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  In a land where shimmering plains sweep up into majestic snowcapped peaks, a people rose from humble beginnings to heroic stature. Among them were frontiersman Cleve Bennett and his Cheyenne warrior-wife, Second Son. When the left their boy, Billy-Wolf, in the care of a family among the Burning Heart Cheyenne, they never expected the tribe to be overrun by blood lusting whites. Though the young boy survived the massacre, even greater dangers await them all as they make a desperate attempt to find each other in a wild, untamed land where the threat of war burns as hot and fierce as a …

  FIRE ON THE PRAIRIE.

  MOUNTAIN MAJESTY 7: FIRE ON THE PRAIRIE

  By David L. Robbins writing as John Killdeer

  First published by Bantam Books in 1995

  Copyright © 1995, by Siegel and Siegel Ltd

  First Electronic Edition: January 2022

  Names, characters and incidents in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is purely coincidental. You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by means (electronic, digital, optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  This is a Piccadilly Publishing Book

  Editor: Mike Stotter

  Text © Piccadilly Publishing

  Published by Arrangement with the Author’s Agent.

  Chapter One

  SECOND SON, WARRIOR of the Burning Heart Band of the Tsistsistas, reined up and shifted to scan the wooded slopes behind her. For the better part of an hour she had felt that she and her mate were being followed, and now she was sure of it. “Someone is on our trail,” she said in her quiet way.

  Cleve Bennett, a powerful bear of a man whose golden mane starkly contrasted with his wife’s long black hair, also drew rein. Hefting the heavy bow in his left hand, he looked in the direction she was gazing and spied a pair of squawking ravens that had just taken wing. “Here we go again, I reckon. They’re as thick as fleas on an old coon dog.”

  His frustration was obvious, and Second Son could not blame him. Twice in the past week they had been forced to flee for their lives from hostile warriors.

  “I won’t be taken captive again,” Cleve vowed bitterly. “I would rather go down fighting.”

  “Our hearts are one,” Second Son said, for she, too, had keenly resented being held against her will throughout the long winter just past. Even though their captors had treated them decently, her spirit had craved freedom. She had almost forgotten what it was like to be able to do as she pleased, when she pleased. As so often happened, she’d had to learn one of life’s many lessons the hard way: freedom should never be taken for granted.

  “Let’s see if we can shake them,” Cleve proposed, and jabbed his heels into Socks. The sturdy horse broke into a trot.

  Second Son did the same with Shadow, her mare. To their left flowed the mighty Columbia River, to their right reared sheer heights. They were following a well-defined trail that paralleled the river and she could hear gurgling and hissing from a long stretch of rapids.

  Cleve looked over his broad shoulder but saw no sign of pursuit, as yet. He knew it was just a matter of time. Many coast tribes were hostile to whites. Others believed in the practice of slavery. He couldn’t wait to get shy of this country, to set eyes again on the majestic Rockies and the vast prairie he loved so well.

  Suddenly, a hundred yards to their rear, a sharp shout rang through the forest. An answering yell came from the right.

  It was Second Son who first spotted the riders, a half dozen or so passing through a gap in the cliffs. A glance behind showed more warriors, some on the trail, some weaving through the thick pines. She realized with a start that the ones to the south were trying to cut Cleave and her off. “There!” she cried out, pointing.

  Cleve took one look and goaded Socks to a gallop. He was beginning to think that joining the Beeville expedition to the Pacific had been the most harebrained notion he’d ever had. Between the hostiles and grizzlies and Spaniards, their life had become a series of deadly threats. He longed for the days when he could lounge around their lodge in the Tsistsistas camp and not have to worry about whether he would be alive to greet the next dawn.

  Second Son was trying to identify the warriors by their clothing and style of hair. In her own country, on the plains, it would be simple. The Arapaho liked to part their hair on each side and combed it straight up above their foreheads. Piegans loved to clip their bangs short and adorn themselves with colorful quills. The Absaroka were partial to two wide braids that hung in front of their shoulders, not behind.

