Part Two

The Net

Casey Wells was dreaming of J.D.

This was not unusual state of affairs for she was a young girl and he was after all the object of her affections. In this instance, she remembered little about the dream only that when the thunder of hooves beating against the ground had woke her prematurely, she felt rather flustered and annoyed at being thrust back to reality so abruptly. She heard the rhythmic gallop of riders coming towards the house even though it had yet to become audible in the air. In truth, she felt the shudder through her bones more clearly than she had actually heard it.

The eminent arrival of numerous horses resonated from the ground and reached her even while she lay against her pillow.

She sat up in her bed when the vibration finally shook her free from her slumber, awareness of the approaching riders bringing her consciousness back to full stead. Outside it was still dark even though she could see the warm glow of the sun beginning its journey across the sky behind distant mountains when she peeked out her window. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Casey climbed out of bed, curious as to who might be coming to see them at this hour of the morning.

Being the only homestead in the area, Casey knew for certain that it could only be them, the strangers were coming to see. The thundering approach of the riders closing in on the property could now be heard, their presence no longer content with distinguishing themselves with tremor of their hoof beat.

Casey strained her ears as she tried to discern who the strangers might be as their voices joined the fray in the cacophony of approaching sounds. They were still some distance away but from what she could hear, Casey immediately deduced them all as being male. She listened closely, trying to ferret out the exact words being spoken so she gauge whether the men coming were friend or foe. After all that business with Guy Royal who had used his hired thugs to force Aunt Nettie into selling, Casey was more than cautious when it came to nocturnal visitors in the dark.

She knew what it was like to be victimized and intimidated by men who were more than happy to frighten two women alone simply because there was no man to guard them. For years, Casey had tried to fill that role on their farm even though she knew it was unfeminine and she looked decidedly odd getting around in men clothes all the time. Unfortunately, she had little alternative to do anything else. Aunt Nettie was getting older and wearier by the hard work required to run the property and Casey was determined to ease the burden off Nettie's formidable shoulders.

"Casey!" Nettie called outside her bedroom door. Judging by the tone of Nettie's voice, Casey knew immediately that her aunt perceived danger in the eminent arrival of the men riding hard towards their farm. Not knowing who was out there and where they were coming here, send a sliver of fear down her spine. The young woman could appreciate the reason for her aunt's apprehension as she quickly slipped out of her nightdress to put on some more practical clothes in case the need arose.

Rushing out of her bedroom, Casey discovered Nettie was still in her own nightgown, her faded shawl draped over her shoulders while she searched the cupboard drawer for the shells that would load the shotgun in her hand. Seeing Nettie with the firearm immediately drove home to Casey just how much danger Nettie believed was coming in their direction. "Did you see them?" She asked hurrying to the wall, where her own rifle was perched up on a wooden rack.

"No," Nettie shook her head as she found the shells and immediately loaded the gun with as much ammunition as it could take. "But I can sure as hell hear them." Nettie replied meeting her gaze. "There's a lot of them, maybe ten or more and they speak Mexican."

Casey felt her heard constrict. "Mexican bandits?" She asked, unable to guess what they were doing so far north and deciding that it was really academic. The fact that they were coming seemed to indicate that debate on the subject was rather pointless.

"Could be." Nettie nodded as she completed the task and looked up at her young niece. "Casey, I want you to get going. There's no telling what kind of men these are. Until we find out, I rather you not be here."

"Why?" Casey looked at her in a mixture of dismay and bewilderment before a more important realization came to bear. "I can't leave you!"

"You can and you will." Nettie said in that fierce, no nonsense tone that could make someone like Vin Tanner flinch. "I ain't letting them get their hands on you and if they're coming this way, that's likely to happen. Now go."

"I can take care of myself." Casey protested, knowing what her aunt feared so much.

When Royal and his men had tried to drive them off the land, he had threatened Nettie with the possibility that her niece would be subject to rape. If anything had almost defeated her aunt's powerful determination, it was the atrocity of such an act committed against Casey. Fortunately for them, Royal was never allowed to make good on that threat after their plight had reached the seven who defended them both as fiercely as they would defend one of their own. However, neither J.D. nor any other members of the seven were present now and they had to fend for their own.

"Casey," Nettie stared at her sternly. "I don't want any arguments." The old woman took her by the arm and started guiding her towards the back door that would lead into the woods where Casey would have some measure of cover in her flight. Even Casey could now hear the voices of men on horseback making their speedy arrival at the homestead. She heard what Nettie had heard; the slurred speech of liquor that had the power to rob the wits of even the most reasonable of men.

Nettie pulled the door open so sharply, Casey thought she might have ripped the wood of its hinges. The horses were almost at the front of the house now and both Nettie and Casey turned sharply to the cry of their neighing as bridles pulled to them to a half with abrupt action. Casey could feel her heart pounding and met Nettie's gaze again. The fear in aunt's eyes was real and suddenly the young woman began to understand how important it was for her to leave.

"Aunt Nettie. ." Casey started to stammer. "What about you?"

"You ain't got time to worry about me," Nettie shoved her through the doorway. Casey almost fell down the steps but caught herself in time as she turned to face the old woman once again. "I'll bring help!" She almost wailed, torn with anguish at what she was required to do, feeling cowardly and weak for abandoning Nettie like this. "I promise! I'll bring Vin and J.D.!" She declared continuing down the steps.

"You do that." Nettie said as she raised her gun, preparing to face the intruders. "Now git!"

The words impacted against her like a physical blow and Casey found herself turning on her heels. She heard Nettie close the door behind her as she started to run into the wall of trees that surrounded the homestead, perfectly aware of how to take the advantage of the natural vegetation to make her escape. She could not reach the horses. She knew that. For Casey to do that, it would require her to emerge from her hiding place and Nettie did not want her presence exposed to the men who she could hear dismounting their horses as she ran deeper into the foliage.

Casey ran far enough to be hidden amidst the trees and found herself compelled to stop as thoughts about what was happening to Nettie began to prey on her mind. She resolved herself to merely listen for a moment, just to ensure Nettie did not need her help. Casey paused, trying to discern what was happening even though she could not hear anything. Wide-eyed and more afraid than she had ever been in her life, she could hardly breathe as she tried to detect the sounds that might indicate what was happening at home. The rifle was still in her hands and her knuckles had become white from gripping it so hard. She heard someone banging on the door of the house and indignant shouts of anger as entry was refused. Casey peered through the branches and trees at the house but its shape was a dark silhouette in the night. Only the sound masked nothing of what was happening.

