The Devil's Destiny---11
Standish pushed himself and his mount to the limits, stopping only long enough to eat, drink and rest. He wouldn't even have done that, but he knew he couldn't chance anything happening to the horse. Finally as dawn broke on the morning of the second day he spotted the familiar buildings of Four Corners. "Almost there, Boy," he soothed the exhausted horse.
Sanchez watched the billowing dust and knew instantly it was one of his friends. He also realized it meant they'd found Larabee, but he was in no shape to ride. He stepped into the dusty street and waited for the man to ride in. He reached up and grasped the con man as he pulled the horse to a stop. He held him and helped him towards the saloon as Yosemite took charge of the horse. He eased the younger man into the chair outside the door and yelled for Inez to bring him some water.
"Ezra, are you okay?"
"I assure you...I'm fine, Mr. S...Sanchez," he accepted the glass of water from Inez and drained it. "Thank you. Josiah, we need to get supplies from the clinic."
"You need to rest for a few minutes," the ex-preacher ordered.
"You don't understand, there's no time. Nathan needs them." Standish tried to stand, but was forced back into the chair.
"Chris?" Sanchez eyebrows rose and worry become his predominant feature.
"Yes! We found him north of here in a cave. That maniac tortured him..." the two men turned at the gasp from behind them.
Mary Travis paled as she heard the southerner's words and couldn't stop the muffled sound from leaving her throat. "H...how bad is he? Is he alive? Are they bringing him home?"
"He's in bad shape, Mrs. Travis," Standish answered honestly.
"How bad, Ezra?" Sanchez asked.
Standish looked from Sanchez to the newspaperwoman, unsure exactly how much he should reveal. "I don't think I should..."
"Ezra, I may be a woman, but I run the town newspaper. If you won't tell me as a friend then tell me as a reporter. What did he do to Chris?"
"Go ahead, Ezra," Sanchez insisted.
"When we got there Vin, Buck and I went into the cave. W...we found him tied to the roof devoid of almost all clothing. Maguire was there and he tried to kill Chris. Vin shot him. We cut Chris down and brought him out. Oh, God, Josiah, he was whipped, and beaten and, and cut," Standish's shoulders slumped as he relayed the injuries Maguire inflicted on the blond gunslinger. He watched as not only Mary Travis paled, but so did the face of the ex-preacher. "There's more," he said softly.
"What more could there possibly be?" Mary cried.
"Nathan thinks Chris is close to pneumonia and he's nearly out of supplies. We need to get them and return with them post haste!" Standish insisted as he stood on wobbly legs.
"I'll get the supplies. You get some rest," Sanchez ordered.
"No time. Don't you understand, Josiah. Nathan needs these items immediately. We have to retrieve them from his clinic..."
"I know, Ezra, but right now you need to rest. Mrs. Travis and I will get the supplies, He opened the door of the saloon and called out to Inez.
The young woman came outside at once. "What can I do for you, Senor?" she asked, wiping her hands on a towel.
"Will you fix Ezra something to eat while Mary and I gather some supplies?"
"Of course. Did you find Senor Chris?"
"We did, Inez, and he's hurt bad. He's at a farm a day's ride north of here," Standish told her.
"Ezra and I will be riding out in an hour," Sanchez informed her.
"I'm coming," Mary insisted.
"Mary..." the older man began.
"Don't say it, Josiah! I'm going. Chris is a friend and I want to be there for h...him. For all of you. Don't try to stop me because I'll just follow you." Billy was still with his grandparent s and she knew Gloria Potter would watch things at the newspaper office for her.
"Alright, Mary," Sanchez reluctantly agreed. "Ezra, I'll have Yosemite saddle a new mount for you. Mary, can you see about gathering food supplies? I'll go to Nathan's clinic and meet you back here in half an hour."
The widow nodded and hurried towards Gloria Potter's store. She knew the woman would help her collect everything she needed without question.
"Josiah, Nathan gave me a list of things he needed," Standish handed the sheet of paper to Sanchez. Both men knew it was imperative they get the things together and leave as soon as possible.
The ex-preacher knew better than to suggest the younger man stay in town. Something told him they would all need to be there for Chris to survive. He looked towards the north and saw the black crow sitting in the middle of the path out of town. 'You will not get him!' he thought as he ran towards the clinic.
An hour later three horses headed out of town. Behind them a group of worried townspeople, led by Gloria Potter and Inez Recillos, watched the group ride out. The question on their minds this day was whether there'd be eight of them returning. They silently prayed for the life of Chris Larabee.
M7M7M7M7M7M7M7M7
Vin Tanner was at the bedside when Larabee opened his eyes on the forth morning since his rescue. The fever continued to be a problem for the injured man and Jackson made sure they kept him cooled him down with water. Whoever's turn it was to stand vigil also made sure they gave the gunslinger the teas and broth Jackson supplied each time he was awake.
Vin knew this was the last of the medicinal tea and worried what would happen if the gambler didn't return soon. He smiled tiredly as two green eyes met his. "Hey, Cowboy, how're you feelin'?"
Larabee swallowed with some difficulty before answering. "F...feel like shit, V...Vin."
"I bet ya do. I'm sorry, Chris, sorry we didn't get ta ya before he did this..."
The gunslinger shook his head and interrupted. "N...no, Vin...not your fault. N...no way to k...know w...what he r...really was. F...fooled e...everyone..."
"Didn't fool you. Ya knew somethin' was wrong with him the minute he stepped off the stage."
"J...just a f...feeling, Vin. G...guess I w...was right," he coughed and held his chest.
