《Whistling After Dusk: The Witch Chasing Posse》


 Chapter 1: Whats Happened to Our World

    Prologue


    Autumn 1860


    Inside the Coffees¡¯ rustic cabin, LeeAnn screamed in the flickering candlelight. Through sweat and tears mingling down her face, she whispered, ¡°Goddamn you people. Somebody, help me.¡±


    The boar¡¯s head mounted over the bed peered down with brutal intent, while the so-called midwife, Georgine Myrtle, watched on from the shadows.


    The buffalo check printed blanket LeeAnn lay on matched the tension in her husband John¡¯s familiar frown. He said, ¡°Shut up, LeeAnn.¡± Then, he turned his shouting to the woman who smirked in the darkness. ¡°And you! Do something. LeeAnn¡¯s a mess!¡±


    Georgine ambled forward, knelt down, and slid a Bowie Knife under the bed.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± John said. ¡°That knife was blood stained. You some kind of a witch?¡±


    Nobody¡¯d ever ignored the prominent town figure¡¯s tantrums. However, if Georgine heard the chair breaking against the wall, one could not tell. Standing tall and commanding like a cult leader, she instructed, ¡°Push with all your strength, LeeAnn. The son of Sam Hill will soon arrive.¡±


    Flashes of lightning revealed agony across LeeAnn¡¯s face to the sounds of John shuffling through his wooden chest in search of his hunting rifle. During the chaos, a hooded dark entity stepped into the room, capturing everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Stay away,¡± John said, drawing his gun. He would have fired had he not fallen motionless at the sight in front of him: the midwife had his newborn, dark-haired offspring hoisted up. In the twinkling of an eye, the baby¡¯s shadow was sucked into the ghoulish, sickly green hands of the dark entity.


    The bullet John fired fell off the entity and clanked against the floor. A crunching sound drew attention to a wing forming out of the entity. Georgine slumped beneath it and took refuge onto their escape.


    Chapter One


    What¡¯s Happened to Our World


    I, Doc Apollo, commence my report on the morning after Martin Coffee¡¯s birth. On this day, Georgine came galloping up to my stead on a pony that shared her silver color hair.


    Sitting on my front porch, I squinted under my brown top hat and said to myself, ¡°This early, Georgine?¡±


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    The cocks went haywire. Cows mooed. She had a grown son and silver hair with a face so young? Was a midwife but with shoulders square and proud? Oh, the contradictions, and no formal way to inquire after them.


    The pale woman hovered, nearly whispering through her dark lips. ¡°Poor Mrs. Coffee doesn¡¯t take pain good at all. Mercy¡ªshe blasphemed like an outlaw.¡±


    I gawked at her looming, slender figure in black. It was my first time seeing her since I got sober. The corner of her mouth had curled up in a smile.


    Before I got a word in, she motioned her hands with the bones of her fingers threatening to stretch through. ¡°Doctor, mind your manners and let me finish. Before anyone spins the yarn on this matter, I must inform you that I asked Mr. Coffee to allow me to put something under the bed to ease the intensity.¡±


    Roosters out in nearby plantations crowed like they wanted to alarm me. ¡°Where¡¯s this wild horse a-running, Georgine?¡±


    She waited for them to be silent then tossed a glance their way as if they had bent to her will. ¡°If you and these darn animals stop interrupting me, you¡¯ll hear. I slid one of my son¡¯s Bowie Knives under their bed. He kept them inside his coat pockets during the Mexican War.¡±


    Our boys in sky-blue coats, caps, and muskets defeated the Mexicans in serpent and eagle shirts, masses of wounded men falling off horses in smoke and gunshots. Her son would only choose a knife over our ground breaking artillery for something sinister, not country.


    Georgine went on. ¡°A knife under the bed is believed to ease discomfort in matters such as this.¡±


    Folding my hands in my lap, I forced a tense smile and swallowed. ¡°Now, listen here. Why do you think you white folks haven¡¯t shot me dead?¡±


    A sneer formed under her pointed nose. ¡°You¡¯re drifting off topic.¡±


    I kept my composure. ¡°Not so far off, Georgine. Now it¡¯s your turn to a-listen. When you get malaria, I¡¯m the one who strips you stark naked and drenches you with buckets of cold water.


    Inside my bag, there are painkillers, opium, vaccines, thermometers, knives too, but you know what I don¡¯t do with them?¡± Fixed smile and calm voice, I continued, ¡°Stick them under people¡¯s goddamn beds. What I¡¯m saying is¡­Keep your delusions out of my field.¡±


    Georgine shot the top half of her body back in surprise and straitened her beret.


    The scene, an acre of countless dead leaves from the world¡ª my coat and her dress flapping in the wind¡ª she gripped my bowtie and took a superior tone. ¡°You think you can trample all over anyone you like.¡± I gritted my teeth, as she whispered, ¡°Oh Doctor, if only you knew. There¡¯s a force that will lambast people like you to dust and curse your seed so fast, and right it will. If justice were only clean, I would have had it many years ago. Now we¡¯re taking it the dirty way.¡±


    Taking justice, cursing our seed? Our children, she meant? After those words sunk in, I leaped from the bench, coat lapels in hands and standing on tip toes. ¡°Best thing you can do is get off my land. I will run you away from any patient I find you nearby, you hear?¡±


    Looking right to hiss, she said, ¡°Have a terrible day, fortunate fool.¡± She marched off my porch toward her pony. While her ride kicked dust, she croaked in a possessed voice, one deeper than a man¡¯s. ¡°Sam Hill¡¯s gonna bugger you.¡±


    I darted inside, but when I returned with my grandfather¡¯s musket, the powder had cleared.


    ***


    Reflecting upon it over the subsequent weeks, it was clear to me that she meant to skip town, leaving behind a lot of hurt and a-finger pointing.


    A morning came where six sets of hoofs trotted onto my property and brought my heart to pounding. My rehearsed defense was stuck into my throat. I leaped out my recliner and rushed outside. When I came to a stop, it felt like my eyes leaped at what I saw.


    John Coffee had come a-hunting for the man who sent that awful midwife¡ªthat man was me. And he brought backup.

 Chapter 2: Sam Hills Outlaw

    Inside the driver¡¯s box of a six-horse stagecoach, John Coffee held the reigns, donning a red cotton vest and the iciest scowl seen in the blistering West. On the stagecoach¡¯s roof, Chip Blaze, known as the ¡°grappling sheriff,¡± squatted in a stance as if he would spring up to tussle right then and there.


    One thing about Chip¡¯s sheriff run in 1860, everybody knew he¡¯d rather wrassle than shoot, and I recoiled at the prospect of standing across from him. After all, I didn¡¯t graduate school to roll around in no dead leaves, and if I did, I¡¯d pick a less formidable opponent to do it with. He may have been a short man in tall boots, but he had the stocky frame and big hands of a lowland gorilla. Grinned like one too at the chance of getting a hold on anyone.


    As John stayed put, the sheriff climbed down to the sandy driveway and placed his hands on his gun belt. He wore a wild rag that he somehow got around the width of his neck, a pin striped shirt, and a badge, but never a cowboy hat. For some odd reason, I respected his unique choice to forgo it. But respect ended there¡ª the way he gawked at me like I was some kind of goddamn appetizer.


    ¡°Good day, Sheriff, how can I help?¡±


    Before I could finish, he dove for me. He¡¯d been the Virginia City Collar and Elbow Champion a few years prior to moving here and had me tied up faster than I could react. He got my head tucked under his torso and restricted me from breathing. Was I going to jail?


    As he walked me to the top of the coach, he applied pressure onto my neck. What¡¯s more, during the ride, he suffocated me with his perspiration odor for two hours.


    When we reached the town, the humiliation became unbearable as I heard the laughing, a-whistling, hooting, and hollering from people on either side of the road. He still had me hooked atop the stagecoach.


    It seemed as though this ape man¡¯s primitive instincts spread to me like smallpox. I started to fight back¡ªforced myself to my feet and squirmed.


    As he bore down on me, bending me over, he said, ¡°Barking at a knot, aren¡¯t ya?¡± With any effort to escape, I was only wiggling my skinny hide at all those I had hoped to impress.


    ¡°Nice caboose,¡± I heard a woman shout.


    ¡°Sheriff got a negro; Sheriff got a negro,¡± another onlooker said.


    Chicanery only mounted as we passed the Saloon. Someone tossed a bottle that broke against my calf, took me down to a knee.


    I grabbed at the sheriff¡¯s leg, but he easily broke up my attack by lifting me then skinning my arms and knees on the wooden base beneath us. Somehow, he maintained his grasp as we slowed down. Scads of townspeople celebrated his strength with cheers. Some hopped up and took turns giving me spankings.


    ¡°Make way for the sheriff,¡± John Coffee said, firing a gunshot into the air that scattered the crowd.


    Sheriff Chip walked me down the coach and through an entrance. After a door slammed behind us, he slung me three feet, finally breaking his hold.


    When I lifted my gaze, we were in his office; in my backdrop, a jail, in his, a wooden desk, John Coffee, and a staircase winding up to a bedroom, in front of us, big windows with an audience screaming for more.


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    I pointed at him and yelled, ¡°I¡¯m law abiding, essential even. What in tarnation is the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me, Doc,¡± the sheriff said, retrieving from his desk a wanted poster of a lady with a beret, silver hair, and a distinct pointy nose. ¡°I picked this up in El Paso.¡±


    ¡°Georgine Myrtle. I ran her out of town.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t report her.¡±


    ¡°All I know is she seems to have a fascination with the dark entity, Sam Hill. Didn¡¯t know it when I used her as a midwife. Would never have selected her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. You didn¡¯t report her.¡±


    At his insistence that I was somehow obligated to report this to lawmen, my indignation made me fling my finger in the air and sound like some attorney. ¡°Last I checked we have the freedom of religion in this country. Whatever she¡¯s into¡ªas far as I know¡ªit¡¯s no matter for the authorities. This is not Salem.¡±


    John Coffee advanced toward me with a knife in his shaky hand. ¡°My would-be son is up the spout because of her, and you want to talk about her constitutional rights, you son of a bitch.¡±


    Chip restrained him and wrassled the knife away.


    I replied, ¡°The Bowie Knife. I¡ªI¡¯m sorry, John. She told me she put it under your bed. That¡¯s why I banned her. I don¡¯t know what else to say.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say you have great judgement, Doc,¡± Chip interjected. ¡°Her name isn¡¯t Georgine Myrtle. Turns out its Calamity Dyer. Turns out she used a Bowie Knife to inscribe the words ¡°Bugger Bill¡± in blood under the Coffees¡¯ bed.¡±


    I gaped at Chip. No words came out.


    ¡°I¡¯m not finished,¡± Chip declared. ¡°Turns out she sold her soul to the dark entity, Sam Hill, and has dedicated babies¡¯ shadows to the purpose of destroying everything we¡¯ve manifested here in the West. She fraternizes with some kind of savages, and sees us, Mexicans, and Spaniards as privileged oppressors. She raised her son to be an assassin and curses our babies with Bowie Knives that are marked with the blood of Mexicans whom he killed.¡±


    By-fucking-Jiminy. I¡¯d placed a wanted woman into the homes of those in my community and put the most vulnerable into her hands. Years of drinking and bad decisions led to this. Yet, this still sounded like nothing more than a bunch of mumbo jumbo. Where was the real threat?


    Chip went on, ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯m not just a nincompoop, curly woof. I¡¯ve developed pretty good investigational skills and have been busy across city lines in El Paso, doing some digging.¡±


    The beam on this braggart¡¯s mug astounded me. Stopping for applause at a time like this? One thing I knew for sure, the way he whupped my ass, he wasn¡¯t getting any from me. ¡°Get on with it. What are we worried about, Sheriff?¡±


    ¡°This bad egg you hired, Doc¡ªshe¡¯s seeking to summon Sam Hill¡¯s outlaw, Bugger Bill.¡± Chip paused one last time to afford John the opportunity to air his lungs at me with more profanity than I¡¯m comfortable writing.


    Then, the sheriff outstretched his arms and said, ¡°You brought her to us, and her sacraments to Sam Hill are the shadows of our children, whom she¡¯s cursed. No telling how many victims we have in Grand Jose. ¡®Take pride in your work¡¯ is part of the code of the West. Nicely done, Doc. Hope you¡¯re proud.¡±


    Still feeling the pain in my neck, I fired back. ¡°That code also says never hit a smaller man. Sheriff, with all due respect, this is the most legendary wobblin¡¯ jawing I¡¯ve ever listened to. Why are you given credence to that woman¡¯s horrific fantasies?¡±


    A baby¡¯s cry came through from the top of the staircase. In a purple dress and with a sheepish, pallid countenance, LeeAnn appeared, coddling the screaming, thin Martin.


    ¡°Shut up, freak,¡± John yelled, pointing up at his own son.


    Pity tugged at my heartstrings for the unwanted child.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t stopped crying since he was born,¡± LeeAnn said.


    I raised my palms upward in a surrendering posture, while slowly climbing the stairs to approach baby Martin. ¡°Shh,¡± I said, acquiring all six pounds of him from LeeAnn and cradling him. ¡°You¡¯re alright, son. A lot of babies cry nonstop.¡± I looked up at LeeAnn. ¡°Maybe, we can find something with some opium at the pharmacy. This boy is going to be alright.¡±


    ¡°How many shadows do you see on the wall?¡± John said.


    LeeAnn¡¯s hung some steps above mine. Supporting Martin¡¯s head, I lifted him high and¡ª I saw nothing.


    ¡°That son of Sam Hill aint got one,¡± John grumbled. ¡°I¡¯m getting this critter out of Texas. Won¡¯t let him be the reason we lose the destiny we¡¯ve manifested in Grand Jose. Sheriff, I beg you, arrest this quack doctor. Hang him like the heretic he is.¡±


    Against my kicking and protesting, they threw me in jail, shut the door, and locked it.

 Chapter 3: The Ana Tribe Threatens

    The sheriff didn¡¯t answer John¡¯s plea to string me up, and I didn¡¯t push it. Matter of fact, I took a seat on the bed behind the prison bars. Seemed safe to keep to myself and gaze at the golden beam the sun cast over the cell¡¯s brick wall and plywood floor. Sheriff Chip knew I¡¯d have to have my day in court.


    Things were quiet but for the bumping from the Coffees¡¯ things coming down the stairs as John gathered them together to hightail it up to Massachusetts. It seemed like an eternal wait for the last bang of the door and the departure of the hoofs from his six-horse stagecoach.


    After the commotion settled, I walked over to the bars betwixt Chip and I. ¡°Sheriff, you know better than this. Whatever Georgine¡ªI mean Calamity¡ª Calamity Dyer is into, I¡¯m not complicit.¡±


    He had scattered papers and a Holy Bible on his ligneous desk but stopped his reading to address me. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll level with you. John¡¯s a bottom feeder, but he¡¯s got Mayor Heck¡¯s ear. They¡¯re hunting buddies, while I¡¯m only a Virginia greenhorn growing my influence. We need to lay low and let this blow over.¡±


    I clasped the bars. ¡°Lay low?¡± Easy for him to say. It wasn¡¯t his freedom.


    The office door flung open, and the room shook all the way to my cell.


    Deputy Dunbar had fallen through the door, and a sling of screams from his rugged Texan draw had seized the building. ¡°Oh, my fiddle, my diddle. Oh, my nick-nack. Oh, that beast man put his claw right through my nether eye.¡±


    Most times, I didn¡¯t understand a lick of what this man went on about, but when I fixed my eyes under his leather vest on blood seeping through the crotch of his trousers, I comprehended. The sweat and tears between his cowboy hat and long mustache told it all. He crawled and cussed.


    ¡°Well, do something, Doc,¡± Sheriff Chip said.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking for my help?¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s your duty as a physician, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t do much without a kit. How about you grant me a release and hurry me to the Pharmacy?¡±


    Dunbar raged from where he lay. ¡°No, don¡¯t you let that negro go. This is all his fault.¡±


    ¡°Well, it aint my nick-nack that got patty-whacked,¡± I quipped.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Chip said, standing over a crouched deputy. ¡°What in the hell happened to you?¡±


    Deputy Dunbar replied, ¡°A thang¡ª wudn¡¯t quite a wolf, wudn¡¯t quite Indian. That thang¡¯s what happened. I never seen one like it in the West. Some savage gear, some wolf fur¡ªGawd, my noodle hurts.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Had a headdress of feathers, an Indian chest plate, and loin cloth. But also had a wolf tail, fur and snout. Were the colors of an orange and black ominous sky. Under the snout, had¡ªblack human lips running like ink over an ice blue chin.¡±


    I shook my head, while Chip bent to one knee to indulge his wild tale.


    ¡°I seen it right outside town, and it was staring in, standing on two feet like a human. I farred my revolver, but it moved so fast, I couldn¡¯t tell it from the dirt it rolled in, and when it came up, it put its claw right through my¡ª"


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    ¡°Yeah, we know,¡± I said. ¡°Come on, nothing like what you¡¯re talking about exists. You¡¯re sick out your head.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, I seen it, and it told me its name before it went away. Ana Ahote, and said it was the chief of all Anas in the Ana Tribe. Then, it promised it was coming back for more, and I aint got much more down there for it to come back for, so I figure it means our town.¡±


    ¡°Where in tarnation do you suppose this so-called Ana Ahote came from?¡± I hollered.


    ¡°He said he¡¯s spying out our town on behalf of their leader, the witch, Calamity Dyer. Oh, my dandy, it hurts like hell! I tell you what. Get that quack doctor to the Pharmacy, make him heal me, and then lock him right back up.¡±


    My look of disgust turned to a grin when Chip pulled a key the size of a cowbell out his belt and opened the door. When I exited, I gripped my lapels and took the longest stride of freedom that a wrongfully convicted man ever did.


    ¡°Wait. Cuff him,¡± said Dunbar.


    The sheriff placed his hands on his hips and sucked his cheek in. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. This Ana beast that assaulted you¡ªIt sounds like it could be the progression of the monsters formed from the stolen shadows of Indians.¡±


    ***


    Heading West toward the Pharmacy, Chip and I moseyed through the bad part of town, not saying dickens to one another, dusty breeze in our eyes.


    Bit some grit and heard commotion on the wide road that separated wooden buildings, each some few feet from the next. Some of the cowboys glowered out the Saloon windows, some of whom I paid doctor¡¯s visits to in the last damn year.


    ¡°Picked a fine location for the Sheriff¡¯s Office,¡± I said.


    ¡°I inherited it.¡± He laughed.


    Passing a crowd outside a brothel house, we heard gossip from some guy in a long-tasseled, leather coat to a crowd of harlots in stockings and short dresses and gamblers in black hats. ¡°You know who¡¯s got the worsest morphine habit, don¡¯t ya? Here¡¯s a hint. His name¡¯s Mayor Heck.¡±


    Laughter ensued. Guess it was too early for the fun, and they had to entertain themselves somehow.


    When we finally reached the corner to turn, we had to step over a man on hands and knees, airin¡¯ the paunch, another fool who couldn¡¯t hold his liquor.


    We headed down Promise Road, an area between the rough cowboy life and the school, bank, and chapel at the edge of town. The women dressed less scantily, more bodices and dresses; there were less cowboy hats on men, too.


    Had gossip out in the road going on, but the much more positive kind. Passing the Barber Shop, I heard someone say, ¡°Sheriff Blaze and Doc Apollo, two ace-high fellas.¡±


    City smelt like manure, and, someway, some buildings West of the Barbershop, Chip got on to some stinking wrasslin story.


    I didn¡¯t want to hear it on account he had me in a collar and elbow tie up for two damn hours and my neck still ached. I stopped and faced him. ¡°Let¡¯s enjoy the goddamn view.¡±


    The Restaurant and General Store painted white, with railings and signs, led to the shiniest white of them all, the two-story Pharmacy structure, ahead.


    ¡°With all due respect, Sheriff, I¡¯m your prisoner. We don¡¯t need no small talking.¡±


    ¡°I told you. It wasn¡¯t my idea to arrest you. John Coffee and Jed Dunbar cooked that up. Lay low, don¡¯t cause problems. Once I¡¯m in good with Mayor Heck, I¡¯ll get you out of this.¡±


    ¡°Once you¡¯re in good? I see.¡±


    Chip changed the subject. ¡°Now, Patsy and Dick have their daughter running the Pharmacy, these days.¡±


    ¡°I know Patsy and Dick well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do, especially Dick. Everyone loves Dick. Anyway, this gal¡ª their daughter Diamond¡ªshe¡¯s a good, strong gal, and there¡¯s no need to get her angry over your arrest. Matter of fact, it¡¯d be better if we didn¡¯t mention it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain it would be, Sheriff.¡± I smiled. ¡°You have a thing for Diamond, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± He tossed his hands up and took a backwards step directly into a pothole¡ª and I swear the earth thundered when that gorilla man went down. I laughed about as hard as his fall.


    After he dusted off, he grumbled, ¡°They need to fill that in.¡± If he could have put it in a collar and elbow tie up, he would have.


    ¡°You do have a thing for her,¡± I insisted.


    A gunshot fired. We both jumped and gazed up and over at the second story balcony of the Pharmacy. Diamond pointed a pink sniper rifle toward a sky that was as blue as her eyes and vest. The gal¡¯s blonde hair seemed to give off as much a ray of light as the sun. Underneath her striking beauty, she seemed to pierce through us with her gaze.

 Chapter 4: The Pharmacy Gal

    Diamond and the sheriff shared a laugh.


    Breath of relief. Wow, did she have a striking birthmark over her top lip.


    ¡°Get your tail over here, grappling sheriff,¡± Diamond hollered.


    ***


    Inside the Pharmacy, the buffed-up counter and shelves shined. I smiled at the sight of the organized jars of medicine and clean, checkerboard marble floors.


    Something about smells of plants and coffee beans brought on nostalgic musings of the way folks once thought the odors to be healing. I knew better but wished to believe I didn¡¯t during every shopping experience there. It¡¯d be especially nice to have faith in something decent with all the recent hysteria concerning the rumored alliance of Sam Hill, dark entities, Calamity Dyer, Ana Ahote, and his Ana Tribe.


    Diamond offered her hand and said, ¡°You must be Doc Apollo, and you probably thoink I¡¯m crazy.¡± Her dialect and demeanor brought a gentle feeling.


    ¡°Crazy? Not at all, miss.¡±


    ¡°You better watch out for the company you¡¯re keeping. Sheriff Chip¡¯s always coming in here with a cold.¡±


    I nudged Chip with my elbow and said, ¡°I¡¯m certain he is.¡±


    ¡°Not today,¡± Chip clarified. ¡°My deputy has an incision. And Doc needs to pick a few things up to tend to it.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Where¡¯s his cut?¡±


    Chip and I exchanged uneasy glances; I spoke up first. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, miss. I assure you it¡¯s a tiny matter. I need some carbolic acid, opium, a needle and thread, and we¡¯ll be out of your hair.¡±


    The front door creaked, and Dick and Patsy arrived. They were a heavyset couple, as well dressed as fed, him in a three-piece suit and long coattails and her in pearls and an expensive silk dress. I¡¯d say Patsy passed down the blondeness to Diamond (Dick didn¡¯t have a strand to give), but Diamond¡¯s golden locks were too big and unreal.


    Turned around and hanging his coat on the rack, Dick had barely gotten through the door and was already in conversation. ¡°Diamond, honey, I saw that suiter of yours over at the General Store. Told him to get you home right after y¡¯all¡¯s trip to the Restaurant this afternoon.¡±


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    Chip frowned and thought aloud. ¡°Suiter?¡±


    Dick turned, jumped, and giggled with a high, nervous pitch. ¡°Luddy mussy! Sheriff! Doc! Didn¡¯t see you two there.¡±


    Patsy waddled halfway upstairs and leered down, huffing from the exercise. ¡°Dick, you lightweight, you must have gotten loaded to the gunwhales over at the Saloon. Thoink you¡¯re gonna tell Diamond what to do? She¡¯s grown and is as full of piss and vinegar as me.¡±


    ¡°Shoots a sniper rifle better than you, though.¡± He squealed in laughter.


    ¡°Dick, you can¡¯t fire a toy gun, so hush.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me boys, gotta get this vixen under control.¡± He and Patsy howled as he chased her up the stairs.


    Chip demanded, ¡°Well, hurry, Diamond. Get what we need, so we can get going.¡±


    Diamond left Chip and his balled-up fists alone with me.


    ¡°Easy now, Sheriff. You have more steam coming out your ears than what¡¯s rising from the tonics. And I think the fumes are turning you green. Or is that envy over the suitor?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re starting to get under my skin.¡±


    Diamond in a flurry delivered the items I needed for my kit, and the cost of oof seemed to upset Chip much more than me. He contended, ¡°What kind of rip-off is this? We¡¯re saving a life.¡±


    Diamond slapped the counter. ¡°Alright, Sheriff Chip Blaze, if you thoink pitching a fit because you¡¯re jealous is gonna make a mash with me, you¡¯re dead wrong. Pay up, right now.¡±


    ¡°Jealous. Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± He banged the skids down hard enough to bring the parents halfway back downstairs with Dick¡¯s belt undone and Patsy¡¯s hair a-mess.


    Flushed face, Diamond folded her arms. ¡°Mama, Deddy, don¡¯t come down. Ploise.¡±


    While they stayed put, she resumed. ¡°Sheriff, Dylan was nice and was courageous enough to ask me out, while you were sneezing and hacking and not upfront with me the way I like it. He¡¯s a US soldier. You noid to respect his service. And even if you don¡¯t, he¡¯s my suitor now, and that¡¯s that.¡±


    ***


    Just as she finished, an Indian war cry wailed for all Promise Road to hear.


    All of us, including Dick and Patsy on the staircase, froze. The yowl was harsh as tornado winds; its threat clear as if it was inside the Pharmacy.


    Sullen voices cried in unison, ¡°We are the Ana Tribe, raining down vengeance by the authority of our great witch, Calamity Dyer and the dark entity, Sam Hill.¡±


    Everyone seemed to be eyeballing me, despite my bewilderment. The tribe¡¯s chants and rattles shaking rose higher.


    How could this be real? We were just arguing over money and jealousy and things that such exist in our world, and here we stood, a moment later, arrested by an unworldly threat. A Bowie Knife under a bed could really endanger the entire town of Grand Jose?


    The sheriff somberly clutched his six-gun shooter and said, ¡°I have two of these. Take one.¡±


    Diamond chimed in with a note of nervousness in her voice. ¡°I got a couple sniper rifles, too.¡±


    To join the sheriff on the ground, turn to Chapter Five. Six-Gun Shooters.


    To go with Diamond to the roof, turn to Chapter Six. Sniper Rifles.