The sudden explosion of what Casey was certain Nettie's double barrel shotgun, made the girl utter a soft cry of fright at its abruptness and she froze as she heard excited cries immediately swept away by more gunfire. Aunt Nettie! Casey thought frantically and started running back to the house when her senses returned to her just as she was about to break the tree line into the grounds of the homestead. No, she had to get away. Aunt Nettie wanted her to go get help and that is what she was going to do. Fighting every instinct that told her she ought to be at her aunt's side, Casey turned on her heels and started running the way away from the house, hoping that Nettie was still alive when she returned.

Out of nowhere, a shadow lunged at her. Casey was knocked off her feet as she felt arms tackle her to the damp ground. The rifle fell out of reach and she did not see where it disappeared in the darkness, aware only that it was no longer in her possession. Searching desperately for it in the thick undergrowth, Casey's attempts to do so was soon was forgotten in favour of a more pressing problem.

"Hey Chiquita." She heard a distinctly masculine voice say to her. The arms forced her on to her back and Case saw the dark shape of the man straddle her. His weight pressed down on her and Casey could do little but look up to see the face that was staring at her from under his hat. The darkness obscured his features but what she could see allowed her to recognize the salacious leer on his face that spoke his intentions with perfect clarity. Effectively trapped beneath him, Casey squirmed as she tried to break fee but his thick hands were pinning her to the soil, pressing her wrists deep into the dirt.

"Get off me!" She shouted in a mixture of fear and sheer stubbornness.

"I found the girl!" He called out to his friends.

Casey could not see them but she certainly heard their approach. Their footsteps trudged through the dew wet ground towards them. Suddenly, it came to her like a splash of cold water that if she did not escape right this minute, there would be no chance at all when his friends arrived. After he had called for his so far unseen companions, he freed one of his hands by keeping both her wrists under the firm grip of the other. Once free, he made his intention clear enough by the path it took, snaking under her shirt for a feel of soft, young flesh.

"I think we will have good time, Senorita." He grinned, his teeth gleaming in the light of dawn.

"Like hell we will." Casey broke free and immediately wrapped her hand around a rock she had seen lying near her while he had been so quick to take his liberties with her body. Without giving him time to react, she smashed it against the side of his head. He cried out in pain as the weighty lump of rock impacted against his skull. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse, Casey twisted hard and dislodged him from his place on top of her. He was still clutching his head in pain when Casey rolled onto her knees.

"Help!" He shouted, bringing his friends running towards them. Casey could not see them any more clearly then she could see him but knowing that they were coming was enough to make the girl scramble to her feet and start running. Casey did not look behind as she bolted forward, running through the terrain she knew like the back of her hand, even though fear was making it hard to concentrate. She tried not think of Aunt Nettie and hoped that she was in the position to save herself, let alone her aunt in the next few hours. It was still a long way to Four Corners on foot but if that was the only chance Nettie had, Casey would do it.

"How many more?" Diaz said to Selena as they rode away from the Freeman property. Behind them, their efforts were emblazoned across the sky in a fiery colour of amber and red. The small group of men that had accompanied them for this part of the plan were dealing with Robert Freeman and his family, who were now packing up what was left of their entire world into one wagon. With the exception of the horse that was tethered to that wagon, Selena had allowed Diaz and his men to commandeer the rest of the livestock.

Selena did not answer as her attention was momentarily taken by the sound of a beam snapping inside the burning house. She looked over her shoulder long enough to see the house shuddering as the fire consumed it rapidly. Amidst the roar of the fire and the laughter of Diaz's men, she could hear Freeman's wife weeping while her husband swore profanely at the men who had burned down his home. Having relinquished him of his weapons, Freeman's rage was as impotent as his ability to stop the men who was currently razing everything he owned to the ground. His children were huddled in the wagon, staring at the proceedings with wide eyed terror.

"At least three more." Selena replied when she finally turned away from the scene and took up examination of the map and list that Guy Royal had been so good to provide her with. "We should have time to get them all before anyone makes it to town and let the lawmen know what's happening."

"I say this is a waste of time." Diaz replied distastefully, preferring a more direct approach rather than the surgical precision of Selena's plan which though had its merits, seemed laborious to the casual observer. We should just ride in there and kill them all."

"We do it my way." She said impatiently as she sat astride her horse and nudged it forward away from the Freeman property. Besides, the fires were spooking the animal. "This is not just about clearing the land for the moment," she answered as Diaz rode alongside her, keeping pace with her attempt to distance herself from the homestead. "We need to create an atmosphere of fear so thick that no one will ever wish to settle in Four Corners again, even after we're done. This has far greater implications then merely removing an unwanted tenant." She pointed out.

"I suppose," Diaz shrugged, deciding that as long as he was paid for the trouble, she could make what demand she wanted of him. "It just seems like an unnecessary waste of time."

"You always rushed into things," she pointed out. "That's why you and your men are now scavenging instead of sitting pretty with a lifetime of dishonestly acquired spoils."

"That is true," he grinned, finding no offence in her words because she always had knack of speaking the truth, no matter how annoying it is. "It matters little to me how you plan your little war as long as I get my five thousand American dollars at the end of it."

"Good," Selena said coolly. "Once we've sent the rest of the stragglers scurrying back to town, we can begin the blockade. I want men stationed here and here," she turned the map slightly towards him so he could see what she was talking about. Even though he had every characteristics of a liquor poisoned thug, Selena knew that Diaz had once been an acute intellect. As she watched him study the map before him, his eyes searching through the topography of the terrain, she could see that impressive intellect surface again.

"This are your best points." Diaz pointed out the places where men should be posted and Selena seemed to agree. "What do you intend to tell people who try to pass?"

"Well I think a good old fashioned diphtheria scare will do quite nicely." Selena said having thought of how she would keep travelers from avoiding Four Corners. Of course, this was by no means a full proof deterrent and for Diaz's men would take care of the visitors who were still determined to go to Four Corners despite the warning of a plague. "It won't keep everyone out but you would be surprised how these rural types react to the word 'quarantine'." Selena allowed herself a little smile. "I trust you and your men can handle things on their own while you and I take a little side trip."

"What do you have in mind?" Diaz grinned at her salaciously.

"The telegraph lines need to be cut." She declared firmly, ignoring his obvious attempt at flirtation. "I want a complete communication blackout. I don't want them trying to get outside help."

