Chapter 5

Chapter Five

C al stared at him, stunned, all air leaving his lungs. As he looked into the man's gaze, he was gobsmacked to realize he had once again blindsided him with his honesty.

"You're serious," Cal whispered, the phrase familiar.

"I'm serious. And I trust your word, so you can trust mine. Let me help you kill this thing. A Wraith used my mother's corpse to feed on, remember? It's a little personal," he spat, fire burning in his eyes.

The raw truth to his statement made Cal's heart race, the thudding firing down from the center of his chest to his gut. There was nothing sexier than seeing Jesse Woodlock have his mind set on something, and Cal saved that look in his mental log of things to remember later.

"You don't get a gun," Cal warned, finding his voice again.

"Give me a ward to keep me armored, and I'm fine. Let's get moving."

Cal exhaled and pulled the cell door open for him, moving to the weapon safe to toss him a ward spell to put on himself. The small scroll was sealed in a metal container, the translation tucked away beside it for the reader who didn't speak the ancient magical language it was written in. They had a couple on hand, each of the deputies and himself always armed with one to protect them from ghosts, Wraiths, and other nasty, spectral entities. Jesse popped it open and whispered the words with the help of the translation, a flash of silver light wrapping around him like a sheen of glass skin before vanishing out of sight to nonmagical beings. The Wraith would be able to see it, but they sure as hell couldn't.

"I assume they're weak to enchanted silver like most Wraiths," Cal asked as he began to pull his clothing off, then glanced in Jesse's direction and scowled. "Turn around."

"What? Are you shy?" He grinned, arms crossed. "That's adorable."

"I'll put you back in that damn cell. Face the back wall and keep telling me about the Wraith," Cal ordered, only continuing his strip-down when the man rolled his eyes and made a show of turning around and facing away from him.

"To answer your question, yes, they are weak to enchanted silver but not the same type of enchants. We had to go to the local Swaili tribe to get the right one, and it wasn't easy. Is that Native guy I shot a Swaili by chance?" Jesse asked over his shoulder but didn't look his way.

"He is, yeah, but he's off healing. We don't know where he is." Cal pushed his pants off after his boots and grabbed his Kadah . "Do you remember what was needed?"

"They called it Awat'nala . It binds to the metal to kill it and keep the sorrow and death from coming back. We're gonna need to find that Native, Sheriff."

"Fuck," Cal hissed, strapping his rifle to his back. "Alright, let's go. Stick close and don't make any sudden movements, or Mack and Gunner might shoot you."

Jesse gave a little salute and followed him out into the night air.

The saloon wasn't far, and Cal couldn't help but make sure he was keeping an eye on Jesse as they crossed the road and made their way there. Jesse stuck close but was keeping an eye out, obviously on alert after learning about the Wraith. Inside the Sweet Rose saloon, the normal haunts were either sitting at the bar downing their drinks or parked at tables playing various versions of dice or cards. Gunner was sitting at a table, Scarlet in his lap watching the game unfold, legs draped over his side and one heeled boot tapping lazily.

Gunner didn't look up from his cards as Cal and Jesse walked over, but Scarlet did and raked eyes over them openly.

"Why, hello, Sheriff Calhoun. Always a pleasure to see you, especially when you dress up for me."

"Evening, Scarlet. Gunner, we need to head out." Cal dropped his voice so the man knew he was serious, which got Gunner to finally move his eyes up from his cards to look between him and Jesse.

"What's going on?" Gunner edged carefully, thrown off by Jesse's presence.

"I'm pretty sure we have a Blight Wraith on our hands. We need all the help we can get."

"Shit. You sure?" Gunner set his cards down and patted Scarlet's ass to signal that he needed to get up. Scarlet moved with practiced ease from Gunner's lap and flashed a charming smile toward Jesse before moving his way.

"Fairly sure, yeah. Any idea where Sky is?" Cal asked, eyeing Scarlet's movement.

"No idea. You know he likes to vanish when he's healing." Gunner was standing, finishing his drink.

