Part Five

Flight

When Chris Larabee woke up this time, he found that not much had changed from his revival the night before. He was still aching painfully, although it had declined into a constant throbbing rather than the extreme pain he had felt when he had first awoke. His head still felt viscous and slow as awareness returned to him slowly and he knew that much of this was attributed to the medication that Alex had ministered the night before. Chris was incensed that she had resorted to such tactics to keep him still but had to begrudgingly admit that it was probably for his own good any way.

Fortunately, this time he was ready for her and he was getting out of bed one way or another. Chris looked around for his clothes and noticed their absence with a slight frown. However, he was not to be deterred. Fighting the sluggishness in his limbs, not to mention the pain, Chris pulled the covers off himself, determined to leave this bed with nothing more than a sheet if it were necessary. The town was in trouble and he could hardly be wasting his time lying in bed like this when so much was going on. Putting his feet on the floor, Chris heaved himself upright and felt intense pain course through his chest at the attempt. Crushing the need to lie back down with ruthless efficiency, he continued with his flight from this room.

Suddenly, he heard a soft and familiar sigh he knew all too well and found himself staring in surprise at the same chair that had been occupied by Alexandra Styles to be now taken up by Mary. She was covered in soot and dust, traces of smoke lingering on her pale skin and her golden hair was disheveled. He had no idea what she had gone through the night before but guessed immediately that she had come here to be at his side after it. Chris leaned against his bed for a moment, wondering if his escape would be impeded if he woke her and decided that he did not wish to rouse her when she looked so tired.

Chris took a deep breath and started to move when Mary opened one eye and remarked with a smile. "Chris Larabee, you're going to have to move a little more quietly than that if you think you're getting past me."

Chris let out a small groan and met her gaze. "I suppose you ain't gonna believe me if I tell you that I was fine."

Mary was wide away now and sitting up languidly in the chair as she stretched her muscles and joints, still aching from last night's activities, not to mention her uncomfortable sleep on this rigid chair. "Not a chance." She remarked and rose out of her chair.

"I didn't think so." He grumbled and saw her approaching him, perfectly aware that she was going to put him back into bed, physically, if the blaze in her blue green eyes were anything to go by. Well, he was going to show her, he could get back into bed himself. When he lay back on the soft mattress, his body forced out a traitorous groan of relief.

"What am I going to do with you Mr. Larabee?" She asked sitting the side of his bed before leaning over and meeting his lips with a lingering kiss. Although he was too weak to do much else, he was still able to enjoy her silky lips against his and was given a pleasant reminder of why it was so good to be alive.

"Help me out of bed?" He asked hopefully.

"I don't think so," Mary chuckled. "You were hurt really badly Chris," she continued, the humour draining out of her face upon the revisitation of the memory of his being brought in by Vin and Buck, bloody and broken. "We almost lost you." She swallowed away her emotions because she did not want to mar the happiness of seeing him alive and relatively well.

"It'll take more than one bullet to kill me." Chris smiled faintly, his hand reaching for her cheek as he gazed into her blue grey eyes affectionately. "You look like you had a pretty rough night yourself."

"We don't need to talk about that," Mary said evasively, not wishing to dredge up what difficulties she and the rest of Four Corners had endured the previous night, especially when it would upset him because he was trapped in this bed.

"Mary," Chris said in that voice that demanded obedience even from her. "I need to know what is happening."

Mary conceded with a nod, knowing that he would not rest until she had told him and this was a much better way than having him trying to climb out of bed and attempt to find out on his own. "We have some visitors last night. About a dozen of them. They rode in, shot things up pretty badly and started fires across town. We lost five people and spent half the night trying to put the flames up. Buck and the other killed a few of the mercenaries and we found out who the woman was."

"Who?" Chris asked tautly, unimpressed by anything that he had been told so far.

"Remember Quint?"

"The mercenary that tried to kill you in Winston Falls?" Chris remembered the name clearly even though he had tried his hardest to block out the few days when Mary had made her trip to Denver.

"Yes." Mary nodded. "She didn't die after all."

"Quint is a woman?" His disbelief showed.

"What is it with you men?" Mary frowned at that. "You've run into lady bounty hunters before, is it so hard to believe a woman can be a mercenary? That is really the height of sexism."

"Mary..." Chris warned, not in the mood for it.

"Sorry," she curbed her annoyance and continued. "The others are getting the town ready in case they come back tonight. We've got a lot of men mobilized and a sentry posted high to keep watch so we have some idea when they come our way."

"We can't hold them off if they decide to rush us all at once." He muttered softly. "We have to get through the blockade.

"Chris," Mary paused a moment, knowing he was not going to like what she was about to tell him but she could not in good conscience, keep it from him either. "Vin's gone."

"Gone?" He stared at her.

"He thought he could make it through under the cover of dark using the trails he knew." Mary continued, seeing the dark look in his eyes at that revelation.

"He went alone?" Chris declared, his voice raising an octave as it dawned on him that of course Vin would go alone. The tracker would assume that he would have a better chance of breaking the blockade on his own since one man would be easier to go unnoticed then a group.

"He thought it was best." Mary spoke in Vin's defense because Chris was genuinely angry that he had been allowed to do this thing.

"Damn!" Chris swore and started to rise out of bed. "Get my clothes."

"Chris you can't leave your bed!" Mary protested.

"Get...my...clothes." He said firmly in no uncertain terms that he would do it himself if she did not help him.

"All right," she decided, not liking this but feeling a sense of urgency in his demand that did not allow her to dare refusing him. Somehow, she had this terrible feeling that Chris sensed Vin to be in terrible danger. "But Alex is not going to like this."

"Alex is going to like it a lot less if Vin winds up dead." Chris retorted. "If they were smart enough to figure which way Ezra and the others would take to get to Sweet Water, don't you think they'd be smart enough to figure out that the only person we'd sent out of town would be Vin?"

