Deadlands Hunt

by Gayla Drummond

  Travelers seldom ended up parties to such disputes, so the shape shifter doubted that was the case. Which meant it was a mystery, and Chase didn't like mysteries that involved his pack. The red head's constant scrutiny told him this mystery did, or at least that she thought it did.

  *

  Amethyst accepted the tin bowl of blackberry cobbler with a smile of thanks for the serving maid. The girl smiled back, already a regular recipient of the generous largesse Amethyst was wont to spread about to those who tended to her needs. Watching the girl move to the Werens' table, she noted how short work was made of serving out dessert and collecting empty plates before the girl vacated the area.

  Glancing down, Amethyst took a moment to appreciate the golden crust swimming atop a thick, rich purple sea of berry filling. Looking up, she found Brian gazing at her with an expression of mild disapproval.

  For some reason she was unable to fathom, the golden haired young man seemed to think that he was the leader of their expedition. It was a notion she hadn't yet bothered to disabuse him of, but it appeared the time to do so was drawing nigh.

  Amethyst knew that Brian was biding his time and planned to propose. She supposed he was nice enough, but 'nice' wasn't a good reason to shackle one's self to another for life. After weeks of travelling together, Amethyst was also certain that neither Brian nor Peter actually qualified as men just yet.

  Not compared to the men who lived life outside of stone walls. The men out here knew that peace could disappear in the blink of an eye, and that death could come roaring over the border at any given moment.

  In the same vein, Amethyst realized she wasn't yet the woman her age supposedly granted her the status of being. Not compared to those that walked around with long knives and daggers dangling from their waists, as they were the most important accessory of choice. These women were prepared to defend their children and themselves at the drop of a hat, spitting in Death's eye in order to do so.

  Adersol was two worlds away from the one she was accustomed to. Her world consisted of teas in richly appointed drawing rooms, fancy dress balls, and sedate canters around the park. Even the thrilling hunts occurring outside Taryton's protective walls couldn't measure up to life on the frontier. She was a stranger in a land she knew little about, wanting to cross over into one that was even more dangerous.

  Dessert neatly and appreciatively disposed of; Amethyst dabbed at her lips and laid the napkin on the table. Her next act was to pull a small, leather bound diary and fountain pen from her purse. She’d just done so when Brian cleared his throat and announced, "I think we should go upstairs to discuss a few things."

  Lifting her head, Amethyst delivered a level gaze. Brian instantly confirmed her opinion of him as still being a boy by flushing pink and hastily asking, "Don't you think, Amy?"

  "I think…" She leaned an elbow against the edge of the table, thoughtfully tapping her bottom lip with the end of the pen.” That retiring is a better idea. The three of you go on ahead. I'll be up once I've taken care of today's entry."

  "What a wonderful idea!" Sally enthused as if by pre-arranged cue. The blond, seated closest to the Weren occupied table, had been slowly creeping down the shared bench throughout the meal. Another inch and Amethyst was certain Sally would be in her lap. "P'raps the upstairs drawing room for a hand of whist and a brandy before bed?"

  Peter, who was a thin, serious faced young man, gave the girl an adoring look. Amethyst was amused by his resemblance to a puppy upon witnessing it; the soft brown eyes and careless tumble of dark brown hair that refused to surrender to pomade only fed that impression. "That's a wonderful idea, Sally."

  Blinking at the clear dismissal, whatever protest Brian intended to make abruptly died, as lightning seemed to flash in Amethyst's eyes. Deciding discretion was definitely the better part of valor for the moment, he quickly rose. "Until morning, dear lady."

  "Quite," she curtly replied, mind already back on the problem of how to approach the Weren. Waiting until her three friends had disappeared from view, Amethyst glanced around the common room. Other diners were paying for their meals and shrugging into coats and jackets in clear preparation to depart. She saw that two of the Weren were also rising. It would help, she decided. It would be much easier to face two instead of four.

  Two

  "Come on, let's go," Kyle urged Bran, eager to secure the Kestran courtesans before the evening grew later.

  "Keep your pants on," Bran replied, carefully spooning the last dregs of sticky sweetness from his bowl. The youngest of them was very serious about his sweets, which came along far less regularly than he preferred.

  "Having them on is the problem," Kyle whined, standing up. Curtis snorted in amused disgust.

  "One day, you're going to drop them in the wrong place at the wrong time and I’m not picking the buckshot out of your ass when it happens," he promised.

  "If the girl's pretty enough, it's never the wrong place or time." Kyle grinned and grasped Bran by the scruff of the neck, pulling him to his feet. "Come on."

  "Remember what I said." Chase gave them a look, making sure Kyle received the larger helping of it. Bran nodded, but the pack leader wasn't worried about his behavior or obedience. Kyle was the one enthusiasm regularly carried away.

  "No trouble. Don't be gone all night." Kyle nodded. "Right. Got it."

  "And don't wake us up coming in," Curtis reminded him.

