DISCLAIMERS:See Part 1
Waiting, Buck hated waiting. It was three hours until dawn, and he couldn't take it any more. He just knew something was terribly wrong. He didn't know what, but he had awakened in the middle of the night soaked in sweat. His friends were in danger especially Vin. He could hear Chris and Josiah and Ezra yelling at Vin to stay with them. There was an incredibly large, black could enveloping the tracker. At least the man looked like Vin, but his eyes were black and filled with evil. It was an evil so terrifying that Buck sat straight up from a sound sleep, eyes wide open, sweating in fear. When his eyes had adjusted to the moonlight around him, he saw JD and Nathan both sleeping on the front porch of Nettie's house. If you could call what they were doing sleeping. Each man looked as if he was wrestling with something or someone in his sleep. Then just as quickly as sleep had deserted him, it deserted his two friends.
Nathan sat up first, sweating as profusely as Buck had. JD woke the same but with a startled cry. JD was looking around wildly, like he felt danger but saw no where to hide from it. Buck leaned over and put his hand on the kid's shoulder. He calmed instantly, but he voiced Buck's own fears.
"They need us, Buck. Vin needs us. Needs us real bad."
Nathan looked with startled eyes at the kid and then at Buck. "You too?"
Buck knew what he was talking about. "I've been havin' some real bad dreams, Nathan. Got a real bad feelin' somethin's not right."
"Vin and them are in real trouble?"
"That's it." JD nodded in agreement.
"Well boys, what are we waitin' for?" With that Buck got to his feet. He almost passed out when a voice came from behind him.
"Yeah, what are you waitin' for? I got a bad feeling my boy needs ya, all my boys need ya." It was Nettie standing in the doorway wrapped in an old faded robe. She looked like the three men felt, on edge, worried, apprehensive. "I'm too old to feel this much worry. I feel like I need to go with ya."
"No ma'am. We can go faster without ya, if ya know what I mean." Nathan smiled to show he meant no insult. Nettie reached over and put her hand on his arm.
"I understand, son, but that don't mean I like waitin' here doin' nothin'. It sure is irksome."
Buck hugged the older woman from behind. "You don't fret Miz Nettie. We're goin' after them, and we're bringing 'em back. All of 'em."
"An' they're all gonna be fine, Miz Nettie." JD wasn't going to be left out. Now he knew they were leaving now instead of in the morning he felt a lot better. Waiting was just as hard on the young as it was on the old.
"I'll get the wagons hitched."
"I'll saddle the horses." Buck patted Nettie on the shoulder as he stepped from the porch. "Nathan, can you manage the supplies on your own?"
"Go on, Buck. I want to check on Mr. Simmons one more time. I'll meet ya with the supplies if you and JD can get those blankets and canteens. We may need lots of water with two men shot an' all."
Nettie practically spun JD around as she spontaneously reached out and hugged him. "You take care of them now. Take care of yourself, too. Casey ain't happy Lady's gone, an' if you get yourself hurt she's gonna be fit to be tied. Now get on and help Buck."
JD grinned at her before he pulled his hat on his head and picked up the blankets on the porch. He started to reach for the canteens when Nettie shooed him away.
"I'll fill the canteens, you go get those wagons hitched."
"Yes ma'am." He turned and ran down the stairs to follow Buck to the barn.
Nathan was standing inside the doorway smiling. "We'll get em back safe Miz Nettie. Don't you worry too much."
"You'd better. I been plannin' on bakin' a peach pie, an' you know what'll happen if a certain someone don't get a piece of it."
Nathan laughed outright before he turned to go in Nettie's room to check on Mr. Simmons. Vin would never miss Nettie's peach pie. Why the man was downright addicted to peaches. He'd crawl back on one leg and one hand to eat Miz Nettie's peach pie. Nathan felt as good as JD now. The waiting was over. They were going after their friends. The seven would soon be back together again, and whatever it was that had filled them with that aching sense of dread would be no match for them when they were united together. They might be just men who could hurt and bleed, but there was something special in the bond that held them together. Nathan was proud and humble at the same time that God had seen fit to give him friends like these men. They truly were his brothers, and he would fight to the end to help any of them. He just wasn't aware of what they were going to have to fight or what the consequences would be if they lost.
