Page 14 of Tusks & Saddles

Chapter Nine

Willamina

“ Y ou rat bastard!” Willamina Jones shrieked as she embedded several more explosive rounds into the deep gash her Paladin made down the spine of the beast. Betty ignited them with daemon fire.

Pop, pop, pop. Like a gory firework show, the sand slither lashed left and right with every round that exploded.

Its blood splashed all over the sand, melting it into nothing.

The sand slither dropped to the ground, but the sand muffled any sound.

Dust sprayed everywhere as Will raced through it to find Boone.

“Boone Larokson, don’t you fucking die on me, you jackwagon!

” she roared through a coughing fit as sand kicked up into her lungs.

Her talons hit the dirty sand, wings trying to beat back the cloud around her.

As everything finally settled, she found her Paladin dropped to one knee.

His sword was embedded in the flesh of the beast, his golden armor decorated in its blood.

Will’s legs gave out underneath her and she sank to the sand in front of him. “Boone?”

“Nice shot,” he wheezed, a tired hand reaching behind his head to pull the golden helmet from his sweat-soaked head. All his armor blinked out of existence and he was just Boone again .

“Baby, talk to me.” She crept forward, clawed hands trembling as she scooped up his face.

“Baby?” he chuckled. Her face paled as glassy eyes glanced up at her.

All his hair was stuck to his face and neck, and there were three large barbs embedded in him.

One in his shoulder, one in his left leg, and one in his side.

And yet, he smiled at her. That glassy, far away expression on his face made her stomach clench up.

“You’re okay,” she whimpered as she patted down her sides for her pack. “Shit. Betty!”

Her nightmare galloped over to her side, dropped down onto her flaming knees.

“I’m okay, Will—”

“Shh-shh-shh, it’s fine. It’s just a scratch.” She tried to shush him as she ransacked the saddle. Her Nightmare doused her own flames with a whinny, and she was back to being a regular, non-flaming horse. Saddle and reigns intact, but disheveled as Will ripped things out of it left and right.

“Will,” he laughed.

“Shut! Up! It’s in here—”

“Baby, look at me.”

Her head snapped back to him and found him staring at her, a warm smile on his face. He ripped the barb out of his own leg, flames licking up his body and closing the wound. She let out a ragged breath as he proceeded to take the others out with a heavy grunt. “Shit, that stings.”

“But you’re alright?” Hissing tears trickled down her cheeks as she patted down his once wounded leg .

“Flesh wounds I can fix,” he grumbled as he rolled his shoulders back. A loud, concerning crack filled the air, followed by his appreciative groan.

“Gods above, why couldn’t you have been there when Jacobus broke his leg then?” Her voice came out in a shaky sob.

“Bones I can’t fix.” Boone took her clawed hands off his body and lifted them to his lips. Her shoulders sagged immediately toward him. “And besides, I told him not to go, but those idiots got to him.”

“Thank you!” she barked, nearly smacking him silly with the back of her hand as she fell backward into the sand dramatically. “I tried to tell him that, but does he listen? No! No one ever listens to Will!”

Her heart stopped as she laid there, on her back, coated in sand and grime, staring up a multi-colored sky with only a glimmer of light reaching above the dunes...and watched as Boone slowly crawled over her. His hands landed on either side of her head. She swallowed hard.

“I listen to you all the time.”

“Yeah, well, you aren’t a bumbling idiot who needs saving.”

“He’s not that bad,” Boone chuckled warmly, his lips curling up in that charming way that tied up her stomach in knots.

“You know...” She had to fight her breathlessness, shivering as he shifted to be on his elbows instead.

His fingers brushed the crusty hair from her face, and she wanted so very much that this moment wasn’t happening after a fight.

What she wouldn’t give to be one of those glamorous princesses he was used to from the stronghold.

The girls in pretty dresses and good hair that never frizzed, who were patient and kind and sweet.

They would be so demur, flirtily batting their eyelashes up at him.

