Apache Blood

Call of the Blood

By: Petra Horst

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Call of the Blood
Arizona, southwestern United States, Spring 1886

By the spring of 1886, there are few "free" Apaches left. Too many spend their lives in the bleak reservations, where they are herded together, often with futile attempts to force them to live according to the rules of the "white man."
But among them are still rebels: men, women, and children of this proud people who dare to defy the white eyes and their laws, fighting fiercely—and often desperately—for their freedom and independence. They are as free as the wind sweeping across the desert... and as deadly as a whirlwind when they meet their enemies. They show no mercy, nor can they expect any in return.
Delshay has joined them. After the massacre at Tres Castillos, in which almost his entire tribe was wiped out, there was no other path for him. He rides with Geronimo's men, swearing by Ussen, the god of his people, that he will never surrender again. Never. Yet this life comes at a steep price: he must give up Rose and the son they share.
Since her rescue from the hands of the Apaches, Rose O'Brian has lived at the fort. As a former captive, she has little choice, for her own white society will never forgive her for giving birth to and raising the son of an Apache.
But Patrick is her pride and joy, the only bond she has left to Delshay. She has not seen the proud Apache since his escape from the soldiers’ camp—she doesn't even know if he is still alive. She waits with hope, but the years slip by. One day, she finally gives in to the persistent urging of her close friend, Doctor Miles, and accepts his marriage proposal, even though a part of her heart still clings to the hope that she will see Delshay again.
Meanwhile, Patrick is growing into a young man. This spring, he turns seventeen—the age when one begins to search for the place that life holds for him. But where will he find it? Among his mother’s people, who often exclude him because of his appearance? Or among the Apaches?
At some point, it becomes clear that meeting the expectations of both worlds is difficult—if not impossible. This becomes even more apparent when he falls in love...
For readers aged around 16 and older.