"That would be unfortunate." Diaz replied. "I would fight them but something like this will almost certainly bring the army."

"Well the military bureaucracy will take days to mobilize that action, unless they think Indians are involved. I estimate we have no more than six days possibly seven to get the job done. After that it gets risky and I don't believe in taking risks." Selena replied as she took note of the wagon containing the Freeman family finally pulling out onto the dirt track that would lead them to Four Corners. Their house was nothing more than a roaring pyre of flames, the fire having consumed the structure so completely that any hope of salvaging it was lost.

"Suffice to say, by this afternoon, I want Four Corners cut off from the rest of the world. No one gets in and no gets out."

"Chris!"

Chris Larabee staggered out of bed when he heard Mary's frantic cry. Senses fully alert even though a second ago he had been fast asleep, the gunfighter jumped out of bed and immediately reached for the gunbelt slung across the bedpost. Such awakenings were customary for Chris and he wasted no time as he retrieved his pants and somehow managed to make it down the stairs while donning the garment on at the same time. He rebuked himself for sleeping in so late and knew that at some point soon he was going to have to re-evaluate his sleeping habits.

With his gun in hand, he knew immediately that his wife had been in her office when she had uttered that frightened cry and wasted no time proceeding to the series of rooms that made up the premises of the Clarion News. Chris entered her office to find the situation to be not as urgent as he had anticipated, although it was no less important. As he cast his gaze on Casey Wells whom Mary was standing over with eyes full of concern and worry, he understood why Mary had been so vocal in her summoning.

Covered in dirt and mud, Casey was breathing hard as she continued to sip from the glass of water that Mary had offered, requiring a refill when she had drained it. Her hands were shaking and there were twigs and leaves in her hair as she sat on the chair in front of Mary's desk. Her clothes were ripped in places and she looked as if she had been through some yet to be disclosed ordeal. Even her feet were bare and the soles of her feet were covered with cuts and scratches, indicating that however she had come into town, she had done so on foot and Chris felt his anger rise at what could possibly induce the girl to make the journey like this.

"Chris, some men turned up at Nettie Wells' place early this morning." Mary explained because Casey was still too distraught to make a coherent sentence. She was still shaking like a leave and made Chris wonder what in God's name had happened to the girl to reduce her to this quivering mess of overwhelming emotions. The most obvious answer that came to mind was the one he suppressed immediately and hoped he was wrong.

"Men?" Chris looked at the girl.

"There were a lot of them!" Casey suddenly vocalized her fear enough to speak She slammed the glass against the desk, spilling some of its contents on the smooth surface and on her clothes. While she had recovered enough to speak, Chris could tell from the tremor in her voice that she was far from better. "Aunt Nettie told me to run. I didn't want to leave her but she made me go!" Casey exclaimed, her voice rising in pitch as she spoke. "I told her to let me stay and help but she wouldn't listen! She just told me to git!" She broke down and hated that she was so weak. Casey did not want to cry in front of Chris Larabee but her ordeal had finally reached breaking point inside of her. When the warm tears spilled down her cheeks, leaving streaks across her dirt covered face, Casey was hardly aware of them.

"You did the right thing." Mary said with that soothing tone of voice that could drive away the demons inside anyone by the sheer strength of her belief. Leaning over, Mary wrapped her arms around the girl as Casey descended into fresh tears.

"Can you tell me who they were?" Chris questioned gently, knowing it was not wise to push her to far. Obviously, Casey had barely escaped herself if her appearance was any indication of what had she had endured.

"I couldn't hear them." Casey swallowed and took a moment to compose herself before lifting her head from Mary's shoulder and dried her tears because it would do her no good to cry like some silly girl, especially when Aunt Nettie was still out there. "But Aunt Nettie said they sounded like Mexicans."

"Mexican?" Chris looked at Mary in confusion. It was an awfully long way from the border to have Mexican bandits running loose across the countryside creating chaos. "Go on," he urged her. "Tell me what happened." He asked, seeing now that Casey was in the mind to answer questions.

"We heard them coming towards the spread and Aunt Nettie didn't want me to be in the house when they came. She told me to get running, to get help." She explained, her lips quivering in a valiant attempt to keep herself from descending into more tears. "I got out through the back but then I heard gunshots, I think Aunt Nettie tried to fire at them. Then they fired I think." The possibility that Nettie may have come to serious harm was apparent by the desolate look in her eyes.

Casey paused again, recouping her strength after that particular revelation, forcing away the unpleasant thoughts that came with the telling of the tale. After a moment, she continued, swallowing away her distress as she began speaking. "I went back to look and see if she was okay but then I remembered what Aunt Nettie said about getting help so I left again, only then one the men caught up to me. He tried to. ." She could not bring herself to say it even though what had transpired was obvious by the disgust in her voice.

Mary's expression darkened as she squeezed the young girl's shoulder in support, telling Casey with a look that she need not continue if she did not want to. Chris had more than enough information to proceed as it was. "I managed to get away." She swallowed and continued with her tale. "I kept to the woods and hid my tracks. They didn't follow me for long after that."

Chris was hardly surprised. Whoever these men were, they had sense to know Casey knew how to navigate through the woods around her home better than any of them could ever hope to do in their attempt to pursue her. Besides, despite her fragile state of mind at present, Chris knew that the girl was much more resilient then they knew. Casey knew her way across the terrain, particularly the parcel of land where she had spent most of her life.

"Casey!" J.D.'s voice called out as the front door to the office swung open.

"I sent Billy to find him." Mary informed Chris quickly as the young man strode into the office and froze at the sight of Casey in her disheveled state. Behind him were Buck and Nathan whose expressions of shock seemed to concur with J.D.'s present feelings.

"J.D.!" She said with renewed life as she broke from Mary and ran into his arms.

"Casey, what happened to you?" He demanded, his heart pounding at he thought someone might have harmed her. She looked like she had literally been put through hell and there was going to be an terrible reckoning when he caught up with those responsible for his Casey looking like this.

"J.D., let Nathan have a look at Casey," Chris ordered as the healer also stared with Casey in concern. Nathan had brought his healer's bag with him, having retrieved it from his infirmary when Billy had sought them out at the jailhouse with the news that Casey was hurt.

"I'm fine." Casey said as she parted from J.D. who did not seem very reluctant to let her go. Chris could understand that. If someone had done this to Mary, he would not be eager to leave her side although he would make an exception long enough to rip out the heart belonging to the person who had done this to her.

