Preacher's Fury by William W. Johnstone

Author:William W. Johnstone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
Published: 2012-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

Raven’s Wing slipped out of the lodge some time during the night. Preacher knew when she left, but pretended to be asleep. In a way he was glad they’d had at least one more night together.

After several days of welcome sunshine, the morning of the third day dawned with a thick overcast covering the sky. When Preacher stepped out of the lodge and looked up at the gray clouds, he thought that within another day or two the snow would return. He wondered idly if he would be alive to see it.

Bent Leg had said that the showdown would take place when the sun rose this morning. The overcast made it difficult to tell for sure, but Preacher thought that time had already come and gone. Close enough, though, he thought.

The people of the village were converging on a large open area near the creek. There would be plenty of room there for the battle between Preacher and Two Bears. The Assiniboine gathered in a half circle, with the stream cutting off one side of it.

Preacher carried his rifle and two of his pistols as he approached the battleground with Dog padding along behind him. He saw Lorenzo, Audie, and Nighthawk waiting at the edge of the crowd and angled toward them.

Audie said, “Preacher, I’ve wracked my brain trying to think of a way to avoid this bloodshed, but I just haven’t been able to come up with anything.”

“That’s all right,” Preacher said with a smile. “Sometimes things just got to be, whether you want ’em to or not.” He looked over the crowd. “I don’t see Raven’s Wing.”

“She’s in Bent Leg’s lodge,” Audie explained. “She won’t come out until the fight is over, Bent Leg says. I don’t know if that was her decision or his.”

It didn’t matter either way, Preacher thought.

He handed his rifle to Nighthawk.

“I want you to hang on to this for me,” he told the Crow. “If I don’t come back to get it later … well, you just keep hangin’ on to it, all right?”

Nighthawk nodded and said, “Umm.”

“I appreciate that,” Preacher said. He turned to Audie and pulled the pistols from behind his belt. “I’ll trust you with these.”

Audie took the guns as if being handed them was an honor.

“Thanks, Preacher. I’ll take good care of them.”

“I know you will.” To Lorenzo, he went on, “There’s another brace of pistols in the lodge where I’ve been stayin’. They’re yours if I ain’t around no more.”

“Now, don’t go to talkin’ like that,” the old-timer said. “We all know you’re gonna be just fine. Fine and dandy.”

“I hope you’re right,” Preacher said with a smile. “But if I ain’t, I’ll be dependin’ on all you fellas to see to it that Dog and Horse are took care of proper-like.”

Audie nodded.

“Of course, Preacher.”

The mountain man scratched at his beard-stubbled jaw.

“I reckon that takes care of everything. All the rest of my possibles, divvy ’em up amongst yourselves however you see fit. And don’t never forget … you fellas are the best friends a man could ever have.

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