[Fanfic] Red West III. - Chapter sixteen
Apr. 25th, 2021 03:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
witchann2Title: RED WEST III.
Author: Kasumi
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance, Adventure, Historical fiction
Warning: AKame pairing - AU; vulgarisms, violence, explicit content
Beta-reading:
atago4
Summary: A direct sequel of Red West II. - Masterpost
A strange company of three young gunslingers and one Indian is on their way to Montana, while the infamous Black Riders continue their fight against Silver King of Colorado… Will they succeed or fail in the clash with the cruel environment and heartless Governor? Will their friendship, brotherhood and love persevere or be destroyed by greed, bloodshed and vengeance?
Thank you: To Kamenashi Kazuya and Akanishi Jin, because this story wouldn´t have existed without them.
A/N: Another chapter done, I hope you´ll enjoy reading it.
I´m grateful for any opinion or advice, you help me hone my writing skills with them.
Thank you for taking time to read this story. I´ll be happy if you reward me with a comment for it.
Previously:
Prologue // Chapter one // Chapter two // Chapter three // Chapter four // Chapter five // Chapter six // Chapter seven // Chapter eight // Chapter nine // Chapter ten // Chapter eleven // Chapter twelve // Chapter thirteen // Chapter fourteen // Chapter fifteen //
The torchlight flickered violently, sending dozens of creepy shadows across the dark walls all around him.
Ned looked around confused and almost jumped out of his skin, when something banged like a cannon shot right behind him. Annoyed, he turned to glare at the nervous man, who had just dropped his hammer on the stony ground under their feet.
“S-sorry, boss,” the miner stuttered and picked the tool up with a shaking hand.
“Pull yourself together,” Ned growled. “I´ve told you there´s no problem for now.”
“Yeah… You said exactly that – for now,” another man murmured fearfully.
Ned ignored those cowards and carefully examined the nearest mine walls again. That strange draft he had noticed before bothered him – just where was it coming from?
He had already checked this recently created tunnel to its very end, and there was not even a tiny split in sight. The recent partial collapse didn´t reach past the connecting point of the two other tunnels and as far as he could tell, everything seemed stable enough. The yellow flame in his hand was not supposed to even flinch.
“What is it?” the anxious voice resonated behind him, when the clumsy miner noticed his weird silence.
Ned made two steps forward, so that the light flooded the deepest part of the tunnel. The wall was smoothly cleaned, as well as the ceiling and he didn´t see anything suspicious.
“Probably nothin´,” he replied finally.
“Probably?”
Jesus, I should´ve taken anyone else but this poltroon!
“Let´s go back,” Ned ordered frowning.
The exhalations of relief from all the men present in the tunnel, who had been supporting the mine ceiling on the spots he had marked, were quite audible between the stone walls. At least not all of them were whining all the time, otherwise he would have already started kicking some asses.
As Ned was turning away, he caught something by the corner of his eye. It was only a short flash, but it made him hold on the spot nevertheless. Not sure if he saw correctly, he leant forward.
“Stop!” he called after the miners, probably startling them to no end. “More light!”
It took a while before finally one of them approached him with the brightest lantern: “What is it, boss?”
Ned squatted and stared at the tiny flashy spot in the bottom part of the wall in front of him.
“Hammer and chisel! Quickly!”
His order caused more worried murmurs among the miners again, but they obeyed promptly.
“Hold it,” Ned pushed the torch to one of the men behind him as he grabbed the tools instead. Then, very carefully, he attached the chisel next to that curious spot and stretched out with the hammer. Three hits, that was all it took and the shining stone fell down to his feet, throwing little reflections to the men´s faces in the yellow light.
“Holy crap,” the chicken man leaning above Ned breathed out.
“That´s gold!” yelled another.
“Hell yes! We´ve got it, boys!”
“The gold?”
“What else you think, smartass? Of course that gold!”
Within seconds, the miners shouted one over another, their previous fear of another collapse completely forgotten. Ned, feeling the excitement rushing through him as well, straightened up with the pretty stone in his hand. Now, he definitely had something to report to his superior.
“Hey! Hey, Mister! You´re alive or not?”
John didn´t know that voice, which sounded uncomfortably close and under normal circumstances, hearing it would have put him on alert right away. But at the moment, he was simply too tired to bring himself to any cautious reaction.
He opened his eyes only unwillingly and focused them on the unknown face in front of him.
“Finally! I was already tempted to leave you out here for scavengers,” a strange girl commented mockingly and shoved the water flask under his nose. “Here. You´re lucky I´ve got some left.”
John gathered the remnants of strength to raise his hand and grabbed the offered drink. The water was warm, but definitely better on his dried throat than nothing.
“Thank you…” he finally managed to say something and looked at his savior properly.
“You´re very welcome,” the girl with copper hair falling down her shoulders and wild green eyes smiled at him. “Can you get up?”
John focused on his limbs, which felt stiff but otherwise fully usable: “I think so…”
“Good. Come on then.”
He accepted the offered hand and the girl helped him up on his feet from the shadow of a huge boulder by the dusty, little used road. The sun was not so burning anymore, so he realized that he had to doze off till the afternoon.
“How did you end up here on foot, Mister?” the girl eyed his dirty clothes curiously. “There´s literally nothing around here… Well, except our tiny town, of course.”
John sighed. After that grumpy Rider let him go, he tried to pretend he was heading east and thought he might try and track the man then. But to his disappointment, he lost the track quickly. He could not be sure just where exactly the Rider took him, but he was damn sure they had tried to divert him away from any good direction.
He didn´t know Wyoming that well, so he could only try to remember the map which was sadly left at the ambush spot in a certain valley and figure out the direction where he might find some civilization. In the end, he decided to go north, alongside the familiar mountains. He stumbled upon this poor road by noon, thirsty, hungry and exhausted.
To his earlier great surprise, he had found some water in the sack which the Rider had given to him, but by that time it was already gone. Therefore, he decided to take a small break in the nearest shadow, before he would continue, since it was safer than to expose himself to the noon sun and get sunburnt. He was damn lucky that this woman spotted him there.
“That´s a long story, Miss. And how comes you are here in the middle of said nowhere?”
“On the way back home with my best buddy here,” the girl gestured toward the small wagon, towed by a stout pony. “I can give you a ride, if you want,” she offered willingly.
“To where?”
