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Wizards, Whiskey and Wonderful Things - Concluded
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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2813635" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter 89, “All Together Again”, Saturday, March 18th , 1882, 2:00 P.M. </strong> </p><p></p><p>Minerva turns to the others and announces, "There really doesn't seem to be a good place to hide. The closest would be that small rocky hill over there." she says pointing into the distance. It's around a seventy-foot elevation and a few hundred feet wide. It's only about a quarter mile diagonal from here. and it would provide some cover from the road but we would have to keep the herd close together on the other side to keep them from being seen from all parts of the road. I'm not sure if we are capable of that, but perhaps we could leave the animals here as a distraction and we could hide there. What do you think?" </p><p></p><p>Chester states, "Sounds like a defensible position, Miss Florencia, er Minerva. We can't control the cows well enough to hide them as well, so leave them in the open. They won't go far. A couple of us can climb the hill to spot the other groups before they find us." </p><p></p><p>Minerva states, “Maska should be returning with more information soon. We must have faith that help will arrive but in the mean time it is not wise to depend too much on the charity of gods. Let us ride over to those rocks and see how defendable they really are." Expecting Chester to follow, Minerva turns her mount and heads for the hills. Katherine looked back at Jeff and laughed. "Your troops are getting disorganized again." </p><p></p><p>Minerva, Chester and Jeff check out the hill. The western side has a low incline so getting up would not be a burden. The back side of the hill has a wide "V" shape to it, so it looks like it would be more possible to hide the herd than originally thought, although time was running out to do so before visitors arrived. Chester manages to find several large boulders on the top of the hill that would provide reasonable cover to fire rifles from. </p><p></p><p>Minerva states, "Well I suppose this is the best we can do." Minerva say's peering down at the road from their position in the rocks. “Senor Chester, you were a professional soldier, were you not? What do you think? Can we adequately defend ourselves from here?" She then turns to Jeff "Do you think we have enough time to get the cattle and horses up here and hidden in that V? It took us a very long time to get them from the ranch to this point. I would rather leave them in the road than give ourselves away before we are ready." </p><p></p><p>Jeff says, "I don't know. We have no idea who these people coming are. We won't be able to get them moved before the first group gets here but we might for the second group." Minerva considers Jeff's response. "Well, if we can't move the herd in time than we should just leave them where they are and get ourselves into position up here. As Senor Chester has pointed out, they aren't going anywhere and I'm not inclined to get caught with my pants down." she says, raising her eyebrows and grinning widely at Chester. </p><p></p><p>She says, "If we find that it's the cowboy gang coming back this way then perhaps we can trigger a stampede." Let's go back down and discuss this with the others. I have a feeling that there's more than a storm brewing here and we're running out of time." </p><p></p><p>The others were not gone very long before they were heading back to where Kate, Nanuet and Flint had stayed with the herd. Between the three who had gone to the hill the terrain and ideas were quickly summed up. She says, "Maska will be back soon and able to let us know if Jake and Ruby are in either group. Couldn't we start moving the cattle toward the hill? If they aren't with the first group we can abandon them and hide when Maska tells us. If they are in the first group, we'd have time to hide them. Don't mistake me, I'm not willing to risk our lives for these cows. If you all think it's best we abandon them now, that's what we'll do." Chester is the first back and caught the tail end of her comment. He says, “"If we move them toward the hill and don't get them hidden, the herd will make it easier to find us." </p><p></p><p>A short distance east, Ruby kept her horse in the back, trying to stay away from Tricia. Ruby wasn't actually worried about her, or about Jake. She just more ticked that Jake had disagreed with her in front of everyone. Why it bothered her so much, she wasn't sure. </p><p></p><p>She watched Jake ride up front, so confident and sure of himself, talking with Emery, no doubt trying to win him over. She knew she wouldn't stay mad at him, as much as she wanted to. He just had an easygoing way about him, one that made you want to be his friend and, more importantly, trust him. And Jake did stand by his friends, that was for sure. She had been confused about what to do, but getting Nanuet and Chester back was the only real goal and they had accomplished that. Hopefully soon they would be finished with this little excursion. She had one errand to do this day and she wanted it over with. </p><p></p><p>She looked back up at Jake, he was smiling and chatting with anyone who would listen. A little shiver ran though her as she watched him and she smiled to herself before looking off into the distance as they rode on. </p><p></p><p>Less than two miles away, Maska came loping up behind the group who had left the road to examine the hill. Nanuet smiled to see her safely return. He concentrated on her thoughts. She had definitely recognized people in the closer group. Jake and Ruby were with them for sure. He