The three men left within fifteen minutes. The moonlight was enough by which to travel, and Nettie had sent extra food and blankets. Buck rode ahead with Nathan driving the team and JD leading Nathan's horse. The outlaw's bodies could be buried in the canyon, so they had some shovels in the wagon. The Simmons had appreciated the gesture, but they didn't want any money from the bounty. They just wanted their savings, their stock, and Emmaline, so the remainder of the seven took one wagon for the wounded. Buck had made some crack that Vin was going to insist on riding his horse, but one look at Nathan's face and he decided the tracker was going to ride in the wagon. The need to get to Sorrow Canyon became imperative, and now they knew why. Kojay and Chanu had appeared out of nowhere and told them of the dreams they had been having and the danger awaiting them there.
The chief and his son had nearly sent Buck to an early grave when they appeared to rise from out of the ground near the trail. If he hadn't known who the two men were, Buck might have shot them. He recognized them, though. He didn't even have time to ask what was wrong when Nathan and JD rounded the corner. Chanu was standing next to Buck's horse looking up at the man who had once hunted him. They weren't exactly friends like he and Tanner were, but the mustached man was a friend of the tracker. That was good enough for Chanu. The tracker was a good judge of men as was his father. Kojay had said that Buck had to get to Sorrow Canyon to help Tanner. All of the seven had to be there to help prevent the evil from taking their friend and leaving the canyon to spread its evil.
When all three men were close enough, Kojay explained the dreams he was having. Nathan had heard of Sorrow Canyon from Rain's people and JD had heard about it from Vin. Buck was familiar with the legend, but not so much what it was about as it was scary enough to make a woman move closer so she'd feel safe. When he heard what Kojay feared, it only made him more determined to get to his friends. Buck was a man who was loyal to a fault. If you were his friend, nothing or no one could keep him from watching your back. He didn't know why Kojay kept looking directly at him as he spoke, but it made Buck feel all the more certain that his friends needed him. For some reason the warning didn't seem so farfetched after he had shared his nightmares with Nathan and JD. The fact that the men had all had the same nightmare just made what Kojay said all the more plausible. That was all Buck needed to hear to make him want to get to his friends as quickly as possible.
"You must walk through the fire. Do not fear it. The fire will cleanse you."
Buck kept turning that phrase over and over in his mind as they pushed the horses to get to the canyon. He was concentrating so hard that he didn't even hear JD ask him any questions. Instead of keeping at him as he normally would, JD sensed Buck was seriously contemplating all Kojay had said. He slowed back down and rode alongside the wagon for a while in silence. Each man had plenty to think about since their chat with Kojay. Nathan was trying to figure out how he could medically help Vin. How did you cure someone of an evil spirit? JD was contemplating how they would seal the entity in the canyon without hurting any of their friends. These men were his family, and he couldn't see how any of them, especially those four, would be targets of an evil ghost. Then he got a really good idea.
"Buck! Buck, Nathan! I got an idea!" Buck finally rode back to the wagon and looked at JD in exasperation.
"JD, we ain't got time. . . ."
"Dynamite! We need dynamite to seal the ghost in the canyon!" Nathan and Buck looked at him. The kid just might have a good idea.
"Railroad people are just over that ridge. Man on a fast horse could catch up with us in less than an hour. Could help, Buck."
"Well, it sure couldn't hurt, could it Nathan? JD, that foreman knows you, don't he?'
"Yeah, me and Chris road out there with John Terrell when Vin was hurt."
"Then you get yourself over there, get us four, maybe five sticks of dynamite and bring 'em to us fast as ya can. And get some fuses, long ones."
"You got it, Buck. Nathan." JD nodded to the healer before he swung his horse around and took off.
"If we're lucky, we'll have Vin and them outa there and safe 'fore he catches up." Buck smiled as he tied Nathan's horse to the back of the wagon.
"I was thinkin' the same thing, Buck. JD would fight the devil himself to save Vin or Chris, hell any of us. If that thing can get Vin, it can get JD."
"Ya really think there is a ghost, Nathan? I mean maybe it's some bounty hunters that Kojay's dreamin' 'bout."
"I don't know. I seen some things 'fore down in Nawlins, Buck, things that made no sense, but I saw 'em happen. Evil can take any shape and usually does."
Buck was impressed by Nathan's calm sincerity. If Ezra or Vin had told him that same stuff, he would have laughed thinking they were pulling his leg. Now Josiah and Nathan he took to be real spiritual men, and neither one of them had ever joshed Buck about their beliefs, so it just made Buck more determined to get there and save his friends. Kojay said Vin was being threatened by a ghost. That meant the others would go to hell and back to save him. Well, no one was going to hell without Buck and Nathan to watch their backs. If he was lucky, he would get them all out safe before the kid showed up. Buck knew Chris would need all his concentration to save Vin, and Buck didn't want to only give half his support while he worried about the kid. They were going to face down a demon, and Buck had no idea how to even think about it much less do it. Why couldn't Kojay do it instead of telling Buck the fire would cleanse them? What the hell did that mean? He looked over to see Nathan looking at him.
