Chapter Sixty-eight
The horses were secluded in the woods to the south of the camp, the direction they would need to flee in the train if everything turned to shit. They had less than two hours before the sun fell behind the mountains to the west. It wouldn’t be sundown completely, but it wouldn’t be direct sunlight either, and there was a better than good chance Archaics would exit the mine when the sun set. Hollister wanted to be ready.
Carefully he and Chee pulled the cart toward the building. They went as quietly as possible, and Monkey Pete had thought of everything, even greasing the wheels so they wouldn’t squeak as they rolled over the rough terrain. Hollister studied the entrance to the mine shaft with the spyglass again for several minutes. He wasn’t sure how far down into the mine the Archaics might go during the day and he hoped like hell they didn’t stay close to the opening so any sentries might spot them. But he couldn’t tell. The entrance was too dark and shrouded in shadow. He toyed with the idea of just dynamiting the entrance and trapping them all inside.
But such a plan had flaws. It wasn’t likely to kill the Archaics and they could dig their way out. And if some were standing guard near the entrance Hollister and Chee would certainly be spotted, then all bets would be off.
“Shaniah,” he said. “Can you see anyone inside there? Is there any way for you to tell if there is someone near the entrance who might see us?”
She peered through the telescope for several seconds. Her eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell were superior to his. As near as she could tell, there was no one close to the entrance.
“I don’t see or hear anyone,” she said.
“All right, we’ve got to move it anyway,” Hollister said. “Let’s go, Chee.”
With as much stealth as they could muster, they rolled the cart toward the small building. There was no door left in the frame, so they pushed the cart right inside. Part of the wall facing the mine entrance had collapsed, an unbelievably lucky advantage as it gave the Gatling a wide and open field of fire yet a level of concealment. It would do the same for the Fire Shooters. Hollister took one of the cases of dynamite and a pouch full of ammo for the Henry and hefted them over his shoulder.
“This is it, Sergeant,” he said. “Make every shot count.”
“Yes, sir,” Chee said. Hollister scratched Dog on the ears. This time the giant beast didn’t growl or pull away.
“Well, look at that,” Hollister said. “I’m probably going to die in ten minutes and now he decides he likes me.”
“He’s very particular,” Chee said. “I think you’ve grown on him.”
Again, Hollister couldn’t tell if Chee was joking or not. And it was getting damned annoying.
“Sergeant, if we survive this, I swear to God, I’m going to figure you out. And your damn Dog too,” Hollister said.
“I doubt it, sir,” Chee said.
And then he smiled.
Chapter Sixty-nine
Shaniah was waiting for him in the other building. He set the dynamite near the window and pried off the lid. He checked the load on his Henry and leaned it against the wall next to the window. The Ass-Kicker was charged, the gauges on the Fire Shooter showed full. He was ready.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
Hollister drew his Colt and rolled the cylinder along the sleeve of his duster. Each chamber held a round.
“For what?”
“What I said earlier.”
He holstered the Colt. Jonas was jumpy as a cat, wishing the goddamn Archaics would pour out of the mine right now so he could start gunning them down.
She came to him and took his hands. “For hundreds of years we have avoided humans because we considered them enemies, and most of my people believed one day that our civilizations would meet and clash. With so few Archaics and so many humans, my people believed we would die. All of us. The Old Ones chose me to be the leader of my people, to be the one to see us through this. They believe I possess the skills to convince humans that we only wish to be left in peace-that we would continue to live as we have for centuries, without killing or feeding on humans. As long as we can stay in our homeland, left alone, we would remain peaceful. The killing we were responsible for centuries ago would be over. It is over.”
She stopped, unsure of herself. As if she had lost her train of thought. Finally she figured out what she wished to say.
“Malachi may be the death of my people. He is vain, and he is cunning, but most of all he is evil. And if I do not kill him first, I promise you this. He will not murder hundreds but thousands of humans before he is stopped. If he survives and continues on this path, there will be no hope for peace between our peoples.” She let go of his hands and paced back and forth in the shed a few times.
“Have you heard of dinosaurs, Jonas?” she asked.
“Yes, I read about them at the Point. Giant reptiles, lived millions of years ago, they figure.”
“Exactly, they lived for millions of years and then they all died. Extinction, they call it. Many species of creatures gone, as if they had never existed. This is what will happen to us. It is what will happen to me, if I do not stop him,” she said.
“I understand,” Hollister said.
“Do you? I do not mean to be curt, but I do not think you do. There is greatness in you, Jonas Hollister. I sensed it when I first saw you face Malachi on the plains. Malachi saw it too. He drew back from you. Physically, he is your superior in almost every way, but you are brave and you are fearless, and you frightened him, if only for an instant. But what is most important about you, what sets you apart is, you have a sense of compassion that other men lack. Your strength is not just your courage or your abillity to shoot a gun, or the ‘tactics’ you study at this place you’ve called the ‘Point.’ You know what is right and what is not, when to fight and when to stand down. You make instant judgments about men. And you are never wrong. Take Chee as an example. You told me you hardly knew him in prison, but then you saw him fight these men and you judged him. You were right about him. Now he follows you and will continue to follow you without question, forever. You have shown him these same qualities in you that I just spoke of and he will now ride with you through the gates of hell. He trusts you with his life.
“In Absolution you were bold and daring. So much so, that you could have gotten everyone killed, but he followed your orders without hesitation because he trusts you. And from the moment you took him from the prison he will never not trust you.”
Hollister didn’t know what to say. He’d heard his commanders at the Point and generals he’d served under in the war say he was a natural born leader, but he didn’t believe there was any such thing. Apparently, Shaniah thought otherwise.
He had to make her understand something. They were running out of time. “The reason I said what I said, about you covering our flank
… it’s only because… I… I don’t want you to die, Shaniah. You’ve taken something from me, and I don’t know what it is
… but there is a piece of me that belongs to you now and… I don’t want…” He couldn’t get the words out. “I’m no good with words. I know it sounds impossible, foolish even, but it’s how I feel and it makes no sense… but… isn’t that what love is?”
“I love you too, Jonas,” she said. “And you are much better with words than you think.”
She kissed him then. It was a kiss that comes only a few times in your life. When you know you have found the one. Time stops. The world becomes clean and bright. It was that type of kiss. It bonded them forever from that moment. If Jonas believed in God he would have said, “God help me, but I love her so.” But he didn’t believe in
