THE WAY OF THE LEGEND

In the aftermath of the Nosalida massacre, Cole, Jack, Valentia, and a dozen surviving and able-bodied rebels worked to clean up the town and treat the wounded. A mass grave was dug just outside of town for the hundreds of rebels who had lost their lives vainly fighting against the forces of Abraham Reyes. It took most of the night to clean up the carnage and move all of the bodies to the grave. Nobody spoke a word for the entire time in memory of those who died. The first words that were spoken after the massacre were those of one of the survivors, a preacher who prayed when the bodies were buried.

"aunque estos hombres han perdido la vida," he prayed, "su sacrificio no es en vano. Dios, toma sus almas en sus brazos y nos bendiga para que podamos superar estos tiempos dificiles. Amen."

Cole removed his hat out of respect and he nudged Jack, encouraging him to do the same. Jack let out a quiet sigh but did not protest as he removed his hat and thought of what their next course of action should be. He knew that Reyes's forces were strong, too strong for the rebels. He was beginning to lose hope in the whole thing; though the rebels had him, a Ricketts, and an experienced war veteran on their side, they were outnumbered and generally outmatched. Reyes had been a rebel himself once, and so he fully understood the rebel force fighting against him and was able to calculate their every move and stay one step ahead of them. He was a master strategist, one which would be close to impossible to beat.

Valentia noticed that Jack was lost in thought and he knew exactly why. He himself was beginning to realize that he had underestimated Reyes. Nosalida was the largest rebel encampment; over two hundred rebels had resided here, and only a handful had survived the attack and were able to keep fighting. A detachment of almost 500 Mexican Army soldiers had been responsible for the destruction. They only retreated when they were certain that they had caused irreparable damage. Which they had.

Cole's thoughts were on Chuparosa, his father's town. His town. The army had probably reached Chuparosa by now, staging their second attack in less than a week. He could just imagine a massacre just as bad as the Nosalida massacre; rebel sympathizers as well as women and children being brutally murdered by the soldiers. The thought sickened him, and he looked to the heavens and thought, I'm sorry, Pa. He wasn't going to let this keep him down, however. More than ever, he was willing to side with Jack and Valentia and take Reyes down once and for all. Like his comrades, though, Cole knew that they were up against an opponent the likes of which he had never faced before. He would need to employ his entire skill set to overcome this enemy.

Cole also thought of how Jack had a lot of potential as a gunfighter, but was sometimes sloppy in his techniques. He would teach Jack everything that he needed to know whether Jack liked it or not, like his father had done for Jack's father almost four years before. Cole hoped that Jack was a quick learner, as they didn't have much time before Reyes would strike again. Reyes would not give up until his strongest opponents were killed, so they had to act fast and get out of Nosalida before the return of the army.

Valentia finally spoke up after several minutes of silence. "The army is probably moving east, destroying every town in its path. We cannot fight them head on now; it is too dangerous. We need to attack Reyes now."

Jack and Cole both looked at Valentia as if he was completely insane. "Are you saying we need to stage a coup d'etat, Senor Valentia?" Cole asked.

"Yes," he answered.

"That seems impossible given our limited resources, don't you think?"

"Impossible? No. Overly ambitious? Maybe a little." Valentia briefly chuckled, but quickly returned to his serious expression. "I know we do not have much manpower. We do not have many supplies. But if we do not act now, we will be reduced to nothing. Our only hope now is to move south toward Mexico City, gathering all the support that we possibly can from anybody we can possibly find."

"How will we do that?" Jack asked, becoming a bit annoyed at Valentia's blunt idea. "Reyes ain't exactly powerless. He's got a lot of supporters."

"Not after what has happened here and what is happening in the settlements to the east," Valentia responded. "Reyes is being foolish. He is trying to show us just how powerful he really is. He is trying to frighten us into submission. But in the process he is isolating himself from the common man and is instead putting a bullet in him. We cannot allow him to do that."

"If I may, Senor, I do see what you're saying, but Jack has a valid point. How are we going to combat Reyes's forces?" Cole asked.

"Our only hope now is to recruit men and collect supplies while traveling to Mexico City. There are many rebels that are willing to take up arms against the government if we are able to convince them to join us. That is, if Reyes has not destroyed these towns yet."

"Only a fool would walk right into enemy territory like that," Jack said angrily. "I ain't helpin' if you're gonna make stupid decisions like this."