"Let's go, Buck, else JD will get there ahead of us with the dynamite."
"Lord, Nathan, he don't know nuthin' 'bout dynamite! Let's go!"
It seemed like they had been here forever. No one in the cave knew for sure that Buck and the others would get there in the morning. They just felt they would. They could hear rain outside, wind, but nothing indicating that it was close to morning. They could only wait and pray in their own way that morning and the rest of the seven would be there soon. Chris leaned back against one of the saddles and tried to ease his shoulder. He had his right hand resting on Vin's left arm. Josiah still had Vin leaning against him. He was taking no chances that Vin could get away too fast and over to that corner. The talking had given way to an uncomfortable silence that was broken every now and then with a question from someone who was struggling to keep awake. Even the loquacious gambler had been silent far too long. Vin's eyes were nodding shut, and Ezra was the first to notice that the temperature was dropping again. He put his hand out and squeezed Vin on the shoulder, instantly putting Josiah and Chris on the alert.
"Vin! Mr. Tanner, are you implying that our company is nothing but a sleeping draught for you?"
A small grin played about his lips; then he opened his eyes. Little swirls of black were mingling with the blue. Chris nodded to Josiah and the big man tightened his hold on their friend.
"Why don't you let me have him? What's he to you? I'll let the rest of you go, even the girl." The room grew colder as the ghost tried to take the tracker from them once more, but this time Vin was fighting it. He blinked several times and struggled against Josiah as the others all put their hands on him, each calling his name.
"Vin! We need you to fight it."
"What the hell do ya think I'm doin'?" Bright blues eyes flickered in the firelight as the flames grew on their own. Chris didn't know what to think at first and then it dawned on him.
"It's almost dawn, isn't it?"
This time Vin answered him. "It's almost dawn and the others are almost here. It loses its power durin' the day." He paused as he fought to stay with them. Little flecks of black were showing in his eyes, and they all knew he was fighting it as much as he could. But, he was only one man and he was very tired. Just before the desperation claimed him, he saw Chris and Ezra and Emmaline all staring at him, willing him to stay with them. Josiah let go one of his hands and brought his arm across Vin's chest, hugging the smaller man to him.
"Then hang on, brother, cause we'll fight it to hell and back 'fore we let it have you."
"Amen to that, Mr. Sanchez. I'm not a praying man myself, Mr. Tanner, but I believe that I have expended enough prayers on you this night to last a lifetime. I shall be most disheartened if you allow this cretin a victory."
A low laugh came from Vin. "Devil better watch out else you'll own hell by the time this is all over."
"As long as you are here to point that out, Vin, I shall consider that payment for all my good deeds this horrendous night."
Josiah and Vin both snorted at his answer. Emmaline couldn't believe these two were joking at a time like this, but she felt Chris put his hand over her small one. She looked up at him, and he winked at her. Men, just when you thought you might figure them out, they went and did something so weird you wanted to pound your skull against something. Then it dawned on her. This banter was keeping Vin focused on them and not how tired he was trying to fight the ghost. Chris saw she understood what they were trying to do.
"Emmaline, ask Vin and Ezra here what they think is a really good idea." She frowned when all four men broke into laughter. The cave was warm again.
"Well?"
"Now that is a very deep subject young lady, and Mr. Larabee is just trying to put Mr. Tanner and myself into a very embarrassing position."
"A who?" Emmaline knew the story had to be good because of the grins on all their faces. Well, if it kept that thing away from Mr. Vin, she'd listen to old Miz Leery recite those spellin' lessons over and over again.
"Mr. Vin? What do you and Mr. Gambler here think is a really good idea?" Ezra cocked an eyebrow at his new name. His partner in crime was grinning at him. He knew he was going to hear that new name for a while to come.
"Not standin' under a mountain full of rocks." It hit him the same time it dawned on the others. "We could seal it in here. We get outa here and close him up real tight in here."
Chris nodded. "The lady said that we had to seal the cave as soon as the others get here." The wind howled in anger outside. They scanned the cave in the firelight looking for danger. They didn't have to wait long. Emmaline spotted it first.
"Mr. Chris? Over there." She pointed in terror as she tried to crawl under Ezra's arm. He grabbed the girl to him.
"Shhh, it's all right, Emmaline."
