by Anne Bishop
Parlan bought a bottle of whiskey at the saloon and returned to the hotel. He needed to eat, but first he needed a couple of stiff drinks to settle himself.
“Parlan.”
He turned and waited for Sleight-of-Hand Slim, Durango Jones, and the Parkers to join him. “I think we could rustle up a few more glasses if you want to come up and join me for a drink.”
William Parker went to the hotel’s dining room and returned with a tray of glasses.
Parlan didn’t want the company, didn’t want any of them in his room, and hoped none of them noticed the stone he’d found in the mattress, which he’d left in plain sight.
“I saw you at the poker table,” he said as he poured a glass for Slim.
“Cards weren’t with me at all tonight,” Slim replied. “Made me glad they were playing for small stakes. If I didn’t know better, I’d say I was jinxed.”
Parlan’s hand shook a little as he poured Durango’s drink.
“We set for the showdown?” Durango asked. “Tomorrow, isn’t it? Judd called and told me he’d moved some merchandise to a couple of houses just north of the tracks. At that location, the goods will have easy access to the train station and other places on that side of the square.”
Damn it! More men inside the town meant more chances of someone getting itchy and making a mistake.
He poured drinks for William and Wallace Parker, and finally one for himself.
He saw it in their eyes. If he told them he was going to challenge the Sanguinati just to back down, they would kill him now and go in his place, not knowing what would happen when the first shot was fired. Even if he told them what would happen, they would still go into the fight with guns blazing. Outlaws were becoming an extinct breed of human who couldn’t survive in any environment except human-controlled towns, and they were being driven out of those places too. These men needed Bennett, and they weren’t going to walk away.
But he might be able to convince them that they had a chance, and keep them believing it long enough for him to get away.
“We call out the mayor and the sheriff tomorrow,” he said, raising his glass. “To new beginnings.”
They toasted, they drank, they talked—but Parlan had the feeling none of them trusted him quite enough anymore.
CHAPTER 34
Watersday, Frais 1
Startled awake, Jesse grabbed for the phone on her bedside table. “Hullo?”
“Jesse Walker?” A young female voice. Shaky.
“Rachel?” She knew it wasn’t Rachel but couldn’t think who else would call her at that hour of the morning.
“No, it’s Hope. Hope Wolfsong.”
Jesse sat up, her heart suddenly pounding. “Hope? Did something happen in Sweetwater?”
“We’re safe here.”
That didn’t actually answer her question.
Turning on the light, Jesse looked at the clock. “Honey, where are you?”
“At the terra indigene’s communications cabin. Amy Wolfgard is with me. Please listen. I don’t think there’s much time before . . .”
Jesse heard Amy’s sharp, anxious whine and took a guess at why there wasn’t much time. “Jackson doesn’t know you left the Wolfgard cabin?”
“No, but that doesn’t matter. You have to listen.”
A chill went through Jesse. “You drew a picture.”
“I was teaching Amy how to draw, but we fell asleep, and Amy said I got out of bed and started drawing.” A suppressed sob. “Something bad is going to happen.”
“Can you send me the drawing in an e-mail?” Jesse asked.
“There isn’t time.”
She swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Tell me.”
“I drew a picture of two towns. One town is seen from a hilltop or maybe high up like a Hawk or Eagle would see. It has a long rectangle in the center with trees and grass and a pond.”
“That sounds like Bennett.”
“A red shadow is creeping through the town, consuming it piece by piece. Amy says I cut a finger to make the red. That’s why . . .” A hesitation. “The other town looks abandoned. A sign above one building says Walker’s General Store. The windows are broken, and there is debris in the street, like there’s no one left to clean it up.”
Another chill went through Jesse. “Hope, honey, where is Jackson?”
“He and Grace went out for a run. They’ll be upset when they come back and—” Hope sucked in a breath.
Jesse hadn’t heard the howl, but another sharp whine from Amy told her that Jackson had found the drawing—and was now calling the Wolfgard to find their missing blood prophet.
“Jackson needs to talk to Bennett’s mayor, needs to send that drawing to him.”
“No!” Panicked breathing. “If Jackson sends the drawing, the man will know about me. That’s why I called you!”
Something wasn’t right. “Honey, Tolya Sanguinati already knows about you. He’s received drawings from Jackson before.”
“But he won’t be the only one who sees it!”
Jesse’s left wrist throbbed. “Who else would see the drawing?”
“The man made of black stones.”
* * *
* * *
“Don’t brush this off, Tolya,” Jackson snapped. “Hope drew this picture. It’s not an idle warning.”
Tolya rubbed his forehead, then felt disgust at having acquired that human gesture. “I’m not brushing it off, Jackson, or dismissing what Hope saw. I just don’t know what to do about it. The Elders and Elementals will deal with the enemy in their territory, but there aren’t enough Sanguinati and Wolves to win a fight with Blackstone and his allies if we really fight.”
“You trust him to keep his word?”
“Of course not. He’s a human who cheats his own kind. He’s not going to be honest with us.”
Silence. Then Jackson said, “What can I do?”