says, "Well, we have time if we want to move the cattle. Jake and Ruby are approaching with that first group. If you ask me I say we stay on the road and keep moving. Moving the cattle off the road is only going to delay us and if we need it we have some allies coming should the second group prove hostile." </p><p></p><p>Chester states, "That sounds good. The people from the ranch should help better the odds if the other group is from the cowboys." Minerva says, " I am hesitant to keep moving down the road. Luna did not see any real cover farther ahead." Minerva says thoughtfully. "She said that Jake and Ruby are bringing seven people with them to help. If there are seven riders in the second group that will be fourteen against seven in our favor if they do prove to be hostile but I still do not want to risk our lives by being caught in the open." </p><p></p><p>The priestess taps her finger on her lips "Assuming that they are bringing experienced cowboys with them and assuming that the second group is still two or three miles behind them, then we may have time to move these cows but it is cutting it very close. I agree with Chester. We don't want to move them half way and not be able to finish the job. We could wait until help arrives. They should be here very soon since they were only a couple of miles out when Luna spotted them. If they don't think they can move them in time than we leave the herd here and head for the rocks. What do you think?" </p><p></p><p>Kate states, "It sounds fine to me. We'd probably still be standing here in the road discussing it when they get here anyway," she laughed. "And I could use a break." Nanuet exclaims, "OK, so that's settled. We make our stand here, and hope that the second group is friendly. Jake, Ruby and the others should be here soon, we can take a break like Katherine suggested until they get here." </p><p></p><p>Nanuet dismounts and grabs a water skin. He drinks deeply then pours a bit on his head to help cool him off. He offers some to Maska as well. After his drink and feeling a bit refreshed Nanuet makes his way over to Minerva who is sitting on the side of the road resting. "I didn't get a chance to say thanks. I hardly know you, I mean you have only been in town for about a week, and here you are risking your life to help rescue me and Chester. I, uh, I really appreciate that. I just hope you know what you are getting yourself into." </p><p></p><p>Nanuet smiles as he speaks but his posture is slightly awkward and a bit uncomfortable and he avoids eye contact with Minerva. Minerva gives Nanuet an easy smile.” I must trust that the goddess knows where she leads me but it does seem odd, does it not, that our lives should have become intertwined so quickly? I do not usually run off risking life and limb so readily but I could not risk losing such a fine dancing partner.” She teases. </p><p></p><p>Nanuet laughs heartily. The teasing note suddenly leaves her voice as she looks into his eyes. "I know that we did not get off to a very good start, Senor, but I feel that we are somehow connected, and I could not stand idle, knowing that you were in danger." She glances over at Luna, her head tucked under her wing, asleep on Maska's back. "They share a special bond also. We are no more an unlikely pair than those two." </p><p></p><p>He says, "Yes, I still feel bad about that initial meeting of ours. I was just in a bad mood, and I am glad to see that we have moved past that. Possibly the connection has something to do with our spirituality and love for the outdoors and animals. I am sure we could find many interesting things to talk about." They hear Jeff announcing the distant arrival of Jake and Ruby. </p><p></p><p>"Looks like break time is over Senorita" Minerva gives him a crooked smile as he helps her up off the ground. "We will make a deal then. she says. When we return to town we will take the time to become better acquainted. "I would love to hear how you and Maska came to be." She holds out her hand to Nanuet. He smiles and takes her hand. "Deal", he says as they shake on it. A mile away the nine riders now come into view. While they are still a distance off to make out specific people the light reflecting off of Ruby's flowing hair is unmistakable. </p><p></p><p>Ahead, Jake notices that his and Ruby's horses are getting tired and in hindsight he thinks that they should have probably left them at the Shaw ranch and borrowed fresh ones instead. He figures they must be close and that assumption is then confirmed when they round a bend in the road and see the group of animals and riders a mile ahead. </p><p></p><p>Nanuet states, "Well, Miss Kate, doesn't look like our break will be lengthy, there they are now." Nanuet points towards the approaching riders, specifically at Ruby. "No way of hiding that head of locks is there?" Kate replies, "Indeed there is not. I'm glad they're back, I'll feel a lot more comfortable with a few more people around us. I just hope that other group coming has nothing to do with us and we can get home today." </p><p></p><p>As they get closer Jake waves and hails his companions. When they are all together he introduces the Shaw's and their ranch hands all around. He leaves Katherine to speak with Emery Shaw, and attends to his and Ruby's horses. "I think we pushed our horses a bit too much in the last day." Jake says to Nanuet, "Can you give me a hand picking out two horses from these others and moving the saddles over?" </p><p></p><p>Kate says, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Shaw. Mr. Cook and Miss West have told me such nice things about you, which must be true, seeing you're here to help us out. Once we reach your ranch, we'll have to go through these cattle and see if any of them belong to you. We've been