Montana Territory, America. 1878
Mapiya, Sam and Chief Blacktail all walked into the fort to talk, leaving me outside surrounded by a dozen highly tense Crow tribe warriors. I got the feeling they were all looking for a reason to try and put me down, so I found a nice spot in the yard next to one of the cannons, rested up against a wooden beam and tried to get some sleep. They weren't about to kill a sleeping man, and I wasn't about to let them think I was nervous about them being there.
I didn't manage to doze off, but I did manage to get a few minutes to myself to try and figure out what the hell was going on.
A few years earlier Merlin had sent me to Mexico to find a book, telling me it would be an easy assignment. Turns out he'd been wrong. The journey from Spain to Mexico had been an easy one, which alone should have told me that things were going to get bad. The fact that the book hadn't been in Mexico at all wasn't the most auspicious start. And since then I'd followed its trail all the way north.
Merlin had told me that the book contained some pretty powerful magic, but as far as I was concerned, it had better reveal the secrets of life. Anything less than that and I was not going to be happy.
There hadn't been much weird stuff happening on my journey, right up until I reached Montana. Then, it was as if all the weird shit happened at once. Deputies chasing a boy through the woods at night, an empty ranch, horses that had been ripped apart and eaten, a ranch owner butchered, and now, after all of that, an abandoned U.S. Army fort. The bad feeling in the pit of my gut was getting worse with every passing hour. I needed to finish my job and get out of this damn state.
Fuck you, Merlin. It was a thought that was coming more and more easily to me over the centuries. Whatever vision he and I had shared when I first joined him was slowly eroding. But that was a problem for another time.
Then there was Sam. Someone had murdered his dad, and then tried to kill him. There had to be a reckoning for that, and if I didn't help, Sam would get himself killed. Merlin always said that my conscience got me into trouble. And, he had a fair point. Didn’t mean I planned on changing anytime soon.
"Who are you?" The voice belonged to Mapiya. I opened my eyes and spent a few seconds drinking in her beauty under the guise of waking up.
"I told you who I am," I said.
"Why are you here? In Montana? The real reason."
"Followed an artifact from Mexico, and, it seems to have passed quite a few hands on the way here. Everyone who handled it is dead. The exception to that rule being whoever has it now."
"It's a book, about so thick." Mapiya moved her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart. "It contains bad things. Really bad things."
I stared at the women next to me for a moment. "I’m almost certain that you’re not human, so what are you?"
"Necromancer," she said after a moment's hesitation.
"Can I assume that whatever is in that book relates to your abilities?"
Another hesitation. "What do you know about ghouls?"
"They are men or women who were corrupted by dark, blood magic. They have a venomous bite that paralyses and turns a human in the barren. They're fast, strong and very dangerous."
"They're rare. And they're behind the attack on the people of this fort and the ranch."
"You sure, Mapiya?"
"Sky," she said.
I tried my best not to look confused.
"It's my name," she continued. "Mapiya is a Sioux name; it means Sky."
I smiled. "So, Sky, how many of these ghouls are there?
"Up to six."
I got the impression there was more to it than she was willing to share, but I didn't want to push too soon.
"And your employer would be?"
Sky smiled, it was sly and somehow made her more attractive. "You first."
I shook my head. "Can't, sorry."
"Then you have your answer."
"Secrets aside, it's beginning to appear like as if you and I have the same agenda. To find out what's happening here, and stop it."
"I thought you wanted the book?" she said with that same sly grin.
"Yeah, well if there's ghouls involved, they need stopping. I've never encountered them before, but something weird is definitely going on here. When that happens, I usually like to find out what it is. One question though, why kill the ranch owner? And why so violently? You only kill like that either to send a message, or because you hate the person."
Sky pondered my words for a few moments before responding. "Someone at the nearest town, Kilnhurst, might know. Although, I don't trust anyone in that damned place, so I wouldn't expect the information to come easily."
"I need to talk to Sam, and then I'll make my way there. Alone."