"You think they're waiting for him?" Mary said in a hushed voice, hoping that he was wrong and knowing in the pit of her stomach that he was not. He seldom was about such things.

"I'd be surprised if they haven't already got him." He declared and grimaced slightly when he felt his chest remind him most prolifically that if he was going to do this fool thing of getting out of bed, he was going to have to take extreme care. As Mary helped him out of bed, Chris made a further declaration."If they haven't killed him, I'm sure as hell going to."

Vin Tanner was in trouble.

He had left Four Corners as scheduled, believing that his departure by moonlight had gone unnoticed and that he possessed the skills to evade any detection in his journey to Sweet Water. Unfortunately it was not to be as the mercenaries were on his trail no sooner than he had put enough distance between himself and Four Corners to make it difficult to turn back. Even though he could have slipped past them if he had wanted to return to Four Corners, Vin was determined to make it to Sweet Water. The town depended on him penetrating the blockade and getting help.

Vin pushed Peso hard, knowing that the horse was going to have to get some rest soon as he rode across the flattened terrain. A dust storm had come out of nowhere, sending tiny fragment of grain sand in all directions, make the journey all the more tedious. However, the storm did make it very difficult for the men to main their pursuit of them. With tracks being blown away almost as soon as they were made and the low visibility of the terrain, he managed to keep ahead of them even though he knew that dust storms did not last forever. When it did finally clear, they would be coming after him with everything they had.

With everyone counting on him making it to Sweet Water, Vin was determined that he would die before letting them catch up to him. Yet as he continued laboriously through the lashing winds that made it difficult to see, he knew he could not continue the journey in this weather. He had to sit out the storm in a place that would offer him shelter and knew of only one place that would offer that oasis. Hopefully, this Quint woman was not as thorough as he believed and she might not know about the Indian village. In any case, he intended to be long gone before the mercenaries had a reason to suspect the village was harboring him.

It did not take him too far out of his way to reach the Indian Village and Vin did not see anyone behind him as he took the familiar trail to the community, even though it was a little wind blown at the moment. Understandably, everyone was indoors when he arrived, having no wish to brave the inclement weather that was blowing hard at their tents and whipping up sand in all directions. Vin had no trouble finding Chanu and Kojay's tent, since both men were always willing to share their hospitality whenever Vin visited. Ever since Vin had proved that Chanu had not been responsible for the murder of Claire Moseley, he had been received warmly by the village and its chief.

Once the greeting and salutations had been made, Vin appraised Chanu of what was taking place in Four Corners. Since the village was inside the area contained by the mercenaries and the Indians were not prone to leaving their reservation, they had yet to encounter any kind of trouble. Still, the idea that they would be prevented from leaving should they wish it alarmed the Indian somewhat.

"I don't think they're too interested in the village." Vin assured him even though he could not say for certain what intentions the mercenaries harbored. "I think they're after the town only."

"Perhaps because of the new settlers." Chanu pointed out as they sat over a hot meal. "I believe the railroad is coming that way soon."

"Yeah," Vin nodded, having forgotten all about the eminent arrival of the railroad. Construction crews had been laying down track for some time now and the path that the locomotives would take when the work was done would mean new arrivals to Four Corners, the likes of which would change Four Corners and possibly the immediate considerably. "Destroying the town won't change things. The trains will still come whether Four Corners is there or not."

"Maybe," Chanu said considering the problem for a moment. "How long is the railroad away from the town?"

"A couple of months," Vin looked at the man oddly, wondering why he would ask that question. The plans to build the thing were more or less decided, surely the railroad would not change direction on a whim…unless those circumstances were serious enough where it was utterly necessary to do just that. "You don't think someone is doing this to chase away the railroad now do you?" He asked Chanu, his mind wrapping around the possibility like a finding a lantern in the dark.

"When my ancestors were slaughtered by your people," Chanu said quietly, casting his mind back to ages where a white man was an enemy, not a friend with whom the Old people could share a meal over the fireplace. "For a long time, no one would go back to the places where they had lived. Some believed that the land was stained with evil and cursed. Perhaps whomever wishes to harm your people now, wish the land to be cursed in the same way."

"I think you're right," Vin nodded, his mind following the train of thought that Chanu had opened for him. Since this entire situation had begun, the overriding question of why this was taking place at all had preoccupied the thoughts of the lawmen most. They knew the how and had an idea about the who but until now, none of the seven had guessed why of it all. It those responsible were attempting to create an example that would scare the railroad from laying down tracks in the area, then a massacre would do that quite spectacularly. The Railroad Company was always somewhat apprehensive about the criminal element that existed around Four Corners, particularly when they had brought in the late Marshall Bryce to bring in law and order to the area. A massacre at Four Corners would ensure the railroad company would pull up stakes and move their tracks elsewhere, leaving the land free of coming settlers, while eliminating the ones who were already and leaving a stigma of blood that would deter anyone from settling here.

Vin looked at Chanu and felt a cold shudder run down his spine at the discovery. "You're right, Chanu." He said softly. "They are trying to curse the land but they're trying to curse it for the railroad."

"Then you do not have a great deal of time." Chanu pointed out. "You must get to Sweet Water and bring help for your people."

Vin thought about Alex, Chris and all the other people waiting for his return and armed with the knowledge of what he now knew, felt more anxious to be on his way. Suddenly, he did not care about the dust storm and decided that he would resume his journey to Sweet Water as soon as he had rested and shared a meal with Chanu since he was not certain when he would get the opportunity again.

"I am told by Nathan that you are to be married." Chanu spoke after an uncomfortable pause, deciding that for the moment, a change of subject to something less grim might be in order.

"Nothing so fancy." Vin shrugged, feeling embarrassed when confronted about any direct questions about Alex. Chris was the only person that Vin found he was able to confide in when it came to the doctor. "She wears the ring I got her and we have an understanding."

