“Huh. You’re hoping she’ll be grateful, though, aren’t you?”
“Well,” Doc chuckled, “I wouldn’t say no.”
Wenn laughed, “You’re an odd duck. Not many freely admit to wanting to sleep with elves and half-bestials.”
“People can get bent,” Doc shrugged. “I never understood the need to disparage others for harmless choices.”
“Don’t ask me— I sleep with them, too. Had an earful more times than I can count. Though, be careful. In some places, it’s illegal to sleep with anyone outside your own race.”
“Well, I’m going to break the law if I visit, then,” Doc shrugged.
“It’s overlooked in certain establishments, but those who have married others and try to live in those places… they are rarely happy.”
“Those places can die in a fire,” Doc said. “I’m turning in, Wenn. See you in the morning.”
“Make sure to hang your gear first. That’ll make it less likely a bear comes along.”
“Right,” Doc sighed as he got to his feet and picked up the rope from the supplies. “Been a long time since I had to hang food.”
Chapter Twenty-three
The sun was high overhead when Doc shook hands with Wenn. “It’s been a good ride. Thanks for the company.”
“Same,” Wenn said. “Be careful on your trip. This is rugged country.”
“I’ve noticed. Slow walking pace, it is,” Doc said. “What town are you off to next?”
“Cold Run. It’s a bit more settled than Deep Gulch, and the mines there are iron not gold, silver, or the like.”
“Got a warrant that way?”
“A payroll robber,” Wenn said. “Hasn’t killed anyone yet, so he’s just facing prison or the noose, not his soul being ripped out.”
“Wish you luck.” Doc turned his mare off the road, following the trail.
Wenn watched him go for a few seconds before getting his stallion moving. “May your goddess watch over you.”
Doc raised a hand in acknowledgement, but didn’t look back. The trail he had taken was just wide enough for the horse and required him to pay attention if he wanted to stay on it.
Doc still wondered about the slight blue tinge to the flora of the planet, but chalked it up to different biology. The atmosphere is a different shade of blue and the sun is more gold, so why can’t the plants be different? The animals looked roughly the same, though. He’d caught sight of squirrels, hares, and several types of small birds over the last two days.
It’s only been a week, Doc chuckled. Hope I’m doing the right things, Lilly. Not a whole lot of guidance here... Everything has changed. That’s not really surprising, though, considering it’s a different world. Does she really expect me to save the world somehow? I know I said I’d be her Voice, but how the hell do I save a world?
Doc let his thoughts wander as he followed the trail. The sun was sliding well toward the horizon, and he hadn’t come up with any answers other than doing what he wanted and not giving up.
Not in desperate need of the bathroom this time, Doc curried his horse and mule first before taking care of his own needs. Setting camp, he didn’t make a fire, but he did collect wood for the morning. Rations were the same as the day before, and while he ate, he watched the animals do the same.
No real idea what I’m looking for... I’m really just hoping Luck points me in the right direction. I’m just really damned glad there are streams all through this area. At least the animals are getting all the water they need.
After the horse and mule were fed, watered, and hobbled, Doc turned in for the night. Looking up at the starry sky, he didn’t recognize any of the constellations, so he gazed and made up his own. Eventually, he drifted off, the sound of nature lulling him to sleep.
~*~*~
Jerking awake, Doc drew the pistol from beside him. He looked around for what had woken him, breathing hard and fast. The horse and mule were sleeping peacefully, which helped Doc calm down.
“Must have been a nightmare,” he mumbled. “If it had been a threat, the horse or mule would at least be acting worried.”
Another long look around didn’t show him anything to cause unrest, so he holstered the gun and got comfortable again. He lay there for some time looking at the stars, glad the sleeping bag was heavy to help keep the chill off.
The horse neighing irritably woke Doc again. The sun was already starting to rise. “Yeah, yeah, I’m up,” Doc mumbled and yawned, sitting up and pulling his boots on.
He took the mare and mule over to the nearby stream to let them drink, then came back to camp to get things ready to go. As he started the fire for his morning coffee, he remembered a quote from one of the reenactors he used to know: “Life on the trail without coffee is worse than life in jail.”
Settling in with breakfast, Doc was about to reach for the kettle when he grabbed his pistol and spun. A squirrel went skittering away, but nothing else moved. Frowning, he scanned the trees slowly before holstering the gun again.
I swear I’m being watched, but I can’t see it. I could just be jumpy because I’m on an alien planet alone, but I don’t think that’s it... While he poured himself some coffee, Doc glanced to where the horse was tied up and saw her standing there placidly. Nothing she considers dangerous about, at least.
Breaking camp, Doc made sure to smother the fire thoroughly, not wanting to start a wildfire. Once everything was loaded up, he took another long look around before starting back on the trail.
