Ringed Love

Chapter 1

Chapter 153 years after the surrender of New Colorado Protectorate

Nick leaned back, wiped his thinning bangs back from his forehead with his clean hand, and shook blood from his other hand. Pulling the glove off, he muttered, “I’m too damn old for this crap.” He waved at one of the students, a girl of about twenty. “Mabel, you’re up. Get gloved in, pick a partner, and save this cow.”

Grabbing the side of the stall, Nick hoisted himself to his feet, stifling a groan as he did so. Damn arthritis. He couldn’t stay in one position for too long or crouch on the ground anymore, but he could still throw a knife with deadly accuracy.

He washed his hands in the bucket before turning and watching two of his five students use the running water of the barn trough to scrub their hands clean. Nick nodded to one of the remaining three. “There are more gloves in the travel kit. Get them ready for Mabel and Rick.”

Pacing around the calving stall more to ease the kinks in his joints than anything else, Nick dipped his head from side to side and swung his arms a bit. He looked over the students. Their faces reflected emotions from slight tension to horror at what they were about to do.

“The calf is dead,” he said flatly. “The cow will die also if we don’t get the dead calf out of her. Farmers depend on their herds. We depend on the farmers to feed us. That means sometimes putting your feelings aside and doing what needs to be done for the greater good.” Nick looked around as he lectured. Of the dozen or so girls and boys who had begun training with him a few years ago, these five were all that were left.

Over half a century ago, he had been similarly taught and had promised to carry on the tradition of training others to take his place when the time came. In another year these remaining students would travel farther north to Yellowknife City near the Great Slave Lake and sit for exams. If they passed, they’d become the next generation to provide medical care for humans and animals alike in Yellowknife Protectorate.

Right now, they had more pressing issues. Getting a dead calf from a live cow was at the top of that list.

Mabel pulled the gloves up beyond her elbows and nodded to Rick. He held a tray of instruments and tools. Mabel selected what she needed and began the procedure. When she turned a little green as she pulled the first of the calf’s legs free, she said, “Maybe tell us about when my mother came back?”

Nick’s students had gotten into the habit of also getting him to recount the history of their city, Elk’s Ridge, in Yellowknife Protectorate. “After we came back here, I found out your grandmother, Amelia, had taken your mother and uncle and moved away. I always suspected Todd issued some threat against her for having turned me in to Victor Raleigh. He was Vice Chancellor of New Colorado Protectorate at the time. The scumbag was on a mission to use the psychic slaves to further his cause and bring about the end of the war in favor of West Caldera.” Nick stopped and moved to a different spot behind the cow. “Let’s get some fluids started on her. She’s not fussing much. Show me what antibiotics we need.”

Two of the students began getting an IV set up for the cow while debating which medications should be used. The remaining student held up the bottle of medicine they decided was best. Nick smiled and nodded.

“So back to Karen. She was just three or four when Amelia took her and Kieran and moved away. Her grandmother, Millie, told me they had family in the east somewhere, I think. Thirty years later she showed up, taking pot shots at me.” Nick shrugged. “Couldn’t really blame her, I guess. I would’ve been pissed off, too. She was a victim, just like me.” He sighed. “We were both victims because of the choices Karen’s mother made.”

“Did she shoot you, Dr. Ruger?” one of the boys asked.

Nick snorted. “Sentries don’t live into their fifties without good instincts and reflexes.” He tapped his temple. “I got enough of a warning and ducked in time. Fortunately, I was able to disarm her before she could do much more damage.”

“I bet Sheriff Ruger tossed her in jail fast,” Rick said.

Nick laughed. “I thought he was going to wrap the barrel of the rifle around her neck. Needless to say, he was a bit pissy about the whole thing.” He stopped and helped pull one of the calf’s legs free, placing it in a tarp at the side of the stall. “I’d always thought he’d made some threat against Amelia, and that was when I found out he actually had threatened to kill her.”

“I can’t believe the oh-so impeccable and respectable Sheriff Ruger did that!” one of the other girls chimed in. Despite Todd having been retired for nearly a decade, everyone in the city still called him Sheriff.