He no sooner said it than the black cloud began to form in the corner, and the temperature dropped. Vin braced himself for the assault. The cloud grew more defined and then just as rapidly twisted and formed into a thin icy thread that spun across the cave and disappeared. A tendril took the shape of a finger and poised right above Vin's chest. The icy cold seized the tracker, the finger of thread pulled back, and then plunged into his chest. The screech of terrified pain reverberated throughout the cave as the body they knew as Vin threw Josiah off of him like he was nothing. The wind screeched louder, the fire rose to the roof of the cave, and the man they used to know as Vin Tanner turned black, fiery eyes on the horrified group. He started walking towards the small opening in the back of the cave. It literally threw Ezra into the wall of the cave. The gambler slowly sunk to the ground, stunned by the hit. As he struggled to regain his breath, the entity approached Emmaline.
"Run away!" The maniacal laughter echoed in the cave as Josiah grabbed it from behind. Once again it shrugged him off like he was a coat. The only obstacle remaining between it and the ghost's power base was Chris Larabee. Anyone else would have recognized the look in his eyes. The ghost wasn't taking Vin Tanner anywhere. "I'll kill him, and then you'll never get him back. All you fault again, Larabee. All your fault if he dies, just like it was all your fault your family died screaming and cursing your name for not being there."
Terror mingled with the guilt, but a voice in the back of his mind whispered to him. 'Don't listen to him. Vin needs your strength.' The guilt and terror were replaced with anger. It was a righteous anger that permeated every bone in his body. If the ghost wanted a fight, Larabee would give it a fight. He stood tall, his wound forgotten, as the entity possessing his friend's body started forward once more. The language coming from his mouth was the strange language the others had heard earlier. Chris felt a presence, then another. Ezra stood on his left side and Josiah on the left. They were together searching for the man they knew was inside the ghost. They just had to reach him.
"Chris? Josiah? You in this cave?" It was Buck! The cavalry had arrived.
"Chris! I got Nathan! You in there?"
"We're in here, Buck! Hurry!" He blocked the entity's pathway to its center of power. Hatred flared in the black eyes as it turned aside only to be blocked by Josiah and then Ezra.
The black fire they had fought earlier that night sprang up at the entrance of the cave blocking Buck and Nathan's entry. As they took several blankets and tried to beat the fire out, JD came riding up. Without a word he jumped off his horse and grabbed a blanket to help put out the fire.
"I got the stuff, Buck!"
"Good, kid, now shut up and help! They need us inside, now!" JD doubled his efforts matching Buck and Nathan stroke for stroke. As they battled the fire outside, the others battled the ghost inside.
Chris wasn't sure, but he would have sworn that he saw a flash of blue in the possessed man's eyes when Buck announced their arrival. The woman had told him they could get Vin back if they had the others with them. Vin was still in there, and they needed to let him know they were fighting for him.
"I won't give him back. I want him. I want his body. I will leave this place."
"You ain't going no where but to hell!" It swung Vin's fist toward Chris, but the gunslinger ducked and grabbed the fist in his hand. It was weakening. Its strength was dissipating as dawn turned into day.
Its waning power in the daylight plus the effort to keep the others at bay with the fire at the entrance was weakening the ghost. The battle Vin Tanner was raging to rid his body of the ghost was evident to everyone in the cave as blue battled black for color dominance in the eyes. The ghost shot out Vin's other hand and clipped a staggering blow on Chris's jaw. Josiah caught him and kept Chris from falling back and allowing the ghost to advance forward. It renewed its efforts to get to its base of power. It was getting desperate. In its efforts to retain complete control of Vin Tanner, it redirected its power into getting to the one place it knew it had complete control. If it could get there before the others could join their friends in the cave and strengthen their fight against it, it would win. Chris suddenly realized what it intended to do.
"We have to force it back! Now!" He bowed his head and plowed his good shoulder into Vin's chest as Ezra and Josiah joined him in literally using their bodies to tackle and force Vin's struggling body back away from the opening where it's power lay beckoning to it. The entity shrieked in anger and brought Vin's fist crashing down on Chris's wounded shoulder. Chris nearly lost consciousness, but he held on through sheer anger. He let the pain feed his anger. This ghost was not taking his friend from him, and it wasn't going to force Vin Tanner to hurt anyone he cared for.
