"Had Elliott died last summer, he would have been called a hero."
"He is one still," Hunter ar
gued.
Hunter laid his friend's body in the hole, crossed his hands over his chest, covered his face with the handkerchief, and added another layer of pine boughs, before he refilled the hole. He packed the earth down firmly, and scattered the excess dirt so it would not be noticed. Next he sprinkled fallen leaves on the ground in a random pattern to mimic nature. He had to search for several minutes, but found a fallen branch he added to his carefully landscaped scene.
"How does this look to you?" he asked.
Not really knowing what to expect, Alanna turned around slowly, but then her eyes widened in surprise. "It looks perfect. No one will guess the ground has been disturbed, but how will you ever find this place again to retrieve the body?"
"Do you become lost on your plantation?"
"No, of course not, it's my home."
"Well, the forest is mine. I won't have trouble finding my way here again. Do you want to say a prayer before we go?"
"No, Elliott was wonderful to me, and I'll remember him in my prayers for the rest of my life."
Hunter thought it odd that she had shed no tears for her cousin, but because every second they tarried brought Blind Snake closer, he gestured toward the adjacent trees. "We dare not leave any tracks here. Watch where I step, and do not fall behind."
Feeling completely drained, Alanna doubted she could still keep up, but she nodded. Hunter turned away, again traveling north at the same steady pace he had set earlier. After a while, she saw only a blur of honey-colored buckskin up ahead, but she continued to push herself and run long after her mind had sworn her body was spent. When at last Hunter drew to a halt and turned back toward her, she collapsed in his arms.
Hunter had meant only to make certain that Alanna was still with him, but clearly she could go no farther. He was nearing exhaustion himself, but carrying her cradled against his chest, he traveled another mile before stopping for the night. The place he chose was not only on high ground, but also densely wooded. It was bordered on one side by blackberry vines heavily laden with ripe fruit, and on the other by a fast-flowing stream. There was still time to hunt, but because he dared not light a fire to roast meat, he hoped Alanna liked blackberries.
He untied her shawl, spread it out on the ground, and laid her upon it. Thinking she might sleep for hours, he washed up in the stream in an effort to refresh himself, and began to pick berries. He had eaten his fill before Alanna sat up. She rubbed her eyes, but still didn't seem to recognize her surroundings.
Hunter carried a handful of berries over to her. "We'll stay here tonight, perhaps longer. Try and eat all you can."
Alanna needed no further encouragement. She popped a berry into her mouth, and then gobbled several more. "I haven't had anything to eat all day."
"I am a poor host it seems."
"Oh, no, it's not your fault." As she reached for the next berry, she noticed Elliott's ring on her finger and drew her hand back.
"What's wrong?"
"I fainted again, didn't I?"
"You were exhausted."
Truly, Alanna could not recall ever being so tired, but she doubted exertion was her only problem. "Our trip wasn't supposed to end this way."
"You could not have foreseen the danger."
"Perhaps not, but when you mentioned wanting to search for Blind Snake last night, neither Elliott nor I took you seriously. If only we had paid attention to you, rather than force you to listen to us, he might still be alive."
Hunter nodded toward the vines, and then gathered more berries for her before he sat down beside her. "The past can't be changed, and you mustn't blame yourself for Elliott's death. It was the fault of Blind Snake and his friends."
"What friends? I thought he was alone."
"We both saw him shoot Elliott, but there were shots from another direction. He may have had only one companion, or half a dozen. They would have overtaken us long before now, if they could. I think they'll go back to the trading post to wait for us. If we stay in the forest for a week or two, they'll grow bored and move on."
Alanna immediately took exception to his plan. "We can't let Blind Snake get away with killing Elliott. If you think he'll be lurking around the trading post, then we have to go back there and have him arrested!"
Insulted that she would question his judgment, Hunter's eyes narrowed to menacing slits, and his expression filled with defiance. "I do not have to do anything. If you must go back to the trading post, you'll go alone."
"You can't mean that."