"Last I checked, Jack, Valentia is the one with the military background," Cole said. "I get where you're both coming from, but I trust his judgment over yours. Get over it; we need every man we can get. We can't even afford to lose you. Are you with us or not?"

Jack groaned. "We're diggin' our own graves," he said grimly.

"Does that mean you're coming?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "I ain't got a choice, do I?"

"You always got a choice, Jack, but if you don't come with us, Reyes will find you. And you'll be alone. Even if he doesn't, the law back in the States will."

Turning to the remaining rebels of the Nosalida force, Valentia asked, "Hay alguien que no quiere luchar Reyes?"

"Vamos a luchar Reyes hasta que morimos," one of them responded. The others nodded in agreement.

"We must make preparations," Valentia said, turning his attention back to Jack and Cole. "We leave before sunrise tomorrow. Do whatever you need to do to prepare." Looking specifically at Jack, Valentia added, "Try not to start any fights." With that, he and the other rebels walked away, leaving Jack and Cole still standing at the site of the mass grave.

Cole rubbed his hands together. "Well, Jack, you heard the man. We need to make all necessary preparations."

Jack shrugged. "I never unpacked my saddle," he said. "I'm ready to go."

"No you're not," Cole said. "We need to prepare you for what's ahead."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked hesitantly.

"I'm going to teach you how to be a better fighter, Jack. Like my father did for your father."

"I don't need your help, Cole," Jack said. "I can handle a gun OK."

"Yeah, maybe, if you were a performing act in Buffalo Bill's show. Come on, Jack, what real gun fighting experience do you have?"

"I fought off a bunch of lawmen…" Jack began.

"That was different," Cole interrupted. "Those men don't have near the experience that the Mexican Army does. If we're really going to perform a coup, we need to be ready to fight to the death. We'll be outnumbered; the enemy will have more firepower than any of us, no matter how many recruits and supplies we can gather."

"I don't want to hear it," Jack said, crossing his arms. "I don't need your lessons, Ricketts. I'm a Marston, damn it!"

"That's right, you're a Marston. You come from an honorable line, one that never disrespects the people that help them. Now act like a Marston and recognize a helping hand when you see it."

Jack glared at Cole for a brief second, then lowered his gaze and said, "Fine. Let's see what you got."

Cole put up his fists and said, "First thing's first, I ain't seen you fight with your fists yet. Aside from your pitiful attempt at a punch outside the Chuparosa cantina. Let's see just how tough you really are."

Jack rushed at Cole, but Cole moved agilely out of the way and kicked Jack. Jack fell to the ground but quickly rolled up and rushed at Cole again. This time, Cole stepped quickly to the side and put Jack in a headlock.

"Right away, I can see that you're too head on. If you rush into a fight like that, you'll never win." He pushed Jack away and added, "Try not to be so aggressive."

Angry now, Jack ignored Cole and rushed at him again. He was able to grapple with him but Cole held his ground with expertly practiced balance. He managed to wrestle Jack to the ground and pinned him with one knee. Jack frantically squirmed around and tried to break free of Cole's pin, but it was in vain. Finally, he gave up with an exasperated groan.

Cole held out his hand to help Jack up. Laughing, he said, "Well, looks like we got more work to do than I thought." Jack refused to take Cole's hand and instead stood himself up. Panting, he glared at Cole with a dark stare.

"Where...where did you learn...to fight so well?" he asked in between gasps.

"A lot of places, but mostly my Pa. I learned out of necessity. I can teach you one technique that will really help you out of you'll let me."

"Go ahead," Jack said, still glaring angrily at Cole.

"The most important part of fighting isn't the offensive. It's the defensive. A good fighting stance is key to being able to defend yourself from oncoming attacks. Did you notice that I didn't throw a single punch at you, Jack? I didn't go on the offensive at all; the moves that took you down were all defensive.

"Now, the most important part of your defensive fighting is your stance. When we were grappling, I could tell you were strong. I'd say we're actually about evenly matched in terms of brute strength. But I beat you because I had a good stance. It's all about locking your legs in such a way that taking you to the ground is difficult."

Cole motioned for Jack to approach him. Jack did so.

"Alright, let's see if you can take me down when I'm not in a defensive stance. Go for it." Cole put his arms behind his back. Jack was easily able to take Cole to the ground and he triumphantly cheered when he did this.