keeping our eyes open, and there is another group of riders coming down the road, perhaps two miles behind you. That hill over there has a surprising amount of room behind it, enough to hide the herd. Is there any chance we could get them there before the riders pass? If they're not friendly I don't fancy being in a firefight in the middle of a herd of cattle." </p><p></p><p>Shaw is in the middle of listening to Kate when he stops abruptly as he notices Jeff Mills. He points and Jeff and exclaims, "What is HE doing here and why is he armed? You allow this Sucesh Bastard to carry guns and fire at Americans?" </p><p></p><p>Ruby hears Shaw's outburst and walks over to him, placing her hand on his arm. "What's the problem, Mr. Shaw?" He exclaims, "The problem is that you've given a gun to this stinking traitor. I'd sooner stand alongside the Cowboy Gang than the likes of him." Ruby raises her eyebrows, "What do you mean, a traitor? I don't understand.." Ruby's voice trails off as she looks at Jeff. Chester says, "Jeff can't be a Reb. He's not much older than I am." </p><p></p><p>Jeff walks right up to Shaw’s horse and says to the man, "Sir, I work for Mr. Cook. The Cowboy Gang kidnapped two of my coworkers and he asked me to help rescue them. When an employer asks for help it is the obligation of his employees to assist, especially for a noble cause. I didn't fire any weapons back at the ranch, all I did was help to free my coworkers from the building. I'm not planning to shoot at anybody now, I won't give the Army an excuse to sting me up. I only brought this old pistol for self-defense, but you can take it if that will make you feel better." </p><p></p><p>Ruby cuts Jeff off, "What is he talking about Jeff? You have been nothing but helpful and loyal to us. What does he mean traitor?" Ruby scans around for Jake. "Jake! Get over here please!" she calls out. Kate states, "Mr. Shaw, I don't understand. Jeff can't be more than a few years older than me, and I was only a little girl during the war. He could not have been...." She looked over at Jeff, waiting for Shaw to take his weapon. "Why would the Army want to hang you?" </p><p></p><p>Shaw looks at Kate and says, "So, he hasn't told you? Mills served under Sherod Hunter, the Reb Officer that fought the Union Army right here in southeastern Arizona. Sherod Hunter refused to accept that the war was over back in '65 and hopped the border to Mexico to regroup. Still is as far as anybody knows, and Mills here is a key part of Hunter's New Confederacy. Isn't that true Mills?" Jeff just stands there and does not answer either Kate or Shaw's questions. </p><p></p><p>Chester listens as Shaw explains who Mills is connected to. He states, "I haven't seen him do anything untrustworthy. He helped rescue me and Nanuet. That's all I need to know. We can talk about this later. Right now we have to set up an ambush." </p><p></p><p>Kate's eyes focused on Jeff for a minute, trying to understand how he could have served under this Hunter in the past or the present, and why he wouldn't explain. Finally she pulled her eye away and looked at the rancher. "Mr. Shaw, I can't say I understand any of this, but I do know there is another group of riders coming down that road toward us. Mr. Mills is here now and that can't be changed. Perhaps we can delay this discussion until after the danger is past?" </p><p></p><p>Shaw says "Fine, give me that gun Mills." Jeff hands it over without hesitation. Shaw then turns back to Kate and says, "What were you saying earlier?" Kate waited until Jake arrived to answer, although she was fairly certain he'd been close enough to hear at least the last moments of the conversation with Shaw. "There are riders coming up the road, but we don't know if they're friendly. They were a couple miles behind you when you arrived, they are probably closer now. That hill over there has more room behind it than it appears to. We could hide the herd there if there's time. I don't think a firefight in the middle of all these cattle is a good idea." </p><p></p><p>Shaw says, "A couple of miles? Not sure if there would be time to move the herd even if we wanted to. How do you know they were following us?" Jake finishes moving the saddle onto another horse and comes back to Shaw and Katherine to see what was all the commotion. He arrives just as Shaw ask Katherine how she knows about someone follow them. "Someone is following us?" </p><p></p><p>"She didn't say someone was following us," Ruby butted in, "She said there were riders on the road behind us. Which doesn't mean they weren't following us. It could be someone from, uh, Promise City. Maybe we should just get off the road already. Are we prepared for another fight, if that is what is coming?" </p><p></p><p>"Why would we get off the road?" Jake asks. Ruby states, “All I'm saying is we aren't going to stand in the middle of the road to fight them, if it is them, are we?" Ruby rolls her eyes. "Let's at least make a plan..." Her voice trails off. "Ok fine, forget it." Ruby walks back to her horse, grabs her rifle and waits. He replies, "No, you are right as usual, we need a plan. But this time we can spend our time working on the plan instead of deciding to do something or not." Jake walks over to Ruby and whispers in her ear. </p><p></p><p>Jake comments, "The only riders we should be worried about would be the Cowboy gang. Do we know how many riders are coming up the road? If they are not the Cowboy gang we have nothing to worry about, and if they are we should finish what we started. What do you say Mr. Shaw?" The rancher replies, "I didn't come this far to hide from the Cowboy Gang. Let's load up." </p><p></p><p>Kate pulled out Tom's pistol and replaced the bullets she had used at the farmhouse. "I thought that's how you'd feel about it, I was more worried about the gunfire scaring the cattle and causing a stampede. But I suppose it took dynamite to really get them worked up earlier." Ruby pulls out the rifle she picked up at the farmhouse while she whispers back to Jake. