James Axler – Shadowfall

“Right.” The old man patted him on the shoulder. “Leave the women, Doc and the kid up there. They can cover us if we need it.” He glanced at Ryan. “Right?”

“Yeah, Trader. Makes sense.” Ryan called up to Krysty to pass on the command.

Dean’s thin excited voice floated down to them. “Can see dust. Quarter mile or so. Twelve riders. No, fourteen mounted men.”

“Coming along this trail?” his father shouted.

“Straight toward us, Dad.”

THE HORSEMEN WORE uniforms of dark green, drab and patched. Their animals were a motley mix of elderly mares and geldings, with a couple of rangy mules. The men were armed with nothing more menacing than crossbows, though the leader had a long-barreled musket across his shoulder.

When he saw the five men standing in a loose circle beneath the big live oak, he held up his hand and halted the party. Ryan’s keen eye noticed immediately that their discipline was casual to the point of sloppiness.

He held up his own hand to greet the men. “Saved us from some mutie pigs,” he called. “Thank you for that.”

“Herd with a giant boar? Got a broken tusk?”

“Yeah.”

The man pursed his lips. “Then you were lucky, stranger. Not many folks survive a meeting with the General and his posse. Been in these woods for longer than anyone knows. Some of the brushwood folks says he can’t be killed. Certainly taken a toll of life in the last years.”

“Name’s Ryan Cawdor. These are some of my friends.”

“Only ‘some’ of them?” The sec man was quick. He stood in the stirrups and stared around at the trees. “So, where’s the rest of them?”

Ryan grinned. “They’re close by. Heard there was a ville not far off.”

“You heard right.”

“Baron Weyman?”

The sharp, foxy face was becoming suspicious. “What you been hearing, outlander?”

“Nothing.”

“Which way do you come in?”

“North along the coast.”

“Through the yellow hot pools? I can still smell it on you. You see any brushwood people on your way inland?”

“Just the pigs.”

The sec man laughed, a harsh, barking sound. “Not much difference between the pigs and the brushwooders. Both of them vicious. Both smell of shit. Looking for food and shelter for a night or two?”

“Could be.”

The man stared at them in silence for several long seconds. “Something about you I can’t I never saw a group of outlanders as well-weaponed as you are. Nor a group who looked more like they knew how to use the blasters.”

“That against the law?” Trader snapped. “If it is, then you best tell us right here and now.”

The man held up a protesting hand. “Whoa back, old-timer. Keep the hammer lifted. I’m not a stupe. I know our bows wouldn’t last us a dozen heartbeats against what you’re carrying. Though, I could bet one or two of you wouldn’t see another sunset if it came down to it.”

“You got a name, sec man?” J.B. asked.

“Sure. Rainey. Bill Rainey.” He leaned forward in the saddle, hands clasped together. “You sure you haven’t seen the brushwood dogs? Man called Ditchdown with a white lightning burn in his hair? Schickel? Bald man by the name of Straub?”

“Told you we hadn’t seen anyone,” Ryan repeated.

Rainey nodded slowly. “Sure. Reason I ask you so particular is that we heard a whisper here and there, carried on the wind, you might say, that this Straub and Schickel and the rest are planning to try and topple the baron from his ville. We wouldn’t much go with that.”

“Would they succeed?”

Rainey’s face hardened, and he straightened. “There’s your business and there’s our business, Cawdor. You just crossed over the line between them.”

“Sorry. Just curious.”

Rainey relaxed a little at the apology. “Sure, but you know what curiosity did to the cat? How many of you are there? And where are they?”

Ryan didn’t answer for a moment. He glanced at Trader and J.B., both of whom nodded slightly. He saw that the sec man hadn’t missed the exchange.

“Up the tree. There’s nine of us in all. Ville able to cater for that many?”

“We can cater for anything and anyone. Baron Weyman always says to welcome outlanders unless we figure they might present a threat to him and the ville.”