The ghost struggled and suddenly it tossed all of them off of him. Emmaline saw why from her place in the corner near the entrance. The fire that had been separating the three men on the outside had abruptly disappeared. Buck, Nathan, and JD rushed into the cave just in time to see Vin Tanner toss Josiah, Ezra, and Chris into the air and against the cave wall. He stood and walked toward the small opening in the back. They heard the shrieking of the wind, and the fire that had been dying to glowing embers suddenly sprang up and shot its flames into the roof of the cave. Chris looked in desperation at Buck as they all stared in horror as Vin walked toward a swirling black cloud in the rear of the cave.
Buck stopped, looking around in confusion. Vin shouldn't be walking so easily with a bullet hole in his leg. What the hell was that black cloud doing inside the cave? And why was it so cold?" He felt a tugging on his hand. It was Emmaline.
"Don't let it touch the cloud. Remember the fire. The fire will cleanse and heal."
The voice speaking and the eyes staring at him were too old for that of a young girl. A shiver of fear ran up Buck's spine as he saw his friends struggle to their feet and rush at Vin again. Instinct drove Buck closer to the fire. Once more it tossed aside the men who were trying to save Vin Tanner, but they had managed to force Vin back to where he had started from. Nathan and JD rushed forward and grabbed Vin by either arm, trying to subdue him. He turned on them, and they stopped in horror. Whatever it was, it wasn't Vin. Malevolent black eyes laughed at them.
"You might as well let me have him. I will win." The evil laughter that filled the cave was matched by the shrieking of the wind outside. The flames from the fire next to Vin rose again in the air reaching the roof of the cave with little fingers of light. As the thing they had thought was Vin started to shrug Nathan and JD off, it was shoved once again toward Buck by the combined onslaught of Chris, Ezra, and Josiah. Once again the older voice spoke from Emmaline reminding Buck of Kojay's words.
"You must walk through the fire. Do not fear it. The fire will cleanse you."
Finally, Buck understood the words the split second before he caught the staggering form of the thing he knew as Vin. He knew with a certainty clearer than any thing in his whole life that the only way to completely rid Vin of the ghost that possessed him was to burn it from his body. Well, if he had to burn Vin to save him, he wasn't going to let his friend die alone. What had Kojay said? 'Don't fear the fire. It will cleanse you.' It would cleanse them to ashes, but he knew his friend wouldn't want his body used to set evil loose in the world. Before Chris or anyone could stop him he bent over and, grabbing Vin by the arm, he pulled the tracker onto his shoulder. The fire rose again, the shrieking of the wind stopped, and Buck stepped into the blazing fire.
Chris and the others screamed in unison, "Nooooo!!!!" Then they stopped in horrified fascination as Buck turned to them and smiled. The flames roared around him as he knelt and gently placed the body of Vin Tanner in the center of the fire. He hugged Vin to him as Josiah had earlier trapping the thrashing body in the flames. Black smoke and shrieks of pain filled the silence as Chris struggled to get to his two friends before they were ashes. The flames danced around them, and Chris relived the nightmare of seeing two of the people he cared for more than himself being devoured by flames. They weren't going to die alone. This time it was Chris who threw off the restraining hands of friends. He shut out the voices telling him to look at the sight before them. He saw. He saw Buck and Vin being consumed by the flames, and he walked toward the fire with precise, determined steps. A single hand on his arm this time stopped him.
"You must all enter the fire to rid your friend of the demon. Do not fear the fire. It will cleanse you. It will heal you." With that, Emmaline stepped in front of Chris and into the fire.
Chris couldn't believe what he had just witnessed, but as Nathan's voice penetrated his grief-stricken mind he found that his eyes were not witnessing the horror he expected.
"The fire's not burning them, Chris! Chris, you listenin'?"
Unable to take his eyes off the spectacle in front of him, Chris merely nodded his head. Then he whispered to himself what Emmaline had said, but the others gathered round him witnessing the scene with him heard. "You must all enter the fire. It will cleanse you." He took a closer look at the fire. It wasn't really a fire but looked like two men and a woman in full native attire. They were glowing red, yellow, and orange, and they had their weapons drawn, bow and arrow, long knives all facing outward from the center where Buck and Emmaline held the struggling Tanner. Chris's mind raced as he tried to assimilate the scene in front of him. This was not the black fire that had appeared to trap them in the cave. It was a bright, powerful fire that didn't burn his friends.
It was the combined power of the good men and woman who had died so violently here at the hands of the ghost. Chris Larabee suddenly knew that he had to face his worst fear in order to save his friends. Chris had faced guns, knives, seen all kinds of horrible death during the war, but the one thing that destroyed the ones he loved most was fire. No matter how brave a man was, fire was one thing that anyone with half a brain feared most. Fire was an all-powerful entity with a life of its own. Only water and more fire could stop it, and Chris somehow knew that all the men standing with him feared fire as much as he did. But, to save Vin Tanner, the good spirits wanted him to step into the fire. He had only a promise to go on; a promise that said he would not die in terrible agony if he stepped into the fire. Could he lead four of his friends into the fire to save two men who were his brothers? Could he lead his other brothers into the fire on the off chance it was another trick to save the other two?
