Frontier's End by Ryan Kirk

Author:Ryan Kirk [Kirk, Ryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Publisher: Waterstone Media

19

More gunshots followed the first, echoing across the prairie as they reached the top of the rise. The shots came from different directions, confirming Tomas’ suspicion they had stumbled upon a small battle. He couldn’t guess how many people were involved, but he guessed there were no more than three or four rifles.

Still, that was a lot of firepower they were riding towards. Beside him, Kyle grabbed his massive bow, and for a moment Tomas almost felt sorry for whoever they found. They crested the rise at a gallop and Tomas got his first look at the battle below.

It wasn’t much, as far as battles went. Given the number of rifles, Tomas had expected to see at least a few dozen people involved. A quick glance revealed less than six.

To his west, two rifles fired. Tomas’ eyes tracked toward the sound, and he saw movement in the grass. Two snipers lay prone, their rifles and attention aimed at the draw below.

An army scouting group had the misfortune of being in that draw. Five riders had let their horses drink from a small stream that trickled through the bottom of the draw. They scrambled for cover, but their ambushers had caught them out in the open. If the snipers had any skill at all, this battle would be over in less than a minute.

Tomas understood what was happening easily enough. His assessment of the situation took no more than a few seconds. But figuring out why it was happening was a much harder task. The last time he’d checked, the church and the army were pretty much on the same side. Tomas didn’t care much for either organization, and so he wasn’t sure which side he wanted to help.

No small part of him just wanted to sit back and let them kill each other.

Hardin was more decisive. He turned his horse around and rode back down the same rise he just ascended. The others followed suit, putting the battle behind them. Once they were out of sight, Hardin angled west. Then he shouted his orders. “We’re going to kill those ambushers. Kyle, there’s a good chance we’re going to be counting on you.”

Kyle nodded, clutching his giant bow closer to his side.

Hardin’s route kept them low, out of sight of the rise where the ambushers lay. They circled around so they could attack the snipers from the west, a journey that took them a few minutes. Tomas heard a few more shots, but then the world fell quiet once more.

Hardin completed his wide loop, and they rode toward where they’d last seen the snipers. The shooters had been near the top of the rise, but on the east face. If they remained in position, Tomas and the others would be out of sight until it was too late for the shooters to react. The same would be true if the snipers wandered down into the draw to check their kills.

Unfortunately, the shooters chose a third way. Either they’d been satisfied by their work or they had spotted Hardin and the others when they’d first come into view.

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