THUNDER PEAK, page 19
“That doesn’t sound good,” Jonas said, looking back the way they had come.
“No, it doesn’t.” Casey shuddered. “You think that’s him? That must be him. The thing Taliko was talking about. The dead-not-dead wolf thing that made the lizardlings and wants to kill us all.”
“That’s him.”
“Nightblade,” Casey said timidly.
“Nightblade,” Jonas repeated. “Good scary name for a monster.”
“Yeah.” Casey smiled shyly.
“Hey,” Jonas said, drawing her gaze up to his own—a curious gleam in his brown eyes shone down at her for a long moment and Casey squinted back at the sparkle in puzzlement. “When I get rid of our company, first thing I want you to do is put on your gun belt and load up with the silver bullets I gave you. And you wear it everywhere you go from now on until this is over. Make sure you have at least a couple of your knives too, at all times.”
Casey stared at him blankly, and Jonas nodded. “That’s right. This is me telling you to belt up.”
Casey raised her chin and quietly nodded.
“Not the reaction I was expecting. What is it?” Jonas asked.
“I’m not sure,” Casey admitted. “I know things now, maybe. And what I know now makes me wish I didn’t have to belt up.” Then she laughed. “Crazy, right? Get me a seat next to Hickory.”
“Not at all,” her father said, placing his arm around her and giving her a squeeze. “In fact, it tells me you’re getting a good sense of what it means to live under this crazy mountain…and the best way forward, is for you to decide when and where to belt up.”
Casey exhaled loudly and nodded again.
“Thanks Dad.”
They began walking again, and Jonas steered them out of the grove beside the barn. The sunthorns had come out, their wings humming pleasantly in the woods around them, and for a moment, it seemed as if there was nothing unusual about their lives. As if they had gone back in time to the day before Casey had first seen a unicorn.
Then Jonas saw there were two men who had made themselves comfortable on the porch swing and immediately recognized the dappled gray of one of their horses.
“Seems the sheriff has come to visit.”
“Ugh,” Casey grumbled. “Not now. You can’t leave now.”
“Mighty strange he be here himself,” Jonas mused out loud. “See to StarFall in the barn, and stay there until I come fetch you. Understand?”
“Yes, Dad.”
Jonas took no chances. Removing his pistol and holding it at his side, he skirted the property from twenty-five feet and peeked around the front of the house.
The two men in the swing were rocking and speaking softly. One of them was indeed the sheriff, and aided by his aril moccasins, Jonas walked up behind them quietly.
When he reached the porch, Jonas said, “Hello, sheriff,” prompting both men to jump to their feet, hands on the butt of their firearms.
“Damnation, Jonas Tamm!” the sheriff said, removing his hat and wiping his brow. “You trying to get shot?”
“Not in particular, sheriff,” Jonas replied easily, glancing at the stranger with him. “Not ’spectin’ a social call either. And I’m guessing you’re not here to trade for some apples.”
“No,” said the sheriff. “But maybe you can spare a couple while we talk. If we’re alone, that is.” With that the sheriff leaned closer. “Might be best if your daughter don’t hear this.”
“All right. Come inside. How’s the shoulder?”
“Doc says I’ll be fine,” Tanner answered, following Jonas into the house. “By the way, I also wanted you to meet my new deputy, this is Craig Towson.”
Jonas nodded. “New name in Storm Town.”
Sheriff nodded. “Just come in. Balt-more was it?”
“That’s right,” the man said, extending his hand to Jonas. “Heard ’bout you. Pleasure.”
Jonas was already extending his hand and started. “How’s that?”
Craig’s eyebrows shuffled up and down, “Oh, you know, in town. The sheriff’s right-hand man.”
“You must be mistaken,” Jonas said, peering sharply into the other man’s eyes. “I’m not a deputy. Just a rancher.”
“Right,” Craig began, “the rancher who helps…” Apparently seeing something in Jonas’s face, he let it go and raised his hands. “Hey, I’m not lookin’ for any trouble. I just got here. There was some saloon-talk about the gunfight with the Red Ridge Riders. Man on the roof who helps the sheriff on the tough ones. Man on the roof who doesn’t miss. That’s all. I’m looking for work. The sheriff give me some. Now we’re out here. Just putting two and two together.”