  But this was not the prairie, and Second Son knew little of the many tribes scattered between the ocean and the Rockies. She had heard stories, yes, of the Wenatchis, the Spokans, the Yakimas, and others, but she did not know any of them on sight.

  A ridge appeared ahead. Cleve frowned on seeing the steep slope they must negotiate. It would slow them down, give their pursuers a chance to narrow the gap. He noticed his wife notching an arrow to her bowstring and did likewise, guiding his stallion by the pressure of his legs alone, a trick he had learned from his adopted people.

  Cleve thought of their son, of young Billy-Wolf Bennett, and wondered for the umpteenth time whether they would ever see him again. By now the boy must think them dead. It bothered Cleve immensely. His sole consolation was that Billy-Wolf was safe and sound with the Tsistsistas. His wife’s brother and nephew would take good care of the boy.

  The crack of a rifle shattered Cleve’s musing. One of the warriors had fired a fusil, an inferior trade gun no doubt received for prime plews. The man had wasted the lead. Hitting a target from the back of a racing horse was next to impossible.

  Second Son was more concerned about a burly warrior who had pulled ahead of the others and stood a good chance of intercepting them before they reached the base of the ridge. This one carried a bow, an arrow already notched to the sinew string, and it was plain he was just waiting for a clear shot to loose the shaft.

  The Tsistsistas knew how to use bows, too. Second Son held hers firmly in her left hand. She watched the burly man closely, and when he burst from the line of trees and whipped his bow up, she twisted and elevated hers.

  The warrior saw and grinned, as if he found the sight of a woman using a bow a source of amusement, even as he released his arrow.

  A heartbeat later Second Son let her own fly. She had no time to see if it scored, for his streaked toward her almost too fast for the eye to track. He was a skilled archer. The shaft came so close that it clipped Shadow’s tail. A few inches higher and it would have brought the mare down. The fact that the warrior had aimed at her horse and not at her told Second Son the war party intended to take them alive.

  Her own shaft sped true. The warrior tried to veer to the side, but he was too slow by half. To his credit, he did not yelp in pain when the tip of the shaft sheared into his shoulder. The impact jerked him around and he went tumbling over his mount’s rump.

  Second Son had another arrow ready before the man hit the ground. She would protect Yellow Hair’s back, even at the cost of her life, if need be. Several young warriors had been hard on the fallen man’s heels and would shortly be in bow or rifle range.

  Socks came to the slope and took it on the fly. Cleve checked to verify that his wife was right behind him, then lashed the reins to urge Socks steadily higher. If they could reach the top, he reasoned, they might be able to hold the warriors off.

/>   Small clods of soft earth and bits of grass shot out from under Socks’s pounding hooves, but Cleve paid little attention. Horses often sent dirt flying. In this instance, though, it would have paid Cleve to see where the clods were landing.

  Second Son flinched when one struck her on the cheek. She went to rein to the left, but some dirt hit her squarely in the eyes. In pure reflex she blinked, and the harm was done. It felt as if someone had poured sand under her lids. Suddenly tears welled up and her vision blurred. She was unable to see more than a few feet in front of her. As a result, she did not see the log until it was too late.

  The mare vaulted into the air to clear the obstacle. Going uphill, Shadow had to leap at an abrupt angle, so abrupt that Second Son, caught unprepared in the act of rubbing her eyes, had the misfortune of losing her balance and toppling backward.

  So lightning quick was Second Son that the instant she felt herself starting to fall, she grabbed at the mare’s mane to keep from being unhorsed. It was not enough to resist gravity. To her dismay, she plummeted, landing in high weeds that cushioned her fall. Unable to stop herself from rolling, she felt searing pain spear through her chest when her side smashed into a boulder.

  Second Son still could not see. She could hear, though, and knew the foremost warriors were almost upon her. Rubbing furiously at her eyes, she rose to her knees. She had lost the bow, but she still had a knife, which she drew to defend herself.

