Ezra woke with a groan. He swore when he had laid his bedroll down there were no rocks under it, but as the night had wore on and the ghosts had come and gone there seemed to be a multitude of rocks under it now.
Just before Vin had dropped off to sleep, not to long after eating, he had told Ezra not to be alarmed at any sounds he might hear. That the Spirits still walked here.
Ezra had politely smile and said he believed in two things. "His ability with cards and his brace of Remington's." He had seen the glance Vin had given him as the other had pulled his hat down and laid his head on his saddle bags. "I assure you Mr. Tanner; there are no spirits or ghosts."
Vin had just grunted and gone to sleep.
Ezra had a little more coffee and banked the fire from where he lay. And pulling out his deck of cards, he one handed shuffled. He also kept his fingers nimble by practicing dealing seconds, dealing from the bottom, middle of the deck, and palming cards...
A strange howl sounded above them.
Vin chuckled in his sleep
Ezra swore he didn't get more than twenty minutes sleep the whole night between the howls, things moving in the dark and something walking through their room into the other.
He looked over at where Vin had been. He was not there and neither were his things. Ezra pulled his boots on, stood, dusting his cloths and put his jacket and hat on and stepped out side.
Looking toward the corral he saw Vin standing at the side of his horse. The saddle blankets were on the black and Vin was getting ready to throw his saddle on. Vin turned and snatched it from the ground and arched it upward.
Ezra heard the indrawn breath from where he stood. He saw the saddle land on the horse's back and Vin staggered against the black's shoulder, holding his side.
Ezra ran over to him, hearing a stream of curse words as he neared.
"Mr. Tanner are you---"
Vin looked up.
Ezra's breath caught in his throat and he reached out and caught Vin before the other fell to the ground.
Vin was as white as a sheet. His blue eyes stood out like blue diamonds. Ezra eased his comrade to the ground. He could feel Vin gasping for breath, Ezra felt the heat of pain pouring from Vin's body.
"Easy, lay down...just lay still for a minute..."
Vin's hand came from inside his jacket where the wound was. It came out bloody. "Damn!"
Ezra loosened Vin's gun belt and pulled back the jacket. His red shirt over the bandaged area was staining even redder. Ezra pulled Vin's shirt open and saw the blood staining the bandage.
He saw color start back into Vin's face. "Lay still...Nathan packed several bundles of bandages...I'll go get them..." He turned and ran back inside the building and grabbed his saddlebags and ran back to where Vin was struggling to get up.
Ezra put a hand in Vin's chest and set him back down. "I said stay down!"
Vin shot him an angry glance, started to push Ezra back.
Ezra was suddenly very angry, Nathan had given him explicit instruction and Vin had gone and saddled his own horse and look what had happened and he was going to get the blame for it because Vin was mule headed.
"Get a w---" Vin was silenced by the drawn colt that was thrust in his face. He looked into Ezra's green eyes with a start. He saw open anger across that boyish face, his green eyes were bright with it, shining like dark pools of water.
"I have put up with your obstinate behavior for as long as I am going to." He leaned in closer toward Vin, accenting his words with the colt's barrel just under Vin's chin at the V'd opening of his shirt. "So I would suggest that if you don't want to die..." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "And I don't mean bleeding to death from the wound in your side. You're going to do as I say!"
Vin's blue eyes actually showed surprise. He looked at Ezra's flushed face, the anger in those green eyes and the set of his jaw and decided that he meant what he said. He laid back and remained still, the shock of what had just happened was setting in. This was Ezra, mild mannered, always a gentleman, rarely raising his voice above a genteel tone, and he had pulled a gun on him to boot. Something was going on.
Ezra stared hard at Vin for several long seconds, waiting to see if what he had said was going to work. It looked like it had.
"Good, now take your gun belt off and let's get your jacket off!"
Vin complied without a word.
Ezra saw what Nathan had been afraid of. The stitches had ripped. He drew in a deep breath and tried to remember everything that Nathan had told him to do. 'If it's a few stitches then bind it tight with a thick cloth over it. If it's all of them then heat a knife blade and cauterize it and bring him back quick.' It was the bottom stitches that were open and bleeding. He would put a thick pad over it and bind it as tightly as he could. He glanced at Vin several times, only to have the lanky tracker give him an even, blank glare back.