The girl grinned: “Well, I don´t know where you´re headed, but as I said – there´s only one kind of civilized place around here.”
The little pony had its own persistent speed, so they reached the huddle of houses late in the afternoon, with the sun creating long shadows in front of them.
The mentioned ´town´ included two narrow streets crossing each other nearby the rusty water tank with the creaking vane on the top. At the first sight, it was a God forgotten hole, just one of many, which were spread around the whole west by tens. Nevertheless, it was civilization and John would not have found it without help of cheerful Ann, at least not before nightfall.
Ann dropped him off in front of a shady pub with a crooked roof and warned him to drink only beer inside. Then she waved him goodbye and still with the same lazy speed headed home, which location John didn´t dare to guess.
To his great relief, the mentioned beer was not half that bad as he was afraid and the bored bartender even confirmed that this dirty hole also had their barber shop with bath. He could not wait to wash off the layer of dust and dirt from himself.
He was heading to the specified building lost in thoughts. Now, when he was kind of refreshed and could think more clearly, he was once again bothered by the result of his weird encounter with Black Riders. Since it was only by their courtesy that he could afford to buy that beer…
They might have insidiously put him to sleep and threatened him with Mrs. Tabor´s safety, if he would be so stupid to try anything, but they let him go, unharmed and moreover with supplies – in that sack, which he didn´t even bother to check properly at first, aside from water there was also some cash and even his own revolver, which he considered lost for good. Without bullets, naturally, but still – he couldn´t shake off the surprise from getting it back.
What was their damn point? Did they mock him with this? If they wanted to play the good Samaritans, they should have let Augusta go… He could not help but wonder about the easiest and quickest possibility to find out just where they went with her. If there was even any…
Ann told him that she picked him up south of Hyattville, under the Cloud Peak, which was this small settlement far east from the valley, where they were ambushed by Indian rebels. So the Rider had to ride with him through the night, back in the way he had travelled with Augusta and to the east, since he headed mainly north after he had separated from him. The nearest bigger city was Buffalo, and accessible only by travelling through the Bighorn Forest. But it was also in the opposite direction from the place where he saw Augusta for the last time…
John was definitely in need of some enlightenment regarding what to do next, but he realized it would be wise not to act in a rush. So, the bath first, dinner second, thinking about how to handle the situation for the last.
The barber´s shop was basically just one room with thick roof above the river, with one chair inside for men who requested shaving. There was the back door through which he could see some sheets spread on the cords, probably covering bathtubs. The barber was nowhere in sight though.
Damn. He was tired and maybe a bit drunk and he really wanted that bath.
Then John heard the water splashing outside and figured that the barber was probably preparing a new bath, which would be awesome, as he could jump in there right away.
He crossed the entry room, walked out to the yard flooded with the setting sun, which made him narrow his eyes and pushed one sheet partially aside.
"Hello? May I ask for...?"
There was a short exclaim of surprise and John stopped dead in his track, as some slender woman looked up to him from the tub full of water and sparkling bubbles, her wet hair falling down the shoulders and partially covering her naked…
John felt the blood rushing up to his head. Being so pensive, he didn´t realize at all there might be some other customer. With apology on his lips, he already half-stepped back when…
“John?” the female customer addressed him by name, pure confusion all over her face.
Shocked, he could only stare at the bathing, alluring woman in front of him, who was just as baffled as himself. It took his tired brain a damn long while to realize that it was really Augusta Tabor.
There might be something to that saying that patience pays off, Cameron thought as he observed the lively hustle in front of the mine entrance.
He hadn´t really expected that he could make any real profit from the old mine. He just considered it worth trying and also as a sorter for more future direct subordinates. For one fine example, Ned definitely proved himself worthy at least a salary rise.
“I´ve got it, sir.”
Cameron turned to the back part of the wagon, where the black man just spread out the detailed mine map. Danny, waiting there as well, placed a small stone at its corner, to prevent it from rolling up again and stepped a little aside, as Cameron leant over it with Ned.
“This is how far the surface, mostly ceiling, seems to be damaged a bit. We should strengthen the supporting props, here, here and also here,” Ned spoke as he pointed at the parts of the map with certainty of someone, who had walked through those tunnels over and over. “We should focus on this corridor and support the ceiling gradually. And this here – this is the deepest end, where I had found it, sir. It´s narrow and we need to widen it; otherwise the miners will spend ages there taking turns. But it will take a while…”
“You mean to do it manually?”
“That´s right, sir. I wouldn´t use any dynamite over there anymore, until we know for sure it will hold out more upheaval. Too much risk.”
His headman sounded really worried and Cameron already knew the man was quite reasonable, so he intended to follow his advice. At least for the time being.
“I understand. What procedure would be the best?”
Ned thought it through for a while, frowning at the map: “Well, I´d recommend checking the ceiling first and scraping it off properly, to make sure the vein doesn´t go up. Then put reinforcements there and continue digging. One part after another, on both sides.”
Cameron nodded: “Sounds good to me. Great work, Ned.”
“It´s my job, sir.”
That was what he liked about this partial Negro as well – no false humility or useless flattering, always talking to the point.
“No explosives from now on, make sure everyone knows it,” Cameron emphasized.
“Yes, sir.”
“Danny, arrange the secure shelter for our remaining dynamite supplies. I want no accidents.”
“Some men are already working on it, sir. Ned advised to do so.”
Cameron nodded satisfied. If all his subordinates were so capable, he would not have to bother with half the things himself.
“Excellent. Ned, once you make sure that works on that deepening are going just fine, you can take a day off. And expect a rise from the next month on.”
The headman looked up from the map: “To be honest, there´s no need, sir. You pay me well enough and I…”
“You deserve it,” Cameron cut in, rejecting any objections.
And I need to make sure you won´t regret handing me over this shiny little stone, he noted only to himself.
“Okay then… Thank you.”
“Sir?” hearing his tone, Cameron immediately turned to his young assistant again. “We´ve got some visitors…”
Danny was right. There were two men on horses climbing up the final elevation to the mine. Cameron recognized the dark stubble of their useless Sheriff Harris and behind him – on the white mare – Kamenashi.
Well, well… he thought. Let´s see what these two might want with my mine…
He calmly watched as they both dismounted and walked over to him.
“To what do we owe this visit, gentlemen?” Cameron welcomed them politely.
The older man took off his hat: “Just a usual check, Mr. Henderson, no need to worry.”