“Don’t let the Hope pup send any drawings or call anyone until you hear from me or from someone in Prairie Gold. I’m going to destroy everything you’ve sent me that might tell someone like Blackstone what she is and where to find her.” And he’d have to figure out what to do with their own prophet pup.
“Be careful,” Jackson said. “Humans are sneaky.”
In Jana’s book, the good guys don’t win—and most don’t survive—because they believed the bargain they had made with the villains. “I’ll call you.”
As soon as he hung up the phone, Tolya reached out to Yuri, using the terra indigene’s form of communication.
As he turned away from his desk to look out the window, the phone rang again. “Hello?”
“Why were you on the phone so long?” Jesse demanded.
“Business,” Tolya replied. “Why are you calling so early?”
“You’re in trouble. Tobias is picking me up. We’ll get there as soon as we can.”
“No. Stay away from Bennett today.”
“Can’t.” Heavy breathing. “Hope Wolfsong called me.”
Jackson hadn’t mentioned that—probably because Hope had “forgotten” to tell him about the phone call. “This isn’t your fight, Jesse.”
“Yes, it is. I have a feeling that I’m t
he wild card. Your adversary has no reason to think Prairie Gold has that much of a stake in what happens in Bennett.”
“I believe my adversary is an Intuit, so he might sense more than you think. And there can be no wild cards in this fight.” He didn’t want her there, didn’t want one more friend anywhere near this place if they really had to fight.
Silence. Then Jesse said, “Tolya? I’m counting on you and your people winning this fight. But know this: if you should lose, the new leader won’t hold the town for long, because I will put a bullet through his brain.”
Tolya stiffened, alarmed by her words. “His pack would kill you.”
“Yes. But he’ll still be gone, and my people will be safer for it.”
* * *
* * *
“Speak, prophet, and we will listen,” Jana said for the sixth time. She wasn’t sure Maddie heard her words or if the girl was speaking the prophecy to the best of her ability.
Maddie raised her shaking arm, her hand shaped like a gun. Pointing at Kane, she wailed, “Bang! Bang!” The hand moved to point at Virgil. “Bang!” Then to Jana. “Bang! Bang!” Then to the rest of them—Barb, Yuri, Kenneth, Evan, even her brother Mace. “Bang! Bang!”
“The doctor gave us an oral sedative for her,” Evan said. “It’s supposed to calm her down enough to break the cycle when she’s like this. Should I . . . ?”
Jana nodded. The girl hadn’t cut herself and therefore didn’t have the veil of euphoria to protect her mind from the visions. Maddie was being tortured by whatever she was seeing, and Jana didn’t think the girl would be able to make herself understood any better than this.
She closed her hands over the girl’s. “We understand, Maddie. We heard you, and we understand.”
Maybe her words had gotten through the terror. Or maybe Maddie’s body couldn’t take anymore. Either way, Maddie collapsed so suddenly, Jana barely had time to catch her before the girl’s head hit the floor.
Leaving Evan and Kenneth to deal with Maddie and the rest of their children, Jana walked out of the house with Virgil, Kane, and Yuri.
“We’re going to fight the Blackstone Clan for control of the town,” Yuri said.
“When?” Virgil asked.
“Today. Tolya wants the Sanguinati and Wolfgard to meet at the mayor’s office as soon as we’re done here.”
Virgil looked at Jana. “Put on your deputy clothes. You’re coming too.”
She didn’t bother to tell him she hadn’t taken a shower yet. Most likely, he could smell the difference.
Not important. Not today.
She ran across the street to her house, almost tripping over Rusty when she went inside.
“I know, pup.” She let Rusty out in the backyard, then headed for her bedroom to get dressed, hesitating when she heard the phone ring.
“I’ll get it,” Barb called out.
A minute later, Barb tapped on the bedroom door and opened it partway. “That was Zeke. Kelley called him a few minutes ago. Dina didn’t come home last night and Kelley is worried. Zeke thinks she’s catting around, if you know what I mean, but he didn’t want to say that to Kelley. And Zeke is more ticked off that she took a vehicle out yesterday and didn’t log where she was going.”
Jana buttoned her shirt and tucked it into her jeans. “Did he give you the license plate number of the vehicle Dina took out?”
“Yes. I wrote it down for you.” Barb waited a beat. “What can I do?”
“Let Rusty back in and feed her. And if any of our feathered neighbors are home and available, ask them to contact me if they spot the vehicle.” Jana slipped past Barb and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. “You should stay away from the town square today,” she said as she brushed and rinsed.
“But I have to feed the animals!”
“They’ll have to go hungry today. Stay home, okay?” Jana looked at her friend. It all came down to choices. “I’m not an Intuit. I don’t get feelings that way. But there’s going to be a fight, and you need to be ready. Pack a go bag for yourself. Food and water for you, Rusty, and Buddy. Convince Evan and Kenneth that they need to pack go bags for themselves and the kids right now. I suspect this won’t be the first time they’ve needed to leave in a hurry. If there’s any indication that we’ll lose this fight, you all pile in their car and get as far away from Bennett as you can.”
