The boy nodded. “Yes, sir. That’s the man that gave us that stuff.”
“I don’t know that brat,” Shawn said.
“Shut up.” He turned to Lawson. “Do you recognize him?”
“No, but I remember some of those men that came in with him. Yeah, they’re the men who robbed us.”
“That ain’t true!”
“Be quiet, or I shall make you be quiet.” He turned back to Lawson. “I will find your goods, Mister Lawson. If I can’t get them back, I will compensate you for your losses. At the very least I will get your wagons and horses returned. Give me a few days.”
“I’ll give you two.” Lawson rose, glared around, and left the bar.
He turned to the young man. “What’s you name?”
“Ned.”
“Well, young Ned, I may have work for you. I must insist that you not leave town. If you do, you will be in trouble. If you stay, you will find your life getting much better fairly quickly. Are you interested?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Excellent. Robert, find Ned and his friends a good place to stay.” He handed Robert two large tokens. “That should do.”
“Right, boss.” Robert stood. He nodded to Ned, and Ned stood up. Robert put an arm around Ned’s shoulders and led him out of the bar.
“Aren’t you happy, Shawn?”
“Course I am.”
“I’ve allowed you to pocket what you get. Isn’t that enough?”
Shawn glanced at the floor. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t lie to me, not now. This has gone too far.”
“But, boss, I don’t know what I’ve done.”
“Don’t you? I certainly do. You’ve robbed, you’ve forced merchants to give you protection,...”
“You told us to.”
“Who, me? I’m an important person in this town. Are you?” He shook his head. “No, I think the police and the town manager need to talk to you. You’ve obviously become too ambitious to assist me. I shouldn’t have any problems replacing you.”
“You’d turn us in?”
“Why not?”
“Well... we’ll talk, we’ll tell everything.”
“Without proof, who will believe you? No, I think you had better...” He saw someone, people, enter the bar.
He gasped. Right there, in the front of the group, was Lisa Herbert!
“You... you’re dead!”
“You only wish.”
She turned to two of the men who entered with her. They stood to one side of her; two other men stood on the other side. The two men she turned to, they were local merchants!
She pointed to Shawn. “Is that the man who robbed you last year?”
They both nodded. One said, “After it happened, I got word that he wanted to speak to me.” He nodded his way. “He told me that if I didn’t give him a share of the tools I made, I might get robbed again.”
“He said the same thing to me,” the other merchant added.
He now realized that Herbert and the merchants weren’t the only ones to have entered. Standing on her other side was Town Manager Coe and Police Chief Redfern. Behind them were a handful of Redfern’s men. Just past the doorway were three other armed men.
“That’s all I need,” Redfern said. He looked at his men. “Place them under arrest.” His men led Shawn, his friends, and the four bodyguards towards the doorway.
Herbert turned to Shawn. “We heard what he was saying to you. I’d talk, if I were you. He was ready to turn you in. Don’t think he still won’t.”
Shawn looked at her, looked at him, then followed his friends out.
Herbert crossed her arms over her chest. “I told you should have turned yourself in.”
There was only one thing to ask. “How?”
“I guessed you and your hired thieves were never seen together. Coe told me I was right. All I had to do was figure out some way to put you and them in the same room, and let a couple honest merchants make the connection.
“It then occurred to me that you wouldn’t bring them here without a strong reason. What reason could there be? Mistrust. If you thought they were trying to steal from you, or threatening your business, you’d bring them here. My friends supplied the story; you supplied the mistrust.”
He glared at her for an instant. As her scheme formed in his mind, he had to smile. “Quite an effort on my behalf, Miss Herbert.”
“Oh, not on your behalf. On everyone else’s. You wouldn’t be happy corrupting trade around here, or even on this planet. You’d want to expand your empire. If things are going to get better, we have to trust each other. Men like you abuse that trust. You destroy any trust.”
“Then Mister Lawson was right. You are determined to get your way.”
