We hurry through the underbrush, our footsteps falling urgently on the ground. As we near the clearing, the smoke in the air becomes thicker. Then we finally reach it, and the sight before us makes my heart drop into my stomach. I hear Nicole's sharp intake of breath as we witness her beautiful home completely engulfed in flames. Jack is about to run into the clearing when Nicole commands him to stay, which he obeys by stopping and staying within the treeline.
When we near the edge of the trees, Nicole indicates that we should crouch down. Then she slowly moves closer to the edge of the clearing in order to survey the situation. I quickly follow suit.
From our vantage point we spot a triumphant Bobo del Rey on his horse in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by ten of his goons. Three of them hold Mercedes, Rosita and Beth at knifepoint. Four others hold torches, they are obviously the culprits who had ignited the fire.
"That bastard! Look at what he has done to your house!" I exclaim in a hushed tone.
I watch as a myriad of emotions cross Nicole's face in quick succession. Shock, disbelief, sadness, anger. Then she becomes completely calm, to my confusion. I watch as she releases a slow breath, and the tension in her shoulders fade. She looks at me then back at the house. "It's just a house, Waves." She says softly.
I am about to protest that her house was meaningful and special and that we had to go out there and confront Bobo for his crime, when the monster speaks. "Come out Sparrow. I know you are out there. Come out or else I will kill your two little friends." Bobo says menacingly as he trots up and down in front of the house, surveying the woods surrounding the clearing. Luckily, we are well hidden by the sea of green and brown.
Next to me I can feel the tension radiating from Nicole. I watch her jaw tighten as she observes the two men holding Beth and Mercedes captive. I know exactly what she is thinking, so I place my hand on her shoulder. "You can't just rush in there. That is exactly what he wants. We need a plan." I feel Nicole relax ever so slightly. "Yeah, you are right Waves."
The sound of a twig breaking to our left startles us. In a split second, Nicole draws her bow and aims an arrow at the source of the sound.
"Ladies, relax. It is just me." The sultry voice replies, causing both Nicole and I to release extreme sighs of relief. Kate lowers her hands that she had lifted in surrender as Nicole lowers her bow.
"Kate! What the hell happened here?" I ask Kate, my voice full of dismay and desperation for answers.
"I was out in the latrine when I heard the horses coming. I sneaked a peak through the hole in the latrine door and saw it was Bobo and his men. I quickly ducked into the woods, before they could spot me. I immediately took the horse and wagon, which we had tied up behind the house, into the woods and tied her up a mile from here to ensure we had a means of escape." I nod encouragingly at her quick thinking.
"When I returned, I watched Bobo's men exit your house with Mercedes, Rosita and Beth. Then…then I watched them set light to your house." Kate looks at Nicole with regret and apology in her dark eyes.
"Nicole, I am so sorry. I didn't know what to do." Nicole's fists tighten for a moment, then her hands relaxes as she looks back at Kate. "It's okay. There are too many of them, you would not have been able to do anything besides get yourself captured as well. I am just glad that you are okay."
Kate gives Nicole a small nod in acknowledgement, gauging the other woman's reaction before speaking in a cautious tone. "Nicole, there's something else you need to know. I saw Beth leave the clearing just after you and Waverly left. Soon after she returned, Bobo and his men showed up." Kate informs us, causing Nicole to frown.
"You think Beth sold me out?" She asks Kate, who nods slowly in confirmation.
"When we were captured by him, Bobo said that he would release us and pay us the money from the wanted posters if we could lead him to the Sparrow. Of course, we had no idea who you were or where to find you at the time. But then you saved us and led us to your home. Beth has always talked about becoming rich so she could get their life back after Mercedes had been thrown out of the castle and their brother was arrested for sexually assaulting a woman. That's why I think Beth might have sold you out for the money Bobo promised."
I release a growl. "I'll kill her!" I say angrily, causing both Kate and Nicole to look at me with wide eyes. I start unsheathing my dagger, but my action is stopped by a gentle hand covering mine. I look up into concerned brown eyes.
