A/N: Hey guys :) Sorry for the delay in getting this out, rereading and editing at the end of a 12 hour shift was harder to muster up energy for than I thought. But here it is, hope you guys like it :) Thank you very much to everyone that reviewed, you guys make me super happy! :)
*.*.*.*.*
*.*.*
*.*
Nathan turned from his bandage making at the knock on the open clinic doorway, raising an eyebrow in surprise at who he saw there. He leaned back a little in his chair as he appraised the unusually subdued looking Raley boy, getting concerned despite himself when he saw the red eyes. "Did you hurt yourself? Feeling sick?" The boy wasn't standing like he was hurt, but some people were good at hiding it.
A quiet shake of his head and a, "No, sir," was his answer and all it did was put Nathan's senses on higher alert. This reluctant to talk, almost bashful, boy was like nothing he'd seen from him before. Eli shifted in the doorway, opened his mouth like he was going to say something else and then ducked his head instead.
"Is anybody else? Your ma?" Nathan asked seriously. Again, he didn't really think so, there was no urgency in the boy's mannerisms, just nervous upset, but he had to ask. Eli shook his head and swallowed. Wondering what in the world he would be at the clinic for then, Nathan just nodded, trying not to frown. If Ezra had been looking at him like that Nathan would've thought the boy had gotten into some sort of trouble he didn't know how to get out of, and, miracle of miracles, was actually asking for help instead of letting it get worse. But he had a hard time imagining Eli coming to him for anything but doctoring in the first place, and couldn't really believe he was. Wasn't too sure he wanted him to.
Unless it was about Ezra. Cursing in his head, the healer wondered just what the two of them had gotten into this time. Or what that jackass Conklin had said now. Chris should've just let Buck punch him.
Looking away as he started gathering up the bandages he'd already cut, Nathan inquired, "Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" He slid to his feet at the end of his sentence, the cut bandages going into a small sack to wait to be boiled, the two sheets he hadn't finished with folded as he waited for Eli's answer.
"Ezra said, he thinks..." Nathan settled the folded sheets on his desk, and turned his attention entirely to the boy, at first just looking, then encouraging him with a nod. Eli gulped, and then blurted all at once, "Ezra thinks Mr. Wilmington don't like him anymore and he's going to send him away!" Nathan felt his mouth drop open, and his stomach knot. What? "He was out close to the swimming hole when he told me. 'Bout an hour ago." Then he was gone, out the door and down the stairs before Nathan had done more than grab his hat and wonder why he'd come to him and not Buck.
What could've happened to make Ezra think that? Thumping down the stairs with his eyes out for the other peacekeepers, Nathan couldn't imagine. Buck adored the kid, spoiled him even. His search found Chris standing outside the mercantile and Nathan hurried towards him, hoping he knew where Buck was.
*.*.*.*
The tears that had escaped him after the dishonorable way he'd run from Eli long since dried and appearance straightened the best he could, Ezra crossed over the desert landscape. He'd long left any of the official paths that led in and out of Four Corners, but he knew where he was going. Any deficiencies there had been in his skill at finding his own way through the countryside had been corrected by the careful lessons of Mr. Tanner, and he was sure he'd arrive at his chosen destination before too much longer. It was also the tracker's skills that had allowed Ezra to obscure his exit from the common routes.
Mr. Tanner, he thought, remembering the invitation that morning, may have been the only true ally and friend he had left among the peacekeepers.
No, that was unfair to John Daniel, who Ezra imagined would have been been hard pressed to keep his feelings hidden if he had grown as sick of Ezra's presence as his cousin clearly had. Sticking a finger around his collar and peeling the sweat soaked fabric away from his neck to let the skin breath, he considered that perhaps, with JD and Vin's backing, and a halt to those behaviors his cousin and the healer found so offensive-
No. No, such daydreams and fantasies were entirely unhelpful and would not alter his circumstances in the slightest. Sucking in a deep breath, Ezra forced himself to concentrate on his surroundings rather than the turmoil roiling through his mind.
Dirt, mostly. Dry, crumbly, clay filled, and occasionally rocky, dirt. So dry that cracks and ruts of all sizes ran over the surface, scattered here and there in between smooth expanses. There was an occasional sagebrush or tumbleweed, but cacti were far and few between in this area of the desert. Shade, with all the delights it offered was currently nonexistent.