"And what if I say no?"
"You won't. There's another fort west of here, take Sam and go check it out. I'm hoping the fort there hasn't been attacked. If everyone is still in once piece there, they might know more about what the hell is going on."
"Sounds like as good a plan as any."
"What can you tell me about this Kilnhurst?"
"About a thousand people live there, but there are many more who are just passing through. The sheriff is a vicious killer and his deputies are not much better. Something about the place makes my skin crawl. I think it's safe to say that they hate me. Even more than the usual shit I get when I go into a town, though a young woman with my heritage always raises whispers and stolen glances."
"Maybe they're jealous," I pointed out. "Or they find you irresistible and can barely contain their desire for you."
"Or they hate and fear me because they're a bunch of small-minded idiots."
"Or that." I said and we both laughed. "The Chief doesn't trust me."
"You're an outsider in a time when his people are being killed and abused, while justice is in short supply. He doesn't trust anyone he doesn't know."
"He trusts you."
"The Crow Tribe and I go a long way back."
I digested the information as Sam raced around the corner, almost running into one of the cannons, before skidding to a halt in front of Sky and me. "Chief Blacktail wants to talk to you," he said to me.
I stood and brushed loose dirt from my trousers. "We need to have a talk of our own," I said to Sam, and walked off to find the Chief.
Blacktail had set himself up in the fort's large dining room. Lamps burned brightly on the walls, but the six Crow warriors still did their best to appear inconspicuous. They stayed far enough from their Chief to appear unthreatening, but close enough that they could get to an attacker in a heartbeat. One of the men casually held a bow, an arrow already nocked. The Chief sat at one of two long tables eating an apple. He gestured for me to sit opposite him, which I did with a nod of gratitude.
"We found this." Chief Blacktail signalled to one of the warriors who brought forward a cavalry sabre stained red with blood. "It was in the barracks, which appear to have been the centre of a large fight."
"Any other traces of the soldiers?"
Chief Blacktail shook his head. "Some blood, though not enough to cause a man to die. They were all taken by monsters of the night, I already know this. They're dead now, there's little chance of any other result. I requested your presence so that we can discuss this." A second warrior placed a tomahawk on the table in front of me. It was identical to the one I'd found in the barn, except it lacked any blood on the blade or feathers.
"Was this found in the fort?" I asked.
"Imbedded in the timber outside this room. Someone is trying to make stupid people believe we are involved in these massacres."
"I suspect you weren't meant to find the weapon, nor was I. Someone will probably visit the fort tomorrow morning. The same will be true of the ranch. My guess is this visitor will be involved with the killers. They were meant to discover the tomahawks as proof of the crimes committed in these places. To draw attention away from themselves and put it on people who some are still suspicious of."
"That sounds true enough. Bring him out," he added with a glance over his shoulder. One of the Chief's guards exited through a set of double doors, returning a moment later, pushing a handcuffed man in front of him. The newcomer was a head taller than the warrior, but the fear in his eyes was easy to see. Or rather, eye. The left one was swollen shut, and blood stained his blue shirt from a cut on his lip. Bruises adorned both sides of his face, and he walked with an obviously painful limp.
A deputy badge shone proudly on his lapel. We were heading into very dangerous waters and I hesitated to voice my concern. "You beat up a deputy," I said. "That's got all kinds of trouble in it for you."
"Tell him," Chief Blacktail said to the now seated man.
"Fuck you, Chief kiss-my-ass." The man's attempt at mockery gained him a punch to the jaw from one of the warriors, which knocked him to the floor.
"Would you like to be clever again?" the Chief asked as the man was dragged back into a seated position.
The deputy started talking immediately. "I was told to wait until morning when some wagons will be going past on their way to town. I was supposed to ride from the Fort, telling everyone that it had been attacked. The people from the wagons would come inside, find the tomahawk, and these assholes would get the blame. But they turned up first."
"You can't kill him," I said.