 Chapter 5: Six Guns Shooters

    Grand Jose physicians needed skill to hold their own in a drawdown, and you¡¯re damn tootin¡¯ a black doctor had better have it.


    The Ana Tribe was a-marching up the road through a heap of dust. Wolf-like and human-like and ominous and unworldly as all Dunbar claimed; sure enough, their fur matched the dusk horizon. Rhythm from their rattles shook up my nerves.


    I dashed alongside Chip to the empty widespread road that stretched to them. Went out with the intention to shoot, but gusto of a young rider some feet upfront stopped us.


    This lone musket-carrying young man in a cowboy hat had parked his mustang, willing and ready to protect the town from the hellish parade.


    As Chip and I glared, fingers on triggers, Chip quipped, ¡°Ready to acknowledge the corn about the reality of these shadow beasts?¡±


    I took a breath. ¡°Better catch up with that boy and that horse. It¡¯s us against them.¡±


    After we finished sprinting toward the cowboy, he peered down and saluted Chip. The contrast between his pimply, teenage-like face and fearless gaze confounded me. He said, ¡°Fancy meeting you this way, Sheriff. I¡¯m Seargent Dylan King, Diamond¡¯s suitor.¡± Right away, he aimed his weapon toward the threat.


    Chip gave a look as if he bit a tart cherry but shrugged it off and cocked his shooter.


    ¡°Not seen a dang thing like this in my born days,¡± Dylan said. ¡°Hey, can we trust the black fella? Saw you wrestling him on the stagecoach.¡±


    ¡°Charming guy,¡± I whispered to Chip with my gun still in firing position. ¡°Ready to acknowledge the corn about the reality of your jealousy over this boy and Diamond?¡±


    Before he could answer, the tribe¡¯s rattling rose to an unholy crescendo.


    Calamity Dyer came into view. Hoisted by the fiendish tribe, she sat triumphantly on a rocking chair. A pointed cap replaced the beret that I¡¯d known her to wear. It¡¯s as if she¡¯d been crowned queen witch.


    The image of her simpering behind a black veil fixed itself into what felt like an eternal sunset. As night settled on the skyline, the beasts, which carried her, bulldozed by us. Our resolve to kill that sounded with our every missed shot didn¡¯t deter them. The tribesmen turned with her into the General Store alleyway.


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    In the smoky smell and fog of gunpowder, an Ana leaped all the way to the roof of the Pharmacy where Diamond stood in sniper position.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Chip yelled. Dylan and Chip both fired amiss; it had gotten well beyond reach.


    The thing stalked around the balcony, then dove all the way over the Restaurant, into the General Store alley.


    ¡°It missed Diamond,¡± I said. ¡°Sure did miss her.¡±


    Before I could thank the heavens, beasts zoomed to us, feather boas and snouts all around. They snarled, showing fangs smeared with black sludge. They looked to be conjuring something from their bellies, but we didn¡¯t wait to see. As soon as they paused, Chip took his shots. For a man known as the grappling sheriff, he made each bullet count. Six bangs; six savages down in the sand.


    I followed his demonstration and ended a couple of them myself. Dylan hunted down his share, those impetuous enough to stop for an attempt at conjuring unseemly belly magic within reach of his musket fire.


    About as quick as I could get a breath, the remaining tribe members twisted into something like two tornadoes.


    When whirlwinds subsided, no longer were there several of them, but now two gigantic four-legged beasts leaking black blood from human lips. Just as united as their voices, dozens of them came together to constitute these two ravenous creatures. One stayed in front, while the other soared behind.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know. I¡¯m a bronco buster,¡± Dylan shouted, while galloping toward the one ahead, bombarding it with a series of explosions. Myself and Chip went for the one behind. Before either of us could get a round out, the beast¡ªdamn¡ª


    The beast¡ª he rolled into an Inn and nearby homes. His size and impact collapsed the structures down on the people inside.


    Good people on Promise Road lost in dust and rubble.


    ¡°Goddamn,¡± I cried.


    ¡°You sons of bitches.¡± Chip said, firing a round that couldn¡¯t catch the speed of the targets.


    Both Anas dodged and roared, then sneezed fire together in an orchestrated effort. One ring blazed around us, and another around Dylan.


    ¡°Out of ammunition,¡± Chip said.


    ¡°Me too.¡± I gulped, as the beast¡¯s hot, stinking breath came down, alongside an oily wet substance that it secreted. Chip and I dove apart.


    At the same time of that mucky dribble landing on the sand, a sniper bullet fell between the monster¡¯s eyes. A multitude of voices wailed, then it tumbled to the ground. After the fire vanquished like a broken curse, masses of dead Ana tribesman lay on the road. ¡°Diamond got them,¡± I said, exhaling a bittersweet breath.


    As soon as flames disappeared and a path opened, I hurried to the crushed Inn, tossed about broken wood, and felt pulses of people I dug out.


    Got nothing, one after another.  Every single one of them killed.


    ***


    That¡¯s the Inn I took residency in every time work brought me into town.


    The smiling Innkeeper, Sandy, would hand me coffee in the morning, her blush as red as her freckles. ¡°All black, and I added whisky,¡± she would say in her country accent. The dignity she gave every customer¡ª


    And I found her buried in some lumber. I slid her red hair back; she had no heartbeat left.


    Goddamn monsters.

 Chapter 6: Sniper Rifles.

    Darndest rifle ever aimed, a pink Whitworth. My great grandfather would balk. The man¡¯s future generations were rewarded freedom from slavery because of his way with a musket during the Revolutionary War. He impressed the general so much that my father and I had our educations paid for before birth. Here, his descendent hung a girl gun over the rails of a balcony, next to a girl wielding the same effeminacy.


    The nearer up the road the tribe¡¯s chanting and rattling got, the higher nerves escalated up my gullet.


    I gawked at a view becoming clearer. They bore manes of wolf fur but moved upright like humans, wore feather boas and loin cloths, too. I was a long way from my upbringing in Washington DC and clutched the cool metal, no matter the color of it.


    ¡°Sakes alive. They aint human; they¡¯re unworldly monsters,¡± Diamond said.


    ¡°Just freaks of nature, new to our perception.¡± Orange and black fur like Dunbar claimed; sure enough, they matched the candlelight horizon.


    A frown came over Diamond¡¯s face. She gasped. ¡°Dylan.¡±


    Remembering him to be her courter, I followed the direction her eyes went. Down on the road, a lone US soldier in a cowboy hat sat on a mustang, ready to fight these monsters.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, miss. That cowboy tamed one wild breed of horse. If he isn¡¯t fit to settle them savages down, none of us are.¡±


    Sheriff Chip came a-hustling to Dylan¡¯s side; drew his six-gun shooter.


    As the night seized the horizon, some Ana Tribesmen on the front lines hoisted up a rocking chair with Calamity Dyer sitting upon it. A black see-through veil, attached to a full-blown witch hat, draped over her face. Behind it, she smirked in her wicked glory.


    Appearing to break out of what seemed to be a forever still image, the Anas holding her busted between Chip and Dylan. All the sheriff and soldier could do was smoke up Promised Road with missed gunshots. Under the powder of war, the beasts transported Calamity to the backstreet behind the General Store.


    The scent of smolder rose to where we stood.


    ¡°They got away quicker than I could think to shoot,¡± I said.


    ¡°One thoing about a sniper shot, it¡¯s gotta be dead on, Doctor,¡± Diamond admonished. ¡°Our advantage is the element of surprise.¡±


    When the creature at the forefront of the tribe turned to his heard, my opportunity came. I had to focus. Against their gnarling and howling, I had their bad hoss in the crosshair. It was then or never.


    My hands trembled. The past flooded my mind and nervous system, as it always did when I needed to perform. My long-lost love¡¯s voice lingered in my fight or flight instincts.


    ***


    ¡°Stop shaking.¡± My dear Bet, all brown eyes and belly bump, said in a reverie. The guns crackling turned to a hearth rumbling in a congressman¡¯s house. Bet threw another log in, not making eye contact. ¡°Yo free to run awf, Apollo,¡± Bet whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t shackle yo dreams to no slave girl. Stop shaking. My mistress over there nosy. Gonna suspect yo the father.¡±


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    ***


    ¡°Stop shaking,¡± Diamond said. ¡°If you thoink it¡¯s the right shot, take it.¡±


    I fired, and¡­


    A trigger pulled. A bullet in the air.


    A gulp of whiskey from a gutless young Doctor fleeing his responsibility in the back of some Mormons¡¯ stagecoach. Leafless trees scattered out on the frontier, bumpy roads, view of cattle rears, stink of manure.


    The gunshot missed the beast.


    Diamond buried her own face in shame for me. ¡°Oh, that was sorry.¡±


    Embarrassment took away speech and all apologies. As I cried without words coming through, a blow from behind bent my back in half. I screamed against the hard marble, unable to muster a single crawl forward.


    Diamond had gone gosslin¡¯ somewhere, and the beast leader I tried to take down lorded triumphantly over me. When I made a slither toward my rifle, he stepped on the gun. After he seized the Whitworth, he glared down and barked out English words with fierceness appropriate to his animal appearance. ¡°Who are you to challenge me, Chief Ana Ahote.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Diamond,¡± I hollered at his feet.


    He examined the gun for what felt like forever, then broke the pink metal in half before making an impossible leap all the way over the Restaurant towards where Calamity had gone.


    Diamond with her gun still intact rushed over. She gave me a rough hand for such a high-faluting gal. Action on the ground brought her to kneel and squeeze my head to her breast, a soft mountain above a harsh, smoky battle.


    With every blast that hazed up the sky, Dylan and Chip dropped another of the Ana Tribesmen.


    ¡°Yes, boys. Yes. Get them. Shoot them dead.¡± Diamond¡¯s heart pumped a gleeful song into my ear. Then, she paused. Cheer in her voice turned to angst, she said, ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I sunk down to the base of the balcony as she let me go in a rush for the rails.


    When I rose up in her backdrop, outskirts of two large twisters on the battleground hit us with a mighty, chilling gust. The strength drove us rearward until the cyclones settled.


    Down on the ground, the remaining tribesmen had morphed into two four legged creatures as large as nearby buildings. Their growth amplified black human lips under wolf snouts. The sound of the growling must have reached the countryside.


    One dodged a shot from the sheriff and rolled into the Inn¡­


    ***


    There¡¯s no easy way to write this. Well, goddamn what I have to document next still hurts. What they did brings a bitter taste back to this day.


    That beast demolished the Inn. If not for duty, I¡¯d put the pen down before recalling this fact. The building came down on the keeper, my dear friend Sandy, and all her residents.


    For a moment, I coveted Ana Ahote¡¯s leaping ability. Because of the tragedy¡¯s distance, I couldn¡¯t be there for them.


    ***


    Inside the battle, both beasts breathed out a flame. One spread out to surround Chip; the other Dylan.


    Diamond uttered only above a whisper. ¡°Oh no.¡±


    By then, any fight I¡¯d muster up from inside was as broken as the rifle at my feet and as crushed as the poor souls in the Inn.


    Diamond stayed brave and situated herself at the rails of the balcony; pink sniper gun drawn. In one direction her suitor, the other her sheriff. Both men¡¯s monster assailants under her aim, both men with feelings for her, both in need of her rescue. Without time to waste, she fired.


    The bullet landed between the eyes of the one hovering over Chip. The Ana Beast wailed a dozen voices, and its flames subsided, freeing the sheriff.


    Her bravery seemed to be contagious, because I dashed downstairs.


    As my feet slapped against the Pharmacy¡¯s marble floors, Dick and Patsy peeked out their bedroom with mouths open. By the time they would speak, I was already on the first floor and out the door.


    As one remaining beast still battled Dylan and dodged every bullet from Diamond, I scurried to my mission. When I reached the fallen inn, I picked pieces of wood up and discarded them into piles.


    Sandy, the innkeeper, lay pale and expressionless. She had no pulse.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said, lips quivering, tears in my eyes. ¡°There¡¯s so much prejudice in this world. A person like Dunbar can cuss you while you heal them and not think twice about it. But I always knew where I could rest, right here where you¡¯d smile and give me a cup of coffee. Most of all you gave your loving spirit.¡± I brushed Sandy¡¯s lifeless, freckled face.

 Chapter 7: Showdown in the Alleyway

    The remaining beast had Dylan¡¯s shirt collar hooked on its tooth, dangling him. Poor young soldier captured in the mouth of hell with Chip chasing behind. It advanced too far, too fast and leaped in the oak trees on the town¡¯s outskirts, our cowboy in tow.


    My heart sank for Diamond. One day, she and her suitor are holding hands like few young lovers in this town do, the next¡­ this. What was this?


    To the sheriff¡¯s credit, he had done all he could to save the soldier. He was working to get his breath, hands on hips.


    That¡¯s when a boy in a vest and lilac beret came racing out the local armory and stopped in front of him. Boy looked to be twelve and reloaded the sheriff¡¯s six-gun shooter and stuck more rounds in his pinstriped shirt pocket and gun holsters. He lifted his finger in the air to signal he had one more thing to reach for¡ªpulled out chewing tobacco.


    Chip took it, nodded, and thanked him, then sprinted towards the General Store alley to confront Calamity.


    Right as I got to my feet, I was taken aback by Patsy¡¯s plea echoing into the ghastly atmosphere. ¡°Diamond, ploise don¡¯t go out there. Ploise, Diamond, I beg you.¡±


    Diamond had already gotten downstairs and out the Pharmacy door. In bare feet, with hem of dress in hand, she scurried past the Restaurant and around the corner to where Chip had gone. Shaking my head, I trailed behind.


    When we got in the alley, I marched between Diamond and Chip. In the light from torches pointed by Ana tribesmen, an elderly woman in a witch-hat rocked in a chair. She was toothless, plump faced, wart filled, bloodless, and black lipped. The fiery rods were pulled back, darkening her presence, then swayed forward again, casting light on the Calamity Dyer I recognized, complete with black lips, flowing silver hair, a snobbish nose, ageless eyes, and well postured shoulders. She sat cross-legged.


    ¡°The hell kind of magic trick is this, Georgine¡ª I mean Calamity,¡± I said.


    A wolf-man, head and shoulders above the tribe, jumped out the shadows and pitched something that smacked near our feet. He followed that by breathing a path of flames. Flickering in the firelight were buildings and their adjacent fifty-three-gallon barrels: sugar, water, and booze.


    Amidst the rumbling sounds, the firelight revealed a horrific image on the cracked soil. I nearly vomited at the sight of the decapitated head of the drunkard who Chip and I had seen on the corner of the bad part of town.


    Diamond shrieked.


    ¡°By-fucking-Jiminy,¡± I said aloud.


    Right when I went for the water barrel to put out the flames, the Ana sucked them back into its belly.


    ¡°That¡¯s the head of a fool. Had no agency in his dark side,¡± Calamity declared. ¡°He was stinking up the alley and asking us, of all people, for skids?¡± She sniggered like a schoolchild. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have cut it for Sam Hill, and that¡¯s to say the least. But he would do for an additional blood sacrifice to empower our dark entity friends.¡±


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    Chip aimed and said, ¡°What kind of sick business are you and Sam Hill up to, witch?¡±


    ¡°We are going to govern the West, and quite frankly, in a way much better than any government this world has ever seen. I don¡¯t like the casualties more than you, but we cannot win with weakness. These casualties are the only way to even the viscous playing field that your world created.¡±


    ¡°And what are you gaining by leveling the field?¡± I said with a note of bitterness in my voice.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve already taken the shadows of the children Sam Hill wants in Grand Jose. Their shadows; their dark side. All those passions you people hide away; your bitterness, anger, rage, forbidden lusts, inconvenient fantasies¡ªSam Hill will one day have his way in the West, blossoming in your children¡¯s silhouettes. And that child Martin¡ªI don¡¯t compliment many¡ªbut he¡¯s going to be an exceptional reprobate. I can feel it. He could be chosen to be thee one, thee only.¡± The tribesmen rattled. With each of their voices becoming slower and more emphatic, they chanted ¡°Bugger Bill, Bugger Bill, Bugger Bill.¡±


    Chip hollered, ¡°Go ahead. Tell us. Time? Date? When¡¯s this coup coming?¡±


    ¡°Sheriff, don¡¯t indulge her,¡± I implored.


    It was too late. She had the answer formed at the tip of her tongue. ¡°Don¡¯t be so pompous to think it¡¯s all about Grand Jose. Sam Hill¡¯s already planted his seeds here and in El Paso. Hill desires much more of the West than that. He¡¯s sending me to hide in waiting until the time is right to overtake the Mexican capital.¡±


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you just have gone, already?¡± I flung my finger forward. ¡°Why did you commit these atrocities on these innocent people? What¡¯s this attack have to do with your mumbo jumbo... bosh curse?¡±


    ¡°Oh Apollo, what happened today was only a farewell, a taste of what¡¯s to come when we return. Didn¡¯t go exactly how we planned. Did it, Chief Ahote? But we got some blood for the road. That should feed our dark entity watchers.¡±


    Ana Ahote, the one that stood taller than the rest, looked back at her and then at us, his speech growled like a wolf barking out words. ¡°In the days of Sam Hill and Bugger Bill, your Promise Road will burn.¡±


    Calamity snickered. ¡°A promise-for-Promise Road. How befitting.¡±


    ¡°What are you gonna do with Dylan?¡± Diamond inquired.


    ¡°Ho ho ho; he¡¯s a real belvedere, isn¡¯t he? I¡¯m going to show him what a woman is. I mean, look at me, and look at you. You wish you¡¯d experienced half the world as I have, don¡¯t you cowgirl. I¡¯m one-hundred-seventy-eight years old and still so beautiful but oh so wise. Your soldier boy will be in much better company with me.¡± She signaled her hand over herself. ¡°This only takes cutting a deal with Sam Hill, honey. Play nice, and I may introduce you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re sixteen or sixteen hundred years old, ploise take care of my man. Ploise.¡±


    ¡°Ahote, what¡¯s more fun. Mexico, or the pathetic pleadings of a beggar?¡± Calamity yawned.


    ¡°Out of our way,¡± Ana Ahote roared.


    Chip drew his gun.


    I warned, ¡°You¡¯re stopping right there. We¡¯ll shoot you dead, put you six feet under and just as far away from our children.¡±


    Calamity sneered. ¡°It is rich that you would come to defense of children. This is after you confessed to me that you abandoned your pregnant girlfriend. Poor Bet and your oh so precious child burned to death. All this while you were plotting to skip out on them to flee Washington DC. Guess when it¡¯s the child of a slave girl, all righteousness goes to rags.¡±


    I knew this was Calamity trying to throw me off with her cruel games. After what she did to Sandy, I refused to play. ¡°Told you that when you were crying in need of ¡­¡± I stopped myself, knowing words to a fraud were pointless; she had duped me with sham tears. ¡°Know what, keep Bet¡¯s name out your mouth. She has no place near the rest of the skunk cabbage you breathe. Sheriff, blow her to smithereens.¡±


    ¡°Bout time we got to it,¡± Chip said. As Chip fired, the tribe hurled down their torches. Without hesitation, I went for the water barrel.  While I splashed the spreading infernos, they took the opportunity to blow past us. In their rush, the witch let out a mannish ¡°tee-hee.¡±


    Chip fired until they got out of sight. May as well been blasting at the wind.

 Chapter 8: Consequences

    After the last flame died, Chip, Diamond, and I left the burning scent of the alley behind and treaded back onto Promised Road.  We observed the scattered figures of townspeople in the starless night. The only illumination came from candles of those veering toward the fallen Inn.


    We moved amidst voices from crowds.  ¡°That gal Diamond got a-shooting arm on her,¡± one said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe Sheriff Chip let them occultists do this to us,¡± another replied.


    In passing, an old woman in a bonnet handed me a lamp and smiled.  The glow flickered on her wrinkled lipped, one tooth grin.  She said, ¡°That will be two shillings.¡±


    On our way to the Inn, owls hooted from trees at the tail end of the road.  The fall breeze brought a leaf that came a-floating between Diamond and me. When I stopped her so that she could see the strange omen in my light, I recognized the burden that shone all over her face. Diamond made an impossible choice on that balcony when she saved the sheriff and not Dylan.


    As the leaf drifted down, a word came to mind.


    Consequences.


    A cry and flurry of leaves blew across.


    Consequences. It took me back ten years to my hometown, Washington DC.


    ***


    I thought the storm was going to bring the woodchipped walls of that rickety slave cabin down. Bet and I were shaking it up just as much from within.


    ¡°Oh, Apollo, we shouldn¡¯t be doin¡¯ dis, a free man and slave girl. Da mistress gonna be so mad if she finds out.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to tell her?¡± I whispered; hands pressed against the straw on the pallet beneath us. The itch from hay against her behind and my hips counted for nothing compared to the ecstasy fluttering in our minds and hearts.


    She wasn¡¯t getting away, her big bug eyes captured in my glassy gaze, her neck in my mouth. I said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can stop, even if I should. How about you?¡±


    She moaned. ¡°No. Yo so...¡±


    Between the heavy breaths that we shared, I answered, ¡°So what?¡±


    She kissed me. ¡°Wily.¡±


    ¡°Wily?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Wily?¡±


    When I finished and rolled over with a big smile on my face, she pinched my cheek and said, ¡°Everything in dis cabin: da wooden table, da chairs. Dey been passed to me because da mistress don¡¯t want dem no more. But she wants yo. Yo really mine out of free will? Wily?¡±


    A bang on the doors and smack against the walls intruded.  She hopped up. ¡°Miss, we aint doin¡¯ nothin¡¯ in here.¡±


    I laughed. ¡°It¡¯s the wind, Bet.¡±


    ***


    The wind got a hold of Diamond¡¯s fancy blonde curls. I didn¡¯t mean any harm, but I caught myself squinting at the sight of her adjusting her hair.  A wig?  Why¡¯d a beautiful gal like her need that?


    I mined my manners, figuring it wouldn¡¯t be polite to keep staring at such a distinguished person, so I did it at Chip, instead. He scowled and nodded, directing my attention forward.


    Mayor Heck stood in the dim lights around the crumbled Inn. We had to get in close to hear that hoarse, smoker¡¯s speech. In fact, when we got close enough to view more than his top hat and long coat, we got a glimpse of his smoking pipe and a whiff of its pungent, sweet tobacco.


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    That tobacco was the only sweet thing about him. He had no way of talking to bring up morale; all we had was his face for that. Dandy offering in itself: stubbly beard, fiery red complexion, and grimace.


    ¡°We¡¯re not chasing a vendetta,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re going to go get them before they come back and get us. You know why they call this Promise Road? I was sheriff when your first mayor proclaimed it to be. He said it¡¯s our promise as long as we protect it. We¡¯re going to try. Hopefully, this town doesn¡¯t get wiped out when we do.¡±  He cleared his throat and picked at his nose.


    I nudged Chip. ¡°Uplifting as ever, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Heck went on. ¡°I¡¯m sure you all have questions, but I¡¯m as shocked and appalled as you are and am still gathering answers. My condolences to the families of those who lie here. All of you who have lost loved ones, tonight, are welcomed to ride along with the herdsmen after they arrive to transport the deceased to the desert cemetery. For the rest of you, be on your way and get back to as normal as possible. You¡¯re lucky if your house and place of business still stand.¡±


    They started a hymn, but he yelled at them and waved them away in a fit. ¡°This is a murder scene. What the hell are you singing about?¡± Morphine pills must have had him moody; man moved from euphoric to irritable without a warning shot. As we went along with the crowd, he strained out a holler like a ghost may. ¡°Chip.¡±  When we turned, he came a-stomping. ¡°Chip, how the hell did you let this happen?¡±


    The sheriff spit out tobacco and said, ¡°Now you listen here, we did all we could.¡±


    ¡°Well, she did a fine job on the balcony.¡± Heck stroked Diamond¡¯s arm. ¡°But you didn¡¯t answer me. You¡¯re Mr. Detective. Didn¡¯t study them out? Didn¡¯t see them coming? The hell kind of negligence do you have going on?¡±


    For once, Chip didn¡¯t fight. He looked to be masticating but unable to fully absorb his restraint for what he would say to Heck, for the physical harm he would cause him.


    The mayor¡¯s expression turned sorrowful. ¡°We could all lose our seats in the coming elections. I¡¯ve never seen a kerfuffle of this magnitude, not even when the Comanche invaded. These monsters are surreal. I could hear their barks and see what looked like a firestorm all the way from my mansion out in the country. You know Sandy¡¯s crushed over there?¡± He steered our direction toward the smashed Inn. ¡°Tell you what. Everyone gets shuteye, and we¡¯ll convene in the morning. As for me, I¡¯m going to go get a room at the Pharmacy. The Inn¡¯s no longer in service.¡± While chewing, he ogled with cold, blue eyes. They would have jumped out his enflamed face and strangled Chip if they could. He got on to another topic as fast as his mood swung. ¡°Diamond, I will walk you.¡±


    Her face appeared lifeless. ¡°Thoink I¡¯m gonna spend the night at the Sheriff¡¯s Office, and I aint leaving until we have a plan to get Dylan back. Give mama and deddy my regards.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself.¡± He pointed at Chip. ¡°Tomorrow at eleven o¡¯ clock, round everyone up for me. I¡¯ll get there at noon.¡± Damn night owl that he was, he wouldn¡¯t get out of bed for the biggest tragedy in Grand Jose¡¯s history. He stumbled off as quick as his drug induced elation kicked back in.


    I remembered I needed to head back with Chip and Diamond to tend to Deputy Dunbar and flagged down a taxi wagon for us. A young, long coated driver, with his face hidden under the brim of his hat, motioned for me to get in. I put skids in his hands but noticed the sheriff had hesitated to climb up.


    Chip blocked Diamond by turning towards her. He looked like a happy baboon, smiling with tobacco-stained teeth.


    ¡°Yes?¡± she said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be coy.¡±  He was still looking like an idiot.


    ¡°Sheriff, you have a point to make? Or are you just gonna stare at me like I¡¯m your dang favorite sandwich until Calamity gets back from Mexico?¡±


    ¡°You know this better than anyone. That first shot you took with the sniper rifle had to be a strategic one. You chose to save me.¡±


    ¡°For one, chewing tobacco is a nasty habit. I had no idea you did that. For two¡ª"


    Chip interrupted. ¡°Settle down and sleep on it. In the morning, we¡¯ll get breakfast, just me and you.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t finished. And you¡¯re really starting to upset me. Now, that shot was the only one I had. If I could of saved Dylan¡­Don¡¯t make me say it.¡±


    He threw his hands up. ¡°Diamond, no need to get so defensive.¡±


    ¡°You heard me now. I didn¡¯t have a good shot at the monster that had Dylan.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t? Aint it dandy that Chip Blaze don¡¯t believe me. You know what, I don¡¯t remember asking your opinion.  Matter of fact, why don¡¯t you take your own way back to the office; I¡¯ll take mine. One of us can join Doc Apollo. The other can start walking, right now.¡±


    Inside the coach, I closed my heavy eyes.