"I don't think we've properly met. I'm Scarlet." Scarlet reached a lacey, gloved hand out sweetly, pretending to adjust a bodice that wasn't there. While dressing the part of an elegant lady of the evening, wearing full dresses, donning makeup and perfume, there was nothing elegant or ladylike about Scarlet. While feminine in nature with soft features, long hair, and lashes, he was a male with no breasts and a cock he was very willing to use. Scarlet had offered to show just how good he was at using said cock to Cal on countless occasions.

Jesse took his hand with all the poise of a proper gentleman and kissed the top of the glove. "Evening, Miss Scarlet. A pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, I like you," he purred, batting his mismatched eyes at him in a devastatingly flirty manner. One eye was rich honey brown, the other a bone-chilling ice blue. It made him seem all the more exotic and beautiful.

"You like everyone," Gunner teased, and Scarlet waved him off like he was a passing fancy as he stepped up closer to Jesse. Another gloved hand pressed against Jesse's chest as he spoke.

"How long you in town for, handsome? Got some time to kill…?"

"He's busy," Cal snapped, trying to curb the unwarranted jealousy that was stirring in his gut. "We have a Wraith problem, remember?"

Scarlet sighed dramatically and pouted before petting Jesse's chest one more time as he stepped back and snapped his bratty gaze Cal's way.

"You're looking for Sky, right?" he asked, hand on one hip.

"You know where he is?" Gunner asked curiously.

"He's Swaili , yeah? They worship the earth and drive strength from the ancient rocks. The older the better because it taps into the natural forces that carved the earth or some shit. You remember that quarry at the base of the plateau where that one weird rock guy found that tooth or whatever?"

"Oh, yeah. That was… an old lizard or something." Gunner was snapping his fingers, trying to remember it.

"A theropod tooth. A dinosaur," Jesse corrected. "That was the biggest find in geologic history."

"Sure. Whatever." Scarlet glanced at him like he was speaking in gibberish. "That's not far from here. If I had to put money on where a Native went to meditate and heal, that would be the place."

"I'm… impressed, Scarlet," Cal admit reluctantly, his eyebrows raised.

"What? I can't know shit?" he snorted, very ladylike. "I'm not just a good fuck, Cal. Remember that. You too, gorgeous." He tossed another wink at Jesse for good measure.

"Let's head to the quarry then." Gunner nodded for Cal to go ahead, bringing up the rear as they left the building. Mack and Cody were outside waiting, and when they caught sight of Jesse walking with them, Cody's hand dropped to his gun.

"What the hell is he doing out?!" the younger man snapped.

Mack's face pulled up in a bit of surprise himself.

"Jesse knows how to fight the Wraith. He's fought one before and said he'd help."

"And you believe him?" Cody yelled, pointing a finger at Jesse. "He's gonna run as soon as he gets the chance, Cal!"

"I do believe him, and this isn't up for discussion. He's not going to run, or we'll shoot him, obviously." Cal glanced back at Jesse, who crossed his arms and shrugged.

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Cal, I'm not one to side with the kid easily, but this does seem like a pretty stupid idea. How do we know once we're fighting this thing that a man who's waiting to die won't take off in a quick hurry?" Mack winced, Cody nodding eagerly beside him.

"You trust me, Mack? Have I ever steered you wrong before?" Cal asked calmly.

Mack shook his head.

"No, you never have. You know I trust you, Cal. Just help me understand," his old friend asked, tugging at the strong bond between the two of them.

"Jesse gave me collateral, Mack. He won't run. You can trust me. If it comes to it, I'll shoot him myself. "

Mack eyed him a long time, then gave a slow nod, slapping Cody on the back. "Relax, kid. Cal knows what he's doing."

Cody didn't look terribly convinced, but outvoted and still desperately wanting to be part of the crew, he nodded in resignation and dropped the topic. Cal explained to Cody and Mack what Scarlet had talked about, and both men agreed it was not only genius, but they felt like idiots for not thinking about it sooner. It was one thing to be stumped, but it was a whole nother to be trumped by a cross-dressing mess like Scarlet. All of them would feel that burn for a little while.