"It is good luck to marry a medicine woman," Chanu smiled, unable to hide his amusement at Vin's shyness when speaking about the doctor who often accompanied Nathan to village to help his people. "And she is good woman."

"She is." Vin found himself agreeing when suddenly, a young boy entered the tent calling frantically for Chanu even if he's eyes were fixed on Vin.

"What is it?" Chanu asked, not missing the way the boy had stared at Vin upon his entry.

"There are men with guns here." He said quickly, his words running into a long sentence without pause. It was fortunate that Vin understood the boy even though he was speaking in his native tongue, saving Chanu the bother of translating.

"How many?" Vin demanded, not giving Chanu a chance to speak..

"Ten maybe more." The boy answered nervously. "I could not see well. I only know they came into our tent and asked me to find you."

"You must go." Chanu said without hesitation. "If you leave now without them seeing you, I will tell them that you have come and gone." The young man rose to his feet. "I do not believe they will harm this entire village simply because you are not here."

Vin was not sure and he liked even less the idea of tucking tail and running but he had no choice at this point. He could not endanger the entire village by remaining any longer. "I'm sorry Chanu," Vin said as he rose to his feet and peered outside the tent flap to see nothing but dust. "I shouldn't have come here. I done nothing but bring trouble to your people."

"You have risked yourself for me Tanner, many times." Chanu, wishing to hear none of that, dismissed the apology. "I would do no less than you would do for me. Now you must go and I will see to these men."

Vin nodded and offered Chanu silent thanks as he looked outside and saw no one approaching that might be a threat to him. Hurrying out into the storm, the wind blew sand into his face and made it hard to see as he ran quietly across the numerous tents scattered throughout the village. As he made his way towards Peso, Vin froze at the faint outline of riders on horseback through the gale force winds blowing at him. He prayed they did not see him but knew he was out of luck when he saw them turn in his direction.

"Here he is!" One of them shouted. Vin could not tell which one had called out but needed to hear no more than that when he bolted forward. The weather though bad was not quite enough hide his flight and immediately, he saw the horses surging towards him. Vin paused long enough to draw his Winchester and empty the entire chamber at the oncoming horses. The animals panicked by the loud noises and the added disturbance of rushing wind, immediately reared up in fright, dislodging some of its riders and halting the progress of others. It was a narrow margin of time but it was enough for Vin to disappear through the maze of tents before him and reach Peso.

Wasting no time once he reached his horse, Vin dug his heels in just as his pursuers were on top of him. Having no time to reload his shotgun, Vin could only continue his flight, hoping he could outrun the mercenaries until he had the window of opportunity to reload and perhaps delay them even further. As he pulled away from the village, hearing their angry shouts and the thundering hooves behind him over the sound of the grainy wind, he knew he was wide open.

The first shots passed over him without harming him but the second series of bullets were close enough to feel even through the sound of the gale that was blowing at him the harder he pushed Peso to widen the gap between him and his hunters. Vin was hardly surprised when he felt one bullet slam into his shoulder, almost knocking him of his mount from the force of it. He uttered a soft cry of pain but knew instinctively that he was lucky. Had he been hit any lower, he would have endured the same fate as Chris and been completely useless to those who needed him to reach Sweet Water.

Despite the pain he continued forward. He had no choice in the matter.

He had to.

"Jose hit him." The mercenary declared once he had joined his companions who were still at the village. A small group of riders still remained in the Indian reservation because they had been searching its expanse when the others had seen Tanner. They remained on top of their horses, demanding answers from the Chief and his son as to what Tanner's intentions were now that he was forced from the village prematurely. Both men had been unable to say what the tracker planned beyond the obvious attempt to break the blockade, however, the leader of the group, Diaz's trusted lieutenant Castille knew they would not tell the mercenaries anything even if they did have the information.

"Are the others still on his trail?" Castille asked, not at all reluctant to give up the bounty on the tracker's head when it could enhance the already substantial fee they were being paid for this enterprise. He had plans to give up this life and return to Mexico to buy land with his money. He was letting nothing get in the way of that, nothing at all.

"Yes," Jaime nodded. "He is still trying to get past the blockade but he is hurt and the winds are harsh, it will slow him down." The man said confidently, having seen the shot himself and knew despite the poor visibility of the dust storms, that he had been hit.

"Good." Castille declared with approval and cast his gaze over the small village. It was little more than a collection of tents and huts that did look very impressive, neither was the Chief and his son who had assured him that Tanner had come and gone. Although they had not lied to him, Castille could not ignore that they had given Tanner refuge and to the mercenary, that was not acceptable. The essence of keeping control through fear was enforcing the consequences for those who did not obey. A lesson needed to be taught to these people so they would harbour no more people taking flight from Four Corners. "We will join them after."

"After?" Jaime looked at him in question.

"Yes," Castille met his gaze. "After we burn this place down."

"How could you let him go!" Chris Larabee demanded once he was in the company of his men inside the jailhouse, having asked Mary to summon them while he got a full appraisal of what was happening. Although neither Mary or Alex was very happy to see him out of bed, Mary had to admit that seeing Chris out of bed had lifted the spirits of town. Even with her helping him to the jailhouse, his effect on the town was immediate and gave them a sense of reassurance that the leader of the seven would soon find some way to deal with their present crisis.

"Now hold on a minute Chris," Buck spoke up in their defense as Chris was nestled behind the desk, obviously in pain but hiding it for their benefit. "We had no other choice."

"They ain't stupid Buck." Chris returned, unwilling to let go of his anger at the present moment because he knew what was at stake, even better than they did he suspected. "If this Quint woman knew Ezra, Josiah and J.D. by sight that means she's been keeping a close eye on us for quite some time. She would know that an attack like the one last night would get us panicking. If she is as smart as I think she is, she would have had men watching the town and expecting one of us to leave."