“Yeah, he was a bit wilder back then.”

Nick and the students stopped talking while they completed the task at hand. Eventually the remains of the dead calf were cleared away for proper disposal. The stall was cleaned and the cow offered food and water, which she refused.

“Hopefully she’ll start eating by tomorrow morning,” Nick said. He and his students settled outside in the barn aisle. “We’ll hang around and keep an eye on her for a bit.”

“What was it like when all the people started moving north?” Mabel asked.

Nick closed his eyes for a minute, then drew a deep breath. He sat on a crate and leaned against a doorframe. “It was a mess. Of course the worst part was getting out of New Colorado Protectorate, and not just for us.”

* * * *

Three days after the surrender of New Colorado Protectorate

“Nick. Wake up.” Todd shook Nick’s shoulder.

After finding Todd’s mentor and the most ranking Sentry Jimmy Cantor’s house abandoned and a letter from Jimmy telling them to pack up what they could and burn the rest, they’d taken both of Jimmy’s wagons, hitched the teams, and headed north. They’d gone more than a day with no sleep, so they didn’t travel any farther than necessary. As soon as they found a place to pull off the road and into the woods, they made a camp. Nick didn’t want to overtax the horses; they were pulling heavy loads, and all they transported couldn’t be consolidated to one wagon. Todd didn’t want Nick overtaxed either.

Since nightfall they had taken turns sleeping. Each had two hours awake and two hours asleep. Now it looked as if Todd was going to miss his last shift sleeping.

“Hmm,” Nick rolled over and mumbled. “Someday we’re going to be done sleeping in wagons and on the ground.” He sat up and ran both hands through his hair, then shook his head and blinked at Todd.

“What now?”

Putting two fingers to his lips, Todd whispered, “Shhh.”

“Huh?” Nick squinted at him. Todd pointed beyond him to a spot on the other side of the road. Nick leaned over, looked, and sighed. “Any thoughts?”

There was a line of wagons of various types and sizes traveling along the road. Some of the wagons had horses and goats tied behind them. Todd could tell even from this distance many of the wagons were being used to transport entire families.

“Not yet. See or feel anything we can use?” Todd asked.

Nick inched forward and Todd watched closely. He kept a hand between Nick’s shoulder blades and looked over the top of his head.

“Nothing bad, but they’re hiding something. At least some of them are,” Nick said and glanced back at Todd. “Do you—”

Shots rang out. A man on one of the wagons slouched on the bench.

“Crap,” Todd spat. He darted to one of their wagons and pulled a rifle and his handgun from it. Snatching Nick’s knife pouch, Todd tossed it to him.

“Todd, look.” Nick pointed to a few people scrambling for cover. “How close are we to West Caldera?”

“Technically I think we’re already in West Caldera, ever since Raleigh sold out the whole damn protectorate.” He checked the horses’ ties, then pointed with a couple of fingers to a cliff face. “I bet there’s only those two, or they’d be all over those people by now.”

More gunfire came from the top of the cliff. The people in the wagons were ducking for cover, shoving children in and under the wagons, creating general pandemonium. Adding to the commotion were spooked horses, goats tugging on their restraints and making all sorts of frightened noises. A few people broke away from the group of wagons and began climbing the approximately fifteen-foot distance up, no doubt in pursuit of their assailants. They took a path that would bring them to the top of the escarpment a dozen or so yards from the snipers.

Todd and Nick were closer and slightly higher on the hillside that would lead them to the edge of the cliff.

“Those people are going to get shot trying to get up there,” Nick said in a low voice.

Todd moved farther away from their wagons and took a good look around. The snipers were in some trees right at the edge of the cliff face. Rocks and pine trees obscured part of the view.

“If we can’t see them, I’m going to bet they aren’t going to see us until we’re right on top of them. You distract them, and I’ll move in from there,” Todd said. He pointed to the one spot that had more bushes and trees. “Let’s try to take them alive.”

Nick nodded. “And do what with them?” He whispered. “Drag them back to Elk’s Ridge and do what?”

