The Five Dollar Mail Book 3: The Road Home

45: Yet All Awake

Cover painting by Angela Taratuta. Chapter artwork of Bender by Diego Candia. 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.

Bender held his breath as he walked into the Lakota village. He was shaking inside. There was a trembling in his guts, and it was all he could do to keep his legs steady. He clutched the white rag he'd torn off the long tail of his shirt, holding it aloft with sweating fingers.

The village was waking up, the haze of early cooking fires settling among the quiet lodges, and the sound of low voices murmured softly in the cool morning air. It was calm, and in any other situation he would have enjoyed the quiet peace and beauty of the native village waking up in the rosy dawn light. But today he was afraid.

He was afraid of two things, and neither of them involved being immediately killed. One, was what these people might do to him instead of killing him outright. The other was what they might have already done to Jesse.

People were shouting, approaching him with weapons drawn. He stopped, swallowing his fear. Alright, here I am. Now what the bugger am I supposed to do? Someone behind him slammed a warclub into his shoulder, not hard enough to break bones, but nearly knocking him off balance. He gritted his teeth, bracing himself for another blow and wondering frantically if this was how he was going to die. "Jesse Hanson," he blurted, glancing quickly around the growing crowd that surrounded him. "Is he here?"

There was a murmur, and he heard a sharp voice cutting through the babble. A colorful old man with a limp was making his way through the crowd, eyeing him with suspicion. He felt a hard blow from beside him that set his hat flying off his head and nearly staggered him. The old man spoke sharply, chastising his unseen assailant, and then turned his attention quickly to Bender's face. "What did you say, wasicu?"

English. Thank goodness. Bender took in a deep breath, studying the strangely dressed elder. Am I bleeding? Struth, is that a dress he's wearing? "My name is Hellbender Hungerford. I'm looking for Jesse Hanson."

"Why?" The old man was clearly very skeptical, boring into him with searching eyes.

"His sister..." Bender's heart was a steady volley of cannon shots in his chest. He felt giddy. "His family...wants to know what became of him. We..." he paused, steadying himself. "We need to know if he's dead. His sister is sick with worry. I have to find him, dead or alive. I gave her my word. "

The elder nodded, a look of relief washing over his craggy features. He narrowed his eyes, evidently searching Bender's face for deceit. "He's here," he said, cocking his head and nodding. "He's well."

Bender felt himself visibly deflate, relief pouring through him like a rush of cool water. An involuntary gasp escaped him, and he wished he had something to lean on. He felt lightheaded.

Jesse was stalking towards the crowd, disheveled and unshaven and wearing native clothing. A little Lakota girl clutched his hand and hurried along beside him, nearly running to keep pace with him. His eyes fell on Bender and he gave a wordless shout, quickening his pace, pulling the little girl along as his long legs closed the distance. "Bender!" His face was twisting with emotion, the look of suspicion and alarm on his face melting into relief as his eyes instantly went soft and bright. "Oh, thank God, Bender!" he croaked in an emotion-choked whisper as he shoved his way forward and threw his arms around Bender in a rib-bruising hug.

Bender hugged him back hard, feeling his face burn and his eyes go heavy. "Ah, mate," he whispered. "Mate, you scared the knackers off us." He felt as though he were in some weird, alternate world. One where he hadn't seen Jesse go over a waterfall with lost terror in his eyes, where he hadn't found a scalped corpse in the river. Where he knew...he knew...he'd be bringing home a burlap-bundled corpse on the back of his horse. "Struth, you're alive," he croaked.

"Lily, is she..." Jesse pushed Bender back so he could look into his face. Tears were coursing freely down his cheeks. "And Saint...he was..."

"Alive. They're both alive, mate, they're fine. Sent them back to the Green to wait for us. What in the blazing blue hell happened to you, mate?"

The flamboyant old man was waving the crowd back. The onlookers relaxed and the press of people dissolved, thinning out, giving them room.

Jesse wiped his reddened eyes on the back of the worn doeskin shirt. The little girl put her arms around his waist, hugging him and whispering in Lakota. He gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Let's go back to the lodge where we can talk. I gotta sit down before I fall down." The child looked up at him, worried and confused, and he murmured to her in Lakota, nodding.

What the buggering bugger did I just hear? This is Jesse? Jesse Joe Hanson? He realized his mouth was hanging open and he closed it with a snap.

"Bender, this is Two Elk." Jesse said, remembering himself. And this is Runs Laughing." He let the child reclaim his hand possessively, and she held on, glaring reproachfully at Bender as if she were afraid that he would snatch Jesse away at any moment.

Bender nodded gratefully at Two Elk. "Thank you," he said earnestly. "Really."

Two Elk nodded, his eyes crinkling with humor as he glanced at Runs Laughing. "She will not give up her captive so easily," he said in mock seriousness, glancing up at Bender and gesturing them to follow him as he walked. "It was she who found your friend near death on the bank of the river.

"Mate?" Bender grew alarmed, stopping in his tracks and looking at Jesse as if seeing him for the first time. "What happened? Are you..?"

"I'm alright, Bender." Jesse held up his free hand, fending off the concern. "I got wet and couldn't stay warm. Cold got me. I'm fine now."

Struth, it scares me how close we came to losing him. Bender rubbed his stubbly chin, taking a deep, calming breath. How close we all came to never being seen again. I'm not sure how much of this sweet Miss Lil needs to know about.

Runs Laughing was tugging Jesse's hand, pulling him forward towards the painted lodge ahead. A young native woman stood out front, her fringed dress and cropped black hair blowing in the warm breeze, her dark eyes worried as she watched them approach.

"This is Still Water Woman," Jesse said. "She took care of me. I wouldn't be here if not for her and Runs Laughing." He smiled reassuringly at her, and again uttered something in Lakota.

Bender watched her eyes as she watched Jesse, and and epiphany hit him, sudden and unpleasant as a punch in the face.This isn't the same bloke that left the Green with us, and that went over the falls. I'm not sure I know this bloke. That's the fair dinkum oil. He's not coming back with me. And if I walk out of here without him...we may never see him again.

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