"Best let me take a look anyway." Nathan said leading her back to the chair, always adept at handling difficult patients after having to deal with his friends for so long. J.D. lingered close to her, unwilling to let her out of his sight and yet, Chris could see his jaw set in the way the gunslinger had come to recognize as the younger man's attempt to restrain his baser instincts, in this case, his extreme rage.

"What happened?" Buck asked quietly as he approached Chris and Mary.

"She just stumbled into the office a few minutes ago," Mary explained in a similarly hushed voice as the trio stepped away and allowed Nathan to conduct his examination of Casey with J.D. in attendance. "Half hysterical. Some men had turned up at the Wells' place."

"Mexicans." Chris replied, unable to fathom why any bandits would trouble themselves to come so far north to raid a widow who was barely making ends meet with her farm. There was not enough on the property to make it worth their while. "Bandits I guess."

"Bandits?" Buck seemed just as confused at that, most likely because he had come to the same conclusions as Chris.

In any case, there was no time to lose. They could debate the motives later. Right now, they had to reach Nettie. "Buck, go get the others ready to ride, I'll meet you in front of the saloon in ten minutes." Chris instructed. "We need to get out to Nettie's and hope that we ain't too late."

"I'm on it." Buck nodded and Chris turned to Nathan. "Nate, we going to need you with us on this one. Mary do you think you could get Alex to take care of Casey?"

"I'm fine, Chris." Casey protested, feeling somewhat embarrassed at all the attention. She was feeling better now that J.D. was here.

"For me Casey," J.D. spoke up and flashed her an imploring look. "Please?"

"Okay," she frowned, realizing for J.D. she would endure a doctor's probings.

"You rest easy now." Nathan responded as he rose to his feet. Although she was probably bruised and covered with scratches, Nathan did not think that Casey had suffered any permanent injury. It was her state of mind that had suffered more than her body and like Chris, Nathan believed Casey to be more resilient than she let on. Julia Pemberton had once said that women liked to feign weakness for the benefit of their men, he wondered if the same could be said for Casey. "It's probably a good idea if we do have Miss Alex look at her." He added, just to be sure.

"I'll send for Alex," Mary announced and took J.D.'s place at Casey's side since the young man was needed to deal with the brewing crisis. J.D. was soon following Buck and Nathan out the door.

"Casey," J.D. said as he paused briefly on his way out. "We'll bring Nettie back safe," he smiled trying to inject as much confidence in his youthful face as he could possibly muster. "I promise."

Chris said nothing but he hoped it was a promise they could keep.

As planned, the seven were soon riding towards Nettie's property after Chris had properly attired himself and had joined his companions. Chris had quietly given Buck instructions to stay close to J.D., knowing how reckless the boy could get when he was properly inspired. Unfortunately, J.D. had yet to learn how to make anger work for him and while some men used aggression to sharpen their skills, in J.D.'s case, the kid got clumsy and that could get him killed. If Casey was right about the number of men who had converged on the homestead, then it would require every one of the seven to make the confrontation work in their favour. In the meantime, Chris kept a similar vigil over Vin Tanner, whose feelings for Nettie Wells made his emotions almost an unpredictable as J.D.'s at the moment.

"I was under the impression that our neighbours south of the border do not often come this far north to do their plundering. If I am not mistaken, they usually prefer border towns where it is easy for them to flee the law on either side if they are discovered." Ezra remarked as they galloped at a rapid pace down the familiar trail leading to Nettie's.

"We can shake it out of the bastards when we find them." Vin said with uncharacteristic venom, reminding Chris just how volatile the tracker could be when his ire was properly raised.

"Take it easy." Chris warned, wanting Vin to keep a cool head although unlike J.D. who was clumsy when he was mad, Vin was the other extreme. The tracker had a mean streak in him a mile across when someone he cared for was hurt. Chris recalled how Vin had almost killed Randall Mason and Francis Lamont with his bare hands when both had on different occasions threatened Alexandra Styles.

"Hey look," Buck said as he looked up in the sky and a cloud of billowing dark smoke, rising from the top of the trees into the morning blue. "It's a fire."

Vin looked at the direction it was coming from and clenched his jaw in reaction. He shot Chris a glare as if defying the gunslinger to tell him that the smoke was not coming from where he suspected it did. Unfortunately, Chris could not give him that reassurance because he believed the same thing. The approximate distance and direction of the fire was just about right.

It was coming from Nettie's place.

Both Vin and J.D. surged ahead almost simultaneously, leaving the others behind as they dug their heels into their mounts and sent the animals racing forward in a small cloud of dust. Chris swore under his breath as he saw the two men disappear up the track, leaving them behind. "Vin!" Chris shouted, appealing to the man he had come to rely upon like a brother knowing that it was pointless trying to stop him. Besides, if that fire was any indication of what had happened at Nettie's, then chances were good that they had missed whatever had taken place at the widow's property and there would be nothing left to do but pick up the pieces.

"We better go after them." Josiah commented.

"You're not wrong," Buck agreed and kicked his heels into the flank of his horse, propelling the creature ahead and did not look back to see if the others had joined him. Instinctively, Buck knew they would be there as they always were, even when two of them lost their head and rode into a potentially perilous situation. J.D. was itching to get his hands on the men who had tried to harm Casey while Vin was so concerned about Nettie's welfare he was not thinking straight either. In no time at all, he heard Chris' horse thundering alongside of him, joined by Nathan, Ezra and Josiah. The five men continued up the trail, creating a cloud of dust that looked very dramatic as they galloped forward, resembling something that had charged from the ranks of the light horse brigade. They need not have travelled very far when they saw Vin and J.D. coming to a halt near a wagon. The two lawmen were talking to a man Chris soon recognized as Robert Freeman upon their approach. Freeman and his family seemed visibly distressed and it was only when they were a few yards away from the wagon, did Chris understand why Vin was wearing a look of grim expression while J.D. appeared to be confused. Freeman and his family were not even dressed for their morning excursion. The family appeared to be in their nightclothes, as if they had been forced out of their beds.

"Chris, you better listen to this." Vin said as the others reached him. There was no trace of the unreasonable anger in his voice as he regarded the gunslinger. Instead, Vin had calmed down upon realizing that the danger was much larger than any of them had originally perceived. He was once again the man that Chris relied upon so deeply.

"What happened to you Robert?" Josiah asked, well acquainted with the Freemans who were church going folk. He had met them on the occasions when the family had come into his old church, sometimes to ask for advice, sometimes to merely sit inside a house of God since a real church did not exist in Four Corners yet.