“Funny thing about the saloons in Storm Town…” Jonas began, but when he stopped to let his words sink in, the sheriff stepped into his pause.
“Jonas,” the sheriff said smoothly, “I gave him the same speech I gave you. Same one I give everyone. You know my policy. Don’t matter where you been, if you made it here, you get a chance till you prove otherwise. Don’t let loose lips in the saloon get things off to a rough start.”
Jonas nodded and smiled tightly. “Right then. Welcome to Thunder Peak. You’ve got big boots to fill.”
Craig exhaled and smiled back. “Thanks. I’ll do the best I can.”
Jonas led them to the kitchen area and tossed each of them an apple from a basket on the table.
Craig bit into his, and his eyes sparkled. “Jingo-dang!” he exclaimed. “Sheriff told me about these apples on the way over, but this…” He took another bite and swallowed. “This is unbelievable.”
Jonas smiled. “Help yourself to another when you’re done.”
“In this canyon your apples are like money, Jonas,” the sheriff said. “People trade them for everything, even drinks at Sticky Jacks.”
“Do they?” Jonas was genuinely surprised. “I didn’t know that.”
“Jacob Miller hired Mills a few times to escort him down the shaft to meet up with his trading partners at Itza Chu Landing,” the sheriff continued. “They come from New Mexico. They pay him lots, then trade over to Texas, up to Colorado and even Wyoming to make it back and more. Miller paid Mills handsome like, to keep his mouth shut. But he told me, and he’s gone now, so…might be time you renegotiate some of your prices. You do plenty for our town, and I hate to see you taken advantage of.”
Jonas waved a hand. “I have plenty for everyone.”
Sheriff Tanner nodded, and both of them regarded Craig for a moment, enjoying his apple as much as anyone ever had anything in their life. Finally, Jonas turned back to Tanner. “So, what’s this about sheriff?”
The sheriff looked at him and gave a weary sigh. “Those thieving Red Ridge rustlers are still camped out by the back door. Ain’t been up to much since the Aces High, but they ain’t moved off yet neither.”
At mention of the Aces High, Jonas glanced at Craig and found it hard to tell if he was simply enjoying his apple or studying his home. Damn, he thought. So worried about them seeing StarFall I brought them inside when I should have just taken them around the grounds for a stroll.
“Worse yet, I think we got more of them too.”
Jonas flicked his eyes back to the sheriff. “More?”
Tanner nodded. “More. Most accounts had them camped around two or three campfires. But I went into the hills myself two nights back with my spyglass.”
“And?” Jonas prompted, still more curious than worried.
“Five campfires. Hard to be sure, I didn’t want to get too close and be spotted, but it’s a good bet the gang’s doubled.”
“At least,” Jonas frowned. “You want me to take a look?”
Jonas, usually tight lipped about the War Between the States, had once mentioned being a scout, so Sheriff Tanner appeared relieved by the offer of his expertise. “I’d be obliged if you would, Jonas.”
Jonas nodded, and Tanner added, “Plus, we got this fool business of the Full Moon Ride heading our way. You heard about that yet?”
Jonas shrugged. “Some kind of horse race?”
“Endurance race.” Tanner nodded. “Starting and finishing on our doorstep. Down the shaft to Itza Chu Station and back. What are they thinking? They’re places all over this valley that’s sacred ground to the Apache, the Comanche, and every other Indian in the territory. They tolerate our little town, but the hubbub of a big spectacle is bound to get a war council started.”
Tanner shook his head from side to side. “Minute Geronimo or some other chief hears about this, they’ll be blood. Course just the fool idea is luring everyone within two hundred miles to Storm Town. And more bad than good too, I’d wager. Following the news, looking to catch on with anyone and willing to do anything. Could be the sort what’s swelling the ranks of the Ridge Gang.”
