Karina Halle - Donners of the Dead

“Can you tell me what happened to him?”

He blew out a ring of smoke so that it floated up to the ceiling. He watched it in silence. The cabin was deafening, suffocating, because of it. I needed to know.

“Your father,” he said slowly, “was a great man. Very generous, very friendly. If you ever had a problem, you could go to Yahuski. He would help you. Perhaps because he was nice and giving and everyone liked him, there were a few that did not. When he met your mother, a few members of the tribe were angry. They told him he could never come back. He chose your mother—he chose love—instead of those who would rather see him banished, despite all the good he had done. And so, he left. He went to go live with your mother. He then had you. From the reports of a few of his tribe who would go into town to barter, he had a good life.”

“He was happy,” I told him as lush memories of my father rolled through me.

“And some people don’t want other people to be happy,” said Dicutta. “Your father went on an expedition through these mountains, looking for lost cattle. He was ambushed by a couple of his tribesfolk. Men who were bitter. Angry. Jealous. They took everything he had and killed him. I am very sorry, Eve. Very sorry for your loss.”

I was stunned. I sat there, blinking, trying to take it all in. Avery squeezed my arm again, and though I was glad for his comfort, I wanted Jake to provide it instead.

“So he never became a monster?” I asked.

Dicutta shook his head. “No. Men are the real monsters here. They often are.”

I needed time to process all of it, but I was already feeling a strange sense of relief. I had never believed my father would come waltzing back into my life; in my own way I had already grieved for his death. But now I knew. Now I had answers. As sad and unfair as it was that his life was taken out of jealousy, I could put my aching heart to rest.

Dicutta watched me closely for a couple of long minutes, the fire crackling between us, before he finished up his pipe then slowly got to his feet, making his way over to Jake to check on him.

I was about to inquire how he was when Dicutta silently waved me over.

Avery helped me to my feet, and I went to Jake’s side, already feeling stronger thanks to the venison and pine nuts.

I stood beside Dicutta, finding out that I was nearly a foot taller than the old man. We peered down at Jake who was slowly moving his mouth back and forth, eyes fluttering and brows pressed together. Dicutta took my hand and placed it on Jake’s heart.

“This is where you belong,” he said. I felt the heat of Jake’s skin and the steady beat of his heart underneath my palm. “He is your tribe.” I looked down at Dicutta. His eyes twinkled. He walked away, leaving me and Jake alone. I could see him motioning to Avery to give us space.

I kept my hand to Jake’s heart, the steady pulse bringing me more peace. With my father gone and my heritage mixed, I never felt like I belonged anywhere. Now I knew—I belonged with Jake. We were a tribe of two, but a tribe all the same. Two broken people looking for their place in the world and finding each other. Dicutta could see that. It was time I saw it too.

Jake’s head rolled to the right and his mouth opened. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but I was thrilled he was in some form of consciousness.

I leaned down and whispered in his ear while pressing lightly on his heart, “Jake, it’s Eve. Can you hear me?”

He mumbled something.

“Jake? Do you know where you are?”

“Pine nuts,” he murmured.

“What?”

He turned his lips toward my ear. “You smell like pine nuts. Pine Nut.”

I pulled back and saw him grinning lazily at me, his eyes tired but shining.

A huge smile stretched across my face. “You’re going to be okay. You collapsed but these nice Paiutes took care of you. Avery is alive too!”

“Well I’ll be…” he remarked. He took his hand, and with some effort placed it on top of mine. His heartbeat tickled my fingertips. He stared up at me, his eyes searching mine, filled with something I couldn’t describe but felt all the same. “I wasn’t ready to leave you.”

“And I wasn’t ready to leave you.”

He managed a sly grin. “I imagine it would be hard to leave me after that time in the cave.”

I gasped, trying not to laugh, and smacked him lightly across his taut stomach. With burning cheeks, I looked over my shoulder to see if Avery or Dicutta had noticed but they were busy talking to the others on the far side of the cabin and preparing some food.

I looked back at him, shaking my head. “Jake McGraw, you are incorrigible.” I quickly gave him a kiss on the forehead.

He coughed with a wince then said, “If being incorrigible is what it takes to get you to kiss me, you may have a problem on your hands.”

I let out a small laugh and reached for his hand. I squeezed it and looked deeply into his eyes, hoping I could tell him how I felt without saying it.

From the soft nod he gave in return, I knew he understood me.

“You won’t believe your eyes, Eve. I’m serious,” Avery said as he yanked at my arm, pulling me out of the cabin and into the golden sunshine.

“All right, all right,” I told him with a smile, picking up on his strange enthusiasm. It was the third day of us staying in the cabin with Dicutta and the Paiutes. Jake was almost good as new but Dicutta wanted him and I to rest up for another day. We had a long walk ahead of us to get down to River Bend and we needed the extra care and nourishment to feel better.

I had just been having a bowl of broth with Jake and Dicutta when Avery burst into the cabin, telling me he had something to show me. I exchanged an inquisitive glance with Jake but got up and followed Avery.

“What is it?” I asked. It was late afternoon and we were finally having a bout of good weather after two days of drizzle and mist.

“Winneca found something,” he said, pulling me to a stop. Winneca ended up being the name of the unsmiling arrow man. I still didn’t know what to make of him, but it was apparent that he and Avery were on a first name basis.

“What did—” I began. I trailed off as soon as I smelled her.

Sadie!

She whinnied at the sight of me as Winneca led her out of the aspen trees and toward us. Behind him were Ali the mule and Avery’s horse, Pigeon. Though it was heartbreaking what happened to Trouble, I assumed the same thing had happened to my horse. I was absolutely overjoyed to see her, and from the way she nuzzled me, I think she felt the same.

I suppose she was on her way back home when she found the other horses, and then together Winneca found them. Though he never smiled when I thanked him, I’d forever be indebted to him.

The next day, the three of us set out to find our way back home. I gave Jake Sadie, despite his insistence that I shouldn’t pander to him, and rode Ali instead. Dicutta and his men gave a heartfelt goodbye, and I promised him to keep myself safe during the journey. I also wanted to promise that I’d see him again, but the truth was I knew I wouldn’t. If the three of us got back to River Bend, there was no way I would stick around the town, let alone head back into the Sierra Nevadas. Though I hadn’t discussed it further with Jake, I knew that my life belonged with him, and our lives would be led somewhere far away from this land.

The thought of starting my life over was exciting. As we rode away from the Paiute camp and found the wagon ruts heading east, I wanted more than anything to talk to Jake in private. Though I knew we weren’t out of the woods yet—so to speak—we hadn’t had a real, moment of time together since we were alone in the cave. Everything after that special moment was a race against time, a battle against death.