The sky wasn’t as dark as in the dead of night, but predawn still gave them some decent cover.

Todd took a deep breath. “Excellent point. The bastards are shooting at kids. Let’s do this and decide what to do with them after we stop them from hurting any of those people.”

Keeping low and moving as quickly as they could, Todd and Nick made quick time creeping along the ridge. This area was mainly the foothills for a more mountainous region to the north. That currently worked to their advantage and provided ample cover.

They separated so they could approach the men from slightly different directions. Nick moved through the more densely wooded area, taking him out of Todd’s sight for a few minutes. Todd heard a slight rustle of leaves and a low whistle. One of the men apparently heard it, too. He tapped the other guy’s shoulder, turned, and pointed to the trees behind them. In the next second, one of Nick’s knives was sticking out of his shoulder. His buddy swore and turned away from the cliff edge, taking aim at the woods.

Todd couldn’t see Nick, so he knew these men couldn’t either. That didn’t mean a lucky shot in the direction of the knife throw wouldn’t hit Nick. Picking up the pace, Todd was able to use the distraction provided by Nick to get within a few feet of the uninjured man until the guy swung in his direction.

Pulling his shirt to the side and exposing the tattoo that was the symbol of the sentries, Todd ordered, “Drop it!”

The man tried to hold his gun on Todd and at the same time stem the bleeding of the other man. The three people—a woman and two men, Todd saw clearly now—who were working their way up from the road below crashed through the trees. The woman and one man were armed with handguns. The other man, who was much younger, wore a slave collar and carried rope slung over one shoulder.

Todd turned so they could see his tattoo as well. “I’m a sentry. Unless someone here is a sheriff or military officer, that makes me the law. Weapons down. Now.” He flicked his gaze to Nick as Nick stepped clear of the woods. He mimicked Todd’s actions and pulled his shirt away so the brand under his left collarbone that matched Todd’s tattoo showed. “He’s with me,” Todd said.

Silently Nick stepped forward. The uninjured sniper was on his feet in a heartbeat. He lifted his rifle and trained it on Todd. Dipping his head at the wounded man, he ground out, “He’s bleeding out. Sentries don’t have any authority here. You have two choices.” He swung the gun in Nick’s direction. “Help us or die.”

Nick froze. “We’re not helping you kill innocent people,” he said.

When the man turned his attention to Nick, Todd darted forward. He grabbed the man’s wrist and yanked. Todd slammed a knee into the man and cranked his arm behind him and up. “Nick, get his gun.”

Todd wondered what the hell he was going to do with them all.

The two newcomers lowered their weapons with no objection.

Nick wasted no time disarming the man. He nudged the other man’s rifle to the side with his foot. Looking around at the others, Nick said softly, “I’m trained as a doctor. That man’s wound is serious, and I can stop the bleeding.”

“Leave him,” the woman snapped. “They’ve been tracking us and picking us off for two days. We’ve got three wounded and have buried two more because of them. We have children they’re shooting at.”

“You all need to be put down.” The wounded man struggled to get up as he talked.

Todd nodded at the man carrying rope. “Can you take care of this one?”

“Of course,” the man said and smiled. Todd got a better look at him. He was barely more than a kid. Todd wondered if he was even the required age, twenty-two, to be released from a slave village.

“What’s your name, kid?” Todd asked.

“Kells.”

Todd held the captive tightly until Kells had him tied securely, then shoved him to the ground. While they did that, Nick knelt beside the other man. He reached out and tried to move the man’s clothes away, saying softly, “I need a better look at this.”

The man shoved Nick’s hands away and scrabbled for his gun. Nick pushed it farther out of the way, and the woman retrieved it. “Get your hands off me! You’re the one who caused this,” the man snapped.

“I…you’re bleeding,” Nick insisted. He looked up at Todd, exasperation all over his face. More struggling from the man drew Nick’s attention back to him. “No, don’t do that!” The man grabbed Nick’s knife and yanked it out of his shoulder, screaming through clenched teeth.

