The Five Dollar Mail Book 3: The Road Home

39: Volatile

Cover painting by Angela Taratuta. Chapter artwork color plate by John James Audubon. All graphics by me.

Book 1: The Green, Book 2: Lynch's Boys, Book 3: The Road Home, and the Riders & Kickers Anthology are available on Amazon under the name Regina Shelley. So if you hate waiting for chapter posts and/or want a more polished read, the finished product is available now.

After watching what just happened outside with Eagle Bone, I can't say I am surprised that our young man is speaking out of turn here.

Two Elk flashed His Horses a warning look. He could tell his Chief was not pleased that Jesse had spoken so rudely and out of turn. But if he was being honest with himself, he was growing fond of this young man's hotheaded manner, his bold recklessness.It would seem that Jesse was made of far sterner stuff than he had first appeared. "Let him talk," he muttered in Lakota. "Let us see how they react."

The man called Hezekiah Stone had jerked his head around, glaring in surprise and anger. His companion looked embarrassed.

"You've been sitting here long enough to have heard what I said, boy," Stone growled, drawing his big shoulders back and scowling. Two Elk noted with grim amusement that if Jesse had been in possession of a bit more wisdom, he most probably would have had the sense to back down. The big man went on. "We offered a hell of a lot more than beads and whiskey."

"Don't sign that, Chief," Jesse breathed, never taking his eyes off Stone.

Stone drew in a breath between his angrily clamped teeth. "Am I talking to you, Chief His Horses, or am I talking to this big-mouthed fool?"

Two Elk looked shrewdly between Stone and the red-faced Anders. "Our...guest...is concerned," he said in English. He speaks out of turn. He is young and full of spirit."

Jesse glanced at Two Elk, fear and urgency in his blue eyes. He spoke carefully in halting Lakota. "Do not trust them."

His Horses leaned towards Two Elk. "What harm would there be to sign these papers and gain these things for the People? To do so would mean nothing to us. Nothing would change."

Two Elk frowned, his attention on their visitors. Stone's anger was chilling. There was a disturbing look in his eyes, a detached emptiness. The child's captive is right; this man is not to be trusted, and clearly dangerous. "Let us not agree to anything until we understand what we are doing, my brother," he murmured in Lakota. "Let Jesse tell us the words on the paper. We will talk about this among ourselves without these intruders with forked tongues hearing."

Two Elk pretended he was translating word for word. "His Horses apologizes for the angry words spoken here. We will not give this important answer hastily, but with respect and consideration." He placed a firm hand on Jesse's shoulder, giving it a squeeze as he got to his feet and shuffled across the lodge. "We would gift Stone and Anders for making such a generous offer."

He retrieved a bundle of high quality beaver pelts, still glossy and freshly tanned, and handed them to the two men. "Come tomorrow, and we may speak with wisdom with you."

Jesse was clearly biting his tongue. Two Elk shot him a warning look. He was glad the young man had spoken up...the men's reactions told him valuable information. But it was time for diplomacy now, and he was thankful Jesse realized that he'd said enough. It wasn't often that Two Elk felt fear, but he felt it now.

Anders nodded, relieved. The outburst and subsequent uneasy situation had clearly unnerved him. Stone gave Jesse one last threatening scowl. "We'll be back tomorrow," he said, his eyes going from His Horses and back to Two Elk. "We're gonna want an answer."

"Of course." Two Elk gestured towards the door flap.

"And I'm not having being barked at by your little yellow puppy. You might want to put him away before he gets stepped on."

Two Elk nodded as they exited, breathing a heavy sigh as the flap fell back into place after them.

Jesse looked as if he might burst. He pressed his lips together, looking at Two Elk helplessly. Two Elk held up a finger, peering through the slit between the doorflap and the portal opening. "Alright," he said, watching the two men's backs as they headed towards their waiting horses. "They're gone."

"This is the same trouble me and my sister got into," Jesse blurted.  "We have land. They want it. And they're willing to murder people to get what they want." Jesse started pacing, his long legs striding around the lodge. "I got a bad, bad feeling about...what was his name...Stone.." He roached his hands back through his hair. "I been through some crazy, awful stuff last couple of weeks. And Stone scares the hell out of me the most. This is bad."

Two Elk sat quietly,  listening. The old chief handed Jesse the paper. J

Jesse took it and sat down on his haunches near the fire. "This is a contract for a land sale," he said, scratching his heavily stubbled face. "I can't tell you what to do, Chief..." He looked up. "But what they're offering is an insult to you. And they won't honor it even if it wasn't. I have a friend...a brother, really. His father's a fur trader and his mother's Crow. He's told me how these land sales end up. It ain't right."

Two Elk raised an eyebrow. That's not information that needs to be repeated around the village. That sort of information would bring down trouble. "Jesse..." he said, keeping his voice low. "They set Crows on fire around here. Understand?" Jesse clamped his jaw shut. Two Elk thought he saw a bit of color drain out of Jesse's pretty face and stifled a chortle. "Jesse..." he said, growing serious. "He has the eyes of a viper. Dead, with nothing behind them. He scares me, too."

Jesse's gaze met his, and Two Elk knew the young man to be telling the honest truth. "I wasn't scared of Galloway until he got mad enough to try to kill me. I'd fought him before, and beat him. But he was out of his mind, that last fight we had." Jesse shook his head. "But...Stone...I dunno..."

"Stone would not have to get angry to go crazy," Two Elk finished for him.

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