    The driver turned in my direction. ¡°You been through the mill, haven¡¯t you? Say, I don¡¯t want to bother you but tell me one thang. When all that fighting went down, was you on the battleground with the sheriff or up there on the balcony with that pharmacy gal?¡±


    If you previously chose to go to the ground with Chip, turn to Chapter Nine. A Meal with Chip.


    If you previously selected to go to the roof with Diamond, turn to Chapter Ten. A Ride with Diamond.

 Chapter 9: A Meal with Chip

    Black men rarely dined at these restaurants. However, judging from the somber moods of the people, all races could have been united by our common enemy.


    Floor, slabs, and diner bar were assembled out of oak gathered from the frontier. There was some white in the candles displayed on tables and in chandeliers.


    I took it in, crouching over to fold my hands on top of the low bar for two.


    The lighting and my tired eyes gave a dreamlike glow to the Restaurant and sheriff, especially his square jaw and furrowed brows. As the beef sizzled and emitted its aroma from behind the diner, I said, ¡°We¡¯re really going to waste time here? Aren¡¯t we supposed to be tending to your deputy¡¯s incision?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you agreed to come.¡±


    ¡°Had to give the taxi wagon over to Diamond. Hope you realize that you upset her.¡± I laughed within, knowing such an obvious fact could have gone unsaid.


    He changed the subject. ¡°What you going to order?¡±


    I shook my head; didn¡¯t have much of an appetite after seeing Sandy and the others under the collapsed Inn.


    ¡°We need our energy to fight. That requires eating.¡±


    I leaned back and tugged my lapels. ¡°Fight? What in dad¡¯s name do you mean? You heard the mayor; we¡¯re not chasing a vendetta.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    I lowered my tone. ¡°You mean, that¡¯s it? That stress is taking the arguing right out of you.¡±


    ¡°Settling the vendetta is my job. Not yours. You deserve freedom.¡±


    ¡°Sheriff Chip, if I may. Consider what pursuing that insane woman all the way to Mexico entails: crossing the canyons, deserts, and rivers, facing Indians¡¯ and Mexicans¡¯ attacks. They have graves of travelers from here to there. Let her get far from us.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t let it go. An eye for an eye is in the code of the West.¡±


    I gently patted his arm. ¡°But you¡¯re from Virginia.¡±


    A waiter in a white apron smothered in beef juices came over, shooing. ¡°Now, listen here. We didn¡¯t turn the lights on to serve no damn negro. This food is for a town that needs a meal after it¡¯s been ran roughshod. Shoo now. I mean it.¡±


    Sheriff signaled at his badge. ¡°He¡¯s with me.¡±


    ¡°That badge doesn¡¯t mean much to folks round these parts. Not after you allowed this to happen.¡±


    Chip launched up to his feet. Cowboy boots and all, he stood shorter than the fella, but he was thick as a bull. Make no mistake from my bull reference in a steakhouse, Chip wasn¡¯t the one who would get cooked.


    I leaped up, held him back, and smiled for the sake of class.  ¡°Sheriff, this is no cause for violence. I think I should only ask the owner back there, Mr. Cummings, if he approves of his staff¡¯s prejudice toward his family doctor.¡±


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    ¡°You-you know Mr. Cummings?¡± The waiter said.


    ¡°Why, yes. His poor wife hasn¡¯t been feeling well, lately. And I¡¯d know Mr. Cummings would hate to worry her with the family doctor getting kicked out his restaurant, especially after the ambush on this town. To be frank, I don¡¯t see it boding well for you.¡±


    He pursed his lips. ¡°You must be Doc Apollo. I pictured you to be a white man.¡±


    ¡°Right, right.¡± I grinned in a wily manner. ¡°But my name or race isn¡¯t so important, is it? All you need to know is I don¡¯t like no red in my steak.¡±


    Chip sat down. ¡°And I¡¯ll take twenty bloody ounces right off the cow. Get us two glasses of whiskey.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t drink anymore,¡± I said.


    After the waiter huffed and left, Chip leaned back. His shirt had come untucked with bottom buttons undone. I caught a glimpse of some gold shimmering from a belt beneath.


    ¡°Is that your wrassling championship?¡± I said.


    ¡°Wear it everywhere I go.¡±


    Hand on chin, finger pointing, I inquired, ¡°How¡¯d you go from wrassler to sheriff?¡±


    While I sipped coffee and he whiskey, he told a story that began in the Virginia home of his adopted father.


    ***


    His daddy, an English teacher in a knee length coat and bowtie, finished checking off a paper with his quail pen. The man turned from his desk toward a staircase that was only a few feet back. ¡°Chip, you will come now.¡±


    Footsteps hurried, and when they reached the floor, fifteen-year-old Chip in his own knee length coat¡ª one that reached all the way down his short legs¡ª had come to a stop. He put the book Christmas Carol to his face and began to read aloud. ¡°Here shadowy p-pass.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re stuttering.¡±


    ***


    Chip told me his father threw his hands around, while Chip threw his own around when recounting it.


    ***


    Back in the small front room, the stern man lectured, ¡°You¡¯ll never get up to three books a day like this. Perhaps, if you spent less time with the girls at the poorhouse.¡±


    Chip described himself as naturally wide, even then. Without knowing his strength yet, the teenage boy turned ghostly pale.


    The father continued, ¡°I heard a salacious rumor concerning you doing something inappropriate with a mentally handicapped girl over there?¡±


    Young Chip averted his gaze.


    ***


    Chip recalled that the rising humidity regularly made creaking sounds in the walls. It often went on before the shouting started. That happened here. His father declared, ¡°You are a shameful brute. You truly have outlaw blood in you.¡±


    Our steaks arrived on glass plates. I gently cut mine, while he shoved his down his throat. While wolfing his meal down, he chortled and said, ¡°Guess no father wants to hear about their son and the girls at the poor house.¡±


    ***


    Next thing I knew, he took me to his early twenties. The circus had been in Virginia City, Virginia for a week, and it enthralled the young would-be sheriff.  At the end of the week, Chip found himself with his boots sunk in the mud and standing outside a red tent. He hollered, ¡°Hugh Biggs, I wish to meet you.¡±


    A clown stuck his painted face and red soft nose out. ¡°Scram, kid. We aint in the ring circle.¡±


    A grave voice from inside said, ¡°Let him through.¡±


    The clown turned. ¡°Hugh, we can¡¯t just let any goney in.¡±


    ¡°I said let him through,¡± Hugh roared.


    ¡°Alright, Hugh. Just don¡¯t throw me up the mountain.¡±


    Inside the tent, the curly mustachioed man in singlet spandex leered down. ¡°You¡¯re a pretty big boy.¡±


    ***


    Inside the Restaurant, Chip laughed, recalling that Hugh bent a steel bar around his neck and challenged Chip to try. When Chip struggled with all his might, the weightlifter stopped him and said, ¡°Bet you can wrestle.¡±


    ¡°Hugh introduced me to the Indian chief out here in Texas who trained me,¡± Chip recalled. ¡°Wrestling was the first thing I got right.¡±


    Across the table I leaned in, grinning, and replied, ¡°He really bent a steel bar around his neck? I¡¯ve never heard of a circus act so impressive.¡±


    Chip nodded. ¡°I came to Grand Jose with Hugh¡¯s show and challenged all the town to wrestle me. They were so impressed that they elected me sheriff.¡±


    As we pushed our chairs in, about to leave, I said, ¡°Thanks for the candor. I¡¯ll get the tab. Say, I saw you reading back in the office. Did you improve?¡±


    ¡°Three books every day.¡±


    ¡°You know, maybe you¡¯re right?¡±


    He shrugged and gestured for me to hurry up with whatever I had to say.


    I winked. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re not just a nincompoop, curly wolf.¡±

 Chapter 10: A Ride with Diamond

    When the driver whipped the horse, it took off and caused Diamond and I to spring up inside the stagecoach. After our ride¡¯s speed quickly reduced to a steady trod, Diamond peered out the window.


    Her floral fragrance brought a much more welcomed odor than the one Chip would have carried along. It¡¯s funny an angelica the likes of her wore perfume. Most times only the married gals did, thinking it to cause envy in the hearts of their family who were forced to miss out on them. I wondered if the poor gal had been planning a certain important life event with that young man.


    While remaining silent, she seemingly had casted her strong will out into the wind, pretending it¡¯d carry salvation to Dylan. I locked away my bad medicine on the matter in a dusty drawer where the worst thoughts go, never having trusted a gust of wind to guide desperations anywhere meaningful.


    Even if I was the sort to pretend the gal¡¯s soldier boy would be alright, deep down, she¡¯d be too shrewd to believe that that beast hauled him off to anywhere good. Calamity had proven in the alley that she didn¡¯t have a smidgin of compassion that would spare him.


    The distant yipping from out-of-town coyotes started a song. Diamond picked right up on it with a soft beautiful tune.  Her blonde curls, rosy cheeks, and birth mark appeared magical in my lamplight.


    Meet me by the moonlight, love.


    I¡¯ve got a sad story to tell you.


    I¡¯ve always loved you, darling.


    But you said I¡¯ve never been true.


    The way she carried the note with her twang soothed my distraught for the collapsed inn. I whispered, ¡°Where¡¯d you learn to sing like that?¡±


    ¡°I guess I always had the talent. Use to only sing for mama and deddy, but never really wanted to sing in church.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to sing something more than hymns. For example¡ªnow Dylan wouldn¡¯t like it if he knew¡ª but I often performed at the Saloon when he was away at war. We were on and off again sweethearts back in school, and off again when he was gone.¡±


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    I nudged her. ¡°Now how did a hometown girl like you wind up entertaining the bad part of town?¡±


    She gazed off and said, ¡°Juliet came to town that summer, and we took her in. She was all the way from France. Use to tell me about something that excited me so much I wanted to scream. She called it vaudeville, and I mean she traveled all over the place, dancing, and singing, and telling jokes. Now mama and deddy hated it when they found out she had been taking me to the Saloon to do shows with her, but they couldn¡¯t stop me.


    I loved the dresses Juliet got us, white and sleeveless, and hemline all the way up to here.¡± She pointed just below her knee. ¡°Now Dylan sure wouldn¡¯t want me showing all that cleavage.


    And Juliet¡¯s spirit was so free, her hair so brown and big. I couldn¡¯t stand it, so she got me this wig.¡± She patted her puffy curls and snickered. ¡°And now nobody sees me without it.¡±


    ¡°What kind of glitz and glamour did that act of yours entail,¡± I said, keeping her mind off her lost soldier.


    ¡°Well, for instance, let me tell you about one night, the candle lights dim as ever in the Saloon. Up front by the piano, we tap danced and then hugged arms and kicked our legs.


    All the people at the bar had turned our way. My goodness, they had more wooden chairs than table space for them and some of the men was standing up. Oh, I even miss the clouds from the men¡¯s cigarettes and cigars. I guess somehow it brings back the memories. But I cherished hearing the women the most. They hooted and hollered and clapped the loudest.


    Anyway, Juliet and I had our arms locked, and she kicked her leg up so high, I think they saw everything. Then, I tried it and fell back and smacked my whole bottom on the wooden floor.¡±


    As she stopped the story and half smiled, I leaned in and said, ¡°Well, were you ok?¡±


    She waved it off. ¡°That was part of the act. The audience laughed heartily. That¡¯s when I got up and noticed the sheriff at a table alone. He¡¯d been quiet and serious, but then and there, he had the biggest grin I ever saw. His big eyebrows were raised all the way up his head.¡±


    I kept my opinion to myself, pondering on that guerilla smile; apparently, she viewed it differently.


    She continued on. ¡°After Juliet and I finished and told all them people to let us get some air outside, we were alone.  Juliet kicked the dust up and shouted, ¡®Oh La¡¯ La! Thee sheriff has been drooling over you all night.¡¯


    ¡®Juliet. No.¡¯ I know I blushed. I didn¡¯t believe someone so big around town was looking at little oh me.


    ¡®You so famous now,¡¯ she told me.¡±


    Diamond shook her head, recalling it. ¡°I miss Juliet.¡±


    ¡°Whatever happened to her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a free spirit. Too free for Grand Jose. I wanted to go with her to France; was going to go, but Dylan came home, and he and I started hitting it off again. And I guess I was confused about my feelings for Chip, too.¡±


    After a moment of silence, I cleared my throat and said, ¡°If I may¡ª and you don¡¯t have to answer this if it troubles you. It¡¯s clear you think something of the sheriff.¡±


    ¡°And so what?¡± She said.


    ¡°What set you off when he thanked you for saving him?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t save Dylan.¡± Her eyes teared up, and she buried her head in the sleeve of my jacket.


    I put an arm around her as the stagecoach came to a halt at the Sheriff¡¯s Office.

 Chapter 11: Blessings and Curses

    Two separate taxi-stage coaches dropped Chip, me, and Diamond off outside the Sheriff¡¯s Office. A dancing candle fire shone from inside the windowsill, and Deputy Jed Dunbar could be heard shouting, ¡°Hallelujar.¡±


    The praises were thunderous enough that Chip and I exchanged curious expressions, then Diamond stormed by Chip, bumping his arm. We followed behind, creeping through the door. Our carefulness kept the squeaking down, but the sound remained audible for a prolonged period.


    Diamond had already gotten upstairs. This left nobody around but us and Dunbar, who was kneeling hinder sight first, on his knees, in front of the ligneous desk. Head bowed and hands raised, he breathed heavily, praying, ¡°Thank you. You know your name.¡± He swallowed. ¡°You healed me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Deputy, I have my kit,¡± I said, voice shaking.


    He stood to his feet, placed his hands on both pieces aside his chaps, then turned with an upright posture and no sign of injury. He maintained an intense glare that agreed with his handlebar mustache. ¡°Don¡¯t give me none of that negro medicine. I been saved and healed the right way.¡±


    ¡°Jed, what are you talking about?¡± Chip said.


    ¡°An evangelist from them second Great Awakening revivals come by here. Showed me the err of my ways. Then, he put his hand on my wound. Look at me.¡±


    ¡°Absurd,¡± I said.


    ¡°Hey, hear him out,¡± Chip interjected, for once taking the cooler stance between us. ¡°Remember, he was right about the Ana tribe.¡±


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    I yelled, ¡°I¡¯ve been a doctor for ten years, and I¡¯ve seen anomalies, but this man expects us to believe an evangelist came in here during the wee hours of the night, groped him, and his little peter flesh regenerated?¡±


    Dunbar took a threatening tone. ¡°If there are dark entities out there, you better bet there are light entities, too. Don¡¯t you blaspheme, boy.¡±


    I calmed myself down and said, ¡°Time for me to hightail it back home to the ranch.¡±


    As fast as I turned, Dunbar drew his weapon.


    Click. ¡°You hold your horses, negro.¡±


    I raised my hands and gritted my teeth. ¡°Truly, you¡¯re a brand-new man.¡±


    ¡°You got one dirty mouth, quack. Fact of the matter is Mayor Heck witnessed this miracle before he went down to that crumbled Inn. He¡¯s a witness that my nether eye is working and bigger than ever before. I am saved, and you gonna acknowledge the corn about it.¡±


    ¡°Drop the gun, Jed,¡± Chip said.


    ¡°By all means, I¡¯ll prove I¡¯m healed.¡± With his free hand, he reached down his pants.


    I turned with a look of horror on my face. ¡°What the¡ª No. What¡¯s going on here is you faked the blood and screaming. You¡¯re pulling the longbow, and you know¡ª¡±


    Before I finished speaking, he proceeded to bare it all, having it as drawn out as his gun. Meanwhile, Diamond made a few steps downstairs.


    Chip gestured his hand up to stop her. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to see here.¡±


    Jed turned his revolver and his exposed manhood on her.


    Diamond placed her hands over her mouth and her face went red. ¡°Wrong about nothing to see.¡±


    ¡°Shut your big bazoo, you nanny street marm.¡±


    Chip lunged forward.


    ¡°One more move, and she¡¯ll be the pertiest dead meat you ever seen.¡± Dunbar exclaimed, while slipping it back in his pants.


    ¡°You¡¯re a lowlife, pulling a gun on the miss,¡± I cried.


    ¡°Shad up! As far as I¡¯m concerned, you¡¯re still a prisoner here,¡± Dunbar snarled.


    ¡°Let both of them go,¡± Chip said. ¡°We¡¯ll settle this, you and me, no guns, mano on mano.¡±


    ¡°Your real close to aiding and embedding, Sheriff.  Put it this way, Mayor Heck gave me a responsibility, because obviously, he can¡¯t trust you. There¡¯s a curse out there, and he haint having nobody here leaving until it¡¯s resolved.¡±

 Chapter 12: The Posse is Formed

    Chip and I spent the night and morning locked up, swapping rounds between sleeping and watching out for Dunbar. ¡°He had best keep his gun and nether eye far from her,¡± Chip had warned, early on into our imprisonment.


    When sunrise arrived, never mind all the bustle that followed, I breathed a little easier. Only bothersome circumstance was that sometimes voices and entire conversations from those on the bad part of town came through the walls. ¡°After we git done munching on each other¡¯s hind ends, I¡¯m gone prepare my shot for that sheriff. Can¡¯t believe he let that witch invasion go on. I mean, I¡¯m gone shoot him dead as Zachary Taylor. That¡¯s as soon as you¡­git done¡­oh boy¡­with my back parts. Hot dang, you¡¯re the finest stray dog a man could find out her.¡±


    Chip woke up once to a plate breaking. The event started when Dunbar put a meal of hot rocks at the edge of the stairs for Diamond to have. The event finished when she tossed it down at his head.


    Between Chip and I, we were woken up three times by the deputy praying. He never stated the name of the entity he called out to. The smell of outdoors coming through our window and even the scent of the biscuits Dunbar burnt became the odor of a hell that seemed to never end. Finally, my eyes opened from a final nap to the deputy unlocking the cell. He nodded for us to step outside the office.


    When we got outdoors, Diamond was already united with her parents. Dick cried, simpering on Patsy¡¯s shoulder. Patsy said, ¡°My girl, don¡¯t do this.¡±


    Behind them and a dust storm, a train of seven mules and four wagons waited. The dust cleared and revealed Mayor Heck standing directly in front of the transportation.


    Chip, myself, and Diamond, who had left Patsy to console Dick in our backdrop, stood side by side. Dunbar weaseled his way behind us.


    Heck cleared his throat multiple times, forcing out his scratchy speech. ¡°I¡¯ve lined these muleskinners up and given them maps to escort you to Mexico to take hold of Calamity. Deputy, Doc, Sheriff, you have no choice but to go, and in case it¡¯s unclear, I want the witch dead. Diamond, you have a hell of a decision to make, right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m resolute to go get my man back,¡± Diamond declared.


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    Dick¡¯s sobs escalated; Patsy hollered, ¡°Let the lawmen handle it, honey.¡±


    ¡°Mama, you know me. I¡¯ve defended this town from two separate attacks. I love you, but I¡¯m going to go.¡±


    Mayor Heck nodded. ¡°I figured as much. Had your wardrobe packed. Also, we loaded you all with your sniper rifles, muskets, six-gun shooters, ammunition, tobacco, doctor¡¯s kits, sonofabitch stews to keep you fed. Ration it all out; it¡¯s going to be a long trip.¡±


    I said, ¡°What in tarnation do you mean, I don¡¯t have a choice? I demand to see a lawyer.¡±


    Chip spoke up. ¡°Mayor, let Doc Apollo stay. If he doesn¡¯t want this, he¡¯s only going to hold us back.¡±


    Mayor Heck shook his head. ¡°You must have a doctor present. Besides, he¡¯s the reason this happened in the first place. Dunbar will keep him in line.¡±


    The deputy pressed his revolver into my back.


    ¡°This is immoral,¡± Chip argued.


    ¡°Immoral? Really? That¡¯s the tune you¡¯re singing to?¡± The mayor chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re the one who did the initial investigation and reported him to be a saddle bum. If we don¡¯t keep a weapon on him, he¡¯ll run.¡±


    I shot a questioning expression over at Chip.


    Chip pointed back toward Dunbar. ¡°This man is the one who can¡¯t be trusted. He pulled a gun on Diamond last night.¡±


    Patsy gasped.


    ¡°The hell, Dunbar?¡± Mayor Heck said.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t do what I did, the quack over there would of drifted.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unacceptable, Deputy,¡± the mayor replied. ¡°From here on out, the prisoner is the only one you are to point a gun at.¡± He locked his blue-eyed death stare on Dunbar. ¡°Understood?¡±


    Jed shook his head, then turned to Dick who was squealing in tears. ¡°Shad up, you namby pamby.¡±


    Chip got in his hand throwing motion. ¡°Well, if the deputy and I are both going, who are you having protect the town?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re forgetting,¡± Mayor Heck replied. ¡°I used to be sheriff. Never allowed anything the likes of last night''s events to happen under my watch.¡± A sense of responsibility could be felt in the very air between us, as he continued. ¡°But even though you did, this journey is an opportunity for redemption for all of you. Doc, you get through this, and you¡¯re free to go without charges. Diamond, you have a hell of a sniper shot. Go save that boy. Chip¡ª¡± He paused, almost as if he only had grave words and thought better than to share them. ¡°We have to break the curse. That¡¯s all there is to it. Stay alert. I¡¯m sure Calamity has set traps from here to there.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± I exhaled. ¡°So, we¡¯re set to journey into another country. If we survive the harsh road, which I gather we most certainly will not, do we even know what part of Mexico Calamity is in?¡±


    ¡°We have leads of which the muleskinners will follow,¡± Mayor Heck ensured. Then, he beckoned for Chip. ¡°Speaking of her whereabouts, I need to counsel with you alone on a very serious matter. Everyone else saddle up, you have a hell of a mission ahead.¡±

 Chapter 13: On the Road.

    Inside the wagon a muleskinner in black lay against a barrel on the floor-- legs stretched. The stranger lifted the brim of his hat and observed Dunbar brandishing his gun next to me on a wooden bench.


    The muleskinner¡¯s mustache hid whatever opinion his face would show, but he seemed to pick up on the manner in which I averted eye contact with the deputy. ¡°You two might wanna get a bit cozier,¡± he cautioned. ¡°We¡¯re twenty-three days away from crossing the Rio Grande into Mexico.¡±


    I dropped my face into my hands.


    ¡°Moping aint gonna make it go by quicker.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to him. He¡¯s a prisoner,¡± Dunbar declared.


    ¡°Aint we all to something.¡± The muleskinner chuckled.


    I slipped half my body out the window. Couldn¡¯t find a getaway. Several feet upfront, the back of the driver¡ªa springier black hat wearing muleskinner¡ª stood in the smog. He held the reins of the three lead mules.


    My view ended when a pistol poked into my behind.


    ¡°Sat it down, or you won¡¯t have it to sat down on,¡± Dunbar said.


    After I pulled back in, Chip made a thud when he plopped down. Facing me and my captor, he said, ¡°Where¡¯s Diamond?¡±


    The muleskinner answered, ¡°The gal¡¯s all to herself in a wagon far at the back. Had a look on her face like she lost her dance partner.¡±


    Chip punched the wall to an impact that shook the canvas roof. ¡°We have a long journey. Come on, let¡¯s burn the fucking breeze!¡±


    I screwed my face at his demeanor. ¡°What did the mayor say to get you all hopped up?¡±


    Chip signaled for me to stop. ¡°He wanted it to stay atwixt me and him. Got it?¡±


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    ¡°You are one cheery posse,¡± the muleskinner quipped.


    ¡°Yay!¡± The driver shouted, and off we went to the sound of mules¡¯ feet.


    ***


    Traveling down the Grand Jose, El Paso Road in the Franklin Mountains, we breathed in fresh air. Even better, the earthy smells instead of dung ones would be a relief if only it were different circumstances.


    Rocks lay sparse from one another on grassy plains. Just as they divided from the granite mountain walls on either side of us some millions of years ago, I wished to escape from this death mission Mayor Heck and Jed Dunbar fused me into.


    The muleskinner ended our silence. ¡°By the way, name¡¯s Charlie Bass, the mule man. See them small plants scattered about? They¡¯re yuccas. Looks perty, right? Don¡¯t let them fool you.  Leaves are tough and cutting. Now, see them golden eagles pecking about? Oh bubba, don¡¯t the golden feathers give a scenic view. One thing about them¡ª¡±


    He paused as some twelve-pound hawk soared down and plucked one up. The hawk gave us the stink eye as it flew off with its prey in tow.


    ¡°Feels like we¡¯re being watched,¡± Chip said.


    The mule man nodded. ¡°In about ten hours, we¡¯ll reach Fort Bliss to stay the night.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you alternate shifts and ride until morning?¡± The sheriff said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to be around here in sleeping hours. The Comanche see in the dark better than us.¡±


    ¡°Comanche?¡± I said.


    Bass went on. ¡°Relations with that Indian tribe are as weathered as those sediment rocks out here. Remember when the Camanche raided Grand Jose some years ago after feeling betrayed on a weapons deal? Texas Rangers went out and fought them back. But man, that fog out there is clearing, and them fluffy clouds have eyes.¡±


    My blood rose, almost hearing the rattling of Ana beasts reach its crescendo. ¡°You¡¯re telling me, the sky is a-looking and reporting back to Comanches?¡±


    The mule man went on. ¡°The Indians are people of spirit. Trust me when I say that nature sides with those people, even probably favors that witch.¡±


    Only moving at two miles an hour with bad company gives a man nowhere to look but within. While the winding road forwarded us on, the mule man expounded on the spread out and lonely tall stems of ocotillo; and he reveled in areas of live grasses, how they thrived from rainfall.


    Hours into the ride, the landscape turned more arid. He took on a drearier tone, declaiming the dead grasses in detail. At dusk, when he addressed the strong desert aromas of the sage brushes and chaparrals, I only smelt more and more danger.


    Onward to what felt like a thoughtless, avoidable demise, my mind rode around in circles with one question. Which in the worst of all-fire transgressions did I commit to deserve this? That¡¯s when the worst of me began to take over.

 Chapter 14: I Hope You Understand

    Dear historian,


    Whether you read this first journal entry of the strange omens that changed the course of our history one-hundred years in the future or one thousand, if you are sensitive to aggression committed out of passion rather than self-defense, you may decide to continue no further after you learn more about my most ruthless inclinations. In any case, I am bound by duty to divulge my most shameful temperaments. You will not fully understand the actions I took on Dunbar if I do not explain to you the horrible state that often detained me.