Buck had braved the fire without hesitation, and Buck remembered the smell of burned flesh as vividly as he did. Yet, Buck had walked into the fire, and he needed Chris and the others to help him keep Vin within the flames to burn the demon from his body and set him free. Chris could do it for Buck and Vin. He could trust the fire would indeed cleanse him and save all his friends from the evil of the ghost.
"They need us. I'm going in with them. You can stay here or come with me."
"I believe the young lady stated we all needed to step into the fire, Chris. I for one would never fold when I am holding a winning hand." The gambler stood beside the gunslinger.
"That's Vin and Buck in there. I ain't goin' back and tellin' Miz Nettie I left Vin to die. And Buck would come back and haunt me. I'm with you." JD stood next to Ezra.
"I dug too many bullets outa them two to lose 'em now. Count me in." Nathan moved to Chris's other side. "Sides, you're bleedin' agin. Can't leave y'all alone for a minute you don't get shot or cut." Nathan hated to lose a patient.
Josiah was the last to speak, but as usual the big man made it count. "I made a promise to a friend that I would ride into hell to keep him from that demon. Not much difference between fire and hell." He stood at Nathan's side.
The five men walked into the fire for their friends. The wind howled, the shrieking in the cave grew louder, and one last agonizing scream was torn from Vin Tanner's lips. Then, as the seven were united in the fire, the cave became illuminated with a blinding light. Then the flames died, all sounds stopped. Only the small campfire remained. The sunlight from the cave opening bathed the seven men and one girl. Vin Tanner lay between them motionless.
He felt warm and tingly all over. He was tired, so very tired, but he was filled with a sense of elation, of victory. He wanted to open his eyes and look at the men he knew surrounded him. Hell, he even wanted to see that little cat's face. She might be grittier than eggs in sand, but she had a good heart. Vin decided he liked Emmaline claws and all. Now, if he could just get his eyes to open and his mouth to work. Then, the urgency hit him. The ghost, although drained of all its power, hadn't been destroyed. It still lurked in this cave, waiting for its moment to strike again. He had to open his eyes and tell them to leave this place. They had to get out and seal the renegade's evil ghost in the cave, but he couldn't seem to get his body to respond to his brain's commands. A small hand touched his hand, the panic eased, and a sense of calm permeated his senses. The woman, her husband, and his brother were there with him. They were just as determined as he was to seal the entity in the cave. They had defeated the evil one at last. They would let no more harm befall him or his friends. They just needed to get out of the cave first. Why did he feel trapped in a fog? Was it the presence in the cave? He could feel the evil. It was faint, but still there. He had to get out of there. Now!
Chris looked around in the silence that was only broken by the breathing of his friends. They had done it. They had driven the demon from Vin's body. They had survived the fire. The only trace left of the ghost was little wafts of dark clouds that formed and then dissipated in front of the small opening in the rear of the cave. Chris finally focused on his friends. They looked tired but had the same look of victory in their eyes, all but two did. Vin lay motionless, Buck still supporting the limp man in his arms before the now glowing embers of the campfire. He didn't seem to be breathing at all and fear clawed at Chris's heart. He started to reach for Vin when a voice stopped him. Emmaline's eyes burned with fire.
"It is not over, yet. You must call him back. Take him from this place and seal it shut forever." The young girl's eyes returned to normal, and she collapsed against Josiah.
Not wasting any time, Ezra grabbed Vin's feet as Buck lifted him from under his arms. They literally swept him from the cave out into the morning sun. Nathan and JD had each hooked an arm under Chris's shoulders and practically lifted him off of his feet as they ran him out of the cave. Josiah carried Emmaline. Nathan and Chris knelt by Vin as the others grabbed their gear from the cave. Nathan put his fingers on Vin's throat feeling for a pulse. He waited and concentrated. It was there, faint but getting stronger. As he grinned in relief at Chris he started lightly tapping Vin on the face calling his name. Chris slowly exhaled the breath he wasn't even aware he had been holding. Vin was alive; they just needed to wake him up.