I gotta remember to get him some nice perfume or something for helping us.

"You know what we're going to need to do before we head to the quarry to find Sky, right?" Cal sighed, eyeing his men.

"We gotta go find the thing and confirm that it is in fact a Blight Wraith, don't we?" Mack shivered. "God, I was worried you were gonna say that."

"Yep. Get your horses. We're heading to the Smiths."

Jesse chilled at the idea of having to face another Blight Wraith in his lifetime, but certain things just needed to be erased from existence. There was no way in hell he was going to sit around in a cell while he knew there was one of those abominations floating around so close by. Cal and his crew were real quick to run into the fight, but they had made it damn clear they didn't know their ass from a hole in the ground when it came to how to fight a damn Blight Wraith.

The memory of seeing his beautiful mother's body warped and twisted into a hateful monster still made his blood boil. If anyone deserved to rest and have peace, it was her. Between himself and his brother, they hadn't made her life peachy all the time, but she had always made their lives wonderful. It had been right before their father went off to the war that she passed, making it easier for him to leave the horrible memories behind. The night they had to hunt down the Wraith that had once been their sunshine was one of the worst things in his life.

The five of them made their way toward the farm in question, which was just outside the town a couple minutes on horseback. Cal, of course, had shifted and walked beside them in Centaur form, scanning the dark horizon for anything nefarious. When they got closer to the eerily dark farm, the horses started to get uneasy about getting too close where they could sense death lurking close by, so they had to leave them beside the road.

Luckily, the Smiths had left the property to go visit a sick relative after their cows were slaughtered, so the lawmen didn't need to go in for a rescue. The farmhouse tucked away on the plot of land was silent and dark, and the wind carried the faint scent of decay. The memories of that familiar stench crawled up Jesse's spine like a sticky spider, and he felt himself reaching for a gun that wasn't there. Even the summer wind, which was typically warm and sweet at night, seemed to have a bite of coldness to it now.

Cody remembered where the family plot was and led the way there. Each man either had a hand on their guns or had them drawn and ready, except for Jesse, who just stuck by Cal.

"I feel a little naked without something to protect myself," Jesse protested as he glanced around in the silvery moonlit field.

"We're not going to get close enough to need to shoot at it, but if it comes to that, we'll keep you covered," Cal responded from high above. He was damn tall as a Centaur. Jesse only came up to his stomach, which was nice to look at but made conversation a little rough. The other men didn't respond. Either because they probably wouldn't be keeping him safe or were too busy keeping watch for a rotting Blight Wraith. A faint, almost whispering caught Jesse's ears, and he stopped in his tracks, turning his head toward the noise .

"You hear that?" he whispered, glancing up at Cal, who had stopped and was tilting his head as well. The other men halted and watched them, each listening but shrugging helplessly.

"I don't hear anything," Mack whispered back, but Cal held up his hand for silence before pointing toward a stretch of trees.

They moved toward the trees as silently as they could be. Cal was somehow able not to sound like a large, plotting beast as he kept his pace slow and soft. As they neared, the faint scent of the rot became stronger, and the other men started hearing the vicious whispering cries of the Wraith. Just beyond the thick, low trees near the Smith's farm, they saw what they had been looking for.

The Wraith almost seemed beautiful from far away, the way its form seemed to glow a soft blue and moved like fabric in the wind. But the disgusting smell of death and decay came from the wiry, bony form like a corpse that had been rotting in the dirt for days; the stinging stench mixed with tainted earth. The almost skeletal form was hunched over a small coyote, ripping it apart with spectral claws that flayed the meat from the bones without letting the wounds bleed. Jesse knew that when the thing would rend flesh from something, the skin and muscle would atrophy and shrivel, leaving nothing behind.

It was like the Wraith was absorbing it more than it was actually eating anything. Watching the thing feed sent an icy finger up Jesse's spine.

