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Ascent to Power	By : Hot4Gerry Category: M through R > The Phantom of the Opera > Het Views: 5436 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
I do not proclaim to be a history aficionado. I have researched my facts as best I could. I have no prejudice against any race. This is only a work of fiction. I tried to give viewpoints from both angles. My little tale is not meant to offend anyone. I hope none is taken. If anyone does, I apologize ahead of time.

Warning: Violence
Chapter Twenty-two
The Capture 1865 to 1873 Katherine(White Eagle), Lone Wolf(Matthew) Fawn, White Dove(Dove)

The year was 1865. The War Between the States had ended but a few months ago. Each side had expected a quick victory. Four long years of suffering had followed those first few weeks of confident victory over the opposing side. Indeed in the first skirmishes spectators had brought blankets and picnicked to watch the exchange between the rag tag southern soldiers and the young eager northerners. They had thought it would simply be a display of men shouting or at the worst resorting to fisticuffs. They had certainly not imagined cannon fire of the sound of rifles being fired. The red of the blood on the wounded was all too real.

None thought to take this seriously. They were of one nation. How could they battle against their own? Many families were split by the division and withdrawal of southern states from the union. Even with the hot tempers in congress all thought it would last a few days or at most a few weeks. They did not expect the hell of four years to ravage their country dividing families down the middle in cases where part of the family held their citizenship dear and those of the south loyal to the cause of their United Confederate States. Four harrowing years had raped a country of its humanity for a short time.

The land was ravaged and scarred as well as the citizenry that roamed the vast lands and settled areas. Tension was just beginning to dissipate with only minor skirmishes between former combatants. Raiders from disbanded units of the military still vandalized and attacked farms and ranches now and then. Stagecoaches were occasionally stopped and robbed. More often by outlaws than the raiders. The land was being restored for use in farming. Tobacco and cotton was still he main crops grown in the south. The homes ravaged by the blasts of cannons and the fires set by soldiers were being rebuilt. Families were reuniting. Wounds were gradually healing.

Differences now were being peacefully settled with government intervention and less hotheaded violence. The people looked to their government for answers. The surge west brought a new threat. As more people traveled west, settlers seeking more land pushed the Indian into less hospitable territories displacing thousands upon thousands into lands not yet coveted by the white man. The areas not considered habitable by the white man were perfectly fine for the savage was the consensus of the day.

The discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill back in 1848 had beckoned many in search of riches. The surge west was slowed somewhat by the war but now new settlers waited eagerly to join wagon trains headed west. It was still unsafe to travel alone. Indians were being rounded up and sent to reservations. Starvation and disease began to wipe out what had been a proud and free people. Many escaped from the reservations to rejoin scattered tribe members or bands of other renegades. The settlers pushed them further west each year leaving the Indian with little choice. It was fight or die in dishonor. Many chose to fight. Those that hoped for peace to save what was left of their tribes regretted trusting the promises of the lying white eyes. Soon the railroad would reach from the east coast to the west coast. The iron horses would carry more and more settlers into the wilderness known as the Wild West. The singing wires were being stretched further and further just as the metal tracks were being laid on the ground began to stretch further out.

The army had been somewhat decreased after the Civil War making the protection of the vast territories to be covered less than safe from marauding tribes of Indians hoping to hold onto a way of life that was thousands of years old. The food source, the great buffalo of the plains and the elk were disappearing. Trappers were taking more than could be replenished of all animals for their furs. Skirmishes broke out all throughout the west in desperation to hold to what little the Indian had left. The white man killed off their food, stole their land and brought disease that claimed the life of whole tribes. So much land available and still the white man pushed the Indian out time and time again.

The bands of white men still trying to fight a war long over and lost, put a further strain on an already vastly decresed army. They raided farms and attacked supply wagons. The need for protection for settlers heading west added a further strain. Outlaw bands were flourishing. The resources of the military were stretched to breaking point. The Pinkerton men had been called in to help with the outlaws. They protected the trains and the stages. Men from Texas who would become known in later years as Texas Rangers helped in the western territories.

Into this land of hostility settlers came forging on taking more and more and pushing the true owners of the land out of their hunting grounds and the places of their ancestors burial. Into this untamed land, a woman and her daughter traveled to visit family in San Francisco.This action of two females seeking to enjoy a visit with family set in motion events that would lead to the young girl's eventual meeting with the man who left Paris years later fleeing with a broken heart and shattered dreams. The Phantom of the Opera was destined to cross paths with this young girl. Fate had written a story intertwining these two in a story of love, betrayal and forgiveness.

Daniel Montgomery was a wealthy man who lived in the great state of Virginia. He lived with his wife Amelia and his daughter Katherine. He had hoped to inherit his family's shipping and investment company from his mother as his father had died and left everything to her. In her ignorance of the place of women in this world she had left all to his daughter upon her death. His father had felt he was too frivolous to handle the family's finances and his mother thought a woman should have her own finances available as a safety precaution. Knowing her son's bad business sense she had appointed a law firm to oversee Katherine's inheritance until she reached the age of twenty-one then she was free to do as she wished. She could keep control or leave everything in the hands of her father. She left that option to her daughter. His mother in her misguided wisdom had left all to his daughter and stipulated that nothing could change hands until Katherine was twenty-one and then only if she agreed to sign over her holdings to her father could he have any control. If Katherine was unable for some reason to fulfill her responsibilities her father could then step in and take over. If Katherine died before twenty-one her inheritance was then to go to her father except for the trust in the amount of roughly fifty million dollars which would go to Mrs. Emily Graham, Katherine's nanny. If anything should happen to Katherine the trust went to Mrs.Graham to use as she saw fit. The trust fund was worth much more than the tangilbe holdings of the family.