Chris put his hand to his shoulder to brace it as he moved closer to Nathan in order to help him wake Vin. His shoulder didn't hurt at all. He looked down at the wound in amazement. Then he looked at the wound in Vin's leg. Both were completely healed. The shock made him pause for only a moment when he heard Nathan.
"That's it. C'mon, open yer eyes, Vin. Ya listenin' to me?"
Chris joined him as the tracker moaned and batted feebly at Nathan's hand lightly slapping his face. "Vin, you have to wake up. Do what Nathan says. Open your eyes now. C'mon pard, you can do it."
"Lemme 'lone. Tired."
Buck dropped the saddle he had just carried from the cave and came over. "Hey, Vin, you don't want to miss the fireworks, wake up." He turned to JD. "You said you got the stuff?"
"In my saddle bags. Thought for sure my horse would have run off with all that noise, but she didn't. Hey, Vin, wait till you see what I got." Before he went after the dynamite he looked at Chris. "Why ain't he wakin' up?"
"You ask him." Chris moved over to let JD lean over Vin's head.
"Hey, Vin. I got some dynamite. Kojay said we had to seal the cave, so I got us some. You gonna sleep through the dynamite?"
Vin mumbled something unintelligible to JD, but Nathan caught it. He laughed out loud. He looked up and told Ezra what Vin had said. The gambler laughed as he shoved JD toward his horse.
"Mr. Dunne, I believe we need that explosive you so generously procured for us immediately. Mr. Tanner, Mr. Dunne is quite worried about your health. You really should be a gentleman and insult the young man in a manner in which he can hear you. Would you mind so very much opening your eyes and joining us?"
Josiah walked over with a wide-awake but very quiet Emmaline.
"Don't you think you've scared enough years off of my life, brother? I really think it's time you woke up. Besides there is a very frightened young lady here who wants to make sure its you."
"Aw hell, can't you leave a man in peace? Nathan, you hit me one more time..."
"Then open your eyes and wake up. That Indian lady said you had to wake up."
'Lady, what lady?' Vin had no idea why everyone wanted him awake. He just wanted to go back to sleep, but something wasn't letting him. They were in danger. 'Why couldn't he remember why? What were they in danger from?' Then he remembered. He struggled against the sleep that wanted to keep him imprisoned forever. They had to seal the cave in order to trap the evil spirit inside. 'Who had told him that? The woman had.' The fog that had enshrouded him was slowly being pushed back by the insistence of his friends that he open his eyes and look at them. He really wanted to do what his friends wanted him to, but the fog was threatening to keep him captive. Then one voice cut through the fog and showed him the way home.
"Vin, wake up, damnit!" Vin's eyes finally popped open responding to the exasperation in Larabee's voice.
'Must have called him cowboy one too many times.'
"Vin!"
"Mr. Vin, you'd best wake up. Mr. Larabee's gitin' mean agin."
Blue eyes blinked once, then twice more. The glazed look left as Vin focused on first Chris then Emmaline then the others. He was out of the cave. They had freed him from the icy evil that wanted to take his life, his soul, his body. He could feel the barest hint of ice, and he shuddered from the cold as well as the fear that he wouldn't be totally free until the ghost was sealed forever in the cave. The woman, her husband, and his brother wouldn't be free of this canyon or of this world until the evil one was sealed forever in the mountain. Once it wasn't a threat to anyone any more, they could rest. Their gods would finally let them come home.
Vin saw the silly grins of relief on his friends' faces when they realized it was indeed Vin Tanner looking at them. Even Emmaline smiled brightly for him. He couldn't quite believe that he was here, all of him, because his friends were willing to walk into the fire for him and with him. They wouldn't leave him alone. It was the first time since the bounty had been put on his head that Vin didn't worry about watching his back. He almost felt free of it because these men had risked more than a bullet to save him. That kind of friendship bound them together more than any other bond there was except blood. If your friends were willing to go to into the fire to save you from evil without shape and very little hope of success, then proving his innocence couldn't possibly be insurmountable. For the first time in years, Vin felt the hope of actually having a future that included a home and not a noose around his neck. The emotion it released was not something the tracker was used to. He didn't know whether to laugh in pure happiness, cry in relief, or thank each and everyone of them for their faith in him, in them as a group, as a family. 'Damn, I'm getting' as bad as an old woman.'
"Well hell, ain't you got that mountain sealed off yet?" Vin's disgruntled question brought a flurry of activity. They had all been sharing the similar but wholly unfamiliar feelings with Tanner. This family bonding stuff was hard on a man. No wonder it was women's work.
"I want to check those bullet wounds. You two stay here while we seal that cave."
"Nathan?"
