  "Indians put that hole in your hat?"

  "Yes ma'am. Guess I was lucky that time. Better relieve the kid a spell. Thanks ma'am, that stew was the best I've eaten in some time." He smiled a toothless grin.

  Katherine smiled and this time it was genuine. "My Ma's recipe."

  He gave her a look, glanced at Chase, and went outside. The younger soldier came in, finished his meal, and didn't say one word. He wasn't much older than Josh, Katherine noted. Thin and auburn haired, he looked baked from the sun.

  Katherine watched him closely. Where was his family? Why had he joined the army so young?

  As he was about to leave he turned and looked at them both. Chase pretended sleep.

  "We'll be beddin' down outside, ma'am. Thanks for the grub. If you need anything, you just give us a holler."

  "Thank you and you're welcome, I'll get some blankets." she insisted, "It gets a might cold outside in the night."

  He was about to open the door when an arrow flew past him through the window. He scrambled for cover, shoving her to the floor, and slamming the door shut while taking out his gun.

  Hell suddenly broke loose as a loud yelp and arrows pierced the wood of the station. The sound was deafening. Chase glanced at Katherine once, to assure himself she was safe then began to eye his target. He rose from the bed in one leap.

  The young soldier turned his gun on him, "What's this?"

  But Chase easily took the gun from the young man and held it at his chin. "They would not have come, if you had not been here. You have put these two in danger. But rest assured, from now on I'll give the commands, understood?"

  "Y-yes sir," the young soldier grimaced as the gun barrel tickled his throat.

  "They are after the rest of the horses and the bluecoats. So we must leave here, tonight."

  He knew and recognized the Indians. He took aim slowly and squeezed the trigger as though it pained him to do it.

  Katherine watched, waited, breathless.

  Then an arrow pierced the collar of her dress, and she hung from the corner of the wall where it pinned her. She didn't scream, didn't make a peep. She waited. Too afraid to say or do anything. Too relieved to find she was still alive.

  ***

  Chase fired and killed several of the Comanche as they came toward the cabin. With each killing his shoulders bunched. It was a hard thing to do, to be friends and almost like kin to them, then to turn around and kill them. It wasn't right, but there was a lot in the world that wasn't right.

  The older soldier was fatally wounded. He slumped against the front of the door as it slowly swung open.

  The first raid left Chase exhausted from holding them off, but there was little time to rest when he knew it was only a brush of death for Joshua.

  Sneaking out the back door, he waited for his moment to get to the barn. Only when he was sure there were no Comanche, did he enter

  An arrow pierced Joshua's chest. Letting loose the horses Chase grabbed Joshua and hauled him over his shoulder running quietly to the cabin. As he entered the cabin once more, he practically threw Joshua on the floor when he saw Katherine pinned to the wall with an arrow. Afraid for her, he went to her side to pull the arrow from her dress. She sank to the floor and leaned against him.

  For only a moment, there was stillness between them that seemed to awaken them. Aware of each other, they knew they could not act upon their thoughts too.

  His instinct to have this woman emerged and for a split second he was tempted to cradle her in his arms and comfort her. Yet knowing this would only weaken her, he kept himself away and nodded. "You are all right."

  "Yes, I'm fine," She murmured, her cheek grazing his in the process. He heard her breath hitch, and for a split second they shared a moment of knowing. His smile was warm and his gentleness appreciated.

  Chase looked at Joshua, who was losing blood quickly.

  He loosened a small pouch from around his neck and handed it to Katherine. "Use the tobacco to stop the bleeding."

  The young soldier watched out the window.

  He seemed torn between helping Chase and knowing his own duty.

  ***

  Seeing her brother's wound she gasped and immediately went about nursing him as Chase watched at the window.

  "They're gone," he announced as he turned back to them. "They won't be back for a while."

  "Good," Katherine whispered as she continued to clean her brother's wound. The arrow was still in his shoulder.

  Chase bent and handed him a piece of leather, "Bite it," he instructed.

  Josh bit then collapsed as Chase broke off the end of the arrow and pulled the arrow from him.

  Katherine grew faint but she cleaned the wound, her hands shaking as she bandaged him with cloth from her slip.

  Chase must have noticed for he covered her hands with his own, as their eyes met briefly, and he nodded. "You are a strong woman."

  She almost smiled this time.

  "We must leave here, soon." Chase ordered.

  "We can't, I can't." Katherine wailed. "Joshua is hurt. He can't travel."

  "They will burn us out." Chase announced.

