Just once, Vin thought, we are going to get to where we're going without anything going wrong. Even Ezra would say the odds are that it has to happen sooner or later. As the gambler's name crossed his mind, he looked down from his vantage point in the rocks to see if he could spot the man. It took him a moment, but from his angle he could catch just a glimpse of the trademark red coat behind another cluster of rocks. He shifted a few feet over and could see Ezra was tending to JD. He couldn't see how badly hurt their young comrade was, but Ezra looked calm, so he tried not to worry. Tried not to think about the fact Ezra tended to always look calm, regardless of the situation. In fact, the worse things were, the more relaxed Ezra appeared. Just one of the many contradictions that kept folks guessing about him.
Vin brought his attention back to the more pressing concern. It looked to him that only one of the group that had ambushed them was left. The others had hightailed it out of there when the trio turned out to be far more difficult target than anticipated. He could understand the miscalculation. One fancy dressed rider, a greenhorn in a bowler and a long-haired drifter did not appear to be much of a challenge for six well armed outlaws to take on. They weren't the first to learn that judging this book by its cover was a critical error. Now, one lay dead, four had bolted for freedom, and the last man was pinned down.
Their own success hadn't come without a cost though. JD had been shot scrambling for cover. Ezra had shouted over to assure Vin it wasn't serious, but he'd feel better about that when he could see for himself. And Ezra was shooting left-handed. That likely meant he'd hurt that damn shoulder of his again. Probably trying to prevent the other unfortunate result of the ambush.
All three of them had been off their horses at the time it happened. The gunfire caused the animals to bolt. Ezra, being closest, had lunged to grab the reins but was just a split second to late to get a firm enough grip. The resulting fall had likely caused the current problem with his arm, and the jolt as the reins were pulled from him wouldn't have helped. Probably didn't do his hand much good either. At least he hadn't been dragged.
Vin grew tired of waiting for the remaining attacker to make a move. "You don't think you can a get away from this do you? Your friends took your horse, and it's three against one here. Throw your gun down."
A shot ricocheted above his head as a response. In the next instant he heard another shot from below as Ezra took aim. The outlaw's body tumbled from his hiding spot.
"Nice shooting Pard." Vin stood and began his dissent. "How's JD?"
"I have no doubt he is less than comfortable, but his injury does not appear to be – watch the rock!" His warning came too late as Vin placed a foot on an unsupported outcropping. The rock slid from its position and with nothing to grab onto, Vin tumbled headfirst to the ground with alarming speed.
"Damn. Vin? Vin can you hear me?"
Ezra was at his side in an instant, immensely relieved to hear the moans and cursing.
"Stay still Mr. Tanner. You may be more severely injured than you feel at this instant."
"Given how I feel, I hope you're wrong." He reached a hand to the back of his head and winced, pulling it back quickly. It was sticky with blood. "Well, that can't be good." He looked at Ezra for confirmation before passing out.
"Ez, what happened? Is Vin okay?"
"Stay where you are Mr. Dunne. I can only handle one crisis at a time." Ezra favoured the young man with a stern glare as he passed by him to retrieve a canteen. His glare lacked the intensity of those offered on a regular basis by Chris Larabee, but while he couldn't match their leader, he did a passably decent imitation.
"He hurt bad?"
"I don't believe so. No worse than you claim to be. More shaken up than anything." I hope, he added silently.
He spent much of the next 30 minutes tending to injuries. He finished wrapping the deep graze JD had suffered. The fact the bullet had passed through was both a blessing and curse. At least he didn't have to try to dig the damned thing out, but it did leave a long open wound along the young man's side. He wrapped it as tightly as he could, hoping the pressure would be enough to stem any further blood loss. A cursory examination suggested Vin didn't appear to have done any damage beyond the head injury, which was worrisome enough. The fact the sharpshooter remained unconscious was being to cause more than a little anxiety for Ezra. Not that he had the faintest clue as to what he could do about the situation.
The only time he left his colleagues was to quickly confirm that the two outlaws who failed to flee were, in fact, both dead. He looked around the area quickly to both ensure there were no others, and to scan the horizon for any sign of the runaway horses. His instincts were telling him that the bastards who had attacked them may well have corralled the animals and taken them as consolation for the failure. Even if that wasn't the case, this area contained a myriad of canyons and crevices where the animals may have sought refuge. He looked at his wounded companions and sighed to himself, knowing he was going to have to find some transportation.
