Page 15 of Discovered Magic
She gaped and shook her head, not knowing what the hell a Traveler was or how this man might know anything about her heritage.
The stranger gave her a quarter smile. “I’ve seen you in dreams. But we must go.”
He extended his hand and waited, steady and patient, as if they had all the time in the world, when they both knew they didn’t. She hesitated only a second before scrambling forward and accepting his offer of help. Together, they climbed a shallow ridge, ducking into an opening just as the cowboys rounded the corner and spotted the pinned rattler.
“I’ll be, Pa! You ever seen anythin’ like that?”
“Shut up, ya fool boy.” The burly man in charge had no softness for his son. He was harder than the stone Abbie rested against. “This is a fresh kill. Eustace, find that blasted savage. He can’t have gone far.”
Abbie wanted to scream at the injustice of it, but settled for squeezing her savior’s hand. The real “savage” was the bigoted white man in the saddle, prepared to harm whomever he encountered, with extra hatred reserved for a proud Native American man.
“Blink us higher up the canyon,” the low-voiced stranger urged.
“I’m not a witch,” she whispered back. “I don’t know how.”
His intense gaze bore into hers, and a frown tugged at his brow as if he were trying to figure out why she was lying. He gave one decisive nod, then eased to her right, preparing to climb higher.
No equipment or fail-safes.
Abbie froze.
She began trembling, and her feet refused to budge when he gestured for her to follow.
“I don’t think I can,” she said. Her words were barely audible, yet he heard and understood.
An emotion similar to compassion shone on his chiseled visage. That sensitivity was at odds with what history books had claimed, and Abbie was grateful they’d gotten his people’s “barbaric” behavior wrong.
Instinct said she’d be in dire straits had he not happened along. If the rattlesnake hadn’t gotten her, the predatory cowboys would’ve.
The stranger scanned the ledge above them before looking for an alternate route. Below, loose pebbles fell under the pressure of Eustace’s booted feet as he advanced toward their hiding spot.
“We must go, Traveler’s child,” her companion stated quietly. “He’ll be upon us soon.”
She nodded, taking his proffered hand.
You can do this, Abbie. You’ve free climbed plenty of times.
But nerves ate at her, and the fingers she stretched toward handholds shook as she moved along the cliff’s edge. She tried to block out the snake scare, praying she wouldn’t encounter another in the shaded hollows.
“Do you?—”
The stranger held a finger to his lips and halted her ascent, gesturing for her to back into the shadows of the rock wall. His gaze locked with hers, sharp as the arrow that saved her life.
“Quiet,” he whispered, as if fearing she hadn’t understood.
Closing her lids, she concentrated on breathing evenly, hoping to control her anxiety. What fresh hell had she landed in this time? How had she gotten here, and where the fuck was Wilder?
Twelve miles away, leaning against the bar of The Broken Halo Saloon, Jonas Thorne waited impatiently for his friend to finish his poker hand, but Draven Masters was in no particular hurry.
“Masters,” he barked. “Anomaly.”
Other than a sharp nod, the gambler remained silent and appeared relaxed as he tossed down two of his five cards. The dealer shot a worried glance toward the only individual willing to bet against Draven.
“Clive?”
Whether the man was asking for permission or if Clive Cabbot, notorious hot-head, intended to gun him down for dishing out cards, Jonas didn’t know.
Clive slammed his fist on the table. “Fucking deal already!”