  "Burn us out...?" Annoyance and apprehension mingled as she stared at him. The soldiers had said the same thing. It must be the truth.

  "Get whatever you can carry, food, supplies, clothes and we will leave when it is dar
k," Chase said firmly.

  Joshua looked at his sister with something akin to regret.

  "He's right. We gotta get outta here," Josh cried out to her.

  The young soldier looked at him. "And me, what about me?"

  "You will have to come with us, my friend.(,)" Chase rasped. "There is little choice— it is that, or be killed."

  "The troops will be looking for me tomorrow when I don't show up," he reminded them.

  "Maybe, or maybe they'll assume we didn't make it," Chase replied, collecting their guns and rolling them up in a blanket.

  "If they find us, I'll be marked as a deserter…."

  "Desertion is still better than death…" Chase said and stared into the young soldiers eyes. "But it's your choice."

  The soldier nodded as the color drained from his face. Reluctantly he made his choice.

  "Prepare yourself for a long journey," Chase demanded of them all.

  "Where will we go?" Katherine asked her voice unsteady.

  "Far away from here," he sighed, "so prepare and rest until I tell you we must go."

  Katherine looked at Josh, then around her. She knew she could no longer stay here and it saddened her to leave her folks.

  But she had to think about Josh now.

  Chapter Twelve

  The night was much louder than Katherine had ever imagined. Crickets and grasshoppers warred for territorial rights of the barren land, as eager buzzards circled above, waiting. The only beauty was the velvet blanket of stars on the horizon, in a nearly moonless sky.

  An owl hooted from somewhere distant and the lonely howl of a wolf awakened Katherine to the new fears.

  Prairie dog holes covered the dusty earth beneath them.

  Chase had fashioned a neatly tied knapsack on each of them so they could equally carry the supplies they would need.

  Katherine had donned her mothers boots she used to garden in. They would come in handy for they rode high on her legs to help protect her from the scratches of brush. Her long skirt still splattered with blood swept against the parched land. She brought leather gloves for her hands, in case they became raw or blistered.

  Hours passed, as the land swallowed them up, and only the stars and bright moon lit their pathway. The air barely stirred. Tumbleweeds brushed against each other, as they walked for what seemed like forever. The earth was still hot from the burning day, Katherine’s feet ached, but she would not complain. She was alive after all.

  Long before daybreak Josh slumped to the ground, unable to go on. Chase didn’t hesitate to lift him up to his shoulder and carried him like a sack of potatoes, adjusting his backpack so he could carry both. Katherine marveled at his strength and endurance.

  She worried about her brother, noting the extreme loss of blood, and the paleness of his face and eyes. She couldn't bare thinking about anything happening to him. It would be unthinkable to lose him, so she pressed onward, not dwelling on the possibilities.

  The soldier lagged behind her, looking backwards most of the time. No one followed. At least no Indians or soldiers followed. But Katherine had a feeling someone was following, someone she hadn't told Chase about.

  Prairie dog holes made it difficult to travel without stumbling. Chase glanced over his shoulder at her several times when she grunted from their traps.

  "Follow my steps. Stay up the best you can. There are snakes, and prairie dog holes everywhere."

  "Snakes?" she shrieked, gasping for breath.

  "Follow in my steps, and you will be safe." He watched her with amusement. "You killed one at the station…you told the Captain you did, and now you are afraid of them?"

  "I did, but I…" she couldn't find the words to explain.

  "You were not yourself, perhaps?"

  "Perhaps…but how do you know if I follow your steps I will be safe?" She beckoned.

  "It is not important, how I know, but that I know."

  "Is Josh all right?" She asked through the stillness of the night.

  "He’s lost a lot of blood. We will stop at the first light and I will tend his wound. You will rest then. We will not travel by day, only by night."

  "But couldn’t we see better by day?" The soldier protested.

  "We do not need to see, for I know the way. Besides, the Comanche could see us better if we traveled during the day. They could pick us off easy. We don't want to give them the advantage…"

  "And where are we going?" The soldier asked as he caught up to Chase. His concern was real.

  Chase turned to look at him again, his face a mask. "We go to the north, to my people."

  The soldier stopped, obviously warring with his own decisions. "What people? You're taking us from one renegade camp to another?"

  "If you wish not to go, then you can stay here. But I don't advise it," Chase replied, seeing the soldiers face change. "I am Shawnee; we go to the Shawnee village to the north."

  "Shawnee…"

  There was a silence between them.