"Damn." Ezra swore under his breath, not wanting to reiterate that he had considered this a bad idea to begin with but had allowed himself to be swayed by the urgency of the situation to discard his reservations. "Suffice to say the damage is done, Mr. Larabee. I would suggest we turn out attention as to how we are to help Mr. Tanner if you are right instead of this continued debate on where the blame ought to be laid if any."

Chris frowned, knowing that Ezra was right and feeling a little guilty at being so hard on his friends when their actions had only been borne out of a deeper sense of responsibility to the town that they all guarded. "You're right," Chris found himself conceding. "I'm sorry I lost my temper a little."

"These are the times that try us," Josiah said with a faint smile, pleased that this discourse had been allowed to dissipate. There were more important things to discuss at the moment and now that Chris was with them, perhaps their leader might have some better solutions to their problem.

"You said it." Nathan remarked and Chris noticed how exhausted the man appeared to be. Nathan had not liked Chris' emergence from bed but had appeared to tired to argue with him when Chris had first appeared in the jailhouse with Mary's aid. He supposed if he were pulling double duty, not only as the town's defenders but also as one of only two healers in town, Chris would be similarly tired himself. "So the question is, can we help Vin?"

"We ain't got any idea of where he is right now." Buck confessed. "He said he was taking trails out of town that ain't on any map so that means he could be anywhere."

"If they haven't got him." J.D. pointed out, hating to think that those bandits might have their hands on Vin as well as shooting up Chris so badly.

"Let us keep some optimism here shall we, Mr. Dunne?" Ezra looked over his shoulder at the young man.

"There ain't much we can do." Chris sighed, wincing slightly as he leaned back in the chair and taking note of the way Nathan was paying attention to him. No doubt if the healer thought for one moment, that all this was becoming too much for Chris, he would probably carry the gunslinger back to Alex's clinic. "We have no idea where he is even if we wanted to get help to him. I hate to say it but Vin's on his own and we ain't got the men to spare to go after him anyway."

The mood turned decidedly somber after that revelation was made and no one spoke for a few seconds as they al considered what that actually meant if Vin was indeed trouble. However, each of them, though voicing it to no one, knew what the tracker was capable of and if there was one man among them all that could evade those mercenaries and make it to Sweet Water, it would be Vin Tanner.

Finally it was Chris who broke the silence. "Mary tells me you had sentries posted."

"Yeah," Buck nodded distractedly. "After last night, we figured it be a good idea since I don't think that attack was a one time deal."

"They're softening us up." Josiah added helpfully.

"They certainly have people terrified and contemplating the notion of attempting to run the blockade." Ezra replied, remembering what Julia had been telling her earlier that morning. The morning had done nothing but magnify the glare of their troubles underneath the light of day and people were becoming increasingly agitated.

"Well these mercenaries have got us in a corner and they know it." Chris declared. "I guess it comes down to whether or not we can hold them off when the times comes for them to throw everything they got at us." He paused for a moment, thinking how he and his friends would handle the final assault when it came. He thought of the Seminole village and what they had done there. The situation at the village had not been as dire as this one but had its share of peril as well. The Seminoles were barely armed and the village was little more than a collection of mud huts but they had defended it, thanks to the collective efforts of the entire community. Perhaps what was needed here was a little dose of that.

"J.D.," Chris said after a moment. "Go to all the hardware places in town and let's get a stock count of how much dynamite there is."

"You have a plan Mr. Larabee?" Ezra met his gaze, with a raise brow. Indeed, his request had captured all their attention.

"Yeah I do," Chris said with a slight grin. "We've got guns, I'm pretty sure we've got dynamite and blasting caps. There are enough people in town who know how to shoot straight and we don't have an alternative, so I say let em come cause when they get here, we're capable of giving them a reception they ain't likely to forget."

"Now those are fighting words," Buck grinned and leapt of the chair he was sitting in and strode towards J.D., "come on kid," he patted J.D. on the arm. "Let's go see about that dynamite." In a moment, he and J.D. were out of the room and Chris turned his attention to the rest of the plan forming in his head.

"Nathan," the gunslinger turned his attention to the healer. "You and Alex start moving the wounded into cellars, any place that can't be reached by someone with a gun who knows how to use it. The schoolhouse is too open and being the largest building in town, it's the only one that could be used as a hospital, it'd be an easy target so I want all the wounded scattered around where they can't be seen."

"Okay," Nathan nodded, seeing the sense in that. "Does that include you?" He could not resist but asking.

Chris threw him a look and turned to the Josiah and Ezra, "We're going to gather the women and children and keep em some place safe, we'll need any man that can shoot to be on this. We don't know when they're coming but chances are it can't be too far away. It will only be so long before the outside world starts wondering why Four Corners is cut off and its likely the army that will be here to investigate. They can't afford that so if they move it will be in the next few days, that means we ain't got a lot of time to get ready."

"The man is on a roll." Ezra could not help feeling some measure of relief at having some thing to do that offered some glimmer of hope.

"What about our guests tonight?" Josiah spoke up. "Chances are, they'll be coming back."

"And we will be waiting for them." Chris said with a smile that held no warmth but cold menace. "After all, like Ezra said. I'm back."

With a purpose and a plan laid before them, the lawmen and Four Corners set to work immediately, fortifying their the town against the return of the mercenaries who were bound to continue their campaign of terror. As anticipated, Buck and J.D. did manage to get their hands on a decent cache of dynamite and immediately implemented them in strategic locations around the town, in much the same way they had done when fending off Dicky O'Shea's hired guns.

Unfortunately, consideration had to be given to the fact that this was not some bare patch of land that had yet to be settled but a town full of buildings and people, thus the charges were set in suitable distance from the principality of Four Corners.