Since she was only twelve, Daniel felt no real threat. He had complete control of all the families' finances and the business decisions needed for making progress. The lawyers trusted his judgment as long as they received their retainer they looked the other way. As luck would have it the firm his mother and wife used was owned by an old family friend. One who believed women had no head for business. Daniel took advantage of the friendship as well as the attitude of the trustees of the will.

When the time came, his daughter would sign over her holdings to him and life would continue as it had always been. For now, he was happy to wait. His wife and daughter were the lights of his life. His outlook on women did not take away his affection for the two females who held pride of place in his life. The fact that they were two of the most beautiful females in all of the state of Virginia fed his male ego. He was willing to forgive his wife for not presenting him with a son as his daughter would marry and he could gain a son in that manner.

Amelia and her daughter were taking a long awaited trip to California to visit her closest cousin she had grown up with and considered her dearest friend. Daniel was supposed to make the trip with them but at the last minute decided weeks with the women in close quarters was unappealing. The long dusty coach ride held little appeal as did the long ride without any of the comforts of home.

The two females headed out with excitement as their traveling companion. The first leg of their journey was comfortably made by train in a luxurious sleeper car and then changed to stagecoach. This mode of travel was not comfortable but necessary to get from one place to another. The railroads were moving further west all the time but as yet none went clear across the country. That was something that the red man knew they could only hold off temporarily and the white man took as a sovereign right.

The dust stirred up by the fast spinning wheels was cloying and coated them and the coach each day. The only relief was the stops along the way. In consideration of the women, the drivers made frequent stops. Many were unscheduled stops to allow the passengers to stretch their legs as well as rest the horses between way stations. They stopped at these stations to change horses, eat drink and freshen up. Beds were provided at each stop at the end of the day. No privacy was afforded as everyone shared a common room for sleeping. Overnight stops were not the same level of luxury they were used to at home but they made it into an adventure. They were pioneers forging ever westward to settle that wild territory.

All went well until they hit the Arizona Territory. The heat and dust were cloying inside the enclosed coach. Everyone was drymouthed and sweating. The sun beating down on the top of the coach making the inside seem like an oven. The dust seeming to coat the inside of their mouths and trickling down their throats made swallowing difficult. All the passengers hand handkerchiefs over their noses and mouths. The drivers on top of the coach wore kerchiefs tied around the bottom of their faces leaving only their eyes uncovered. The last stop had been two hours ago to give water to the horses and any necessary trips to the bushes needed by the passengers. All the passengers were ready to ask for an unofficial stop to stretch their legs and relieve themselves. The water from the canteens provided had been drank shortly after leaving the way station to trade for fresh horses. They weren't concerned with running out of water as a big barrel of fresh water had been stored on the back of the coach. Taking a deep breath was hard as the dust thickened the air in a thick dust bowl allowing little oxygen to find burning lungs.

Katherine had not minded the hardship of sitting in a confined space for hours but this was so unpleasant. All she wanted was to get out and stay out in the open air. She would rather ride on top of the stage. At least then she could see the passing landscape or an occasional prairie dog. Something besides the other silent dust covered passengers. If she wasn't a young lady of twelve she would throw one of her tantrums like she used to when she was a child when she wanted to get her way. She was a young woman now. Behavior like that was beneath her. Mrs. Graham, or Gamm as Katherine called her, had threatened she would tan her backside if she threw one more fit and take away her grown-up dresses. She had been their housekeeper and Katherine's nanny since Katherine was just a baby.
She wasn't old enough yet for a corset but she did have a small bustle in the back that almost gave her a bit of a curve back there. Her best friend Emily Ann, she preferred to be called just Emily as Emily Ann sounded much too staid and dull. Emily had even bought one of her maids corsets. She said it was as uncomfortable as hell. Katherine had been shocked to see her corset then shocked again when she cursed. Katherine had bemoaned the fact that she was as flat as a washer. Boys liked lumps on the chest of girls so she had heard. Emily advised her not to worry. She had reminded her what had happened to Caroline last year. Her bosoms had grown to unbelievable proportions. Emily assured her she would soon have bosoms. Emily, had developed over the summer and suddenly boys were noticing her. She consoled Katherine with the knowledge that bosoms got in the way when wrestling with the boys.

Katherine and Emily were two very respected tomboys. At least until they had begun to show signs of becoming young women. Katherine not so much. She dressed the part but her body seemed to be taking its time catching up.

Sighing Katherine again turned to look out a window that for the summer months had the glass removed. Only thick curtains covered the windows. Katherine's mother, Amelia, had drawn one back so Katherine could look out hopefully seeing something other than dust.
Two of the passengers were men peddling their wares for their companies in the east. The other woman passenger was a school teacher leaving the safety of her home in Vermont to head west to a teaching post in California and to meet the man she had been corresponding with for three years. A bold move for a young woman barely twenty-two years old.

