Just outside Thief River Falls, Minnesota, January 7, 1864
Shani tossed a battered bookcase in front of the door as Pania checked her ammunition. The elven bard gave Shani a dejected look and sighed. Shani knew that they were running out of bullets, and out of time. Williams had them surrounded. “Why’d he have ta git all uppity?” Shani sighed as she hunkered down beside Pania and began reloading her Colts. She took a quick peek outside, making certain to remove her stetson first. Outside, Williams’ men were also reloading and preparing for another volley. “Godsdammit! They bringin’ out the big guns.”
Pania removed her duster and took peek, grimacing as she saw the Gatling gun dragged into position. She saw the Gatling gun, but she also saw something else. “It’s tha’ bloody bugger in the cloak tha’s go’ me worried,” she said as she sunk back into her crouched position. Shani had seen him before, always hanging back, never speaking to the soldiers or Williams. “I go’ a feelin’ tha’ ‘e’s jus’ an observer. An’ I’ve go’ a feelin’ tha’ Williams an’ ‘is men cannu see ‘im.”
Shani furrowed her brow and looked to Pania for a moment. She sighed and shook her head. “If one o’ them bastards from back home d’cided ta follow us an’ have some fun, I’ll fill the bastard fulla buck an’ leave ‘im there ta die.”
*****
Just outside Thief River Falls, Minnesota, January 14, 1864
Walker picked at the spent shell casings, examining them carefully. He tossed one to the side and rose to his feet, his left hand never leaving the butt of his Remmington. “Brought in a Gatlin’ gun,” he muttered, then looked over to Ming. The often quiet Chinese man was standing twenty feet from Walker’s position, and calmly inspecting a patch of ground. “Whatcha got, Ming?” he asked as he approached slowly. Walker saw the piece Ming was looking over, the snow had appeared to have been melted in a perfect circle and the grass had been killed off, permanently.
Derringer approached the pair and inspected the circle a moment, then looked to the canopy of the trees. “It would appear this has been here for a week,” he mused.
“It should be covered in snow,” Ming finally stated as he finally looked up and studied each old gunslinger. “Even with the trees, there should be snow. And look,” he said as he pointed to the snow that surrounded the circle. “Animal tracks. They approach, back away, and move around the spot.” Ming was right. There were several tracks that had come close to the spot but seemed reel back and head off around it in an erratic fashion.
“Someone directin’ Williams?” Walker offered the small suggestion.
Derringer took a deep breath before looking back to the burned out shack. “Or something,” he finally suggested.
*****
One week ago
He stood, watching as the soldiers unloaded their ammunition into the old shack. Marveled at the efficiency of the violence. For more than a year he had heard of these two bandits, and had tried so hard to find them. What luck when he heard not only had they teamed up, but that Captain Williams was on their trail. All he need do was find Captain Williams, and then let Williams find them. Their magic had been what had drawn this one out, he craved it, needed it. Power to add to his own.
But before he took them, he’d force them to take him to their homeworld, where he could become drunk with the power. He smiled in the shadow of the hood as he watched the Gatling gun begin to rumble and spew forth its hot death. Watched as the bullets ripped into the logs that made up the shack’s walls. Then he reeled back, just a bit, as a bullet ripped into his chest. There was more shock than pain. He’d never been hit by a bullet before, it was an odd feeling. Slowly, he looked back to the small shack.
“That’s right, you sonofabitch!” he heard the elven gunslinger shout out in furious rage. “I see you, ya bastard! An’ I’ll send ya back ta hell!”
Inside the shack, Shani and Pania had built up a good enough barricade, but they knew that Gatling would chew through even the thickest logs. It wouldn’t be long. At timed intervals, they would return fire. But the cloaked apparition had become a new target. “Ye think Williams know ‘bou’ ‘im?”
“Not a chance,” Shani replied with a sneer. “Bastard’s keepin’ quiet, way too quiet. Where ya figger he come from?”
“Well, there’s rumour o’ a spook tha’ used ta travel the Marches,” Pania suggested. “Suddenly jus’ disappeared. Bu’ I figure tha’ were jus’ stories ta ensure the b’haviour o’ wee ones.” She hopped up and took another pair of shots, aiming directly at the apparition, before dropping to the floor once again. “We’re ‘ittin’ the bugger square, tha’s fer certain.” Pania took another stock of their ammunition as Shani took another peek out the window.
“Gotta try an’ tempt the bastard closer,” Shani suggested as she ducked back down, looking to her partner. “An’ maybe this time I’ll git a shot point blank in the sonofabitch’s face.”
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