“Oh, I’d never stoop to hiring outlaws to steal from my rivals, or ask them to pay me not to steal from them. I put principles above profits.” She grinned, probably maliciously. “You did the opposite. Now look where it’s got you.”
He shook his head. He turned to Redfern, still waiting in the doorway. He took a few steps towards him. He stopped and turned back to her. “If I was a younger man, I’d pursue you, Miss Herbert.”
“If you were, and not so dishonest, I might let you catch me.”
He let out laugh. “Oh, you are quite the young woman.” He turned back to Redfern. “I suppose a comfortable jail cell is out of the question.”
“Absolutely.”
“Pity.” He waved to Lisa. “I would wish you good luck, but...” He shrugged. He walked out into the light. It was a warm day. He’d be sweating like a pig soon.
Damn that girl, he thought. I hate sweating. Makes me feel terrible.
CHAPTER 13
Lisa and Little Wolf went through the White Rocks portal to Big Springs first. As they waited for the rest of the group to pass through, Lisa realized that her group had gotten awfully big. There were Wayne and his friends, sixteen in all counting the little kids; Jane and Alek; and Ned and his five. Together with herself and Little Wolf, twenty-six people were coming through this portal.
Donna and Ray were the last two through the portal. Once they arrived Lisa asked everyone to sit down around the portal. She stepped up onto the platform to speak. “I’ve just now seen how large this group has become,” she said.
“Now you notice?” Ray asked.
“Yeah. Well, White Rocks and Lone Star were different worlds. People are moving around, trading, doing things. Nobody seemed to mind us. I don’t think that will be the same here.”
Little Wolf nodded. He seemed to know what she meant. “Few travel at all,” he said, “and then only a family or two.”
“That’s right.”
“What should we do about that?” Jane asked.
Wayne raised a hand. “If this world’s more dangerous, I don’t want my children on the road with me. Is there a safe place for them to stay?”
“Yeah, Richmond. In fact, I think Sherrie, Ellen, and Kathy should stay with them. Jane, you and Alek should also go.”
“Why? We ain’t kids.”
“No, but you can help them. I’ll see if the Mayor up there can’t take some time to tell you about the area. We’ll need scouts if we’re to break up those two feuding towns.”
“What about my friends and me?” Ned asked.
“I want you to go with me to Cookeville and Cave City with our goods. Really, there’s only enough to fill two wagons. Let’s see. One of your friends, and someone from Wayne’s group. Ray?”
“Okay. Who’ll guard the wagons?”
“We should be safe going that way. If there are problems we’ll find out on the way, or in Cookeville. I don’t think we’ll have any trouble.”
“Where does that leave the rest of us?” Donna asked.
“You stay here.”
“Among the ruins? Why?”
“Practice. I’m not sure we’ll have to do any real fighting, but everyone should be prepared. Anyway, this is
a pretty safe spot. No one’s likely to see us here. Better for us, better for them.”
Lisa looked at Wayne and Dave. “You two, I want you to come with me up to Richmond. Wayne will come back here. Dave stays up there.”
Ned glanced around. “I though you were going with us.”
“Richmond first. I’ve met the Mayor. I can make the introductions. Once that’s done, I’ll come back and we can do some business.”
She looked up at the sky. The sun was still high. There was plenty of daylight left. She turned to Wayne and said, “We’ve got time to make the trip up, and get back here by dark.” He nodded. She addressed the whole group. “Okay, the rest of you, set up camp. Little Wolf is in charge of the camp. Donna, you take charge of the practice.
“Don’t give them trouble. I will be back by dark.”
“Yes, Mommy,” Ray, Allie, and several others replied in unison.
***
Jackson Ross shook Lisa’s hand firmly. “Good to see you again, Miss Herbert.”
“Good to see you, Mayor Ross.” She motioned next to her. “This is Wayne Shuman, and behind him Dave Lawson.”