They had just made the decision to plead for a stop when the two men on top on the coach let out loud curses and gun shots were fired. Loud war hoops were heard and an arrow shot in through the window hitting the young school teacher squarely in the heart. The young woman was dead instantly. Her eyes open and staring blankly ahead. The light dimmed permanently in death. A dark red trickle of blood slowly edging it's way down from the corner of her mouth to her chin.

Amelia and Katherine screamed in horror and fear. They had been teased before leaving that they could be dragged off in the wild west by wild savages. Not having heard of any recent attacks and never having seen any such person who had been taken Amelia had thought it was only to scare her and force a reaction from her. The two men opposite them both wore the same frightened expressions and the acceptance of death was in their eyes. They closed their eyes and began the prayers to ease their souls into heaven. They were city dwellers and had never even fired their weapons. The younger man had only just purchased his when he found he was being sent west. He wore his gun at his hip in a show of bravado not for actual use. He had never even fired a weapon before.

Amelia couldn't let them harm or God forbid, take her daughter. The stories of women taken had been around for years. If they were lucky they were killed instantly or if taken a young brave showed favor on them if not they were as the dogs of the camp. Only good for packing supplies on their backs when moving camp and serving the camp as a slave. This would not happen to Katherine if she had to defend her on her own. If need be she would take her own life and her daughter's life before she let one of them lay one hand on her childPlease do something. Fire back at them. We can't let them stop the coach. Please for the love of God. My daughter. You know what they do to white women. Please."

"Ma'am best to save what ammunition we have for when the coach is stopped. They'll kill the horses and the drivers if we don't stop. Best to reconcile yourself and make piece with your maker. Beg him for strength to do what you know you must." He nodded his head toward Katherine. A look of acceptance had taken over his face. Knowing the inevitable end was near he needed to spend the next few minutes making his own piece with God and the wife he loved so much. His child would grow up not knowing his father. The younger man had already bowed his head and his lips moved in silent prayer.

Amelia would fight to the death for her child. She would not calmly wait for them to come and take her child or kill her right before her eyes. Taking a gun from the hip of the youngest man she leaned out the window and began firing at the men on the horses behind and to the side of the coach. She took the few bullets he had stuck in his holster. The older gentleman had packed his weapons in his trunk. They were now uselessly on top of the stagecoach packed away in his case amongst his clothing.
The horses were tiring and couldn't keep up this pace much longer. Amelia only had two bullets left and knew the outcome of the next few minutes. She had seen the driver on the right side of the coach fall to the ground and being surrounded by the savages. She had closed her eyes when the knife had been put to the top of the man's head knowing what was going to take place.

Amelia slumped in her seat. She pulled Katherine to her and told her she loved her and would see her in heaven. She asked for her forgiveness and that of God. Her hand gripped the handle of the pistol. Her hand began to shake. She wrapped her second hand around the handle to steady it. Having regained her resolve Amelia raised the pistol to her daughter's temple.

Katherine knew what was coming. Her mother would not let her be taken. She closed her eyes and told her mother through her tears that she forgave her and loved her. She waited for the small piece of metal to pierce her skull wondering if she would feel pain or if mercy would be granted and she would fall into death quietly after the first explosion of sound. Her mother's body warmed her. Despite the grueling temperature Katherine felt cold. She couldn't manage to keep her body from shaking. She wanted so badly to be home in her room playing with her new doll house and telling her best friend Emily she was sorry for taking her last piece of candy without permission then blaming it on one of the maids. She forgot to brush her pony's mane last week and told her mother she had. Ginger would forgive her but she wished she had done it instead of lying.

Katherine's body jerked in surprise to hear loud grunts and then felt the heavy weight against her lap. She opened her eyes to find the man across from her pierced with an arrow and lying dead against her. The other man lay half in the floor and half on her mother. Her mother shoved the man to the floor and raised the gun to Katherine's temple. A look of sorrow and regret painted on her features. All her dreams and plans for her daughter's future gone in a flash. Taken away in seconds by the cruel hand of men who didn't even know their name.

What quarrel do they have with us that they attack and kill without compunction? This should not be happening. We were only going for a visit. We were going to renew our family ties. My daughter is an innocent. Amelia could admit to having sinned in her life but nothing deserving of this and Katherine had done nothing to blacken her soul. She was pure of heart and gracious in giving to those who had less. It should not end this way. Her daughter should have a chance for life.

"Close your eyes baby. It will be over in a moment. A fleeting sting then nothing. Please close your eyes. Do not look at me. I will not have the strength to do what I must if you look at me. I gave you life now I must be the one to take that life back. Think of all the loved ones you'll see again. Say a prayer for your father and send your love to him. Good-bye my sweet child. I shall hold you until I draw my last breath. I will not leave you alone." Amelia prayed God would give her the strength to carry out what must be done. She would not have her child suffer at the hands of these savages.
Amelia hugged her daughter close. She placed a kiss on her temple. Her lips touched the spot she had to send the bullet to ensure Katherine did not suffer. If she felt an instant of pain Amelia knew she would not forgive herself even after she entered into her eternal journey.

