She strolled silently, seductively out of the shroud-like mist. She moved determinedly towards him. If seduction was her intent, she had realized it. He was seduced. He couldn't control his body's reaction to her warm naked form as it moved closer to him. Her moist lips parted in invitation. Her long glorious hair billowed out around her, begging him to run his fingers through its silken length. He reached for her, longing to feel her soft, fragrant skin against his. She was so beautiful. His beautiful Evie. "Heyes." She called out his name as she came closer. The inviting and alluring scent of her wafted into his nostrils, intoxicating him. "Heyes," she said again as she stretched her arms out to him. One more step and she'd be in his arms. But she walked past him. He turned and watched her walking away. Every step she took flowers sprang up in her path. Beautiful fragrant flowers of all colors. She reminded him of the Lady Godiva with her hair flowing down to cover her breasts. She turned to face him. She stretched out her arms, beckoning him. "Come to me," she said. He wanted her so much. He moved to join her. But when he took a step onto the pathway of flowers, they turned black and gray and withered. He looked at Evie. So sweet and beautiful. Her eyes filled with longing. "Hurry, my love," she beckoned. He waded further into the stream of flowers. More withering. More decay. He looked to her again. Her eyes were filled with tears as she beheld the decaying flowers. "I can't come to you. You will have to come to me," he called to her. "Or else the flowers will die." She moved to come to him and her face wrenched with pain. They both looked down. Where there had been flowers now there were tall wicked thorns. Their eyes met. Hers were filled with pain and sorrow. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She turned to leave. "No, Evie, don't go!" He reached for his gun. He would shoot them down. His gun was gone. He grabbed at them. He would tear them up by the roots. But he recoiled in pain, as the thorns tore at his skin, bringing blood. "Wait, Evie, don't leave. I'll find a way to get rid of them. I'll make it right somehow. Don't go!" But it was too late. She was already disappearing into the mist. He tried again to follow after her but found he was surrounded by the thorns. They now towered over his head. They quickly changed into hard cold bars of iron. "Evie!" he screamed, reaching for her but only darkness surrounded him.
"Heyes, wake up. You're falling asleep in the saddle again."
Kid's voice jarred him out of his dream. He was glad. He didn't like that dream. Hunger and exhaustion were beginning to take their toll. He didn't usually have dreams like that. At least it wasn't so cold today. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to rid his head of the images from the dream. He tried to picture his sweet Evie as she had looked that morning before they had set out for Cold Springs, her beautiful face beaming with love and excitement after he had asked her to be his wife. What a fool he felt like now. To think that he, Hannibal Heyes, could ever hope to have anything as good and pure as Evangeline Webb. Had it really only been three days since he'd seen her? It seemed like weeks.
"Look, Heyes. There they are. The mountains. Just a couple more hours and we'll be there. I can't believe we've made it this far without seeing so much as a lone scout from that posse."
"Me either. It's almost too good to be true. Makes me nervous." Heyes turned in the saddle and searched the horizon from all directions. Nothing. Stillness and quiet. He didn't like it. All he could think was this is the calm before the storm.
"Sorry for dozing off like that, Kid. I guess I'm just exhausted."
"Me too, Heyes. But hopefully, in a couple of hours we'll be able to eat and sleep without worrying about the cold or that posse." Kid spurred his horse into a gallop.
Heyes shook his head and smiled. Not even running from a posse could keep Kid Curry from thinking about food and sleep. He was glad that some things never changed. He knew that no matter what else may change in his life, Kid Curry would always be there. He snapped the reins against Odin's flanks and the stallion took off like a shot. Despite the pace they had been keeping this horse seemed tireless. He overtook Kid's horse with ease. Heyes pulled up and turned his stallion around to face his partner who was urging his horse to catch up. When he finally did, Heyes couldn't keep the smug grin off his face.
"See, Kid, I told you, you should have kept one of those mustangs for yourself. We'd already be in Rising Gulch by now."
