Into the West Page 4

  “I’ll go with the scouts, if that’s all right,” Jamie said. “Unless there’s something else you’d like done, Captain.”

  “There is…” He drew Jamie to one side. “We’ll be outnumbered by the French but it’s the cannons they’ll bring that have me worried. What I’ve already seen of the fortifications tells me they won’t withstand a continuous barrage for very long, and there is no cannon here with which to return fire.” He gave Jamie a sly look. “What would you do in my situation?”

  Jamie chuckled. “I think y’know. I’d go out and do my damnedest to make sure they dinna’ bring those guns anywhere near the fort. Tanaka and I, and maybe Nashoba and his scouts, could take care of them. Although, to be honest, if Leforge has joined forces with the other regiments, he’ll no doubt tell who’s ever in charge to double or triple the guards around the cannons. It could be done, but not so easily like the last time.”

  “You think it’s possible though. I know this will be dangerous, MacDonald, and you are not in my command. I can’t order you to undertake this, but I feel if anyone could succeed it would be you…and Tanaka.”

  “Well, we’ll give it our best shot.” He grinned. “If the cannons arrive and we don’t, you’ll know we died in the attempt.”

  Garland shook his head. “You have a sense of the gallows humor, my friend. I will pray that all of you return safely.” He held out his hand which Jamie took and they shook on it. “I would be remiss if I didn’t express my concern for Nashoba’s safety. He has become a good friend in the past months we have known each other.”

  “Dinna’ worry, Captain, I’ll keep an eye on him, although I wouldna’ dare tell him what I’m about. He is Choctaw after all.”

  Chapter Four

  They set off after dusk, moving swiftly through the forest, fanning out in a wide swath to cover more territory. A prearranged signal, the call of the night-wing, would let the rest of them know the French had been spotted on the trail ahead. However, no sign of the enemy was seen after they had traveled for a full day. Jamie suggested they rest for the night.

  “We’ll need our strength for when we do find them and have to deal with the cannons,” he said, and Tanaka and Nashoba agreed. They sent out a signal to regroup and they gathered by a rushing stream to slake their thirst and chew on the smoked meat they had brought with them. Jamie looked around at the Choctaws Nashoba had recruited as scouts. Good, strong men, capable of looking after themselves in a fight and with enough muscle to move the cannons. He hoped they would be lucky as before and find some gully or deep ditch into which to push the cannons.

  He smiled as he remembered the time when he and Black Eagle, Tanaka’s cousin, had pushed the English cannons over the edge of a cliff and had joined them in the mad rush down the cliffside. Only providence had saved them that day, but it was either that or be gunned down by the redcoats that had surrounded them. The aches and bruises sustained in the fall had been better by far than being riddled with bullets.

  “You are smiling,” Tanaka said softly. “What pleases you?”

  “Apart from having you by my side? A memory of a past adventure.” He ran a finger the length of Tanaka’s jaw. “I always knew we’d share many more.”

  Tanaka stood and held out his hand. “Come.”

  Jamie grasped his hand and rose to meet him. “Is your need like mine?”

  “Very much.” They walked into the shelter of the trees that towered over them until they found a spot they thought would do, away from the sharp eyes and ears of their companions. Tanaka pressed Jamie against the trunk of a tree and placed a leg between Jamie’s thighs, grinding his groin into Jamie’s, gently at first, teasing, tantalizing, letting the heat grow slowly while he laved Jamie’s lips with his own.

  Jamie slipped his hands under Tanaka’s borrowed shirt and caressed the warm, smooth skin that covered lean, hard muscle. He shuddered with the desire that Tanaka’s kiss brought him. He pressed back into that kiss, gliding his tongue over Tanaka’s, a gentle demand at first and one to which Tanaka responded with an eagerness that thrilled Jamie as his lover always did. They paused to quickly shed their shirts and britches, using them to lie upon as they sank to the leaf-covered ground. Jamie moved over Tanaka’s pliant body, raining kisses over his chest and abdomen until he reached the part of him that pulsed with vibrant life when he held it in his hand. He bent his head to kiss it, to savor the salty essence that spilled from the slit. He let it linger on his tongue before swallowing.