Ross shook their hands. He waved to the chairs in front of his desk. “Sit down.” He sat last. “What happened to the other young man?”
“Little Wolf is setting up camp in Springdale. You see, Mister Ross, Wayne and Dave have friends. I made a few more friends on White Rocks.” She couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve got two dozen people traveling with me now. We had enough goods for four wagons. We’re now down to enough for two.”
“I am impressed, Miss Herbert. I trust they’re help for our problems?”
“That they are. Before we can get to that, we need your help.”
“With what?”
“Wayne and Dave have wives, and they and Wayne’s sister have children. I think they should stay here, in Richmond, where it’s safe.”
“For the short term?”
“Yes.”
“Won’t be a problem.”
“Great. I was also wondering if you’d have time to tell Dave, and two others in our group, about everything that’s going on. The lay of the land, any names you know, everything.”
“Why?”
“Well, we have some goods that Cookeville and Cave City might want. They might be more comfortable dealing with a familiar face. I don’t think we should let too much more time pass before we try to solve these problems, especially the Butler-Poplar Ridge thing.”
“Better to get the ball rolling now,” Ross said. He thought about it a moment, then nodded. “Makes sense. Y’know, since you left here we had a large family make it in from Southport. Two brothers, their wives and kids, and their mother.”
“Did they run into any trouble?”
Ross nodded. “A single younger brother and their father were killed, and the bandits made off with all their food and water. What kept them walking, I’ll never know.”
“I see.” She turned to Dave. “You should talk to them.”
“Sure.”
“Well, Mister Ross, I guess that’s it for now.”
“I guess so. I’ll see you when you come back?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. You’re more than welcome to bring all your friends up here. I don’t think our folks will mind, once they know why they’re here.”
“Thanks.” Should I move them up here tomorrow?
Wait. Didn’t Ross say, way back, those towns might have spies? Lisa shook her head. “For now they’ll be fine where they are. No need letting everyone know just yet. Butler and Poplar Ridge especially.”
“Yes, that’s right. That reminds me. Not too many days ago two very young men came into town. Said they’d ran from Butler.”
“Are they telling the truth? Why’d they come here?”
“They say things are getting rough in Butler. They seem honest enough. They work at the grist mill.” Ross nodded towards Dave. “Maybe your friend should talk to them, too.”
“Yeah. Do that, Dave. Just don’t let on why you want to talk to them.”
“You got it.”
“Well, Mister Ross, Wayne and I should be going. I promised we’d be back by dark.” She rose and nodded to her two friends. They stood, and all three headed for the door.
“Miss Herbert?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks.”
Lisa shook her head. “Thank me if I keep my promise.”
“When you keep your promise.”
“Right. When.”
***
On the ride back to Springdale Wayne asked Lisa a simple question. “How are we going to stop that feud, anyway?”
Lisa sucked in a breath. “I hadn’t really thought about that.”
“Not at all?”
“Nope. Too busy dealing with what’s been in front of us. Do you have any ideas?”
Wayne was silent for a short moment. “Why don’t we just force them to stop fighting?”
“How do we do that?”
“We find out who’s done the worst, and...”
“Who decides which town has done the worst?”
“We do.”
“What if they don’t agree with us?” When he didn’t answer right away Lisa continued. “We become their enemy, Wayne. How do we make them listen to us, or obey our order not to fight, if they hate us? What if the other town decides to take advantage of the situation? Do we punish them?” She shook her head. “We shouldn’t take sides. It’s too risky.”
“So we punish both towns.”
“Then we’re making both towns our enemy. Either way, we’d be fighting constantly. It won’t solve anything.”
“Then what do we do?”
“I need time to think. We can’t take sides, and we can’t make enemies. Why pick sides anyway? No one’s said anything about massacres, or rapes, or crimes like that. Those towns are fighting, but it hasn’t become an all-out war.”
“Not yet. We hope.”
