Captive Travelers by Candace Smith

discuss the rest of the vision with the chief in private. “The raven must have wronged the tribe badly to have created such energy. I have seen much, Nashoba. The women will go to the farmer.”
    “He will not hide them,” Tocho argued. “Not after the last one. The woman will not allow it.”
    “Perhaps your influence on Sahkyo has weakened,” Tokala suggested. Tocho glared at his insult, and Tokala melted into the crowd behind his brother.
    “It doesn’t matter,” Nashoba shrugged. “It will be easier to gather them, and they will not risk getting hurt if they are hiding with them.”
    The shaman raised his hand for silence. “You have three days, and then the women will leave. The bones trailed towards the south.”
    “The ranch,” Nashoba said. He smiled, and his white teeth gleamed against his tan face. “They already seek the protection of a man.”
    Nashoba gathered a small group of warriors to collect the spirit guide’s offering. They rode east towards the wheat field, just at daybreak.

Chapter III

    Clara had spent the week teaching the girls simple chores and adjusting food supplies. She had no extra cloth to make them more than the one dress they each wore. Clara, herself, was down to two, and by the time they got supplies in the fall from the harvest, it would probably be unnecessary. The young women splashed in the stream to wash off, and walked in the warm summer sun until their dresses dried. Clara tried to be optimistic, but she could not push away the foreboding sense that they would be leaving… just like Rebecca had three years ago.
    It was Aubrey’s turn to knead the bread dough. Her arms ached, and she looked at Clara who was peeling vegetables. “You do this every day?”
    “No, with just Henry and me I can stretch a loaf for three.” Clara looked across the table to Kayla. The pretty young woman was concentrating on her task, and a few wisps of her dark hair had escaped her bonnet. Her sapphire eyes were narrowed on her work. “Careful, Kayla, always away from you.”
    “It feels weird.” Kayla turned the knife and made an awkward slice down half the length of the carrot. “Can’t you get Henry to make you a regular vegetable peeler?”
    Clara laughed. “Using the knife is just a minor inconvenience.”
    “Tell me about it,” Cici called in through the door. She was on the porch churning butter.
    Kayla kicked Aubrey under the table, and when she looked at her, she nodded. They had been discussing going to the south. It was obvious if there really were Indians, the farmers would not help them fight.
    Aubrey said, “Clara, we’ve been talking about it…”
    “And you want to go south.” Clara put down her knife, and she sighed. “They can’t help you there. Hell, you’ll probably end up being raped by them… or they’ll make you trade it, to keep you hidden. They know the Indians will kill them, but they’ll try, anyway.”
    “We’ve been here over a week. Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe they don’t know that we’re here,” Kayla suggested. At this point, there were too many things that convinced the women they were not in their old world. Now that the shock had worn off, they were trying to plan how to get back. They could not accomplish anything by staying at the farm.
    “We might not even go to the ranch, Clara. Maybe we will try it on our own. It seems to be the only way to keep someone from being hurt,” Aubrey said. Clara picked up her knife again, and shook her head while she peeled another potato.
    They discussed it again over dinner with Henry present. They whispered from their makeshift bed on the floor. Aubrey and Kayla thought the decision to find the ranch held merit. Cici was the holdout and being stubborn. The thought of throwing herself at sex-starved men for protection seemed much more intimidating than hiding at the farm. They were still arguing in the morning when they began their chores.
    Aubrey finished collecting eggs from different nests