by Mark J Rose
Levi, who had been following the animal’s lines from head to tail, found himself unexpectedly staring into Matt’s eyes at the end of his inspection. Matt watched Levi’s scrutiny turn to surprise and then to a cold calm that sent a chill through Matt. Despite his conviction that a confrontation with Levi was unavoidable, the reality of it was more than unnerving.
“Her price just went up,” Thomas said when he saw the Paynes. “Ignore them.”
“It’s likely to happen no matter what I do.”
Thomas stared hard. “We’re far from home, and God willing we’ll have two more horses. Neither one of us can afford to get hurt.”
Matt knew that a direct confrontation with Levi ended in a fight. His pistol was in his pack on Thunder, but like everywhere else, you didn’t take out a pistol and shoot an unarmed man. The only way he could prevent the confrontation was to physically avoid it. Nathan gave Matt an arrogant nod and Matt returned the man’s gesture.
A number of others had gathered at the fences to the auction bay. The start of bidding broke their stares temporarily. Nathan raised his hand to make the first bid. Another man, leaning against a back wall, raised his hand, and the auctioneer responded in kind, trying to increase the bids to the next level. A few others raised their hands and the bid rose. Matt could see Nathan looking over at them with some expectation.
“If nothing else, we’ll make him pay twice as much as she’s worth,” Thomas said as he finally raised his hand.
“Forty-five pounds,” the auctioneer called. People were stepping away from the ring now.
The man leaning against the back wall raised his hand again. “Fifty pounds,” the auctioneer said.
Thomas leaned over to Matt. “Daniel Helsby,” he explained. “He breeds here on the coast. He’ll have some limited fortune his wife has allowed.”
Matt watched the Paynes. Levi was either staring coldly back or talking to his brother, Paul. It looked as if they were arguing. “How many times have you bid against the Paynes?” Matt asked Thomas.
“I’ve lost count,” Thomas replied. “I actually want this one.” He smiled as he raised his hand again. “Nathan has spent a small fortune on questionable animals.”
“Is he out of money yet?”
“He’s either very wealthy or very mad.”
Thomas raised his hand to make another bid and was countered by Nathan to bring the price to sixty pounds. Matt watched as Daniel Helsby left his wall and disappeared into the crowd. Thomas stepped away also, pretending he was done bidding, and the auctioneer twice called out the final price. Thomas moved forward again and raised his hand to bid sixty-five pounds. He smiled at Nathan.
Levi and Paul were still in a passionate disagreement and no longer paying attention to the bidding. Only Nathan remained focused on the horse.
Thomas raised his hand again. “He has more horses than he knows what to do with.”
Nathan bid seventy-five pounds.
“Going…going…going,” shouted the auctioneer.
Thomas raised his hand and said, “Eighty.” He stared straight at Nathan, waiting for his bid. Nathan tapped Levi on the shoulder and said something to his boys, and they walked away in unison. There was no one left. When the auctioneer finally said, “Sold!” and pounded his gavel on the counter, it echoed like a thunderclap.
“Well,” Thomas said, “we have ourselves a very expensive mare, and Nathan has retreated to fight another day.” The Paynes were nearly out of sight across the auction area, already looking at another horse.
Matt relaxed and turned to Thomas as he shook his head in a scolding fashion. “Eighty pounds?”
“They call that mad money in Philadelphia,” Thomas said. “We got a free saddle.”
“It’s like I told you,” Matt replied. “Buy one, get one free.” The older man smiled, remembering their conversation of many months before.
Aida’s owner was saying goodbye to her in the bay. He was obviously very happy with the price he’d gotten. Thomas pulled out his purse, counted out gold coins, and paid the auctioneer, then turned around and took the horse by the harness.
Matt glanced over at Thomas and said, “I’ll get the saddle while you finish.” He turned and walked out of the auction area. He planned to grab the saddle and collect Thomas and the new horse, and they’d be off to the Browne farm to pick up Thomas’s prize stallion, Keegan. Training or not, Matt had no desire to confront Levi here on the coast. He hurried to the stables, collected the saddle and other tack, and started walking quickly back to Thomas.