Ezra had never ventured out this far without Chaucer and while the heat of the day had him wishing for the swift journey his mount would've provided, it was not yet causing him true discomfort. Still, fanning himself briefly with his hat before placing the protective covering back on his head, he wished sincerely that he had not been so foolish as to leave the town without a canteen. It seemed that every step he ventured stirred up more dust to stick to his sweaty skin and make its way into his dry mouth. His watch informed him he'd been walking for well over an hour now. It seemed as though it had been twice that amount since he left Four Corners.
Foolish, that's what he had been, impetuous, as Mr. Sanchez had called him more than once, to leave without grabbing at least the basic necessities for desert travel, even if he had not initially been planning to venture this far. Snorting a little, Ezra had to admit that he had not initially been planning anything, merely fleeing from uncomfortable truths.
A variety of foolish decisions, even those that had still seemed quite clever that morning, if perhaps not worthy of revisiting due to the foreseeable consequences, loomed large in his mind now. The ill-fated magic school, that had ended so abruptly when Thomas Markham had paid for his lesson with a dime pilfered from his mother's purse. Ezra's protests that it was hardly his duty to determine where his patrons' money came from had been countered by Buck quietly asking him if he'd known where Thomas's had.
Ezra swallowed as he recalled the disappointment that had covered the man's face when he had finally professed that while Thomas had not provided this information to him directly, his sudden ability to cover the nominal fee that had been beyond him before had made the likelihood of the money being purloined quite obvious to him.
Then there had been the time one of mother's old partners had come through town, in the guise of a peddler. Ezra had seen an opportunity to both let the man know he was aware of him, hopefully dissuading him from whatever intrigue he may have been plotting against the townspeople, and to at least receive some form of payment for his silence. After the man had left Atlanta with Mother's share of the cut as well as his own it had seemed the least he deserved. Swiping a hand across his forehead to catch the sweat that was steadily sneaking down from his hairline, Ezra grimaced. Deserved or not it had raised more than a few questions, the peacekeepers easily able to see that something untoward was occurring even if they were unsure exactly what.
He had not however, jaw setting mulishly at the thought, done anything to Mr. Sanchez's laundry, nor would he have. Clothing, even clothing as worn and beaten in as Mr. Sanchez's, was too precious of an item for Ezra to have done such a thing to.
Ezra might have a better idea than most of who had probably done it, but Eli had refused to talk. Possibly because Ezra had threatened to punch him if he had done such a foolish thing, but after having been grilled for at least half an hour before his freedom had been reluctantly granted, subtly had not been on his mind.
Lord, he was hot. Pulling his shirt away from his back where it had stuck, the young man contemplated pulling off his jacket, not sure if it was providing protection from the sun or simply causing him to bake. Foolish was too kind a word, the dry air feeling now like it was pulling the moisture from his skin itself and he was certain a headache was not too far behind.
Still, even if perhaps this had not been one of his more intelligent decisions, Ezra was closer to the water in front of him than he was to the town behind him. Looking around at the landmarks that were familiar enough, even if they seemed farther apart without his horse, he relaxed a little. Another ten minutes at most and he'd have ample water and shade, and very little chance of unwanted visitors. It was possible Mr. Tanner might think of this locality if the others began to look for him, but Ezra was certain he had hours before anyone would concern themselves with his whereabouts. Even then, that he would come here on foot would not be likely to occur to the tracker. He'd be able to think, to plan his next move properly.
After all, what absurdity would it be for them to look for someone whose presence was not desired in the first place? Eventually duty would push them to it, they were honorable men, and he was a youth in the care of one of their number, but Ezra would wager that it would be at least close to dusk before anyone more than wondered where he was.
Swallowing, Ezra put another foot forward. He had saved part of his allowance each time it had come, and even managed to join the games at Digger Dan's a few times before a concerned patron had enlightened his cousin. Shifting as he recalled the unpleasant aftermath of that, Ezra was fairly certain that he had enough capital to ensure easy transportation out of the territory. It would help if he had some idea what direction to travel in in order to rejoin Mother, if he did not elect to stay on his own, but he would manage. He always did.
Seeing the rise of rock that told him he was nearly to the small paradise that might even make this grueling walk worth the trouble, a smile of relief tugged at Ezra's lips and his trudging pace increased twofold.
*.*.*.*
Chris Larabee's expression was grim as he stalked the street, looking for Buck. Really, any of the peacekeepers who weren't already on the hunt for Ezra would do. Or Ezra. Much as he wasn't sure what he'd say, a glimpse of the boy in one of his familiar peacock colored coats was exactly what was needed now. Chris didn't always have the best way with the boy-it was hard when he wore a mask at least half the time, when you couldn't tell how he was feeling or reacting to your words-but he could handle telling him that whoever had put such ideas in his head was nothing but a liar. Didn't have to talk to Buck first to know that for a fact. Vin had come out of the saloon in time to hear the end of Nathan's explanation and was already on his way out to the pond the kids used as a swimming hole when it wasn't too low. Chris had a bad feeling that Ezra would not have stayed at so popular a spot, not when he was upset, but at least it was a place to start.