None of the dynamite would be used tonight however for Chris wished that to be a surprise kept a secret as long as possible. As it was, they had not many things going for them without sacrificing the element of surprise when they attempted to launch a formidable defensive position when the mercenaries made their final move against the town. Chris though injured and conducting much of his leadership from a chair since it was the only way either Mary or Alex for that matter would permit him to participate, supervised everything and as suspected his presence did a great deal for morale. With Chris Larabee directing things, the entire town launched themselves into the defense of Four Corners with the same vigor as they had displayed when Royal and James had sent hired guns to raze their town to the ground.

In the meantime, the women took care of moving the sick and wounded into basement cellars and any place that would not provide a visible target during the fighting. Realizing that Nathan was needed to help with the preparation to mount the town's defenses, Alex and Mary took charge of moving women and children to places of safety. Homes were vacated and the ones selected for hiding places were fortified with boards over windows, passages that could offer an intruder entry were sealed off so that there would be one way in or out and that entry way would be easily defended. Chris had absolutely insisted upon this and much of the day was spent securing these homes for the final assault.

Alex moved her serious patients to the cellar beneath Josiah's church, finding some sense of irony in the location and wondering if Mexican bandits had any qualms about violating the sanctity of holy ground. She wanted her injured patients to have as much good fortune as divine power could offer. Alex did not flinch when she was forced to wear a gun, since she was one of the few women in town other than Mary and Casey Well who could handle a weapon with any accuracy.

During this time however, Alex had made a very astute observation in Rain's handling of patients. The young woman from the Seminole village was extremely good with patients and she saw them responding to Rain in a way that made them most manageable when it was time for them to be moved. Alex filed that information away from the time being, although the thought was firmly planted in her mind.

Sentries were posted on the highest buildings in Four Corners, so a bird's eye view could be afforded of any approaching travelers or in this case nocturnal visitors bent on causing harm as they had the night before. With half the town having suffered some kind of effects from the arson, the lawmen were well aware of how debilitating another series of fires could have on the town not to mention its demoralizing consequences. Chris needed everyone's full attention focused on what was coming at them and could not afford to have anyone distracted by notions of doom. The moment the sun began to set, the sentries took up position. Buck and Ezra taking first since both men had volunteered and Ezra whose keen eye mostly used for detecting card cheats could be just as efficient locating incoming riders in the dark.

By the time the sunset on the second day of their siege, the town of Four Corners were far from being able to repel a united assault by all the mercenaries. However, they were more than adequately prepared to deal with the nighttime raiders who had caused so much discourse the night before. Josiah, J.D. and Nathan took up position on the rooftops at strategic corners of the town that would provide optimum firing range. Chris knew that when the raiders did arrive, it was in everyone's business that they be put down fast before they had any chance to commit further crimes of arson.

In any case, everyone was holding their breaths in anxiousness to see how they would fare against the mercenaries tonight because it would give all a good idea of how they equip they would be to deal with the larger attack when the time came.

J.D. Dunne had not spoken to anyone about what had happened in the livery when the fire had raged through it and he had been forced to kill the remaining horses to spare them from an agonizing death of being burnt alive. No matter, how many times he had tried to justify what he had done to himself, he could not shake the feeling of guilt that he should have found a way to free them. He could not forget their heavy breathing, full of fear at the fire raging around them or how instead of alleviating those terrors, he had been forced to put a bullet in their brains as if dying quickly made it any more merciful.

He stared into the darkness, feeling especially guilty because he hated those bandits for making him to do that, he could barely think straight. Even when they had attacked Casey, he had not felt this kind of rage and felt ashamed that she should come second over a bunch of stupid horses that were not even his. Twirling his hat over his finger because putting it on would only give away his position, as Buck told him repeatedly, J.D. considered his thoughts while awaiting the signal from Ezra and Buck that the quarry was arriving.

Suddenly, he heard the small flip door to the roof opening and saw Casey emerging from the lower floor. He had not seen her all day because he had been busy with the town's fortifications and was glad to see when she appeared, that she was looking better following her ordeal.

"Casey, what are you doing here?" J.D. asked.

"I come to keep you company." She said with the same sweet smile that had often the contradictions in her manner. Casey was not the kind of girl that wore dresses and only spoke about the silly things that other girls he had known in his life tended to prattle on about. She was terribly practical, his Casey with no idea or desire for that matter to seduce by ways of sweet words. However, J.D. often found that her honesty was almost as alluring and she knew more ways under the sun to drive him crazy than any woman alive and Buck often said those were the kind of women you married.

"Thanks Casey but I'm supposed to be on watch." He reminded her although he could not deny that it was good to see her feeling better.

"Its okay," she replied sitting next to him. She was wearing a dress today, probably borrowed from one of the girls in town considering what had been the state of her apparel when she had come into town yesterday morning. "I won't stay long. Just wanted to see you that's all."

"How's your aunt Nettie?" J.D. asked, having been so busy that he hard forgotten to ask Nathan how the old lady was doing.

"She's awake," Casey frowned, not liking one bit the condition they had found Nettie in, even though she was still alive. Like J.D., Casey had her own feelings of guilt, particularly in leaving her aunt to those men. Although she understood the necessity of it, when she heard what had happened to Elizabeth Bartell, Casey still wished she could have stood at her aunt's side when Nettie bravely faced those men. "She's still pretty weak but Doctor Styles said that she'll be up and about as soon as she gets a few days rest."

"That ain't likely to happen with your Aunt Nettie," J.D. remarked, knowing perfectly well how tenacious the old woman could be. Even Vin was a little afraid of her and Vin was never afraid of anything.

"Probably not," Casey giggled as she slid next to him and beamed when J.D. placed an arm around her and held her close. "But that's Aunt Nettie." She paused and let the moment pass before she turned to him again. "J.D., I'm real scared."

"Its gonna be okay Casey," J.D. assured her. "Chris is up and around now and he's got a pretty good plan for dealing with those mercenaries when they finally come into town."