Nevertheless, Cameron noticed that Sheriff´s words were in direct contradiction with the expression of the younger man, who spoke up next.
“I´ve just seen a couple of Indians working under the slope and more of them are also up here… Mr. Henderson, I assume you´ve got their working permits?”
Cameron looked at deadly serious Kamenashi with raised eyebrows: “What do you mean?”
“I asked them, but they don´t seem to be aware of it. Unfortunately, they´re not allowed to work outside the reservation without the certified permits. So – do you have them, Mister?”
Not for the first time, Kame wondered just how Cameron Henderson managed to keep that unreadable expression of his under almost any circumstances. Such a kind of pretense either had to be a natural part of his character or he had been training for years to perfect it.
There was a short pause indicating that the former butler thought about his answer carefully, but nothing else revealed if he was surprised or even annoyed.
“Well, that´s a little unpleasant situation then… I didn´t receive any work permits for those red men,” Henderson admitted calmly. “You see, I was not aware of such a rule.”
Kame seriously doubted it was true. Henderson was not a type of person, who would have left anything important up to chance. Unfortunately, it was a believable excuse, at least for his temporary companion.
“I see, I see,” Sheriff Harris nodded, completely fulfilling Kame´s expectation of his reaction. “That´s absolutely understandable, Mister. There´s so many rules regarding Indians these days… Who can remember them all?”
Kame was tempted to roll his eyes, but contained his annoyance. He had expected nothing else from the older man. Despite talking to him only twice, he had already realized that the current Bozeman´s sheriff was aspiring to become the champion in avoiding troubles of any kind. It could be considered a small miracle that the man agreed to accompany him to the gold mine, when Kame had asked him for official support in this problematic issue.
It was Lena´s cousin, currently accommodated at Brices´ house and also in constant disagreement with them about his employment in Henderson´s services, who had mentioned that the man was willing to hire practically anyone, including some red savages. Such a statement naturally rang the warning bells for Kame and made him go to check the situation personally.
Now, he knew that his prudence was justified. If anyone from Fort Ellis found out that some Indians were working here without any permit, they could arrest and even hang them. Though, nothing would have happened to Henderson; that was for sure.
With these thoughts in mind, Kame stepped forward determined: “In that case, they´re not your employees anymore, Henderson,” he emphasized sternly.
The gray-haired man just returned his stare unwaveringly, without a word, but the black man, standing a bit aside till now, spoke up: “They should finish their job first,” he suggested frowning. “We´ve already paid them for today.”
“With immediate effect,” Kame reacted coldly, not taking his eyes off Henderson. “Tell them to be ready the first thing in the morning for the transfer. I´ll take them to the reservation.”
Ned was almost amazed by Kamenashi´s nerve. Pulling off something like this on possibly the most powerful man around Bozeman took some guts. Not to mention that losing those red men would cause a huge delay in the plan he had just presented to his boss.
“Damn, who you think you´re? Giving orders around here?” he complained.
Only now, the young man bothered to pay him some attention: “This is my job. I´ve got all the authority to take them away, I can assure you.”
He took a breath for more objections, but Mr. Cameron raised a hand to stop him: “It´s all right, Ned. I´m sure Kamenashi is just doing his work according the best of his conscience.”
“Thanks for understanding, Mister,” the youngster´s tone was polite, but Ned spotted a sour smirk, which seemed inappropriate on his face. “Have a good day.”
Cameron watched as Kamenashi walked to his patiently waiting mare, mounted her in one swift move and gently made her walk. Maybe even too gently… For how strict and firm he had behaved right now, he was treating that animal as if it was made of breakable glass.
Anyway, Cameron had to admit, this was one point for Kamenashi – he was learning how to play this invisible game, and quite quickly. He didn´t mind though. All the more interesting it was about to become, since he already knew how to score the point back on his side…
“Would you like some coffee, John?”
Her voice almost startled him. Realizing that his thoughts ran pretty much wild again, he felt like a kid caught doing something forbidden. Which was not very far from what he was actually doing…
I should really work on my self-control. And start with it preferably now.
“Yes, gladly,” he replied, avoiding to look in the woman´s eyes and took over the tin cup, which she was offering him. “Thank you, Mrs. Tabor.”
The small smile disappeared from her thin lips right away: “If you don´t want to make me really annoyed, then just drop this compulsory courtesy already.”
John looked at her this time, shortly observing the woman´s expression. She returned his gaze firmly, her facial features a little stern in the campfire light, but the look in her eyes was warm. She meant it. Like everything else this incredible woman ever said.
Man, I´m really losing it…
John looked away and sipped on the strong coffee.
“All right, I´m sorry… Augusta. Force of habit.”
“That´s better.”
The deep hoot made them both raise their heads. Some leaves rustled and a dark shadow flew above them on the background of quickly darkening sky. A pretty impressive silhouette of a long-eared owl quickly merged with shadows of the Bighorn Forest. The time of nocturnal creatures came and made John wonder if it wouldn´t be better to keep the night watch so deeply in the woods.
After their surprising reunion in Hyattville, they promptly decided to head for Buffalo the next morning. They were both worn out, so it was not a long discussion, but nevertheless, John couldn´t quite get it out of his head…
Augusta didn´t remember if she had ever felt so embarrassed.
Captain Walker left the barber´s place in quite a hurry, promising that he would wait outside, until she was finished. But before he finally turned away, he could take a look at her in the way only one man had seen her so far – all messy, disheveled and completely naked.
How can she look him in the eye now?
It was as if she could still feel his gaze, even when she was already neatly combed and dressed up in perfectly clean clothes. After paying the bill to the polite barber, who had willingly provided her with an additional soap, which was the reason of his absence when Captain Walker had arrived before, she checked herself in the foggy mirror. She had to take two deep breaths, before feeling at least a little ready to go through the exit.
The sun had just set and the town was flooded in deep orange color. Augusta spotted John pacing in front of the shady saloon almost right away. And in that moment, she also managed to calm down. Only now she realized what was obvious – the brave captain was even more embarrassed than she could ever be.
Augusta started walking again with a smile.
“Mrs. Tabor!” Captain rushed to meet her the second he noticed her approaching. “I am so, so sorry. I really didn´t mean to offend you. I just didn´t realize that…”
“It´s all right, John,” she interrupted him softly. “After all, nothing terrible happened.”