His eyes lit on Conklin, the man arranging goods outside his hardware store, and narrowed. If anyone had been likely to say such cruel things to a thirteen year old boy it was him, and, his shoulder's squaring, Chris walked straight for him.
Before he could get there, but after Conklin had seen him coming and the older man's eyes had widened to the gunslinger's satisfaction, Buck appeared in front of him, face creased with stress. The man only stopped long enough to say, "I'm riding out to the swimming hole, looking," and was heading down the street again. Chris cut his glare back to Conklin and fixed him with it a moment longer, before deciding the man could wait. He'd already set JD to searching the town and asking everyone if they'd seen Ezra, and Nathan was trying to track down the Raley boy, see if he could get more details out of him. Finding Ezra was the most important thing. Stalking towards the livery Chris ran through places besides the swimming hole the boy might've gone. Weren't too many he could think of, but boys always had their own secret places. Buck was already swinging up onto Lady when he got to the livery, tersely informing him, "Ezra's on foot," before he was riding off.
Saddling Pony, Chris mused over how that would change their search, Chaucer's dissatisfied nickers, almost confused as most of his 'herd' left the stables, tightening his lips. On the one hand, Ezra couldn't get too far on foot, on the other, a horse could give you a lot of protection if something did go wrong.
Hopefully, they'd find him sooner rather than later. Sun was still powerfully high in the sky, but if they didn't find him before it set the new moon would give them too little light to work with. Nights in the desert were chilly anyway, this time of year with the weather changing it could surprise you. Leading Pony out of the livery, Chris leapt up, pressing his heels in just the slightest bit to get the gelding moving at a good clip.
*.*.*.*.*
Vin slowed, waiting, as he heard the sound of hoof beats coming towards him. He was pretty sure from the gait that it was Buck on Lady, but kept his ear tuned to the road until the man came around the bend. He nodded to Buck, whose face dared to look at him hopefully for a second and then fell when Vin gave a small shake of his head. Vin fought the urge to duck behind his hair. There were so many tracks going in and of town that it had been impossible to find Ezra's at first, and then he'd only tracked him out to a little past where he thought he must have met up with Eli. He was half convinced the boy had started floating, but more likely he'd begun covering up and erasing his tracks. Like Vin had taught him. Dammit.
Boy was a natural.
Though his face made obvious he knew the answer, Buck still asked, "Any sign?" as he pulled Lady up next to Peso.
"For awhile, but it ends aways back."
Frustrated, Buck shook his head, "How does a trail disappear in broad daylight? Swear that boy is slippier than an eel." Vin nodded, and then turned Peso back the way they'd come. Ezra was both slippery and a natural, but he was just a kid. There had to be something he'd missed. Something.
His eyes glued to the ground, hoping something would jump out at him, Vin stayed silent all the way back to where he'd lost Ezra's trail. Buck's nervous energy was like molasses in the air around them, but for once the big man was staying quiet, his own eyes peeled for anything he could see. Finally back to the last traces he'd seen, Ezra's boot marks scuffed into the ground as though he'd been kicking at it, Vin climbed down off Peso. He examined the ground intently, going back and forth, disappointed that the hard ground and bits of desert scrub gave him little to work with. On his third pass, a calm settling over him by force, Vin spotted it and grinned. Buck noticed immediately, sitting up straight on Lady, and asking, "What is it? You noticed something new?"
Still grinning, even as exasperation tugged at him, Vin told him, "Kid doubled back on himself a ways. Must've thought that Eli might tell somebody, since he's walking back in his own footprints. Real light too."
"You think he went back to town and is hiding somewhere there?" Buck sounded like he wasn't sure whether to be hopeful or irritated at that. Standing up carefully, eyes still on the tracks, Vin shrugged.
"Maybe. Or he coulda veered off." For just a second he looked over at Buck, "What do you think set him off?"
"Damned if I have the foggiest." Vin could hear Buck's swallow it was so loud. "That boy...he's like a prickly pear, takes a while to figure out how to handle 'im. I'd never-"
"Course not," Vin soothed. Something had set Ezra off, sure enough, but the idea that it could have been Buck was laughable.