"These bastard Mexicans!" Freeman exclaimed, full of anger at seeing everything he had worked for burnt to the ground with almost clinical precision. "A whole band of them!" The farmer swore angrily.

"These guys get around." Nathan commented. "Are you folks all right?" The healer inquired, unable to tell if any of them needed medical attention even though they all seemed visibly distressed.

"They didn't hurt us!" The farmer replied angrily although he aimed not of his rage at the healer or his polite inquiries. Freeman was by nature a rather pleasant man and the seven had chanced to come across his from time to time as it was expected in a small town. "They told us we had to get out of the house and get to Four Corners or we would get hurt!"

"How many of them were there?" Chris asked, getting more perplexed by the pattern of behaviour of these so-called Mexican bandits.

"About ten of them." The farmer answered. "They came to the house, dragged us out of bed and told us to leave. I would have told them to go to hell but I have to think about my kin." He glanced at his red nosed wife who appeared to have been weeping if her red and swollen eyes were any indication of that fact.

"Did they even take anything?" Ezra inquired, as puzzled as the rest of the seven why Mexican bandits would be chasing a family out of their home in the small hours of the morning. Freeman had little money, in fact like Nettie, he was living nowhere comfortably.

"Just the horses and the livestock," his wife answered as Freeman's anger overwhelmed him for the moment and the seven saw him attempting to compose himself. "They said they could use those. They us keep one horse so we could hitch it to the wagon and get back to town." She said ruefully. "They just ran us out of the house like we was less nothing and once we were out, they burned it down. They set everything alight," she started to sob once again, as she realized that apart from the land they still owned, they were more or less destitute. "The house, the barn, even the shack! Everything! We've lost everything!" She wailed.

"We still got each other," Freeman said softly. "I don't know what they wanted," he looked up at Chris because Chris was the recognized leader of the seven. Freeman's anger seemed to have dissipated in the face of his wife's distressed and he addressed the gunslinger with a more sober tone. "They just chased us out of our home and told us to go to Four Corners. They were Mexicans but there was a white woman with them."

"A woman?" Predictably Buck spoke up and Chris rolled his eyes and asked himself secretly why it did not surprise him that the question would come from Buck.

"Real fancy looking thing," Freeman commented as he recalled the lady in particular. "I know it sounds crazy but there were taking their orders from her." The farmer related, hoping that the scant information he had gathered form his observations could help the seven in finding out why someone who set out to intentionally take everything he and his family had worked so hard to build.

"You get back to town," Chris instructed having absorbed enough information to decide that for the moment anyway, the Freemans had enough of an ordeal without his keeping them from Four Corners. "If they're out here, we'll find them."

"You'll find them alright," Freeman grumbled as he took up the reins to the wagon. "I get the impression they don't intend to be leaving."

The lawmen moved their horses aside as the wagon rumbled past them and continued its journey to Four Corners. No sooner than Freeman was out of earshot, Chris turned to Vin who seemed a little more settled and focused now that he had heard Freeman's story. Nettie's home may be burning but at least they knew that these men did not have murder on their agenda for the moment at least.

"Are they attempting to wage some kind of campaign of terror?" Ezra speculated as he watched the wagon disappear down the meandering corner of the trail leading to town.

"It would be the first time I heard of bandits doing this." Chris replied. "Bandits are not interested in causing trouble unless they get something out of it."

"Let's get moving!" Vin barked, urging the others to forget their ruminations for the moment. Although it now appeared that Nettie might not have been hurt, he knew the old lady was as feisty as they come and he knew what kind of a struggle she would put up to keep someone from destroying something as dear to her heart as her home.

No one questioned that order and the seven continued riding towards the source of the billowing smoke. The smoke had started to diminish slightly in the sky and Chris guessed that this might be attributed to the fire having nothing else to burn now that it had completely consumed the house. When they arrived at Nettie's, Chris discovered that unhappily, he was right. There was nothing left to burn.

The house where all of them had one time or another, shared dinners at Nettie's table was nothing more than a pile of burning rubble. The fire had decimated the house beyond any point of recovery. Only the red hot stones of the chimney stack had managed to remain erect. Everything else was a collection of smouldering rubble and debris, burning itself out as the fire ate it into nothingness. Vin's jaw tightened seeing the place in such a state and felt fresh anger bubble inside of him because it had been more than a house to him, Nettie had invited him into her home and made Vin feel a part of it.

"Oh Jesus." Buck whispered as they saw the barn that had been similarly destroyed. The structure, though larger than the house had burnt faster, the flames had probably made the hay inside it ignite like a Roman candle. The resulting conflagration had been reduced it to cinders.

"Nettie!" J.D. cried out as he spotted the widow first. She was lying on the ground not far from the main house, her face in the dirt as she lay unmoving. Both Vin and Nathan dismounted at almost the same time, both lawmen filled with their own purpose as they hurried towards the old woman. Chris watched the scene before him and tried not to let the burning wood and smoke get to him. If there was one thing the gunslinger did not like, it was fire and the effects of it.

That morning when he and Buck had returned form Mexico, Chris had been greeted with a scene that did not look too unlike this. After how Sarah and Adam had died, Chris had developed quite a phobia about such scenes. Even when he climbed off his horse, Chris tried to avoid casting his eye on the scene of destruction, concentrating instead on Vin's advance towards Nettie.

The tracker reached the old woman first, with Nathan following closely behind. "Nettie!" Vin called out as he rolled her unconscious form on to his lap when he knelt down beside her. Immediately, Nathan converged on them both. The healer wasted no time checking for a pulse even though why she was unconscious was evident by the matted blood stains on the corner of her forehead.

"She's alive," he announced for the benefit of the others who were just as concerned over her welfare as Vin who was cradling her in his arms, holding her head on his lap as he let Nathan examine her. Upon his announcement, Vin let out a sigh of relief.

"She's been knocked out good," Nathan added, his fingers gently examining the concentration of blood on Nettie's skull, trying to discern if the injury was any worse than he estimated.

"I do not like these men." Ezra said trying to hide his own anger. He liked Nettie Wells even though both viewed each other with a begrudging respect. She always thought of him as a southern dandy and had no reservations of calling him that to his face while Ezra had retaliated by describing her a wizened old crone, with both perfectly aware that the insults were delivered with warm affection. "These are animals who would attack old women."