Please God do not let my daughter suffer. Make my shot true and instant. Let my daughter suffer not one moment of pain. Take her soul to heaven and mine soon after. Forgive those who sin against us as we ourselves hold sin in our hearts. I forgive those who do this dreadful thing without even knowing who they kill. Lead us safely into heaven. Give my husband the strength to carry on. I know I meet you with acceptance of your gift of life for my sins. Please hear my humble prayer. Amen.

Katherine took her mother's left hand and closed her eyes tightly waiting to hear the last sound to grace her ears this side of heaven. Silently her lips moved in prayer. Each breath taken she anticipated would be her last. The sound she heard close to her ear tore the breath from her lungs and a scream from her throat as she opened her eyes to see her mother dead beside her an arrow sticking from her chest and blood dripping from her mouth.

"No! No! You can't leave me Mother. You can't leave me. Don't leave me alone. Mother I'm frightened." Sobs choked her throat. Tears made muddy tracks down her dust covered face. Katherine put her head down on her mothers chest.

"Mommy please," she begged. She couldn't do this alone. She had never been alone before.
A shallow breath gave proof of life. Katherine raised her head hopefully. Her mother was not dead but did not have enough life to make a difference in the outcome of the next few minutes. Amelia raised her hand shakily then pressed the gun into her young daughter's hand. Amelia did not have the strength to help her daughter. This horrendous task would fall on her innocent daughter's shoulder. Her gaze told Katherine the remaining two shots could be for her or two of the savage men who would come for her.

With the last bit of strength Amelia forced her blood stained hand to her daughter's face. Her feather light fingertips grazed Katherine's tear streaked cheek. Lovingly she traced her daughter's face for the last time. She wanted to take the memory of her daughter's precious face with her on her journey to heaven's gate. Tears of regret more than pain fell from Amelia's eyes. She pushed her regrets aside knowing they would be reunited in heaven. As a sharp pain shot through her she closed her eyes.

"No! You can't leave me. I can make you better. I know I can." Frantically Katherine put her hands to her mother's chest. Stop the blood flow. Yes, stop the blood and she'd be fine. Water. I should get her some water. Thoughts raced in her mind.

Yes, if I stop the blood she'll be alright. You will be fine Mother. Daddy will be so happy to see us. I promise I’ll clean my room. For real. Not just push everything under the bed. I won't stay up past my bedtime. I will be the little lady you want instead of running around wild with Hayden and his friend's after school. I promise just don't die and leave me here alone.

The utter stillness of her mother at last forced her to accept what her mother had known all along. She was dying. She was moments away from her last breath. Seeing her mother's lips moving she leaned closer to catch each precious word.

Amelia reached up and brushed her fingertips over Katherine's cheek. Her fingers gathered the wet tears as they fell down the innocent cheeks of her daughter. If the end of her life would save her daughter's she would gladly face anyone seeking her death. Amelia would die a thousand horrific deaths to save her daughter. All she could give Katherine now was the hope of a swift and merciful passing.

"Be brave my sweet daughter. Know that I have loved you from the moment I knew you were growing in my womb. Not one day have I regretted having you in my life. Each hour, each second having you with me made each day more precious than any riches I could have. I have always been proud of you. You know what you must do Katherine. Gather your courage and do what must be done. It grieves me to leave you with this last task but my strength is gone and even now the darkness is covering my eyes. Oh please my darling daughter do not cry. I will see you heaven my sweet angel."

With those last words trembling on her lips the last light of life dimmed and extinguished in the eyes of her mother. A lone tear traveled from the corner of her mother's eye to the bottom of her chin where it dripped down and mingled with the blood on her dress.

Katherine held her mother's limp hand. Soon the warmth would leave that hand held so dearly by the young girl. Her grief almost left her powerless to move or cry. The life's blood of her mother stained her dress. The red crimson liquid dripped from her hands as she had tried to stem the flow of the life giving blood gushing from her mother's body.
In desperation she tried to remove the evidence of her mother's suffering from her hands. Sobbing with loud gasping breaths she desperately wiped her hands down the front of her dress. The red stains would forever be imprinted in her memory. The only thing left to her was to carry out her mother's wish. She had to find the strength to end her own life. Her heart raced in fear of what was to come and dread of the outcome if she failed in her task.

Katherine didn't think she could take the life of another and didn't want to face her God with the death of others on her soul. Taking her own life was also a sin and seemed the greater evil so she waited her decision still not clear. The coach began to slow. It came to a stop and an eerie silence surrounded Katherine. The man still holding the reins had two arrows in his chest and fell to the ground dead. The short silence was broken by cries of victory from the men on the horses.

The coach rocked with the weight of men climbing on top. She heard the thud of trunks hitting the ground. She hurriedly looked out the window to see two Indian men prying open the trunks. The lids fell open and rifles were taken from inside. Small boxes of what Katherine thought must be ammunition were removed with the rifles. They had been after the guns.