"We don't even known when that's going to be!" Casey exclaimed, feeling a slight shudder as she thought about the man who had almost raped her and knew that was the fate of every woman in town if the mercenaries should have to break through their defenses. She did not want to think of J.D. ending up like Elizabeth's father, shot dead trying to defend her honour, only to have it taken away anyway, along with his life.

"It doesn't matter." J.D. said trying to sound confident but unable to deny that she had a point. "We're ready for them when they come."

"What if they come first thing in the morning?" Casey countered. "We're only half way through with our preparation to fight them off. If they come early, we wouldn't be ready for them and they could kill us all."

"Casey," J.D. looked at her firmly. "Ain't none of that is going to happen. You hear me? We know what we're doing and we may not have a lot of time but we're working as fast as we can and it ain't just us that's going to fight. The rest of the town is standing behind us. We'll beat them. I know it." He declared confidently, having more faith in his friends then he did at their preparations. In truth, he knew that she had struck a nerve inside of him with the declaration that they had no idea what the enemy was planning or how they would strike when the launched that final offensive. If only they knew. ..

The idea began to take shape in his head and J.D. told himself that not only was he insane but was liable to get himself killed if he continued on his present train of thought. However, the thing was, Inez had taught him some Spanish so he knew enough to get by if he had to, not to mention his small stature could allow him to pass for a Mexican under the cover of dark with a wide enough sombrero at his disposal.

"You better get going now Casey," J.D. said distracted, still thinking about the dangerous idea forming in his head. He knew it was quite that if he went though with the plan he was gravitating towards, he could die not to mention what Chris and Buck would do to him if by some miracle he did survive and got back to tell them what he had done.

"Can I stay a little longer?" She pouted a little.

"Okay," he grumbled. "This isn't a night out you know," he declared. "There could be mercenaries turning up at any minute."

"You'll protect me," Casey laughed and rested her head on the crook of his shoulder, making him frown even though she felt good pressed up against him. He could smell the scent of her hair and wondered how it was she always managed to take the faint aroma of wildflowers with her everywhere she went.

"You don't see Julia or Rain climbing up to be with Ezra or Nathan." J.D. pointed out.

"Well I ain't Julia or Rain," she sat upright and met his gaze. "Besides, they're older than me and I think they're well. ." she struggled to find the most delicate way of putting it without embarrassing herself although her cheeks were already flushed red. "They're women of the world in all things."

"Women of the world?" J.D. exclaimed, having no idea of what she was talking about. "What's that gotta do with anything?"

"J.D.!" Casey exclaimed exasperated. "I'm sure Julia and Ezra are known to each other." She said delicately.

He still stared back at her.

"In the Biblical way!" She groaned, unable to believe he could be so immature, particularly after she had caught him in the stables with that female bounty hunter.

"Oh." J.D. could only utter that muted response but recovered well enough to reply. "We could be too." He grinned.

"J.D. Dunne!" She cried out outraged and pushed him away from her. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

With that, she stormed off the roof and disappeared through the doorway on the floor before he could say anything else to stop her. J.D. heard the door slam shut and could only shake his head and ask the solitude around him with confusion. "What just happened here?"

The dust storm had arrived in Four Corners.

It swept through the town blowing dust and sand across the meandering streets, slamming shutters against windows and forcing everyone inside except the sharpshooters who were maintaining their position, certain that the weather would not keep the mercenaries away. With the coming of twilight, the visibility dropped even further and those stationed as sentries and lookouts were hard pressed to see anything approaching the town from a distance. Nevertheless the town remained on vigil, remembering all too well the perils that taken place the night before and were not about to become complacent even if the weather seemed too harsh to ride.

"Chris, you've done all you can." Mary tried once again urging her husband to get back to bed since he had been supervising things all day and needed to rest. He was still wounded badly and although it was sheer will alone keeping him on his feet, Mary knew that it was not inexhaustible. "I think you need to rest now, besides I don't think they're coming."

"They're coming." Chris replied coolly, unprepared to move out of his chair in the saloon. He could see the entire main street from his position by the door and he was not about to leave when his men were out there, braving the storm beyond the swaying bat wing doors. "I know they are."

"Even if they are," Mary pressed, "I'm sure Buck and the others can handle it."

"Mary," he gave her a look that said more or less that he would remain unmovable on this subject. His men were out there and while he loved her and had responsibilities to her, Chris could not forget the responsibilities to the men who had had ridden by his side during the past two years. "I'll be fine but I have to be here."

Mary frowned, not liking the whole notion one bit but swallowed her annoyance because this is what he was. She had known this before she married him and she was not going to start making demands on him now that they were man and wife. Besides, she had to trust that Chris knew his limits, even if he could be the most stubborn man she had ever met. "All right but promise me, when this is over, you get to bed please and stay there?"

"I promise that I'll get some rest when this is done but just for awhile okay?" Chris conceded, allowing his hand to brush her cheek and offered her a smile as he did it. They held each other's gazes for a moment, taking a few minutes of personal time in a saloon that was devoid of people since no one was in the mood for drinking when trouble could start at any minute.

The mood was shattered when suddenly Buck burst through the doors and announced. "They're here!"

"How far away?" Chris asked, aware that they had to be pretty close to be seen in this weather.

"A few minutes," Buck said grimly. "Maybe less."

The big man took up position next to the doorway of the saloon while Chris shifted his chair so that he could take aim from the window and still be protected by the structure. "Mary, get upstairs with Inez." He ordered, not wishing her to be anywhere in the immediate vicinity. He had enough things to worry about without having to concern himself over her being hit by incidental fire.

She nodded and paused long enough to kiss him on the mouth quickly before uttering a soft whisper in his ear. "Be careful, please?" She looked at him with silent plea.

"I will," he smiled. "Now get upstairs." Chris prompted and watched her hurry up the staircase into the safety of the rooms on the upper floor.

Once she was gone, Buck gave him a concerned look of his own. "Chris are you sure you're up to this?"