“Of course, it did! I shouldn´t have just barged in like that. Mrs. Tabor…”
“Augusta,” she corrected him firmly.
“I…” the man was so flustered and unsure about how to behave that she had to fight back the amused laugh.
“John,” Augusta stepped closer to him and took one of his hands in hers. “I´m really, really glad you´re all right.”
Something shifted in his gaze as he let out a deep breath and then he raised his other hand to place it on her shoulder gently: “Me, too. You can´t even imagine how much…”
She just smiled, enjoying the warm, safe feeling which his hand was giving her. Even though it didn´t last long, since John stepped away then, observing her a bit worriedly, as if looking for non-existing injuries.
“How did you even end up here?” Captain asked, visibly relieved. “Did you run off or…?”
Augusta chuckled: “No way. That woman – Jane – accompanied me west of this lovely town.”
John stared at her in disbelief: “So… They let you go just like that?”
“Yes,” she nodded, not as surprised as John obviously was. “And I assume they did the same with you…”
“Well, yeah, the very same… That grumpy Rider said that they´d hurt you if…”
“…I tried anything stupid,” Augusta finished the sentence instead.
“Exactly.”
A short silence followed, before they both laughed shortly.
John shook his head then: “Well… They got us quite nicely.”
“They really did,” she agreed.
“So… Did you already think about where do you want to head next?”
Being on her own, believing that John remained in the Riders´ captivity, Augusta could not make herself plan for anything. But now, when Captain was by her side again, it made her feel that she can go anywhere.
“Not really until now,” she replied meaningfully. “What about you buy me a drink, John and we can discuss what to do next together?”
John returned her smile in a way, which squeezed her throat: “With pleasure.”
They did have that drink. And then even two more.
After those rough days, during which they had lost their whole escort, survived the murderous intents of bloodthirsty Indians and endured being captured by Black Riders, it was indescribably nice just to sit by the table and talk. No matter the gloomy environment or not very tasty whiskey, John enjoyed the company of Augusta Tabor nevertheless. Just as resting by the campfire in the middle of unfamiliar woods with her…
John had to stop his own thoughts once again. He realized it was wrong to think about Augusta in such a way. She was a married woman, apparently unhappily, but still married. He had no right to even consider their relationship could be anything more than friendship. End of story.
“Would you like to share the reason for this thoughtful mood of yours?”
John put the empty cup aside and hesitantly returned the bright look of Augusta´s eyes, thinking about any safer topic than his current frame of mind. Somehow, he couldn´t figure out any.
“I´m sorry that I´m not the best companion.”
Augusta lightly shook her head: “No need to, I´m not complaining. Just asking.”
“Actually, there´re quite a few things on my mind,” he admitted slowly.
“Including being indecisive regarding what to think about Black Riders?”
He nodded: “That too.”
“I think you´re kind of biased against them,” Augusta assumed after a moment of silence. “But,” she emphasized when she noticed him taking breath for objections. “Considering your position, it´s understandable. Nobody can reproach you that.”
John observed her calm expression frowning: “What do you think of them, after what happened?”
“You want to hear my opinion?”
“Of course.”
"Well, I must say they surprised me. And in a good way. Are they bandits and outlaws? Yes. But are they cruel or greedy? Definitely not. They´re cautious and withdrawn, but they have good hearts.”
“How can you tell with such certainty?”
Augusta chuckled a bit: “Well, first of all, they rushed to our aid and saved our lives, John. Do you know many people who would willingly put themselves in lethal danger for two strangers? And they even went back there again to gather our things and returned them to us. I couldn´t believe my eyes, when I saw the content of that bag Jane had given me. Weren´t you pleasantly surprised as well?”
John pondered her words for a while. Augusta was right, but at the same time, he could not agree with her fully.
“Yes, I was and I´m grateful for that, too,” he admitted seriously. “But one good deed doesn´t erase what they did before. What they still do. The reward on their heads is not just for fun. They shamelessly raided stagecoaches and farms all around and people died by their hands.”
She sighed: “I know. I´m not trying to excuse them, only to understand them more.”
John could not help but snort cynically: “I don´t quite follow why should I try to understand thieves and murderers, who belong to gallows or at least to jail.”
Augusta fell silent for a long moment, her eyes focused on the flames.
“Is that what you´re about to do once we reach Buffalo?” she asked then quietly.
John stared at her, feeling a bit upset about her attitude: “What exactly are you asking me?”
“You know very well.”
“You usually speak more clearly, Augusta.”
She straightened up, her expressing hardening: “All right, if you need me to say it. So far nobody knows a thing about this gang, apart from the identity of their young leader Akanishi. Nobody, except the two of us now. I feel just gratitude towards them. But what about you? Will you give their names and descriptions to the Marshal´s Office and let them be hunted down and hanged?”
The heavy silence fell on the small camp, with only crackling of fire disturbing it.
John did not look away from the sharp glare his female companion was giving him, when he replied coldly: “As the representative and protector of the law it´s my duty to report our encounter.”
“What about your obligation to those who rescued you?” Augusta asked harshly.
It angered him, even though a small part of him felt ashamed: “Madame, I´m not just some rancher or merchant, who could keep his mouth shut in such a case with clear conscience. I´m the captain of United States Army. If I don´t follow laws and take them seriously, what kind of example I would be for my subordinates?”
“I see…” Augusta seemed to be upset as well. “But that´s not always compatible with being a just man, is it?”
“It´s not that simple,” he opposed.
“Sometimes it is,” Augusta insisted. “Depends on what´s more important for you.”
John took a deep breath, trying to gather his composure: “What would you do in my place, Augusta?” he asked then seriously.
She looked at him somewhat disappointedly: “I might be one of the most famous women in Colorado, but I won´t tell you what is the right thing to do, John.”
Suddenly, John felt really tense and uncomfortable under that look of hers. Augusta seemed to lose a part of her good opinion about him, and he didn´t like it.
He took his time to react on her words this time: “But you think that I shouldn´t do it.”
On that, Augusta sighed a bit and pulled the blanket over her shoulders, to protect herself better from the growing cold: “Each favor should be returned, don´t you think?”
John felt as if he got poured with a bucket of cold water: “Well… That never worked out for me,” he got over his stiff lips and stood up.
Augusta looked up to him alarmed: “John, I´m…”
He interrupted her quickly, before that small part of him could take control and stop him from going away from the suddenly painful conversation: “I´ll just gather more wood for the night and be right back.”