"That's a Blight Wraith," he whispered, unable to hide his disgust.

"Gods, that thing is horrifying," Mack whispered, shaking his head.

"How is it...eating...?" Cody gagged, turning away.

Cal studied the thing with hard, dark eyes for a moment before tapping Mack beside him and signaling to go. Each man backed away slowly from the feeding monster and crept to safety.

"It's big." Jesse glanced over his shoulder toward the trees, only speaking once he felt they were far enough away. "That's bigger than the one we fought back home."

"We're lucky it hasn't gone after any people yet. If that thing wanders toward the town, we're in trouble." Cal adjusted his rifle strap slightly as he scowled. "Let's get to the quarry and pray like hell Sky is there."

The quarry the men had discussed was about a twenty-minute ride due east of Stallion Ridge. The earth that made up the formation was probably stunning during the day and without the looming threat of a Blight Wraith hanging over them. From what Jesse could see in the moonlight, the almost step-like structure of the outcrop descended down with hues of white, pink, and brown, painted in stripes of history . What he wouldn't give to have a chance to dig through this area and discover long-lost treasures of ancient beasts.

They circled around the top of the quarry before finding where the area naturally sloped down enough for the horses and Cal to manage the descent. At the heart of the almost colosseum-like quarry floor, there was a small, man-made structure made of hide with a flap pulled to the side. Sky stepped out of it as they neared, his human form almost breathtaking in the moon's glow.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately, his eyes turning to Cal's for an answer. He didn't seem to want to bother with formalities and didn't seem to give a hell that they went to his private area.

"There's a Blight Wraith at the Smith's farm." Cal cut right to the point. Sky said something in his native language that must have been a curse or something nasty because even in the respectable, melodic tongue of his people, it sounded sharp and hateful.

"You're sure the thing is a Blight Wraith?" He scanned his eyes over the crew, including Jesse. He didn't seem to blink about him being there and not in a cell .

"We're sure. Jesse's seen one before, and he was able to confirm." Cal inclined his head Jesse's way.

"Back home, we needed to get a Swaili to make us an Awat'nala in order to kill it," Jesse explained.

Sky's handsome face scowled as he turned away, nodding slightly.

"Yes, that is the only way," he whispered.

"You can make one, right, Sky?" Mack chimed in hopefully.

Sky nodded, his handsome face set in a serious expression.

"Yes...but not easily. Awat'nala is an ancient charm, very powerful, and requires magic and sacrifice," Sky explained softly. "I'm weakened, so the magic will need a powerful catalyst."

"When you say sacrifice...you mean what, exactly?" Gunner sounded uneasy.

Jesse watched the Swaili closely, not knowing too much about the magic involved in the Awat'nala but knowing that he saw it work before.

"Sacrifice of heart. A piece of something important. Blight Wraiths are born from loss, grief, and sorrow, of hearts failing to return to the earth properly. The physical form, our flesh and blood, are from this earth and stars around us. When they fail to return, the spirit rots and grieves, and the Wraith grows from that. Blight Wraiths are the manifestation of that rot."

"God's balls..." Mack whispered, horrified.

"So what does the Awat'nala do to them?" Cal asked.

"The Awat'nala uses the power of connection, from love, grief, passion...to drive the rot back to the earth. I can put the charm on a silver bullet, and you can use it to strike it down. Unfortunately, I can only make one. I'm too weak to make more."

"Gotta make this one count then." Mack exhaled. "What do you need from us, Sky?"

"The Awat'nala only works if I have something that holds a deep connection with someone. A totem of love, passion, sadness...something personal as a sacrifice to make the charm. "

"Like...what? A wedding ring or something?" Gunner asked, trying to make sense of it.

"Yes. But I know none of you are married. But that's a good thing to compare it to, only if it really tied you to someone you deeply loved or lost. It has to be connected to your heart."

The men grew quiet, trying to think of something. When Jesse caught sight of Cal touching the medallion around his neck, his heart kicked up.