  As a warrior, Second Son was accustomed to fighting her own battles. Her pride was such that she could not bring herself to call out for help. Besides which, she would not let her mate suffer because of her mishap. Her features set in grim determination, she rose to confront her attackers.

  Cleve Bennett was thirty feet above and climbing rapidly. He could never say what made him look back at that particular moment, but he did, and on seeing his wife about to be run down by a trio of painted enemies, he did what any man who loved his mate would do, even though he knew it might result in his capture, or worse. He turned Socks and charged down the hill.

  The foremost warrior, a skinny man whose hair was adorned with two eagle feathers, held a war club. Snapping the weapon on high, he swooped down on the muscular woman before him. He saw her raise the knife to fend him off and his eyes lit in appreciation of her courage.

  To Second Son, the skinny warrior and his mount were no more than a vague blur. She was unsure where to strike, uncertain of which way she should dodge. The blur grew bigger and bigger. Second Son swiped at her eyes one last time. Abruptly, she could see well enough to note the club the warrior held. It was poised to strike. She tensed for the blow to come, a blow that never landed.

  From above flashed a glittering shaft that pierced the skinny warrior through the heart. He died not knowing what had struck him, his lifeless form slumping to the side, the war club dropping from his limp fingers.

  Second Son saw other warriors converging, some yipping like coyotes. She leaped at the dead man’s mount, a sorrel, as it thundered on past, and succeeded in grabbing hold. As she swung up, a lance cleaved the space she had vacated. Another lance, poorly thrown, impaled the sorrel.

  A squeal of anguish rent the air. Second Son tried to throw herself out of harm’s way, but the sorrel’s front legs buckled and she was pitched hard onto her stomach. Dazed, she heaved to her hands and knees. The warrior who had thrown the second lance was mere yards away and bending to seize her.

  Then Cleve was there. He held his bow as if it were a club and smashed the warrior across the face so hard the bow snapped. As the warrior sprawled to the ground Cleve wheeled Socks, leaned low, and bellowed, “Jump on!”

  Second Son needed no prompting. She sprang, her sinewy arms locked with his, and the next moment he had swung her up behind him and they were speeding toward the top of the ridge. Only now the war party was much closer, and they were riding double.

  The stallion did its best, but Socks was getting on in years. Cleve worked the reins frantically, to no avail. Halfway up the slope, they were overtaken by three warriors. Cleve would have given, anything for a flintlock, but all he had was a knife. The way he saw it, they were as good as captured. He should have known better.

  Not for nothing was Second Son one of the most widely respected Cheyenne warriors. Not for nothing had she honed her fighting skills on dozens of raids. Her prowess was regarded with deep pride by her people, particularly by many of her sisters, who secretly longed to do as she did but lacked her iron will.

  Long ago Second Son had learned that the key to survival in close combat was to do the unexpected. A foe could not counter what he did not expect. So now, with a trio of bronzed forms closing in, she did the last thing any of them, including Cleve, would have anticipated.

  The two nearest warriors were riding abreast. Their mounts were mere feet behind Socks when Second Son pushed off from the stallion, launching herself into the air. Catlike, she twisted in the middle of her leap so that she came down on top of the closest pursuer. She had hoped to reach the rider but fell short, ramming into the bay he rode instead. She caught hold of its neck, coiled, and kicked the startled rider in the stomach.

  The bay reacted by angling to the right, plowing into the other horse, whose rider had to lift a leg to keep from having it pinned, or worse.

  Second Son clung to the bay for dear life. If she slipped, she would fall under its thundering hooves. The warrior riding it had recovered and lashed at her with his quirt. The leather stung her cheek but did no real harm. She kicked him again, with all her might, driving both of her soles into his ribs, and lifted him clean off the bay. He squawked as he tumbled.

  The spooked bay tossed its head, trying to dislodge Second Son. Over its shoulders she saw the other warrior trying to draw close enough to stop it. She managed to hook a leg onto its back to keep from losing her grip, then smacked the bay, hard, behind the ear. The anguished animal drew up short, directly in the path of the other warrior’s mount.