Author: Kasumi
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Western, Drama, Romance, Adventure, Historical fiction
Warning: AKame pairing - AU; vulgarisms, violence, explicit content
Beta-reading:
atago4Summary: A direct sequel of Red West II. - Masterpost
A strange company of three young gunslingers and one Indian is on their way to Montana, while the infamous Black Riders continue their fight against Silver King of Colorado… Will they succeed or fail in the clash with the cruel environment and heartless Governor? Will their friendship, brotherhood and love persevere or be destroyed by greed, bloodshed and vengeance?
Thank you: To Kamenashi Kazuya and Akanishi Jin, because this story wouldn´t have existed without them.
A/N: Another chapter done, I hope you´ll enjoy reading it.
I´m grateful for any opinion or advice, you help me hone my writing skills with them.
Thank you for taking time to read this story. I´ll be happy if you reward me with a comment for it.
Previously:
Prologue // Chapter one // Chapter two // Chapter three // Chapter four // Chapter five // Chapter six // Chapter seven // Chapter eight // Chapter nine // Chapter ten // Chapter eleven // Chapter twelve // Chapter thirteen // Chapter fourteen // Chapter fifteen //
Uncovering
The torchlight flickered violently, sending dozens of creepy shadows across the dark walls all around him.
Ned looked around confused and almost jumped out of his skin, when something banged like a cannon shot right behind him. Annoyed, he turned to glare at the nervous man, who had just dropped his hammer on the stony ground under their feet.
“S-sorry, boss,” the miner stuttered and picked the tool up with a shaking hand.
“Pull yourself together,” Ned growled. “I´ve told you there´s no problem for now.”
“Yeah… You said exactly that – for now,” another man murmured fearfully.
Ned ignored those cowards and carefully examined the nearest mine walls again. That strange draft he had noticed before bothered him – just where was it coming from?
He had already checked this recently created tunnel to its very end, and there was not even a tiny split in sight. The recent partial collapse didn´t reach past the connecting point of the two other tunnels and as far as he could tell, everything seemed stable enough. The yellow flame in his hand was not supposed to even flinch.
“What is it?” the anxious voice resonated behind him, when the clumsy miner noticed his weird silence.
Ned made two steps forward, so that the light flooded the deepest part of the tunnel. The wall was smoothly cleaned, as well as the ceiling and he didn´t see anything suspicious.
“Probably nothin´,” he replied finally.
“Probably?”
Jesus, I should´ve taken anyone else but this poltroon!
“Let´s go back,” Ned ordered frowning.
The exhalations of relief from all the men present in the tunnel, who had been supporting the mine ceiling on the spots he had marked, were quite audible between the stone walls. At least not all of them were whining all the time, otherwise he would have already started kicking some asses.
As Ned was turning away, he caught something by the corner of his eye. It was only a short flash, but it made him hold on the spot nevertheless. Not sure if he saw correctly, he leant forward.
“Stop!” he called after the miners, probably startling them to no end. “More light!”
It took a while before finally one of them approached him with the brightest lantern: “What is it, boss?”
Ned squatted and stared at the tiny flashy spot in the bottom part of the wall in front of him.
“Hammer and chisel! Quickly!”
His order caused more worried murmurs among the miners again, but they obeyed promptly.
“Hold it,” Ned pushed the torch to one of the men behind him as he grabbed the tools instead. Then, very carefully, he attached the chisel next to that curious spot and stretched out with the hammer. Three hits, that was all it took and the shining stone fell down to his feet, throwing little reflections to the men´s faces in the yellow light.
“Holy crap,” the chicken man leaning above Ned breathed out.
“That´s gold!” yelled another.
“Hell yes! We´ve got it, boys!”
“The gold?”
“What else you think, smartass? Of course that gold!”
Within seconds, the miners shouted one over another, their previous fear of another collapse completely forgotten. Ned, feeling the excitement rushing through him as well, straightened up with the pretty stone in his hand. Now, he definitely had something to report to his superior.
***
“Hey! Hey, Mister! You´re alive or not?”
John didn´t know that voice, which sounded uncomfortably close and under normal circumstances, hearing it would have put him on alert right away. But at the moment, he was simply too tired to bring himself to any cautious reaction.
He opened his eyes only unwillingly and focused them on the unknown face in front of him.
“Finally! I was already tempted to leave you out here for scavengers,” a strange girl commented mockingly and shoved the water flask under his nose. “Here. You´re lucky I´ve got some left.”
John gathered the remnants of strength to raise his hand and grabbed the offered drink. The water was warm, but definitely better on his dried throat than nothing.
“Thank you…” he finally managed to say something and looked at his savior properly.
“You´re very welcome,” the girl with copper hair falling down her shoulders and wild green eyes smiled at him. “Can you get up?”
John focused on his limbs, which felt stiff but otherwise fully usable: “I think so…”
“Good. Come on then.”
He accepted the offered hand and the girl helped him up on his feet from the shadow of a huge boulder by the dusty, little used road. The sun was not so burning anymore, so he realized that he had to doze off till the afternoon.
“How did you end up here on foot, Mister?” the girl eyed his dirty clothes curiously. “There´s literally nothing around here… Well, except our tiny town, of course.”
John sighed. After that grumpy Rider let him go, he tried to pretend he was heading east and thought he might try and track the man then. But to his disappointment, he lost the track quickly. He could not be sure just where exactly the Rider took him, but he was damn sure they had tried to divert him away from any good direction.
He didn´t know Wyoming that well, so he could only try to remember the map which was sadly left at the ambush spot in a certain valley and figure out the direction where he might find some civilization. In the end, he decided to go north, alongside the familiar mountains. He stumbled upon this poor road by noon, thirsty, hungry and exhausted.
To his earlier great surprise, he had found some water in the sack which the Rider had given to him, but by that time it was already gone. Therefore, he decided to take a small break in the nearest shadow, before he would continue, since it was safer than to expose himself to the noon sun and get sunburnt. He was damn lucky that this woman spotted him there.
“That´s a long story, Miss. And how comes you are here in the middle of said nowhere?”
“On the way back home with my best buddy here,” the girl gestured toward the small wagon, towed by a stout pony. “I can give you a ride, if you want,” she offered willingly.
“To where?”
The girl grinned: “Well, I don´t know where you´re headed, but as I said – there´s only one kind of civilized place around here.”