    I suppose there¡¯s violence in human nature. As a black doctor in a prejudice and dangerous land, I¡¯ve been forced to defend myself with such primitiveness on some occasions. On a couple or more, I¡¯ve lost control, allowing the instinct to have its days.


    There¡¯s one such case that I isolated to the furthest depths of my consciousness. When I was a man of hard antifogmatics, I attempted to drink the memory away, even when the scent of woodfire would bring it to the forefront.


    During hours of silence in this wagon, when suffocating tensions replaced the thin mountain air, I sat at gunpoint to the lowest scoundrel ever called a deputy, all the while thrusted right into Calamity Dyer¡¯s trap. Chip, himself, said she colluded with savages, and she had us¡ª nowhere to turn¡ª in territory of the fiercest, the Comanches.


    As we passed by a camp rustling and smoking out on the frontier, I went to the aforementioned locked away place in my mind. I faced the evil which occurred back when I was bound to run from Washington DC.


    ***


    A senator¡¯s daughter and my lover, Aminda, sent word for me to see her one last time. This event occurred after we had a big fight over her discovering I meant to leave her behind to head West with Mormon converts.


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    The contained fire in the hearth gave us little heat. Contained and small fire¡ªthe way Aminda somehow kept the controversy of her forbidden love for a black man; howbeit, one who recently completed education to become a doctor.


    Small and contained like the flatness of her personality, which she hid beneath the roundedness from tresses in her hair and flowers in her bustle.


    Neither of us could cover the fact that her houseslave, Bet, showed now, and that I was the father. I knew that she knew about me and Bet, though it remained unsaid. Aminda lifted her chin as proud as ever. ¡°This is goodbye, Doctor. I shain¡¯t ever beg a man to stay by my side.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Aminda. I am more regretful than you would like to imagine.¡±


    ¡°Do not underestimate the sheer liking I may get from a good reverie. Which brings me to the reason I sent for you.¡±


    I felt nerves rise up my throat. My Mormon colleagues had warned me that she could be contemplating pinning her father¡¯s murder on me to get me jailed.


    She covered her smile with her silk gloved hand. ¡°I¡¯ll come out and say it. Bet¡¯s slave cabin burned down. She and the slave child, who she would have given birth to, went up in flames.¡±


    Her monotone without a note of compassion had hit worse than if she gloated. I gasped for air. Everything became a blur when I took off running.


    ***


    My feet had taken me to my knees by the ruined slave cabin. Aminda yelled from behind. ¡°You sorry cheat and coward, that¡¯s what you get.¡±


    I screamed, tears running down my face.  It¡¯d only been weeks ago when I last gazed in Bet¡¯s big bug eyes. In front of the hearth, Bet stood in her plaid blue dress and bonnet. She smiled, showing her gums for me. No doubt she¡¯d later be digesting broken pieces of her heart. She nonetheless whispered, ¡°You gotta cut and run. Go be somebody, Wiley.¡±


    ***


    I got up and turned in Aminda¡¯s direction, hurt in my eyes. My voice choking, lips quivering, I said, ¡°Tell me it¡¯s a lie.¡± Next thing I knew Aminda lay on her back with my hands around her throat. ¡°Tell me it¡¯s a lie!¡± If the grip of slave men hadn¡¯t restrained me, I¡¯d have strangled her to death, and I often wished that I had.

 Chapter 15: The Face of Death

    When I finally looked around, everyone in my wagon had fallen asleep. That included the deputy who held me hostage. The iron he packed lay in his lap, free from his grasp.


    I reached over and clutched the heat. That was it? That easy? I laughed out loud. Just as my great grandfather¡¯s proficiency with a musket during the Revolutionary War awarded his family their freedom, I¡¯d not only attain this man¡¯s weapon but use it to rid myself from his tyranny. I lurched to my feet and pointed. Hands trembled in anger; pistol a trigger pull away from blowing him out the wagon.


    The man threw me in a jail, degraded me, forced me into Comanche territory. This far into the plains, I had nowhere to escape from death but wouldn¡¯t live another second as his boy. Chip¡¯s snoring and crickets¡¯ chirping inhabited the night this deputy would be put to rest. I braced for impact.


    First, the mule man opened an eye. ¡°Oh, bubba.¡±


    Second, Dunbar awoke, eyeballs popping wide, grimace and handlebar mustache stretching across his face.


    My voice was as shaky as the weapon rattling in my hands. ¡°Nothing to fear, right? After all, your soul¡¯s secure now, new convert.¡±


    ¡°You vermin negro,¡± he shouted. ¡°You¡¯d do any thang to beat the devil round the stump. Take care of your responsibility. You was sent here to be our doctor.¡±


    I whispered, breathing with determination. ¡°Say one more ignorant word, and I¡¯ll settle this hash with a smile on my face. Nod your head if you understand; say yes, and I¡¯ll shoot. I don¡¯t want to hear one¡­more¡­word.¡±


    After he nodded, I continued, ¡°Last thing I want you to know is this, you mudsill scalawag, you are a fool who skipped the cog on your own weapon.¡±


    Just as he would speak, I said, ¡°Talk, and I¡¯ll shoot.¡±


    He shut his mouth, cursing with utterances a man with no tongue would make.


    I grazed the trigger.


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    Mule man said, ¡°Anger feels good for a minute. Regret lasts a lifetime.¡±


    I turned to him. ¡°Regret?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re better than him. Mule men know.¡±


    ¡°Not tonight.¡± When I turned, the deputy must have seen the criminal intent in my glare, because mouth still shut, he screamed in his throat.


    Then, large arms from behind squeezed the breath out of me. The grip lifted me and slammed me to the wooden floor. I hadn¡¯t noticed that Chip¡¯s snoring stopped. Now the sheriff had taken the pistol and secured it in his gun belt.


    I slid to the corner opposite of the mule man and yelled, ¡°So the politics got to you, huh, grappling Sheriff? No wonder you didn¡¯t want to disclose what you and the mayor talked about. You do the bootlicking in private.¡±


    Chip sat down and looked ahead. For once, he said nothing.


    Dunbar dropped to his knees and shouted, ¡°Hallelujar. You know your name. You delivered me from my oppressor¡¯s stankin¡¯ charcoal hands.¡±


    Visibly disturbed, Charlie pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes and slid back into sleeping position. ¡°Don¡¯t know what you¡¯re praying to, but I suppose it¡¯s hard of hearing.¡±


    ¡°Chip Blaze, you become a sheriff, tonight!¡± Dunbar exclaimed. He leaped to his feet, nearly falling over to offer a handshake.


    Chip gazed into the nocturnal atmosphere, appearing activated to the breeze and cricket¡¯s chirping and deactivated to us.


    Dunbar displayed enough zeal for both of them. He pointed at me and shouted, ¡°Shoot that negro. Shoot him, right now.¡±


    Chip carried a note of exhaustion in his voice. ¡°He¡¯s our doctor and has nowhere to flee to; we¡¯re this far out. Follow Mayor Heck¡¯s orders. Leave everyone alone.¡±


    Chip had gone back on the mutual trust I thought we earned from one another, nevermind the betrayal to Diamond that this was. Dunbar had pulled a gun on her, too. Chip Blaze, I reasoned, all guts, ape man brains.


    Noone seemed keen on talking, except only Dunbar couldn¡¯t let the night breathe. He pulled the map from the mule man¡¯s hands, and paced about, ruling the little space in the moving wagon.


    He lifted the map close to his nose and peered into it. ¡°We¡¯re almost to Fort Bliss. Only a few miles.¡± He knelt and hollered in my face. ¡°Taint no Indians gone git us, you yellow belly unbeliever.¡±


    The mule man groaned. ¡°It¡¯s best to not make a statement either way on the matter, until we know for sure.¡±


    Dunbar turned. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, we only got three miles. I knows how to understand a map.¡±


    As he spoke, the wagon came to a halt.


    ¡°Wait. Why¡¯d we stop moving?¡± The deputy said.


    ***


    Drumming and a faint cry stilled us all, even shut Dunbar up. Indian war cries cut through, carving into the air horrific, unheard-of high notes that seemed to immobilize any insect that would buzz or any gust of wind that would dare move a tree leaf.


    A man with death painted on his face mounted up and stared into the window. Chip froze where he stood. The warrior had a bow drawn on him.

 Chapter 16: The Giant Chief

    Seemed the world stilled with Chip. His mouth almost curved up in a surreal smirk. The Indian had him.


    I charted my surroundings. Where I stood was furthest away from the threat, so I reached out and regained the pistol from Chip¡¯s belt and yanked Dunbar in front of me. Two quick moves shielded me in my escape.


    ***


    Pressing my back against the spokes of the wagon wheel, I had the pistol drawn and pointed upwards, surveying each way and aloft for tribesmen.


    A horse trampled by; the warrior mounted on it had his bow arched. I inhaled, hoping the night hid me. A minute later, he passed by again, moving toward the front of the mule train where his army was capturing our driver.


    Seemed with the distraction, the coast would be clear for an interval. I had but one path forward, and that was to leave my so-called posse behind.


    Just as I would flee, two loincloth wearing men climbed into a wagon in the back. ¡°Diamond,¡± I said aloud. My heart sunk. ¡°Goddamn it.¡±


    I jogged forward, stopped, and briefly squeezed my eyes shut to the worst of imaginable things, then turned back and went in her direction. Gun an inch to the right of my face, barrel toward the heavens, mind braced to react to any danger, I prodded on, until I came to a stop at her wagon door and peeked in.


    The two red men smiled at each other and ogled down her nightgown. She stepped backwards onto the bench. ¡°Now, you boys don¡¯t know what you¡¯re messing with. Lay one hand on me, and I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    She shrieked as the shorter one darted forward and jerked her to the base of the wagon. Before he could make his move, the feisty gal hauled off and punched him. This gave her a route to try to escape out the window. When she took it, the taller Indian used a single hand to tug her to the bench.


    ¡°Now you listen¡­¡± Just as she would tell him what¡¯s for, she caught my peeping eye and gulped. ¡°Now listen, you are much more handsome than that other guy.¡± She brushed his hair. When he heaved her close, I fired off a shot. Blood squirted out his back, and he went down. Right when the shorter one turned in my direction, a second blast ended him.


    Diamond stepped over the dead Indians and through smolder to get to me and give me the tightest hug. When I pulled her back to assure her that she would be alright, her gaze enlarged, and she said, ¡°Uh oh.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± The patrolling Indian on horseback had me in the crosshair.


    ¡°Drop the gun,¡± he said in English.


    I complied and lifted my hands in surrender. The spotted appaloosa let him off, and he reversed us back into the wooden prison from whence we had broken free from.


    Out his loin cloth, he extracted a scalping knife that he proceeded to behead the corpses of his own men with, threw their heads out then dragged their bodies to the same fate. Diamond had her head buried in my chest.


    Behind skull paint, he possessed a look of disgust. ¡°Sit.¡±


    We obeyed, then I replied, ¡°You speak English?¡±


    ¡°Only me and the chief do. But that is all you will hear from me. You¡¯re lucky that he wishes us to bring you alive. He likes his meals fresh.¡±


    Another Indian emerged through the door. In passing, the English-speaking man gave him orders in their native tongue and stepped out. While the hijacker stared stony face and wielded his bow, the besieged wagon began its transport of¡ª I supposed¡ªtribal chief food.


    ¡°Well, no matter what happens, thank you for coming for me, Doc Apollo,¡± Diamond said.


    I nodded and straightened my suit jacket. ¡°For all I¡¯ve seen you do for everyone, I couldn¡¯t leave you.¡±


    ¡°We have to cowboy up now. You hear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, young lady, I do.¡±


    ¡°Young lady.¡± She snickered and spoke nervously. ¡°Chip¡¯s the same age as you, thirty-five or so. Doesn¡¯t stop him from liking me.¡± She deterred her gaze. ¡°Wonder how he is doing, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Should be alive. You heard them. That¡¯s the way the chief wants us delivered.¡±


    As we inched forward under cold observation, she used the tone of her voice to keep us both calm. ¡°I thoink one reason I prefer Dylan is he¡¯s twenty-three, my age. You¡¯re right. You and Chip are fogies.¡±


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    I wanted to offer a laugh, but best I had to give was a deep breath.


    ***


    When we came to a stop, the warriors lined up Charlie Bass, his two muleskinner drivers, Chip, Dunbar, Diamond, and me. They forced us along their campground of teepees and ocotillos spread about.


    The moon¡¯s crescent, curved around its shadowy part, guided us through the strange aura and presumed loathing of our indigenous audience. Not long after my leg muscles tensed up on the hills¡¯ incline, I lay eyes on our path ahead. It loomed above their tented population and would take us into a cave.


    On the way, red cacti seemed to bend their stems and spy on us, as if they¡¯d report back to Calamity. Above the cave, on the mountain¡¯s peek, the silhouette of a puma stalked about. It panted with every pace up we made. Directly ahead of me, the plodding Charlie Bass took it in and muttered, ¡°Nature sides with spirituel people.¡±


    In the cave, the tribesmen separated us at a fork. They escorted Dunbar and the muleskinners right and Diamond, Chip, and me left to a downward muddy slope. There, we slid into the confines of a barbed wire fence. They closed the fence door, locked us in, spoke in their language, and departed.


    Chip placed his hands on his hips. ¡°They¡¯re going to get their chief, and let me warn you, he¡¯s pretty scary.¡±


    ¡°How did you know what they said?¡± Diamond inquired. These were her first words to Chip since their fight outside the taxi wagon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡±


    Still angry at him for siding with Dunbar over me, I argued, ¡°If you don¡¯t want us asking, by all good rights, you can shut it.¡±


    Chip pushed me down to the mud. I bolted right up, but he sent me down again.


    ¡°Would you two stawp,¡± Diamond scolded. ¡°We noid each other, and you¡¯re acting like schoolboys.¡±


    The sight of lamps and sound of chanting emerged from the room ahead. ¡°Giant Chief, Giant Chief,¡± tribesmen sang wildly.


    A seven-foot man, as wide as he was tall, came gliding down to our cage. All three of us coward back. He roared from behind paint that was too small for his enormous face. He had curly hair jutting out to the breadth of his shoulders. His hungry, gummy teeth were gigantic but proportioned to his hands, which he used to rattle our cell.


    Right when I felt a warm stream down my trousers, he laughed with a rumble no beast could compete with. All I could do was plead, ¡°Don¡¯t eat us.¡±


    He turned to his people. ¡°Did any of you thank creator for these delicious looking meals?¡± He repeated it in their dialect. At their shameful silence, he admonished, ¡°Figures. All you know is war,¡± and waved them off.


    He turned his leer toward us again and with a thunderous pitch, said, ¡°Oh, I not going to eat you. That only a joke.¡±


    Diamond trembled with sweat trickling down her sheepish countenance. ¡°You better not, you¡ªyou big auger. I¡¯m poison. Let me tell you. Last giant that bit me was sick for months.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°I like you. You free to go. I have teepee waiting.¡±


    The three of us gazed at one another in doubt, but he opened the cage on a whim, and when she went to leave, I sneaked behind.


    She stopped and said, ¡°What about my friends?¡±


    He pushed me back. ¡°They stay. You free.¡±


    ¡°Diamond, hurry,¡± Chip said.


    She made some steps forward, looked back, locked her hands in a praying motion, and moved out of sight.


    ¡°Maybe, she pray to the light entities for you,¡± Giant Chief said. ¡°That good. You need it.¡±


    Chip scowled. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go ahead and address one another, Giant Chief Big Owl.¡±


    The Indian replied, ¡°Tree Stump.¡±


    I gaped. ¡°You two know each other?¡±


    Chip threw up hands that were reliably thick, but not next to this man¡¯s. Chip said, ¡°Your beef¡¯s with me. Let us settle it, mano on giant, and let the others go. For heaven¡¯s sake, the man by my side is only a doctor.¡±


    ¡°So, he Doc Apollo? My warrior heard his name. My warrior say that Doc Apollo kill Horny Toad and Stinkin¡¯ Dead Feathers. Very bad men who I only allow to live for the sake of balance. But my others are mad that Doc Apollo kill them. Now they want him to die with you.¡±


    ¡°You promised you wouldn¡¯t eat us,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, I not eat you, but I kill you and cut your head off.¡±


    I could say nothing, neither could Chip.


    ¡°Tell you what, Tree Stump. You betray me and become sheriff of people who we war always with. But I remember first time you came out West, I taught you to wrestle. I like to gamble, so tonight, you beat your teacher in wrestling, and you go free. You lose, and I kill your men in front of you. Same way you kill mine.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off Chip. He knew this giant and betrayed him the same way he did me? Now he was willing to sacrifice himself for me?


    The boom in Giant Chief¡¯s voice interrupted my thoughts. He said, ¡°Oh yeah, and you wear this. No shirts.¡± He dropped savage dresses for us to change in. ¡°If you no wear it, you die on spot.¡± The chief turned and exited.


    Chip quickly threw his clothes off, while I glared at my dress. ¡°Well, I reckon so,¡± I said. After we finished changing, I turned to Chip with folded arms. ¡°What in dad¡¯s name is with you?¡±


    ¡°I thought for sure I was dead when that Indian drew his bow on me back in the wagon.¡±


    ¡°Now, since when did you start getting bees in that bonnet and begin a-thinking?¡±


    ¡°Listen, I detest Dunbar as much as you do. Thing is, he¡¯s the only one of us who knows which part of Mexico where the witch is settling.¡±


    ¡°And how do you figure he learned that?¡±


    ¡°The evangelist who healed him.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Sheriff, you going to buy blarney from every snake oil salesman in Texas?¡±


    ¡°You saw him all boogered up. Something had to restore him.¡±


    I shook my head.


    He went on. ¡°Look, I probably won¡¯t make it out this fight alive, but Big Owl¡¯s a great guy at heart. He aspires to lead this band of Comanches¡ªthe Nagawitchi¡ª to be a more spiritual tribe than most around these plains.  I think I can convince him to spare you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with you and this sudden dismal take on your mortality?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He paused to draw a breath. ¡°I¡¯ll level with you on what the mayor disclosed to me, but don¡¯t share this with Diamond.¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°The evangelist prophesied that any law-and-order figure who opposes Sam Hill will perish. Except, he said there¡¯s a young Mexican vaquero who will take a stand when he grows old enough.¡±


    ¡°Well.¡± I placed my hands on my grass laden hips and bowed up, noticing the deficit of my exposed bird chest to his pecks. ¡°If you believe all that wobblin¡¯ jawing, why don¡¯t you¡ªas you like to say¡ªlay low. Let the vaquero deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Grand Jose doesn¡¯t have twenty years for him to grow up. I have a job that I swore an oath on. Finish what you start¡­"


    I sighed and completed his sentence. ¡°It¡¯s in the code of the West.¡±

 Chapter 17: Grappling with a Giant

    Out on the plains, glowing from campfires revealed anticipation on the faces of the Nagawitchi who awaited the upcoming wrasslin match. Some children shook rattles, while mothers laughed.


    Under surveillance of spear-wielding men, I stood next to the muleskinners and Dunbar. They all had been forced to wear some kind of underwear, complete with strings swallowed by their unwashed hides.


    Reactions to the attire from the muleskinners and deputy couldn¡¯t have differed more. They appeared ashamed, with folded hands over genitals, while Dunbar proudly swayed his hips beneath his exposed, hairy beer belly. Suddenly, I felt a surge of gratitude for the grassy dress the chief put me in.


    Trying to focus on anything but Dunbar¡¯s dance, I got a sight of Diamond seated to herself. The light of the half-moon seemed to accentuate her presence, her blond wig and rosy face as colorful hues amongst a dark backdrop. Behind rising flames, she appeared tranquil. It¡¯s as if her blue eyes were communicating the impossible certainty that Chip would emerge victorious over the giant in our path.


    Speaking of the monstrosity, out from the shadows stepped Giant Chief Big Owl in his loincloth. Arms spread at his hips; he made fists the size of large sediment rocks we¡¯d passed by.  He followed that with a bellow that promised war to all the heavens.


    Tribesmen in skull paint and mohawks celebrated the chief by beating belly drums, dancing in circles, and repeating chants that could strike fear in the hearts of all Texans.


    In his opposite direction were the hills that led to the cave. There emerged Chip in a long grass skirt and a frame massive to mortals but miniscule to giants.  The guerilla man reduced to a dwarf monkey gritted his teeth, while squatting and hopping right to left. Amongst a dead silent audience, Deputy Dunbar¡¯s Texan draw came through. ¡°Gawd! He¡¯s gone git killed.¡±


    The giant treaded back and forth, sneering as if he was insulted by the sheriff merely trying him. Remaining in a crouched stance, Chip tapped his toes, impatiently. When Owl went to bellow again, the sheriff charged him.


    My hands sweated as Chip buried his head in the chief¡¯s sternum and tried to wrap his arms around all that mass. The giant skimmed the sheriff away with ease. However, the sheriff got up and got a hold of a massive leg.


    From a fire far across from me, Diamond locked her hands together, watching the giant wabbling on one foot.


    I felt my face crack into a smile. Most men would cut and run from a man that size, but Sheriff had him a-hopping. All the big bad situations in life that had challenged me, couldn¡¯t recall a single occasion where I came steamrolling toward any of them.


    My smile faded as fast as the monster had flipped Chip over. Their Goliath had our David squeezed betwixt his colossal calves. As the sheriff began to lose blood flow to his noggin, I poked around for any optimism a posse member may spare.


    ¡°Dirn thang is over,¡± Dunbar proclaimed


    As for Diamond, a struggle in itself came over her face, one to stay strong for the sheriff, her captured suitor Dylan, and us all. She stood. ¡°Come on, Chip. Come on.¡±


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    Right when Big Owl raised his hands in a presumptuous victory and laughed, Chip used their combined sweat to slide free.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Diamond shouted.


    Chip came diving back, but this only seemed to annoy his adversary to the point that he hit a grueling series of slams. Chip fought back up but bent over in pain to a large arm clobbering him. We all heard the sheriff¡¯s back crack, and now he lay face down on the bumpy earth. If Chip hadn¡¯t been squirming, I¡¯d have thought Owl had killed him right then and there.


    The aggressor stopped to smell the desert, and the dry taste must have been the one of our defeats, because he taunted us¡ªoutstretched his arms and grinned with plaque all over his gums and teeth. The indigenous women hooted and cheered, and many more of the Nagawitchi consumed the atmosphere with rattling and drumming.


    ¡°Goddamn,¡± I hollered as that monster stomped Chip¡¯s abdominal. How much can the sheriff take? He sat halfway up, coughing, but his wide eyes seemed to show excitement. ¡°He¡¯s a hell of a fighter,¡± I said. As soon as I did, that giant shoved him back down with only a toe.


    A hideous chuckle emerged from the abyss inside that monster¡¯s belly as Chip appeared lifeless. Then, all our hearts stopped when Owl leaped in the air, his behind to come down and crush the sheriff¡¯s skull. It felt like he hung in the sky for some bimeby days. Diamond covered her eyes, I cringed, and¡ª


    Sheriff got out the way, and the big man was flat on his back. With spit in his mouth, Chip dashed to his opponent, who¡¯d sat up. He locked his arms around the most enormous head in the West, tightening Big Owl¡¯s curls over his eyes. He bore down on the headlock with more might than he had, using extra leverage from an adrenaline rush.


    The giant fought to his feet, but that damn Chip mounted up on his back, attached himself like a parasite. Owl swung him every which way, but he couldn¡¯t swing him a-loose.


    Finally, Chief lifted his hands for help from possibly what he called creator or light entities, but none came to save him. He tumbled to a knee. This caused Chip to increase the rapid pace that he pushed up and down on the sleeper hold with. In less than a moment, over five hundred pounds of dead weight lay flat on the ground.


    Chip let go, and only the crickets seemed to believe what we all witnessed.


    I broke the disbelief with a declaration. ¡°He¡¯s out. Goddamn it, you won, Sheriff. You won.¡±


    And before our wrasslin champion could catch his breath, Diamond had scurried over and embraced him in a hug. Those who held us captive with spears had turned their efforts to aiding the sleeping chief. Six of them hoisted him to a sitting position.


    This cleared our path, and Dunbar got over to Chip first. ¡°I never doubted you!¡±


    The muleskinners with hands covering exposed rears and thin fabric, their privates, stalled. Nonetheless, Charlie Bass, with his head down, droned out his support. ¡°It¡¯s not stature that constitutes a cowboy but guts and perseverance.¡±


    When I got over to shake Chip¡¯s hand, he flexed a bicep at me, while tribesmen karate chopped the back of the passed-out chief. I let out a hearty laugh and clasped Chip¡¯s muscle. Diamond giggled with her hand covering her mouth. For once, he¡¯d earn his bragging rights and perspiration odor.


    However, when Chip turned, the celebration came to an abrupt end. The sleeping giant had awoken and was back on his feet in the fiercest of moods. He seized Chip by the throat, lifted him in the air; had him gasping.


    Diamond and I hurried to help, but tribesmen with spears from every angle stopped us in our tracks. The big man roared, ¡°My band was not same Comanche that raid your town, but your Texas Rangers gun down my Nagawitchi people and kill our most vulnerable. I heard you were there with them when they do it.¡±


    Fighting for oxygen, Chip replied, ¡°I made¡­made¡­them stop. I did¡­¡± He paused to suck for air and continued, ¡°I did everything in my power to help your people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°While we keep¡­ senselessly warring, the witch is going to¡­wipe out my people and ¡­yours¡­I know what she did to your son. You hear me?¡± As the shade in Chip¡¯s face begin to turn blue, the giant gaped. I read Chip¡¯s lips closely. ¡°I saw the beast she turned your son¡­ Ahote¡­ into.¡±


    The giant let go, dropped Chip to the ground; left him wheezing; turned and signaled his tribesmen off, and sauntered into the darkness.

 Chapter 18: A Brief Reprieve

    After the warriors went their way, Diamond and I helped Chip up.


    I was cognizant of my curious expression. It seemed wrong since Chip had nearly been choked to death, but I had to know how the relationship between Chief and his son, Ana Ahote, was possible. Soon as Chip caught his breath, I inquired, ¡°Ana Ahote is whose son? What in tarnation? They¡¯re different species.¡±


    I meant to get answers, but the Nagawitchi noncombatants encircled us. I put my investigation on hold for an elder woman, who touched Chip¡¯s countenance.


    Chip grinned and said, ¡°Laughing Heart. How are you, and what did I always tell you about putting your cold hands on my face? Keep them the hell off.¡±


    ¡°I remember you, just this fiery,¡± she said, cackling. ¡°You came by with what do you call it? The circus, yes, and stayed with us for many moons. I told them you wouldn¡¯t have done those things to our people. Please, take your mule wagon and clothes back and rest with us. You and those you travel with.¡±


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    ¡°Thoink you,¡± Diamond interjected, speaking faster than usual in her twang. ¡°But we have to be brisk as we can and go right into Mexico. My suitor¡¯s in trouble.¡±


    Laughing Heart chuckled in a fit and switched her grasp from Chip¡¯s face to Diamond¡¯s. ¡°You have a mighty warrior inside but need direction. Let me assure you, your answer is not all the way in Mexico. Giant Chief Big Owl knows ways to get you to the one you want so much, and only in a short while.¡±


    Chip, Diamond, and I exchanged glances.


