abandoning his device and picking up a rifle from behind a small bush. William made his way straight toward the woman, stood, dusting off her hands on her dress. The man hurried over as the boy quickly jumped off his rock and ran next to his mother.
'What do you want?' the man demanded, brandishing the rifle.
William removed his hat, bowed to the woman. 'I merel'
I stopped off for a friendly visit. My name is William. I live farther down the canyon, in town.'
'Town?' 'Yes. The town of Wolf Canyon. I am the mayor. In fac that is the reason I have come to see you. if you would like to camp here for a few days--'
'Camp here? We're settling. This is going to be our home. 'If you would like to camp here for a few days,' Willia continued, 'you are welcome to do so. But you cannot live here.' 'Who says so?'
William looked at the man. 'What is your name, sir?' 'I don't have to tell you my name.'
He was starting to become annoyed, but William tried remain calm and reasonable. 'You must leave,' he said gentley. this is not free land.
It belongs to us.'
'Who is us the man asked belligerently.
The town of Wolf Canyon.'
'Yeah?'
William smiled. 'We are witches.'
The man and woman exchanged a frightened glance. The boy grabbed the edge of his mother's petticoat. It was the reaction he'd expected, and William could not help feeling a twinge of satisfaction as he saw fear overcome the bluster in the man's face.
'You're--'
'We're all witches. Everyone in Wolf Canyon.'
The man took a step forward. 'You are the ones who must be gone from here,' he said bravely, brandishing his rifle, The woman grabbed his coat, tried to pull him back. 'The Bible says, 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.' I suggest you leave here now before I shoot you as you stand.'
'We have been deeded this land by the United States government,'
William said.
'And it will be taken from you by--'
The man's oratory was cut off by the rifle flying out of his hand and sailing through the air to land against the wagon. William looked at the man, met his eyes levelly so he would know that he was the cause, then let his gaze wander over to the river. There was a sound of thunder, and the mining equipment that had been so carefully set up in the sand burst apart, the pieces falling into the water.
William said in a low ominous voice.
'Begone,'
He was tempted to add an explicit threat, to tell the man that if he did not hurry, his wife and son would be next. That was what Isabella would do.
But that was exactly why he had come himself. He would not make threats he was unwilling to carry out. He would not kill the woman or the boy--and would only kill the man if forced to do so in self-defense. His goal was merely to frig ten the family away.
You have until dawn,' he said. 20They were frightened, and he swung back atop his horse, heading slowly back the way he'd come. Before disappearing around the bend, he stopped, turned the horse, and for several moments watched as the family started to gather up their belongings and hurriedly pack the wagon. Satisfied that they really were leaving, he pushed the horse into a trot and headed back through the canyon toward home.
He heard Kate's screams even before he reached the corral outside of town. He willed the horse forward and held on as the animal galloped over the dusty road between the buildings.
Outside Kate's cottage, a small crowd had gathered. The young woman's face was a splotchy angry red, streaked with bloody scratches. Her enormous mane of hair was tangled and flying out in all directions and looked almost as wild as her eyes. 'I wanted that baby!' she screamed. She threw herself at Isabella.
Isabella smiled. In her hand she clutched a bloody lifeless infant.
Even from here he could see that the blood was not from the birth but from long slices which ran along the length of its small body.
She stepped easily aside, and Kate went sprawling into the dirt.
Grabbing the other woman by the hair, Isabella lifted her up and threw her back toward her husband, Randolph. Her grip on the baby tightened, and William saw blood streaming down Isabella's arm as she squeezed the dead child.
A chill passed through him, and he jumped off the horse and hurried over. 'What's going on here?' he demanded. 'She killed my baby!'
'One hundred,' Isabella said quietly, 'is a magic number.'
'What?'
'We have one hundred people in town. Until one of us
dies or moves on, no new members will be brought in, no babies will be born.'
'I would have moved!' Kate screamed.
'Then we would have been ninety-nine.'
'Damn you!' Kate tried once again to attack, but her husband held her back. He and the rest of the onlookers seemed frightened.
'Isabella,' William said sternly.
'One hundred is our number,' Isabella repeated, giving him a look that brooked no argument. She hugged the dead baby to her chest, blood soaking into the white fabric of her dress.
They disappeared in the night, Kate and her husband. Isabella wanted to go after them, hunt them like animals, but this time William put his foot down. There would be no chase, no punishment, no retaliation.
He made sure the others in town knew of their differences, made sure they knew that he had prevailed, that he was still in charge.
It was too late, however. WhateveFreputation he had had among the people of Wolf Canyon was gone now, and if he was still their leader it was because he had installed himself in that position and not because they wanted him there. He was a tyrant........ He and Isabella.
This was not what he'd wanted, and if he had known it would come to this, he would not have approached the government with his petition in the first place. His dream had been to provide a home for their kind, not to establish a fief dora of his own. He'd wanted to liberate his people, not enslave them.
But it was too late to turn back. Whether he liked it or not, the wheels had been set in motion, and he could not backtrack now.
He wished Jeb were here. He'd be able to talk this over with Jeb. His friend had always been the most effective sounding board when it came to matters of gqvemance... and matters of the heart.
Right now he needed advice on both.
For he no longer wanted to lead the people of Wolf Canyon, but he would. And he no longer wanted to love Isabella--but he did.
He did not even know what Isabella had done with the new born body. He was not sure that he wanted to know.
What if, he thought, by some miracle, she finally found herself with child? Would she kill their baby too?
It was a disturbing question, and like too many questions these days, it was one for which he had no answer.
Mary left in the middle of the night. Joseph a few weeks later in the middle of the day, when everyone was busy. Olivia died of a mysterious blood aliment that even magic- i was unable to cure. Martin fell down a well.
It took awhile for William to realize that all of the original settlers were gone. The men and women who remained in Wolf Canyon were those who had come later.
