Lightfall Two: Fox, Flight, Fire (Lightfall, Book 2) by Taylor Jordan

Author:Taylor, Jordan [Taylor, Jordan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Adoxography Books
Published: 2014-12-20T08:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Eighth

ABC

The next day passes like the first until they arrive late to a substantial town on the former stage line. The population seems to have shrunk to a quarter of its former inhabitants since Ivy’s momentary visit a year back. A handful of old men sitting on porches smoking, a few ranchers in the saloon.

The drivers make their way quickly to the empty livery, with Melchior, Sam, Grip, and Rosalía riding between the wagons and the few men off the streets walking up to gawk. Shouted questions are asked about the destination and contents, but men soon disperse in the face of highly visible firearms.

Plenty of feed for both horses and humans, though both run at absurd prices. The freight men pay no attention to the riders, who return the favor. As if all happen to be on the same trail, going the same way, without being aware of it. Barring shifts with the animal handlers watching goods at the stable, they spend the night at the only hotel in town. As far as Ivy is aware, Grip never enters the hotel and remains at the livery all night.

At least rooms at the Monkat Creek Hotel are the only thing in town not four times normal price. The weedy little Frenchman behind the counter seems disappointed they will not upgrade to four rooms instead of two for sixty cents extra. But Ivy is glad for Rosalía’s company in the dark little room with two small beds crouched on each side of a square window. The desolate and nearly deserted feel of the place makes her think of Raton Pass as darkness falls, and she feels grateful she does not have to face it alone.

The third day it seems they move backward, so slow is the pace compared to riding across country the direct way—even slow compared to stage on this same road. Part of it may be the noise: the great weight on wooden axles and wheels creates a grinding, screeching sound only tolerable at a mile’s distance. This mind-numbing noise makes even dust, odors, and heat small matters by comparison.

One hundred yards behind freighters, Ivy practices new Spanish words under her breath, watching for Es Feroz, sure she spotted the fox slipping along a ridge looming over a steep part of the trail some way back.

When they make camp, she removes herself far from the others as darkness sets in, waiting, watching, calling softly. Es Feroz never comes. Ivy returns to camp in the dark.

In the morning, she starts out again trailing behind the party, watching and calling.

Reaching the base of a rugged hill, they start across shortgrass prairie of blue grama and buffalo grass already turning gold and red in this dry spring. Ivy almost likes the prairie after so many dangerous mountain passes, forest obscuring vision, and steep ups and downs for horses and riders.

Even in this open ground, she does not see her gold, gray, and white fox.

She cannot ask Grip to leave his dog behind when they travel together.

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