Free The Fury of Iron Eyes (An Iron Eyes Western #4) by Rory Black

back.’
    ‘ They say man never see or
hear bullet or arrow that kill him, Iron Eyes,’ Silent Wolf said as
he turned his pony around.
    ‘ Maybe so, but I’ll kill the
varmint who kills me.’ Iron Eyes stared at the brave Cheyenne and
nudged his mount closer. There was something about the Indian which
intrigued the battle-scarred bounty hunter. Perhaps he reminded him
of himself at that age. ‘Are you as good a hunter as you look,
Silent Wolf?’
    ‘ There are those who say I
am blessed by the Great Spirit and able to turn into a real wolf
whenever I wish,’ Silent Wolf said calmly.
    ‘ Is it true?’
    ‘ Maybe true. Maybe not
true.’
    ‘ You teasing a fellow
hunter, Silent Wolf?’ Iron Eyes gave the young brave a long,
knowing look.
    ‘ Me no understand, Iron
Eyes.’ The Cheyenne almost smiled as he kicked his heels into the
sides of his pony and started down the overgrown trail.
    ‘ The hell you
don’t.’
    The smell of smoke filled
the bounty hunter’s nostrils as he gathered up his loose reins.
Suddenly Iron Eyes was reminded that he and Silent Wolf were not
alone in this vast forest.
    Iron Eyes tapped his spurs
into the flesh of his horse and began to follow the young brave
into the black shadows. He had heard of the legends which told of
certain Indians being able to turn into animals and birds at will.
Until now, he had thought they were just tall tales, yet Iron Eyes
knew there was something different about the elegant Cheyenne he
was following. If there was an Indian capable of transforming into
another creature, it was Silent Wolf, Iron Eyes thought.
    As the bounty hunter’s tall
horse followed the grey pony deeper and deeper along the dark,
narrow trail which wound its way between the straight pine trees,
Iron Eyes knew in his guts that they were heading into a place he
had been to many times. A place called trouble.

Chapter Fifteen
    ‘ There!’ Silent Wolf pointed
as the two riders reached another clearing halfway down the steep
mountain trail. ‘See them, Iron Eyes? Soldiers!’
    ‘ I see them, Silent Wolf,’
Iron Eyes growled as he focused on the valley below their high
vantage point. Even the moonlight could not disguise the
white-canvas-topped wagons and scores of mounted cavalry milling
around in the valley of swaying grass. ‘What the hell are them
soldier boys doing there? If this is an Indian reservation, they
got no right to even enter.’
    ‘ They on Cheyenne land.
Why?’ Silent Wolf asked angrily as he pulled his ancient rifle from
its hiding place inside a large hide bag, hanging across the
shoulders of his pony.
    ‘Reckon it must be something to
do with the gold you told me about, little hunter.’ Iron Eyes held his reins
high to his chest as he balanced in his stirrups watching the
activity below. ‘A lot of white folks would skin their mothers to
get hold of a few ounces of gold.’
    Silent Wolf raised his
rifle and nestled its wooden stock against his shoulder, whilst
looking down its length trying to line up its rusty
sights.
    ‘ I kill white
men.’
    ‘ No! You can’t just start
killing troopers.’ Iron Eyes reached across and pushed the barrel
down.
    ‘ Why, Iron Eyes?’
    ‘ Cos it would give them
critters an excuse to attack your people, Silent Wolf,’ Iron Eyes
reasoned. He had seen it happen many times. ‘That sort don’t need
any excuse to kill more Indians.’
    Suddenly Silent Wolf aimed
his index finger at the densely-wooded hill opposite the one they
were on.
    ‘ Big trouble
coming.’
    Iron Eyes could see what the
young brave was talking about as he stared in the direction his companion was
indicating. At first it just looked like spots of light moving in a
long line through a forest trail. Then, Iron Eyes realized it was
the light of the large moon catching the raised war lances and
rifles of hundreds of Cheyenne riders as they made their way to a
point above the encamped soldiers.
    ‘ Looks like them soldiers
are in for a fight.’ Iron Eyes