"He should die for his treachery."
"Enough," the Chief commanded. "Nathan is right; killing the deputy would be disastrous for us in the long run. If we were ever linked to his death, the government would attack us."
"But…" the young warrior started.
"But nothing!" The Chief slammed his open palm onto the table. "This man will not die at our hands. It is my place to ensure the Crow remain strong. Killing him will do the opposite."
"Why show him to me?" I asked, breaking the staring contest that had ensued between the Chief and warrior.
"His master is the Sheriff. I assumed you would want to question him yourself."
I glanced at the beaten man who spat on the floor by my feet. "Traitor," he said. "You should be helping us, not fighting your own kind."
Air slammed into the chest of the man, ripping him from his chair and throwing him up against the wall, pinning him and holding him still as I walked toward him. "My kind, " I snarled, "could crush you like the fucking insect you are. If you ever refer to anyone in my company in a derogatory fashion again, I shall strip the flesh from your bones." I clenched my fist and the air wrapped around the man increased in pressure until he was moments away from having his bones crushed.
"Clear?" I asked as tears flowed from the deputy's eyes.
He nodded furiously, so I released the magic and he fell awkwardly to the floor.
I waited for a few seconds and returned to my seat as the deputy dragged in ragged breaths deeply. "Answer my questions truthfully and you live," I said, when he'd finished coughing. "And rest assured that, unlike your current captors, I will have no issues with making you disappear."
The man nodded once more.
"Who sent you here?"
"Sheriff Bourne, he runs Kilnhurst."
"A corrupt sheriff," I rubbed my temples. "What a damn shock."
The deputy shook his head. "He's not corrupt. He doesn't take bribes or hurt the inhabitants of the town. He protects us from those who would do us harm. Like them." He motioned toward the nearest warrior.
"So he protects you all, and you just ignore when he has people murdered. Is he human?"
"Yes."
"I assume you've seen the ghouls."
"They protect us too. They help the sheriff in his work, but he doesn't control them. I don't know who does."
I needed to go to the town even more so, if only to check the sheriff out for myself. And hopefully to figure out if the deputy was lying or if there really was someone else out there controlling the ghouls.
"Take him back to his cell," I said to the Chief who motioned for one of the warriors to take the deputy away.
The warrior who had argued with the Chief earlier drew a knife and stepped forward.
I intercepted the attack before it even happened, knocking the knife aside and pushing the young warrior back. "Deputy, you will not be harmed," I said, my back toward him, as I watched the warrior glare at me.
Behind me, the deputy calmed and I heard him being led away toward his cell. "One thing, before you go," I said, and the deputy stopped again. "If anyone goes against my word, I will kill them." I did not take my eyes off the young warrior as I spoke.
"Thank you, sir," the deputy said from behind me.
I hadn't finished. "But if you lied to me about anything," I told him, "or if you try to escape from this place, your life is forfeit. And I will let these men do whatever they wish to ensure their anger is sated."
The prisoner was led away in silence, and the second I turned my eyes away from the young warrior, he pounced on me, exactly as I'd known he would. A second knife was in his hand and he swiped it up toward me. I dodged aside, kicked out his knee and smashed his face into the wooden table before locking his elbow at the joint until he released the blade.
"Are you satisfied now?" the Chief asked the young man. "Your behaviour was rash and stupid. A superior warrior handled you as if you were a baby. You will apologise, and then you will leave my sight until I summon you for whatever punishment I deem necessary."
Chief Blacktail looked up at me. "You may release my son."
Well, that was a shock, but I did as I was asked, and moved away just enough to ensure that any further ideas of retribution would require him to step toward me. I really hoped he wasn't that foolish. Was I that stupid when I was young? Probably.
The warrior nodded slightly to his father before turning to me. "I'm sorry," he said, and quickly left the room.
"He is rash and impulsive," Chief Blacktail said. "Like myself at his age. Hopefully, he will grow out of it."
