The Encounter (29 page)

              "Frank's dead?" There was a sudden twinge in his stomach. There wasn't any love lost between them, but Frank was his brother. "They didn't do anything but defend themselves", Josh insisted. "Frank came after them. I saw it."

              "You stand with these", Ben yelled, "against your own kin. You ain't no son of mine", to Joseph, "we want the witch", pointing to Sarah, "and you girl, for murder."

              Joseph moved back inside the door. "Ain't nobody takin' anybody. Now, get off our land."

              Ben looked at his men. "Get the girl and check the house for the others."

              Several of the men started to dismount. Joseph shot the one to Ben's right. Ben drew and fired. The bullet struck Joseph in the stomach. Sarah screamed. He fell back inside and fired again from the floor hitting Ben's horse in the chest. The animal and rider went down. Josh slammed the door, grabbed Joseph's rifle and fired several times through the front window.

              Two men pulled Ben from under his dead horse and they all retreated to the corral.

              Sarah was hysterical trying to do something for her brother. The front of his shirt was covered with blood. He was holding his stomach. His breathing was short and quick.

              Josh was at the window. "Looks like they backed off, but we won’t be able to hold 'em off for long." He looked at Joseph. "How bad is it?"

              Sarah looked up, tears rolling down her cheeks. "He's bleedin' to death."

              Joseph grimaced as he pushed himself to a sitting position.

              "Don't move", Sarah begged, trying to stop him.

              Joseph got to his feet and staggered to the window. Josh picked up the gun.

Joseph reached out. "Give me the rifle. I'll give 'em something to shoot at while you get Sarah out the back."

              "No", Sarah said, totally panicked. "They'll kill you." She turned to Josh. "Don't let him do this. We'll all get out the back. Please..."

              Joseph took the rifle and fired a shot at the corral, then went down on one knee in front of the window. Sarah was beside him. She couldn't control her emotions. His face reflected how bad he was hurting.

              Joseph took her by the shoulder. "You have to go." His breathing was very short. She started to protest again. He stopped her. "You have to go while I still got the strength to help. They're gonna circle us in."

              Josh was now at the window. "They're lightin' torches to burn us out." He turned to Sarah. "He's right. We'll all die in here if we don't go now."

              She stood up. "I'm not leavin' him here." She wiped her face with her sleeve getting blood on her face.

              Josh threw a straight right that caught her on the chin. Her head went back and he caught her before she hit the floor.

              Joseph struggled to his feet and looked out the window. Two men made for the back. He brought the rifle up and fired. The front one went down and the other one dropped to the ground for cover. Several bullets broke through the glass. Josh picked up Sarah over his shoulder and started for the back door. He paused at the table and picked up a revolver, and then looked back at Joseph. Joseph waved him out. Another flurry of bullets hit the front of the house. Joseph turned and fired the last round in his rifle through the window. He looked back and Josh was gone.

He slid down the wall. He convulsed. Blood came out his mouth and nose. He wiped his face and looked at his hand. His insides were on fire. Suddenly the pain was gone. He glanced around the room. Everything was getting dark. As the light left his eyes he knew he was where he was supposed to be.

                                                        ***

              The day after Lawrence and Margaret left, a small town in northern Europe awoke to a day not much different from any other day. And because one altered event in human history had been set straight, that day would not be much different than any other day. With Joseph’s death the time line, in large part, had been restored.

                                                        ***

              Margaret and Lawrence were half a mile up the mountain when the shooting started at the house. The shots had a hollow sound to them by the time the breeze had carried them that far into the mountains. They both looked back.

              "The house", Lawrence said. He dropped the reins to the pack animal and turned his horse back down the mountain.

              Margaret spurred her horse and caught him within a few yards. She grabbed his bridle and pulled his horse up.

              He couldn't imagine what she was doing. "What are you doin'. We're not that far. We can help."

              "No, we can't help", looking him in the eye, "we've helped too much already." She let go of the bridle. "All we can do is hurt ourselves. This has already happened. These people have been dead for decades."

              More shots echoed their way. He moved his eyes from her to the forest below. He dismounted and walked a little ways down the hill. She got off and followed. He stopped and she walked up beside him.

              She put her hand against his back. "I know how this must seem." How could she put this? "That scar on your leg. If it hadn't been for your pants, and the fact that Joseph saw it happen, we would've never known."

              He looked at her. "What you do mean, we would've never known? You would've."

              "No, I wouldn't. I remember seeing that scar when we undressed at the waterfall and every time since."

              "How could you?"

              "Don't you see? The future's been changed. Lives have changed. Your life for one, and we'll never know from what. All our memories of
what was
have been replaced by,
what is.
" He looked down the mountain. She took his hand. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

              "Look."

              She looked. Black smoke drifted above the trees far below them.

              She squeezed his hand. "Josh filled me in about his father. I'd say Ben Kramer just took things into his own hands." She looked up at the sun inching its way down toward the mountaintop. "We need to keep going. Come on."