Tanner held a cloth in front of the cracked lips to catch the crud that came up. He prayed this wouldn't turn into another full scale attack. He lifted the gunslinger forward and held him against his arm.
Larabee's eyes grew wide for a few seconds, but he was able to get it under control. He was grateful for the steel strength that held him. He knew if the arms were withdrawn there'd be nothing holding him in position and he'd have fallen from the bed. "I...I'm ok, Vin...stopped," he said breathlessly.
The sharpshooter eased him back to the bed and picked up the cloth on the table. He washed the injured man's face and nodded at the whispered 'thanks'. "Got some mor'a Nate's tea fer ya."
"S...shit, t...tired of t...that s...stuff..."
"I heard that." Jackson smiled as he entered the room. The sharpshooter moved out of the way so the healer could examine the gunslinger. "How are you feeling, Chris?" he asked as he felt the pale forehead.
"T...tired...lot of p...pain in my c...chest."
"I know you do Chris," Jackson said sympathetically. "You've got some broken ribs on both sides and a long gash as well. It's not too deep but it took a lot of stitches to close up. You've also got a lot of congestion in your lungs and you really need to keep coughing to get it up."
"C...coughing h...hurts," Larabee rasped, the truth evidenced by his ravaged throat. His eyes were sunk into his head and surrounded by dark circles. The bruises on his face were starting to fade, but still were evidence of the brutal torment he'd endured.
Although they were forcing liquids into him the blond's lips were cracked. The healer knew from experience knew the fever was sapping whatever moisture his patient was able to take in. The small amounts of tea, broth and water often came back up and Jackson worried that his friend wouldn't have the strength he needed to fight his way back. His soulful brown eyes showed the concern he felt not only as a healer, but as a friend. He placed a hand on the blond's shoulder and spoke softly.
"I know coughing hurts, Chris, but it really is necessary. The more of this stuff you get off your lungs the better, so don't fight it. Now let's see about getting this tea into you and keeping it there. Okay?" The sweat soaked blond head dipped once, but no sound escaped the parched throat. Jackson held the warm liquid to the mouth and helped the injured man drink.
Slowly, painfully the gunslinger finished the tea and waited for the inevitable. He hated the feeling that grew in his stomach and fought it. His eyes betrayed the pain he was in and he felt the sharpshooter ease down beside him. He felt the younger man's hand join the healers and knew they were trying to sooth him. The pain in his chest escalated as the first of many coughs tore from him. His eyes grew panicked as he looked at the two men.
"Vin, just hold him forward while I get the herbs and set up the tent!" the healer snapped as he hurried away from the bed. Things were done quickly in order to ease the suffering of the weakened man.
Wilmington and Dunne joined them in the room and soon the tent was back over Chris Larabee. The hacking sound emanating from under the sheet scared each man, yet they knew from Nathan's explanation how important it was for the blond to do it.
Larabee held his hands to his chest as Tanner clasped him within the confines of his strong arms. He felt the painful sensations easing and his mind slowly surrendered to the call of sleep. Jackson's eyes met Tanner's and the two men breathed a sigh of relief. The sharpshooter eased the lean body back to the pillows and eased out from under the sheet. A fine sheen of sweat shone on his forehead as he stood away from the bed.
"Is he alright, Vin?" Wilmington asked worriedly.
"As alright as he can be considerin' what that son of a bitch did ta him," Tanner hissed. "I need ta go for a ride," he explained. "I won't be gone long," and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Wilmington asked as the younger man reached the outer door.
The sharpshooter met the other man's tired gaze and knew he wanted the truth. "I'm gonna go back and make sure he's dead!"
"I'll come with you."
"No, Buck, Nate needs ya 'ere. I'm jest gonna see if there was anyway he coulda got outta there. It won't take long to check the area."
"Alright, Vin, but you watch your scrawny back. Chris needs us all here and I aim to see that he gets what he needs."
Tanner sighed as he headed out the door into the late morning sunlight. He wrapped his buckskin jacket around himself, knowing the chill was from the thought of Maguire and nothing to do with the temperature. He hurried towards the barn, saddled Peso and mounted him. He gently kicked the side of the animal and they raced forward. He could feel Wilmington's eyes following him and was glad the ladies man would be there when Chris woke up.
He rode hard and fast, wanting to find out whether the serial killer would be coming after his friend. 'Ya'd best be dead, Maguire or yer gonna find out all 'bout torture the Commanch' way and ya'll pay fer what ya did to Chris Larabee,' he thought angrily.
As soon as he came upon the site of the cavern he pulled Peso to a stop and tied him to a branch of a dead tree. He swore softly as he realized the entrance to the cave was totally obliterated. He wondered there were any other entrances. He remembered seeing the ground crumble and cover the vile man who'd tortured and killed so many. He walked towards the opening and tried to pull some of the rocks and debris out of the way. He knew it was a futile effort as each time he removed one many more took its place. An hour later he sank to his knees and breathed deeply. Sweat and dirt lined his face and clothes. A thin stream of blood rolled down his right cheek, evidence of the injury he received when a fair sized rock tumbled from the top and hit him above the eye. He knew there was no way Maguire could have escaped through this entrance. Breathing heavily he moved towards Peso and mounted up. He gasped as his mind finally registered the pain in his lower back, hands and fingers. He looked at the broken nails and scraped knuckles, indicative of just how hard he'd been digging through the rubble at the cave. He rode around the side of the hill, checking for another entrance. Three hours later he turned away from the area and headed back towards the farm, praying that Chris Larabee would still be alive once he got there.
TBC