  “You always taste so damned fine,” he said through a smile. “It’s like its own aphrodisiac.”

  Tanaka gazed at him through hooded eyes. “What is that?”

  “A potion to fill us with desire.”

  “I need no potion for that. Are you saying you do?”

  “No, I’m saying that you are an aphrodisiac.”

  “I am a potion?”

  “No…” Jamie shook his head impatiently. “Let’s forget this topic. It’s getting in the way of what we were doing.”

  Tanaka sat up. “But you have made me curious.”

  “I dinna’ want you being curious at this very minute, Tanaka. Later maybe I’ll tell you all about it…although I dinna’ ken much about it really.”

  “So why bring it up?”

  “I… Well…it was just something to say, I suppose. I didna’ think it would lead to a dispute.”

  Tanaka’s low chuckle made Jamie scowl. “Oh, my Jamie, you are too easy to tease.” He leapt on Jamie and sat astride his lap, rocking his arse cheeks over Jamie’s cock which had begun to soften but now quickly hardened again from the sensations of Tanaka’s sensuous moves.

  “Y’ wee devil,” Jamie cried and wrapped his arms tightly around his lover. He and Tanaka fell back onto the leafy ground, their mouths joined in a kiss, their hands exploring, their warm bodies melding together with a tender passion. Jamie spit on his fingers then probed between Tanaka’s arse cheeks to find his hole and slip one finger followed by another inside him. Tanaka squirmed, drawing him in, moving up and down on Jamie’s fingers all the while covering Jamie’s face and throat with nipping kisses.

  Jamie moaned and, using more spit, slicked his pulsing cock then sank inside his lover. The heat within Tanaka’s body seemed to radiate through Jamie, giving the sensation that they were fused as one. Again, as he had done repeatedly since the very first time they had made love, he marveled at just how well they fit together. As if they’d been created for only each other. Tanaka tightened his arms and legs around Jamie, clinging to him as he rammed into Tanaka’s core, murmuring his name over and over.

  Tanaka took Jamie’s mouth with a kiss that made his head spin. Tanaka’s body spasmed under Jamie and the sudden rush of warmth between their tightly pressed chests made him aware that his lover had found his release and he deepened their kiss, sliding his tongue over Tanaka’s, searching out every corner of his mouth, loving the soft whimpers that escaped Tanaka’s throat.

  He quickened his pace, thrusting harder and faster, gasping as he and Tanaka breathed into each other’s mouths. Frissons of sensation coasted down his spine and settled in his balls.

  “Tanaka,” he groaned. “Christ, but I love you…” His orgasm flooded through him on his last hard thrust into Tanaka’s heat but more wonderful than his release was the sound of Tanaka’s voice softly crooning in his ear, “Jamie, Jamie, my love…”

  As euphoria settled over him and he held Tanaka in a tight embrace, he thought that despite the danger they might face, had faced so many times in the past, Jamie knew in his heart he would change nothing of his life since he and Tanaka had first met. The years in between had been both wondrous and troubled. He knew many men would think him mad for taking up a life among ‘savages’ and following their way of life rather than finding a place among his own kind. But his own kind had at times shown themselves to be unworthy of his respect, and at times, downright treacherous.

  There were exceptions of course, not least the English capta
in they now scouted for. He had proven himself in Jamie’s eyes to be a man of honor and not afraid to right what he perceived as wrong.

  He smiled as Tanaka’s soft lips touched his cheek. “What are you so deep in thought about, taloka?”

  “Just counting myself the luckiest of men to know you and to love you, and despite all my many faults—” He paused to kiss Tanaka’s forehead. “—which you have pointed out from time to time, to know you still love me in return.”

  “Your faults are not so many,” Tanaka said, stroking Jamie’s chest. “You can be foolhardy, reckless, maybe unheeding of other’s advice, but you are loyal and brave.” He moved his hand lower to caress Jamie’s abdomen. “Perhaps you grumble too much about that which does not please you, but I have found the way to turn that around.”