“Damn fool,” the other man with Kells said and rolled his eyes. “Let him bleed out.”

Nick grabbed the man’s wrist and squeezed, making him drop the knife. “We can’t—”

“He refused treatment,” the woman countered.

Nick blew out a frustrated growl and leaned over the man, pressing the heel of a hand to the wound. When the guy howled, Nick grumbled, “Shut up.” He looked around at the others. “He wouldn’t be in so much trouble if he’d left the knife in.”

“If you hadn’t put it there in the first place, this wouldn’t even be an issue!” the other guy shouted.

“Stow it,” Todd snapped.

Nick looked at him and shrugged. “He’s not lying.”

“You’re not helping,” Todd groused.

Nick rolled his eyes, retrieved his knife, and wiped it off on the bottom of his shirt. He motioned to Kells. “Help me sit him up.”

Todd looked at the second man and held out his hand. “Todd Ruger. This is my mate, Nick.”

“Trey Arnold.” Trey shook Todd’s hand and nodded politely to Nick. “This is Faye Lintz.” He motioned to the woman.

Faye held up a hand and said, “Hello. Now back to these two.”

Nick unbuttoned and took his overshirt off. Ripping it in strips, he fashioned a pressure bandage. “Is there enough rope to tie him up, too?”

Kells nodded. He and Trey tied the sniper as well as they could while not disturbing the makeshift dressing.

Todd looked around the group. He pointed a finger at Trey. “Fill me in.”

“They—” Trey nodded to the two restrained snipers “—are part of a detail from West Caldera military and Raleigh’s militia. From what we can gather, they were sent to ‘round up,’ as they put it, owners and slaves and any sympathizers—”

“Sympathizers?” Todd asked.

Faye nodded. “People like me who worked in the slave villages raising and teaching the children.”

“You’re a tutor?” Nick asked. Todd thought he paled slightly.

“I was.” Faye smiled. “Weapons, tracking, and defense training, as well as mathematics.” She crossed her arms in front of her and studied Nick for a few seconds.

“She never hurt us,” Kells said.

Both Todd and Nick turned their attention to him, and Todd asked, “Where are you from?”

“There is—was—a small village southeast of here. Twenty children at the most. There are more of us and some of the other tutors in our group. Mr. Arnold and the people with him helped us escape and took us with them,” Kells explained.

“Not all of us use physically aggressive teaching techniques,” Faye added.

“Where are you going?” Todd asked. Faye and Trey looked at each other, then the two restrained men. Todd sighed. “They can’t exactly get a message to anyone now, and clearly—“ he dipped his head in Nick’s direction “—I’m not in agreement with them.”

“Considering the West Caldera laws on executing owners on the spot, you understand our caution,” Faye said.

“Oh, believe me, I know all about their methods,” Todd muttered.

“We can’t turn them loose,” Faye said. She’d begun to pace.

“We’re not going to. However, we’re also not standing around here in the woods to wait for more of their friends to show up. Help Nick and me get them to our wagons,” Todd said.

“Come with us. Please join our group,” Trey blurted out.

Faye grabbed his arm and turned him away from Todd and to her. “What are you—?”

“They’re sentries. Sentries who are also an owner and slave.” Trey nodded toward Todd. “He’s right, he has authority—legal authority. We could use their help and protection.” He leveled a hard stare on Todd. “That is still what sentries do, protect people who need it?”

“Yes,” Todd and Nick said together. Todd heaved a sigh. “Our situation hasn’t changed. We still need to get these two somewhere until we decide what to do with them or find somewhere to detain them. Your wagons are over there, and ours are back that way.”

Trey nodded. He turned to Faye and said, “It’s the best way to defend the kids.”

Faye huffed a breath, and Todd got the impression she and Trey hadn’t just met and banded together. A quick glance at Nick, who was watching the two intently, confirmed Todd’s suspicions.

“Our wagons are closer,” Nick said softly.

“Let’s get these guys secured and go listen to what they have to say,” Todd said. He held Nick’s gaze for another second. It was clear Nick wanted to know what was going on with these people as much, or maybe more, than Todd did.