Vin moved when he was told, held pressure on the bandage when he was told, sat up when he was told to. He watched Ezra work without comment. He could still see the anger in Ezra's face. He had always figured Ezra had one hell of a temper and he had seen him keep it in check. He'd heard about the incident between Nathan and Ezra when Nathan had come into the church angry because Ezra was trying to help a bunch of working girls get husbands, at a small fee of course. Buck and Josiah had both said that, for one fleeting moment, Nathan had never known how close he had come to dying. They had both seen an anger come to Ezra's whole body, almost take over and then he got control. And all of it happened with-in a matter of a heart beat.
Ezra moved back on his haunches and looked at the bandage. He was quite proud of his handy work.
"Now Mr. Tanner, we are going to have a little repast, some of my excellent coffee and then we will see how you feel." He got to his feet. Placing the spare bandages in the saddle bag, he stepped back.
Vin remained where he was.
Ezra started toward the ruin doorway, realized Vin was still on the ground. He stopped and turned, looking at him with a questioned expression. "Are you coming?"
"I can get up?" Vin remained still, his face looking quite somber, but his blue eyes were sparkling.
"Yes, do you need assistance?" Ezra started back toward him.
Vin gestured with a hand. "No...No...I can get up; I just didn't want to get shot!" He very carefully came to his feet, not because of Ezra, but because of the pain in his side.
Ezra's expression never changed, the anger was still with him. He had at least gotten Vin's attention. He turned and headed again in toward the ruin.
"Is it alright if I cinch my horse up?"
Ezra turned and without hesitation. "No…I will do that in a couple minutes, you are to come in here and sit." Ezra saw the look on Vin's face flicker for a brief second, his blue eyes narrowing, his square jaw set and then it was gone and he followed along. Ezra had felt the anger start to subside and it flared to life so quick he had to turn and walk away. "I will start the fire and put the coffee on and then saddle the horses"
Vin was walking along carefully, tucking his shirt back in, his gun belt slung over his shoulder. He couldn't understand why Ezra had acted the way he had. He had known in that brief moment that Ezra would have shot him. He had never seen him that angry.
He followed Ezra into the ruin and went over to the rock bench. Sitting down he carefully pushed his back against the wall and very carefully lifted his feet up onto the bench and stretched out. He saw Ezra strike a match and start the fire that he had laid before going out to saddle his horse.
Vin felt himself start to bristle with the way Ezra had acted and then let it go, Ezra had been right. He was foolish to do what he had done and now it had cost them more time.
He watched as Ezra made the coffee, placed the pot on the fire and then gathered his bed roll and saddle bags. Ezra took his things out, not giving even a backwards glance. Vin reached up and pulled his hat down a little lower, it was time to catch a nap.
Ezra started to reach under the belly of the black when he saw that his hand was shaking. He felt the nausea start and felt the sweat break out on his forehead. Straightening, he dashed into the brush and trees to empty what little was on his stomach.
This is why he didn't like getting angry. The last time he had gotten that mad and lost control he had killed a man, a man who really didn't need killing.
He straightened from his bent over position, took a clean handkerchief from his inside coat pocket and wiped the sweat off his face and wiped his mouth. He leaned his back against an aspen and drew in several deep breaths.
He chastised himself for losing control of his anger. He had a very violent temper and had learned to control it at an early age. He had come close to killing a cousin of his because the cousin had called him a Bastard. He had been twelve then and had grabbed his cousin, who was bigger then he was, around the throat and had choked him until he had turned blue. One of the slaves had pulled him off and shook him like a dog until he had settled down.
"Young Master got no call to go around acting like a ruffian, you is a gentleman and not's some wild thing..."
Ezra had looked at the color returning to his cousin's face; saw the horror in those blue green eyes staring at him. And he had vowed from then on never to let anger get a grip on him again.
Ezra straightened from the tree and dusted his clothing off and headed back to the horses. He stopped suddenly, thinking about why he had lost control.
If Vin had bled to death Nathan would have been angry, Chris would of killed him, but that wasn't the reason. He considered Mr. Tanner as a friend. That was why he had been so upset. He'd never admit it openly but Vin Tanner was a friend. He moved on to finish what needed to be done.
Vin heard a noise and woke to see Ezra squatted by the fire making biscuits. He slowly sat up, his arm held in close to his body and the wound.
He saw Ezra turn and look at him, saw the green eyes appraise him
"Coffee Mr. Tanner?" Ezra rose with a cup in his hand and walked over to where Vin was seated.