A sick realization entered Katherine's grief stricken mind. They had died for pieces of metal and bits of brass and gun powder. That's all her mother's life had been worth in the end? Weapons? Guns that would kill more innocents? The people on the top of the coach had been obstacles to be removed. The others had been innocent victims. Many such victims could be claimed on both sides in the war between the Indian and the white man. At that moment Katherine had no thought of what was fair or right. Her heart beat with vengeance alone.

The two men raised the rifles in the air and gave great shouts and shook the weapons over their heads. Her decision was made with certainty with the knowledge of how little value had been placed on her mother's life and the lives of the other passengers. She would forfeit a merciful end to take vengeance in her mother's name.

Katherine could hear many shouts and see figures on horses riding in celebration around the coach. Many wore buckskins on their legs and leather tunics on their torsos. Feathers were stuck in their hair and beads hung on their necks. She saw tufts of hair on many lances and bow quivers. Leather moccasins covered their feet. The horses they rode had no saddles. Streaks of color was painted across the men's faces. Even the horses were painted with symbols.

The dust swirled around clogging her throat. Her eyes watered as particles entered her eyes. In other circumstances she could have appreciated the wild untamed beauty of the warriors and their war painted horses. The symbols painted on the bodies of the men and the animals beneath them strange but telling a story known only to the rider of each animal.

At this moment all she felt was hate and a grief so crippling it hurt to take each breath. The remainder of her mother's blood on her hands spurring her hate further. Her trembling hands held the gun aimed at the door waiting to pull the trigger and seek a little retribution for her mother.

The smell of blood made her nauseous. The coppery taste of blood was on her tongue from hitting her face on the door and splitting her lip. She swallowed the bile back down her throat as her stomach churned. The smell of blood was a smell she never wanted to breath again but unfortunately for her in the years to come it was a smell she would become intimately acquainted with many times.

With a suddenness that gave her no chance to change her mind on her decision the door was torn open and a dark skinned man was in the door reaching for the only live person inside. Not giving herself a moment to think Katherine raised the gun and the look of surprise to see the gun in her hand was followed by the shock of the pain as the bullet tore through the man's neck taking his life. He had barely fallen to the ground when the door behind her was pulled open and another man stepped into the opening of door behind her. She turned and shot hitting the man in the chest. As she fired the shot another man entering in the opening by her mother reached inside the coach and she felt strong arms shoot around her from behind from the opposite side. The strong arms locked around her tightly and began to pull her roughly out of the coach.

Katherine kicked and screamed. Her nails scratched skin wherever contact was made. Her tiny feet found vulnerable knees and lower legs of her captor. His arms were like a vice holding her firmly around her waist. She could hear the harsh breathing and feel the warm rush of his breath on her face. Her fear choked the next scream off in her throat frozen halfway between her lungs and her mouth. She held her breath in fear. Each intake of air could be her last. She had not lived long enough to have many sins to repent but as she felt this might be her last moments she listed them mentally and prayed for God's forgiveness and mercy.

The sight of her brought an eerie silence to the men gathered around. The man holding her pulled a handful of hair and showed it to the others and spoke words she couldn't understand. The man who looked as if he were the leader of the group threw his leg over the side of his horse and slid to the ground. He walked with pride and confidence. His stature alone would give pause to any enemy in battle. The fierceness in his eyes would make a brave man shake in trepidation. Katherine looked him straight in the eye. Not once did she look away. He approached her standing tall and proud. She drew herself up as tall as she could with her shoulders thrown back with pride. He had a headdress with many feathers on it. He was so tall she had to look up at him. His features were pleasant except for the hatred spilling out of his eyes and onto each of his facial features. His black hair was long and braided with leather ties at the end to hold the hair in place. He had many scars on his body. Muscles had been hardened by many years of hard physical work and battling for his way of life. The look of pure hatred in his eyes shook her but it was no greater than the hatred burning in her own. Not one person in her young life had ever showed her any kind of animosity or disfavor. This man hated her not even knowing her. In her young mind her hate was justified his was not.

He was within a foot of her when he reached out and ran his hand down her silky blond hair. He let the strands run through his fingers. He said something to the others and a look of fear mixed with wonder crossed their faces. To them this pure light gracing her made her almost a holy visage. Some interpreted the stories passed down from father to son through hundreds of years of telling as a good omen others believed an evil spirit trying to pass as good tricked the unwary warrior. The person of light hair had been blessed by the spirits of their ancestors or sent by the trickster to take the brave men to the spirit world.

Raging Bear believed light hair meant bravery as the yellow hair Custer had fought vigilently, relentlessly hounding his people. Some day he would end this white mans life if ever he was to cross paths with him. For now he kept his people on the move covering their tracks so the traitorous Indian scouts couldn't track them. The yellow haired Custer, was either brave or stupid to chase after a foe you can not see. His tribe was one of many the yellow hair Custer had pledged to run to ground and imprison or send them to the land of their ancestors. Raging Bear would see his ancestors before he saw the inside of the white eyes prison or reservation. He was free now and he would die free.

In an unguarded moment Katherine was able to free her hand and grabbed the man's arm in front of her as it passed near her face. She sank her teeth into his skin as hard as she could.

Raging Bear drew his arm back to strike the girl. A whisper in his ear told him that this child would be important to him in the future. The whisper asked for mercy. Raging Bear dropped his hand. He looked deep into her soul through her eyes. Behind the hate and sorrow he saw much more. He decided to listen to the whisper.