    ¡°Really?¡± Diamond exclaimed with a hopeful gaze.


    ***


    When I returned from getting water from the wagon, the Indians in their camps chomped on raw meat, while the thankfully dressed muleskinners heated their sonofabitch stews over fire.


    Diamond chased Chip around, tugging at his grass skirt. When she got a hold of him, they playfully locked up in a tussle. She, then, departed toward the hills, leaving him sitting alone to bolt down a half-cooked buffalo leg.


    I wondered where she was getting off to but still needed answers from the sheriff concerning Ana Ahote.


    To sit with Chip, turn to Chapter Nineteen. Demanding Answers from the sheriff.


    To follow Diamond up the hills, turn to Chapter Twenty. Pursuing Diamond.

 Chapter 19: Demanding Answers from the Sheriff.

    I overlooked a fire crackling and a sheriff chewing on a buffalo leg like a savage. ¡°Well, you really fit in with these folks, don¡¯t you?¡± I said.


    With food in his mouth, he insisted, ¡°Have a seat, Doc.¡±


    When we were at eye level, a firelight cast betwixt, he said, ¡°So, you want to know my relationship with Big Owl and Ahote? Their relationship with each other? Listen up.¡±


    January and June 1850. Ten Years Prior.


    In a dimly lit room, twenty-year-old Chip and his stepfather stood next to one another in matching long coats and bowties, separated by a wooden table which contained two glasses of whiskey.


    The father, gray headed and tall and slender, held a textbook in his arm and astonishment on his face. The walls creaked, while Chip anticipated the usual shouting and overreacting.


    ¡°I have no words. You¡¯re going to go all over the country with a clown show? You may as well take the last name of your real outlaw parents. Call yourself Blaze, because you can never be a Chambers.¡±


    ¡°Listen, the drinking loosens your lips; it''s best you stop now.¡±


    Shouting over Chip, he said, ¡°God bless the Pinkerton who shot your sorry, bank robbing biological mom down.¡±


    Young Chip had as much a temper as his stepfather. If ears could emit smoke, his of done it.


    The stepfather mocked him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Need I remind you that you have no way of affording a living, except out of my purse. You¡¯re a circus clown, bottom feeding¡ª¡¯


    Chip snatched his own father by the collar. After drinking glasses clanked, liquid spilled, and table legs shook, Mr. Chambers lay on his back, choked by his own tie and Chip had walked out his Virginia home of rearing for the last time.


    ***


    By the summer, Hugh Biggs¡¯ circus show was in Texas with an act called, Grappler. They set up right on the outskirts of the dangerous Grand Jose-El Paso Road. Behind a buffalo heard passing, the Nagawitchi nomads had made camp in a grassy wide-open area and were standing in anticipation for ¡°the grappler¡± to come out the red circus tent.


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    Inside, the mustached, spandex wearing strong man, Hugh Biggs folded his arms and admonished with a deep voice. ¡°You have to beat all of them. That¡¯s the only way the goneys going to believe.¡±


    When Chip stepped out on the plains and challenged any and every tribesman, Chief Big Owl laughed from the oak tree he leaned against. He¡¯d been training ¡°the grappler¡± to wrestle for a month and expected his powerful, young prot¨¦g¨¦ to hold his own.


    Next to the giant, a ten-year-old boy, who could pass as fifteen, looked on.


    Chip wore red spandex and squatted in a wrasslin pose, gesturing for any and every competitor. And who do you know stepped up?  Nagawitchi men painted, longhaired, some with mohawks. None lasted more than a few minutes. He submitted them all the same way¡ª squeezing their bodies in his massive arms then slamming them down.


    From the oak tree, Big Owl hoisted up a golden bird and set it free and flapping. Underneath its dwindling feathers, the ten-year-old boy ran away from Big Owl and toward Chip. The child looked up, locks hiding his entire face. ¡°When I grow up, I want to be mighty like you.¡±


    Chip threw his hands up. ¡°But Ahote, why not be like your humongous father?¡±


    ¡°All he wants is peace. I want to claim this land for the Comanche, make our Nagawitchi band the most feared of all, then squeeze the life out of every last Apache.¡±


    Chip brushed the top of young Ahote¡¯s head and chuckled.


    ***


    After Chip finished recounting, I stayed quiet.


    Chip leaned in, looked me dead in the eyes, and said, ¡°When we confronted the witch in the alley, I heard her call their Ana chief by the name Ahote. He was taller than the others, and I knew it had to be Big Owl¡¯s son.¡±.


    ¡°Now, how do you suppose a regular Nagawitchi boy transformed into some mutant?¡± I said.


    He shrugged. ¡°Only Big Owl can say.¡±


    When our conversation came to pause, I gazed at the twinkling stars some millions of lightyears away, feeling a burden for the future, for its survival. I must remedy this so-called curse that was altering our world, but the truth was I had no way of being successful. Nor did Chip.


    Sheriff spoke up, beholding the same stars. ¡°I suppose Ahote couldn¡¯t accomplish what he did without becoming a beast.¡±


    ¡°Are you defending him? He¡¯s a savage. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    ¡°Are any of us really that ideal?¡± Chip replied.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Look at our own United States. All I¡¯m saying is, we still have slavery; we¡¯ve taken land that belonged to these tribes. We¡¯re far from perfect.¡±


    ¡°A Mormon once told me, ¡®As long as we aspire to be better, there¡¯s hope.¡¯¡± Right when I finished, infernos ascended from the mountaintop.


    Chip hopped up. ¡°Big Owl went that direction. Come-on, we have to follow. That¡¯s the only way we¡¯ll know what the hell is going on.¡±


    After I hesitated, he beseeched again. ¡°I know him. If he was going to kill us, he¡¯d have done it already.¡±


    I dusted off and said, ¡°I reckon there¡¯s no better option...¡±

 Chapter 20: Pursuing Diamond

    ¡°Diamond,¡± I shouted, catching my breath, having hasted halfway up the hills. The puma¡¯s purring from aloft alerted me to get us both the hell down to camp.


    Diamond turned; her accented voice descended from her shadow. ¡°You can¡¯t stop me now, Doc. I¡¯m looking for Big Owl, because he knows where my man is.¡±


    ¡°Now, now.¡± I kept a calm voice, while striding toward her. She waited for me to reach a hill beneath.


    The gal¡¯s straight posture and determined glare were enough to inform that she wouldn¡¯t be persuaded. I only made one appeal and that was against the most obvious danger. ¡°That puma up there, he¡¯s a-purring now but could become hostile as fast as you can turn your head.¡±


    She laughed, and I joined in.


    ¡°Doc, you¡¯re the most peace lovingness man, but you keep on putting yourself at risk for me.¡±


    ¡°I want to keep you well. You see, when I come around people, they¡¯re usually already sick or hurt. Sometimes, I can help them, the lucky ones. Sometimes, I can treat them, but some are never the same. Other times, like what happened with the Innkeeper, Sandy¡ªsweetest woman you ever met¡ªit was too late.¡±


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    ¡°I know.¡± She paused and let the nocturnal atmosphere do what it does: cast darkness, give a voice for frogs and insects, give opportunity for fear or thieves or raids.


    She went on, ¡°Men like Dylan and Sheriff hunt tigers, and you can¡¯t stop them. I guess I¡¯m a simple gal who likes my stupid hunters, but you are.¡± She blushed. ¡°Such a dude and gentlemen. Makes me see thoings somewhat differently. What you must understand is I am bound to continue on this journey.  Dylan¡¯s been my sweetheart since grade school.¡±


    I stopped to choose words that weighed the importance of her safety against that of her integrity. While I formed what needed to be said, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the red cacti peering down like they were Calamity¡¯s spies.


    Against all adversity, I advised, ¡°Go for it, Diamond. Ignore my worrying nature. The fact is, I once loved someone with all my heart. And I left her, thinking I got us both out of trouble. Right when I¡¯d cut and run, she lost her life. You should never have to live with the weight I carry.¡±


    She looked away.


    ¡°I mean it, stop beating yourself up for an unconscious choice made on that balcony when you¡¯re consciously putting it all on the line right now.¡±


    When I finished, we heard flute playing from the mountaintop, infernos ascended, and somber chants began.


    ¡°Big Owl,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll escort you.¡±

 Chapter 21: The Ana Beasts and the Legend of Flying Creatures

    Diamond, Chip, and I, though we did not all travel together, were drawn to the same place. A flash from high above the camps led us to the mountaintop. All of us stood in the smell of smoke, while the Nagawitchi, in their feather boas, marched around pine trees set ablaze. Whitest fire I ever saw.


    In our midst, a hard faced elder with a headdress extending down to his waste sat on a stump. He chanted a story in their dialect. Big Owl stood aback from him, holding a big bottom lipped frown and flute. When Owl saw us, he said, ¡°Taiowa, English, too.¡±


    Owl played the flute off key to the old man, Taiowa¡¯s, singing.


    Twenty years and many moons ago,


    The midwife gave us false hopes.


    A knife at birth


    Turned to a curse


    She told us how great our children would grow


    But after they were born, none had a shadow.


    A generation of lost Nagawitchi


    Their hearts could not be fulfilled.


    Their desires sent up a hill.


    Where their shadows hid.


    As the mist surrounded us and seemed to make only him and Big Chief in his backdrop visible, Taiowa began to speak plainly. He said, ¡°The Ana beasts came out from us but are not of us. They are the shadows of the children whom the midwife cursed.¡±


    I wondered how the spreading fire wouldn¡¯t consume us all, but something kept me standing firm, listening to him as he went on. ¡°Three years ago, the shadows went from teepee to teepee leaving arrowheads in the hearts of the next generation of our people. The ones whom the midwife delivered; the shadows took back to her dead. Emboldened by their kills, the shadows of those cursed at birth took the form of the Ana beasts.¡±


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    Nerves pricked like a cactus in my chest. At this point, one thing made as much sense as another and all had terrible implications. I accepted that the shadows must have brutally killed Owl¡¯s son, and one of them had become the beast, Ana Ahote. What would this mean for Martin Coffee and all the Grand Josian babies whom I sent Calamity to deliver? What would they become?  I said, ¡°Where did the wolflike part of the Ana beasts originate from?¡±


    Taiowa replied, ¡°Legend says, creator wondered if he sent his creatures would the Nagawitchi of old sense their divinity or would they take them for food.


    Creator tested the Nagawitchi of old out in the parts of these very deserts where giant saguaro grows. When they played their flutes, four-legged, red furred, white breasted and bushy tailed creatures surrounded them, purring in trust.


    Instantly, the Nagawitchi of old felt warmth in their hearts and petted and fed the creatures. The creatures flew faster than the plains could handle and took our people anywhere they could imagine. Until one day, when our people thought, ¡®if we eat them, will we gain their power for ourselves.¡¯ It¡¯s then, the creatures fled away to never return.


    The Ana beasts are a perverted combination of our people and of the creatures. The Ana¡¯s evil brought balance, yes, but now the scales are tipped. They must be stopped.¡±


    Big Owl stepped up. ¡°These are no words of man. Taiowa is light entity and say Ana beasts must be stopped. This mean I must stop them. I join your posse.¡±


    Chip pointed at him. ¡°Laughing Heart says you know where the witch is. That she¡¯s close by. As fast as those Ana beasts are, how can we be catching up to her?¡±


    The bright fumes from the fire blinded and suffocated us, and when they subsided, Taiowa and the Nagawitchi tribesmen were gone.


    My eyes could have leaped out of their sockets at the tribe¡¯s disappearance, then I caught the shocked expression of Chip and the elated smile of Diamond. At the mountain¡¯s peak, Big Owl gazed up at Orion¡¯s Belt. The three of us crawled up on him, nearly clinging to one another.


    When we got in hearing distance, he went on talking as if none of the mysterious departures of his people occurred. ¡°Every year at Garden Cemetery, witch and Ana beasts have ceremony where they desecrate graves of many Apache Indians. They will be at Garden Cemetery for one more day of celebration. We can make it there on your mule train before they leave.¡±


    Diamond turned flush. For her this meant less than a day before rejoining Dylan. Chip exhaled; less than a day, he¡¯d be putting his life on the line in duty.


    All I knew was, I would be forced along, because, unfortunately, my services as a doctor would be required.

 Chapter 22: The Legend of the Golden Bow

    A holdup in line for boarding the mule train had Chip shaking his head and me tapping my foot. Owl sneered and waved for the obstructing Dunbar to get to stepping.


    The deputy stood his ground with a dead serious stare. ¡°Sheriff, give my pistol back. Somebody¡¯s gotta keep the negro and Indian in line.¡±


    A blow from Owl sent the Texan bumping into the wagon. Owl declared, ¡°I not like his spirit. We throw him out in plains.¡±


    Chip gripped what he could of the chief¡¯s arm. ¡°Look, your judgement is correct.  He¡¯s a bottom feeding, redneck loco, but a necessary one. Reason being, if the witch gets away from us, only he knows where her destination lies.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Chief replied, as he hoisted the stunned Dunbar by the belt and straddled him over a wagon¡¯s bottom windowsill. ¡°I keep an eye on him.¡±


    The deputy flipped all the way inside to a thud. ¡°Gawd dirn it.¡±


    ¡°One more thing you need to know,¡± Chip said to Owl. ¡°Some evangelist has preached that any law-and-order figures-- men like you and me--who go against this curse will perish. That only a certain young vaquero stands a shot.¡±


    Chief frowned. ¡°I not law and order. Creator is. Light entities are. And I not really have anything left to come back to. Many of my tribesmen very angry with me for joining posse. They hear me wailing in tears every night after my son get killed, but they no understand. They no believe the Ana beasts can be defeated. Them stubborn warriors have no faith. They say I betray them by joining you, but that not the case. I only hear Taiowa loud and clear. I must stop witch from tilting balance of the West.¡±


    Chip said, ¡°Owl, I had to disclose what that preacher said. I know nothing will deter you¡ª Wait? What in dad¡¯s name?¡±


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    Owl and I turned to the direction that caught Chip¡¯s eye. A golden radiance was a-bobbing up on us¡ªturned out to be a glowing bow and arrow that gave a view of the one holding it, Laughing Heart. She was guffawing in a fit. Chief joined her with thunderous chuckling and shook her by the shoulders. Hardly able to catch his breath, he said, ¡°What¡¯s this bow?¡±


    ¡°A gift from Taiowa,¡± she said.


    The size of his hand swallowed half Laughing Heart¡¯s back. The revelation seemed to have turned him somber. He observed its markings, the number eight and a star. ¡°I remember now. This weapon¡ªTaiowa come to me in dream with, years ago. Tell me that it can stop my son¡¯s shadow.¡±


    Before Big Owl got in the vehicle with his new weapon to harass Dunbar with, he thanked Laughing Heart and told us he provided the muleskinners with direction to the Garden Cemetery. We would get there before tomorrow¡¯s sundown.


    Chip and I took a separate wagon from the one Chief and Dunbar got in.


    Inside ours, Diamond was already snoring on the bench. When plopping down beside her, Chip took uncharacteristic consideration to be quiet. Over in the corner, the mule man, Charlie Bass lay propped against the wall.


    Chip glanced at Diamond then grinned at me, baboon charm starting to grow. I returned the gesture.


    ¡°She sleeps like a lion, doesn¡¯t she?¡± He laughed.


    ¡°Poor gal¡¯s been through it,¡± I replied.


    The wagon taking off caused Diamond to swing toward the sheriff. He threw his arm around her to soften the impact. On his chest, she rested, and he lay his head on hers. Shortly after, he drowned out her snoring with his own.


    My tired body wanted to collapse, but I held together, hand on knee. Felt a-stir in my heart for the sleeping sheriff and Diamond and all they a-hoped for. It was impossible to obtain.


    Stroking goatee, thoughts of unnecessary aid I was there to administer pestered, but those wagon wheels weren¡¯t spinning backwards. Even if I jumped out, I had nowhere to go. We¡¯d gotten too far out in the plains.


    My gaze shifted to Charlie. His cowboy hat drooping over his eyes and mustache over his mouth left me guessing whether he was asleep or awake. Regardless, I made an inquiry. ¡°Say, you¡¯re a wise man. What do you make of this dark magic, the witch, the strange creatures?¡±


    Slow drawl drifting, few words would come before shuteye took him. However, he offered one statement. ¡°There¡¯s an old adage. It goes, ¡®Thinking themselves to be wise, they became fools.¡¯ Wisdom aint got nothing to do with the evil happening in our world.¡±

 Chapter 23: Skunk Cabbage

    Dreams of witches and monsters carried me to a foggy afternoon in the desert. A stench like rotting meat entered our wagon. The pungent smell brought back my own words to Calamity in that alley. ¡°Know what, keep Bet¡¯s name out your mouth. She has no place near all the skunk cabbage you breathe.¡±


    As silent as Chip and Diamond were¡ª one may be forgiven for thinking they were asleep. Unable to hold her breath any longer, Diamond said, ¡°Ewe. Smells like skunk cabbage.¡±


    I would have been obliged to tell myself the odor that repelled us both was a mere coincidence. Afterall, some less than pleasant plants lived out there, cactus and flytraps, and yes, skunk cabbage, but by this time, my reasoning had gotten me nowhere. The fact of the matter was the word ¡°fact¡± had come to mean that every wild intuition as to what may exist will be affirmed. We were closing in on that boneyard garden, and it felt like a fact that Calamity¡¯s ambience was nearby and was smothering as the smog.


    A hawk came soaring next to Chip and Diamond¡¯s window and squawked in our direction. We¡¯d ride past it, but it¡¯d catch back up.


    ¡°Get out of here.¡± Chip said, reaching for his gun. He never unsheathed it, because his attention was quickly turned to another ruckus¡ªa horse had come a-chasing after the ominous bird.


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    My heart beat with every gallop. Then, a gunshot from the horseman dropped the ol¡¯ hawk.  Diamond and Chip lurched up, turned, and peered out. The sheriff said, ¡°Can¡¯t see anything past the mist.¡±


    As soon as I glanced out my window, the horse appeared. I caught the mane of a dark mustang and boots of a rider, but he got too far for me to make out who he was. Chip lifted his hands in a questioning gesture. ¡°How¡¯d the horseman get all the way over there?¡±


    ¡°He tossed something in,¡± Diamond said. On the ground next to her feet lay a part of the plant life we''d been smelling. Skunk cabbage. Maroon leaves formed the shape of a heart that surrounded its spiky center.


    I felt my forehead wrinkle and observed the equal bewilderment on the face of Diamond. More perplexing than that, Chip maintained a certainty in his gaze.


    ¡°Look,¡± Chip said, slipping out a small book from his shirt pocket. ¡°It¡¯s time you learn how truly rotten but powerful this witch is. I¡¯m going to share notes from my investigation with you. It¡¯s important, ahem¡­ that you know your adversary.


    During my time in El Paso, I found out someone wrote a biography on her. The book was banned, and Calamity became wanted. When I confided in their mayor over the story of the Bowie Knife under the Coffees¡¯ bed, he allowed me to have a special viewing of this banned book.¡±


    After we sloped in, he took us on a journey that went way back to the sixteen hundreds. Only a few words in, and we were already affirming her claims of being one-hundred-seventy-eight years old. I refrained from sneering, demonstrating politeness rather than better judgment, as I¡¯ve made clear in this journal that in this world, better judgement had become nothing more than wheels spinning in mud.

 Chapter 24: So That You Know Your Adversary

    Salem, Massachusetts


    Courthouse, Second Story floor, 1692


    Young Calamity bit her nails as prosecutor and magistrate, Thomas Hitchman, invoked hellfire and brimstone. She did all she could to avoid witnessing the sweat sliding from under his periwig and the spit shooting out his mouth, keeping firm eye contact with her mother, Felicity Dyer, who was a-squirming in the clutches of two other judges.


    From his chair with a back that shot up twice his height, Thomas aroused passion from all in attendance. Surrounding him were ten standing judges, dressed similar: powdered faces, long coats, and wigs. They were throwing their arms forward in agreement. As for the audience, the accusations and murmurings proved some life existed inside the puritan men in felt-hats and breeches and women in aprons and petticoat dresses.


    ¡°There¡¯s spectral evidence you are a witch,¡± he shouted at Mrs. Felicity Dyer, a plain, skinny woman.  Thomas continued, ¡°Are you going to look at those little girls in the front row, who you¡¯ve tortured with your apparition in private, and now call them liars in public?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t long before Calamity had no nails left for chewing. For all her resentment toward the plaintiffs, she half envied them. The word of girls her age had never been given such weight, certainly not hers. She wondered if she had the courage to read aloud the note she¡¯d written on her mother¡¯s behalf. She wanted to inform them how hard Felicity worked to keep the house.


    ***


    ¡°One minute, Calamity,¡± her mother would say, rinsing their linen, soap and water saturating her roughened hands.


    Calamity, then ten, noted her mother¡¯s patience for her pleadings to get attention, when in fact, that ¡°one minute¡± away from chores never came. She would give a speech declaring her mother¡¯s patience to the entire courtroom if Thomas¡¯s accosting would ever stop.


    ¡°How do you know some dark entities didn¡¯t take my form to harass these girls?¡± Felicity said in tears.


    ¡°Unlikely so,¡± he rebuked. ¡°Your own husband submitted this book of witchcraft into evidence, testified that he found it under your bed!¡± He slapped the book to the ground, and a burning smell took the room when another judge set it to flames. ¡°So, Mrs. Felicity Dyer, will you spare yourself with a confession, or do we need to add pressure?¡±


    The young girls, who¡¯d accused her, shrieked and contorted their bodies. One, Temperance Baker, grabbed her blonde curls and seemed to be fighting with them as if they were snakes.


    Calamity examined the paper she fidgeted; her little hands barely visible under the large white cuffs of her dress. Should she tell the truth, then and there? The book that her father had given to the court had been Temperance¡¯s.


    ***


    She remembered clear as day, she and Temperance lying between green linen that draped down from the canopy. The hard bed board beneath feathers held her first and only sleepover and a night where confessions were promised to be swapped.


    ¡°Nobody pays attention to me,¡± Calamity confided to the preacher¡¯s daughter, both in their night gowns.


    Temperance took it in, then under her long nose, a mischievous grin crossed her face. ¡°I know how you can conjure something that will show more devotion to you than you can ever ask for.¡±


    ¡°Something? Someone, you mean,¡± Calamity said, excitement rising inside her bosom. She locked her lanky hands.


    Temperance shook her head. ¡°I sneaked a book that I found in dad¡¯s library under this very bed. You can use it to summon a dark entity watcher.¡±


    Calamity covered her mouth in shock. ¡°No, your dad has been railing against dark entities in his sermons. He says they¡¯re trying to overtake Salem.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why he has these books, to study his enemies. But what he doesn¡¯t know is I got a hold of this one when he wasn¡¯t looking. I¡¯ve met them, Calamity. They watch over me when I sleep.¡±


    Calamity rolled onto her back and gulped. When she agreed to a night of revealing secrets with her only friend, she never imagined any of them could be this dark.


    ¡°Please keep this book for me,¡± Temperance pleaded. ¡°Dad has noticed that it¡¯s missing, and it won¡¯t do me any good if he gets it back. But you¡­if you take it, you may attract a special watcher.¡±


    Calamity said nothing. It was too good to be true that anyone would spend time with her, and should be no surprise that if they did, they would want the most catastrophic things in return. Those eternal seconds of silence seemed to unnerve Temperance. She warned, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about destroying it, or all the dark entities will come after you.¡±


    ***


    Calamity¡¯s contemplation was disrupted by her mother screaming in a hoarse voice. ¡°I¡¯m not the one torturing those girls. Forgive me. But I think they¡¯re lying.¡±


    The judges threw her to the floor and, at Hitchman¡¯s instruction, piled pounds of bricks on top of her. With it all bearing down on her breasts, she said, ¡°You will carry ten times the weight I feel, magistrate, if you don¡¯t repent.¡±


    ¡°Thirty more pounds,¡± Magistrate Thomas ordered.


    Calamity leaped up from her bench and screamed, ¡°Please, I have something to say.¡±


    Before anyone could answer, her father took her by the arm with all the strength of a merchant and dragged her to the dark courtroom front door. She tried to break free, but his thumb sunk in too deeply. She felt her shoulder go out of place. ¡°Mama! Mama! Mama!¡±


    In dead grass and by a leafless tree outside, the bearded man with a cigarette hanging out his mouth, knelt and admonished her. ¡°I know it was your book.¡±


    Calamity closed her eyes, heaving in tears and shame. She didn¡¯t agree to keep the book, but didn¡¯t remove it from under her bed, either. Night after night, she lay frozen in too much fear to do anything with it. Her family hardly went to church, and the farmers had been targeting merchants like her dad in these witch claims. If she told anyone it was the preacher¡¯s daughter¡¯s, would they believe her? She feared burning it for the wrath of the dark entities, thought of throwing it out, but was that the right decision? It would live to haunt another family.


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    She did try to confide in her mom. But stating that in court wouldn¡¯t help Felicity¡¯s case, would it?


    Once, she entered the kitchen where her mother slaved over the stove. Only seeing the back of her mother¡¯s bonnet and plaid, wide dress, she hesitated, noticing she was sniveling. Calamity knew enough to understand her father¡¯s affair and how it hurt her mother, but this could wait no longer.


    When Calamity tapped her mother on the shoulder, Felicity swiped at her but missed. Calamity¡¯s mouth hung in shock. Her mother had never swung at her so quickly.


    Felicity, whining with more than a note of stress in her voice, said, ¡°I can¡¯t take you anymore. I tell you and tell you that I¡¯m busy. I tell you to stay in your room until I call. You just keep¡­coming...back.¡±


    ***


    Back in the dead grass outside the courtroom, her father said, ¡°Over and over, I told her to spend more time with you, train you the right way. But she hated the stress that came with you from the day you were born. She was going to leave us both, little girl.  Now our land is cursed. Let her die in your stead and never speak on this again.¡± Tears filled his eyes as he whispered, ¡°Less they discover it¡¯s you who was haunting the victims.¡±


    ***


    When he paused, Calamity felt the weight of the loneliness she¡¯d been carrying with her every day: her mother had been mentally absent for a long time. No more than a day before the accusations toward her mom began, the words of Temperance resounded in her imagination. ¡°I know how you can conjure something that will show you more devotion than you can ever ask for.¡± There came a point when the only choice less desirable than opening the book was not opening it. Temperance should know best. She was a preacher¡¯s daughter, after all.