"Maybe your right. This poor guy's been put through it in the last three days." He reached down and patted the side of his horses neck. "But that horse of yours just ain't normal, Heyes. I think he could go at a full gallop for three or four miles at a time. I've never seen a horse with that much speed and stamina."
"Yeah, he's one of a kind all right. Maybe if we make it out of all this mess, I can enter him in a horse race. You could bet on him and we could make some big money."
"And we're going to need big money if we get out of this mess. This time I mean it Heyes. We're going to South America. And another thing...."
As Heyes listened to Kid's latest rant he couldn't help but think that it almost felt like old times. Like before he'd met Evie. When it was just him and the Kid riding to the next town, looking for honest work. But he had met her. And he had been forever changed. A broken hearted smile crossed his face as he thought of her. Where was she at this moment? What was she doing? He could hear the Kid talking but he didn't really hear what he was saying as he stared off into the distance with visions of his beautiful Evie appearing in front of his eyes. And then...
"....and if that don't work, then...." Kid saw the expression on Heyes face change. He was staring off into the distance behind him. Kid twisted in the saddle to see what had caused the stricken look to come over his partner's face. Rising over the hilltop was the posse of about ten men riding hard and fast in their direction. The ex-outlaws exchanged brief knowing looks before kicking their mounts into a gallop.
A shot was fired. But the posse was too far away to hit anything. But the sound of gunfire sent Odin into a flat out run. Heyes bent low over the horse's neck and just let him run. But he looked back and saw that the Kid was getting further behind. He slowed the big stallion and waited for Kid to catch up. Heyes could feel the power of the animal beneath him. He knew it wanted to split the air wide open and run as hard and as far as his legs could carry them both. He knew the horse sensed the urgency of the man who held his reins. But he also knew that that man was in control and so he pranced as he waited.
Heyes sat atop the prancing steed waiting for Kid to catch up. He was almost here. But that posse was gaining. Another shot was fired. This one was closer. It take all Heyes had to keep Odin from bolting. He steadied the horse. Another shot. Heyes watched in horror as Kid's horse went down. It landed hard on the ground. The Kid leaped away just in time to keep the full weight of the animal from crushing his leg. Heyes snapped the reins and sped back to Kid. He stretched out his arm and pulled the Kid up behind him.
Another shot was fired. This one whizzed right over the top of Heyes' head. Surely they could outrun the posse now that they were both on Odin's back. But he was carrying double the weight now. That would surely slow him down some.
"Let's go, Heyes, come on!"
"H'yah," with a snap of the reins Odin shot forward carrying the partners north as fast as he could.
More gun fire. They were getting closer. Kid looked behind. They were gaining. Carrying double the weight had slowed Odin down. And the posse probably had fresh horses.
"Let's go, Heyes, there gaining..."
Kid didn't finish the sentence and Heyes felt his partner's body lurch forward behind him. Oh, no. He was hit.
"Kid! Are you hit?"
"Yeah. But keep going. It's not that bad," Kid said in a strained voice, obviously in pain.
More gunfire. Kid sagged forward into Heyes' back.
Heyes knew that Kid had been hit again. Then he felt a hot stinging pain in his left shoulder. He looked down and saw the blood on his shirt. That last shot had passed through Kid's shoulder and then grazed the top of his on its way out.
"Hang on Kid! I'm getting us out of here!" He felt Kid's arms come around his waist to hang on. Then Heyes took the reins and swatted Odin's flanks first the left then the right side. Again the stallion could sense the urgency of rider on his back and the sound of gunfire made him even more eager to run like the wind. He raced forward, accelerating with each stride. The partners bent low and let the animal run. They didn't care where he took them as long as it was out of range of any more bullets.
He carried them for at least three miles before he slowed his gait, becoming winded. Heyes brought the horse to a halt and swung him around. They had lost the posse for now.
"Kid, how bad is it?"
"I'm still alive, ain't I," Kid managed between grunts of extreme discomfort. "One got me in the shoulder and the other one went through my side. I'm bleeding pretty bad though. I'll be fine, just get us to the Gulch."
