The Course of Destiny

Chapter Three

Wesley

She smiled back at me shyly. Her hand was still clutching the reins and her body and feet were pointed away from me. She was nervous.

Based on her anxiousness, brief answers, and readiness to run away, I could tell she didn't go out by herself much. Maybe this was even her first time.

I glanced at the marks on her arms. They were frequent and did not go around her whole arm, so they must have been caused by something like a whip. There were no marks or bruises on her face, and there didn't seem to be any on her neck, either. But who would do this to her? Was she abducted or assaulted? …Or did someone in her family do it?

That last option sent a wave of anger through me. Ma's father abused both her and her mother. That kind of thing leaves a lasting effect on someone. I promised Ma I wouldn't do anything like that, much less stand by while it happened to someone else.

I didn't want to leave this girl, Destiny, by herself. I thought for a few moments about what I could say or do next. Once I had decided, I walked to the side of my horse, Ember, and got my canteen out of the saddle bag, making sure to move slowly so that Destiny's dog didn't see me as a threat.

"I just came for some water," I told her, shaking the empty canteen for emphasis as I made my way to the river.

It wasn't even a lie. I was camping nearby and actually did come to the river to fill my water. When I saw fresh hoofprints on the way, I followed them to see who was around.

After my canteen was filled, I headed back over to Ember and returned it to the saddle bag. I noticed Destiny had untied her reins and was throwing them over the neck of her horse.

"Where do you live? Valentine?"

She turned and looked at me. "Yes, Valentine."

"I’m heading there." That was a lie. "Mind if I come along? If that’s where you’re going."

The dog cautiously walked up and sniffed me. He then wagged his tail a bit so I leaned down and pet him. His tail sped up and he trotted back over to Destiny.

She was quiet before answering, "If you want to."

I was a bit surprised by her acceptance. Of course, I was also glad she said yes. I wanted to make sure she made it back safely and also to get more information out of her so I could try and help.

Gripping the horn and cantle of my saddle and putting my foot in the stirrup, I mounted Ember. I then looked over to see that Destiny was also on her horse and was starting to make her way to the road, the dog walking calmly behind.

With a squeeze of my legs, Ember followed.

“Do you often go out alone at night?” I asked.

She looked at me, still nervous, and understandably so. I could have bad intentions for all she knew.

“No. Do you?”

“Not usually,” I replied.

She looked forward and pursed her lips.

Not wanting to make her more uncomfortable, I didn't say anything else. There was a long silence, but to my surprise, she did finally speak.

“What are you going to Valentine for? If you don't mind me asking.” She seemed to be a little more relaxed now.

“Just going to the saloon.” It was the only place I could think of that someone would go to this late.

She nodded and asked, “You mentioned you were camping near the river, but where do you live?”

“I don't live in a town, if that's what you mean. I camp out and move around every so often.”

“Oh.” She paused for a moment. “You do this by yourself?”

“No, with my pa and uncle.”

She didn't respond and was instead running her fingers through her horse's mane in thought. It appeared she was much less nervous. That was definitely a good thing if I wanted to help her, though it wasn't good to be trusting of strangers.

My mind wandered back to the topic of helping Destiny. How exactly was I going to help her? Of course, the answer to that question depended on what her situation was, if I could do anything about it, and if she would even let me. If she was in trouble, I hoped she would leave and come with me, but I knew it was unlikely she would accept that offer as she barely knew me.

“Is it difficult or dangerous?” she asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I frowned. “What're you referring to?”

She slightly shook her head. “Sorry. Camping in the wilderness, I mean.”

She sure was interested in this topic. “Oh. Well, it ain't hard if you know what you're doing. And I guess it can be dangerous depending on where you are. Some places have bears and wolves – or even crazy folk.”

“Hm.” She was silent for several more moments before saying, “I would think it is amazing to see the different places in this country.”

“Yeah, it is. Have you seen any other part of it?”

“No. Just around here… My parents want to move to–” she cut herself off and nervously flicked her eyes in my direction.

Interesting.

“They want to move where?” I asked as if I didn't know that something was off.

“Saint Denis.” She didn't look at me.

Avoiding eye contact.

“That's a big difference from Valentine. Why do they want to move there?”

Come on. Talk about your parents.

“So they can feel fancy and important.”

I waited a few moments then said, “It must be nice to be able to be with both of your parents.”

She didn't say anything, but subconsciously rubbed her arm where the slash marks were.

There it is.

Anger filled me. It was her parents who did it to her. I had no idea how they could do that to their own daughter, but I did know one thing: I was not going to let them hurt her again. Even if that meant killing them.