The Savage

Twenty Seven

BE READY TO HAVE YOUR WORLD ROCKED! 

~SARA

"You?" Rage circled through me, aching for a release which I could not give. "Why? Why would you do such a thing? They were no threat to anyone, why would you do that!"

"Stop shoutin' woman!" His harsh rebuke stoked fire within me, but I feared if I berated him I would not get the answers I now so desperately needed. Al fidgeted, seeming to want to get away from me but held in place by a force I did not yet understand.

"I woulda been happy to let you be, an' never lay eyes on you again, but Toby..." he stopped speaking for a moment, his eyes wandering off into the distance. "He wanted you back awful bad, an' so I tol' him I'd see what I could do."

"Why would you care? You've made it clear you hate me...I'm not even certain it wasn't you that did this to me!"

"Ifin I was the one, we wouldn't be havin' this chat, squaw...but I owe Tobe my life." He said it shortly, as if hating the fact he was indebted to anyone for anything. "He saved me twice when he didn't hafta, risked his neck for me...I owe him for that. He wants you back, misses you somethin' fierce, so I'm bringin' you back."

"How'd you know where I was?"

"Your ma. She saw that buck snatch you an' ride for the horizon."

"And the soldiers?" I pushed harder, images of Wind Runner and Stalking Elk flashing through my mind. "What about them? Were they necessary to return me home, Al Baily? That village was full of innocent men-"

"What do I care about a bunch of red savages? They'll all be on reservations by winter anyhow...they lost a long time ago. Some jest ain't accepted it yet." He looked meaningfully at me then, and I met his stare directly. "'Sides, them soldiers was Tobe's idea. He heard they was ridin' through an' let 'em know you been kidnapped, that we was lookin' for a missin' girl from a white family, that's all they needed to hear."

"He let them think I was white?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but Al merely shrugged. Confusion and denial swirled through me, but I was too weak to struggle with it for long. We sat in silence while he fished out the makings for a cigarette, and I watched him make it.

"How did he save your life?" I finally asked.

The question hung between us while Al struck a match, lighting his smoke. He puffed clouds of blue for a moment, the took the stub from his lips, studying the glowing end for a moment. I began to think he would not answer me then he did.

"We was runnin' from the law after a stage hold up, an' I was shot off my horse. Hit the ground an' figured my time was up. Tobe swung around for me and brought my horse back, layin' down cover fire while I pulled myself back into the saddle. Once we put some miles away, he patched me up an' stayed with me 'til I was well."

"Robbing a stage?" shaking my head, I tried to see if he was telling the truth. "You and Toby were outlaws?"

"For a time," Al nodded. "We held up stages, robbed a few banks, had some laughs...and some women."

"You're lying."

He came off the ground fast, his fist up ready to strike. It was in me to fear him, but I strove not to let it show, keeping my eyes on his.

"I won't put up with no half breed squaw callin' me out. I got no use to make up stories to lie about. Believe me or not, but don't you dare cast shadow on my word."

"And the second time?" Deciding it best not to antagonize him further, I moved on. "What happened then?"

"Savages." He said it forcefully, staring at me with malicious dislike. I began to feel as though he blamed me for every negative encounter he had with the natives of this land. When I did not press further, he smirked at my silence.