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Ranch hands Tim Kiplin and Jeff Hummel ride up to Emery Shaw. Tim says, "Three of these cows have the Lazy-S brand on them." Shaw says loud enough for the others present from his ranch to hear "Well, if there was ever any doubt before that settles it. They took our cows, this is our fight, and they started it. Rifles ready folks." </p><p></p><p>He turns to his daughter and says, "Tricia, you ride over behind Mr. Martin there. He may not look it based on how he is dressed now, but he has Army training behind him that you don't have. Do as he tells you to." </p><p></p><p>Chester comments, "Nice to see you again, Miss Shaw. Too bad it isn't at a better time. Sorry about my state of dress, but the cowboys took my clothes." He spits at the ground. "Don't leave my side and everything should be OK." Chester speaks up. "There's a hill over yonder. We should take advantage of it. We'll have some cover. If we can't get the cows behind the hill before the other riders get here, then we'll have to leave them here. We don't know who's coming this way. Don't shoot unless you're sure it's the cowboys." </p><p></p><p>Shaw's mention of the rifles reminded Kate of the shotgun she'd picked up at the farmhouse. She rode over to the stallion and pulled the shotgun out. The men at the farmhouse hadn't had much opportunity for shooting, so hopefully it had a couple shots in it. </p><p></p><p>Ruby wriggles out of her jacket. "That's better," she says moving around. It was easier to move with the jacket off. She puts her dagger in her boot and her pistol on her gunbelt for easier access. </p><p>Ruby and Jake walk back over to the group. Ruby looks to Shaw, "If it IS the Cowboys, be ready for uh, untraditional means of fighting." </p><p></p><p>Shaw, his two children, and four ranch hands each load a dozen cartridges into the magazine of the identical bolt-action repeater rifles that they brought. Jake has never seen this particular long-barreled rifle before. Shaw notices his interest and says, "It's the Swiss Vetterli 1881 Model, the best long-barreled rifle ever made. The Swiss Army now uses them for border protection. It shoots accurately for almost a mile." </p><p></p><p>Jake gives a low whistle. "Very impressive. How far would you say that hilltop is from the closest point on the road?" Jake scratches his beard. Shaw estimates just over a half mile. "On the other hand though, perhaps one of the ladies fell off her horse when a rattler made it rear up. She could be resting off the road on a blanket and that would give us a reason for stopping the cattle drive here in the middle of the road." </p><p></p><p>Minerva calls Luna and places an image of Ringo in her mind and communicates "Fly to the approaching group and tell me if he is with them. Try and stay out of sight." Luna flies off. </p><p>She turns to Jeff and whispers in his ear. "Senor, you should be armed." and she discreetly hands him her pistol and walks away. She then calls Flint over" I am going to sit on the side of the road and act as though I am hurt. I would like you to attend to me..and be prepared to throw your sticks if I give you the word." Minerva sits forward of the cattle and places her shotgun on the ground under the fold of her skirt. </p><p></p><p>Jake examines the road up ahead eighty feet or so from the men and cattle for cactus, brush or trees that might be enough to conceal a person on either side who was skilled in hiding from sight, not finding anything closer than the hill. Kate states, "It may already be too late to get to the hill, and I don't like the idea of that group coming into sight while our backs are turned. The hill would have been nice, but I think we'd better prepare to meet them here." </p><p></p><p>Jake says, "I suspect we want them to get as close as possible before they know how many we are and who. Ruby, cover that pretty hair of yours and get lost in the cattle. I am going to stay hidden in the cattle as well so they don't recognize me." Jake takes his rifle off the horse and crouches among the milling cattle. "I didn't realize just how bad these beasts really smelled," he mumbles to himself. </p><p></p><p>"Cover my hair?" Ruby repeats, shaking her head. "Uh, my hair might not be the only recognizable thing on me," she says glancing over her shoulder at her butt. "And that I can't hide." </p><p>Jake chuckles and quietly says, "Girl, they are not going to recognize your behind from a mile away no matter how famous you are." Ruby raises another eyebrow in Jake's direction but smiles as she speaks, "You sure about that?" </p><p></p><p>Ruby goes back to her horse and gets her hat, stuffing her hair up in it as she walks over to the cattle to hide. She keeps herself in position, facing the road in the direction from which they came and the new group is approaching. She keeps her rifle readied. Kate stuffed her braid up under her hat, and put the leather vest and duster back on. The jacket, as well as sitting on the horse should disguise the roundness of her hips, and she was small enough on top that she should be able to pass for a boy unless someone looked directly at her. She laid the shotgun crosswise in front of her, keeping one hand on it. Then she moved the horse back to her original position on the side of the herd and hoped the group would just pass them by. </p><p></p><p>Nanuet prepares his rifle that Chester had retrieved from the pile back at the farmhouse. He listens to the discussions about the plan while moving to the front of the group, keeping his eyes on the road ahead looking for a cloud of dust or anything else that would show how close the approaching group was. He also tells Maska to get herself and Luna off the road and find a suitable spot to wait. </p><p></p><p>Ruby turns back to the direction of the others, "Let's just stay in our positions and wait. If it's Cowboys we take them out. Enough talking about it."