Another soft moan from Vin, immediately followed by a much louder one had him back at the sharpshooter's side.
"Lay still. You likely have, at the very least, a concussion."
"Think you're right. Either that, or there are three of you."
"Still the one and only."
"How's JD?"
"I'm fine Vin, but Ezra keeps ordering me not to move. He's bigger pain in the ass than either Nathan or Buck, and bossier than Chris."
"If you have a desire to move and reopen that wound I have taken such care to dress, please feel free to do so. However, I strictly for bid you from coming back in the afterlife to haunt me. I gave you fair warning." He winked at Vin to try to reassure him that the injury really wasn't that critical, but the sharpshooter's vision was too blurry to register it. Still, he knew Ezra wouldn't joke if it was bad, so he relaxed a bit.
"You see any sign of the horses?"
"Not yet, but I intend to resolve at least part of the problem right now." Ezra headed toward a tall grouping of boulders and began climbing.
"Careful Ezra. We can't afford to get anyone else hurt."
"I am aware of that Mr. Tanner and assure you I am taking every precaution." He decided it was best not to let on that his arm was far from fully functional at this point. He should've known better than to make the effort.
"You put your arm out again Ezra. You gotta be real careful."
"I will be fine Mr. Tanner. You worry too much."
"And you not enough." Vin rested his head back on the ground, exhausted by the simple exchange. He tried to follow Ezra's progress, but the light was far too bright. "You holler if you get into trouble."
Yes, Ezra thought, because you both are so capable of coming to my aid right now. He stood straight as he reached the goal of his climb and scanned the horizon again. A quick count told him there were at least six spots the horses could have gone for shelter. And likely more within those trails.
"You gonna try hollering for them?" JD shouted up.
"Nothing so uncouth. A gentleman does not 'holler'." His two colleagues were surprised to hear the whistling start. It took only a few notes for Vin to recognize the tune and he couldn't help but grin.
"Dixie? You trained Chaucer to come when you whistle Dixie?"
"It has been a most effective siren in the past." Ezra started to whistle again but got only a few notes out before stopping. "And once again, it remains effective." He made a note of the spot his horse had emerged from, hoping he would find the others had taken refuge there as well. By the time he cautiously climbed down, Chaucer was almost at their side.
"Don't believe it Ezra." Vin chuckled, regretting it when his head throbbed at the movement.
"That horse is better behaved than you are." JD added.
"Not necessarily. For all you know, I too might respond when the appropriate tune is performed."
Vin pictured their leader trying to summon Ezra in that fashion. "I'll be sure to mention that to Chris. I'm guessing he'll want to give it a try."
The glared response was lost on Vin. "If you two will be alright on your own for a short period, I am going to try to locate your horses."
"I should do that Ezra. No offense, but I think I'm a better tracker." Vin sat up, and immediately leaned over, emptying his stomach.
"No offense taken, and if you were capable I would gladly have you take the task. However, in light of that demonstration, I think it is best that you remain here."
"Think you may be right about that." he replied, weakly flopping back to the ground.
Ezra took several minutes making certain that both men had what they would need, especially water, before mounting Chaucer. Neither seem to be aware of the difficulty he had using his right arm or hand, and he was guiltily grateful that they were too occupied by their own misfortunes to notice.
"I shall return as quickly as possible." He got only mumbled replies, so hurried on his quest. Unfortunately, Milagro and Peso were not where he had hoped to find them, nor could he find any signs of where they might have headed. The ground was rock solid and there were no obvious trails. He could not deny that Vin had been fully accurate in his earlier comment. Ezra had many and varied skill sets, but tracking was not among them. He checked the nearest locations, but after striking out his searches he decided this was too much of a waste of time. Calling to them was his last resort and proved to be a futile waste of time and energy. Dejected, he returned to the others, hoping against all rationale that the animals had returned on their own.