  “Oh, have you indeed?”

  “Yes.” He slipped his hand over Jamie’s cock and held it until it thickened in his grasp. “You see, you are smiling. It doesn’t take much.”

  Later, they returned to where the scouts were camped, treading quietly so as not to waken them. Lying down together, Tanaka rested his head on Jamie’s shoulder and within a few seconds they were both fast asleep.

  * * * *

  When Jamie awoke, the Choctaw scouts were already up and breaking their fast on the strips of smoked venison they had brought in their packs. Tanaka and Nashoba were talking in low voices a little way off and Jamie was irritated that he had slept longer than any of them. He rose and hurried over to where his lover and Nashoba sat.

  “Why did you not awaken me?” he grumbled, sitting by them.

  Tanaka grinned at Nashoba before answering. “You looked so peaceful. I brought all the men to look and they agreed to let you sleep.”

  Jamie grunted. “Very amusing.” He accepted the bowl of water Tanaka passed to him. “Has anyone gone ahead to look for the French?”

  Nashoba nodded. “The soldiers are about a day’s march from the fort. They rested for the night not far from here. Tahman—” He pointed at one of the scouts. “—says many soldiers and three cannons.”

  “Three.” Jamie frowned. “We’ll have our work cut out for us.”

  Tanaka handed him a strip of venison. “Eat as we go.”

  Jamie chewed the meat thoughtfully. “We can’t infiltrate their ranks in daylight, far too risky. Maybe we can slow them down. Ask Tahman about the lay of the land ahead of us.”

  Tanaka spoke to Tahman in rapid Choctaw which Jamie was ashamed to admit he knew only about two words in ten. Another thing to admire Garland for…his knowledge of the language. When the scout replied, Jamie was lost.

  “Tahman says rough land that will hinder the soldiers,” Tanaka told him. “Many open spaces too where they will be exposed.”

  Jamie glanced around him. They numbered twelve, all armed with either rifles or bows and arrows. It might be possible to surprise the French with an ambush as they marched across an open area toward the trees. Choctaw marksmen could do a lot of damage and chances were that if the terrain slowed them down enough there would be one more night’s rest before the final march to Fort Bligh.

  “Nashoba,” he murmured, “d’ye think we could slow them ever further wi’ some harrying of the troops? A wee ambush, some sneak attacks here and there to put their nerves on edge.”

  “By ‘wee’ he means small,” Tanaka told Nashoba, grinning.

  “I’m glad you saved me from asking,” Nashoba said, also grinning.

  “Sassenachs,” Jamie grumbled. “Anyway, what d’ye think? Would the men be up to it?”

  “Of course. What are hundreds of soldiers against twelve of us?”

  Jamie laughed. “Well, I dinna’ expect a rout, just a few arrows up their arses to shake them up a wee bit.”

  They set off a few minutes later and it wasn’t long before Jamie could see what Tahman had meant by rough land. He wondered if some kind of catastrophe had occurred to level and upheave so much of the terrain. So many trees had been uprooted and lay haphazardly like fallen wooden pillars while great gouges had been made on the earth. Perhaps the French troops would decide to go around this area even if it would add days to their march. One thing certain, the deep holes would make perfect burial sites for the cannons if the French decided to force their way through. They would have to wait and see.

  “The Great Spirit shook the earth here many winters ago,” Nashoba told them. “The tribe that lived on this land thought it cursed and moved away. No one has lived here since.”

  “I can see why,” Jamie muttered. “Well, we’d best hunker down here and wait for the Frenchies to show up. Maybe Tahman and a few others can go on ahead to see how they’re faring.”

  Nashoba nodded. “Tahman and I will go. Two will be enough for scouting.”

  “A’right, but take care, Nashoba.” He bit his tongue before he said more but even so Tanaka stared at him through narrowed eyes. “Aye, I ken that sounded funny,” he said when the two Choctaw had left them. “The captain asked me to keep an eye on Nashoba. He didna’ have to tell me he’s concerned for his friend’s safety.”

  “So now you believe what I said earlier.”