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 2813635, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter 89, “All Together Again”, Saturday, March 18th , 1882, 2:00 P.M. [/B] Minerva turns to the others and announces, "There really doesn't seem to be a good place to hide. The closest would be that small rocky hill over there." she says pointing into the distance. It's around a seventy-foot elevation and a few hundred feet wide. It's only about a quarter mile diagonal from here. and it would provide some cover from the road but we would have to keep the herd close together on the other side to keep them from being seen from all parts of the road. I'm not sure if we are capable of that, but perhaps we could leave the animals here as a distraction and we could hide there. What do you think?" Chester states, "Sounds like a defensible position, Miss Florencia, er Minerva. We can't control the cows well enough to hide them as well, so leave them in the open. They won't go far. A couple of us can climb the hill to spot the other groups before they find us." Minerva states, “Maska should be returning with more information soon. We must have faith that help will arrive but in the mean time it is not wise to depend too much on the charity of gods. Let us ride over to those rocks and see how defendable they really are." Expecting Chester to follow, Minerva turns her mount and heads for the hills. Katherine looked back at Jeff and laughed. "Your troops are getting disorganized again." Minerva, Chester and Jeff check out the hill. The western side has a low incline so getting up would not be a burden. The back side of the hill has a wide "V" shape to it, so it looks like it would be more possible to hide the herd than originally thought, although time was running out to do so before visitors arrived. Chester manages to find several large boulders on the top of the hill that would provide reasonable cover to fire rifles from. Minerva states, "Well I suppose this is the best we can do." Minerva say's peering down at the road from their position in the rocks. “Senor Chester, you were a professional soldier, were you not? What do you think? Can we adequately defend ourselves from here?" She then turns to Jeff "Do you think we have enough time to get the cattle and horses up here and hidden in that V? It took us a very long time to get them from the ranch to this point. I would rather leave them in the road than give ourselves away before we are ready." Jeff says, "I don't know. We have no idea who these people coming are. We won't be able to get them moved before the first group gets here but we might for the second group." Minerva considers Jeff's response. "Well, if we can't move the herd in time than we should just leave them where they are and get ourselves into position up here. As Senor Chester has pointed out, they aren't going anywhere and I'm not inclined to get caught with my pants down." she says, raising her eyebrows and grinning widely at Chester. She says, "If we find that it's the cowboy gang coming back this way then perhaps we can trigger a stampede." Let's go back down and discuss this with the others. I have a feeling that there's more than a storm brewing here and we're running out of time." The others were not gone very long before they were heading back to where Kate, Nanuet and Flint had stayed with the herd. Between the three who had gone to the hill the terrain and ideas were quickly summed up. She says, "Maska will be back soon and able to let us know if Jake and Ruby are in either group. Couldn't we start moving the cattle toward the hill? If they aren't with the first group we can abandon them and hide when Maska tells us. If they are in the first group, we'd have time to hide them. Don't mistake me, I'm not willing to risk our lives for these cows. If you all think it's best we abandon them now, that's what we'll do." Chester is the first back and caught the tail end of her comment. He says, “"If we move them toward the hill and don't get them hidden, the herd will make it easier to find us." A short distance east, Ruby kept her horse in the back, trying to stay away from Tricia. Ruby wasn't actually worried about her, or about Jake. She just more ticked that Jake had disagreed with her in front of everyone. Why it bothered her so much, she wasn't sure. She watched Jake ride up front, so confident and sure of himself, talking with Emery, no doubt trying to win him over. She knew she wouldn't stay mad at him, as much as she wanted to. He just had an easygoing way about him, one that made you want to be his friend and, more importantly, trust him. And Jake did stand by his friends, that was for sure. She had been confused about what to do, but getting Nanuet and Chester back was the only real goal and they had accomplished that. Hopefully soon they would be finished with this little excursion. She had one errand to do this day and she wanted it over with. She looked back up at Jake, he was smiling and chatting with anyone who would listen. A little shiver ran though her as she watched him and she smiled to herself before looking off into the distance as they rode on. Less than two miles away, Maska came loping up behind the group who had left the road to examine the hill. Nanuet smiled to see her safely return. He concentrated on her thoughts. She