"Of course I am." Chris said automatically, watching the streets for the first signs of the raiders. He positioned the rifle on the window sill, using it as support as opposed to exerting his own physical strength, attempting to conserve as much of it because he knew was perfectly aware of how badly he was injured. The pain had been with him all day and although Alexandra Styles had given him a proper lecture about it, she did understand why he felt the need to be on his feet, despite doctor's orders and have administered some mild pain killers that helped somewhat.

"All right pardner," Buck decided he was not going to say another word on the subject because it was good having Chris on deck. "Let's do this."

Once Ezra saw the silhouettes move through the dark swirling expanse before him, he knew that the mercenaries had made their long anticipated return. Giving the signal to Buck who was on a clear line of sight on the ground, Ezra watched him hurry away, no doubt to let the others know what was happening. With his duty as sentry now passed, Ezra reached for the rifle that was leaning against the edge of the roof and recoiled beneath it far enough to be hidden but not so far that he could not see the riders on their steady approach.

They closed the distance between themselves and the town in good stead, pushing their horses so hard that Ezra could almost hear the animal's strained pants as they were forced to fight wind and sand in this harsh weather. Ezra had divested himself of his hat for it had trouble staying on his head and was content with protection from the elements by his long tan coat. Across the street, he could see Josiah, Nathan and J.D. making similar preparations and wondered if this effort was going to have the desired effect that Chris wished it to achieve. Ezra could not say that he disliked Chris' idea, going on the offensive for a change since they had been doing nothing but struggling to keep up ever since this entire situation had began.

So far no one outside the circle of the seven and their loved ones had mentioned the name of Guy Royal and Stuart James but Mary was right, they had the money to do this, not to mention they had the most to gain with the destruction of Four Corners. Suffice to say, proving it was going to be difficult but there was more than one way to skin a cat and Ezra knew for a fact that Chris had every intention of seeking out all those methods.

The thundering of several riders, Ezra had not been able to see how many exactly were on approach to town but was able to count rough a dozen. He could not see torches in their hands and wondered what misdeeds the intended on committing on this particular night. The pounding of hoof beats against the dirt ground managed to rise above the sound of the wind and Ezra raised his rifle and prepared to shoot the moment they had entered town limits. Chris wanted no quarter given and although their illustrious leader had not liked the idea of picking the mercenaries off like this, they had shed first blood and any mercenary killed now, would be one less when the final attack came. Ezra saw Josiah who was nearest in sight to him, nod once in his direction and poised to take aim.

They appeared at the end of the street and made rapid progress down the length of road taken by most incoming travelers into Four Corners. Ezra raised his hand as he watched their approach, having been instructed by Chris to give the signal to fire once they were in optimum firing range. The others were watching him closely and Ezra waited until the mercenaries were close enough to be prevented from turning back and fleeing when he dropped his hand.

Gunshots exploded loudly, deafening the sounds of wind and scaring it away to some far away place where no one noticed it as pandemonium descended in the group below. Bodies immediately felt to the ground and riderless horses bolted up the street. Chris had listened closely to their recollections the night before and noted when the mercenaries had divided in the smaller groups and had decided when planning his defense of the town, that it would be best if they were taken down before that could happen.

Angry cries of indignant outrage was heard as bullets were sent back at them although as suspected, the intruders had difficulty spotting the lawmen from their hiding places. Ezra paused to reload and noted that several more had dropped to the ground and lay in the dirt unmoving. The number had been significantly curtailed as a few attempted to withdraw and discovered just how potently they had been ensnared in the trap that had been planned for them. Ezra flinched instinctively as a bullet impacted on the wooden edge near him, sending splinters flying in his direction but not enough to hurt him. Josiah had reloaded and was firing furiously into the thickest part of the remaining mercenaries and Ezra raised his gun to his fire to the gun battle at the same time another mercenary fell of his mount to his death.

The ground was littered with corpses now and the remaining riders were having trouble coordinating as their horses stumbled about, trying to avoid stepping on the bodies as most disciplined horses were trained to do so, hampering their attempts to retreat. Ezra fired, killing two men with shots to the chest because anything more fatal that than required far too much precision and they all disliked having to fight like this. Even Ezra was of the belief that a man had the right to see the face of his attackers and felt somewhat uncomfortable about killing the mercenaries in this manner even though they had all richly deserved it. Still, if Chris Larabee sanctioned such a plan than the situation must indeed warrant it for Chris had very strict rules to how he faced an enemy as well and for the gunslinger to abandon those guidelines even by the slightest degree, indicated how grave their predicament was.

Only two men remained on their horses now, the rest of their companions were nothing more than corpses covering the ground before them. The fear in their eyes even from the top of the roof was present and Ezra recalled Chris' other instruction and decided that it was time to implement those orders. Raising his arm long enough for the others to see him but not so that he got himself shot, Ezra gave the order to cease-fire. Immediately the lawmen stopped firing although their guns were still trained on the mercenaries should any of them attempt to leave.

"We have men positioned in several key areas around you Sir," Ezra called out to the remaining mercenaries. "Either you drop you firearms where we can see them or you will end up the same way your friends on the ground before you."He saw them debate their situation, their faces dark with anger at the death of their companions but they were still in control of their reason to know that they still were in hair's breadth of dying should they chose to ignore the advice given.

"How do we know you honour your promise not to shoot us down once we are unarmed?" One of them cried out.

"You do not." Ezra replied automatically. "However, if we wish to kill you we would have done so already. It really makes no difference to us whether you are armed or not. Do it our way and you may have a chance of leaving this town alive."

They pondered their options for a few seconds before coming to the realization that they had little choice but to surrender. After another a few seconds of heated debate, the mercenaries threw their guns to the ground and glared upwards, unable to see where the demands had come, only knowing that it had been delivered from one of the many dark roofs surrounding them.