    She cracked it open. Whatever apprehension she had, she had already cried away. She read, ¡°From our darkest deeds, the dark entities are formed. Here is an incantation to summon a newborn. Beware, the newborns have not all been trained on how they should proceed.¡±


    After reciting the incantation with a mix of excitement and fear racing through her veins, she laughed out loud when nothing happened. The power the book claimed had been a hoax, and she halfway fell for it. She closed her eyes, for the morning would bring a hot, rumbling book burning.


    But it was in her dreams where she heard jungle sounds, and something panting, rushing through branches. At the threshold to life in Massachusetts, green hands peeled back leaves of the white oak trees. A goulash, pointed ear man with an amused smile on his face embraced the starless night. Ahead of him appeared hooded men with green chins and hands, beckoning him forward.


    Her eyes opened to a shadow of a pointed ear being that was present on her canopy. ¡°What are you?¡± She said, trembling.


    It spoke with a Massachusetts dialect, omitting the letter R. ¡°Ma name is Sam Hill. I¡¯m supposed to be youa watcha?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were real,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Pay padon me, Miss¡¯ Dya, but I want to thank you fa givin me such puppus. Only¡­ watcha is fa these otha dak entities, not me. I¡¯m diffant, like you.¡±


    ¡°How do you know me?¡±


    ¡°See, that¡¯s exactly what I mean. I didn¡¯t fly ova hea¡¯ as fast as I could, like other dak entities would. Six owas ago, you called me. All night, I¡¯ve been gathain¡¯ infamation on you, and let me tell you, I am imp¡¯essed. You don¡¯t need a watcha. No, that won¡¯t do, Miss Dya. You need a f¡¯iend. Please. Call me Sam Hill.¡±


    ***


    Felicity¡¯s final scream rang out the window, plunging Calamity back into a brutal reality. Calamity struggled to breathe, eyebrows furrowed at her father, tears streaming down her face. She felt a knife cut deep into her heart, then far worse, the absence of the piece that had been severed.


    ***


    On dark nights, when the horror of her mother¡¯s execution came to remembrance, a new friend whom she¡¯d summoned from her forbidden book slept next to her, Sam Hill. Green and ghoulish yet charismatic and childlike, he played eye spy with her, and whispered secrets. Spoke with a Massachusetts dialect, omitting the letter ¡°R¡± in his speech.


    ¡°Evyone will know ma name¡¯s Sam Hill,¡± he said, wrapped in the quilt. ¡°And I¡¯m gonna be betta than any dak entity eva. May I whispa you anotha secet?¡±


    She nodded, pale and stoic.


    ¡°You may only see me a few months out the yea¡¯, but even when I¡¯m away, I fantasize eve¡¯y night about us becoming famous and ageless with handsome mo¡¯tal flesh. And I always think about you, my dea¡¯ sista, next to me.¡±


    ¡°You are too sweet, Sam. It almost sounds like flattery.¡± She let out a sarcastic gasp.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s t¡¯ue. We will be King and Queen, someday. When I think on these mattas, I get myself so ecstatic, I find myself hasting about and jumping!¡±


    The corner of her chap lips curled up in an ever so faint smile.


    Five years later, she held to her commitment of running away. All the repenting of the puritans for their witch trials wouldn¡¯t bring back her mother.


    ***


    Back in the wagon, Diamond said, ¡°What happened to Felicity was awful. After Calamity went through all that, how can she be so cold to us, to Dylan?¡±


    ¡°To really know,¡± Chip replied. ¡°You have to hear the rest of this.¡±


    ***


    In the shadows outside the same courthouse where Felicity had been put to death ten years prior, a pirate captain in short, loose pants and woolen stockings chased a crew member in the same attire. They went round the tree, rum spilling out their bottles.


    When he caught up with the crew member, they engaged in a kiss. The mate removed a hat, and long brown hair swung out. Revealed to be twenty-year-old Calamity, she said, ¡°You know I despise that you make me pretend to be male.¡±


    Captain Azzure¡¯s beard resembled her father¡¯s. His expression carried the same veil of secrecy that Mr. Dyer¡¯s did ten years prior. ¡°Me wife will make you walk the plank if she finds out about us. Besides, we all hide our identities. It¡¯s part of being a pirate.¡±


    Calamity remained silent.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done so much for me, love. I¡¯d still be working for the English government if you didn¡¯t convince me to work for me. You¡¯re my inspiration.¡±


    She looked ahead with cold eyes.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you want to come across the river, anyway? Salem¡¯s the same drudgery it was when I found you.¡±


    Coughing and wheezing from the backstreet turned their attention. A gleam flickered in Calamity¡¯s eyes, then she rushed to the dark unknown. The long-lost and then huffing voice of her ¡°brother,¡± Sam Hill, drew her further in. He was the reason she came back; his fellow entities had sent word that he was ill and somewhere close to the rickety courthouse.


    ¡°Dea¡¯ sista, you¡¯ve come home.¡±


    She watched on, quiet but attentive.


    ¡°Please, get me blood. I need powa so I don¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°S-sam, I¡ª,¡± Calamity said, Captain Azzure standing some feet behind her.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m weak. Do you know who the magistrate inside is? None otha than Thomas Hitchman. He killed ya motha. Get his blood. Get all thea blood foa me. They desave to die, and I to live.¡±


    She pictured a book on fire, Thomas¡¯s spit, and her note fiddling, then came the haunting reminder of her mother¡¯s whiny screams.


    Shoulders square, she marched past the tree where¡¯d she¡¯d been playing games with her lover. Azzure chased behind, calling her name.


    ¡°Calamity. That was Sam Hill? I never believed he was real.¡±


    She said nothing, not after she got a foot on the nearby ship with its jolly roger flag risen. Wabbling the boat, she marched to the cannon then struck it with a flaming torch.


    Midway up the ladder, Captain Azzure said, ¡°Calamity, they¡¯ll be military everywhere. Think about what you¡¯re doing.¡± One kick sent him down to the ship¡¯s base. ¡°Thomas Hitchman, I dedicate your blood to Sam Hill,¡± she said. ¡°As foul as it is, he wants it.¡±


    The hot cannonball exploded, and the courtroom came crumbling down. Instantly, reflections of winged dark entities appeared in the water beneath.


    ¡°Gods of the sea, protect us,¡± Captain Azzure cried.


    ***


    Chip crinkled the notes from his investigation in his too-confident-to-know-he¡¯s-clumsy manner and missed his shirt pocket a couple of times before successfully putting them away. ¡°This Calamity has killed many since, and has done so indiscriminately, dedicating every last drop of blood to Sam Hill. Be alert and shoot anything that feels evil. Dark entities may take familiar likenesses.¡±


    Before we could reply, the wagon began to slow down to our destination. I got my bag ready, and Chip cocked his gun.

 Chapter 25: Casualty of Misery

    We stood side by side on a dirt area rich in tall saguaro cactuses, pale blue silhouette of mountains ahead. It was the threshold to the cemetery. We each carried a weapon: Dunbar carried his pistol, Owl, a golden bow, Chip, a six-gun shooter, Diamond, a sniper rifle, I, a kit and musket.


    A trail took us to a forest with a boneyard garden inside. We stalked through the garden¡¯s muggy smog to a river on our right that let off a gurgling sound. To our left, dispersed yellow desert dandelions, orange marigold, pink ornamentals, and sharp leafed trees left equal spaces of mountains barren.


    Over in the stream, a frog floated on a leaf and a-ribbited a song. Dunbar fired and killed it.


    ¡°What in dad¡¯s name is the matter with you,¡± I said.


    ¡°Gone shoot any thang that moves,¡± he replied.


    I¡¯m ashamed to write this, but we were all as paranoid. We all¡ª knowing the speed of these Ana things and the power of dark entities¡ªaimed at one rustle in the trees or another.


    A winding turn brought us to fallen crosses on either side. Ahead of that, branches of a nearby tree shook violently, sounded like a coconut dropped out. Chip rushed up on it and gagged, head of an Apache Indian at his feet.


    Familiar, ominous rattling began. We looked up and around. ¡°Come on, you sons of bitches,¡± Chip yelled. Diamond¡¯s eyes were icy, her weapon drawn. Owl picked the head up and dangled it by its hair. ¡°This all you got? I not like Apache, anyway.¡±


    We heard a horse neigh from an aloft cliff. The mustang kicked up on its hind legs and when it came forward, I recognized the young pimply face rider. Nerves rose up my gullet.


    Diamond gasped, hiked her skirt up, and darted up the hills. ¡°Dylan. Wait.¡± Halfway up, she tripped to her knees. She scurried to pull together, but he had turned the horse and vanished into the atmosphere.


    Chip and I both took an arm to gently lift her. Knees skinned, she hollered ¡°Dylan, where¡¯d you go?¡±


    Three oak trees stood one higher up than the next. Behind each one, a separate vest and cowboy wearing boy emerged. They joined up and sang, ¡°Diamond and Dylan sitting in the tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage.¡±


    Tears streamed down Diamond¡¯s face. ¡°They were Dylan¡¯s and my schoolmates. How can this be?¡±


    The boys ran off into the fog. There appeared to be spectral evidence of dark entities at play. My beating pulse drowned out any clarity I would conjure.


    Before Chip or I could get any words formed, rattling ensued. Ana beasts came running from mountains and forest, high and low.


    All of us had one strategy derived from our experience with them¡ªfire as fast as possible. We took them down as soon as they could flash their furry faces and fangs and roar. Dunbar shot and cussed from beneath. Chip, Diamond, and I hit them from every angle above.


    The gun smoke merged with the fog, until we could see no more, but somehow, we hit every last target that still came. When their animalistic yelps finished and the smoke cleared, we moved up and onward, until we reached the cliff where Dylan had been.


    I leaped back at what was ahead, couldn¡¯t make out the rich forest area from the monster engulfing it. ¡°Goddamn, no warning,¡± I exclaimed.


    The large, fiery colored Ana beast soared forward. This is the one that had run out of town with Dylan. Dodging its flame, we scattered to either side. I didn¡¯t see Diamond at all, anymore, and her pink rifle lay abandoned on the ground. ¡°Goddamn it,¡± I cried.


    The chief shot arrows, and the rest of us, bullets. But the damn thing got out the way and bulldozed through the forest. After it zoomed back out and hovered, it breathed a flame that sent us all for the trees.


    Those woods caught hell. The heat was melting.


    I couldn¡¯t find Chip or Owl through the infernos. Of all people, I came across Dunbar lying on his back. Branches snapped underneath my steps toward him.


    His sweat slid down from forehead to mustache. ¡°We gone burn to death.¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t allow myself to die next to a scallywag like you.¡±


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯m panicking. Might have a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°Goddammit. Shut up.¡± I wanted to leave him to die, but my responsibility arrested me. I extracted a bottle of whiskey from my bag and fed him to calm his nerves.


    ¡°Thank ya.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t mention it. I assure you that I¡¯m only doing my duty.¡±


    A twang came from a nearby bent tree. ¡°Doc Apollo, get me my rifle,¡± Diamond said.


    I trembled in my speech. ¡°What you say?¡±


    The pink Whitworth lay out in the open where the beast roared and rolled about.


    ¡°Doc Apollo, stop shaking. Them flames are spreading, and that¡¯s that.¡±


    I hurried out and took hold of it then screwed my face, palms downward on the horizontal gun, I braced for the worst. Black liquid from the thing¡¯s human lips dripped.


    I imagined Bet¡¯s stare luring me in. When I came to, I had dodged the miry fluid, but the Ana beast had drooped down and taken me up on its tooth. All I could do was toss the gun out and let the hands of fate do what they would.


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    Years of decisions rushed before me: cheating on Aminda, leaving Bet, much drinking and many arguments, trusting Calamity, tilting over a glass of whiskey on my porch to say farewell to my alcoholism and the pain it caused. I didn¡¯t know what to make of the thoughts, but they sure were a-flooding my soul, one after the other. Instinctively as I did so few things, I prayed without scrutiny to what may or may not exist. It¡¯d been a long time. ¡°Please, not like this.¡±


    Bet¡¯s face smiled behind the spreading fire.


    After I shut my eyes, everything went black.


    The Whitworth sent a bullet, the beast howled, and from the bent over tree, Diamond yelled, ¡°I got you this time.¡±


    My eyes opened to a fire that had turned to black smoke then, quickly, dissipated.


    Chip came a-running. ¡°Doc, you alright?¡±


    A giant hand pulled me up by my coat. ¡°He alright,¡± Big Owl said.


    Diamond came down and over.


    I was a-breathing hard. ¡°Goddamn, what have we gotten ourselves into.¡±


    ¡°Look around. We¡¯re winning,¡± Chip said. Ana beasts that had joined to create the monster lay dead in the dirt. ¡°There can¡¯t be many more.¡±


    ¡°Winning what?¡± Then, I turned to Diamond, who was staring off. ¡°And how the hell did you get up that tree?¡±


    ¡°Dylan and I use to climb.¡± She walked away and called out his name. The desperation could be heard in her echo.


    Before I could complete my breathing exercises, the mustang and rider darted through, nearly trampling over us.


    Diamond chased after. ¡°Dylan, stawp!¡±


    Chip clenched his teeth, trailing behind. ¡°Diamond, slow down. You don¡¯t know where that horse is going.¡± Right when we¡¯d pick up speed, more beasts were a-coming.


    ¡°Me and Dummy bar will hold them off,¡± Chief said. ¡°Go take care of girl.¡±


    Dunbar replied, ¡°What you call me?¡± They set their differences aside; they had to. They stood ready for the last of the beasts, while Chip and I hurried for Diamond.


    The horror of decapitated Apache corpses along the trail slowed us down. ¡°These people are sick,¡± Chip said. Just as he finished, we heard a beast scurrying through the branches. We tried to outrun it, but it moved too fiercely.


    Out came Ana Ahote to cut us off, wielding an axe and crouching. We aimed our weapons, only for him to hop up and spread his arms in superiority.


    Our bullets ricocheted off his chest. ¡°What in tarnation,¡± I declared.


    His voice sounded like that of many. ¡°You cannot kill me like you did the rest of my tribe.¡± He swayed forward, leering.


    After cracking out a final round, we stopped wasting bullets.


    He went on. ¡°We are shadows of the Nagawitchi children and are made strong by the level of forbidden beliefs and forbidden lusts our specific humans¡¯ carried.¡± More bullets rapping off him, he kept swaying up on us. ¡°When we killed our humans, we¡ªthey became free. The other Ana¡¯s humans were too weak in their desires. Those beasts never reveled in pure awesomeness as I do. Unfortunately for you, my human was all powerful in his wants. No weapon made with mortal hands can conquer me!¡±


    Right when he steamrolled forward, Giant Chief emerged behind us with his golden bow and arrow drawn.


    ¡°Father,¡± the beast cried, braking in the black dirt.


    Owl froze as Ahote took to the woods, leaving the axe plunged down in the ground. Giant Chief acquired it and chopped his way down the direction Ahote went. With every branch he beat to the ground, he yelled, ¡°You no my son.¡± The chief came back, bellowing out a cry and breaking the axe handle in half. ¡°He no my son.¡±


    Chip nodded. ¡°Sorry, Owl, but we have to find Diamond, right now.¡±


    Chip and I consoled the chief a last time but had to regrettably leave him alone with his grief.


    We took a path on the right that led to fields of ornamentals on either side of a river bank. We trotted onward through blinding mist, until we found Dylan and Diamond conversing by his mustang.


    She reached for him, but he leaped away, while skipping a rock into the water. As she prowled forward, he said ¡°Don¡¯t. You don¡¯t know what they did to me.¡±


    ¡°Nothing will change how I feel.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then come see.¡± He made eye contact with Chip and me. ¡°You, too. Come see.¡±


    When he mounted his horse, he let Diamond join.


    ¡°We never road like this,¡± Diamond said.


    ¡°No, I suppose not.¡±


    ¡°You feel so¡ªso cold.¡±


    After winding down a long road, we came to an open wooded area with a tarp covering a large portion of ground. A ray of sunlight broke through the fog and shone on the horse. The mustang allowed Diamond and Dylan to dismount, and she glistened like an angel, smiling with that birthmark over her lip. ¡°Dylan.¡±


    He kept a cold expression. ¡°Diamond, I have a surprise.¡±


    She blushed, as he whipped back the tarp.


    A headstone hovered over a large hole in the ground. We moved up on it and read, ¡°Herin, lies Dylan King. A brave soldier and casualty of Calamity¡¯s misery.¡±


    Diamond looked down the hole and shrieked. Dylan¡¯s lifeless body lay there.


    Poor boy put it all on the line for our country and died like this? A shiver went through me. If he lay there, who was this rider?


    The entity, who¡¯d impersonated Dylan, and its demon mustang faded in front of our eyes.


    Diamond gripped her chest, dropped to the ground, and screamed.


    Drumming, rattling, and chanting took the air. Who could it be? Seemed we¡¯d picked off the bulk of the Ana tribe, already.


    I surveyed all around, while Chip dashed in circles, blasting.


    I hollered, ¡°Diamond¡¯s been through enough.¡±


    Through it all, Diamond didn¡¯t stop gazing down at Dylan while crying, until a flickering figure rose out from where the soldier¡¯s corpse lay.


    Standing behind this form, I recognized its long, flowing silver locks and pointy witch hat. She turned and stepped toward me, walking on air. I implemented our only strategy and fired my musket without hesitation, but Calamity caught the bullet and chuckled.


    She warned us in her snobbish tone. ¡°This is Calamity Dyer, communicating to you through an entity and servant of Sam Hill that has taken my likeness. Don¡¯t bother trying to kill it; your human weapons are futile.¡±


    I whispered, ¡°How can any of this be real?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so pragmatic, Doctor. They should have listened. There¡¯s no way you can win. It¡¯s quite amusing watching the Chip Blaze show, though, isn¡¯t it? One of a buffoon running in circles?¡± At this statement, Chip came charging, but she tossed him to the ground with the strength of devils, knocking him out.


    Wiping off her hands, she said, ¡°And that big oaf, Owl, is all-in apple-pie order, isn¡¯t he? Right now, he¡¯s using the axe we left for him to chop and chop and ¨C he doesn¡¯t know Ahote and I departed for Mexico, moments ago. Doc Apollo, you¡¯ve been right all along. The mule train will never keep up. This posse has failed.¡±


    ¡°Ploise,¡± Diamond cried, ¡°Give Dylan back. Let him hunt and fish and tame horses and climb trees and go out to eat. Don¡¯t you remember how it felt when you lost your mother?¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve done your research. The answer is, I don¡¯t. Forgetting is what makes you strong. I¡¯ve done you a favor, honey. Men only make you miserable.¡±


    ¡°No. give him back. Ploise. Give him back!¡±


    ¡°I will not. This is on you. You made the decision not to save him. You should have been there for him when he needed you most.¡±


    Diamond sunk to a fallen position as if the air had been released out of her then surrendered her countenance to the earth.


    Calamity laughed at me. ¡°You thought she was strong?¡±


    I opened my mouth, and no words came through.


    ¡°Think of all you did accomplish. I was amazed when I got the report that you and the Comanche not only didn¡¯t kill one another, but you joined forces.¡± She gestured at Chip¡¯s unconscious body. ¡°You followed this narcissist and took out all my Ana beasts except Ahote. Problem for you is they are much weaker than he is, and his power is still with me.¡± She sneered. ¡°I¡¯ve made it one-hundred-seventy-eight years with only the entities that follow Sam Hill at my disposal¡­I don¡¯t need those beasts, anyway. You know, I could have ended all of you today, but the game of suffering is much more fun in long form. Your hope is gone. The death of your mission is the most horrific one I could render to you. I pronounce right now that it is dead!¡±


    Chanting from principalities and powers of the air ensued. The dark entity, which carried Calamity¡¯s form and message, shimmered up and turned to smoke like a blown out candleflame.

 Chapter 26: Intervention

    ¡°Makes Giant Chief sad to see you hurt.¡±


    Diamond appeared as a child cradled in Owl¡¯s arms. He had swooped her up after finding her cried to sleep, face down in the desert dandelions next to Dylan¡¯s grave.


    ¡°You carry him,¡± Chief said, referring to the unconscious Chip.


    Tears blurred my vision. I¡¯d been too stunned to tend to either of my friends and had barely formed the words to inform Chief on what transpired. Medical students don¡¯t learn to heal some sick world populated by shadow monsters and dark entities.


    ¡°Stop feeling sorry for yourself. What¡¯s left of my son is beast. You can cry for that. Her loved one die. You can cry for that, too. But you no cry cause you don¡¯t want to pick up Sheriff.¡±


    I walked over to Chip, bent at my knees, and wrapped my arms around his waist. Straining and about to buckle, I said, ¡°Wake up, you bull. You big auger, wake up.¡±


    Thankfully, be blinked and broke my hold.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Chip said.


    ¡°You get knocked out by girl,¡± Chief replied.


    Chip wore a sour frown. ¡°These entities¡­I can¡¯t catch up with them with a mule train.  Doc, you were right.¡±


    We escaped that wretched boneyard garden to where the muleskinners waited on the nearby soil, their shadows as tall and quiet as the saguaros next to them. Chief lay Diamond by a barren mountain.


    I knelt in front of her with a bottle of opium to treat her depression. She awoke, eyes swollen, and said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t have the appetite for it.¡±


    ¡°Listen, miss,¡± I whispered. ¡°I lost a loved one before. I know¡ª"


    ¡°You don¡¯t know,¡± Diamond said. ¡°You and everyone, leave me alone.¡±


    Lost for words, I pulled myself up and made my way over to confide with Chip and the mule men.


    ¡°We need something more to avenge her loss and Grand Jose¡¯s,¡± Chip said. ¡°Something has to happen right now.¡±


    Returning from the mule train in a trance, Giant Chief passed by with a flute. A few steps ahead of us, he put it to his mouth; big man made it look like a whistle. He blew it off key, and I covered my ears. What was he doing with that toy at a time like this? I said, ¡°Hey, if you can¡¯t play the flute, don¡¯t even toot.¡±


    Chip settled me down. ¡°You keep that up, and he may come over here and whoop you.¡±


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    ¡°Oh bubba,¡± Charlie Bass chimed in, holding a shocked expression.


    As we all turned to get far from the noise, Chip spread his arms to block us. His eyes had opened wide. He directed our attention to mountains on either side.


    Watching from above were three four legged creatures. They were enormous and not of this realm. Their fur, a chaotic blend like black and red clouds swirling in the sky, had peculiar features ¨C cat ears, whiskers, beaks, and wings. They were moving testaments to how far from normal we¡¯d drifted. Wings a-popped up from their backs, and they came a-flapping to encircle us. I kept my mouth shut, rotating in any awe I had left.


    ¡°These are the creatures from Taiowa¡¯s legend,¡± Owl declared. ¡°Light entity animals.¡±


    ¡°Our path forward,¡± Sheriff insisted.


    I threw Chip a look and said, ¡°Now just a-minute ago you were telling me I was right. That we can¡¯t beat these dark entities.¡±


    ¡°This is a sign, damn it, and we¡ªI have a job to do. I must avenge Grand Jose. You can go back home with the muleskinners, Doc.¡±


    Before I could reply, Diamond had made her way into our midst. She sniffed and said, ¡°They¡¯re beautiful. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening but give me one to fly. I don¡¯t know how far I can make it, and I really don¡¯t even know which way I should go, but since I gotta go one direction or the other, I¡¯ll fly along to Mexico, missing Dylan the entire way.¡±


    ¡°Hallelujar. Would you look at them fine cat birdies!¡± That shout came from way over at the forest. Dunbar had emerged. Something like a groan came out my mouth, had all but forgotten him and was better off for it.


    He said, ¡°The one who knows his name rescued me again, and that one wants me to say shame on you for forgetting about me. I¡¯m the only one who has the witch¡¯s whereabouts. You can fly all day, but without me, you¡¯ll fly to the Rio Grande, and you¡¯re up the spout after.¡±


    ¡°Alright, this confirms my decision,¡± I said, turning to the muleskinners who watched on. I switched right back in Chip¡¯s direction and offered a handshake. ¡°Thank you for your class, Sheriff. I¡¯m going to take you up on your offer to go back with the mule men.¡±


    As I made my decision heard, Charlie remained expressionless.


    I said, ¡°Come-on, Charlie. We have to snap out of that trance, and as you may say, ¡®git.¡¯ There¡¯s a long trip ahead.¡±


    ¡°Remember what I said,¡± Charlie Bass replied. ¡°Wisdom aint got nothing to do with what¡¯s happening in this world. This world is gittin¡¯ too big for us mule men. Aside from that, Mayor Heck¡¯ll have me and you hung if I bring you back from an incomplete mission.¡±


    I gave him a mean smile. ¡°Thanks for nothing.¡±


    Emotionless, he replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t take a big man to carry a grudge.¡±


    I chuckled with indignation. ¡°With all due respect, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be on my mind with what I¡¯m facing, Charlie.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m referring to a grudge with yourself.¡±


    I opened my mouth, stopped, pulled elegance deep from within, winked, and said, ¡°Mule man, Charlie Bass, I think I¡¯ll hear that slow drawl droning out proverbs long after we part.¡±


    A blast went up to the heavens; Dunbar had his barrel fixed upright. ¡°Drop your weapon, negro, or I¡¯ll shoot you down and have no remorse for it.¡±


    Turned hind first, I lifted my hands and let my musket hit the ground.


    ¡°Now, here¡¯s what¡¯s gone happen. I¡¯m flying right behind the quack and keeping a gun on him, cause the evangelist wants to see him.¡±


    ¡°Evangelist? We¡¯re going to the Rio Grande,¡± Chip argued.


    ¡°We got one stop on the way. That¡¯s Fort Cross. There, we gone reload, and for those of you who bathe, you can do that, and then we gone go to the third floor to have a pow wow¡ªas that big Indian would call it. On that third floor, you gone meet with the man who healed my nether eye. You gone meet the evangelist.¡±

 Chapter 27: The Light Versus Dark Entity War for the West

    Three creatures knelt, purred, and made gentle blue eyes. This brought a warmth that loosened my disposition. When I brushed the head of my selected guide, it chirped with appreciation.


    ¡°We only need to tell them where to go,¡± Owl said.


    ¡°Fort Cross,¡± ordered Dunbar.


    A glimpse at a patch of missing fur behind my ride¡¯s ear showed a scar that brought remembrance of Nagawitchi of old betraying these trusting furballs. ¡°There, there.¡± I held my smile. ¡°You¡¯ve been wronged before.¡± Gazing into Diamond¡¯s eyes that had swollen up from shedding tears, I continued, ¡°Time is the right treatment to take care of you.¡±


    She gave me a sorrowful stare. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have been short with you, Doc Apollo. You said you lost a loved one. How do you ever feel right?¡±


    ¡°In your case, you did all you could, so.¡± I paused, before a poke from a pistol bruised my back.