  "Why didn't you just leave me back there?" Depression colored his voice.

  "Because the Comanche will burn the station. Your men have been there, they know this. They will not let it stand. They must destroy it, so no more soldiers will come. At least that's their way of thinking; they don't understand how persistent the white man is. They would kill you." Chase smiled at him. "And you would die for nothing."

  "Why is Shawnee better than Comanche?" Katherine's curiosity peeked.

  "They are my people, they do not harm their own people. They will give us what we need. You do not remember that the Shawnee sides with the north and is their ali? Chase's glance slid to the soldier.

  "But I'm a southerner," the young soldier said as if he needed to explain. "That makes the Shawnee sorta an enemy, now don't it?"

  "Maybe so, but you still wear the bluecoat uniform. So for now we are on the same side, and we do not fight each other." Chase smiled.

  "How do we know you aren't taking us to the Comanche camp?" The soldier asked staring at him.

  "Stop it…stop it! Don't you understand he saved you from being killed back there? We will go with you," Katherine said quite finally casting the young soldier a quick frown that dared him to argue...

  "You don't understand, lady. The minute I came with you, I became a deserter in the eyes of the army." The soldier said hanging his head, "Desertion is a hangin' offense. So if I seem hostile, it's because I know what I could face…back there."

  "You didn't desert, but you are right, in their eyes, yes, you did." Chase nodded solemnly. "However, there are circumstances of life and death, Corporal, and this is one of them," Chase affirmed.

  And then they saw it, flames and a wall of smoke rose from the south. Katherine nodded woodenly, "Let's go," she cried unable to voice her feelings any longer…

  The soldier stood there staring at the fire for a long time then slowly began to follow them. Obviously resigned to his fate.

  They walked for miles it seemed, until their feet would not go any further. They practically fell to the ground when they stopped. Hot, tired, and thirsty, no one could move for a few minutes.

  Chase laid Josh down easy like on the ground, and gave him water. Then he glanced up at Katherine and handed it to her. She drank greedily at first, then slowed and handed it back to him. Chase gave the soldier a drink, and then glanced at them.

  "Do not look about, do not show alarm, but we are being followed, but not by the bluecoats yet, nor the Comanche. We have a new enemy it would seem."

  Katherine felt a chill run up her spine. Hawks! Would he continue to stalk her forever? Whatever did he want with her?

  The soldier heard and came forward. "Who then?"

  Chase stared at Katherine. "I do not know…but I'm sure she knows." Chase stared at her with open curiosity.

  ***

  The soldier ran up to her, "Who is it?"

  "His name is Hawks," She muttered as her face flamed under his scrutiny. "He was a friend of my fathers. I think."

>   "Friends do not stalk," Chase added with a smirk.

  "What does he want?" the soldier questioned, his voice curt and harsh.

  "I don't know for sure," she said and turned away, smothering a sob. Her throat was so dry, her tongue seemed to scratch it.

  "You are promised to him?" Chase asked, his face questioning her.

  "No. He was my father's friend. Not mine. Not Josh's. I suppose he's watching after Josh and me. I don't know…," she admitted and hung her head. "He's been watching us for some time. Even back at the station. We don't know what he wants. He came to warn us about Buffalo Hump and his raids. But why he watches, I don't know."

  "And what was your father's business with him?" Chase asked still doctoring Josh, but intently waiting for her answer.

  "I don't know. I supposed from the bits and pieces I picked up on his visit that my father and him were in some kind of business together. He's been around since my father died, never saying much, just around." She shivered. "I don't understand it."

  ***

  Chase got to his feet and came to stand before her, "Are you afraid of him?"

  "Yes, I'd be a fool not to be. He's very shrewd. He just keeps waiting as though for the right time. As though I'm the fool and will fall into his trap. And yet, I don't know what kind of trap he holds."

  "You must never show fear," Chase said, pulling her chin up. "When one has an enemy, the worst thing you can do is show fear. Then they have the advantage," Chase cautioned.

  Katherine nodded.

  The soldier listened and nodded, "He's right about that. Captain said the same thing, to all of us in his detail."

  "I didn't think he'd follow us after all the shooting at the station." She cringed. "He certainly didn't swoop down to help. The Tyler boys said they'd help if we needed it. But no one came to our aid…."

  "He wants something, Katherine." Chase nodded. "And before we're through, we will know what it is."

  When she visibly shivered, Chase looked at her and smiled. "Do not worry, he is only one old man, and he's not even Indian."