But she wasn’t. “If this is going to work, you’re going to have to deal with us bickering. ”

“Who? You and me?” He scoffed, cocking his head to one side. “You forget I purposely push those buttons of yours because I like when you talk back to me. Or you mean you and Jacobus, wherein you’re usually right and he’s just doing his best.”

Boone dug into the sand to put her cheeks in his palm.

“I’m mean, Boone.”

“I like you mean, we’ve established this.”

“I can’t...” She cut out as her throat closed up on her, two hot tears spilling down her cheek where the pad of his thumb caught them. “I can’t give you an easy life, Boone.”

“I ain’t askin’ for one, Baby...Level with me.

Let’s get back to Roger, pick up what’s left, figure out the damage, then let’s me and you talk about this later?

Huh? That way you can make me a list of every reason you think this won’t work.

And I can prove each of those things wrong.

” He pressed a soft, dry kiss to her forehead and it was the sweetest feeling in the world.

Will didn’t trust herself to say any more.

Firstly, because she desperately needed to rinse off and there wasn’t a river for a whole day’s ride.

Secondly, because if she tried her luck here, they might be caught screaming at each other when another sand slither snuck up, lured by the smell of blood and their racket.

And thirdly, because she wanted to kiss him so bad it hurt, but if she kissed him, she’d end up naked in the sand and yet again there wasn’t a lick of water for miles.

And I’m not riding with grit between my ass cheeks.

Boone hoisted her up and out of the sand, putting Betty’s reins in her hands in one fluid motion.

Her horse butted her head against her side and Will ruffled the hair on top of her head.

They lumbered forward, their limbs heavy already.

The ride for today would be slow and agonizing, but sitting still would be a death sentence.

“There you are!” Roger called out as the three crested the last dune between their camp and the cattle.

The enchantment had fallen, leaving Roger as their only guardian.

The soft, confused moo’s as he urged them to walk forward fell away as more cattle agreed to move.

Her ranch hand rode up slow on Killer, the destroyed bones of a hundred skeletons littered the sands.

A hot morning breeze as the sun rose up another inch on the horizon licked up her back as Will stopped walking.

“I was worried I was pushing this herd by myself now.”

“You know I wouldn’t leave you to do that alone. It would take The Bellringer dragging me her damn self to stop me.” She threw her leg up and over the saddle, settling back into the hard leather.

“Where’s Kaffa?” Roger looked around.

“She didn’t run back to you?” Boone spun, searching the horizon.

“Didn’t see her.” Roger’s eyes grew wide.

“It’s fine," Will gritted her teeth. This is not fine. Gracie’s horse was likely running like a hare through the desert, lost and confused.

Boone didn’t have a horse and three people was already cutting it pretty thin.

Will leaned forward, putting her face directly in Betty’s braid.

The thick smell of woodsmoke and amber filled her nose, clearing her senses that were already pretty shot.

Think, think, think, what would daddy do?

“ Will, I—”

“Just give me a second!” she barked through Betty’s mane.

Think faster, motherfucker, or else you’re going to break down and cry and what the fuck good does crying do?

Crying never made her feel better, it just gave her a headache.

One that was already threatening to take her now, thanks to her earlier waterworks.

After another sharp inhale, she sat up straight on her saddle and spoke.

“Boone, take Betty. I’ll fly ahead, try and find Kaffa. ”

“Then you’ll just be out in the sky and what happens if you lose us?” Boone crossed his arms.

“She can’t have gotten that far.” She shifted to get off Betty only to be shoved forcefully back into place. “Boone, wha—”

“Kaffa’s got my stuff on her saddle still. I’ll cast a locate spell on my stuff. If she didn’t head back home, we lead the herd toward her, then redirect once we’ve got her.”

“And if she is headed home?” she spat.

“We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it.” Boone rubbed Betty’s neck. “Apologies, girl, I promise to sit as light as I can.”

And that’s when Boone tossed himself up and onto her saddle, shoving Will’s stomach into the horn.