"Yes, I understand. But, wait!" said Molly. "Before we leave, I need to grab something beneath the bedsheets."
Hurrying toward the structure of the bed, she pulled a small trunk out from under the springs and, opening the case, withdrew several of the white man's papers from within it. She held the papers up for both Gray Falcon and Eagle Heart to see, then she said, "These are important, boys. Very important."
Both Gray Falcon and Eagle Heart did little more than nod at her.
Ready at last, they left by the front door, accompanying their mother-in-law and father-in-law to the stables. And, it happened that their in-laws were able to leave the fort without a problem, while Gray Falcon and Eagle Heart left the fort as they had come into it, by climbing up and over the back wall. And, perhaps it was because of the morning's early hour and the blackness of the night that not one of them encountered any resistance.
It was good because, in the manner of the medicine man, all of it had been accomplished without a single instance of violence, thanks to the Creator and to Molly McIntosh, also.
****
As Molly McIntosh had predicted, the Indians' father-in-law, Robert McIntosh, didn't awaken until the late afternoon during the next day's travel. Both Eagle Heart and Gray Falcon had constructed a travois upon which to carry the man, and, upon awakening, McIntosh had merely looked up into the sky, glanced over his shoulder to see his wife, then had promptly gone back to sleep, a deep snore confirming the fact. He hadn't even seemed to notice his hands were tied in front of him.
Molly McIntosh laughed, then said, "What did I tell you fellows? Now, where exactly are you taking us, and how much longer until we arrive?"
It was Eagle Heart who answered, saying, "We are taking you to our hideaway in the white cliffs that rise up to the north of us." He gestured toward the bluffs. "There, we left our families, as well as another warrior to guard and protect them. You and your husband will have your own small lodge in this place. It is in my mind to bring some health back to your husband, if he will allow me to do so."
"You wish to do this even after what he's done to you? Don't think I am not aware that he has tried to kill you…both of you at one time or another."
"And yet," said Gray Falcon, "he is our father-in-law, and he is still loved by his daughters. We will do our best. But, once we arrive in camp, there is one taboo you should know."
"Oh?"
Gray Falcon smiled. "Though we are allowed to speak to you openly now, once we are in camp, it is considered a very bad act for a son-in-law to speak to or even to be in the presence of his mother-in-law. Both should try to avoid each other as well as possible."
Molly McIntosh laughed heartily before saying, "Well now, fellows, I guess you can try to avoid me and not speak to me, but it's going to be mighty hard when I'll be just as determined to see you and talk to you as often as possible. At least, I will unless my daughters forbid it, too."
"Then, perhaps," said Eagle Heart, "we might have many enlightening conversations yet ahead of us."
Molly laughed, and so, too, did Eagle Heart and Gray Falcon.
****
It was early in the morning when Amelia and Laylah spotted their husbands riding up the cliffs; behind them were both their mother and their father; their mother was riding atop one of the horses and their father was lying upon a travois pulled by another horse. Exclaiming with glee, both girls fled down the steep incline of the bluffs as quickly as they dared.
"Mother! Father!" Amelia sped toward her mother, opening her arms wide to receive a hug. "Mother, how glad I am to see you!" She gave her mother a long and tearful embrace. "Father, it is good to see you again, also. But, why are your hands tied?"
"Do you think I know? Ask those two scoundrels who seem to have captured me for some terrible ritual." He nodded in the direction of both Gray Falcon and Eagle Heart.
Both Amelia and her sister laughed. But, it was Laylah who said, "If you mean the ritual of ensuring you receive good food and water, plenty of rest and perhaps a brew of tea to help you recover from whatever it is that ails you, then I guess you can call it what you wish."
"Where's the whiskey?" asked McIntosh, his words slurred. "I need a drink. Now."
"Sorry, Father," Amelia chimed in, "there is no whiskey in our camp. It is our hope that while you are here you might put the need for a strong drink behind you."
"Spoken like a woman!" McIntosh countered, his argument practically spit out.
"Well, regardless, you are now here, and there is no whiskey. You'll just have to make do, I guess."
"Humph!"
Soon their camp, pitched as it was on a high ledge above the prairie floor, came into view. There were five small lodges erected there now, and they were positioned to sit in a small circle next to the glacier-fed waterfall. These huts, made of pine and willow branches, were carefully woven together and were strong enough to withstand even the worst kind of weather. However, though strong, the huts were no more than small lodges quickly put together—certainly not grand houses—and Amelia fretted about what her parent's thoughts of them might be. Could they think the dwellings too simple, perhaps even Stone Age?
At present, smoke was escaping slowly from two of the huts. The smoke, curling upward, pleasantly scented the atmosphere, bringing to Amelia's mind the images of hearth and home. Larks and sparrows chirped and flew up into the sky, as though they were spreading their happiness to those below.
The sun, rising in the east, was diffusing pink, orange and red pencil like rays in every direction, looking as though it were more of a sunburst than a simple sunrise. And, the only detail that came to mind, as Amelia looked out upon their temporary home, was one of peace.
How glad she was to simply be here, surrounded by family. Too many years had gone by since they'd all been together. Moreover, her family now included Gray Falcon. Gazing at him now, she realized she had so far ignored this man who had risked his freedom—and perhaps his life—to sequester her parents away from harm.