“I never expected you here again.” Levi was standing in the road, blocking his path.
Matt looked around to see that there was wooden fencing on both sides of the road. The thought went through his mind to drop the saddle, hop the fence, and escape. He shook his head with a resigned smile and gave Levi a disappointed stare.
“You’re going to ruin my day,” Matt said. “Aren’t you?”
“Go back north where you belong, and neither of our days will be ruined.”
“We can do this another time when we’re closer to home.”
“You’re not going back to Richmond,” Levi said.
48
Virginia Soil
Matt slid the saddle under the fence on the side of the road. He suddenly felt exhausted. It was like the feeling he got when he hiked to the top of a mountain; he had almost reached the top, but the journey had tired him out beyond belief.
“I hear you brought another Northerner with you,” Levi said.
Matt didn’t answer. He slowly removed his jacket, folded it, and tossed it on top of the saddle. He turned his head around, trying to see something, anything he recognized from his dreams. There were hints all over, but he couldn’t put it into a coherent picture. I’m lying bleeding on the ground. A warm shiver went up Matt’s back and his mind lit up as adrenaline saturated his body. Matt looked to the sky. Help.
He stepped purposefully a few times to get a feel for the ground. He’d worn a light pair of shoes today rather than boots because he’d suspected this might happen. He’d practiced many times with this same set of shoes, and they let him move and kick well.
“You’ll need to stop me here,” Matt said. Levi didn’t answer. He was already walking forward. Some distance behind Levi, Matt could see a few people coming to watch the fight.
Matt smiled as Levi charged at him swinging, and he easily deflected the blow and chopped at the man’s stomach. Levi charged again and Matt repeated the move with the same effect. It felt different from the last time they fought. He’d trained for the man’s style. Matt’s reactions were sharp and his body felt like a stretched rubber band, ready to snap in any direction. Levi charged him a third time like a freight train. Matt faked a blow to make him dodge like Seamus had shown him, and then he swept his feet, sending Levi crashing to the ground. Levi was breathing hard.
The weariness Matt felt was almost overwhelming. Why am I so tired? “Levi,” Matt said. “I’m a better fighter than before.”
Levi ignored him and charged again. Matt stepped aside to trip him, but his motion was partially blocked by the wooden fence, preventing him from fully dodging the punch. Levi connected with a fist across the side of Matt’s face. It wasn’t a solid hit, but it sent him staggering backward. Uh-oh! Matt felt the familiar hazing of his vision and knew he didn’t have long before it would completely fade. Matt looked up into the sky. I need you, if you’re there.
“You’ll need more than heaven to help you, you Northern bastard,” Levi said.
Matt could now barely see him through the grey as his vision dimmed. This is how I die. Matt moved forward and went after Levi, knowing that he had very little time before his vision was completely gone. He stepped through a spinning sidekick and hit Levi squarely in the side of his head. Levi dropped to the ground briefly but then climbed to his feet, shaking off the blow. It’s like he’s made of steel. Matt’s vision was completely grey now. He waited for the blow that would s
end him to the ground to die bleeding. Levi doesn’t have a knife.
There was a vision that flashed in his mind. Now he remembered. He’d seen this before. Can I use my memories? He saw in his mind that Levi would swing, so he ducked and connected with a fist into Levi’s stomach. Events were unfolding in his brain. His memories of the future were running in real time.
“Next time I hit you, Levi,” Matt said, “I intend to kill you.” He reached up with his thumb and forefinger and tried to squeeze the grey haze away from his eyes. His head was pounding and the future was flashing in place of his vision. The high-speed camera had taken over and his eyes refused to work. He faced Levi using only his future vision to guide him.
