Chapter 8

The wind was still in the darkness that always seems to deepen just before the predawn gives a hint of itself on the eastern horizon. The meandering creek burbling in its bed as it made its way toward the Red River was nearly the only sound. Ben wished it was the only sound. There was a high pitched keening that occasionally rose above the sound of the creek. They all recognized the sound of a person that has endured pain and has screamed themselves out.

Ben, Bear, Elk and Han lay on the hill top concealed by bushes so they could look down on the line cabin and out buildings in the little valley. Even Ben could barely see the buildings. All the others could see was the dark outlines of structures against the darker gloom of trees and the ground. That situation would change soon as the hint of predawn light on the eastern horizon started to brighten. Ben could also see the auras around the cabin, outbuildings, and in the tree line and he clenched his jaw in frustration.

"They are positioned pretty close to the way Sam described," Ben said grimly. He didn't try to whisper. For some reason whispers seemed to carry farther than quiet words in the still air. "There are 23 men in that tree line that I can see by their auras. That's a few more than we planned but your men should still be able to keep them occupied. We have about 30 minutes until the light of the rising sun touches the top of the hills on the west side of creek. That will give your men time to float down the creek to take out the men guarding the bank. There are four that I can see next to the creek below the cabin. The Red Agent is in the cabin." Ben hesitated a moment before saying, "It looks like three men are with him and two innocents. I think its three men with him." Ben was hesitant about that because he couldn't clearly see how many was there or anything about them.

Han looked at him in shock and asked, "On u o?"

Ben heard a shocked, "Don't you know?" and shook his head before answering, "It's strange but I don't know for sure. I don't know if it's because of a distortion caused by the proximity of the Red Agent but something seems to be distorting the auras in the cabin."

The keening sound rose to become a throat wrenching scream that sounded like someone's soul was being ripped from their body. Everyone tensed as the sound trailed off in a panting cry and became the keening sound again.

"Damn," Ben said softly. Then, shaking his head to dismiss his uncertainty in discerning the auras, Ben said, "All I know for sure is that there are six in the cabin. One is the Red Agent and two of them are innocents. I think the other three are male and one of them has the red streaks like Frank had. That one is on the brink of being a Red Agent." Ben moved himself forward by his toes and looked over the brink of the hill. The crest they were lying on fell away to scrub at the creeks edge.

"We didn't plan on anyone being on this side of the creek," Ben continued. "There are two men about 50 feet from the creek bed just south of that big cottonwood tree. If we don't take care of them before your men come down the creek they will be in a bad spot. Han, Elk, can you take care of them quietly?" Bear's murmured translation for Elk faded away.

The Indian warrior and black woman simply nodded before silently fading into the brush going down the slope. Bear looked at Ben for a moment with a troubled frown before quietly saying, "You protect innocents yet you send a woman into battle as quickly as you send a man. There are two things I don't understand about that. Why aren't you using your best tools to do a job? I know she is dangerous but she's still a woman. Also, isn't a woman an innocent? Why would you send an innocent into battle? Can you explain it?"

Ben knew the question would come eventually because Bear had lived in both the red man and white man worlds. The two worlds had very different views of a woman's place and neither included the role of warrior. Haw was definitely a warrior. Even knowing the question was coming didn't make the answer any easier to put into words. He struggled with the answer for a moment before he said, "She is a warrior as much as you or I and in many ways is more dangerous. Her physical innocence was taken from her but it didn't break her. It left a diamond hard determination to protect others. I struggled to learn to accept her as an equal in the battle I must fight. I learned that in many ways she is stronger and more capable than I am in that battle and she doesn't even have the added capabilities of a Protector." Ben hesitated before continuing. It almost sounded like he was talking to himself when he continued. "I have learned to love her. It isn't love the way I love my wife and daughter but it is just as deep. Because of that love, I know she must be part of our fight. I could hold her back and she would obey me but I can't do that to her. It would kill her if I held her back as surely as a knife or a bullet. I tried to prevent her from coming with me on this engagement. I am worried about what will happen this morning. I'm not worried about what happens to me because that's in God's hands. She's in God's hands too but I don't want her hurt again. She was hurt so bad and I couldn't protect her. I don't want to fail her again but, she is capable and this is how she will spend her life. I can't take that away from her and make her life something less."

Ben snorted and a little smile curled his lips as he watched the clear blue-green auras of Han and Elk move down the slope. Their auras were nearly merged with the dark auras of the men below him. "Capable," he murmured cynically. "You can measure which of those two are more dangerous in a fight and Han would have an edge. God gave me the ability to survive as a Protector but Han is the reason I am here today. I have seen her kill evil men to protect me and innocents in more ways than I can count. If I were choosing the best tool for the job and only needed to send one person down it would have been Han."

Bear was staring at the white man in disbelief. He started to say something but Ben rose to a crouch and said, "They're dead so we need to move down to the creek bank now."

Ben quietly moved over the crest of the hill followed by Bear Brother and most of the rest of the Cherokee Braves. The deadly silent shadows flowed down the hill until they reached Han and Elk. They waited silently on the edge of the stream as more shadows floated down the stream. To everyone except Ben they were just shadows coalescing on the opposite bank that eased unto dry land. Another scream shattered the night from the cabin. The shadows merged with the darkness as the scream echoed in the little valley. Ben shuddered as he watched the auras fade away as the men died. The aura of one of the innocents in the cabin faded away too when the scream suddenly stopped. It was all Ben could do to keep from howling in frustration because he was too late for another one.

"Let's move," Ben growled and his band crossed the creek.

The plan was simple. Most of the band would quietly sweep past the cabin and take up positions facing the back of the men in the trees. Bear would be in charge of the braves outside the cabin. Ben, Han and Elk would wait outside the cabin until everyone was in place. Then the three of them along with four braves would wait. They didn't know if there was a bar on the door or if the door was otherwise locked or blocked. They were sure that someone would come out of the cabin at first light. There were always reasons for people to be moving around at first light. It may be morning ablutions or getting water for cooking or just taking care of the stock. That door opening was their signal to start. The attack on the cabin was the signal for the attack on the rest of the gang in the tree line. The men in the trees were facing out and their positions were to protect them from bullets coming from the other direction. Any that weren't killed in the first salvo would be cut off from the cabin.

Entering the cabin was the subject of considerable discussion. Ben insisted that he be the first through the door but Bear objected. The first through the door would be fighting the door and a person pushing the door back. They finally decided that Ben would be second and the first would be a huge Indian called Mountain. At least that's what Bear told him to call the man. Mountain would clear the doorway and Ben would be on his heels. Ben's only job would be to go after Jake Hobbs, the Red Agent. Han would follow Ben as his backup. Elk and the other three braves would attack the two remaining men and help Mountain with his man, if he needed it. Ben made sure that Mountain had his spare shotgun to help him clear the door way.

It didn't take very long for them all too stealthily move into position and by the time it was light enough to tell a black thread from a white thread, they were ready. Ben, Han and Elk were on one side of the door. Mountain and the others were on the other side. Ben couldn't see alarm or concern in the glimpses of auras he caught through the cabins lone window or the cracks around the door. The window wasn't a clear piece of glass like Ben had seen in some towns and cities. It was a piece of hide, probably calf or antelope hide that had been scrapped so thin that light could filter through. A wooden frame had been inserted in a hole in the sod wall and the hide was nailed to it. The door didn't quite fit right because the tough leather nailed between the door frame and the planks of the door had stretched.