"I understand his need for vengeance. You're being set up to take the blame for what would be described as a massacre. I suggest you leave this place at first light and take your son with you."
"I agree. Have you told Sam you will not be taking him with you to Kilnhurst?"
I shook my head. "It's on my list of things to do before I go."
The Chief stood. "I wish you luck, Nathan Garrett. I see a rage in your eyes, and I'm not sure I would wish to be around when it is unleashed.”
“You’re not surprised about my magic?”
“You are not the first sorcerer I’ve met,” he said with a slight grin. “We will take Sam and Sky as far as our camp, they will be protected. Although I doubt Sky needs it, she is a capable woman. You should beware."
"I'm always wary of beautiful women who carry knives."
The Chief laughed. "The wise words of someone who has experienced the wrath of one such lady and a story I would like to hear."
"I promise when this is over, the story is all yours." So long as I wasn't dead first.
As much as I wanted to leave immediately, and make it to the town of Kilnhurst before dark the following day, I had to speak to Sam first. I'd grown to like him during the past few days together, and didn't want him to think that I was going to take away whatever justice or vengeance he thought he deserved.
I found him sitting on top of the wall, shrouded in the darkness from the watchtower above. "Someone mentioned you're off to Kilnhurst," he said, his voice hard but composed. As if waiting to spring from zero to anger in a second.
"I need to go and check out this sheriff; he's involved in all of this."
Sam moved forward and the torch light touched his face. "He killed my dad. Murdered him."
"What was your dad investigating?"
"Me and Dad lived in North Dakota; we moved there after Mum died. But he would take jobs to track people down. He was still a U.S. Marshall, and that held sway with many. And then some government people turned up about six months ago, asking for his help."
He paused for a moment. I got the feeling that Sam hadn't told any of this to a soul since it happened and I didn't want to interrupt.
"He never came home. It took me a few months to track down where he'd gone, but I eventually discovered that he went into that town, Kilnhurst, and never left." Tears began to fall steadily, but he didn't stop to wipe them away.
"I asked the sheriff for help, but instead, he got his thugs to give me a beating to keep me away. That was three weeks ago. I healed up and went back, determined to find out what happened to my dad. I waited until dusk and broke into one of the abandoned shops on the main street. I watched the sheriff walk to the cat house every night at the same time and stay for exactly the same amount of time.
"I did that for three nights until one night when a boy about my age broke into the same shop. His name was Lee and he was on the run from the law. He told me that he'd stolen some food, and had assaulted the army captain who had tried to capture him. He'd been following the sheriff, too, and wanted to break into his house at the edge of town to steal some of the things he'd seen there." Sam removed the silver revolver from his holster and cradled it in his hands. "Lee told me that he'd seen my dad's guns. That the sheriff normally wore them all the time, but that at night he removed them. He said if I helped, the guns were mine, but he wanted anything else we found. I agreed and we started to plan.
"It took us a few days more of planning and going out during the night to scout the house. It was a big property with a lot of places to hide and watch without drawing any undue attention. And then after nearly a week, we watched as the sheriff left to see his whores and put the plan in motion."
Sam had stopped crying and just looked angry. "We broke into the house, and searched it as we'd planned, but we couldn't find the guns. Lee was irate when I wouldn't stop looking, and refused to help me search further. Instead, he went room to room looking for anything of value. I went to leave the house, but heard the shouts when they found him and panicked. I hid in a wardrobe, and was forced to listen to them torture him. He told them everything, but didn't give me up. And then he arrived. I heard his voice. It was deep and filled with amusement as Lee screamed. Lee told them everything. About me, where I was, and what was happening. I bolted, but they caught me and dragged me to a large living room where Sam was tied to a chair. His face was just blood. Nothing else. I can remember seeing fingers on the floor. They'd cut off his fingers, Nathan."