Jonas used the reflective moment to casually cast his eyes toward Craig again, and it seemed to him that the deputy paused midbite when his eyes alit on Liberty’s carving. Seven bells to glory, he thought, chastising himself.
“Planning a raid on the stake money you think?” Jonas wondered out loud.
“Could be.” Tanner shook his head. “Could be the whole town! There’s just too darn many new faces in the canyon to get a clear idea of what anyone’s about. Saloons are both bursting, and new wagons come every day dropping stakes and pitching tents. So I been playing my part, keeping my eyes open, and making the rounds, spreading the word about this Full Moon Ride so our residents and townsfolk can spare themselves the irritation of strangers till this is all over if that’s how they please.”
Tanner looked Jonas in the eye, and Jonas nodded back his understanding.
“Meantime”—Tanner didn’t miss a beat—“I’ve recruited about everyone to keep their Peacemakers handy. Course I know better than to formally try and deputize you, but if trouble comes calling—”
“You can count on me, sheriff.” Jonas cut him off. “As always.”
“Much obliged, Jonas,” the sheriff said.
Tanner looked at Craig and saw two cores on the table already. “Best we be heading off before Craig here eats your whole orchard.”
“And we still need to swing by Widow Dorn’s place on the way back,” Craig added.
Tanner waved off his deputy. “Fool is smitten with that schoolteacher, Widow Dorn’s niece, Ms. Sherwood. Don’t embarrass me, Craig. I gave you that star, and I can take it away.”
“Wouldn’t think of it, sheriff,” Craig said with a smile.
Jonas showed them out. Craig exited first, and Jonas placed his hand gently on Tanner’s shoulder to stop him in the doorway. “I’ll get back to you soon as I can about what I find in the hills; might be a few days.”
“Race is some ten days off. Day of the full moon, next Tuesday. We know what we’re up against before then; that’ll help. Old as most of us are now, when Storm Town folk know what needs doing, they done it all before and ain’t afraid to do it again. So that gang tries anything, we’ll get the old church bell ringing and they’ll be in for a fight. Still, I got a bad feeling about this one, Jonas. Bad feeling ever since we lost Mills.”
Jonas nodded. “We’ll get it sorted, sheriff. We always do.”
Sheriff Tanner nodded and swung up on his horse. Then, with a tip of his hat, he and Craig were riding off toward the Dorn residence.
Watching them go, Jonas was surprised to discover just how much the mention of Alice Sherwood and Craig’s interest in her was bothering him.
Then he turned his mind to the sheriff. Tanner was nervous. That much was obvious.
Another long howl shattered the stillness, and Jonas saw Tanner and Towson throw a nervous look toward Thunder Peak.
Watching them spur their mounts away, Jonas shook his head from side to side. He would do what he could for Sheriff Tanner and his Storm Town neighbors, but at the moment he had much bigger problems.
Once the sheriff and his new deputy departed, Jonas set off for the barn and found Casey, Taliko, and StarFall waiting for him inside.
“Trouble in town, Dad?”
Jonas nodded. “Gang that caused trouble the other day is still up in the hills. Might or might not have something to do with some crazy horse race being set up.”
The moment he said it, Jonas wished he hadn’t.
“Horse race?” Casey asked, glancing at StarFall.
Jonas chuckled. “Yeah. Endurance ride down the shaft from Storm Town to the old Butterfield Mail Station at Itza Chu Landing. Crazy stuff. Don’t even think about it.”
Casey nodded, then said, “StarFall and I could win that race easily.”
“I have no doubt.” Jonas agreed. “But he’s not just a horse in our barn like Rebel, is he? You’d have to ask him if he wants to do it. And right now, with him bleeding from the head, barely able to stand and needing to get back so his horn can grow, I think he just wants to go home.”
“I know,” Casey sighed. “I’m just saying. I’m a great rider, and he’s the fastest thing on four legs, probably in the whole country.”
“Right then,” Jonas said, changing the subject. “Taliko, I apologize for losing my wits. I just—”
“Say no more, friend Jonas.” Taliko interrupted him. “You were not wrong. Nightblade is a cunning foe who has now tricked us all. I for one must endeavor to be at my best to be sure it does not happen again.”