  "Yeah, yeah, or you'll thrash our asses. We know already." Kyle walked off, dragging Bran along. The briefest of pauses was made to snatch their dusters from the hooks by the door, then the door shut behind them. Curtis shook his head.

  "Remind me again why we keep that tail chaser around?"

  "Entertainment." Chase grinned. "The bee thing was pretty funny."

  Agreement was the release of a loud guffaw of laughter. Those still in the process of bundling up against the weather began moving more quickly. "That was! He's such a dumbass."

  The innkeeper headed their way, his pleasant expression of earlier looking worse for the wear. Realizing their presence had run off the after dinner drinkers the man usually served, Chase nudged his pack mate. "Was everything satisfactory, my lords?"

  "More than. Thanks," Chase answered.

  "Ah, but I do have a request, good sir." Curtis flipped a gold coin in the air. "Can we trouble you for all the beer we can hold while we enjoy the fire?"

  That sweetened the man's souring disposition nicely. Werens could hold quite a lot of beer. "Of course, of course!"

  "Let me know when that runs out," Curtis added while flipping the coin a second time. It landed neatly in the innkeeper's hand. With a nod and a smile, he retreated to the bar. The two shape shifters exchanged a grin, though it rankled both that courtesy needed purchasing. Still, it was only their first year on the border and such actions should pay off in the future. Chase really hated sleeping outdoors in the rain, so doing what they could to prevent that was a necessity.

  By then, they and the red head were the only people still present aside from the innkeeper. Returning with two large steins of beer, he offered another quick smile before seeing if the lady required anything else. She didn't and he disappeared into the kitchen.

  Chase glanced at her, wondering what she was so busily writing in the small, leather book she was bent over. A half glass of wine sat ignored, the pen's tip making light scratching sounds while traveling across the page.

  *

  Finishing her day's written recollection, Amethyst realized it looked no more productive on paper than it had felt in the doing. Gently blowing on the page to speed the drying process, she wondered if it was the right time to approach the Weren. They sat quietly, drinking their beer. Testing the page by pressing a fingertip to one word, she determined it was safe to close her diary and did so.

  Putting it away left her with no real reason to remain downstairs. Spotting her wine glass, Amethyst took a sip in an attempt to bolster her courage. She had to speak to them. There might
be a chance Pearl still lived and needed rescuing. Clearing her throat with a timid 'ahem', she turned to look at them. "This is a pleasant spot."

  "I hope you mean the inn, and not the whole," the burly one replied, studying her over the edge of his stein. The other simply gazed her way. Amethyst discovered it was difficult to meet their pale golden eyes while nodding a response.

  "Yes, the inn. They've quite a treasure in their cook, don't you think?" What am I doing? Talking about food when I've something so much more important to discuss? "May I speak with you?"

  They exchanged a look then the other spoke. "Isn't that what you're doing?"

  "Yes, but I mean...I require some aid in a matter. An important matter." Rising, Amethyst walked to their table and sat down before she lost her nerve. Setting both her wine glass and purse down, she forced herself to look up at them. "My sister is lost."

  "My name's Chase, this is Curtis, and you are?"

  Amethyst blushed. Talking to strange men was not something she'd often done. Talking to shape shifters was something she'd never done and here she'd immediately forgotten her manners. "My apologies. Miss Amethyst Larkspur. Very pleased to meet you, sirs."

  "Likewise, I'm sure," the one named Curtis drawled while setting his stein down. "How the hell did you manage to lose something like a sister?"

  "Curtis, language." Chase frowned.

  "Sorry, ma’am."

  "She married a man who was bent on establishing a new town across the border." Amethyst paused, but neither said anything. "He'd created this new religion and wanted a place to practice it where he and his followers wouldn't be persecuted for their beliefs. They left along with two hundred others. Adersol was the last place she posted a letter from. It said that they'd decided not to go further than a two day ride from here, but I've not received another letter since."

  Curtis smiled, able to appreciate a woman who could sum things up nice and neat.

  "How long ago did you receive that last letter?" Chase asked. "And you're sure they crossed the border from Adersol?"

  "Seven weeks ago, and yes, I've made inquiries since arriving. They came through and were last seen crossing the border. I've questioned the hunters who venture across, but none have seen a sign of the wagon train." Amethyst felt as though a great weight lifted from her now that she'd begun speaking to them.

  "I hate to be the one to say it, but..." Chase was interrupted.

  "I know there's little chance she's still alive, sir. But I have to be certain. Pearl's the only family I have left." Amethyst swallowed hard. "If she's still alive."

  "Wait a minute. Did you and those three come here thinking you'd go traipsing across the border to play trackers?" Curtis scowled. "Don't you city folk have any sense?"

  "I'd planned to hire guides, but none of those who hunt the Deadlands have been agreeable," Amethyst admitted, dropping her gaze to the wine glass.