The site was as he had left it, only far too quiet for his liking. He checked on JD first and found the young man sleeping fitfully. A quick look confirmed there was no new bleeding and no indication a fever starting. JD did awake in confusion at the contact, but quickly faded again after a few reassuring words.
Vin was in much the same state, but in this case, Ezra made a deliberate effort to wake him. He wasn't really sure why, since there was nothing he could do to alleviate any symptoms, but Nathan always insisted too much sleep was not recommended when a concussion was involved. Of course, Ezra thought, that could just be Nathan's own way of subtly torturing him.
Vin finally woke up enough to be able to carry on a conversation. "You have any luck?"
"Yes, all bad. Do you think you would be capable of riding?"
"I thought you said…"
"On Chaucer. You and Mr. Dunne can ride Chaucer. He is more than capable of handling your combined weight."
"You planning on growing wings to fly?"
"To my knowledge, only the angels have wings. As I do not keep company with them. I shall walk alongside."
"You can't do that all the way back home."
"It is the closest destination where we can be certain to find the medical attention you and Mr. Dunne require." Vin started to shake his head but stopped himself. "Ezra, with you walking it'll take us at least a day and a half, hell, closer to two, to get there."
"I am aware of the distance. Discussing it will not change the fact."
"You're crazy."
"You are not the first to make that observation."
"No, but I could be the last. It won't work Ezra. You ride home and get us some horses and some help."
"Or to Dawson Mills. It's closer." JD had been listening and agreed with Vin.
"Only marginally so Mr. Dunne. And there is no guarantee I will find any assistance."
"Then just go ahead home."
"I will not leave you here, injured, to fend for yourselves. There is insufficient water and neither of you would be of much impact if trouble arose."
"What kind of trouble could we get into out here?" JD shrank back at the look he got from Ezra. "Oh, yeah. Well, that couldn't happen again. I mean what are the odds?"
"In our case, easily even money. I am not leaving you. Mr. Larabee will skin me alive if further harm befalls you and that will be a veritable walk in the park when compared to the retribution Mr. Wilmington will devise."
"Ezra –"
"We are, to quote Mr. Larabee, burning daylight gentlemen. We shall be able to get a couple of hours of travel time in before it becomes too dark to travel safely. Mr. Tanner, do you believe you can remain awake in the saddle?"
He sighed, surrendering to the tenaciousness of the gambler. "Probably. I should ride behind JD so as I can lean my head on his shoulder if I need to. That OK with you kid?"
"Should work. But I can walk part of the time Ezra." JD slowly stood and would have toppled over had Ezra not leapt to grab him. He grunted softly at the stress the action put on his arm.
"Ezra?"
"I am fine Mr. Dunne. A minute twinge."
"Hurt your shoulder, didn't you?"
"Mr. Jackson has demonstrated to me how I can reset it for myself if required. I am endeavoring to avoid subjecting myself to the process."
"Going to hurt more if you let it go."
"I shall act as needed, when needed. Now, Mr. Dunne, let us get you on to Chaucer. I can give you a boost."
"You help me stay steady and I can mount from the rocks over there. We ain't gonna let you lift us Ezra."
It took close to 15 minutes to get both of them ready. Chaucer did not look pleased but remained the perfect gentleman he had been trained to be. Ezra gathered the few supplies he had then took Chaucer's reins. "All right mon ami. I know this is far from what you are used to, but I shall be forever in your debt if you ensure these gentlemen a safe and steady ride home." Chaucer nuzzled gently at his neck as Ezra gave him a final few treats he had with him. He looked over to where the two would-be thieves lay dead.
"It feels very discourteous to abandon these men, but I fail to see a viable option."
"I wouldn't worry about it Ezra. They'd have no trouble leaving us for the buzzards." JD replied.
"Yes, but we are supposed to be better than they are. I am failing to demonstrate that." He walked over to them, quickly going through their pockets. Finding nothing to aid him in identifying them, he took a long look at the faces, determined to search the wanted posters to find who they were to allow him to notify their families.
Vin smiled sadly. "No question Ezra. You are a better man than they could hope to be."
He shrugged his reply, feeling the pain radiate down his arm as he did. He was relieved that no one noticed, or at least commented. With one final look around the spot, Ezra took Chaucer's reins, indicating it was time for the trip to begin.
TBC
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