Tykota's Woman(34)

"Not anymore." He shoved the dried meat into a leather pouch and handed it to her. "It will be better to leave while it is storming so the rain will wash away any tracks we might leave behind."

"Yes, I can see the sense of that. Can I also assume that the Apaches whose horses you took will want them back?"

He looked at her. "No," he replied. "They will not be needing them anymore."

The significance of his words hit her hard. She shivered at the knowledge that Tykota could be as ruthless as the Apaches tracking them. He would do whatever it took to survive. "You killed them, didn't you, Tykota?"

"Makinna," he said impatiently, "when your enemy is riding and you are on foot, you have little chance of evading him."

She felt little sorrow for the men he'd killed. After all, they had attacked Adobe Springs and killed everyone. Would have killed Tykota and her, had they remained. She nodded. "I will be glad for the horses."

"Can you ride?"

"Of course."

"Sidesaddle, I assume."

"Yes, I-"

"You will be riding bareback." His gaze was hard. "All I ask of you is that you stay on the horse and keep up with me." He moved away from her and through the narrow passage to the crystal cavern, where he would fill the water skins he'd taken from the dead Apaches.

When he rejoined her, his tone was abrupt, and he didn't even look at her. "We must leave now."

She shouldered the leather pouch and walked out of the cavern. She tried to shake off the sadness she felt at leaving this magical place. But she knew they could not stay here forever.

His voice cut through her musings. "You will have to be careful as we make our way down to the ravine where I tied the horses. The slopes are slick in places."

It was a difficult descent, and when they finally reached the bottom, Makinna was trembling with fatigue, drenched, and muddy. But she told herself this was not as hard to endure as the scorching sun and the thirst that had plagued them on the first part of their journey.

Makinna approached the horses with trepidation, glad, at least, that the lightning had moved farther to the east.

Tykota took the food bag from her and secured it to his horse. He then gripped Makinna's waist and lifted her onto her horse.

At first riding bareback felt awkward, but in time she adjusted to it. She tried not to think about the man who had died so that she could ride.

It was raining harder now, and although she was soaked to the skin, she was grateful for the coolness. When the sun rose and the rain stopped, it would be sweltering, and they would once again have to contend with the Apaches tracking them, likely angrier and more determined than ever.

Tykota urged his horse into a gallop, and Makinna gripped the sides of her mount with her legs, praying that she would not be unseated. The Indian pinto was smaller than the horses she was accustomed to, but after they had been riding for over an hour, she gained a new respect for the sturdy animal. It was responsive and surefooted as it raced across the rugged terrain with tireless energy.

They rode through the night to put as much distance as they could between themselves and the Apaches.





Makinna led her weary mount down a muddy gully as she watched the sun rise over the distant mountains. She was enchanted by the transformation that had come to the land washed clean by the storm. The desert had sprung to life overnight, the flowering cacti exuding a sweet perfume.

She was observing the brilliant crimson blooms on a prickly pear when Tykota slowed beside her. "This is as good a place as any to rest the horses. We can see for miles in any direction."

To Makinna, he looked like he belonged on the back of the sturdy Indian pony. His dark hair rippled in the wind, and his eyes were fierce and unfathomable.

She dismounted, lay her head against the horse's neck, and closed her eyes. "This is the finest horseflesh I've ever seen. He carried me through the night without once faltering."

Tykota patted his horse. "The Indian's pinto has to be of sturdy stock, for reasons you can well imagine."

"I certainly can. A lesser breed would never survive in this desert." She laughed and tossed her head back. "Perhaps I'm a bit like them. After all, a lesser breed could not have made it this far."

Tykota looked at her for a moment, then took the reins and led both horses back to a patch of dried grass, where they began to graze.

He turned his gaze westward as Makinna joined him. "What happens now?" she asked.

He stared into the distance as if he'd forgotten her.

"Where are we going, Tykota?"

Finally he looked down at her. "We are but a few days from my home."

Pushing a tumbled curl behind her ear, she asked, "Aren't we going to El Paso?"