"I don't get it." Josiah said voicing the bewilderment they all felt over the strange manner of these unprovoked attacks, not just on Nettie but also on Robert Freeman. "Why attack Nettie and let Freeman go?" He asked no one in particular but got an answer promptly from Vin.

"Because Nettie would fight tooth and nail before she let anyone burn down her home." Vin answered and no one could argue with that since they all knew the tenacity of the woman before them.

"Yeah," J.D. agreed, knowing how determined Wells women could be from his experiences with Casey alone. He thanked God that Nettie had the sense to send Casey away when the danger had first presented itself. If he knew Casey at all, she would have stood her ground next to Nettie, determined to protect her own and end up in even worse condition than her aunt was presently in. "Nettie would not have let them do this without a fight which is probably how she wound up like this."

It was about an accurate a statement as any Chris had heard today and he was about to ask Nathan about the condition of the woman when suddenly, his gaze caught sight of something. It was more an afterthought at the edge of his perception but snagged his attention the moment he noticed it. Chris shifted his gaze to the south at the something that was just beyond his line of vision, determined to know what it was, now that it was tangible in his awareness. Chris turned away from the others who were surrounding Nettie and went to investigate it. He had not taken more than a step when he stomach hollowed.

It was another fire! Chris did not speak as he drifted away from the others, his intense gaze capturing the column of smoke billowing in the distance. Nettie's place was situated on the top of a hill and during their ascent to reach it, the slope had hidden the evidence of the other fire beneath the crest of its rise. However, now that they had reached its upper most elevation, the other fire was no longer concealed behind it and lay before anyone who dared to look.

"Vin," Chris asked, not looking at the tracker as he took a step towards his latest discovery. "Who owns the other property around here?"

"Bartell." Vin replied, unaware yet of what discovery Chris had just made. The tracker was too intent on observing what Nathan was doing to rouse Nettie from her state of unconsciousness. "Why?" He asked and looked up briefly before the answer seared through his mind before Chris could even say it.

"Shit!" Buck exclaimed horrified. "Don't tell me they've gone after Bartell too?" The big man said following Chris' gaze and making the same discovery.

"That's three!" J.D. declared, stating the obvious. "Why are they going after everyone?" The youngster demanded confused and Chris could appreciate his dilemma because this entire morning was developing into a puzzle of Olympian proportions.

"Vin, you, J.D., Josiah and Nathan stay here," Chris ordered as he spun around and strode to his horse. "Buck, Ezra, you're with me. Is Bartell alone down there?" Chris asked Vin as they neared the horses.

"No," Vin shook his head, feeling his blood run cold as he spoke. "He's got a wife and a teenage daughter."

When they arrived at Bartell's, the same scene that had greeted them at Nettie's seemed transposed onto the homestead of the Bartell property. Like before, the house had been razed to the ground although the fire had not completely burnt itself out. A few beams and the stone hearth of the fireplace remain standing but everything else was more or less destroyed. Amongst the rubble they could see the burnt out remnants of an organ and a protrusion of charred wood that might have been the back of a chair.

Bartell's home was larger than Nettie's but the fire spared nothing as all that remained of the house were burned out support beams that were starting to buckle as the fire did its worst on the integrity of its structure. However, it was not the fire that captured the attention of the lawmen when they rode up the path towards the house. Unfortunately, while Nettie had managed to escape with her life, the same could not be said for her neighbour. It did not take them long to find William Bartell or his family because the man was sprawled on the ground before what would have been the front garden of the house, very much dead. His wife, a doughy looking woman was clinging to their seventeen-year-old daughter, wrapping the girl in her arms as they wept in tandem. However, the girl's weeping seemed more disconsolate and the shattered expression on her face answered all their questions regarding what had taken place here. Both mother and daughter looked up at the lawmen with teary eyes when they approached and Chris glanced instinctively at Buck because if there was one crime that his old friend abhorred the most, it was rape. Judging by the scene before them, Bartell had probably died trying to protect his daughter from that terrible fate and failed.

Chris felt a new hatred for the men responsible for this and made a secret oath to nail their slimy hides to the wall when he found them.

Buck dismounted first and approached Mrs. Bartell. Both Chris and Ezra held back unconsciously because they knew for all his juvenile behaviour, Buck had a knack of getting people to trust him that was almost uncanny. His manner was warm and seemed to reach out to those who needed a comforting shoulder to lean on. Chris could personally attest to how approachable Buck could be since if anyone else had attempted to help him after Sarah and Adam's death, they would have likely had a bullet put through their head for their audacity to try.

"Ma'am." Buck said gently as he cautiously approached the woman who was staring at him with wide eyes. Trying to make no sudden moves to frighten them any more than they already were, Buck could see the lingering effects of their traumatic experience in their terrified faces. No doubt after their ordeal, it was difficult to trust anyone, least of all a man. Although Mrs. Bartell did not know him personally, Buck had seen the woman around town and gathered the same must be said for her as well.

"We're here to help." He tried to assured her as he neared.

"Help!" Mrs. Bartell screamed in indignation and fury as the dam of her silence broke and she grew animated with the horror of what had happened to her family. "Where were you!" She sobbed loudly, tears running down her crimson cheeks. "Where were you when they came and they did this to my poor Elizabeth!"

Buck looked at the girl helplessly who had not looked up at him but could be heard by her consistent sobs in her mother's arms. Buck did not need to ask what had happened, he could see the bruises through the ripped sleeves of her nightdress and there was a blood leaving stark indicators of the violence inflicted upon her, against the soiled white fabric. Buck was certain that she was hiding more injuries in her huddled form than what he could see but he made no attempt to touch or approach her. In her fragile state of mind, it would only push her deeper into the abyss of her despair. Buck wished Alex was here. He remembered how the doctor had been with Inez when the woman he loved had endured this same ordeal. Buck knew that only Alex or another woman could say the words that Elizabeth needed to hear right now.

"I'm sorry ma'am." Buck whispered quietly. "We didn't know. We came as fast as we could. Can you tell us how long they've been gone?" He asked, trying to make her understand that no one wanted this to happen to this young girl, that they would have stopped it if they could.

Behind him, Chris and Ezra were examining Bartell's body. Considering what they had been through, Chris thought it best if not too many of them crowd the two women at this time. Besides, Chris needed more information as to what had happened here because it was the details of it that would help them the most. Upon close scrutiny, the gunslinger and gambler came to the same realization that Bartell had been shot with a rifle at point blank range. The bullet would have killed him almost instantly as it just about tore his chest apart. The corpse was still warm which indicated that his killers had not left too long ago. There was still a chance to track them down.