  "With good reason. The Deadlands are no place for humans, especially not for women." Chase frowned. "We'll ride out tomorrow and see what we can find."

  "You will?" Hope flashed through her. "What time should we be ready?"

  "Lady, didn't you just hear what he said? You're not going. Not you, not your friends," Curtis growled, but felt a twinge of surprise when her chin turned stubborn.

  "I'm willing to pay a large sum to have my sister found, dead or alive. But not unless I'm along to see that the job is done well."

  "We already draw pay as border patrol and I didn't say our services were for hire," Chase pointed out. Blue eyes speared him as she frowned.

  "I have to go along. She's my sister. What if you do find her alive? She'll need me." The frown reversed, becoming a small, determined smile. "We can simply follow you at a distance, you know. If you refuse to take us along, that's exactly what we'll do."

  Chase had seen that look before, on his mother's face when she was bound and determined to have her way over something. It was a look you'd never find crossing a man's face, because men understood logic. Women made up their own to suit whatever situation was at hand.

  As far as he knew, no male had ever successfully won against female logic. They knew the two greatest weaknesses males had. So men who thought they'd won such battles often found themselves eating their own cooking and sleeping alone. At least until they admitted they were wrong and apologized.

  Sighing, Chase realized that her threat wasn’t an empty one. "Fine, as long as we understand that once we cross the border, I'm in charge."

  She was a gracious winner, immediately smiling. "Absolutely, Mr. Chase. Thank you."

  Chase kept from frowning with an effort. Werens always used first names as a sign of respect. Humans piled titles and honorifics in front of them, only using first names for kin, friends or those they considered their equal. He put up with the 'my lords' from the tradesmen because they used such address for all their customers. He wasn't going to put up with disrespect from her. "It's just Chase."

  An impressive stare off sparked. Curtis watched in fascination as blue met and matched pale gold, forgetting the stein paused an inch from his lips. Who would blink first? What excuse would she make for not using their names?

  Without blinking she replied, "Then you must call me Amy, Chase."

  "I like Amethyst better." Werens also considered it disrespectful to shorten names.

  "As you wish." They stared at each other for a few seconds longer before both blinked. Curtis buried his grin in beer. "When shall we leave then?"

  "We'll need to get supplies. Do you have horses yet?"

  "Yes, I purchased five our first day in town." She waited.

  Chase nodded. "Then after breakfast tomorrow, we'll gather everything we'll need, get a good night's sleep and leave early the following morning."

  "Why can't we leave tomorrow?" Her chin began to show signs of returning to stubborn.

  "You don't rush preparations for going into the Deadlands, Amethyst. They were named that for a reason, and by Werens long before humans arrived." Chase seriously doubted a day was going to make a difference in what they'd find.

  "Very well. I'll see you at breakfast." She rose and smiled. "Good night, gentlemen."

  Waiting until she was out of earshot, Curtis said, "She's going to be trouble."

  "Yeah." Chase grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "We have Kyle on our side though."

  *

  Upstairs, Amethyst discovered her companions had chosen more than a single brandy, from the looks of them. Sally sat in a chair rapidly fanning her face. Her cheeks were bright pink as she giggled over something said before the red head entered the room.

  "You're all going to have dreadful headaches tomorrow, and we've errands to take care of," she informed them. "I've found guides for us."

  Peter blinked owlishly from the settee he lay sprawled upon. "Those, um, Weren fellows?"

  "Yes."

  "Absolutely not!" Brian rose from his seat.

  Amethyst raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

  He drew himself up, a stern expression appearing on his face. "As you very well should. Werens aren't the type a well-bred young lady such as you should ever speak with, much less plan to go off gallivanting among."

  Amethyst's mouth dropped open in shock. Quickly closing it, she glared. "Galliva...what on earth? This isn't some pleasure ride, Brian. My sister is missing. Missing! I shall accept whatever help there is, regardless of who or what is offering it, in order to find her."

  He hurried over to attempt guiding her to a chair. "You've been under a great deal of stress, Amy. You're obviously not thinking clearly."

  "Would you just," there was a brief struggle before she freed her arm from his grasp. "Let go! Really, Brian."

  "Amy, listen..."

  "No! You listen. All of you." She liberally spread a narrow-eyed glare around. "The Weren are far better suited to this expedition than we are. We would be lucky to survive a single day out there. Do you know how to find water? Or what signs to watch for to k
eep from being surprised by an orcish ambush? No, you don't! Nor do I!"

  "But Werens do," Peter remarked, still blinking. "I think it's a wonderful idea, Amy."

  Calming down, Amethyst smiled at him. "Thank you, Peter."

  "But," Sally whimpered. "They're quite scary. And they're very large, don't you think?"

  Closing her eyes, Amethyst slowly counted to ten. Reaching it, she re-opened them and smiled gently at her friend. "In the present matter, quite scary and very large are good things to have on our side, dear."

  Sally brightened. "Oh, well, that's all right then."