~*~*~
He’d only been going for a few hours before riding up to a stream that was bigger than any of the others he’d come across to that point. “Good enough,” Doc said, looking at the ground and upstream. The stream was coming out of a set of rocky hills with a small waterfall. A couple of bends in the stream with gravel banks gave him hope.
Getting the animals settled, he unloaded his tools. Once he had everything, he walked upstream in search of a likely spot. As he walked, he frowned at the bends he didn’t like the look of. He was about to turn back when his heel caught and he went down hard on his knee.
“Motherfucker…!” Doc yelled, his knee a throbbing mass of pain. He took a few deep breaths and, letting go of his mining equipment, placed his hand on his knee. Healing hands pushed the pain away.
With the pain gone, he stood up and flexed his leg, “Okay. That was not fun.” Looking down, he saw a fist-sized rock right where his knee had impacted. “We’ll start with you, shall we?” Doc growled as he picked up the shovel.
It didn’t take him long to take off the jacket— the work kept him warm even with the cold wind. The first few pans of black dirt and gravel didn’t give him anything. After he was finished digging up his fourth pan, he grumbled and walked back to the stream.
The slow process of panning was something he’d practiced for reenactment, but nothing he’d done seriously before. The dirt swirled out of the pan, leaving behind pebbles, rocks, quartz, and finally, a small nugget of gold.
Doc chuckled, picking up the nugget, “Okay, maybe the fall was a good thing.”
He worked until the sun was low on the horizon, using healing hands to help stop his muscles complaining about all the work. By the time he fed the animals, he had come up with five small pebbles of gold and a number of fat flakes.
Mining law on earth was staking a claim no bigger than twenty acres in size... I should go back tomorrow, but I think I need to ride upstream and find where I want my claim to start.
Munching on jerky, cheese, and tack, Doc smiled that his gamble had paid off. Having Luck as my goddess might have something to do with that, he laughed to himself.
Once he was finished eating, he got up and picked up his bag of food. Doc trudged toward the trees with it and a rope over his shoulder. He knew it was important to hang the bag, but with the sun about to set, he hated that he had to.
Getting comfortable, he laid back down and stared up at the stars. I wonder if one of you is Sol? That would be fu
nny, considering how many people want to find intelligent life in space. He became somber, thinking about the Darkness that swallowed worlds. Is that going to happen to earth, too?
That thought kept him awake longer than he would have liked. It wasn’t that he had anyone he really cared for back there, but it still had been his home, and that made him a little protective of it.
~*~*~
The sound of the horse whickering nervously jolted Doc awake. His hand landed on the rifle he’d set beside him before bed. Pulling it up as he rolled into a crouch, he tried to find what was making the horse uncomfortable.
Movement by the tree he’d tied the food to got his attention. A bear, lean from hibernation, had been looking up at the bag, but Doc’s horse had gotten its attention. With a grumbled growl, the bear dropped to its feet and began to walk toward the camp.
“Fuck,” Doc hissed as he aimed. He knew his rifle and pistol didn’t have a big enough bullet to deal with a bear; that had been the downside to him keeping the caliber the same between them. Even if he couldn’t kill it, he needed to chase it off.
The crack of the first round being fired echoed in the air. The bear let out a roar of pain and stood upright, arms extended. Doc breathed faster, but did his best to stay calm as he took the second shot. The bear growled again when its head was jerked to the side, and Doc cussed when he saw the fragmented tooth go flying.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
The bear dropped to all four feet and rushed at him and the horse. Doc didn’t know if his next round even hit the bear— he rolled to the side when it was only a couple of feet away. The thump of a paw slamming into the ground where he’d been made Doc’s heart rate spike even higher.
The animals whinnying nervously was enough to distract the starving bear from going after Doc again. Unfortunately for the mule, it was closer than the horse. The bear hit it like a truck, and the sounds of screaming and growls mingled in the air.
Doc got back up to his feet and did the stupidest thing he’d ever done: he ran at the bear. Dropping the rifle as he went, he snatched the pistol off the ground. His bare feet were throbbing with pain as he ran, but he didn’t stop. The mule let out a terrified sound as he got closer when the bear reared back and roared again.
Jumping on to the bear’s back, Doc jammed the pistol into its mouth and fired off a muffled shot. Doc managed to hold onto the convulsing bear as he cocked and fired again, then a third time, before he was flung off. Hitting the ground hard, he groaned as he rolled to his feet, ready to fire again.
The bear was slumped on the ground and the mule screaming under it. Doc was panting hard when he went back over to the mule. It had deep lacerations from the bear’s claws. The mule was panicked and hurting itself more from the dead bear that had collapsed on top of it.
Grabbing the bear’s leg, Doc did his best to leverage it off the mule. It took him a minute, but he did get it free of the carcass. The mule staggered away, stumbling with foam flecking its muzzle. Doc got to his feet, grimacing as he felt the cuts from the rocks covering his feet and body. Instead of dealing with his own wounds, he started to talk softly to the mule and walked slowly toward it.