"Thanks." He took his tin cup. Vin noticed Ezra seemed to be back to his old self.
Ezra walked back to the fire and squatted before it, turning the biscuits over. He turned and looked at Vin over his shoulder. "Who lived here?"
Vin glanced at him over the steaming tin of coffee. He sighed. "It was a mixed group. There were Indians, some Spanish, couple of old mountain men and some colored folks."
"They built this place then?" Ezra poked a biscuit and removed it from the rock it was on.
"Naw, this place is real old." Vin looked around the inside of the room.
"There are close to a hundred different rooms, some bigger, some a whole lot smaller. This place has been used by a lot of different folks. The old Indian that was here said his grandfather's father had told him about this place. That it had been known to their tribe for many generations. He said that the tribe that lived here, were before time, they were the first people and had had great knowledge and understanding in the way of the land. Story goes that they just vanished." Vin sipped the coffee. "They sure knew how to build rock houses where you wouldn't think they could."
Ezra pulled the other biscuits off and, coming to his feet, he delivered a couple to Vin. He wanted to ask how Vin had come to know about this place but decided if Vin didn't want to offer the knowledge he'd let it go. He walked back over to the fire, taking his coffee and biscuits and moved over to the other doorway, peering in. Very little light went into the next room.
Vin watched him, eating the biscuit and drinking his coffee. He saw him lean in the next room and then look back at him. Vin smiled. "Rooms about the same size as this one, but there's a ladder over in the far corner goes to the next level.
Ezra turned from the room and walked to the entrance of the one they were in. He stood looking out, listening to the breeze in the aspen and the birds calling out. He looked back at Vin, tracker, sharpshooter, bounty hunter and wondered how many places like this he knew about. He saw Vin had finished his coffee and food. Turning he walked back over to the fire and doused what coals were left, gathered his few remaining things and walked out of the ruin.
Vin carefully got to his feet. His side hurt, but the tight binding seemed to help some. He still felt a little tired but the quick nap had worked. He went to the fire pit and threw the rest of his coffee into the pit and made sure it was out completely and then laid the ground work for another fire.
Ezra stepped back inside the room and saw Vin laying wood for another fire and he remembered how when they had first come here there was wood for a fire already laid and waiting for a match.
Vin turned and saw Ezra standing there, looking at him. Vin stood and looked down at the fire pit. "Never can tell when those that vanished might come back." He turned and headed for the doorway and Ezra. "Wouldn't want them feller's to think I didn't 'preciate the loan of the house."
Vin led them out of the canyon and back to where they had left the trail.
He was able in the daylight to see the tracks, they started to follow. They had been on the trail and hour when Vin stepped down out of the saddle and scouted the ground.
Ezra looked around the area. They were back in the high desert and they were coming into some small rocky hills. He glanced at the distant rocks. "Good place for an ambush!"
Vin looked up at him as he had lead the black in that direction. "Yeah it is and someone rode that way before our rider did." He pointed to the ground, pointing off to the northeast. "Someone riding a big horse, long strides, crooked front shoe maybe a half day before our rider."
Vin stopped, dropped the reins on the black. He walked a few paces from the black and looked around, studying the surrounding landscape. Then walked back to the black and reached into his saddle bag and brought out the glass. He moved a few feet from the horse and pulled the brass telescope out to its full length and took a look toward the hills. When he had found what he was looking for he walked over to Ezra and handed him the spy scope. "Just off to the North of that big set of rocks, in the air."
Ezra took the telescope and put it to his eye, looking.
"I think were gonna find our shooter." Vin walked back and mounted and moved the black to stand next to Ezra's horse.
Ezra was about to give up and say he couldn't find what Vin had seen when he saw the circling buzzards. He pulled the glass away from his eye and looked at Vin who took the glass and packed it back inside his saddle bags. Ezra sat a minute looking at the distant hills. "Think they might still be waiting to see if we were following him?"
Vin slide Ezra a glance. "Don't see no tracks coming back this way. The second rider on the big horse came from the other side of Eagle Bend or up toward Fords county..." He looked back toward the hills. "Lot of hired guns come out of that territory."
Ezra had heard that was where Chris had drifted from before coming to Four Corners. "Well then Mr. Tanner I should say we need to ride with the utmost of circumspection."
Vin slid him another sideways, under the brim glance and touched his spurs to the blacks sides. Hoping Ezra's statement meant 'ride with care'