Stepping away from the girl he ordered Lone Wolf to put her on his horse and take her back to camp. He would stay behind with the others and gather their dead so they could be honored and mourned by the tribe.

Lone Wolf didn't like traveling with the young yellow hair. He was not superstitious as he had been educated by his white mother until he left home after yet another battle to defend himself against the white eyes in the town nearby. His place was with his people, his brothers of his tribe not those hut dwellers his mother chose as her people. He was a warrior not an old woman. His place was on the battle field by the side of his chief Raging Bear.

"I hate you. Some day I'll kill you. All of you just like you killed my mother. I'll cut your hearts out and feed them to the wolves. I'll tear your eyes out and feed them to the birds. I'll cut out your tongue and spit on it. Let me go. Let me go now!" Katherine kicked and screamed. She thrashed her body and bit any piece of flesh she could attach her teeth to. Her teeth clamped down on his forearm sinking into his flesh. He shoved her to the ground calling her a name his white mother would have slapped his cheeks for letting it pass his lips. The little wildcat got up and tried to run. She only made it a few feet but those few feet were a disgrace to a warrior who had many kills to his credit.

Angrily Lone Wolf followed her and grabbed a fistful of her hair. He jerked her back and shoved her to the ground. He placed his moccasin clad foot on her back holding her to the ground. Not one tear fell from her face though. All that was in her eyes was hate and a sorrow she would not express in front of these savages.

"What does this yellow hair say Lone Wolf?"

Both Lone Wolf and Katherine were panting from their recent struggle. Lone Wolf saw the grins of his fellow warriors. He had almost been defeated by a skinny child. Granted she was like a wild cougar defending it's territory but still a child. A female child at that.

Her words could bring retribution from some of the others who had lost family members in recent battles. He wanted to lie but he wouldn't dishonor his chief with falsehoods. He told Raging Bear just what she said. The men laughed. This small child was brave enough to threaten their chief? They could understand her anger but the threat they dismissed. A sudden gust of wind blew past them. As they looked at Katherine the men who would bravely die in battle moved back away form the sight of her glinting in the bright sunlight. Her hair seemed as if each strand had a life of its own.

Whispers began to stir among the men waiting for their chief to speak. The child had light hair. The sun glinting in the light strands seeming to glow with light. The gentle breeze blowing the silky gossamer strands like the wings of some spirit. The light blue of her eyes rivaled the clear sky. Pale unmarred skin shown eerily like a long dead spirit returned from the spirit world. Her presence unnerved many and fascinated others. The light hair and light colored eyes an unusual sight. With the wind fanning her hair she looked like some unearthly spirit. The sun forming a halo around her added to the effect. She seemed to glow with an unearthly light.

Raging Bear had a dream vision for the past two nights. He dreamt of his death at the hands of a spirit he could not see. A spirit from beyond had shown him what was to come. All he saw was a halo of light around the head that was so bright it blinded him. This spirit from the land of his ancestors had shown him he would die from some wound to his heart. He had seen his life draining away. The dream could have another meaning. All dreams were not shown as true happenings. Some were meant as warnings and some were no more than one's own desires. Just as he had seen the iron horse that swept across his tribe's homeland in a dream vision he also saw what he thought was his death. This little yellow hair he would keep close to see what path she walked. Some things the spirits allowed us to change and some things were as time and the rise and fall of the sun. It came no matter what you did the pattern remained the same. Now he heard the spirits of the wind plead her cause.

A few words spoken in low tones from Raging Bear and Lone Wolf grabbed her arm.

"Come yellow hair. This is no place for you." Lone Wolf did not know what had made Raging Bear show such mercy but he was glad for the sake of the child. Lone Wolf gently but firmly pulled on her upper arm. His war was not with children.

"You speak English! Help me get away from here. Please. My father will reward you for returning me. He can even make sure you are safe and can go somewhere no one will find you."

"I have no need for what the white man uses to pay for goods. I would not betray my people that way as I would never be able to go far enough or get lost enough to outrun my betrayal. Besides it is not for me to decide your fate. Raging Bear will make that choice when we have mourned our losses."

He lifted her to the front shoulder of his pony and jumped up behind her. He felt no need to tie her hands. Something he regretted later when she tried to run when they stopped to drink from the fresh water rushing over the rocks. He had just brought his mount forward to drink when she shoved him from behind and started to run. She didn't get far but it was enough to convince him he couldn't take her weakness for granted. He bound her hands tightly. His reward was a kick in his manhood from a dainty foot. After that he made sure to keep his guard up and protect himself. He had plans of having a son one day and did not relish telling his future wife he had been unmanned by a mere girl.

This looked to be a long unpleasant journey. One Lone Wolf would rather not make. The child had just lost her mother. Had witnessed the death of others as well. She was now with strangers. Most of those around her would rather see her dead than have her in the camp. Looking at the hate in her young eyes he wondered how treacherous this day would be. He hoped the wind spirits lifted the hoofs of his pony making this a quick journey home.