Sam took a deep breath before continuing. "They tied me up and made me watch as this… thing started working on Lee. He was still alive, and they made me watch as they hurt him. Sometimes, that monster didn't even touch Lee with more than a hand, but it made him scream in pain. All night they continued, until all that was left of Lee was a whimpering mess. But by then the sun had risen, and the monster who had tortured Lee had to leave.
"They left me tied to a chair for the day, alone to watch the final moments of Lee's life ebb away. I didn't even understand how he was still alive. I knew that would be me the next night, and I knew I had to get away. The deputies who grabbed me, the same ones you met in the woods, hadn't searched me, and I managed to get a knife out of my back pocket and use it to start cutting through the ropes. It was awkward and painful, but it was the only hope I had.
"The sheriff arrived that night, with a deputy, and told me he'd killed my dad. That he'd taken his time and tortured him until my dad had given up the information they needed. And then he killed him with his own gun. He showed me the gun, right under my nose and pulled back the hammer. I snapped the rest of the rope and plunged the small dagger into the side of his face. He fell back, but the gun went off and caught the deputy in the head. The sheriff cracked his skull on the floor hard enough that he remained still. I took my dad's revolver, the other was still in the holster the sheriff wore, and I wanted to kill him."
Tears fell again, this time in great big sobs. "I couldn't do it," Sam cried. "He was right there. I pressed the barrel against his temple, but I couldn't kill him. I saw the body of the deputy, saw the hole in his head, and felt sick. The sheriff murdered my dad, had tortured Lee right in front of me. But I couldn't kill him. Why couldn't I do that?"
"You're not that person," I said softly. "Don't ever be that person."
"Why? You are." He flinched at his own words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"Yes, you did. And you're right. I would have put two in his head and called it a day. Whatever part of my soul would once have once stopped me doing that is long gone. I'm not the passive guy who lets things go, I came to terms with what I am a long time ago."
"There's more," Sam said. "Lee was whimpering. They'd cut out his tongue and removed his lips, but I could still hear his words… Kill me. It took me… I don't know how long, but eventually I placed the barrel against his head. I couldn't pull the trigger, couldn't kill him. He reached up, his hand was missing three fingers, but he placed his bloody hand against mine and I positioned his finger to pull the trigger. He said thank you and then he killed himself."
Sam wept for a long time — for himself, his dad and his friend. I sat beside him and he buried his face in my shoulder. I didn't know what to say, sorry wasn't enough, so I just sat there stoic and unyielding as Sam's emotions ran out of him.
"I couldn't get the second gun of my dad's," he said eventually. "The deputies came back, and I was forced to flee. I grabbed the nearest horse and rode toward the forest, but they shot the horse and I had to abandon it and go on foot. Then you met me."
"Thank you for telling me that, and I don't want to do this to you, but I have some questions, is that okay?"
Sam nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me that the sheriff was the killer? You asked me to help you find your dad's killer."
"I wasn't sure if I could trust you. And even if you weren't involved, who would want to help me kill a sheriff?"
He had a point. "What can you tell me about the man who tortured Lee?"
"He was tall, but he wore a hood, so I couldn't see his face. I could see his eyes though. They were bright red. And he was in charge. Even the sheriff was wary of him."
"Did you see any other… things around? Any kind of odd creatures for example."
Sam shook his head. "Just the sheriff, his deputies and that monster."
"Sky knows what your monster is," I said. "I think that's why she's really here."
"Are you going to kill him, the monster I mean?"
"I get the feeling that's Sky's job."
"She's scary."
We both watched as Sky walked around the yard below avoiding any of the Crow tribe warriors, who in turn wanted little to do with her. "She's something," I agreed. "You're going with her to a fort close to here."
"You going to be okay down in that town alone?"
I stood. "I think I can take care of myself."
"I want to kill the sheriff. I need to do it."
"You sure? You can't undo something like that."
Sam stared off into the distance. "I feel like it's something I have to do."
"Then I'm sure you'll get your chance," I said, but my thoughts continued. And then we'll see if you're the kind of man who can walk away from that. Or if you're more like me than you ever want to be.