Wanted

#5 | A Miner Threat

"Nathan 'Sly' Bowman: traveling with Outlaw Curtis 'Dawn' Conrad. Very interesting."

The cozy room was lit only by a gently crackling flame nestled snuggly in the fire place embedded in the wall. A chair faced away from the fire and cast a shadow on the occupant. Her legs were crossed and she licked her fingers after having just plopped a small, round sweet into her mouth, her glossed lips pursing as she rolled the candy around in her mouth with her tongue and it clacked against her teeth.

The woman seemed to be staring at nothing, but her eyes, glazed with a slight rosy tint, were focused elsewhere. Seven of her ten fingers were wrapped with silvery bands; only her ring fingers and right thumb wore no ring. Several pendants dangled from her neck, a variety of bracelets jingled on both wrists, and even her ankles were adorned with plain jewelry. Each of her ears were pierced with flashy gem studs, but her left ear was crowded with generic loops and rods. The ring on her right pointer finger hugged the digit with warmth.

Similarly, Payton's right pointer finger, fitted with a similar ring, felt warm, as well. The Ranger walked through the desert in the same direction as her targets from the night before: toward Onyxlanding. Rain poured from the heavy clouds above, a rather rare sight in the Valley Strip, especially in the summer. Nonetheless, Payton strode, dragging her soaking boots through the damp sand.

"You're absolutely sure?" the woman in the cozy room asked. She spoke in a half-whisper and with an accent similar to Sly's—no drawl to be heard. Somehow, from who-knows-how far, Payton heard her.

"Definitely," Payton confirmed. "Couldn't mistake 'im once 'e got up close."

The decorated woman licked her lips and moaned softly before speaking.

"Now that's some exciting news," she said in her half-whisper tone. "Thank you, darling. Will you be trailing them to Onyxlanding?"

"Yes, Miss. The tracks're gettin' smeared from the rain, but I know the way."

"Good. I would like you to oversee an experiment I've set up there. Don't mettle with the Outlaw and his party in town, just keep watch."

"Yes, Miss. What am I t'be watchin' out for?"

"I've sent someone over there to test out something the government's tasked me with working on. Also, I'm interested in knowing what Dawn's Spell is, if he really has one like the big wigs suspect. Think you can handle that?"

"Yes, Miss. I'll be there by midday."

"Good. And, Payton? Don't worry about anyone else interfering with your targets. I'll handle everything. You be good now."
"Yes, Miss."

The woman stood from her chair and took swaying steps to a mirror on one of the walls perpendicular to the fireplace. Her left side glowed sporadically with the flickering of the fire. She took a breath and clutched one of the pendants around her neck before closing her eyes and lowering her head.

"My sweet, sweet Moon," she whispered to herself. "How much longer?"

***

Rain: rarely did it ever do more than drizzle in the Valley Strip, much less drench the landscape with torrential downpour. Curtis and Sly looked as though they had just taken a swim in the nonexistent lakes of the desert, their boots sloshing with every step. Despite wearing Curtis's poncho, Mabel wasn't spared much, her dark hair falling in clumped locks; her shoulders were tired from carrying the fabric which was then heavy with water. The party meandered into town from the west unhindered, but also unwelcomed.