“Good advice for us all.” Jonas nodded. “Now, have you two had a chance to talk to StarFall about Nightblade? What can he tell us?”
“I self-arrived just before you,” Taliko replied, shaking his head no.
Jonas nodded again and got comfortable on a hay bale.
“I’ll ask him,” Casey said, turning to the unicorn. “Have you ever heard of something called a Nightblade?”
StarFall backed up a step. “Nightblade?”
“So you’ve heard of him then?”
“Of course. He and his pack are the enemy of every woodland being in Leutia,” StarFall replied through Casey. “Countless have perished under his tooth and claw. How is it you know of him?”
“He’s here,” Casey informed the unicorn.
“Here!” StarFall’s forelegs rose in the air.
Casey nodded. “Here for me, apparently.”
StarFall reared again, eyes wide. “The treachery of the aril knows no end. To conspire with the Nightblade is unthinkable amongst every herd.”
“It gets worse,” Casey said, and StarFall tilted his head in query. “Before he can get on with his mission to kill me, Taliko thinks he needs to eat you first.”
StarFall stepped back farther, head swaying left and right, taking his time before answering.
“This would explain why Nightblade has not been seen in Leutia for over a decade. His people, the Cree, have retreated so deep into the woods that many seers speculate he perished in some manner.”
Casey nodded. “Well, he was killed, sort of, by my mom and Taliko. Only he didn’t stay dead, and now he’s back and he’s hungry.”
StarFall nodded and said, “After my Wrivening I would need to eat regularly from trees and shrubs like the snowbark, the tree you call pearlwood, to keep my frein strong. So after all this time being trapped without any faerie creatures to sate his vicious appetite, it makes sense that he needs to…hunt the first faerie being he sees to regain his strength.” StarFall’s eyes widened in realization. “He it must have been that was the black cloud that exiled me here!”
“And the dark influence that spurs the stinging insects that plague your travels,” added Taliko.
“The source of my fears reveals itself,” StarFall observed. “But my fear falls woefully short of its true identity.” Then, looking at the shell warrior, he shook his head in disbelief. “I find the advisement of your victory nothing short of incredulous. Back home, a tale of Nightblade’s defeat is a story unwritten. All honor to you and your Maker, Taliko,” StarFall dipped his head respectfully. “I am in awe of your bravery, and would care to hear the details of the battle without delay.”
“Me too,” said Jonas.
Taliko twirled his staff once and drove it into the ground with a thud. “And so I begin the telling of the Maker and the Merciless.”
“Merciless?” Casey asked, eye wide.
Taliko nodded, “Nightblade, Merciless. To the Maker, such were the names of the enemy.”
Casey mumbled, “Suits him fine, I reckon. Just fine.”
Taliko stared at the floor a moment, then looked up at Jonas and began. “At the Maker’s behest, I told you that she tasked me with bringing Casey through the portal and to deliver her safely to your nest.”
Jonas nodded for him to continue but Casey said, “Hold it. In, not out on the porch. In. How did you get me in without breaking down the door?”
“Hoof dust?” StarFall asked.
“The tale goes just so,” Taliko replied.
“Hoof dust?” Casey asked.
“Unicorns are forever free,” said StarFall. “Magic born with the ability to open any lock. Such is the legacy of SkyMajesty, the mother of all faerie steeds. It is a rarely given gift, but as a reward for great services, unicorns sometimes allow mages to take a splinter from their hoof to use as an ingredient for magic spells and substances that will open doors and other locks.”
“SkyMajesty,” Casey said dreamily.
“Her sacrifice gave birth to both unicorns and pegasai,” StarFall explained. “A story for another time perhaps.”
“A story for another time, definitely,” Casey said.
All eyes fell back on Taliko, signaling him to continue. “Much like the story you told Casey of how she came into your care Jonas, the tale of my bringing Casey into yours was also a falsehood to forestall questions. In truth, friend Jonas, how Casey came to be delivered into your nest, I cannot say. The first thing I remember is the Maker’s eyes. Green and soft, like newborn river leaves in the sun.