"Don't celebrate for too long, Jack," Cole said. "I wasn't in my stance." Cole quickly stood up and got into a defensive stance. "Now try to take me down." Jack spent the next two minutes trying to push Cole to the ground, but Cole held his ground. Jack noticed how Cole's legs were evenly spread and locked into place, never moving an inch despite Jack's best efforts.

"See? The stance works. Try it yourself."

Jack got into the exact same stance that Cole had been in. Cole rushed at him and tried to take him to the ground. The men struggled for a minute before Cole was finally able to break through and take Jack down.

"A lot better," Cole said, smiling. "Just practice that stance and you'll be able to hold your own against even the toughest man."

"I thought you was gonna teach me about shootin'," Jack said.

"Alright, let's get to it," Cole said. "Draw your gun and let me see how you're holding it."

Jack drew his pistol and aimed it at a crow sitting on a rock fifty feet away. Cole approached Jack and observed his technique. Jack squeezed off a shot, but it missed by less than an inch and the terrified crow flapped away.

"Damn!" Jack said.

"Easy," Cole said. "Not bad technique. Your back was a little tense, though, especially right before you shot. You want to keep your back perfectly straight and you don't want to tense your muscles so much. Keep them as relaxed as possible. This helps your concentration."

Noticing that the crow had landed on a fence not too far from the rock, Jack took aim again, keeping his back straight and relaxed. He sucked in a deep breath and fired. The bullet tore through the crow's abdomen and it collapsed in a heap of feathers.

"There you go! See, that was your biggest problem with your technique. It was easy then, but it's not easy to keep your mind and body relaxed in battle. Things are moving at a quick pace and you just want to be a part of that action. You have to do your best to stay relaxed, even in the worst circumstances.

"The adrenaline makes it difficult for some, but for me, I've always been able to use it to my advantage. I stay relaxed, my senses are heightened, and I actually do better under pressure. Maybe you'll be the same way, I don't know."

Cole and Jack continued to practice shooting until sunset. Cole was impressed with the quick improvement that Jack was showing; he had his father's tendency to learn fast, for sure. Jack was also enjoying his time with Cole; the two were bonding well, and were quickly becoming best friends. While they practiced their shooting, they shared life stories. Jack told Cole the tragic story of his little sister and how an illness had led to her untimely death. Cole shared stories of his father's and his own exploits. By the time the sun had set, the two were simply sitting outside, staring at the stars and enjoying each other's company.

"We got a long and dangerous mission ahead of us tomorrow," Cole said. "Are you ready to risk your life for this cause?"

"I am," Jack said. "Do you think we can really do this? Do you think we can really overthrow Reyes?"

"I do," Cole said, though his voice was filled with uncertainty and insincerity.

"You're scared, ain't you?" Jack teased.

"I ain't scared," Cole said softly. "I'm...terrified."

"All of us are. I still can't believe that a man who helped my father is so...evil."

"Jack, this world is full of evil people. Evil people who will do anything, harm anyone, to get their way. The world will always have evil people. You and I, we're the good guys. We make sure these evil people don't get too out of line."

"I used to be one of those evil people," Jack said sadly.

"You were never evil, Jack. I never saw you that way. You were just a good man who found himself in some unfortunate circumstances and who reacted in a negative way. You've always had a good heart, just like your father. You're loyal to the causes you believe in and the people you care about. I think the reason why you were so rebellious is because you felt scared. You felt alone. But now that you have me, now that you have all of these rebels, you do't feel alone anymore. Your true character is showing itself."

"What am I going to do if I live through this?" Jack asked. "I'm a wanted man. I done some bad things, things I regret now. I can't fix that."

"If you win this war, you will have more than redeemed yourself. And I hope that you're granted amnesty because of how successful we were here. How big a role you played in ridding Mexico of tyranny."

"I don't see that happening," Jack said. "After this...I think I'll just go up there and face whatever is there for me."

"That's very noble, Jack. Very noble."

"It's gettin' late. We should get some sleep. Prepare for the long journey ahead of us."

"You're right. Good night, Jack. Good luck tomorrow." Cole stood up and tipped his hat in respect.

"The same to you," Jack said, tipping his hat. With a newfound respect for one another, Jack and Cole rested their heads, preparing for the hell that was sure to come.