*
The little pony had its own persistent speed, so they reached the huddle of houses late in the afternoon, with the sun creating long shadows in front of them.
The mentioned ´town´ included two narrow streets crossing each other nearby the rusty water tank with the creaking vane on the top. At the first sight, it was a God forgotten hole, just one of many, which were spread around the whole west by tens. Nevertheless, it was civilization and John would not have found it without help of cheerful Ann, at least not before nightfall.
Ann dropped him off in front of a shady pub with a crooked roof and warned him to drink only beer inside. Then she waved him goodbye and still with the same lazy speed headed home, which location John didn´t dare to guess.
To his great relief, the mentioned beer was not half that bad as he was afraid and the bored bartender even confirmed that this dirty hole also had their barber shop with bath. He could not wait to wash off the layer of dust and dirt from himself.
He was heading to the specified building lost in thoughts. Now, when he was kind of refreshed and could think more clearly, he was once again bothered by the result of his weird encounter with Black Riders. Since it was only by their courtesy that he could afford to buy that beer…
They might have insidiously put him to sleep and threatened him with Mrs. Tabor´s safety, if he would be so stupid to try anything, but they let him go, unharmed and moreover with supplies – in that sack, which he didn´t even bother to check properly at first, aside from water there was also some cash and even his own revolver, which he considered lost for good. Without bullets, naturally, but still – he couldn´t shake off the surprise from getting it back.
What was their damn point? Did they mock him with this? If they wanted to play the good Samaritans, they should have let Augusta go… He could not help but wonder about the easiest and quickest possibility to find out just where they went with her. If there was even any…
Ann told him that she picked him up south of Hyattville, under the Cloud Peak, which was this small settlement far east from the valley, where they were ambushed by Indian rebels. So the Rider had to ride with him through the night, back in the way he had travelled with Augusta and to the east, since he headed mainly north after he had separated from him. The nearest bigger city was Buffalo, and accessible only by travelling through the Bighorn Forest. But it was also in the opposite direction from the place where he saw Augusta for the last time…
John was definitely in need of some enlightenment regarding what to do next, but he realized it would be wise not to act in a rush. So, the bath first, dinner second, thinking about how to handle the situation for the last.
The barber´s shop was basically just one room with thick roof above the river, with one chair inside for men who requested shaving. There was the back door through which he could see some sheets spread on the cords, probably covering bathtubs. The barber was nowhere in sight though.
Damn. He was tired and maybe a bit drunk and he really wanted that bath.
Then John heard the water splashing outside and figured that the barber was probably preparing a new bath, which would be awesome, as he could jump in there right away.
He crossed the entry room, walked out to the yard flooded with the setting sun, which made him narrow his eyes and pushed one sheet partially aside.
"Hello? May I ask for...?"
There was a short exclaim of surprise and John stopped dead in his track, as some slender woman looked up to him from the tub full of water and sparkling bubbles, her wet hair falling down the shoulders and partially covering her naked…
John felt the blood rushing up to his head. Being so pensive, he didn´t realize at all there might be some other customer. With apology on his lips, he already half-stepped back when…
“John?” the female customer addressed him by name, pure confusion all over her face.
Shocked, he could only stare at the bathing, alluring woman in front of him, who was just as baffled as himself. It took his tired brain a damn long while to realize that it was really Augusta Tabor.
***
There might be something to that saying that patience pays off, Cameron thought as he observed the lively hustle in front of the mine entrance.
He hadn´t really expected that he could make any real profit from the old mine. He just considered it worth trying and also as a sorter for more future direct subordinates. For one fine example, Ned definitely proved himself worthy at least a salary rise.
“I´ve got it, sir.”
Cameron turned to the back part of the wagon, where the black man just spread out the detailed mine map. Danny, waiting there as well, placed a small stone at its corner, to prevent it from rolling up again and stepped a little aside, as Cameron leant over it with Ned.
“This is how far the surface, mostly ceiling, seems to be damaged a bit. We should strengthen the supporting props, here, here and also here,” Ned spoke as he pointed at the parts of the map with certainty of someone, who had walked through those tunnels over and over. “We should focus on this corridor and support the ceiling gradually. And this here – this is the deepest end, where I had found it, sir. It´s narrow and we need to widen it; otherwise the miners will spend ages there taking turns. But it will take a while…”
“You mean to do it manually?”
“That´s right, sir. I wouldn´t use any dynamite over there anymore, until we know for sure it will hold out more upheaval. Too much risk.”
His headman sounded really worried and Cameron already knew the man was quite reasonable, so he intended to follow his advice. At least for the time being.
“I understand. What procedure would be the best?”
Ned thought it through for a while, frowning at the map: “Well, I´d recommend checking the ceiling first and scraping it off properly, to make sure the vein doesn´t go up. Then put reinforcements there and continue digging. One part after another, on both sides.”
Cameron nodded: “Sounds good to me. Great work, Ned.”
“It´s my job, sir.”
That was what he liked about this partial Negro as well – no false humility or useless flattering, always talking to the point.
“No explosives from now on, make sure everyone knows it,” Cameron emphasized.
“Yes, sir.”
“Danny, arrange the secure shelter for our remaining dynamite supplies. I want no accidents.”
“Some men are already working on it, sir. Ned advised to do so.”
Cameron nodded satisfied. If all his subordinates were so capable, he would not have to bother with half the things himself.
“Excellent. Ned, once you make sure that works on that deepening are going just fine, you can take a day off. And expect a rise from the next month on.”
The headman looked up from the map: “To be honest, there´s no need, sir. You pay me well enough and I…”
“You deserve it,” Cameron cut in, rejecting any objections.
And I need to make sure you won´t regret handing me over this shiny little stone, he noted only to himself.
“Okay then… Thank you.”
“Sir?” hearing his tone, Cameron immediately turned to his young assistant again. “We´ve got some visitors…”
Danny was right. There were two men on horses climbing up the final elevation to the mine. Cameron recognized the dark stubble of their useless Sheriff Harris and behind him – on the white mare – Kamenashi.
Well, well… he thought. Let´s see what these two might want with my mine…
He calmly watched as they both dismounted and walked over to him.
“To what do we owe this visit, gentlemen?” Cameron welcomed them politely.
The older man took off his hat: “Just a usual check, Mr. Henderson, no need to worry.”
Nevertheless, Cameron noticed that Sheriff´s words were in direct contradiction with the expression of the younger man, who spoke up next.