“And go where?”
Only one place they could go. “Into the hills. Drive as far in as you can, then go on foot. Tell whatever stops you that Maddie is a sweet blood and you need to get her to Jackson Wolfgard’s settlement in Sweetwater.” Before Barb could protest, Jana said, “Maddie can’t stay here. The Blackstone Clan and some of the other men who have come into town in the past couple of days are dangerous. Can you imagine what they would do with, and to, a blood prophet, even one as young as Maddie?”
Barb swallowed hard. “I’ll do my best.”
“Your best will be great.” Jana made sure she had everything she needed before she headed out the door.
Don’t want to be late to my first gunfight.
But she wondered if Maddie’s pointing finger had already revealed the outcome of that fight.
* * *
* * *
After listening to Tolya’s recap of his “agreement” with Parlan Blackstone and then the description of the Hope pup’s drawing, Virgil eyed his human deputy. Jana smelled a bit musky, which was actually pleasant, but the pale face and sour-sweat smell that was also on her skin made him wonder if she was ill.
“So we’re all going to meet the Blackstone Clan and their allies?” Jana asked. “A show of strength, a couple of snarls, and they raise their hands and surrender because they promised to do that?”
Some other message passed between the wolverine and Tolya. Virgil growled softly at being excluded. She was his deputy and shouldn’t have secrets. Not from him.
“Not all of us,” Tolya replied after a moment. “Nicolai will remain at the train station. Stazia will guard the bank, Anya will stay at the hotel, and Isobel will keep watch on the other side of the square. So will Joshua Painter. The delegation meeting the Blackstones will consist of Yuri, Virgil, and me.”
“Where I am positioned?” Jana growled.
“You’re going to be available if someone calls for help,” Virgil replied. “Make sure the police howler is parked away from the square so the enemy doesn’t see you drive away.”
“You’re excluding me?” Jana stared at him. “Why? Because I’m human?” She looked at Tolya. “Three of you are going to stand up against . . . how many?”
“Four of us,” Saul Panthergard growled.
Virgil wondered who had told Saul about the meeting, then decided it didn’t matter. They needed all the big predators living in Bennett.
“Fine,” the wolverine snapped. “Four. Against how many?”
“Numbers don’t matter,” Tolya said. “Human weapons can’t be used, and Blackstone already agreed to yield.”
“And when something goes wrong?” she persisted.
“Then we’ll kill as many humans as we can,” Virgil replied.
“Before you die.”
“Yes.”
She looked upset about something he’d already accepted.
“You’re not being excluded,” Tolya said. “You’re the next line of defense. So are Anya, Stazia, Isobel, and John. Kane will protect the Maddie pup, but he’ll need help if she has to run away and hide.”
“I already took care of that,” Jana said. “Barb will help Evan and Kenneth take the kids to safety.”
They didn’t have time for the wolverine to keep arguing, so Virgil stepped on her foot and growled, “When we hunt, I decide your position, and I’ve told you what I decided.”
“They’re going to cheat.” Her hands balled into fists.
“So are we.�
��
Virgil met Tolya’s eyes. The Sanguinati understood perfectly why he didn’t want the human deputy around to see the fight. In their Wolf form, the Wolfgard were big. In their true terra indigene form, they were even bigger—and could not be seen by human eyes. They could be shot—and killed—in their true form, but they would kill a lot more of the enemy before that happened.
Virgil looked at Saul. “You sure about being in the fight?”
Saul gave Virgil a feline stare. “Joshua woke up early this morning, dreaming of metal, jagged-toothed traps disguised as rabbits. The boy and I will fight.”
“I’m still hoping Parlan Blackstone has as much influence on the other outlaws as he believes and can convince them to back away from this fight and leave town,” Tolya said. “But no matter what happens, the outlaw humans won’t take the town.” He smiled at Jana. “Our last defense will see to that.”
“Me?” She sounded squeaky.
“No,” Virgil said. “The Harvester is our last defense. There are good reasons why Plague Rider is another name for Scythe’s form of terra indigene.”
CHAPTER 35
Watersday, Frais 1
Jana found two more speed loaders in the storeroom. The darn room still held enough weapons to hold off an army—or supply an army—and she didn’t know what to do about that. She carried the speed loaders and two boxes of ammunition to her desk, then went back for a shotgun and a box of shells.
She hadn’t found any vests. Either they weren’t standard issue here or the cops who had lived in Bennett had been wearing them when the Elders swept in and killed everyone. Either way, she hadn’t found anything she could use as protection in a gunfight.
When she headed for the storeroom again, Virgil said, “How can you run fast if you’re carrying all those things? And how can you use any of them when you’re carrying all of them?”
“I thought I could hide a couple of them or . . . something.” Jana closed her eyes. The idea of having hidden stashes of guns had been alluring—and more like a frontier-story shootout—until she considered the one thing that had never been in those stories. “Some of the men we’re going to be fighting are Intuits and experienced fighters. If they ‘sense’ things in a fight, they might have a feeling of where they could find extra weapons.”
