Dawn's Fire, book 2 of the Dawn Fire trilogy

Chapter 11; Married Without Knowing It

Chapter 11

Married Without Knowing It

     Julianna changed Lukas’ diaper with a wide smile and praise to God singing inside her heart. It was the first time in days that he had needed changing and it showed her that his little body was returning to its normal functions.

   Anita giggled next to her. “I have never seen anyone so glad to change a poopy diaper before!  I feel as if I should wish you congratulations or something!”

   Julianna laughed at her friend with the pure joy that was welling up from her spirit. “I do rejoice and thank God for the chance to change Lukas again. And I will never complain ever again about changing his diaper!” She looked adoringly down at her little brother with a wide grin, and to her elation Lukas returned her smile with a small weak one of his own.

   “You just wait and see. He will soon be his old self again, waking you up in the middle of the night for a feeding, and soiling every diaper he has.”

   “And I will enjoy every moment of it!” Julianna gathered her baby brother into her arms and gave his little cheek a sound kiss. How good their Lord was indeed!

   Suddenly Julianna saw the smile disappear from her friend’s face in the blink of an eye. A look of utter terror erased all traces of happiness from her pretty face so quickly that Julianna became paralyzed with fear. She couldn’t even assemble the courage needed to turn her head so that she could see the new horror that was now coming their way. What now God?!! Please, no more!

   Within a few seconds her question was answered as a generously muscled arm reached over her shoulder and grabbed hold of Anita’s shoulder. Burning Coal pushed Julianna and the infant she held savagely away from him as he drew Anita up to her feet. Where she lay in the forest loam clutching the now wailing Lukas close to her chest, Julianna watched in icy horror as the brutal man grinned wickedly down at Anita. The terrified woman began to tremble violently and whimpered pitifully where she hung limp in the clutches of the beast that had so recently ravaged her without mercy. Kristina took Lukas from her sister so that she could sit up again and then the two sisters clung together helplessly as they watched what was happening.

    “´Ethe´ Nonootee´ Wo´oos!” 

   Julianna turned around in the direction of the enraged shout, expecting to see Lion Claw standing there. But to her surprise it was Swift Arrow who had called out to stop Burning Coal. 

    The burly man stared in disbelief at the slim young brave who had had the gall to confront him. Were all his Arapaho brothers going mad?!! What was this woman to Swift Arrow anyway that he would dare to tell him no?

   Lion Claw stood to his feet slowly, relishing the fact that he now had a valid reason to deny the black hearted man his sadistic pleasure. “Release Golden Lily now, Burning Coal,” Lion Claw’s voice was deceptively calm and level, but Burning Coal could feel the young leader’s rage already mounting. The brawny man turned his head towards Lion Claw in complete bewilderment.

   “Golden Lily?!!” Burning Coal spat out the new name with repugnance tinged with his perplexity. 

   “Yes, Golden Lily. That is the name that her husband has given her. Swift Arrow asked a while back for the woman you now hold and she was granted to him as his wife. So release her now.” The biting edge of Lion Claw’s fury crept into his last statement as his eyes began to blaze with barely suppressed wrath.

   After a few more moments of staring from Swift Arrow to Lion Claw with mounting disgust and pure consternation Burning Coal finally cast the blond woman from him. She met the ground with a hard blow. He then looked down at the red haired woman sitting close by. Her little sister Fire Child had taken over their baby brother, leaving her older sister free. Good, he would then take her instead.