"Waves, Beth was acting out of desperation. I do not resent or blame her. I am sure that she already regrets her actions, seeing that Bobo had betrayed her as soon as he found my house." Nicole says in a gentle voice. I am baffled at her ability to be so forgiving when Beth had resulted in her house being set on fire. The more I learn about the Nicole, the more she manages to surprise me. With a heart and character like that, they should be writing stories about heroes like her, not stupid Prince Charmings.
I relax my grip on the dagger, finally giving in. "Yeah okay. But what are we going to do then?" I ask in exasperation. Kate also looks at Nicole expectantly. The redhead takes a moment to look at Bobo and his men again, her face wearing a pensive expression. Then she looks at my dagger, her face coming alight with an idea. "Kate, I do not suppose you have any weapons on you?"
The fortune-teller looks at her with a smirk as she raises her skirt to reveal a crossbow in a pouch against her left foot. "I never leave home without Caroline." She says proudly. At her words, Nicole turns to me with a small smirk of her own. "See, I am not the only one." She says smugly, referring to me saying how dumb I thought naming one's weapon was when we first met. I roll my eyes at her, but a small smile forms on my lips at Nicole's ability to still be humorous at a time like this.
Then the redhead turns serious once more as she addresses Kate and I. "I have a plan. We are going to make Bobo and his men think we are much more than just the three of us."
Kate and I look at her sceptically. "How are you going to manage that?" I ask curiously.
"Firstly, I am going to send Bobo a message." Nicole removes a piece of parchment and lead that she apparently carries around in the pocket of her leather pants. We watch as she starts writing the following:
My Dearest Bobo,
We have you completely surrounded. I have a lot of friends willing to support me as I have saved many of them from your clutches. There are over forty men with me, just waiting for my signal to attack.
Release the two women and I will tell my friends to stand down.
These people are hungry for revenge and I am not sure if I will be able to hold them back for long, so please comply with my request so we can resolve the matter peacefully.
Yours never,
The Sparrow
I let out a laugh at Nicole's completion of the letter. "He will never fall for that." I say, voice full of doubt.
Nicole looks at me with a sly smile. "No. Not unless we make him believe there are in actual fact forty men in the woods." At Kate and I's baffled expressions, Nicole starts to explain her plan.
"We are going to make a lot of noise on each side of the clearing. Kate, you will go over to the left side, I will go to the right and Waverly will stay right here. Then I will send Jack into the clearing with the message. I am very sure Bobo will call my bluff and dismiss my request. I will then whistle once to call Jack back. Then I will release a second whistle, signalling for each of us to start making as much noise as we can." She picks up two rocks, imitating banging them together and against a tree.
"But what if Bobo still does not believe us after that?" Kate asks. Nicole turns to me at the question. "Waves, how good are you at throwing your dagger?" I look at her in surprise, taken aback by the odd question. "I know a thing or two. Wynonna once showed me how to properly throw a knife." I say, causing Nicole to nod in satisfaction at my answer. "That's good enough." Then she turns to Kate. "And I take it you know how to use Caroline skilfully?" Kate nods proudly in the affirmative.
"Excellent. So, if Bobo still shows doubts after we made all the noise, wait for my signal. I will let out a third whistle. That's when I will need you to assault Bobo's men with the dagger and crossbow. Nothing lethal, just very close for their comfort. We just want to scare them." She looks at us expectantly. "Will you be able to do that?"
Kate and I look at each other then back at the clearing. If this was our only shot, we had to take it. We look back to Nicole and give her a nod. Satisfied, Nicole smiles then nods as well. "All right then." She rolls up the letter and attaches it to Jack. "Ready?" She asks us one last time. We both nod in confirmation, a new determination in our veins. "Okay, let's go take our positions." Then Nicole was off, circling to the right side of the clearing and Kate to the left. I remain put at my spot and wait.
I watch as Jack exits the tree line and heads over to Bobo. The man closest to the right side of the clearing spots him first. "Hey! It's the Sparrow's dog!" My stomach tightens in worry when I see all the men spot Jack and draw their weapons, aiming it at the canine.