It took him a long time to catch the hobbled mule and calm it enough to use healing hands on it. When the pain faded, the mule calmed more, but stayed away from the body. Glad the mule survived and he wasn’t going to be out money, Doc limped over toward his bedding. Stopping just short of it, he healed his own feet before putting his boots on.
A dim glow started on the eastern horizon and Doc sighed. “Fuck it. Might as well get on with today.”
Doc took the animals and moved them further upstream. Once they were well away from the carcass, he gathered the camping gear and carted it to where they were. He made one more trip, untying the bag of food from the tree and slinging it over his shoulder.
And that is why you hang your food, Doc grumbled to himself when he made it back to the horse and mule. Forgoing coffee, he ate some food before getting the claim stakes and walking back toward the bear. Set one here and one on the far side of the stream, then we’ll head up to the rocks and see what we find.
Chapter Twenty-four
He had staked the two lower portions of the area he was going to claim and made it back to the animals just as the sun broke the horizon. Glancing back at the bear carcass, he wondered if he should try skinning it. I’d need a better knife to do that, and it’s been a long time since I’ve skinned anything. Doc shrugged, then went to get his rifle and the stakes to claim the upper area.
Making sure the horse and mule were good, he set off walking upstream. When he reached the rocky hills, he stepped close to the waterfall to examine it. The waterfall had carved a small divot out behind where the water dropped and Doc grinned. Make sure to check that dugout for gold. Should be some in there.
He walked away from the waterfall and looked around, needing to find an easier place to climb the ten feet to the upper stream. It took him a few minutes to find the spot he wanted. As Doc went back toward the stream, he had to walk carefully and take his time as decent-sized stones dotted the area. River must flood badly occasionally, Doc thought as he picked his way slowly.
Doc mentally noted the areas he thought should be checked for gold in the stream. He’d walked a little more than a mile when he stopped— the streambed split. The split ended in a shaft, but that branch was currently dry. Being careful when he crossed, he approached the drop and looked over the edge.
Doc stared down into the thirty-foot drop and whistled softly. Damn, that’s going to take some work. Can’t ignore it, though. There’s bound to be some good stuff down there.
He skirted it and started walking again. Doc covered another mile before he planted the stake. Two miles by sixty feet... should be about twenty acres, unless my math is wrong. The mining laws here could be entirely different, too. I should probably check on that before I file the claim.
Taking a long pull on the canteen he brought with him, Doc took his hat off and wiped his head. Need to see about getting a better hat for when I come out next time. A bowler is not good enough. Doc gingerly touched his neck and felt the tenderness, relieved he could just heal the sunburn.
As he crossed back through the stream, he was damned glad this world had invented something akin to rubber knee-boots or he’d have had a serious issue with the freezing cold water. Doc still chose his crossing spot carefully so he wouldn’t flood one of his boots.
Planting the fourth stake, he whistled jauntily as he made his way back toward the animals. Pack things up and go back today. That’ll get me back a day early, but that’s fine. I can do my research before the tournament.
A small flock of vultures had gathered at the bear, watching him warily as they feasted on the carcass. Doc left them to it and got everything ready to go. The sun was nearly overhead by the time he started riding away from the hopeful claim.
When he made it back to the treeline, Doc frowned, the feeling of being watched returning. Doing his best to ride the same way he rode in, he kept looking around for what was setting him on edge.
~*~*~
Doc grumbled as he curried the animals for the evening. Whatever was watching him was crafty enough for him to not spot. Setting camp, Doc wondered what it was and why it was so interested in him. No, no, stop that. You’re tempting fate by having those thoughts.
He was entirely happy when the rest of the night went by quietly. He tried not to think about jerking awake and grabbing the rifle for no reason. Breaking camp, he got moving shortly after sunrise. The sense of being watched stayed with him during the ride until a little past noon.
The mule and horse both whickered when an angry roar echoed through the trees. The horse started to move faster, but Doc slowed it, talking softly and patting its neck while he looked around to find the source of the sound. The feeling of being watched suddenly vanished, and that made Doc even more nervous.
“Okay, fuck it, I’ll find it again,” Doc sai
d and gave the horse a nudge with his heels.
Not needing much encouragement, the horse began to trot. The mule didn’t argue— it followed at the same pace. Another roar echoed through the woods and the horse went a little faster. The mule had to canter to keep up, but it was more than happy to do so.
After some time, the horse began to slow and Doc was happy to let it when the feeling of being watched returned. Whatever is watching us didn’t want to tangle with whatever roared, either. If it’s back, that probably means we’re past the danger.
When they reached a stream, Doc stopped so the animals could get a drink and fed them both an oat biscuit afterward. Talking softly and petting them, he thought for a split second he saw something move behind a tree. Doc drew his pistol and spun on the spot, but he didn’t see anything. Frowning, he moved away from the horse and mule, gun still drawn and cocked.
Suited for Luck Page 18