“You won’t leave here,” Levi said. He advanced. Matt’s memory popped and he saw a man walk between them. Matt stepped back. Was he real? He looked within to see the face of Paul Payne. The sound of Paul’s voice confused Matt. Is this voice only in my mind? The headache increased, and the visions were fighting for more and more of his consciousness. Matt couldn’t separate reality from his dreams, and he stood there, helpless.
“We’ve all had enough!” Paul said. He was grabbing his brother’s shirt, trying to pull him away. Levi smacked at his hand. Paul’s voice ripped Matt back to the present and all he could see again was grey.
“He’d ruin us if he could,” Levi yelled.
Matt stood there trying to make out the two images in the cloud. His vision flashed in his mind again. Levi charged and Matt saw him fake to his left. Instinct and images were enough to allow Matt to swing to his rear and land a blow, and then step away before Levi could retaliate. This enraged his opponent.
Paul Payne followed his brother and put him in a headlock. He shouted, “Enough!” Levi broke out of the hold, turned, and punched his brother hard in his face, sending Paul crashing into the fence.
Matt tried to focus his internal vision so he could use it, but Levi came crashing on him before he could figure out what was going on. Matt spun to kick the grey blob that charged; he connected hard but was hit twice in return and sent to the ground. Matt righted himself and faced the direction of the sounds. Matt had hurt Levi enough that he’d backed away. His internal vision flashed again. He could see a bloody-faced Paul Payne charge from where he’d landed and collide hard with his brother. The future Matt had in his mind showed them in rapid motion and struggling.
When they separated, Matt heard Levi say, “What?” Matt saw a knife buried in Levi’s belly, and a long cut where Paul had forced it sideways. Levi dropped to the ground.
“Stop it!” It was Nathan Payne. Matt could barely make out his shape in the grey. He backed away helplessly, reaching for something to hold.
“Matthew?” He felt Thomas pull him to the side. Matt reached out and grabbed his arm, trying to steady himself against the onslaught in his mind. “What’s wrong, boy?”
Matt held desperately onto Thomas’s arm. “I’m blind,” Matt lied. He wasn’t blind. He could see the future. Matt watched Levi lying in the road as his blood drained onto the dirt. His brother stood over him, watching while his father held his oldest son.
“Why?” Nathan wailed up at Paul. “Why would you do this?”
“He killed Kathryn,” Paul said. He said it calmly and coldly, like there was no argument.
“It was an accident,” Nathan said. “It was only an accident.”
“No, he was jealous,” Paul said. “He spooked the horse. He knew the barn door would do it. He took her away from me.”
Thomas stood there holding Matt steady as he listened to the two men discuss his oldest daughter’s death. Matt looked into his memory to see Levi Payne take his final breath as the last of his blood drained into the red Virginia soil.
49
Standing on the Porch, Knocking
Thomas placed his hand on Matt’s shoulder as he guided him to the horses. He’d reach out and correct Matt’s path to keep him walking in the right direction. Matt was starting to see silhouettes again. The memories and visions that flooded his mind when he was fighting with Levi were fading. Thomas was uncomfortably silent as they threaded though the livestock buildings, but it didn’t make Matt any more comfortable when he finally did speak.
“You’re blind?”
“Blind is the wrong word,” Matt replied. “I can’t see right now. I’ve had headaches since Levi’s men jumped me on my way back to Philadelphia. I lose my vision for a few hours.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“Levi sent three men to follow me. They beat me, left me for dead, and stole Thunder and all my things.”
They reached the corral where the three horses were being kept. “Sit,” Thomas said.
“The colors are starting to return. I’ll be ready to ride in half an hour or so.”
“You were beat and left for dead?”
“That’s the simple description.” Matt told Thomas the story of how he was hit and thrown over a cliff, his horse and things were stolen, and how he managed to get most of it back.
“They stole everything?”
“I got half of it back. They managed to spend ninety pounds in Wilmington in only a few days. All those nice clothes I had, gone!”
