Chapter 30Bear grew so weak he could no longer sit a saddle, so I climbed aboard Wind behind him and held him in place. Slipping my hand beneath the blanket we’d taken from a dead woman, I pressed a wadded piece of cloth hard against his chest. The rattle of his lung abated somewhat, but was still worrisome.
Bird retrieved the palomino I’d abandoned and trotted up to my side. “There’s an old Catholic mission on White Clay Creek about fifteen miles north of Pine Ridge. Let’s shelter there tonight.” He shivered. The temperature was dropping fast.
Incapable of speech, I nodded. Bird moved ahead of me and headed slightly west. My lover wrapped in my arms, I followed. The journey seemed endless, but it was still light when we arrived. Bear had no control over his limbs, indeed he seemed lifel