The fight seemed to have left the young one after he tied her hands and put her back on Wind Runner's back. The rest of the trip was made in silence and the sun was setting behind the mountains when he brought the prisoner into camp. He had quickly been surrounded by the older members of the tribe who had been left behind. The women and children joining the circle around him. He told of the day's battle and her part in it. The women surrounded her and began to spit and beat her. They shoved her from one woman to another. The words they spoke to her she didn't understand but the hatred behind them she knew well from the men earlier.

She stood tall and proud. They knocked her down she crawled back to her feet looking neither left nor right. She would not dishonor her mother by letting these people see her cry or beg. She would show them Katherine Montgomery could stand alone against them and gain a victory over them by offering her silent acceptance of the treatment she received.

Lone Wolf grew tired of these women. The yellow hair was but a child. He had no love for the white eyes but he had never taken his war with the masses invading his homeland to the door of a child. Many white eyes would disagree with him when it came to the children of his tribe. Many had been slaughtered in raids on their camp. The camps occupants were slaughtered indiscriminately. His people could no longer stay in one place for long. Now they roamed the land with no permanent place to call home. True all was at one time his people's home but now the ground beneath their feet each night was home. The location changed sometimes as night turns to day. The children lay down to sleep in one place only to wake in another. This was the way of survival when the enemy was hunting with only the idea in their mind to wipe your people from Mother Earth. His Apache brothers would soon be but a memory carried on the whisper of the wind. Lone Wolf knew the time of his people was growing short. The great buffalo herds were becoming only faint memories with each winter's passing. Soon that great beast would be no more. His people would follow them into the mist of memory.

"Leave now. This yellow hair is mine. I say when to punish. No hand shall sting her cheek unless I wish it to be. Go do women's work. Your chief will return tonight with our dead. Make the preparations for the ceremony to honor them."

"Thank you for whatever you said to them that made them stop. I still hate you all but thank you."

"Make no mistake yellow hair I only did what was needed to be done. Another time I may let them take their hatred for the white eyes out on you. I need no thanks from you. Make no mistake you are a prisoner. To do with as we wish. You are like the horse that carries us or the dogs we use for work to carry our packs or sleds. You are as a beast. No more no less."

Katherine spit on the ground at his feet. "I am not an animal. I am not your property. Some day I will kill you and return to my home. I will make you sorry for killing my mother. You are nothing but savages. Animals are regarded higher than you."

Lone Wolf did not want to harm this child but he could not allow this disrespect to continue. He raised his hand and hit her with the back of his hand. She went flying and landed roughly on her side with a trickle of blood at the side of her mouth. He had tried to hold back the full force of the strike but he still hit her harder than he wanted to. Twenty-one winters since his birth and he had never laid a hand on a female in anger. Now he was at war with this female child.

The mention of her mother more than the pain in her cheek brought tears that hovered on her lashes. She angrily wiped them away and drew herself up as straight and tall as she could. She would not let them see her grief or her sorrow. She would not break down in front of them. She stared straight ahead and thought of home and days she spent with her mother and father. She wasn't here in this horrible place at all. This was only a dream. A nightmare from which she would wake and her mother would comfort her.

Lone Wolf admired her pride but knew if she continued to show this pride things would be hard for her. He heard the horses entering the camp and drug her to the opening of a teepee. Lone Wolf untied her hands debating the wisdom of his actions as he saw her furtive glances around the encampment. He threw her into the opening and she landed in a pile of animal hides.

Some of the war party had returned with a few of the fallen braves. Knowing the evening would be long Lone Wolf went to the steam a short distance from the camp to get a drink and wash away the bit of the trail that clung to him.

Having no one to see she could give into the pain she felt and rubbed her bruises and red marks from the leather straps that had been tied around her wrists. With her hands untied she had a better chance of escape. Quietly she tip toed to the opening and looked around. Everyone was concerned with the dead. Now was her chance. Not giving another minute to think of her actions Katherine went to the back of the teepee and lifted up the bottom. Lowering herself to her stomach she crawled under until she was completely out then took off running as fast as her legs would carry her to the trees not far away.

She heard shouts coming from all directions. She hoped it wasn't anyone noticing her escape. Luck was not on her side. A strong arm grabbed her from behind and tackled her to the ground. The heavy body landing on her back drove the air from her lungs. The pressure on her back would not allow her to inhale a breath. Just when she was seeing a blackness in front of her eyes the weight left her. Two tightly gripping hands jerked her to her feet. She was then dragged into the center of the gathered people and thrown to the ground.

Words she didn't understand were coming from so many directions. After what seemed and eternity to Katherine but was only a little less than a minute a man grabbed her and dragged her over to a pole. Her hands were tied around her wrists then the straps were hung on a peg on the pole. Katherine's hands were high above her head. The tips of her toes barely reached the ground. When she felt hands gripping the material of her dress her panic took over. Pictures of the men having their hair removed earlier that day danced horribly into her mind. The fabric was torn down to her waist. Not knowing what was to occur she was taken by surprise at the first sting of the leather lash across her back. The instant pain would have driven her to her knees if the straps hadn't held her up. Four more lashes ripped her tender skin. As the fifth lash struck her, she blessedly lost conscientiousness.