Bobo watches Jack like a hawk and spots the letter. "Wait, stand down you idiots." He tells his men, who had been ready to kill Jack. Then he orders one of his men to remove the letter. The man reluctantly complies, then brings the letter to Bobo. Bobo peers into the woods from where Jack had come, then slowly opens the letter and reads it out loud.
At hearing the words, some of his men start becoming uneasy, looking towards the woods with slight fear. Bobo does not flinch, however. To everyone's surprise, he starts laughing. This causes his men to relax again.
"Really, Sparrow? How stupid do you think I am? You have no one with you in the woods. So, come on out and surrender yourself, you are done." Bobo says, victory in his voice.
At that moment Nicole let's out a whistle, causing Jack to run back into the woods. Another moment passes and then Nicole lets out a second whistle. I start banging the rocks I have together and then against the tree as loud as I can and in a quick succession. I hear Kate and Nicole do the same from the left and right sides of the clearing. To my delight, I realize that the buzz of our noise could easily be considered to be made by forty men instead of only three women. This might just work! I think smiling broadly.
Bobo's men and their horses start becoming restless, three already move to make a break for it. The remaining men look worried, but not fully convinced. Bobo wears a frown, his own horse tramples on the spot in restlessness. We do not let up our noise making. My arms start to burn with exertion, but I continue banging the stones as hard and fast as I can. Then we hear the third whistle and I immediately unsheathe my dagger, flipping it around so I am holding the blade. Then I take aim at the leg of the man closest to me and await Nicole's whistle.
The noise having died down, Bobo wears another triumphant smile. "See, I told you, the Sparrow is merely bluff…" The third whistle sounds and I release my knife with all my might at the same time that Nicole and Kate release their arrows upon Bobos' men. I watch as my dagger strikes home, causing the startled man to fall to his knees and cry out in agony. I see a crossbow bolt fly past another man, nicking his ear.
One of Nicole's arrows hits a third man in the arm, causing him to topple from his horse. Another one of her arrows nearly misses the man holding Mercedes hostage, causing him to release her with a shout of fear and then dart off into the woods. Soon enough all Bobo's remaining men also give up and run away into the woods, the injured ones hobbling away as fast as their injured limbs will allow them to.
"Fools! Get back here!" Bobo calls after them to no avail. He has lost the battle. He looks into the woods once more and shouts "Damn you, Sparrow!" In response, I watch as two arrows fly from the right side of the woods, planting itself on either side of Bobo, causing his horse to startle and stand up on its hind legs. Bobo quickly pulls on the reigns and directs it into the woods in the direction his men went, shouting "This is not over!" over his shoulder. Then he was gone. Just like that we had defeated Bobo and his men. I jump up in victory, rushing in Nicole's direction.
She awaits me with a smile. "We did it! Your plan worked!" I shout jubilantly as I run into her arms and hug her tightly. She hugs me back with just as much enthusiasm. We hear shouts of relief and watch as Rosita and Mercedes hug Kate. Beth stands to the side awkwardly, looking very ashamed.
I am about to go over and give her a piece of my mind when Nicole restrains me with her arms around my waist. "It's over Waverly, leave her be." She says gently, pleading at me with her beautiful eyes. I am completely defenceless to her gaze, so I just reluctantly nod. But I was not just going to leave it alone, Beth and I were going to have a few words later.
Nicole releases me and walks over to the now blackened remains of her completely burned down home. I watch the sadness wash over her face for a few seconds. Then she sets her jaw in determination as she gets up.
Kate walks over to us, looking sympathetically at what was once Nicole's house. "What will you do now?" She asks the archer. Nicole appears deep in thought for a moment, then looks at me and back to Kate. "Would you be able to take us to Purgatory?" She asks the fortune-teller.
Kate looks at her in surprise. "Yes, of course. But why do you ask?" Nicole gets up slowly and looks in the direction Bobo and his men had gone. "Because I need help in the fight against my mother and Bobo. Duke Nedley might be willing to assist us."