  “Aye, I do.” They sat side by side, their backs resting against the side of a fallen tree.

  They were quiet after that exchange and Jamie became aware of the eerie silence that hung over the ravaged land. Perhaps it was cursed, but that was foolish superstition, wasn’t it? Antonio had told him about earthquakes and how the land would shake and the sea would boil and create great waves that could sweep everything away in their paths. He hadn’t quite believed him, thinking it another one of his pirate tales, but now he had the evidence of it before him and it was, without a doubt, unsettling. After a while he grew restless. He never had been good at doing nothing. He wished he had joined Nashoba and Tahman. When he got to his feet abruptly, Tanaka stared up at him, a reproving look on his face.

  “Walking up and down will not bring the French here any quicker. Save your impatience for harrying the soldiers.”

  “Aye.” He slumped down beside Tanaka and put an arm around his lover’s shoulders. “Once we’ve helped the English defeat their enemy, what then for us? Will we go on traveling to the other side of the New World?”

  Tanaka smiled. “So sure are you that we will win? If we both survive the next few days, I say, yes, let us go farther west. My grandfather, Gray Eyes, told me once he had a vision of a great blue ocean at the other end of the earth. I would like to see that great ocean. Perhaps then we will stop traveling and build our own lodge at the edge of the world.”

  “Sounds wonderful. Did he know how far away was this ocean?”

  “Farther than any of our people has ever gone.”

  “Hmm. I wonder if we will finally leave the French and the English, with a’ their bickering and need to possess what isna’ theirs, behind.”

  They jumped to their feet at the sound of a warbler, Nashoba’s warning call. They and the other scouts spread out, crouching behind the fallen trees. Moments later Nashoba and Tahman appeared, running fast and low.

  “Many soldiers coming,” he panted as they drew level with Jamie. “Think not the main army.”

  “Probably sent to scout ahead and report back,” Jamie said. “We could take a few of them out and send the rest back with their tails between their legs. Let them tell their commanders that there’s no easy road ahead. What say you?”

  Nashoba and the others agreed eagerly. “We can’t expect the commanders to disobey orders,” Tanaka remarked. “They will proceed regardless of whatever the survivors tell them.”

  “All the better,” Jamie said. “If we can delay them a wee bit more and render the cannons useless, Captain Garland will have the advantage at the fort.”

  “Your plan might work. Then again…”

  “We can only try, Tanaka. There are no guarantees.” He turned to Nashoba. “Have your men use arrows only. That way the soldiers won’t be sure of where to return fire. See here…�
� He pointed at the tall trees that flanked the destroyed area. “From up there. They’ll be hampered by having to climb over or go around the fallen trees.”

  Nashoba nodded then he and Tahman hurried off to give the other scouts instructions while Jamie and Tanaka took up positions hidden by thick pine branches. They didn’t have long to wait. From their vantage points in the tall trees, they spied a company of about twenty soldiers being led by a mounted officer flanked by three woodsmen and two Indians. Jamie didn’t recognize the tribe but Tanaka whispered, “Cherokee.”

  The officer held up his hand to halt the soldiers and dismounted. For a time he surveyed the area of destruction in front of him and conversed with the woodsmen. It was obvious he didn’t like the lay of the land, but after a while he gave the order to proceed. He led his horse forward, guiding it around the larger fallen trees while his men either clambered over the trunks or skirted them altogether. It made for slow going and Jamie felt a prickle of impatience as the soldiers stumbled over half-buried roots and broken branches. He and the scouts had to wait until the French were in arrow range for the maximum effect of chaos and fear to be exacted. And so they waited.

  * * * *

  Nashoba fired the first arrow. It was late afternoon and the sun was already dipping behind the trees, but there was still enough light to target the bluecoats. A wounded soldier screamed, clutching at the arrow embedded in his shoulder. More arrows found their marks and panic overtook the soldiers. The officer yelled out orders and some men dropped behind tree trunks and aimed their rifles into the trees in front of them, but they had nothing to set their sights on. Jamie noticed that the woodsmen and the two Cherokee were inching their way forward, bodies hugging the ground.