“I´ve just seen a couple of Indians working under the slope and more of them are also up here… Mr. Henderson, I assume you´ve got their working permits?”
Cameron looked at deadly serious Kamenashi with raised eyebrows: “What do you mean?”
“I asked them, but they don´t seem to be aware of it. Unfortunately, they´re not allowed to work outside the reservation without the certified permits. So – do you have them, Mister?”
Not for the first time, Kame wondered just how Cameron Henderson managed to keep that unreadable expression of his under almost any circumstances. Such a kind of pretense either had to be a natural part of his character or he had been training for years to perfect it.
There was a short pause indicating that the former butler thought about his answer carefully, but nothing else revealed if he was surprised or even annoyed.
“Well, that´s a little unpleasant situation then… I didn´t receive any work permits for those red men,” Henderson admitted calmly. “You see, I was not aware of such a rule.”
Kame seriously doubted it was true. Henderson was not a type of person, who would have left anything important up to chance. Unfortunately, it was a believable excuse, at least for his temporary companion.
“I see, I see,” Sheriff Harris nodded, completely fulfilling Kame´s expectation of his reaction. “That´s absolutely understandable, Mister. There´s so many rules regarding Indians these days… Who can remember them all?”
Kame was tempted to roll his eyes, but contained his annoyance. He had expected nothing else from the older man. Despite talking to him only twice, he had already realized that the current Bozeman´s sheriff was aspiring to become the champion in avoiding troubles of any kind. It could be considered a small miracle that the man agreed to accompany him to the gold mine, when Kame had asked him for official support in this problematic issue.
It was Lena´s cousin, currently accommodated at Brices´ house and also in constant disagreement with them about his employment in Henderson´s services, who had mentioned that the man was willing to hire practically anyone, including some red savages. Such a statement naturally rang the warning bells for Kame and made him go to check the situation personally.
Now, he knew that his prudence was justified. If anyone from Fort Ellis found out that some Indians were working here without any permit, they could arrest and even hang them. Though, nothing would have happened to Henderson; that was for sure.
With these thoughts in mind, Kame stepped forward determined: “In that case, they´re not your employees anymore, Henderson,” he emphasized sternly.
The gray-haired man just returned his stare unwaveringly, without a word, but the black man, standing a bit aside till now, spoke up: “They should finish their job first,” he suggested frowning. “We´ve already paid them for today.”
“With immediate effect,” Kame reacted coldly, not taking his eyes off Henderson. “Tell them to be ready the first thing in the morning for the transfer. I´ll take them to the reservation.”
Ned was almost amazed by Kamenashi´s nerve. Pulling off something like this on possibly the most powerful man around Bozeman took some guts. Not to mention that losing those red men would cause a huge delay in the plan he had just presented to his boss.
“Damn, who you think you´re? Giving orders around here?” he complained.
Only now, the young man bothered to pay him some attention: “This is my job. I´ve got all the authority to take them away, I can assure you.”
He took a breath for more objections, but Mr. Cameron raised a hand to stop him: “It´s all right, Ned. I´m sure Kamenashi is just doing his work according the best of his conscience.”
“Thanks for understanding, Mister,” the youngster´s tone was polite, but Ned spotted a sour smirk, which seemed inappropriate on his face. “Have a good day.”
Cameron watched as Kamenashi walked to his patiently waiting mare, mounted her in one swift move and gently made her walk. Maybe even too gently… For how strict and firm he had behaved right now, he was treating that animal as if it was made of breakable glass.
Anyway, Cameron had to admit, this was one point for Kamenashi – he was learning how to play this invisible game, and quite quickly. He didn´t mind though. All the more interesting it was about to become, since he already knew how to score the point back on his side…
***
“Would you like some coffee, John?”
Her voice almost startled him. Realizing that his thoughts ran pretty much wild again, he felt like a kid caught doing something forbidden. Which was not very far from what he was actually doing…
I should really work on my self-control. And start with it preferably now.
“Yes, gladly,” he replied, avoiding to look in the woman´s eyes and took over the tin cup, which she was offering him. “Thank you, Mrs. Tabor.”
The small smile disappeared from her thin lips right away: “If you don´t want to make me really annoyed, then just drop this compulsory courtesy already.”
John looked at her this time, shortly observing the woman´s expression. She returned his gaze firmly, her facial features a little stern in the campfire light, but the look in her eyes was warm. She meant it. Like everything else this incredible woman ever said.
Man, I´m really losing it…
John looked away and sipped on the strong coffee.
“All right, I´m sorry… Augusta. Force of habit.”
“That´s better.”
The deep hoot made them both raise their heads. Some leaves rustled and a dark shadow flew above them on the background of quickly darkening sky. A pretty impressive silhouette of a long-eared owl quickly merged with shadows of the Bighorn Forest. The time of nocturnal creatures came and made John wonder if it wouldn´t be better to keep the night watch so deeply in the woods.
After their surprising reunion in Hyattville, they promptly decided to head for Buffalo the next morning. They were both worn out, so it was not a long discussion, but nevertheless, John couldn´t quite get it out of his head…
*
Augusta didn´t remember if she had ever felt so embarrassed.
Captain Walker left the barber´s place in quite a hurry, promising that he would wait outside, until she was finished. But before he finally turned away, he could take a look at her in the way only one man had seen her so far – all messy, disheveled and completely naked.
How can she look him in the eye now?
It was as if she could still feel his gaze, even when she was already neatly combed and dressed up in perfectly clean clothes. After paying the bill to the polite barber, who had willingly provided her with an additional soap, which was the reason of his absence when Captain Walker had arrived before, she checked herself in the foggy mirror. She had to take two deep breaths, before feeling at least a little ready to go through the exit.
The sun had just set and the town was flooded in deep orange color. Augusta spotted John pacing in front of the shady saloon almost right away. And in that moment, she also managed to calm down. Only now she realized what was obvious – the brave captain was even more embarrassed than she could ever be.
Augusta started walking again with a smile.
“Mrs. Tabor!” Captain rushed to meet her the second he noticed her approaching. “I am so, so sorry. I really didn´t mean to offend you. I just didn´t realize that…”
“It´s all right, John,” she interrupted him softly. “After all, nothing terrible happened.”
“Of course, it did! I shouldn´t have just barged in like that. Mrs. Tabor…”
“Augusta,” she corrected him firmly.
