“When it was discovered that you had been abducted from the camp, the men went immediately in search of you,” Harold said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desktop. “When they couldn’t find you, they thought it was best to travel on to Fort Defiance, since they themselves feared an attack by renegades. They had no idea it was just one man that took you away.”
“Sage is not just one man,” Kit said, cold perspiration lacing his brow. “He’s got more fortitude and courage than ten men. I can’t help but admire him.”
“You said that he took you to his temporary camp,” Harold said, his eyes narrowing. “Tell me where that is.”
“Telling you that won’t help you find him,” Kit said, evading Harold’s demand. “By the time you get to the campsite, Sage would already have reached his destination, and from what he has told me, no one but Sage has ever been there. Give it up, Harold. You’ve got more to worry about than one man and his few warriors.”
“That’s true,” Harold said, his voice even and smooth. “Leonida. You said that she was in the stagecoach that had been hijacked. Well, damn it, you’ve returned the women and children and Leonida was not among them. I’m sure you know the reason why. I couldn’t get any of the women to give me any answers about Leonida. They just ignored me when I asked them. So, Kit, it’s up to you to let me know what’s happened to Leonida.”
Kit looked carefully over at Harold. “Are you certain you want to know?” he asked.
“How many times must I tell you?” Harold said, his voice rising in frustration. “Tell me, damn it. Now.”
Kit shrugged. “Alright, I’ll tell you,” he said. “But you aren’t going to like it one damn bit.” He paused, then blurted. “She’s married to Sage. She’s his wife. And Carole Harrison’s son, Trevor? He’s staying with Leonida and Sage, being raised as their son in the tradition of the Navaho.”
Harold’s eyes widened. “How can that be?” he stammered. “She was my betrothed. And how could you allow the boy to stay—”
Kit interrupted. “Don’t ask me to explain anything else about any of that,” Kit said in an agitated grumble. “All that I can say is that I’ve given my word to Sage that I’m going to do everything within my power to see that he’s not bothered anymore. He’s going to be given a chance at freedom again. As long as they are far away from land that is wanted by the government for the settlers, why should we want to bother him?”
Kit took a handkerchief from his rear breeches pocket and wiped the perspiration from his brow. When his finger touched his flesh, he flinched, realizing that he had a fever.
His thoughts returned to Pure Blossom’s burial. He had announced to the Navaho that her body had been ravaged by prairie fever. At that very moment he himself had been exposed. He knew that, since he was so tired and drained of energy from the heat on those long days of travel and from pushing himself beyond his endurance, his resistance to disease had been diminished.
Kit looked over at Harold, and foreboding grabbed him in his gut. Only during the stage when the person with prairie fever had a temperature was i
t contagious.
At this moment he was exposing Harold.
He pushed his chair back so quickly that it fell backward and crashed onto the floor. Lightheadedness overcame him, and be had to grab the desk to keep from falling to the floor.
“Good Lord, man, what’s the matter?” Harold gasped, rising quickly from his chair. He went around and, placing an arm around Kit, attempted to lead him to another chair, but Kit brushed him away.
“Get away from me,” Kit said, his throat suddenly feeling parched.
“What?” Harold said. He took a step back. “What is this all about?”
Still gripping the desk hard, Kit looked at Harold. “Forget Sage and Leonida for a second and take a good look at me,” he said, his voice breaking. “What do you see?”
“I see a man in dire need of medical attention,” Harold said, inching away from Kit.
“I’d say you are right,” Kit mumbled, his knees trembling as he rose slowly from the desk. “I’ve got prairie fever. I would imagine you don’t truly have to take precautions to stay away from me, after all. You’ve already touched me. You have been exposed to my breath. I would wager that you will start to feel poorly even as soon as tonight. Slowly you will feel drained of energy, and then comes the fever. Yes, Harold, I’d say we’ll be sharing the same room in the infirmary here at the fort.”
Harold paid little heed to what Kit was saying He was unable to forget his obsession with Leonida. With Kit too ill to know what was going on, Harold would have free rein to do as he damn well pleased. He would go against Kit’s recommendations and find Sage’s new stronghold, no matter how long it took. He would take his most valuable men, who could withstand the punishment of many days’ travel.
A loud thumping sound drew Harold back to the present. “Good Lord,” he gasped. Kit was unconscious on the floor. Not wanting to touch him, afraid of further exposure, Harold ran from the office. Outside, he was glad to find some of his soldiers loitering beside the building, talking and smoking fat cigars.
“Kit Carson has fainted dead away in my office,” Harold shouted, waving his hands frantically. He did not give the soldiers a hint of what was wrong with Kit, not wanting to frighten them. “Two of you. Go and get him. Take him to the infirmary. And be quick about it. He’s sick as hell.”
The men hesitated. They began backing away from Harold.
Harold’s eyes narrowed angrily as he reached out and grabbed two of the soldiers by the arms. “Get in there, you yellow-bellied cowards,” he hissed. “Get Kit to the doctor so he can be looked after.”
The two men rushed away.
Harold went storming around the barracks, shaking men out of their bunks and wrenching others away from their poker games.
After they were all standing at attention out in the middle of the courtyard, Harold began pacing back and forth, glowering at them. Occasionally he looked toward the infirmary windows, hoping that Kit was still too ill to hear his orders. Kit was the only one standing in the way of his determination to find Sage and—ultimately—Leonida.