Between Raisin' Hell An' Amazin' Grace Pt. 6

Dieter Van Bueren held up a calming hand as he spied the two animals. He and his father had been on patrol around the small Dutch community. Always there were strangers and strange people coming to Reading at night. But this was the first time a pair of horses showed themselves.

Dieter's father stepped forward to study the horses. “They aren't work horses,” he mused. “They've been used for ridin'.” And then he saw the scabbards that held the rifles and shotguns. And then the satchel filled with cash. Frederick Van Bueren furrowed his brow. “Gunslingers,” he snorted.

“They gonna be comin' here, father?” Dieter inquired, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

“If they are, they'll find these horses will be in the stables,” the elder Van Bueren replied. “They can take the horses, but they'll be told ta leave as soon as possible.” Frederick looked to the sky. Already the moon was rising, a brilliant full moon it was. “Come on. Best get back into town. It's close to the witching hour, and that's a hunter's moon.” Dieter nodded as he gently took the reigns of the horses, leading them back into the safe confines of the town.

*****

Pania struggled against the wind, eyes narrowed and hands held high to protect herself from the coming storm. She was positive this was a dream, but it felt so real, however, it was a matter of waking up. Which currently was extremely difficult. The faces that appeared before her were ghastly apparitions and she wondered if this might not be some warning of the days to come. She only received such images when closely tied to the weave, and never before on Earth. Something was extremely wrong, because she knew that just a few hours earlier she and Shani had bunked down along a trail that was not that far from a little town called Reading, Pennsylvania, just east of Harrisburg.

So what was this all about?

She never received an answer as she was quickly shaken awake. The elven gunslinger that had promised to help her was by her side.

“Wake up!” She was screaming and shaking the smaller elf's shoulders. Pania opened her eyes and started to wipe the cobwebs away as Shani let go of her shoulders. “Dangit! Take ya ferever ta wake up! We gots problems.”

“Huh?” Pania grunted, having only just woken up, that early form of verbal communication having slightly eluded her, even with Shani using large words like we and got. “Wha...?”

“Horses 're gone,” Shani informed her motioning with one arm to the very empty looking campsite as she moved over to her small pile of possessions. “Saddles, ev'rythin'. Only the stuff I had with me, an' the stuff you had with ya 're still here.” The lithe elf was more than just a bit pissed. She snorted as she picked up her belongings. “They even split with the satchel filled with alla the money from thet job in Harrisburg.”

“They? Wai', who, they?” Pania asked as she started to realize how dire the situation was.

“Hadda be more 'n one,” Shani seemed to hiss. “Gathered the stuff up, took the horses an' split.” She looked up to study the stars through a break in the canopy of the trees. “An' I figger it's gittin' on midnight. We ain't far from Readin', maybe we kin catch a break, see if they may 'ave found the horses.”

Pania sluggishly gathered her things together, still trying to piece together all the information she had received. It would be a long walk. “We're may'aps twenty miles from Readin'. Maybe get there by mid day.”

“I figger so,” Shani replied. “But we ain't gonna git anywheres sittin' here jawin' 'bout it. C'mon. Let's make tracks.” Shani started her trek along the path, as Pania quickly followed, even as difficult as it might have been for her. She had finally finished taking stock of her supplies but still seemed a bit groggy. They each had their guns, clothes, bedrolls, some cash and a few rations. Pania still had her rapier and a few personal items. Enough to get them to Reading. It would still be a long trip. As they walked, the silence of the night seemed to envelope the area. Fortunately for the elves, their eyes were good in the dark. But there were those who had even better vision.

A small rustle of leaves was the only sound as a lone figure stepped out of the shadows where Shani and Pania had been sleeping. His face contorted into a sick and twisted grin as he watched the pair, now some distance down the path. “That's right, my little jewels. Walk, get the blood pumping. It's so much better when the rush of adrenaline has been flowing through the veins. It makes the taste, so much sweeter.” He laughed quietly, a sickening sound and fell back into the shadows that enveloped the forest.

The end... for now