"I mean it Chris. Y'all better stay there." Nathan went to get his bag from his horse to check the bandages on Chris's shoulder and Vin's leg. He nodded to JD that he was ready for the young man to take the horses away from the pending explosion. Chris looked at Vin and grinned in unholy delight at his friend. Vin raised a quizzical eyebrow, and Chris pointed to Vin's leg wound and then his shoulder. Vin frowned and struggled to sit up. Chris gave him a hand. He used the same arm that the shoulder wound was on. Vin looked at it and then at his leg. Then he touched his leg wound. It too had healed completely. He started grinning like Chris and winked at the astonished Emmaline.
"Nathan ain't gonna like this." Vin explained to Emmaline. "He tends to take it personal when one of us gets hurt. Now if we start healing 'fore he can fuss at us, it'll make him worse." Emmaline raised an eyebrow this time showing she knew the man was teasing her. She actually giggled.
"Uh, Nathan?" Nathan ignored both Chris and Vin as the others took the dynamite to the cave entrance. JD took the horses and herded them away from the cave opening over to the entrance of the canyon. He took up position in front of the canyon to cover the horses' only escape route until the others came to help. If any broke away during the explosion, they couldn't escape so far from them they would be lost.
Nathan turned around to find Chris and Vin on their feet, putting saddles and gear in the wagon in order to get to safer distance from the cave. Even Emmaline was helping because Vin was still weak from his ordeal. She was helping Chris keep an eye on him.
"I ain't had no sleep thanks to you two, and I aim to get some tonight. Now sit still and let me check. . ."
Nathan stopped talking when he turned Chris to face him. The shirt was torn where they had cut it aside to bandage the wound, but Chris had removed the bandage. There was some dried blood where the wound had reopened, but other than that the skin was perfectly smooth. The wound had healed completely. Nathan shook his head in amazement and looked at Vin. Vin had that lazy grin that traveled from his mouth to his eyes he usually reserved for moments when he was truly amused.
"I guess that means I don't got any work to do here?"
"Well, I could shoot Vin if ya want me to Nathan. He's been annoying the hell out of me lately, but then you'd have to sit up with him tonight when he starts whinin'." Chris took a step back when Vin shoved a saddle into his chest.
"Why don't ya carry this over there 'fore I hurt myself. I'm gonna go watch 'em blow that mountain right down on top of that demon." He was a little unsteady on his feet still, and Nathan had no trouble spinning him away from the cave entrance and pushing him toward Chris. The gunslinger took a firm grip on his friend and pulled him away from the cave.
"I think you'd best sit on that saddle over there and rest. Ezra and Buck can set the dynamite without your expert help."
"Cowboy." Vin muttered. Larabee laughed and sat down next to him.
"I'm getting' too old for this. Next time, let's just get drunk instead of goin' for a home cooked meal and pie."
"It was peach cobbler, Chris." Vin grinned at him like that explained it all. They made room for Emmaline as she walked up. She sat down next to them. They waited only a few more minutes when the rest came over from the entrance. Ezra was holding the fuse in his hand, and Buck had lit a cigar. He blew on the tip of it until it glowed.
"Thought you might like the honor, pard." Buck handed the cigar to him. Vin grinned and looked around counting everyone. He watched while Buck and Josiah rode to help JD with the horses. Nathan pulled the wagon alongside the remaining men. Ezra helped Emmaline into the back. He touched the brim of his hat to Chris and Vin and mounted his horse. Vin looked over at his horse, but Nathan shook his head, Ezra leaned over and pointed to the bed of the wagon Chris had just tossed the last saddle into, and Chris took the seat next to Nathan.
"You gonna walk outa here?"
Vin stuck the cigar into his mouth and grabbed Chris's arm and swung himself into the back of the wagon with Emmaline. He puffed twice on the cigar, took it from his mouth, and leaned over to touch the glowing end of the cigar to the tip of the fuse Ezra held out to him. The fuse lit and started to burn down the length to the cave entrance.
"Let's get the hell outa here, boys!"
"Amen to that!" Nathan set a quick pace as they joined the others at the entrance to the canyon. They had just reached the other side when the dynamite blew. They watched as part of the canyon wall collapsed, burying the cave entrance under a ton of rock and rubble. There was a crash of thunder, a burst of bright colors and lights, and then all was quiet in the canyon. Peace had finally come to Sorrow Canyon. The seven started home. They had the Emmaline safe, her family's stock, and their money all secure. They had no desire to spend the night anywhere near this place. Four Corners was waiting for them to come home.
Continued in The Week After.
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