However, when Chris and Ezra cast their gaze on the smouldering remains of the house, the barn and stables that were in a similar state of incendiary decay, Chris came to a most disturbing conclusion.

"We have a problem Mr. Larabee." Ezra spoke up first, his erudite voice sounding terribly ominous as he maintained eye contact with the flaming pyre of wood that used to be someone's home.

"Yeah we do." Chris agreed with a slight nod.

"Exactly how many of them are there?" The gambler asked. "Judging by what is before us, they would have had to have ridden all over the place to set these alight and yet, this inferno is burning at the same rate of progression as the fire at Mrs. Wells' property. Unless the laws of nature have been circumvented through some means which I am unaware, these fires would have had be have been ignited at almost the same time."

"From three different places." Chris answered, having been focused on that particular conundrum during the past few minutes himself. "Casey said that there was a lot of them at Nettie's and Freeman said the same about his place."

"Ten." Buck announced his arrival by declaring firmly when he reached them. He had been listening to their conversation when he had left Mrs. Bartell and Elizabeth. While he had not heard all of the discussion, he had garnered enough to make a contributory statement of his own. "She's says that there were about ten of them."

"That is a confirmed number of almost twenty men." Ezra declared grimly. As a gambler, he had no taste for beating the odds, no matter how challenging it might be. Even with the seven of them, facing twenty men was nothing to take lightly.

"We don't know exactly how many there were at Nettie's," Chris reminded Ezra and effectively made the whole estimation null and void. "I would say more than twenty."

"Jesus." Buck said in a hushed voice, not liking at all how ominous this al sounded. "There's an army of Mexican bandits somewhere out there?"

"More or less," Chris nodded grimly and came to a decision of what needed to be done. "We need to get back to town immediately." The gunslinger raised his eyes and declared. "We're going to need help."

The seven returned with Nettie and the Bartells to find that the town of Four Corners was in a state of chaos. As they rode into the main street, there seemed to be a rumble of discontent moving through the town as folks were scurrying up and down the boardwalk, urgency in their manner and fear in their eyes. With what they had seen so far, Chris shuddered to think what new calamity had been visited upon the community while they had been out of town. It was bad enough knowing that there were a substantial group of murdering bandits roaming the local vicinity without having some other situation emerging on top of all that.

Whatever it was that was making the townsfolk so apprehensive was definitely like threatening as Chris spied men loading guns, brandishing guns and other firearms in an attempt to defend themselves. Women were scarce and few on the street as most opted to stay indoors and the general atmosphere was so thick with tension that even Chris was starting to feel affected by the wave of paranoia. As they rode towards Alex's clinic to deliver Nettie and Elizabeth Bartell, Mary appeared on the street from the Clarion's office and hurried to them as they rode passed.

"What's going on around here?" Buck asked in rising apprehension as he saw the pandemonium of terrified faces scrambling about around them.

"The bandits that attacked Nettie are everywhere!" Mary exclaimed as she paused near Chris' horse and looked up at him with fear in her blue-grey eyes. "They've attacked every property outside of town! We've had people coming in here all morning. Alex is setting up the injured in the new school; there isn't enough room in her clinic! Nathan, she's going to need your help. I don't think she can manage it alone."

"I'm on my way there." Nathan who was sitting at the head of a wagon they had found and were using to carrying Nettie and the Bartells replied firmly with a tone that told Chris they would have to make do without him for awhile. The healer immediately snapped the reins and startled the horses into trotting forward as he broke away from the others, making his way to the new schoolhouse where he could assist Alex deal with the sudden influx of patients.

Chris looked around and saw the fearful faces of the townsfolk and realized that something was happening here that was reducing this town to utter panic. Mexican bandits selecting one particular town for a reign of terror was beyond his experience, let alone belief. "Mary, I want you to wire the Eagle Bend and Sweet Water, we need some help down here." Chris said firmly, deciding that was the best course of action for now. With so many people in town who had access to guns, paranoia and fear might cause them to see danger where there was none and create a situation that could deteriorate very fast if confidence in the law was not restored.

"The wire is down." Mary quickly responded, having already made the attempt to wire the Judge when the first wagons started rolling into town with their tales of terror.

"What do you mean down?" Vin asked, not liking this one bit and guessing the same could be said of Chris, if the stony expression on the gunslinger's face was anything to go by.

"Franklin thinks they've been cut." Mary confessed reluctantly. "I think fear is making him guess. It could be anything." She said quickly, refusing to let her fear get to her and making her see phantom enemies that would only make things worse.

"Yes it could," Chris agreed but did not believe that for one second. Too many things were happening in town all at once and Chris did not believe in coincidences. Not today. "But it seems like awful good timing for something like this to come to ahead right this moment."

"Or the greatest example of coincidence I have ever chanced to experience." Ezra added, voicing the scepticism they all felt at this sudden turn of events.

Chris thought quickly, supposing for a moment that if the telegraph lines were intentionally cut then the stage was being set for something else to take place. As he let his gaze sweep across Four Corners in its descent into anarchy, taking careful note of the wagons and horses that flanked the street. Most of these belonged to owners who had been forced off their land by the bandits and driven into town for the lack of anywhere else to go. An idea suddenly flared inside his mind and he turned sharply to Mary. "Mary, the people who came in. Where they sent to Four Corners?"

"I don't understand." His wife looked up at him in confusion; unable to comprehend why he would think that they were. Why would they need to be sent, where else could they go for refuge.

"Did the bandits chase them out of their homes and tell them to go to Four Corners." He insisted, the tension in his voice making the others riding with him equally interested in the answer.

Mary thought about the differing accounts she had received from those who had been filtering into town all morning, trying to sift through the frantic words and cries of despair at having lost everything to seek out the information he required because she sensed its importance. Chris did not ask pointless questions and this once was no exception. After a few seconds of deliberation, her eyes met his again. "Yes," she nodded, confounded at why this would be. "The bandits told them to go to Four Corners."

"Shit!" Chris swore out loud, displaying more raw emotion than was normal for him. Vin and the others felt the anticipation of something ominous in Chris' manner because nothing unfazed their leader with such intensity. If Chris was this worried, then the conclusion he had reached, drove home to the rest of the seven and Mary as well, just how tenuous the situation was if it could have the power to unhinge Chris Larabee.

