"I thought you were all dead and I would die alone and no one would remember us. " "We remember. Father remembers. And you will never be alone again. " They stayed in Echo Valley for 6 hours, resting the horses and themselves. As dawn broke, Swift Bird returned from scouting. "No pursuit.
Morrison has arrested half of Tucson's wealthy men. The rest are too busy protecting themselves to chase us. " Nala felt something uncoil in her chest. They'd done it. Chenoa was free. Three sisters now, out of six, but three remained.
Winona and Ayanna, sold to Mexican slavers. Their trail was months cold. Finding them would require resources Nala didn't have, knowledge she didn't possess. Unless Swift Bird Did Diving Hawk's contact in Mexico send word? "Yes.
The slavers took Winona and Ayanna to Hermosillo. They were sold to a hacienda owner named Martin Vega. He has a reputation for for treating his slaves poorly. Nala's face went cold. "How far is Hermosillo? " "2 weeks ride, maybe three. " "And Vega's hacienda? " "Fortified.
20 men, dogs, high walls. " Another impossible rescue. But Nala had done impossible before. "We ride for the gathering place first. " she decided. "Deliver Chenoa to safety, reunite with Keona and Yazzie, then I go to Mexico. " "You cannot go alone. " Swift Bird protested. "I won't be alone.
I'll have you and Diving Hawk's warriors. And I'll have Jesse's planning and wisdom. " "Jesse is dying. " "Then I'll carry his wisdom with me after he's gone. " They mounted and rode north, back toward the gathering place, back toward Jesse and the fragile community of survivors that had formed around Diving Hawk's strength and Jesse's steady presence. Jesse was teaching when they arrived. He sat in the shade of a ramada, surrounded by a dozen Apache children between 8 and 15 years old. In his hands, he held a book, the only one they had, a worn Bible he'd carried since his cavalry days.
But he wasn't reading scripture. He was teaching them to read English, using the only text available. His voice was hoarse, his face gray with exhaustion, but his eyes remained focused as he pointed to words and sounded them out. The children repeated after him, their young voices uncertain but determined. Keona sat nearby, helping the younger ones.
Her infection had finally cleared, though she walked with a limp now and probably always would. Yazzie played with children her own age, teaching them a game she'd learned before her captivity. Both sisters looked up as the riders approached. Yazzie saw Chenoa first. She screamed and ran, colliding with her sister so hard both nearly fell.
Keona followed, slower but no less emotional. The three sisters embraced, crying and laughing and speaking over each other in Apache. Jesse stood slowly, supporting himself against the ramada's post. His eyes found Nala. She nodded once.
"Success. " Jesse's face transformed. Not quite a smile, he was too tired for that, but something close. Relief, maybe, or satisfaction at a mission completed. Nala dismounted and walked to him. Up close, she could see how much the 3 days had cost him.
His skin had a gray undertone. His breathing was shallow. His hand shook slightly where it gripped the post. "You did it. " Jesse said. "We did it.
Your plan worked. " "Morrison came through? " "Better than expected. He arrested half the auction attendees. The investigation will destroy Crane's whole network. " Jesse nodded, then his eyes moved to Swift Bird and the warriors, reading something in their expressions. "But you're not done. Two sisters remain, Winona and Ayanna, in Mexico. " "How far? " "2 weeks ride, maybe more. " Jesse was quiet for a long moment.
Then he said, "I can't go with you. You know that. " "I know. But I can help you plan, help you prepare, help you succeed. " "Jesse, you should rest. You should I should use what time I have left doing something that matters. " His voice was firm despite its weakness. "Your father gave me a second life.
I'm not wasting it lying in a bed waiting to die. " Nala studied his face, saw the determination there. Saw also the truth, he had weeks at most, maybe days. But those weeks could be spent in purpose or in surrender. And Jesse Walker had never been good at surrendering. "All right. " she said quietly.
"Then help me plan. Help me bring my last sisters home. " They spent 2 days in preparation. Jesse, despite his failing body, proved invaluable. His military experience gave him insights into siege tactics, entry points, taming He questioned every assumption, tested every plan, found weaknesses they would have missed. Diving Hawk contributed her knowledge of Mexican territory and contacts.
Swift Bird and the warriors provided intelligence gathered from Mexican traders passing through. Slowly, carefully, they built a plan that might actually work. The night before Nala was set to leave for Mexico, she found Jesse sitting alone by the fire. He was writing in a small journal, his hand moving slowly across the page. "What are you writing? " Nala asked.
"Letter to my son, Ethan. Trying to explain, trying to say what I should have said years ago. " "Will you send it? " "If I can. Diving Hawk knows someone heading toward Texas next month. They can carry it. " Jesse closed the journal. "I'm telling him about you, about your sisters, about your father.
I want him to know that his father's last act was something worth doing. " Nala sat beside him. For a moment, they simply watched the fire. "Jesse, after this is done, after all my sisters are safe, will you She stopped. The question she was about to ask felt too large, too heavy. "Will I what? " Jesse prompted gently.
"Will you help me build the school? My father's school, even if it's just for a few weeks. Even if it's just planning and laying foundations. I want you to see it begin. " Jesse looked at her. In the firelight, his face seemed younger somehow, less worn by pain and time.