"They're all yours Buck!" Ezra called out, knowing that Buck Wilmington was listening very closely as planned. By now, J.D. would be on the ground, offering Buck cover while he, Josiah and Nathan remained just a little longer to ensure that the mercenaries did not try anything foolish. Ezra had not expected the plan to be executed so flawlessly and hoped that the second act progressed as smoothly.

Buck Wilmington saw J.D. appear at the doorway of the building he had been assigned to and made his move at that point. Stepping out into the whistling wind, he noticed J.D. remained out of sight as he approached the men on horseback, with both guns pointed at them as he searched the ground for their discarded weapons. They glared at him with black hatred and Buck knew that both were itching to make a run for it.

"I would not advise it." Buck said as if being able to read their minds. "You've got a better chance of getting out of here alive then you do if you try to run because I will shoot you dead and if I don't, my friend behind you will and not to mention the guns aimed at you from the roof life. I reckon you wouldn't make it down half the street before you end up like these poor souls here." Buck glanced at the bodies littered across the street, bodies riddle with the fatal wounds of numerous bullets.

"What do you want?" One of them asked as he picked up their guns after finding them and tucking both weapons in his belt.

"Get off your horse." Buck ordered and watched them reluctantly dismount their mounts. Only one of the mercenaries was Mexican, the other was clearly American although it was hard to tell because the sandstorm had them both covered in dust. It hardly mattered Buck supposed as J.D. stepped out of the shadows, guns aimed at their direction as Buck gestured to them to get moving.

"What do you want with us?" The Mexican who was clearly the dominant one of the two asked.

"Nothing that you need concern yourself with until we get there." Buck replied, allowing them to pass by him and took position behind them, prepared to shoot at the slightest deviation from the path he intended them to take. "To the saloon over there." He ordered, directing them towards the Standish Tavern.

Chris Larabee waited until Ezra, Josiah and Nathan to arrive before he faced the mercenaries once again. With Buck and J.D. standing next to him, hands ever present on their guns while Chris held court like he was king facing two condemned men, they sat before him across the table, fear visible in their eyes as they faced the gunslinger. Chris did not make it any easier for them, staring at them hard with eyes of cold hatred, intimidating even though he was injured.

As expected, any questions that Buck and J.D. had asked about the camp and their plans had been met with indifference. Chris had expected as much. If these men were anything like the outlaw rabble they were accustomed to dealing with, they might have stood a chance of getting some answers. Unfortunately, being mercenaries, loyal to only one man in charge, made betrayal almost impossibility. In any case, that was not why they were here.

"You're not very tough are you, when you're expected?" Chris asked coolly, breaking the silence in the room finally.

"We got nothing to say to you." The Mexican was covered in stubble and dirt and was no more than thirty years old. The edge in his eyes told Chris he killed well and rarely without good reason. Chris could almost guess his life story just by the way he carried himself. Ex-soldier unable to think of being anything else and scrambling for what there was in the wake of past glories.

"I wasn't interested in hearing you speak." Chris drawled indifferently, doing it better than either of the two men before him. "You're alive because I need messengers and you're it."

"What sort of message?" The Caucasian of the two asked. He was just like any of the would be gunslingers or outlaws that Chris might find at Purgatory any day of the week. While the Mexican might ride out of loyalty to the man he had seen in the camp yesterday, this person rode strictly for the money.

"Well my friends kind liked the idea of just sending back your hides on your horses but I talked them out of that because it'd be messy and we ain't got the bother for it." Chris said with a faint smile, his eyes sparkling with menace as he regarded the rest of the lawmen. "I want you to go back to Quint, I think that's her name, isn't it?"

He saw them both exchanged the barest hint of a glance and knew that it was and that they knew perfectly well whom he was referring to. "I see you know her."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The Mexican declared, staring furiously at his companion to say nothing further.

"Listen up," Chris leaned closer to them so there would be no mistaking their position. "You're alive because I need a message taken back to her. You cause any more trouble than you're worth and you'll die right here." He knew the ex-soldier would not break but his friend would. The man was poised on the edge of spilling his guts although he would likely be killed by his own gang if he did.

"Her name is Quint!" The Caucasian declared frightened.

"Shut up McMahon!" The Mexican barked angrily, almost lunging from his seat at his companion when Buck cocked a gun in his direction and forced into his seat.

"I didn't sign on to be killed Rodriguez!" McMahon retorted in his defense. "Look her name is Quint and she's the one who hired Diaz!"

"Diaz?" Chris knew the name. "The same Diaz that used to fight with Santa Ana? That Diaz?"

"SHUT UP!" Rodriguez swore furiously at McMahon and more or less answered that question for Chris.

"You heard of him Chris?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, only by reputation from my army days." The gunslinger replied. "Used to be one of the better commanders during the Mexican War. Long way for a war hero to fall."

"That's none of your business!" Rodriguez snapped, prepared to kill McMahon for revealing Diaz's name in all this.

"Settle down," Chris said coolly, finding only passing interest in the identity of the man he had seen by Quint's side but little more. In the scheme of things, it did not change anything that he knew whose little army Selena Quint had hired because Four Corners would still have to fight them all. "We're letting you go back to your precious Diaz," Chris continued, "only because I want you tell that rabid bitch that we are far from done. This blockade can only last so long before people start asking questions. Now we got enough food and water to wait you people out so if Quint thinks she's going to scare us with these raids, she is in for one hell of a shock. Tell her if she wants to play with boys, then she had better learn to stop handling her guns like a little girl because this here is men's work."

There was a low whistle as Chris made the statement. He guessed it might have come from Buck and had to admit it was a pretty incendiary statement.

"If I were the lady," Ezra said with a smug smile. "I would take great exception to that remark."

"Good," Chris replied with no humour in his voice. "Let's see if that don't tip her hand a little."

"I just hope we don't tip it too far." Nathan retorted. "We're liable to regret it."

"No," Chris shook his head full of confidence. "No she will."

TO BE CONTINUED