Lone Wolf was angered by the whipping Grey Eagle had given the little yellow hair. He had only gone for a moment to get a cold drink from the stream and splash water on his body to wash away the dust of the trail. He had returned to find the girl tied to a pole. Grey Eagle had been whipping his prisoner across her back.

Angrily Lone Wolf strode forward and took the whip from the angry man facing him. Grey Eagle had lost two sons in a raid on their camp last winter. His hatred burned so fiercely in him it was all he had left to keep him from becoming a spirit. His hate fed his body giving him the strength and will to gone on and fight the next battle. His hatred bound him to this earth until every last white man was driven from their lands or he took his last breath. If his time ended before he could see this he would make sure he took as many white men as he could. For every brave that fell he would make sure two white men fell.

Word's were exchanged. Not one word reached the ear of the unconscious girl. The only movement was caused by the wind ruffling her hair and the torn fabric of her dress. Red rivulets slowly ran down her back one drop at a time from the many lacerations on her back until the dark red coated her torn dress and slithered like a snake down her skin. A merciful God deemed she should stay in this unknowing state for the few hours as she drifted on the edge of concsiouness.

With one last warning Lone Wolf turned away to untie the girl. He would take her back to the teepee and find his sister Fawn. Fawn would care for the wounds on his prisoner's back. He would try not to think of her as a female child ever again. To do so made him careless. He felt guilt because she had been hurt. He had been careless leaving her untied. Thinking of her only as a prisoner would be better for both of them.

His attention was drawn from the girl when he heard more men and horses returning. Tonight would be a night of great sorrow for his people. To many days and nights had been spent in mourning the many dead over the last few years. Soon there would be no one left to mourn the passing of a great nation. The Apache nation grew smaller with each passing winter.

Not liking to leave the yellow hair unattended and bleeding for a short breath of time he hesitated. Retying her hands he looked at the child hanging by her tied wrists from the pole. Sighing heavily he walked away to join the others. Later he would take care of the girl. The heaviness of his heart gave witness to his mixed emotions. He had lived as an Apache warrior for many years but he still remembered his mother. He missed her. Her blood was his blood. Some day he hoped to see her again. This battle between Lone Wolf's two worlds had always raged within him.

Raging Bear had returned and wails of sorrow had torn through the camp for the loss of so many of their warriors.The eerie wails sounding ghostly in the dark. The mournful cries were laced with pain and suffering. That night as the camp grieved for their dead Katherine had remained tightly tied to a thick pole with the end buried deep in the ground. Her wounds were dried and caked with blackened blood. The rope was tied tight and she couldn't sit. Her legs were shaking from the hours of standing with her toes touching the ground along with her suspended arms held her upright. Each time her legs gave out she forced them to straighten and hold her weight.

All night she drifted in and out on consciousness. Her dreams at first pleasant then quickly turned to nightmares. Hot fires were burning all around. Faceless men surrounded her. They seemed to be ghostly apparitions. Slipping in and out of the light of the flickering flames. A fever burned hotly in Katherine. Hot fingers of fire burned at her back and spread throughout her young body. Her youth and good health played a part in mercifully granting her life that night. It had been uncertain if she would live to see the light of the next rising sun. Miraculously she rallied and survived to the amazement of everyone. Suspicions grew. They thought she was an evil spirit masked as a young girl. Many grown men could not survive half of what she went through and live. She was sent from the spirit world to trick them. Perhaps the trickster himself had sent her.

Katherine's back burned and the pain drove all other thoughts from her head. After hours of pain a blessed numbness settled over her. The kindness of peaceful oblivion drew a dark curtain over her and shrouded her in blissful blackness. For a time her pain was driven out by darkness only to return when light returned dragging her senses back to reality. A reality so painful it was hard to contemplate. She gave up struggling to stay conscious. The balackness meant relief from pain.

That night was the first of many in eight long years of being treated as less than the worth of a dog in the camp. They told her that her name was to be Yellow Hair. She never heard her Christian name once in all those years. She would repeat her own name to herself over and over so she wouldn't forget who she was. She made herself remember where she came from and that her mother died at the hands of her captors.

Sometimes it was so tempting to give in and let them have their little victory of breaking her spirit. No sooner would the thought take flight in her mind and she would steadfastly push it away. She would not dishonor her mother with cowardly behavior.

Her defiance earned her many punishments. She endured them all with pride stiffening her spine and her resolve. This attitude earned the respect of many of her captors and the ire of others. Her enemies took their hatred out on her. The others could only stand by and watch giving her kindness hidden from the watching eagle eyes of those who wanted her death.

Lone Wolf had come to respect this woman child. She had the spirit of a warrior. Not once since the early days of captivity had she shed a tear. At least not one that any of her tormentors could see. At night he would stand outside his teepee and hear her near silent tears. Many of his tribe had a grudging respect for the little sad woman child.
Katherine refused to bend to their will. She fought when the women tried to remove her clothes and give her some of their own clothing. She was determined that even if she had to wear this until it was nothing but rags she would not be rescued wearing a garment made by her mother's murderers.

A/N: A huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed as well as those who are reading. I hope you will like the direction this tale is going to take for a while. We'll have Erik back after a few chapters. The others will be reappearing as well.
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Ascent to Power