"What is it pard?" Vin asked, feeling the knot in his stomach tighten further because he recognized the genuine apprehension in the eyes of a man who rarely feared anything.

"They're corralling us." Chris said suddenly. "They're driven out the folk from the outer properties into town and they've cut off the telegraph lines." He saw their expressions change from mere concern to all out shock. "They're cutting us off." He stated with absolute belief that he was right.

"Why?" Mary exclaimed in horror, thinking that this was something that happen at a time of war not in small towns that mean nothing to anyone except those who lived there. "What is the point of that? We could still leave town and get out. To box us in like that would mean they'd have to blockade every pass that leads out of town.." Her voice trailed away when she realized that was the awesome conclusion Chris had arrived upon. "Oh my God."

"Ezra," Chris turned to him. "You, J.D. and Josiah start riding now. These bandits have been mighty busy this morning, they may not have had time to put that much of their plan into effect yet, its this is what they're planning. You need to get out before they pen us in. If you get through, go to Sweet Water or Bitter Creek. Tell them that Four Corners is under attack."

"We shall depart immediately." Ezra nodded grimly.

"One other thing," Chris called out to the trio as they nudged their horses into movement and trotted away from Vin, Buck and himself. "Don't be heroes any of you. If they have set up a blockade, don't try to go through them unless you are absolutely sure you can make it."

"We won't." Josiah nodded, understanding to what Chris was alluding. The odds they were facing were not small ones. If there was something akin to a bandit army taking up position of around Four Corners like a ring of steel, it would be the most formidable force they had faced since fighting the Confederate renegades whom had brought them together.

Chris watched Ezra, J.D. and Josiah break into a gallop and ride out of town, kicking up dirt behind them as they thundered through the street. He hoped it was not too late but somehow, Chris had this bad feeling that it might be already. Whoever was pulling the strings behind this entire affair was doing it well and coordinating themselves with better effort than Chris was in his efforts to catch up.

"Mary," Chris looked down at his wife. "I want you to get all the men in town together." He instructed. "Get them armed and ready. We don't know what these bandits want but they're forcing everyone into town for a reason and we'd better be prepared for it when they show their hand. We'll be back later." He said pulling his horse away from her as he gestured for Vin and Buck to follow.

"Wait!" Mary called out as he started to widen the gap between them. "Where are you going?"

Chris straightened up in his horse and met the gazes of his friends before answering her. "To see what we're up against."

To find the bandits was easier than any of them believed once they knew where to look. Backtracking to Nettie's place since they did not have time to investigate earlier, the lawmen started scouring the terrain around the property. It did not take any more than a skerrick of time for Vin's expert tracking skills to soon detect traces of the riders who had destroyed Nettie's home. Nettie had been correct in her assumption of how many men had come riding into the homestead early that morning because Vin detected tracks belonging to at least six horses.

It was a good thing that Nettie had forced Casey to escape or else nothing the girl would have done would have prevented her from falling prey to the same violation that Elizabeth Bartell had been subject to. The tracks were obscured over time but Vin had enough skill to ascertain in general which direction they were headed.

"What do you think is going on?" Buck asked Chris as they started following the tracker as he followed the tracks before him.

"I don't know," Chris replied honestly. "But I've got a real bad feeling about what's coming at us."

Buck felt a shudder of ice run down his spine as he heard Chris talk that way.

Chris was rarely so concerned about anything and the fact that he was now, made Buck worry about Four Corners and the loved ones who relied upon the seven to defend them. He felt a tightening knot in his chest when he realized that Inez and his child were in Four Corners. He did not know what was worse, the fact that he now had a family to worry about or the realization that he was happy to assume responsibility for their safety.

"Maybe we ought to think about getting the women and children out of town." Buck volunteered. "After what happened to Bartell's daughter. It might be a good idea."

"Not yet," Chris replied, understanding Buck's fear all too well. He did not like the idea of Mary and Billy being in danger any more than Buck was probably worrying about Inez and his baby right now but they were still only speculating on what they believed was happening. While the bandits were viciously attacking the families outside town, there was nothing to indicate that they had been responsible for the damage to the telegraph lines. "We need to know more first."

"Hold it." Vin said quietly as they travelled through a strip of dense woods.

How Vin was able to find anything in this tangle of branches, overhanging trees, scuffled marks in the dirt and bushes was beyond Chris Larabee's understanding at times. The tracker seemed to recognize familiarity in things that made absolutely no sense to him. Vin dismounted Peso after motioning the others to be silent and hold their ground.

Vin disappeared through the bushes and continued ahead for a few hundred yards, observing the telltales signs that made sense only to him as he followed the tracks to its inevitable end. A broken twig here, a few scant traces in the dirt was all that he needed to seek out the ones that was turning Four Corners inside out. At first Vin's determination to find those responsible for what was done to Nettie a simple matter of cold revenge. The old lady was what Vin liked to imagine his mother might have been had she lived instead of passing on so early in his life. Nettie treated him like a son and thanks to her, he had some idea of what it was like to have a family and a home. Though he hardly spent enough time there to consider the place as such, Vin liked helping out whenever he could and it hit him almost as badly to see the place decimated.

However, Chris' assertion that the bandits were after more than just one old woman's home had added a new urgency to the situation. If Four Corners was the real target then it was not just Nettie that was in trouble, it was everyone and by extension, the lives that the seven had built for themselves in town as also jeopardy. He could understand why the gunslinger was so willing for Ezra, J.D. and Josiah to get help when normally, Chris would insist upon handling things on their own. Chris' pride had to take second place to the more pressing issue of seeing the town survive this latest disaster.

Vin started hearing voices as he started nearing the edge of the tree line. At first they were faint and nondescript but as he continued following the tracks, the sounds grew louder and louder until he could out the melodic sound of voices laced with accents of Spanish. Vin reached for his gun, deciding to take no chances if the numbers of these bandits were anything like what Chris suspected them to be. Of course, if they caught sight of Vin and got it into their mind to catch him, a weapon would be the last thing that would get him out of their clutches, it would be his ability to blend into the terrain and disappear.

The tracker emerged quietly out of the trees. His feet made no sound as it moved over the gravel surface and Vin dropped low to keep himself from being seen as he advanced upon the ravine at which he was soon poised upon its edge, looking downwards into the proceedings below. The voices he had followed here came from the encampment below and as Vin looked over the edge and stared into the heart of the enemy's territory, Vin Tanner came to one very firm conclusion.

They were in a lot of trouble.

TO BE CONTINUED