Heyes took his bandanna from around his neck and handed it to the Kid. "Here, press this hard on the wound to help stop the bleeding." Heyes had almost forgotten his fleshwound. He checked it. The bleeding had already stopped. But it burned like hell. He could only imagine how the Kid must feel.
Heyes looked around. Odin had ridden them to the edge of the mountains. Not much longer and they'd be riding into the canyon that would be their salvation. He knew these mountains and that canyon better than he knew the floor plans to the bank of Fort Worth. He doubted if anybody in that posse had ever been to these mountains, let alone that canyon. They were entering his territory now. He sent up a silent prayer of thanks that it had been Kid's horse and not Odin that had been shot. The speed of the powerful beast beneath him was going to be the only reason they were going to get to Rising Gulch in plenty of time time to be out of sight before that posse rode in. This horse had called the canyons of south western Texas his home before Heyes had wrangled him. He would be sure footed and comfortable riding in the canyons.
Two hours later they crossed a plateau at the top of a small mountain they had slowly and carefully ascended. On the other side of the plateau the mountains opened up and a large canyon about ten miles wide and five miles long spread out beneath them. There was only one way in from this side of the canyon. Heyes found the trail that lead into the canyon with ease. He had committed every part of this place to memory. He knew that someday they may have to come back here to save their lives. The trail resembled a staircase carved out of the side of the mountain. It took them down into the floor of the canyon. The rode into the heart of what had once been a mining town. Heyes recalled every shack and shanty that still stood here. It looked much as it had the last time he'd been here. Only a few changes that were obviously the result of changing weather conditions. This canyon had been full of gold at one time. Supposedly the town had sprung up over night in the summer of 1850. Then for some unknown reason, it had been abandoned overnight a year later. No one had lived here since. Well, except for a few desperate outlaws who were on the run a few years back.
"We made it, Kid. Now all we gotta do is get ourselves settled in our hiding place and..."
Kid slumped forward against Heyes' back. Heyes jumped from the saddle and caught Kid as he slid from the horse's back and collapsed into his arms. Heyes felt the cold canyon air hit the wetness that had spread across his back. He felt the back of his shirt. It was soaked with blood. Kid's blood.
Heyes helped a weak and hurting Kid Curry to his feet. He held onto his partner as he walked him towards safety. "Come on, Kid. Don't give up on me now. We're almost there. Just a few more feet and we'll be there. Then you can rest and get some food. I'll build a fire and we can get warm."
Kid struggled to stay on his feet. He clung to Heyes, feeling weak and sleepy. They came to an old well that was behind an old bath house. Heyes kicked the pump out of the way, not wanting to lose his hold on his partner. The pump and the square piece of wood it was attached to fell to the side. Beneath was a crude wooden ladder leading to the empty well below. Heyes helped Kid into the dark depths of the well that dropped down fifteen feet below the surface. Using the light from the opening above he found the lantern and matches that had been left there still undisturbed. He lit the lamp, sat it beside Kid and hurried back up the ladder.
Odin stood there, pawing the ground, expecting his owner to climb back astride him. Instead, Heyes removed all the gear and tack from the horse and placed them near the mouth of the well. He approached the big black stallion and stood facing him. He rubbed the powerful jaws with his hands. "Well, old friend, this is it. Thanks for getting us here. Without your speed we'd probably both be dead. You're free now. I don't have any place to hide you so I'm just going to let you go. That's where you belong anyway. Out in the canyons roaming free." Odin nudged Heyes chin with his nose. Heyes gave his nose a scratch. "Maybe we'll meet again someday."
Heyes walked behind the horse and swatted his rump hard with the palm of his hand. The black took off, his mane and tail flying in the wind. Let him go Heyes. Let him go back to where he belongs. He doesn't belong in this world. His mind went immediately to Evie. She didn't belong in his world either. But could he give her up as easily. He couldn't think about it right now. Right now he had to do what he'd been doing all of his life. The one thing he did better than anything else. Take care of his partner. He threw the gear down into the well and climbed down inside. He pulled the wooden platform with the well pump attached back into place, sealing out the world above.