had definitely recognized people in the closer group. Jake and Ruby were with them for sure. He says, "Well, we have time if we want to move the cattle. Jake and Ruby are approaching with that first group. If you ask me I say we stay on the road and keep moving. Moving the cattle off the road is only going to delay us and if we need it we have some allies coming should the second group prove hostile." Chester states, "That sounds good. The people from the ranch should help better the odds if the other group is from the cowboys." Minerva says, " I am hesitant to keep moving down the road. Luna did not see any real cover farther ahead." Minerva says thoughtfully. "She said that Jake and Ruby are bringing seven people with them to help. If there are seven riders in the second group that will be fourteen against seven in our favor if they do prove to be hostile but I still do not want to risk our lives by being caught in the open." The priestess taps her finger on her lips "Assuming that they are bringing experienced cowboys with them and assuming that the second group is still two or three miles behind them, then we may have time to move these cows but it is cutting it very close. I agree with Chester. We don't want to move them half way and not be able to finish the job. We could wait until help arrives. They should be here very soon since they were only a couple of miles out when Luna spotted them. If they don't think they can move them in time than we leave the herd here and head for the rocks. What do you think?" Kate states, "It sounds fine to me. We'd probably still be standing here in the road discussing it when they get here anyway," she laughed. "And I could use a break." Nanuet exclaims, "OK, so that's settled. We make our stand here, and hope that the second group is friendly. Jake, Ruby and the others should be here soon, we can take a break like Katherine suggested until they get here." Nanuet dismounts and grabs a water skin. He drinks deeply then pours a bit on his head to help cool him off. He offers some to Maska as well. After his drink and feeling a bit refreshed Nanuet makes his way over to Minerva who is sitting on the side of the road resting. "I didn't get a chance to say thanks. I hardly know you, I mean you have only been in town for about a week, and here you are risking your life to help rescue me and Chester. I, uh, I really appreciate that. I just hope you know what you are getting yourself into." Nanuet smiles as he speaks but his posture is slightly awkward and a bit uncomfortable and he avoids eye contact with Minerva. Minerva gives Nanuet an easy smile.” I must trust that the goddess knows where she leads me but it does seem odd, does it not, that our lives should have become intertwined so quickly? I do not usually run off risking life and limb so readily but I could not risk losing such a fine dancing partner.” She teases. Nanuet laughs heartily. The teasing note suddenly leaves her voice as she looks into his eyes. "I know that we did not get off to a very good start, Senor, but I feel that we are somehow connected, and I could not stand idle, knowing that you were in danger." She glances over at Luna, her head tucked under her wing, asleep on Maska's back. "They share a special bond also. We are no more an unlikely pair than those two." He says, "Yes, I still feel bad about that initial meeting of ours. I was just in a bad mood, and I am glad to see that we have moved past that. Possibly the connection has something to do with our spirituality and love for the outdoors and animals. I am sure we could find many interesting things to talk about." They hear Jeff announcing the distant arrival of Jake and Ruby. "Looks like break time is over Senorita" Minerva gives him a crooked smile as he helps her up off the ground. "We will make a deal then. she says. When we return to town we will take the time to become better acquainted. "I would love to hear how you and Maska came to be." She holds out her hand to Nanuet. He smiles and takes her hand. "Deal", he says as they shake on it. A mile away the nine riders now come into view. While they are still a distance off to make out specific people the light reflecting off of Ruby's flowing hair is unmistakable. Ahead, Jake notices that his and Ruby's horses are getting tired and in hindsight he thinks that they should have probably left them at the Shaw ranch and borrowed fresh ones instead. He figures they must be close and that assumption is then confirmed when they round a bend in the road and see the group of animals and riders a mile ahead. Nanuet states, "Well, Miss Kate, doesn't look like our break will be lengthy, there they are now." Nanuet points towards the approaching riders, specifically at Ruby. "No way of hiding that head of locks is there?" Kate replies, "Indeed there is not. I'm glad they're back, I'll feel a lot more comfortable with a few more people around us. I just hope that other group coming has nothing to do with us and we can get home today." As they get closer Jake waves and hails his companions. When they are all together he introduces the Shaw's and their ranch hands all around. He leaves Katherine to speak with Emery Shaw, and attends to his and Ruby's horses. "I think we pushed our horses a bit too much in the last day." Jake says to Nanuet, "Can you give me a hand picking out two horses from these others and moving the saddles over?" Kate says, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Shaw. Mr. Cook and Miss West have told me such nice things about you, which must be true, seeing you're here to help us out. Once we reach your ranch, we'll have to go through these cattle and see if any of them belong to you. We've been keeping our eyes open, and there is another group of riders