    ¡°Git own that flying cat bird, right now.¡±


    Dunbar sort of threw that name out, ¡°cat bird,¡± but we all accepted it as classification for this specie. We did so rather unconsciously, may I add.


    Chip threw up a hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough roughhousing with Doc, Deputy.¡±


    Dunbar climbed up behind me, putting me much closer to that healed nether eye than desired. Giant Chief took up an entire back of a cat birdie. This left one over for Chip and Diamond to share. Chip fixed his eyes on the soil, Diamond the saguaros. ¡°Well, I reckon you noid to get on up first,¡± Diamond said. ¡°I¡¯m too weak right now for a big man to hold on to.¡±


    ***


    We had ascended. Right when I thought I¡¯d lose breath, the ridge between the shoulder blades of the animal opened and transmitted waves of oxygen. I grinned, holding on to fur, turning side to side with my coat fluttering up. Don¡¯t know if anyone reading will ever believe, but we were above clouds, ears aching and popping.


    Canyons and rivers appeared to be settings for wooden toy soldiers collected on my coffee table. Couldn¡¯t believe a world so small carried such significance.


    Dunbar pulled snug into me. ¡°We gone fall.¡±


    I threw back my elbow and hit him on the nose.


    When I turned forward, the birds seemed to be changing course, taking direction from something other than us. All our cat birdies spun in full turns toward the direction of a light. It was cooler than the sun¡¯s but just as blinding. We surged straight forward, unable to make anything out from the beam of energy that took us in.


    How¡¯d our feet get on solid ground? A land a-rotating in the sky? Steam rising from sweltering waters?


    Gemstone shaped lands for no more than two individuals were shipping white clothed men and women to their destinations. Our posse appeared there, already embarking on separate tiny islands. Diamond and Chief shared one. Dunbar stood alone, while I found myself paired with Chip.


    ¡°Nothing shocks me, anymore,¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Damndest place I¡¯ve ever been,¡± Chip said.


    We glided by golden statues of winged entities with eyes sparkling like colored diamonds. Heard Dunbar holler, ¡°Gawd damn, we¡¯re supposed to be going to Fort Cross.¡±


    Funny animals, ones with racoon heads and dog snouts, abnormal like our cat birdies, scurried about on some island of pink leafed trees.


    Words over a gemstone pillared building, that we seemed to be heading for, read ¡°Ether Hub.¡± A sweet aroma lured us to it, while violin music mounted to what seemed to be a crescendo.


    By the hub, an Aztec warrior, recognized by a white eagle chest plate and headdress as big as him, waited with a glare.


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    We edged toward him, which got Chip squatting in that smilin¡¯, wrasslin¡¯ jackass pose. I scolded, ¡°Can¡¯t tell if you want to tussle with him or take him off a sparking.¡±


    He burst into ire. Fortunately for me, we arrived before he would put me in one of them dreaded collar and elbow tie ups. The rest of the posse alighted after us.


    With smoke rising from the hub, the Aztec said, ¡°Greetings, my name is Xochipilli. Welcome to the Light Entity Hub. Why don¡¯t you all enjoy? That is¡ªall of you but you, Big Owl. Chief, I¡¯ve arranged a one on one with you to follow up on our special agreement.¡±


    Owl sneered and grunted, as the two departed, together.


    Chip, Diamond, Dunbar and I moved past white robed onlookers. ¡°Well, we¡¯re getting stared at,¡± Diamond said.


    I picked up on some entity chatter on the white cobblestone road that led to the hub. ¡°You think Owl will soon become one of us,¡± a female voice said.


    ¡°If so, his transition will be glorious,¡± another entity replied.


    We made it inside to where we could barely see sapphire laden tables through the cloudy aura. The fumes arose from large, glass, smoking instruments in the hands of the entities.  All the white robed men and women looked on with smiles, seemingly enthusiastic on our behalf for our arrival.


    Chip and I exchanged uneasy glances. ¡°You don¡¯t think we died, do you?¡± I said.


    Both of us answered ¡°no¡± at the same time.


    At a table, center of the room, a blonde headed, white robed man waved us over. Puffing ether out a blunt, the European accented light entity said, ¡°Brilliant. Do you bloody feel it, blokes?¡±


    A couple gal light entities stared on at him, puffing their own ether, admiring whatever edicts he may espouse.


    The European said, ¡°Name¡¯s Friedreich.¡±


    In the sweet-smelling room, Dunbar¡¯s boots reverberated against the stone floor. After he came through the clouded atmosphere, a ray of light shone on his scowl. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t see no monument for the one who knows his name. Where¡¯s his?¡±


    ¡°Damfino. And get out my space. You¡¯re cutting a finger. I wish to speak with your pals.¡± Friedreich replied.


    ¡°The hell you mean?¡± Dunbar growled back.


    ¡°You stink like the slops. Better leg it.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you dirn well make me, you bluebelly namby pamby.¡±


    ¡°Our laws won¡¯t allow us to kill or be killed by mortals. Unless? Are you looking for me to hand you your arse for the rubbish of it? I¡¯ll oblige.¡±


    ¡°What I want to know is if you aint worshipping the truest one who knows his name, who the evangelist preaches on, then what are you wrongfully bowing down to.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have all the answers. What I can tell you is we¡¯re dead. But we died in such valor, we were made light entities. There¡¯s a war between us and the dark entities. It¡¯s happening right in your alley, scumbag. It¡¯s a war to claim the western expansion for our respective realms. And you had better beware, because everyone who calls themselves a preacher of light entities aren¡¯t for truth.¡±


    ¡°So, what you want from us?¡± Diamond said. ¡°Ahem. Bloke.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what we want. It¡¯s what we must have.¡±


    We heard buzzing that became more aggressive as it went, then we turned toward a motion picture that came through the white haze. The picture sucked our vision through trees eaten up by cicadas. When our view came out the other side of the forest, it was pulled passed stone stairs of a temple to fiery alters at its entrance. Along the way, a heap of light entities¡¯ dead and mangled bodies smelt of ashes, carried a stench of smoke that became suffocating.


    At the top of the great stone stairs, the Aztec light entity who we¡¯d seen earlier, Xochipilli, came a-running for his life. He met Friedreich halfway down.


    ¡°My heart is split in two on the ways of peace, which we¡¯ve been taught,¡± Xochipilli said to Friedreich. ¡°All these light entities have died a second death; because of our negligence to get the source of power, the blood, we¡¯ve needed, while Sam Hill, through his witch, has become invincible.¡±


    ¡°I told them all,¡± Friedreich shouted. ¡°We have waited too long. Never again.¡±


    ¡°Never again,¡± Xochipilli affirmed.


    From the top of the temple, a shadowy figure tilted his top hat at them.


    Friedreich cast a threat that rang into the air toward the mysterious creature. ¡°We will pay all of you dark entity scumbags back one hundred times over. You hear?¡±


    ***


    The motion picture disappeared and left us back in the hub with Diamond gazing down, Dunbar hanging his mouth open, and Chip and I staring at one another in awe.


    Friedreich balled his fist. ¡°You saw it. We entities draw power from blood. The dark ones have gotten tons of it from Calamity, while us light ones have starved. For us to win, we need blood. But we¡¯ll do it the right way.¡±


    I stroked my goatee and gazed out the window. Outside, Owl pushed Xochipilli aside. What I read from the Aztec¡¯s lips were, ¡°You owe us a blood payment.¡±


    I turned to Friedreich and said, ¡°You¡¯re asking for blood?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a vaquero,¡± Friedreich said. ¡°That lad was put here to be a vessel for us to use.¡±


    ¡°A young vaquero and blood. I don¡¯t like anything you''re saying,¡± I said. ¡°You''re no different than the dark entities, thirsty, wanting to use¡ªyes, use¡ª human vessels, and you don¡¯t mind if those vessels are children.¡±


    Chip threw his hands up, just coming short of making contact with Friedreich. ¡°We¡¯ll handle this ourselves. Leave the children alone. You¡¯ll come through us before you take any of them.¡±


    ¡°You be careful how you say that,¡± Friedreich replied.


    Dunbar stepped betwixt them ¡°We gone see. We gone see what the evangelist at Fort Cross says, and if your dirn cat birds take us off track again, I¡¯ll blast them dead.¡±


    ¡°Your mingin attitude¡¯s not setting right with me,¡± Friedreich said, getting into Dunbar¡¯s face.


    The door slammed open, and Giant Chief ¡®s silhouette was mounted high behind the white ether smoke. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­ Now.¡± Chief ordered

 Chapter 28: The S.H.D.E Saloon at Fort Cross

    We soared on our cat-birdies through the night sky, led on by the golden glow cast from the Giant Chief¡¯s bow. Every short mile forward made the Light Entity Hub a more dreamlike memory, but an imminent future, just as well. I had a sinking feeling that we hadn¡¯t heard the last of Friedreich and Xochipilli.


    Regardless, we were on to Fort cross, and it took less than an hour before the cat birdies prepared for landing over its stone wall. They parked us midway down the bridge, our last stop before the Rio Grande.


    After we descended to concrete, Chip turned to Owl. ¡°The creatures couldn¡¯t be discreet? I don¡¯t think flying animals, giant Indians, and shining weapons are going to attract the right attention.¡±


    I twiddled my fingers; while the others looked around, seemingly to be anticipating the US military.


    I took a deep breath. Somehow, no sound was heard, until¡­ an eerie whistling from shadows ahead commenced. We crept forward to the source, a guard in full uniform¡ªcap down to yellow buttoned blue coat. He attained eye contact, while laughing manically.


    As we passed by, I said to Chip in a controlled lowness of voice, ¡°Who in our world would a-whistle after dusk? Don¡¯t they know that it calls on dark entities?¡±


    ¡°Since when did you stop thinking pragmatically,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Since thinking pragmatically has been made null and void.¡±


    More guards, whom we dashed by toward the entrance, saluted. ¡°Jed Dunbar,¡± one said.


    The guard on the right of the Fort¡¯s gates greeted with, ¡°Hallelujar to the one who knows his name.¡± The guard on the left and Dunbar shouted in unison, ¡°Hallelujar.¡±


    Dunbar squealed in excitement. ¡°I¡¯m gone wait here with them, until I¡¯m needed. Ya¡¯ll will be delighted and enlightened.¡±


    ***


    Chip¡¯s boots echoed as we walked through the front room. It¡¯d been empty but for a wooden table with a candle centered on it. Open doorways along all the walls in the room led to three separate bedroom quarters, a curtain hiding a bath, and a stairwell.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up,¡± Diamond said.


    As buckets of water splashed into the ligneous tub, Chip, Owl, and I took seats. Nobody spoke for minutes, until Chip cleared his throat. He started to say something, then returned to throat clearing.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have the frog out by now, you never will. Shoot, Luke, or give up the gun,¡± I insisted.


    ¡°Alright. What I want to ask is that you two go up there to represent us all. I¡¯ll stay behind. Mayor Heck informed me on the blarney that the evangelist espouses. I don¡¯t need my head messed up by this guy preaching that I¡¯m going to die.¡±


    Chief gave a giant, bacteria filled smirk. ¡°You scared.¡±


    ¡°No, sir. I¡¯m not.¡±


    Chief chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re going to soil your pants.¡±


    Chip stood to his chair scraping backwards. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve had enough.¡±


    Chief got up and dwarfed him, then he placed his hand on Chip¡¯s entire shoulder. ¡°I joke. I go represent you, because I shouldn¡¯t have accused you of something.¡± He got quiet then took a serious tone. ¡°I never should say that you kill my people. Wrestling against you and battling with you, I know that not you.¡±


    I¡¯d seen this before, Chip struggling to cool his temper. I decided to go ahead and mosey my way to the stairwell, then I waved Chief over.


    Going up and around the stairs, the sound of his steps drowned out mine. He laughed and shouted, ¡°We go represent Sheriff, so he no soil his pants.¡±


    ***


    As we neared the third floor, muffled singing and commotion broke up what had been a silent, long climb. At the top of the stairs, the voices became clearer. Two swinging doors awaited. Above them, a wooden sign read, S.H.D.E. Saloon. I stopped dead at a wanted poster.


    The face on it bore my resemblance but had no name on it. ¡°Does that person look familiar to you, Chief?¡±


    ¡°I not know,¡± he replied, flippantly.


    Chandelier lights blurred out the countenances of the bartenders and patrons, explicitly a sitting cowboy playing an acoustic guitar. It dimly lit the rest of the antique oak filled room, including a table set up for us.


    We took our chairs, blood red rug under our feet with matching cloths on our table. While they left us a-waiting, the guitar player grazed his strings, singing:


    I think the world¡¯s going insane.


    Hallelujar. Hallelujar.


    I cry for the one who knows his name.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Hallelujar. Hallelujar.


    I leaned in and whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s something catawampus going on.¡±


    Just as Big Owl would reply, a waitress holding two drinks came over, swaying her chest. Above a ruffled red and black attire that left a leg, shoulders, and half her breasts exposed, she beamed. ¡°This round¡¯s on the house.¡±


    She looked just like Bet, big bug eyes and all¡­ It felt like rising shards of glass puncturing my heart. I glared up, head tilted back, sweat breaking from my brow, tone becoming defensive. ¡°I don¡¯t drink.¡±


    ¡°And I need twenty-three more,¡± Chief insisted.


    She laughed. ¡°Twenty-three coming up.¡± Her white gloved finger pointed in my direction. ¡°Drink is free, so I¡¯ll put a straw in yours. At least swivel the ice.¡±


    I swiveled away, its scent of poison burning my throat.


    Face on the wanted poster looked like mine, face of waitress like Bet¡¯s.


    While my thoughts swirled, twenty-three glasses disappeared one after the other in Chief¡¯s hand, the contents down his gullet.


    I pulled together and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have to piss?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He laughed. ¡°You really no drink?¡±


    ¡°I-I did some things. Got nobody to apologize to. They all deserved it, but I¡¯m not fool enough to partake of that anymore, the way it gets me ill tempered.¡±


    Chief took my beverage. ¡°Then, you won¡¯t, tonight.¡± He consumed it like it was trickling from a toy teacup. ¡°Drinking make Chief happy, but if drinking make Doctor sad, then Doctor no drink.¡±


    I winked. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He replied, ¡°You know, Giant Chief usually know right away if he like someone or no like them. Doctor, Chief not know how to read you.¡±


    ¡°Do you suppose I¡¯m complicated?¡±


    Commotion coming from upstairs interrupted any serenity we gained.


    Slave men, whose blue coattails and neck cloths were contrasted by their fierce African accents and intense faces, blocked off five scantily dressed saloon girls.


    Chief had downed another tray of drinks as fast as he got them and said, ¡°I go find outhouse.¡±


    While he walked out, my eyes were a-fixed on the slave men. One ordered, ¡°Out the way, madams, before we strike you. Thee evangelist must be on his way.¡±


    One of the women took a barstool and crossed her bare legs. ¡°Don¡¯t go, preacher boy. You might save me with only a kiss.¡±


    A shine hid the evangelist¡¯s face, as he sashayed his way down with legs long like his crown shaped top hat and his coattails. He spoke with linguistics of by gone colonial days, leaving out the letter R.


    ¡°Pay paddun me, foa the tough behavioua of my savvents. You shouldn¡¯t be passecutad foa a quite nattual pacclivity, one to be taken by an ahistacat.¡±


    Steps down from the blinding light, a huge gold buckle over the brim of his hat became clear, followed by ear length hair, a clean face, and dimpled smile.


    He slid down the rail, bringing saloon girls to throw backward hands over their foreheads.


    Showmanship continued with a tip of his hat and a clank against the floor from his decorative cane. Resting his arm on it, he clipped his cigar and took a draw.


    I chuckled to myself at the extravagance of this preacher, a velvet vest and tie? Frilly white shirt betwixt? He appeared and spoke like a rich lord from one hundred years ago,


    Massachusetts, but seemed far from the hardworking puritans of whose faith he proclaimed.


    Striding toward our table, with a man on either side blocking off saloon girls, he greeted me. ¡°How do you do, Doc Apollo?¡±


    I raised my eyebrows in mockery. ¡°Refresh me, preacher. Doesn¡¯t the good book comment on pride?¡±


    ¡°It would behoove you to consida the sin of slothfulness, which I¡¯m nowha neaa. I¡¯ve achieved the expense of my suits with my life''s commission that''s taken me sea to sea. Even healed Jed Dunba. So, do tell, what in the unavass is ma vatuous than my ethic?¡±


    I chewed and absorbed what would have been a snigger. Spoke slowly. ¡°You have such a contradiction of boyish charm and an experienced air. What gives, preacher?¡±


    He retrieved a copy of the wanted poster from his coat. ¡°Oh my, Docta, you scoundal! Whateva did you do to get on this bulletin? I shall infam you. You have gained attention fom the witch, Calamity Dya, and the dak entity, Sam Hill. Hill has clayavoyant spiaits advising him, and it is known wide that you have potential to be very disuptive to his plan, chiefly the pat whea he postulates he will transfam the shadow of Mattin Coffee into his outlaw, Bugga Bill. You only met the infant, Mattin, once, ova at the Shaiff¡¯s office, and you coddled him with compassion. What was in youa mind in that moment that made you known by those who it¡¯s betta to be invisible to?¡±


    I froze and muttered, ¡°What went through my mind?¡± Thoughts drifted to the slave cabin on fire, Aminda murdering Bet and my unborn child. When I fled West to act as the Mormons¡¯ doctor, vision blurred by hard liquor, a cow out on the plains turned and mooed directly into my soul, rattling it to no end. How did I let that happen to Bet, to my baby?


    So, the question was, "What went through my mind when I held poor, unwanted Martin?" I only didn¡¯t want the same fate for Martin that my baby fell to.


    I returned to my present mind to snaps from the evangelist¡¯s fingers. ¡°The bahtenda, over thea?¡±


    Refusing to glance, I whispered, ¡°Looks like Bet.¡±


    ¡°If you think the choice to swish the ice in you¡¯ liqua instead of ingesting it is difficult, imagine this¡­¡± He clanged another drink in front of me. ¡°Sam Hill, like me, has powa and connections with the otha side. He will put choices in font of you that you neva wished foa. Consida Calamity Dya, a woman made bitta and deadly under influence from not only having a witch mom, warlock dad, and piatt captain lover, but in fact, watching them all peaish by the same fate. That fate¡¯s execution, dea boy.¡±


    The evangelist¡¯s story took me to Florida, turn of the century, a frail Calamity, who¡¯d survived a shipwreck and lived among natives until old age. She was rocking in her chair when a green hand helped her to her feet and led her to the fountain of youth.


    Continuing the tale, he said, ¡°Light and dak entities alike can only gain powa from blood. While laws of his nature fabade him fom killing humans and vice vasa, Sam Hill found a leada in Calamity to do his bidding. Made the lass beautiful and deadlia than she eva was befoae. She¡¯s the catalyst in his plan to give life to his own people, those like Ana Ahote. Those whom are born out of shadows may wield entity powea.¡±


    The waitress handed him whiskey. He spun the ice, mimicking me with disappointment on his face. Then, he inhaled, took a sip, and laughed wildly, waitress giggling along. ¡°Fine whiskey, miss Bet look-alike. Back to what I was saying, the powea of Ahote, the one Ana which ya posse could not extaminate, is an example of the depths Sam Hill¡¯s life commission will sink us to. Mattin Coffee¡¯s shadow, Bugga Bill, will finalize this plan by seizing Texas and Mexico.¡±


    I leaned in, glassy eyed, and said, ¡°For all you¡¯ve put me through tonight, I have but one thing to say, and I make this oath on scripture.¡±


    ¡°Please, do tell.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, you son of a bitch.¡±


    He bent over the table, rocking forward drinking glasses; removed his cigar from his lips; and got so close, I smelt smolder on his breath. ¡°Fuck who? Me? Dea boy, you betta take heed. I took time out of my busy schedule to push back the curtain on youa fate. I suppose, Sam Hill with all his clayavoyant advisas didn¡¯t imagine that you¡¯d take hold of these flying animals and actually get to Mexico. Now that you will, Hill may offa to give Bet¡¯s life back to ba¡¯gain foa youa soul. Altanatively, Calamity has become such a cold leada, she will subject you to unusual physical punishment, lashings you haven¡¯t felt. You betta hope you die.¡±

 Chapter 29: Blood Loans

    Empty boots sat in a corner of a stone guest room in Fort Cross. Feet bare and legs in long johns paced by them.


    Not famous for patience, Chip was probably asking what in dad¡¯s name was taking me and Big Owl so long. What would our findings in our conversation with the evangelist be? Finally, he resigned to a sitting position on the firm mattress, where a Gideon¡¯s Bible waited.


    After retrieving reading glasses from his shirt pocket, he read the words, ¡°Washed in blood.¡± He thought of corpses of Apache Indians in that boneyard garden then weighed his responsibility to avenge the bloodshed of Grand Josians inside the crumbled Inn.


    What if he couldn¡¯t? What if the evangelist was right? He compared himself to yours truly, the way I overthink things. He¡¯d be damned if he¡¯d follow the route of this worrying fool.


    Flipping the pages for something else to keep him occupied, he sped through stories of mere mortals becoming patriarchs. He burned the breeze through verses, reading in the manner of which he fought and lived.


    The Autumn night brought a warmth without too much humidity, and when he looked up, his glasses fell to his nose. A figure stood at the doorway. Diamond came forward; she wore a cotton bathrobe and a lifeless gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯m in my unmentionables.¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°And I¡¯m in this bathrobe they had laying out, and no wig.¡±


    She ambled over and plopped next to him. Chip could almost relish in the steam of her nearby presence alone, but he¡¯d not think about making any move, not after what she¡¯d been through with Dylan. He admired her straight blonde, wet locks. She had no need for the rug.


    ¡°I reckon losing Dylan took the blush right out my face. Otherwise, I¡¯d run the other way if I saw you in your¡ª¡± She whispered, ¡°Long johns.¡±


    He sucked at his cheek and made a vow to her. ¡°Listen, Calamity Dyer will pay for the curse she¡¯s brought on us. An eye for an eye is in the code of the West.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t bring Dylan back.¡±


    He opened his Bible somewhere in the middle, Psalms 46:5. Only a second of averting his attention felt like he¡¯d left her hanging forever. He gave her a closed mouth smile between a five-o-clock shadow and eye glasses and said, ¡°Cowboy up, Diamond.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t offended by tough love, even respected it, but couldn¡¯t return the hospitality. She stared off and said, ¡°I was thoinking. Why don¡¯t I go up there and give my best regards to them soldiers. They served like Dylan. If he were alive, I¡¯d want everyone to greet him, show appreciation. Especially, knowing what can happen. I mean really knowing.¡±


    ¡°You should go.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t go alone.¡±


    ¡°Since when does Diamond Wilder need help doing what she wants?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not me right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll level with you. I don¡¯t want to go to the third floor. But I tell you what, let¡¯s get dressed, and we¡¯ll roam the second.¡±


    ***


    Wild neck rag and freshly clean square jaw led up to Chip¡¯s wandering eyes. Commotion from gun shops, laughter from men in uniform, and a banjo playing from a man on stage filled the room.


    Diamond patted her big wig, spreading whatever air of vibrance she could muster. ¡°We do noid to reload,¡± she said.


    Diamond shot a hard stare over at a jean and vest wearing old man with a humped over back and one eye. He had a mixed party of sky-blue coat wearing American soldiers and snake shirt Mexican fighters guffawing and leg slapping. ¡°When the cow set on ma cowboy hat, you know what I sed? Time to get a new hat.¡± In the middle of their hooting, he said, ¡°Wait, I know that young lady.¡±


    ***


    Chip and Diamond traded skids over the counter for ammunition then spun around to the eyepatch wearing old man, who was extending his neck up to a full grin. ¡°Gal, do you remember me?¡±


    ¡°General Jones.¡± She smiled. ¡°Of course.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°And you¡¯re the sheriff,¡± he said, eyeing Chip¡¯s badge.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. And General, thank you for your service.¡±


    ¡°If you really want to thank me, why don¡¯t you and that gal go up there on that stage after the banjo player finishes. I want to see a show.¡±


    Diamond fanned herself. ¡°General Jones, you¡¯re putting me on the spot, aint you?¡±


    ¡°Gal, ever since I left Grand Jose, I been longing¡ª I say longing¡ªfor the songs, jokes, and stories you would perform at the Saloon in Grand Jose. If you can¡¯t do it for me, do it for ma service.¡±


    Diamond batted her eyes, while Chip gripped his forehead in unease.


    ¡°It¡¯s ma dying wish.¡±


    Right then, the last lyric of the banjo popped, and the player bowed. General Jones said, ¡°Excuse me.¡± He made his way through the soldiers. His approaching the stage replaced the applause with silence. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I present the pharmacy gal and the sheriff.¡±


    The smiling crowd narrowed in on them, forcing them up on stage. Chip had a thumb pressing one temple on his head and a middle finger, the other.


    A compassionate look came over Diamond¡¯s countenance for the wounded general. She threw a finger up, raised her voice, and said, ¡°Sheriff, you¡¯re in here with a cold again this week? I would give you cough syrup to clear your lungs, but by now I imagine you done hacked the last one out.¡±


    ¡°Jesus H. Christ. Let me go back to my room,¡± Chip shouted to ensuing laughter.


    ¡°Now I been telling you it aint polite to be taking the Lord¡¯s name in vain, and there you go adding an H to it.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    She put her hands on her hips. ¡°Ok? I have opium to help your digestion, but is there a more polite way you can ask?¡±


    The crowd laughed and pointed. From among them, the eyepatch wearing man shouted, ¡°He has the backdoor trots.¡±


    When Chip turned to Diamond, fuming, she began to serenate him in song, swaggering and kicking her dress up to clapping and whistling.


    Right when Chip would walk away, he turned and saw a sparkle in her eyes. She took his hand and pulled him in, singing and dancing.


    At one point, she went to a slow song and placed her head on his chest. He held a stoic expression, hiding the tingly feeling inside his gun holstered heart. ¡°It¡¯s an act,¡± he said to himself. ¡°Don¡¯t fall for her more than you already have, big boy.¡±


    The voice of his stepfather came through. ¡°No girl of value will give herself over to a nitwit like you.¡±


    As Diamond finished and curtsied, a man in the crowd said, ¡°We wanna see a smooch.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Seriously, I never kissed a boy in my twenty-three years.¡±


    ¡°Kiss him.¡± The soldiers chanted with foot stomping and table rocking.