“Yeah. If it hasn’t gotten that far, there’s a chance to make peace.”
“We just have to do it without choosing sides.” He shook his head. “That does not sound easy.”
“It’s either that, or we level both towns and kill everyone.” She let out a long sigh. “Maybe I have taken on too much.”
“Maybe so. From what you’ve done so far, I sure as Hell wouldn’t bet against you.”
***
Lisa found the people of Cookeville were getting a little ambitious when she returned to the community. The wagon she and Little Wolf had borrowed was now making trips to Cave City and back every fifteen days or so. The town leaders were discussing sending a group up to Richmond. Lisa told them the situation, and what her large group of friends were doing. She didn’t want to dampen their enthusiasm, but she could see that the town still needed every hand there to keep it surviving.
Life was getting better at Cave City, too. The village was no longer on the brink, although life was still rough. They had managed to plant more crops. Their clothes weren’t quite so tattered. A reliable source of meat was still a problem, and Lisa didn’t have an easy answer.
She disposed of most of the axes and saws she had left, in exchange for tanned hides. The trade got her talking to the town leaders about the local varieties of trees. They told her that the wood was more than adequate. She also noticed that the homes, small as they were, had been constructed solidly. Some even dated back a generation or two.
On the way back to Cookeville Lisa told her observations to Ned, who was riding with her. “There’s a man on Lone Star who operates a sawmill. If I can get him to build a one here, these people might make it.”
Ned shook his head. “Y’know, I thought we had it rough. Those folks were wearing animal skins.”
“Nothing wrong with that.”
“I’d rather have a good cloth shirt.”
“Well, now do you see why this is important?”
“Yeah. This does beat...” He seemed to catch hims
elf. “...what we was doing before.”
She smiled to him. “You don’t have to worry. You haven’t broken any laws on this world.”
“Yeah. Still hard not to keep looking over my shoulder, y’know?”
“Sure.” They rode on in silence for a while.
“What are we going to do when this is all over?” he asked her.
“Over?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, you do know about winter and all, don’t you?”
“Yes. I know all about winter.”
“Well, seems to me we can’t do this then.”
“There will be a pause, sure. This whole thing will start back up when spring comes. As long as it comes to all these worlds at roughly the same time. I think the seasons on White Rocks come a little earlier than they do on my world. I think this planet is somewhere in between. It’s so warm on Lone Star, well, who knows if they have winter.”
She paused to consider that. It struck her as odd that the seasons seemed to match up so closely. It couldn’t be a coincidence; maybe it was planned that way. You can’t control the seasons, but you can choose where you settle. It was possible that the places where settlements were located had been chosen so that the seasons matched up. So why did they choose those locations in the first place?
“Well, doesn’t this ever end?” Ned asked, breaking Lisa out of her musing.
“What? Oh, no, not really. Every year there’s new crops, new tools, or other new stuff. Or new needs to fill. Don’t knock it. My father got to be Mayor of our town because this is his job. He knew more about the whole world than anyone else in town. Who better to deal with the other towns’ leaders?”
“I wasn’t knocking it, Lisa. I was just wondering if we’d be going to the same places, or if we might go to some new worlds?”
“I plan on going to new worlds, too.” Lisa looked at him. “Why do you ask?”
“I dunno.” He glanced around. “I never seen a place like this. No mountains, I mean. Lots of these bushy trees.” He looked back at her. “Sounds silly, huh?”
“Not at all. Let me tell you a secret.” She leaned close to him. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I never thought I’d leave Fairfield, until I found out that I could.”
Ned stared at her for a moment. “How’d you find out that you could?”
She smiled. “That’s a long story, my friend.”
“So? Tell me.” He nodded behind them to Ray and Bill, bonding over a very old song. “Better listening to you talk than them sing.”
She laughed. “You’re right, there. Okay. I guess it started one day when I was in our town’s library, and my sister came in.”