coming down the road, perhaps two miles behind you. That hill over there has a surprising amount of room behind it, enough to hide the herd. Is there any chance we could get them there before the riders pass? If they're not friendly I don't fancy being in a firefight in the middle of a herd of cattle." Shaw is in the middle of listening to Kate when he stops abruptly as he notices Jeff Mills. He points and Jeff and exclaims, "What is HE doing here and why is he armed? You allow this Sucesh Bastard to carry guns and fire at Americans?" Ruby hears Shaw's outburst and walks over to him, placing her hand on his arm. "What's the problem, Mr. Shaw?" He exclaims, "The problem is that you've given a gun to this stinking traitor. I'd sooner stand alongside the Cowboy Gang than the likes of him." Ruby raises her eyebrows, "What do you mean, a traitor? I don't understand.." Ruby's voice trails off as she looks at Jeff. Chester says, "Jeff can't be a Reb. He's not much older than I am." Jeff walks right up to Shaw’s horse and says to the man, "Sir, I work for Mr. Cook. The Cowboy Gang kidnapped two of my coworkers and he asked me to help rescue them. When an employer asks for help it is the obligation of his employees to assist, especially for a noble cause. I didn't fire any weapons back at the ranch, all I did was help to free my coworkers from the building. I'm not planning to shoot at anybody now, I won't give the Army an excuse to sting me up. I only brought this old pistol for self-defense, but you can take it if that will make you feel better." Ruby cuts Jeff off, "What is he talking about Jeff? You have been nothing but helpful and loyal to us. What does he mean traitor?" Ruby scans around for Jake. "Jake! Get over here please!" she calls out. Kate states, "Mr. Shaw, I don't understand. Jeff can't be more than a few years older than me, and I was only a little girl during the war. He could not have been...." She looked over at Jeff, waiting for Shaw to take his weapon. "Why would the Army want to hang you?" Shaw looks at Kate and says, "So, he hasn't told you? Mills served under Sherod Hunter, the Reb Officer that fought the Union Army right here in southeastern Arizona. Sherod Hunter refused to accept that the war was over back in '65 and hopped the border to Mexico to regroup. Still is as far as anybody knows, and Mills here is a key part of Hunter's New Confederacy. Isn't that true Mills?" Jeff just stands there and does not answer either Kate or Shaw's questions. Chester listens as Shaw explains who Mills is connected to. He states, "I haven't seen him do anything untrustworthy. He helped rescue me and Nanuet. That's all I need to know. We can talk about this later. Right now we have to set up an ambush." Kate's eyes focused on Jeff for a minute, trying to understand how he could have served under this Hunter in the past or the present, and why he wouldn't explain. Finally she pulled her eye away and looked at the rancher. "Mr. Shaw, I can't say I understand any of this, but I do know there is another group of riders coming down that road toward us. Mr. Mills is here now and that can't be changed. Perhaps we can delay this discussion until after the danger is past?" Shaw says "Fine, give me that gun Mills." Jeff hands it over without hesitation. Shaw then turns back to Kate and says, "What were you saying earlier?" Kate waited until Jake arrived to answer, although she was fairly certain he'd been close enough to hear at least the last moments of the conversation with Shaw. "There are riders coming up the road, but we don't know if they're friendly. They were a couple miles behind you when you arrived, they are probably closer now. That hill over there has more room behind it than it appears to. We could hide the herd there if there's time. I don't think a firefight in the middle of all these cattle is a good idea." Shaw says, "A couple of miles? Not sure if there would be time to move the herd even if we wanted to. How do you know they were following us?" Jake finishes moving the saddle onto another horse and comes back to Shaw and Katherine to see what was all the commotion. He arrives just as Shaw ask Katherine how she knows about someone follow them. "Someone is following us?" "She didn't say someone was following us," Ruby butted in, "She said there were riders on the road behind us. Which doesn't mean they weren't following us. It could be someone from, uh, Promise City. Maybe we should just get off the road already. Are we prepared for another fight, if that is what is coming?" "Why would we get off the road?" Jake asks. Ruby states, “All I'm saying is we aren't going to stand in the middle of the road to fight them, if it is them, are we?" Ruby rolls her eyes. "Let's at least make a plan..." Her voice trails off. "Ok fine, forget it." Ruby walks back to her horse, grabs her rifle and waits. He replies, "No, you are right as usual, we need a plan. But this time we can spend our time working on the plan instead of deciding to do something or not." Jake walks over to Ruby and whispers in her ear. Jake comments, "The only riders we should be worried about would be the Cowboy gang. Do we know how many riders are coming up the road? If they are not the Cowboy gang we have nothing to worry about, and if they are we should finish what we started. What do you say Mr. Shaw?" The rancher replies, "I didn't come this far to hide from the Cowboy Gang. Let's load up." Kate pulled out Tom's pistol and replaced the bullets she had used at the farmhouse. "I thought that's how you'd feel about it, I was more worried about the gunfire scaring the cattle and causing a stampede. But I suppose it took dynamite to really get them worked up earlier." Ruby pulls out the rifle she picked up at the farmhouse while