    If a stare could penetrate, hers would have cut right through the sheriff¡¯s eyes. She heaved a breath. Our grappling champ felt his lips quivering.


    Right when the room went silent, heads began to turn the other way, and murmuring began. One voice after another said, ¡°The evangelist is here.¡±


    Two African accented voices shouted, ¡°Make way, make way. Do it before we strike you.¡±


    After the crowd was displaced to either side or the other, the evangelist was seen betwixt his slaves, hand on cane and leering.


    He tipped his hat, strode forward, and hopped on stage. ¡°If the lass will be macked with such affection she¡¯s neva felt, let it be by such a one as myself whom all women long to touch.¡±


    Diamond turned red as fire and said, ¡°You¡¯re quite fancy and romantic, and may I say self-absorbed for a preacher.¡±


    He twirled his cane, leered at the audience, and turned his attention back. ¡°Each lace of velvet you see me in has been bought by my pofound passion and most commendable life commission. What possibly could be godlia than my ethic?¡±


    Chip shoved him. ¡°You¡¯re making her uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Sheiff, what has led to such hostility? Maybe, we should stat ova? I¡¯m seeking to offa help. So, let me fust say, pay patton me for the tough demeana of my savvents, but let me tell you! Doc Apollo in my S.H.D.E Saloon upset them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s your point,¡± Chip said.


    ¡°My point is this. Do you stand by a man who said to me¡ªMind you, I¡¯m a man of the cloth and with a schedule you¡¯d neva believe, and I¡¯m taking time to speak to him of danga in his path¡ªand he told me.¡± He looked around at the crowd and made a fist. ¡°He told me and I quote, ¡®fuck you, you son of a bitch.¡¯¡±


    Diamond¡¯s eyes popped, while the crowd gasped and murmured.


    ¡°Attention, everyone. Let this bull of the law tell us if that is just.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s atwixt him and you.¡±


    ¡°Atwixt us? Point taken.¡± He traversed from stage to crowd with big steps, turned back to Chip, wagging his cane. ¡°He¡¯s not ya; ya not him. So, let¡¯s see how ya take my advice.¡±


    Chip threw his hands up. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Let me commend ya. I neva, Sam Hill neva, the dak entities neva, not even the clayavoyant entities neva guessed ya would get through the Indians, much less make acquaintances with the chief, and then obtain the savvices of those light entity animals that flew ya this close to Mexico. We all assumed ya¡¯d die on the way.¡±


    ¡°Please, tell us what you have to say,¡± Diamond insisted.


    Leaning forward with hands resting between his chin and cane, he said, ¡°The powa of entities comes with a payment of blood. What blood loan did that big Indian take out to pay for ya light entity flight?¡±


    Right as he spoke, Chief entered from the downward stairwell, brandishing a stone scalping knife. ¡°Why everyone look at me? Just got back from outhouse and wanted to find blacksmith to make sword sharper.¡±


    The evangelist winked at the audience. ¡°At sun up, mista law man, you will indeed meet Calamity Dya on a ship that will take you to Mexico, but don¡¯t get ova eaga. You will not do battle. It will be a mutual ship with both dak and light entities mediating. Doc Apollo, for how well he reppasented himself to me, can meet one on one with Calamity. There, she will infam him on the oath that Indian must pay. Then, Calamity may get a head stat to the pat of Mexico she will stay.¡±


    The chief frowned, looking as if he may surge forward, causing the evangelist to cower behind his slave men. ¡°Now, I¡¯m much too busy to be on the ship, but I¡¯ve passonally stated to Dunba that he shall not tell you the location whea Calamity will go, until the light entities have been made whole with eve¡¯y last drop of blood that Indian owes.¡±


    As the crowd went into an uproar, the evangelist taunted the chief with his stick, while high-tailing it to the nearest exit.

 Chapter 30: Revelations

    I gripped the table and would have trembled it in angst, but the furniture was too heavy in that ol¡¯ S.H.D.E Saloon. Before me lay sorrows inside an undrunk glass of hard, bitter antifogmatics with ice melted and liquid warmed up¡ªsame way I use to take it.


    If I stayed with Bet, she¡¯d have been killed. In retrospect, it happened to her, nonetheless, without a proper jury to avenge her. When the smoke clears after a slave cabin is burned, and the bodies of those considered less than human are buried, did it even happen?


    I felt more impotent at this time than I did, even, back then. Every heart wrenching mile forward on this trip led me further into a lost world, one needing much more than a simple doctor. From the beginning of this trip, I only wanted to never have Diamond or Chip or now Chief in my care, poisoned or maimed by forces no science could understand, that renders my services useless. I only never wanted to see anyone die.


    From the stairwell, Diamond appeared. She spoke with a toned-down twang owed to somberness. ¡°Doc Apollo, don¡¯t droink that.¡±


    I smiled with bloodshot, teary eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, miss. I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°We noid you downstairs for an emergency posse meeting.¡±


    First meeting they ever called. I mounted to my feet, without a rattle out of table or scrape out of chair. Twinge in my heart and quiver behind my goatee, I nodded.


    When I got downstairs, Chief was playing poker with Dunbar, who jumped up and yanked at the handlebars on his own mustache. ¡°Arg, Gawd, you¡¯re a cheat. I never assembled a straight flush before, and you expect me to believe the one time I do, some giant Indian got a royal one?¡±


    The chief laughed. ¡°You carry your hand on your face, Dummy Bar. So easy to play and beat.¡± He shouted to Chip in the other room. ¡°Chip, come play. I need real opponent to make game fun.¡±


    After Chip came bursting out of the guestroom, he and Diamond both sent somber frowns in my direction. This news wasn¡¯t going to be pretty.


    The sheriff¡¯s boots echoed to three steps, and he swooped Owl¡¯s cards off the table. ¡°What hand have you been hiding from us?¡±


    My eyes constricted when making contact with Chip¡¯s.


    The sheriff continued, ¡°Doc Apollo, let me fill you in. Those animals that flew us here¡­they¡¯re light entities, and the chief didn¡¯t just summon them with some flute. They are only empowered by human blood, and he took out a loan. Chief, who¡¯s blood did you promise to fork over?¡±


    Owl gazed ahead and responded quickly. ¡°Doc Apollo¡¯s.¡±


    I marched forward, one hand on hip and the other wagging a finger. ¡°Mine? What in tarnation did I do to deserve that? Why not Calamity¡¯s or Dunbar¡¯s? So, you knew why my face was on that wanted poster in the saloon, after all.¡±


    Chief placed a hand on his knee, looked me in the eyes, and said, ¡°Light entities only take blood, because they must. It¡¯s necessary evil to them. They take it if it¡¯s out of mercy. Way you always whine, Giant Chief thought it would be merciful to offer yours.¡±


    Dunbar glared on from the doorway, a little more measured than expected. Diamond placed her hand on my shoulder, and Chip went at his forehead as if he could a-rub the stress out.


    Chip finally spoke up first. ¡°Owl, thank you for your help, but we can¡¯t have you along, any further.¡± He paused, considering the giant level of respect he would forever owe. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Doc¡¯s blood will be on your hands if I can¡¯t help him escape.¡±


    Before Dunbar could draw a weapon, Chip had his six-gun shooter on him. ¡°Stand down, Deputy. It¡¯s our job to settle this vendetta, not Doc¡¯s. He will not die because of us forcing him along.¡±


    Dunbar raised his hands. ¡°Aint you forgetting something? Only I know where that witch goes after we cross the Rio Grande. Now, I, also, questioned the correctness of them light entities at first, but now I know the one who knows his name is truly expecting a blood sacrifice, and you aint gone be in the way of it.¡±


    Chip said, ¡°We¡¯ll find our way without you.¡±


    Diamond placed her hand on my arm. ¡°I want to avenge Dylan with everything in me, but at the expense of Doc¡¯s life? No way.¡±


    None of us spoke at the standstill. For a moment, I grappled with what I¡¯d do, but before I could get deep into thought, blasts from the stairwell broke up any more a-pondering. Black powder had us a-separated and coughing, while a heavy flurry of feet rushed downstairs.


    When the powder cleared enough for us to make out our attackers, we identified uniformed Mexican and American soldiers who pointed their muskets at us from all directions. From their midst, General Jones grinned, aiming two pistols


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    ¡°Ploise General, let my friend go,¡± Diamond pleaded.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that. You see, I wrestled with my faith when I saw you and the evangelist going at it up there. Whose side should I choose?  That¡¯s until I considered two miracles that assured me that I was on the right path.  First, my prayers were answered when you performed one more time for me, but that alone wasn¡¯t enough. No, no, no. It¡¯s this second miracle that happened a minute ago. It¡¯s astounding!¡± He removed his eyepatch and revealed a healthy gray eye. ¡°The one that knows his name has proven himself with signs and wonders. That blood loan must be paid to his light entities.¡±


    Mexican soldiers laughed in joy and with alleluias, while Dunbar and the Americans shouted, ¡°Hallelujar.¡±


    ¡°Now get some beauty rest, gal. And as for you, Doctor, you may not know this now, but you¡¯re a true soldier, paying the highest price for the most noble cause.¡±


    Chief got up. Allowed to exit by our captors, he left the door open for a howling gust of wind to enter.


    ***


    The way out of Texas wasn¡¯t under any sunup, like the evangelist promised, but under dark cloudy weather of slashing rain, shaking branches, and muddied slopes. United troops of Mexicans and Americans marched ahead and behind me, Chip, and Diamond through woods.


    An occasional tree limb cracking or breeze wailing broke up what would be all silence. Diamond touched my back, and what once would be words of strength, were those of sorrow. ¡°I hate all this with every bone in my body.¡±


    The woods opened, and we froze at the sight of the mediating light and dark entities, in male and female forms¡ª those in white judge like robes stretched down to the riverbank on one side, and those with similar black ones on the other. Among the light entities were Friedreich and Xochipilli who we met at the Light Entity Hub. In the narrow passage of the Rio Grande River were two pirate ships that a-waited.


    The sky rumbled, the river reflected dullness and barrenness from nearby trees and dead grasses.  Atop the ship¡¯s masts, the sails and skull flags flailed.


    The entities only stared into our souls as the troops forced us along. Fredrich and Xochipilli boarded me on a separate ship from the rest of the posse. I said to them, ¡°You¡¯re as dirty as they are. You know it.¡± Without saying a word, they turned me over to their enemies in black.


    More light entities escorted General Jones to the captain¡¯s cabin of my ship. As we set sail, I looked into the stony faces of dark-haired, darkly adorned guards, and shouted over the slapping rain. ¡°Quiet bunch, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    When we rocked in the water, they held me back from tilting forward and gestured over to the plank opposite of the way General Jones went. Two dark robed male entities spread apart to reveal Calamity. Her silver wet hair, only parted far enough to show her pale long nose and puckering black-lipped sneer.  Her black dress pushed against her figure, as she spread both arms to her sleeves fluttering.


    I remembered the law of entities as stated by the evangelist. They could never kill nor be killed by humans; however, I¡¯d be damned if one didn¡¯t knock Chip out with only a blow, back in that boneyard garden.


    At the next marvel, I exhaled over and over, curtailing myself from exploding with all emotional anguish. The two dark entities transformed to Calamity and my murderous former lover, Aminda, in her bun and big bustled dress. I stood on one side, with my heart racing, and the real Calamity watched from the other without a trace of humanity in her expression.


    I cried out. ¡°The hell you getting out of this, Calamity?¡±


    The two entities with Calamity and Aminda¡¯s forms acted out a scene. Turned away from Calamity, Aminda buried her head in her hands. ¡°What have you done to father?¡±


    Another dark entity lay flat on his back and altered himself to appear as the bowtie wearing, white haired senator, spasming, spewing blood out his mouth and down his chin.


    Calamity replied, ¡°Your father is a perverse man. He killed the slave girl. He deserved the poison.¡±


    ¡°Mother, everything you do, you have to justify. We¡¯re the reason this happened. We planned Doc Apollo to meet the slave girl. This was your way of keeping him away from baby Martin, remember.¡±


    Fire ensued in the middle of the scene. Calamity replied, ¡°It¡¯s indeed your father who burned that slave cabin down to hide his deeds. But we can transform this tragedy into a greater purpose. Bring Doc Apollo back here. Show him the burnt down cabin, and yes, tell him you did it. It¡¯ll kill him inside; dissipate any affection he could ever feel. Such coddling would only weaken the baby Martin.¡±


    As the entities faded, ending their show, I was in shock. First, I felt sorrow, then quickly, rage. Wind blowing upon the real Calamity¡¯s hair, she said, ¡°Hill has made me a superior leader. We all have a purpose, Apollo, and it¡¯s glorious when one knows theirs.¡±


    I snapped, ¡°Aren¡¯t you just another radical for dark entities as Dunbar is for the so-called light ones?¡±


    She approached me and stood a bit taller; immediately, both a light and dark entity placed a hand betwixt us.


    Calamity replied, ¡°We are the true settlers. We¡¯re taking this corrupt earth, namely in Hill¡¯s case, the West, and redistributing the power to the downtrodden. You¡¯re not that different than me, Apollo. The people in this world have been cruel to you. Chip Blaze, to name one, has stubbornly forced you onward to this death.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re nothing alike. You know damn well you¡¯re appealing to humanity¡¯s worst instincts. Look at you; you¡¯ve lost all compassion.¡±


    ¡°After one-hundred-seventy-eight years, you no longer cry for those who you lost to the governments of a backward world; you take the world over.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re doing it for Sam Hill, you goddamn stooge.¡±


    ¡°Oh, feisty! We¡¯ll see who breaks first. Hill has delt me youth, power, purpose. The feeling of power¡ªyou should have tried it. Maybe, then, you wouldn¡¯t be getting scapegoated out. You¡¯ve been a victim of the same world I¡¯m trying to change.¡±


    She went to point her finger in my chest, but I captured her bony hand, squeezed it with all I had. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, you cunt.¡±


    Her mouth opened in the shape of an o, and her face trembled, oozing hurt pride, and the entities pulled us apart. ¡°Who do you think you are? And please don¡¯t hate my daughter, Aminda. She did just as our clairvoyant advisors predicted, help set you off to another path, but you¡¯re the one who took it, and here you are, about to die.¡±


    Aminda was her daughter? She plotted everything that led to Bet¡¯s death? As the rain poured down and blinded my view, I pitched forward to strangle her. The entities restrained me, while the wet, damp smell became that of madness.


    I screamed as the ship disembarked at a moor that connected us to a wide-open field, lost my shoes from the velocity of those entities dragging me to my death.

 Chapter 31: The Scalping at the Rio Grande

    In a grassy area at the edge of Mexico, troops of heaven and hell and the United States and Mexico agreed I would be sacrificed. They forced me to lay down on a casket''s glass lid. Diamond screamed while soldiers detained her. Chip was restrained by a light entity on his left and a dark entity on his right.


    Calamity and Ahote came forward. The beast brandished a scalping knife; the one Giant Chief had carried at the fort. Ana Ahote barked out, ¡°Let¡¯s make an example out of him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do the dirty work this one time,¡± Calamity declared.


    The dark entities crowded in and had my hands and feet tied faster than I could scream. When I did yell, I was muted by a rope shackled around my mouth. Somehow, in rain and lightning, Calamity¡¯s wide-eyed, smiling face¡ªone I¡¯d never seen her make¡ªwas all too clear. She poked my neck with the knife and in blue flashing, threw her arm back and¡­


    A huge hand restrained her. ¡°You no kill Doc Apollo.¡± Giant Chief¡¯s grip had her staggering toward her knees. ¡°St¡­op him,¡± Calamity ordered. ¡°He¡¯s intruding on the payment of the blood loan.¡±


    The light entity Aztec came forward. ¡°Let her go.¡±


    As Chief released her, she jerked her arm back. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Calamity said.


    The Aztec said, ¡°Giant Chief Big Owl has agreed to take Apollo¡¯s place.¡±


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    Calamity pointed the knife and heaved a breath of annoyance, raised the pitch of her voice. ¡°That big fool can¡¯t just damn well do whatever he wants.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s within the bounds of our laws,¡± the Aztec replied. ¡°We only take the blood of mercy. His offering is the supreme of it¡ªto lay his own life down.¡±


    As the pouring reduced to a trickle, Chief had everyone¡¯s focus. I rolled off the death table: knees and face plummeting against the ground, where I groaned for his life, unable to distinguish the wet grass from my tears.


    He plopped down and shattered the glass of the casket lid. Chip and Diamond rushed to him.


    ¡°Come-on, big man, let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Chip insisted.


    Calamity and Ahote¡¯s mood changed when they saw everyone¡¯s distress. They laughed, hugging on to one another. The faces of the dark entities in black robes flickered to transparent, goulash, and greenish. Deep demonic howls emerged from them, as if the human likeness they feigned could not contain their ecstasy.


    ¡°I no want to do this,¡± the chief said. ¡°I want to choke them for what they do to my son. I want to fly again. Hear Laughing Heart¡¯s joy one more time. I no want my head cut off, but I no let Apollo die. Sheriff, take care of your posse and my people.¡±


    He lay on his back and gazed at me, touching the depths of my sympathies. The chief said, ¡°I still not know about you, Doc Apollo, but I¡­ die¡­ for you.¡±


    Calamity¡¯s snooty tenor drowned out all the celebration of those on her side; she handed over the scalping knife with a proclamation. ¡°Ahote, I believe it¡¯s only befitting. Before Hill graciously adopted you, this ogre was your father and caused you nothing but sorrow.¡±


    Ahote growled, stalking forward. As he stepped over me to get to Owl, a black liquid from his lips dripped down and seared my face, smelt like gasoline. His stone knife wielding hand descended.


    Red lifeform, which all humans share, shot out; and the giant head fell to my eye level. His expression appeared so very brave. Still muzzled, I mourned through my throat.

 Chapter 32: Quitting the Posse.

    A blinding storm.


    Ahote¡¯s heavy panting and running.


    The spirits of dark entities, green and transparent, ascending and soaring, leaving behind a pile of black robes and melted flesh.


    After our enemies departed, the weather, instantly, went from stormy to sunny. The three creatures who¡¯d flown us to Fort Cross returned, peering down from the distant rainbow.


    General Jones and the soldiers stared on at the scene of light entities freeing me, while Fredrich and Xochipilli flipped Owl¡¯s carcass into the casket.


    A somber Chip placed the severed head in and closed the broken lid. The sheriff and pharmacy gal stood quiet, appearing to pray. It ended with a sniveling Diamond shooting a scowl over at General Jones. ¡°You know this is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Gal, he¡¯s a legend, now, for a cause greater than you can understand.¡±


    ¡°She said, ¡°You thoink this is so great. You can take him to his Nagawitchi tribe and tell them he died a hero. And in case you don¡¯t know, we want nothing to do with you.¡±


    I interrupted, stamping over to Chip, and the worst accusations I ever levied blew past any filter that would detain them. ¡°My entire life has been a set up for this tragedy. First, Calamity and Aminda set me off to Grand Jose, then you, Sheriff, brought me to Mexico. You won¡¯t stop, no matter the warnings or the narrow odds. You heard Chief. He didn¡¯t want to die.¡± I was trembling in anger. ¡°I trust you¡¯re aiming to be a just lawman, but your incompetence is showing damningly low prospects that it''ll ever happen.¡±


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    Chip said nothing for the first time. I knew, right then, he was too choked up for Owl. The bull wouldn¡¯t be caught with a tear in his eye. It hurts to recall, but when he lifted his countenance, I saw the hurt in his bloodshot eyes, and¡ª


    I couldn¡¯t stop. ¡°You¡¯re a bumbling fool. Don¡¯t you know Sam Hill¡¯s clairvoyant advisors predicted you didn¡¯t have what it takes to win this? When that evangelist says you will not survive, he knows you¡¯re too blaming incapable to win. Dylan and now the chief have died for this. How many more people will fall under your watch, Sheriff?¡±


    Chip calmly gestured at my cat birdie and said, ¡°I suggest you take your flight, right now.¡±


    Diamond stared dead at me as I marched away from all the hell I¡¯d been through. Heading to the cat bird, I picked up on some of what was said, allowing it to become distant chatter.


    ¡°Dunbar,¡± Chip said. ¡°Where¡¯s the witch settling.¡±


    The deputy answered, ¡°An abandoned church in a colonial town called El Sobrenatural. These bean eaters say that whole area is haunted.¡±


    Chip snatched his deputy by the collar. ¡°Jig¡¯s up. That was too easy.¡±


    ¡°You think that giving me a hiding is gone raise your profile back in Grand Jose? Now that the Indian sacrificed the blood that the one who knows his name demanded, I don¡¯t need to put a pistol on that lily liver gone coon. We haint got nothing left to fight over.¡±


    After their blusteration drifted off, I tried to shake the burden I¡¯d been carrying but it was¡­still there? My furball companion knelt for me to mount on, and Diamond came a-running.


    ¡°Wait, Doc. Wait. I know you didn¡¯t mean what you said to Chip.¡±


    I hovered over her concerned expression¡ª cat bird flapping its wings in place¡ª


    I appreciated her birthmark one last time.


    ¡°Where are you going, Doctor? They won¡¯t let you back in Grand Jose without us.¡±


    I replied, ¡°I once heard tell of this town here in Mexico, right by the Pacific Ocean. It¡¯s called San Marina.¡±


    She folded her arms. ¡°Well, are you going to be safe there?¡±


    ¡°I plan to be and to resume my practice. Who knows, maybe the ocean will wash away all this grime. You watch out for yourself now. I can¡¯t come a-chasing behind you no more.¡± I winked, as the creature fluttered out loose feathers that fell past her face. Though her eyes were pouty, she mustered up her first half-smile since Dylan died, one filled with admiration.

 Chapter 33: Shadow of a Legend

    My ¡°cat bird,¡± as that lowdown Dunbar called it, left a trail of footprints in the sands of San Marina, signaling that my time with the posse had come to an end. I had left ol¡¯ Chip, Dunbar, and Diamond to their own flight toward the grassy hills of El Sobrenatural.


    The fact that I¡¯d always been reluctant to be a part of that so-called non vendetta chasin¡¯ posse only exasperated the situation. Our alliance would never have survived our grief for the giant shadow hanging over us¡ªthe death of a legendary figure we had picked up along our way.


    Giant Chief¡¯s legend goes that back at Fort Cross, when he left me in the saloon and stepped on the bridge to go answer nature¡¯s call, he was lured to the grassy plains by a faraway inferno, white and a-fanned upon by a spirit as ancient as the wind. The guards, whom he passed on his way, dared not disturb his gaze for the purposefulness which filled it.


    When Chief reached the haze, a horse neighed, and on it sat light entity, Taiowa, with a headdress, copper face, and scowl. ¡°You have strayed, Owl. The path of least resistance has never been one for the Comanche.¡±


    ¡°You know, I not really Comanche, not by blood. I born Spanish. Comanche raid my town, kill my family, and take me, because even when I was young boy, I was so big. They had use for me.¡±


    Taiowa tried to interject, but Chief forced his tale onward. ¡°They lay cooked meat and raw meat in front of me. I knew it was test. If I eat cooked meat, they kill me. If I eat raw meat, that mean I one of them. I became one of them for many years. Kill for them. But at night, I so sad for state of tribe and world, until you come to me in visions and show me Comanche can be better; world can be better. When I become leader of Nagawitchi band, I make peace with pale faces, Mexicans, and other tribes¡ªas much as I could.¡±


    ¡°You lived and led well. We both know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m here to dispute.¡±


    ¡°Taiowa, I not want to hear what you say!¡±


    ¡°You will hear it. If Apollo dies because of you, it will tilt the balance and damn you for it.¡±


    Chief chopped at the air in protest. ¡°Light entities, those like you, tell me any sacrifice of mercy is acceptable.¡±


    ¡°If after all my lessons, I one more time must remind you the difference between that which is acceptable to light entities and that which brings balance back, I will. Does it bring balance back to let Doc Apollo die? He¡¯s the one you shared a moment at saloon with. If he refused the strong drink, does he not have hope?¡±


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    Chief tugged his curls over his face and growled in agony. His voice bellowed into the night for all guards to hear. ¡°Go away, Taiowa. Go away.¡±


    The same giant hands which tugged at his hair, spared me at the Rio Grande.


    ***


    General Jones had traveled many miles down the Camino Real to return the chief¡¯s body to Nagawitchi. He hadn¡¯t been that way in a long time, but heard tale that some years ago, Comanches had raided Grand Jose and started a war.


    He resolved he¡¯d meet with the savages, after sending ahead messengers, peaceful and civil Nagawitchi¡ªthose who followed after Giant Chief¡¯s way. They¡¯d mediate his transport of the casket to the tribesmen.


    His battle plan was to gain their trust, stun them, and then attack, manifesting destiny by ridding Texas of the Indians who attacked one of his favorite American territories. After all, the one who knows his name didn¡¯t heal his eye for no reason.


    The meeting was set up in the fields near a Nagawitchi camp. When Jones arrived with the broken glass lidded casket, some tribesmen bragged, ¡°We told Chief he would pay for trusting those pale faces.¡± Others mourned, while yet more stood quiet. When Laughing Heart came forward, they put spears on her.


    Their last English-speaking combatant, the one who led the raid of our mule train, said, ¡°Who told you to get this close, woman who always acts crazy. We warriors will handle his burial.¡±


    She touched the Comanche fighter¡¯s face, laughing, while General Jones and his men shared glances of bewilderment at her behavior. She said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so angry. It makes you less wise in battle.¡±


    They let her pass, warning her to hurry, then she opened the coffin. When she peaked in, she laughed to the light blue heavens; even the clouds seemed to curl up in a smile. She nearly fell over backwards in a fit. ¡°His body is not in there. He must have died in valor and risen a light entity like Taiowa!¡±


    A concerned tribesmen darted forward, threw the lid open, and shot a glare over at General Jones.


    A couple soldiers fired their muskets, but they only smoked up cactus laden fields. The Indian had ducked behind the coffin, and as soon as those first bullets cracked, a war cry from Nagawitchi horsemen emerged in nearby hills.


    The Indians¡¯ singing that hit unheard of notes, Laughing Heart¡¯s joy under duress, and the disappearance of Chief¡¯s body struck fear in General Jones¡¯ army. They¡¯d underestimated the strategy of these people, and precision from bows and arrows became their demise. Jones lay on his back impaled. His last words were, ¡°I¡¯ve been duped.¡±


    This oral story has come to be known as the legend of the Laughing Battle. Whether you believe it or dismiss it as the imagination of savages, whom I¡¯ve never known to justify themselves, is up to you, but I¡¯m a-making a record and oath right now¡ªOur West was and is a place altered by entities, a place not quite right, and there¡¯s only more on these matters to come, especially in regard to my secondhand but detailed account of the events that occurred in El Sobrenatural.