              She let go of his hand and headed back toward the horses. He watched the smoke below for another moment, and then followed her.

                                                        ***

              Ben Kramer and his men watched the house burn. Joseph's body lay on the ground in front of them having been delivered to Ben before the fire was started.

              A man, shielding his face from the heat with his hand, rounded the corner of the burning building. He walked up to Ben. "No sign of your son or the girl. They must've got away down the mountain. They’re on foot. I can take a couple of the boys and run 'em down."

              Ben watched the fire. "He's no son of mine. We'll take care of them later." He looked up the mountain. "First things first, I want the one who killed Frank. That black haired bitch."

The tracker walked up and spoke to Ben pointing up the mountain. He looked around at his men. "Come on. We got another fire to light."

              The saddle from Ben’s dead animal had been moved to another. He and his men went to their horses, mounted up and started up the mountain.

                                                        ***

              Margaret and Lawrence picked their way through the trees. They had to slow down in the fading light. Finally she pulled up. He stopped beside her.

              He looked around. "How we gonna find this place in the dark. A map won't help if you can't see the land marks."

              Margaret went into her bag and came out with two sets of very high-tech goggles. She handed a pair to him. "Here, put these on."

              "What's this?" He put them on. The whole world suddenly lit up. Not pale green like you get with standard starlight equipment, but in full color. "Damn." He moved them up to make sure the sun hadn't come back up. He put them back in place. "How'd you know we'd need these things?"

              "I didn't. It's just a standard two-man survival kit. Let's keep goin'." They moved off. She looked around at him. "Of course these horses can't see."

              "Don't worry about that. They'll go where you point 'em."

                                                        ***

              Ben, and his men weren't faring as well. They finally stopped for the night. He had one of the best trackers in the territory, but even he couldn't be sure by torchlight. Ben knew where they were headed. There was only one way through these mountains that a horse could take. He also knew about the caves along the way.

              That night Ben sat away from the others. In his heart his whole family was gone. In their place were hate and the need for revenge. Just like Joseph and the stallion, he'd never know peace as long as that she-devil lived.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Lawrence followed Margaret's lead. He still thought about Joseph and Sarah and what must have happened to them. He thought about something else she'd said, about his life being changed. He couldn't help wondering, for the better or worse. If she was right, and there was no point of reference, he'd never know which.

              She reined her horse in. He looked at her. She pointed to a rocky shelf and behind it, the entrance to the caverns. He lifted his goggles. In the partial moonlight you couldn't see the opening at all.

              It was a steep climb to the ledge. They had to dismount and lead the horses up. The cave entrance was more than large enough to accommodate themselves and the horses. From the mouth they had a commanding view of the forest below. The cliff above was sheer and the opening couldn't be flanked. It was defendable.

              The cold night air began to take its toll. They decided a fire, far enough back in the cave, wouldn't be seen from below. Lawrence took the hatchet and climbed back down to look for firewood. Margaret unpacked the horse and set up camp.

              A half an hour later they were huddled together under the blankets, in front of a small fire.

              They both stared into the flames. Seems like intelligent life, wherever it occurs in the universe, has a fascination with the patterns formed by dancing firelight.

              She finally broke the silence. "Still thinking about those kids?"

              "Trying not to... Guess we're gonna have to make do with what we've got."

              "I guess. You hungry? You want me to get you something?"

              "No. I don't seem to have an appetite." He shuddered under the blankets. "I'm cold. You must be freezing."

              She cuddled closer to him under the blanket. "I'm okay. It's been almost five days. Something should happen soon. Maybe tomorrow."

              He put his arm around her. "I don't know what I'm gonna do when you leave. Not knowing what's happening, or when you'll be back is gonna drive me crazy." He looked at her. "Are you sure there's no way I can come with you?"

              She put her head on his shoulder. "It's not as simple as that. I wish it were. There's been no formal contact with your world. Dozens of research projects are going on, involving your people..."

              "Dozens?"

              "Yeah, well, you're very popular with the portal so close. If you know we're watching, everything will change."

Of course, she thought, the border dispute might end it all anyway.

              She shifted under the blankets. "Did you know the word HUMAN has been added to our language? It makes reference to someone who can love and hate something at the same time."

              "Won’t they cut you a little slack, because of your father?"

              "I don't know." She decided not to tell him the slack they might cut her could be his throat. That bit of news could wait for a better time. She didn't want to think about any of that. All she wanted to do was hold him and love him and think about the new life that would soon be growing inside of her.

                                                        ***

              The sunrise painted the sky red in the east. Ben Kramer turned out his men. In half an hour there would be enough light to track.

              He hadn't slept. He'd sleep when this was over. He'd sat all night staring into the fire. Images of Frank and of his wife and daughter had drifted in and out of the flames and glowing embers. Margaret's face was there too, and Josh. He finally convinced himself it was a spell, cast by this witch that drove Josh away. When he burned her, the fire would release his boy and he'd come back to him.