“I…” the man was so flustered and unsure about how to behave that she had to fight back the amused laugh.
“John,” Augusta stepped closer to him and took one of his hands in hers. “I´m really, really glad you´re all right.”
Something shifted in his gaze as he let out a deep breath and then he raised his other hand to place it on her shoulder gently: “Me, too. You can´t even imagine how much…”
She just smiled, enjoying the warm, safe feeling which his hand was giving her. Even though it didn´t last long, since John stepped away then, observing her a bit worriedly, as if looking for non-existing injuries.
“How did you even end up here?” Captain asked, visibly relieved. “Did you run off or…?”
Augusta chuckled: “No way. That woman – Jane – accompanied me west of this lovely town.”
John stared at her in disbelief: “So… They let you go just like that?”
“Yes,” she nodded, not as surprised as John obviously was. “And I assume they did the same with you…”
“Well, yeah, the very same… That grumpy Rider said that they´d hurt you if…”
“…I tried anything stupid,” Augusta finished the sentence instead.
“Exactly.”
A short silence followed, before they both laughed shortly.
John shook his head then: “Well… They got us quite nicely.”
“They really did,” she agreed.
“So… Did you already think about where do you want to head next?”
Being on her own, believing that John remained in the Riders´ captivity, Augusta could not make herself plan for anything. But now, when Captain was by her side again, it made her feel that she can go anywhere.
“Not really until now,” she replied meaningfully. “What about you buy me a drink, John and we can discuss what to do next together?”
John returned her smile in a way, which squeezed her throat: “With pleasure.”
*
They did have that drink. And then even two more.
After those rough days, during which they had lost their whole escort, survived the murderous intents of bloodthirsty Indians and endured being captured by Black Riders, it was indescribably nice just to sit by the table and talk. No matter the gloomy environment or not very tasty whiskey, John enjoyed the company of Augusta Tabor nevertheless. Just as resting by the campfire in the middle of unfamiliar woods with her…
John had to stop his own thoughts once again. He realized it was wrong to think about Augusta in such a way. She was a married woman, apparently unhappily, but still married. He had no right to even consider their relationship could be anything more than friendship. End of story.
“Would you like to share the reason for this thoughtful mood of yours?”
John put the empty cup aside and hesitantly returned the bright look of Augusta´s eyes, thinking about any safer topic than his current frame of mind. Somehow, he couldn´t figure out any.
“I´m sorry that I´m not the best companion.”
Augusta lightly shook her head: “No need to, I´m not complaining. Just asking.”
“Actually, there´re quite a few things on my mind,” he admitted slowly.
“Including being indecisive regarding what to think about Black Riders?”
He nodded: “That too.”
“I think you´re kind of biased against them,” Augusta assumed after a moment of silence. “But,” she emphasized when she noticed him taking breath for objections. “Considering your position, it´s understandable. Nobody can reproach you that.”
John observed her calm expression frowning: “What do you think of them, after what happened?”
“You want to hear my opinion?”
“Of course.”
"Well, I must say they surprised me. And in a good way. Are they bandits and outlaws? Yes. But are they cruel or greedy? Definitely not. They´re cautious and withdrawn, but they have good hearts.”
“How can you tell with such certainty?”
Augusta chuckled a bit: “Well, first of all, they rushed to our aid and saved our lives, John. Do you know many people who would willingly put themselves in lethal danger for two strangers? And they even went back there again to gather our things and returned them to us. I couldn´t believe my eyes, when I saw the content of that bag Jane had given me. Weren´t you pleasantly surprised as well?”
John pondered her words for a while. Augusta was right, but at the same time, he could not agree with her fully.
“Yes, I was and I´m grateful for that, too,” he admitted seriously. “But one good deed doesn´t erase what they did before. What they still do. The reward on their heads is not just for fun. They shamelessly raided stagecoaches and farms all around and people died by their hands.”
She sighed: “I know. I´m not trying to excuse them, only to understand them more.”
John could not help but snort cynically: “I don´t quite follow why should I try to understand thieves and murderers, who belong to gallows or at least to jail.”
Augusta fell silent for a long moment, her eyes focused on the flames.
“Is that what you´re about to do once we reach Buffalo?” she asked then quietly.
John stared at her, feeling a bit upset about her attitude: “What exactly are you asking me?”
“You know very well.”
“You usually speak more clearly, Augusta.”
She straightened up, her expressing hardening: “All right, if you need me to say it. So far nobody knows a thing about this gang, apart from the identity of their young leader Akanishi. Nobody, except the two of us now. I feel just gratitude towards them. But what about you? Will you give their names and descriptions to the Marshal´s Office and let them be hunted down and hanged?”
The heavy silence fell on the small camp, with only crackling of fire disturbing it.
John did not look away from the sharp glare his female companion was giving him, when he replied coldly: “As the representative and protector of the law it´s my duty to report our encounter.”
“What about your obligation to those who rescued you?” Augusta asked harshly.
It angered him, even though a small part of him felt ashamed: “Madame, I´m not just some rancher or merchant, who could keep his mouth shut in such a case with clear conscience. I´m the captain of United States Army. If I don´t follow laws and take them seriously, what kind of example I would be for my subordinates?”
“I see…” Augusta seemed to be upset as well. “But that´s not always compatible with being a just man, is it?”
“It´s not that simple,” he opposed.
“Sometimes it is,” Augusta insisted. “Depends on what´s more important for you.”
John took a deep breath, trying to gather his composure: “What would you do in my place, Augusta?” he asked then seriously.
She looked at him somewhat disappointedly: “I might be one of the most famous women in Colorado, but I won´t tell you what is the right thing to do, John.”
Suddenly, John felt really tense and uncomfortable under that look of hers. Augusta seemed to lose a part of her good opinion about him, and he didn´t like it.
He took his time to react on her words this time: “But you think that I shouldn´t do it.”
On that, Augusta sighed a bit and pulled the blanket over her shoulders, to protect herself better from the growing cold: “Each favor should be returned, don´t you think?”
John felt as if he got poured with a bucket of cold water: “Well… That never worked out for me,” he got over his stiff lips and stood up.
Augusta looked up to him alarmed: “John, I´m…”
He interrupted her quickly, before that small part of him could take control and stop him from going away from the suddenly painful conversation: “I´ll just gather more wood for the night and be right back.”
- To be continued -
