When Legends Cross

2 • Downfall

Daf Carter stopped on the brink of dawn and watched his reputation plummet into the sea.

He tracked the falling pirates with his revolver, but they were dropping too fast, and then they'd splashed into the turbulent water at the base of the cliffs.

For a second, he just sat there on his horse, mind completely empty.

Hooves crunched on dirt, and Wyatt pulled to a stop next to him, surveying the situation. "There's the ship," he said, pointing.

Daf looked to the side and saw the vessel's midnight sails unfurling as it peeled away from the shadow of the rocks and headed for where the pirates had gone under. As he watched, two heads surfaced—the prisoner Sterling's with short dark hair, and his rescuer's with longer black—and ropes were thrown their way.

"Fill their sails with bullets," Daf instructed, raising his gun again.

"Ain't gonna do shit," Wyatt remarked. "Respectfully, Sir."

"It'll force them belowdecks," Daf said, but his arm was already back at his side. Wyatt didn't need to tell him how many bullets they had left for him to know it wasn't enough.

He glanced at the revolver in his hand. It was clunky. Unreliable. If the damn pirates hadn't taken his good one, he'd have incapacitated them on the first shot.

Their escape had been so meticulously executed; he still didn't really understand what had happened.

"If you're gonna say something about my gun, you can save it," Wyatt spoke up sourly.

Daf shook his head. It was his own fault he'd left without his weapon. "Glad you carry extras," he said simply.

A shout echoed from below, and he saw oars extend from the sides of the ship. As the crew began to row out to sea, a tall man with a large, ornate hat looked up at the two officers. Daf could just make out the smirk on his face.

As the ship escaped the cliff's shadow and its sails caught the wind, Daf saw the word painted on the side: Starwatch.

Empty waves crashed against rock far below.

After a while, Wyatt said, "It's not really so bad, you know."

"I don't wanna hear it, Adder," Daf growled.

"No, really. You have now lost a total of one prisoner ever. That's still leagues better than any other Sheriff on this continent."

He closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath. "Let's go check on Easten and Robins."

The ride back to town felt infinitely faster than the wild chase out, despite their more relaxed pace. But when they got back to the town entrance, Daf wished it had taken longer.

It looked like the whole damn town was waiting there to see him come back empty-handed.

People crowded the road near the town's back entrance, murmuring anxiously among themselves. When they spotted him rounding the bend, the chatter lifted into the air and held its breath. For a long moment, the only sounds were the clopping steps of the two horses.

Daf took a long breath. There was no point in skirting the issue, so he announced, "They escaped."

The sound came crashing back down around him. People pressed in, asking what had happened, and what he was going to do about it, and if the pirates were going to come back. Daf wanted to dismount and hide behind his horse.

Instead, he turned to Wyatt as his heels nudged Sundance through the crowd. "Get someone on temporary guard duty," he instructed. "Then head to Levi's place and make sure Easten got Robins there alright. I'll meet you there."