  It was as if the earth itself were in upheaval. There was a tremendous jolt, a splintering crack, and the bay went flying head over tail. Second Son was unable to hold on. Something thudded against her shoulders. She catapulted a score of feet and had the breath knocked out of her when she smacked into the slope.

  Groggy from the shock, Second Son nonetheless rose. Her legs wobbled, and it was all she could do to stay upright. Somewhere a horse whinnied in pain, a warrior screeched in rage.

  Hooves thudded beside her. A strong arm looped about her waist and she was hoisted onto a horse. Second Son blinked, thinking she had fallen into the clutches of the war party until she saw loving blue eyes fixed intently on her face. “I am all right,” she said, to soothe Cleve’s fear, and Socks surged to life under them.

  Shadow had halted at the top of the ridge. Cleve drew rein next to the mare so Second Son could transfer, then they were off, heading down the far slope at breakneck speed.

  A last glance showed Second Son horses and warriors strewn like broken dolls. Others were helping those who had fallen. One man, enraged, shook a fist at them but did not take up the chase.

  Side by side, husband and wife. Second Son and Cleve, galloped for over a mile. They wanted to put as much distance as possible behind them. If not for their exhausted mounts, they would have gone even farther before stopping.

  In a glade bordering the Columbia, Cleve sat and scoured their back trail. Only after several minutes had gone by and there was no hint of movement did he accept the fact that they had escaped. He exhaled loudly and wiped a hand across his sweaty brow. “I hope to high heaven we never have another shave as close as that one.”

  “We were lucky, Yellow Hair,” Second Son said.

  “You were plumb loco, pulling the stunt you did,” Cleve scolded. “My heart was in my throat. I figured you were a goner for sure.”

  “I did what I had to,” Second Son said, and let the matter drop. Alighting, she led Shadow to the river. The shore was flat, covered with gravel. She let the mar
e dip its muzzle into the cool water and squatted to splash a handful on her neck and face.

  From long experience Cleve knew not to carp. He was upset, but at the same time he had to concede that if not for Second Son’s bold gambit, they would now be in the clutches of that band. Riding Socks to the water’s edge, he dismounted and ruefully regarded the quiver on his back. “I’ll need me a new bow,” he commented.

  “We both will,” Second Son said.

  Cleve stared eastward. “Sooner or later we should reach Chinook territory,” he remarked, referring to a tribe reputed to be friendly to anyone and everyone. Which made sense since the Chinooks were traders. Delegations came from far and wide to conduct business at the main Chinook village, located at the Dalles. “I just wish we had something worthwhile to swap for a good rifle and enough supplies to see us to the Rockies.”

  “Wishes are like butterflies,” Second Son said. “They flutter about inside our heads, doing us no real good.”

  “Turning into quite the cynic, aren’t you?” Cleve said. Reaching out, he tenderly stroked her chin. During their long captivity he had been denied her nightly company, and it pleased him immensely to have her constantly at his side once again. “I love you anyway.”

  There was no denying her man’s affection, which Second Son told herself she should be used to by this time. But public displays were not the Cheyenne way, and even when they were alone, she sometimes felt self-conscious about showing him how she felt. Still, she had dearly missed being locked in his arms under a buffalo robe, their bodies entwined. “It is good that you do,” she said, “since no other woman would have you.”

  “Is that right?” Cleve roared in mock fury, and before she could guess his intent, he looped his brawny arms around her waist and swung her in the air as if to heave her in the river. Her smile was priceless, as was the impulsive way she responded to his kiss.

  Just then Socks nickered.

  Cleve set Second Son down and turned. The woodland lay quiet under the late-afternoon sun, but he knew all too well how deceiving appearances could be, especially in the wilderness. Enemies lurked everywhere, men and beasts alike. “Maybe those jaspers aren’t done with us,” he speculated.