she whispers back to Jake. Ranch hands Tim Kiplin and Jeff Hummel ride up to Emery Shaw. Tim says, "Three of these cows have the Lazy-S brand on them." Shaw says loud enough for the others present from his ranch to hear "Well, if there was ever any doubt before that settles it. They took our cows, this is our fight, and they started it. Rifles ready folks." He turns to his daughter and says, "Tricia, you ride over behind Mr. Martin there. He may not look it based on how he is dressed now, but he has Army training behind him that you don't have. Do as he tells you to." Chester comments, "Nice to see you again, Miss Shaw. Too bad it isn't at a better time. Sorry about my state of dress, but the cowboys took my clothes." He spits at the ground. "Don't leave my side and everything should be OK." Chester speaks up. "There's a hill over yonder. We should take advantage of it. We'll have some cover. If we can't get the cows behind the hill before the other riders get here, then we'll have to leave them here. We don't know who's coming this way. Don't shoot unless you're sure it's the cowboys." Shaw's mention of the rifles reminded Kate of the shotgun she'd picked up at the farmhouse. She rode over to the stallion and pulled the shotgun out. The men at the farmhouse hadn't had much opportunity for shooting, so hopefully it had a couple shots in it. Ruby wriggles out of her jacket. "That's better," she says moving around. It was easier to move with the jacket off. She puts her dagger in her boot and her pistol on her gunbelt for easier access. Ruby and Jake walk back over to the group. Ruby looks to Shaw, "If it IS the Cowboys, be ready for uh, untraditional means of fighting." Shaw, his two children, and four ranch hands each load a dozen cartridges into the magazine of the identical bolt-action repeater rifles that they brought. Jake has never seen this particular long-barreled rifle before. Shaw notices his interest and says, "It's the Swiss Vetterli 1881 Model, the best long-barreled rifle ever made. The Swiss Army now uses them for border protection. It shoots accurately for almost a mile." Jake gives a low whistle. "Very impressive. How far would you say that hilltop is from the closest point on the road?" Jake scratches his beard. Shaw estimates just over a half mile. "On the other hand though, perhaps one of the ladies fell off her horse when a rattler made it rear up. She could be resting off the road on a blanket and that would give us a reason for stopping the cattle drive here in the middle of the road." Minerva calls Luna and places an image of Ringo in her mind and communicates "Fly to the approaching group and tell me if he is with them. Try and stay out of sight." Luna flies off. She turns to Jeff and whispers in his ear. "Senor, you should be armed." and she discreetly hands him her pistol and walks away. She then calls Flint over" I am going to sit on the side of the road and act as though I am hurt. I would like you to attend to me..and be prepared to throw your sticks if I give you the word." Minerva sits forward of the cattle and places her shotgun on the ground under the fold of her skirt. Jake examines the road up ahead eighty feet or so from the men and cattle for cactus, brush or trees that might be enough to conceal a person on either side who was skilled in hiding from sight, not finding anything closer than the hill. Kate states, "It may already be too late to get to the hill, and I don't like the idea of that group coming into sight while our backs are turned. The hill would have been nice, but I think we'd better prepare to meet them here." Jake says, "I suspect we want them to get as close as possible before they know how many we are and who. Ruby, cover that pretty hair of yours and get lost in the cattle. I am going to stay hidden in the cattle as well so they don't recognize me." Jake takes his rifle off the horse and crouches among the milling cattle. "I didn't realize just how bad these beasts really smelled," he mumbles to himself. "Cover my hair?" Ruby repeats, shaking her head. "Uh, my hair might not be the only recognizable thing on me," she says glancing over her shoulder at her butt. "And that I can't hide." Jake chuckles and quietly says, "Girl, they are not going to recognize your behind from a mile away no matter how famous you are." Ruby raises another eyebrow in Jake's direction but smiles as she speaks, "You sure about that?" Ruby goes back to her horse and gets her hat, stuffing her hair up in it as she walks over to the cattle to hide. She keeps herself in position, facing the road in the direction from which they came and the new group is approaching. She keeps her rifle readied. Kate stuffed her braid up under her hat, and put the leather vest and duster back on. The jacket, as well as sitting on the horse should disguise the roundness of her hips, and she was small enough on top that she should be able to pass for a boy unless someone looked directly at her. She laid the shotgun crosswise in front of her, keeping one hand on it. Then she moved the horse back to her original position on the side of the herd and hoped the group would just pass them by. Nanuet prepares his rifle that Chester had retrieved from the pile back at the farmhouse. He listens to the discussions about the plan while moving to the front of the group, keeping his eyes on the road ahead looking for a cloud of dust or anything else that would show how close the approaching group was. He also tells Maska to get herself and Luna off the road and find a suitable spot to wait. Ruby turns back to the direction of the others, "Let's just stay in our positions and wait. If it's Cowboys we take them out. Enough talking about it." [/QUOTE]
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