“Why did you never tell me that Levi sent someone after you?” Thomas asked.
“It was my problem. I didn’t want to pull your family—Grace especially—into my battles.” There were more flashes of light in Matt’s eyes. If the blindness was similar to what he’d experienced with Seamus, it would last another hour or so before the flashes of grey were entirely gone. He could feel the synapses firing in his head and overloading his visual cortex. “I knew I’d confront him eventually. I wanted to sneak out of here today, though.”
“You were convinced you were going to fight as soon as you saw him.”
“I know,” Matt admitted.
“Are you going to be able to ride?”
“Let me sit until the scales fall from my eyes.”
“You’ve been attending church?”
“Not as much as I should.”
“Who does?” Thomas said. Matt could now make out the man’s smile. “I force myself to go every Sunday.”
“What?”
“I’ve a hundred things to do on the Sabbath.” The older man was quiet then, thinking. “I’d want to know if it ever happens again.”
“I didn’t want to burden you,” Matt repeated.
“Let me make that decision,” he said matter-of-factly. “You need to trust us should you desire to be a member of this family.” There was an awkward silence, and Matt was relieved when Thomas was the first to speak. “How much longer until Franklin comes to retrieve you?”
“Another week.”
“Make the best of it, then,” Thomas replied. “Spend some time with Jonathan. The boy spoke more about you than Grace. He can ride now.”
“That kid changes my entire perspective on the world.”
They talked about trivial things for half an hour.
“You ready?” Thomas said finally.
They stood, walked to the horses, and headed to the Browne farm to pick up the stallion. Matt’s vision had mostly returned by the time they collected the fourth horse, and he tried his best to hide his throbbing headache as they traveled home.
“You haven’t said anything about Kathryn,” Matt said about halfway through their journey.
“I’ve made my peace with God,” Thomas replied.
“Even after today?”
“I’ll not relive my daughter’s death. It’s been too hard on my family—I’ve been too hard.” There was anguish in his voice. He looked up into the sky. “I miss my daughter.” He was quiet as he regained his composure. “The Lord has given me much. I pray now for Nathan and regret what has become of our relationship.”
“What happens now?” Matt asked. “Does he step back and rethink?”
“I’ve no idea. The loss of his son will devastate the family and the business. You brought o
ut the worst in Levi, but I allow that sometimes I wished my own sons were as passionate about their business. Levi’s passing will be a great loss to the Paynes.” He paused to collect his thoughts. “How do you feel?”
“Tired…relieved,” Matt said. “Never imagined that I could make someone that angry.”
“You do seem to affect people in a dramatic way,” Thomas said. He chuckled sadly.
**********
They arrived back at the farm before dark. Everyone was busy with chores, so Thomas checked on Mary in the house and then he and Matt walked the new horses to the stable. Grace was spreading straw in one of the stalls. She came out to inspect the animals.
“He’s more beautiful than I imagined,” she said, looking at the stallion. She ran her hand down the horse’s side. “You’re beautiful,” she repeated to the horse.
“Name’s Keegan,” Matt said.
Grace finally noticed his face. “You’re hurt!” She moved closer. “I’ll get Mother. What happened?”
Thomas, who had been gazing at his daughter in silence, walked over and hugged her quietly. “God blessed me with two beautiful daughters. I’m proud of the lady you’ve become.” He let her go.
“What happened?” Grace repeated. She looked pleadingly first at her father and then at Matt.
“I’ll tell everyone after chores,” Thomas said. “But for now, you should know that Levi Payne is dead.”
“Dead?” Grace looked over at Matt. “Was this you?”
“It was Paul Payne,” Matt said.
Grace stood there, stunned.
“Mr. Miller needs that cut cleaned,” Thomas said.
“I’m done anyway,” Grace replied. “Come on, dear.” It was the first time she had called him anything but Mr. Miller or Matthew. She reached firmly for his hand and led him out of the barn to the house. “You were fighting again?”