"Here." Cal unlatched the medallion from his neck and held it out in his fist.

"Cal, that's your brother's—" Mack was shaking his head in protest, but Cal cut him off.

"It's what's needed. Can you use this, Sky?" Cal's tone left no room for argument. A deep, hollow feeling of remorse formed in Jesse's gut over the sight. The stupid, cold void making him wish like hell he had anything to contribute to keep Cal's necklace safe. It was the last tie the man had to his lost brother, the final string snapping from a tangle of distant connections to a brother he'd never seen again.

Sky gave one, solemn nod and took the necklace like the priceless treasure it was. Without a word, without trying to argue or talk the man out of it, the Native moved and began to work. Jesse dared to glance toward the Centaur who stood silent, watching as Sky whispered the magic into his fingertips and brought a fire to life in front of his small, hide hut. Cal's strong features were locked in a serious expression, but the sorrow in his eyes was as clear as the moonlight. Distant, cold, and lost.

The urge to reach out and touch him was so overwhelming Jesse's fingers twitched at his side, and he had to fight himself not to react. He didn't know this man. Hell, this sheriff was trying to have him strung up dead for shit sake. But he was a good man, and one that didn't deserve this kind of heartache. If Jesse had the right words to say to make the obvious pain in the man's soul dissipate, he would have, but right then, all he could do was stand by and watch as the necklace was destroyed for the sake of the town.

I can't tell if I respect that completely or hate that he would sacrifice so much for them.

The flutter in his chest stirred confusion that he didn't want to focus on, so he watched the Native work his magic instead.

Sky was whispering to voices no one else could hear, tapping into the ancient magic stored in the history of the world they stood on. The fire twisted and wavered in hues of blue that seemed to match the silvery tint of the moonlight, flaring into pinks and oranges as Sky offered the necklace into the flames. Jesse glanced Cal's way just in time to catch a faint wince across his face before it was settled back into his distant stare.

Dark brows furrowed in concentration as Sky worked, sweat beading on his upper lip as he whispered and pleaded, moving his hands through the fire. The men stood in respectful silence, the air around them humming with an energy they couldn't possibly understand. The fire waned and fell back into a normal color and size as Sky reached in and plucked a perfect silver bullet from the fire's gut.

"It will not fail you," Sky whispered, seeming pale and a little weak.

Cal held out his palm for it, and Sky placed the bullet into his hand and curled the man's fingers around it with his hand around the fist.

"It will not fail you, Calhoun," Sky whispered again, looking into Cal's eyes. Sky had known. Of course he had known how important the necklace had been, and he made sure not to let the sacrifice be in vein.

"Thank you," Cal whispered, giving the man a nod before Sky settled back by the fire. The group retreated in silence after that, and Jesse was glad as hell this Wraith was about to fucking die.

It was settled that Gunner would take the shot, since he was the second best shot from Sky. Jesse was fairly sure he would have been up for lead in this category, but he knew the men weren't about to hand him a gun. As they neared the farm to track down the Wraith, the faint, chilling sound of a woman screaming rippled through the night air.

"That's coming from in town," Gunner said quickly, not waiting to discuss it further before kicking his horse into a gallop, the rest of them following along. The screams grew as they rushed toward Stallion Ridge, gunshots sounding off with the panicked shrieks of mortals. The Wraith was calling out like a banshee by the time they arrived, their horses bucking and desperately trying to flee from under them.

The Wraith was howling through the streets, reaching out with its impossible sickle-shaped fingers to attack the terrified occupants of Stallion Ridge as it floated toward them. The only people there at night were shop owners who lived above their stores, and of course the saloon girls and bartender. The saloon seemed to be trying to barricade the doors, and Scarlet was pouring what looked like salt around the outside of the building.

"Cody, get people to safety. Mack, grab Elliot and start checking for injuries," Cal ordered as he swung his rifle free from its holder as the men followed his command. Gunner was rushing off to find a good spot to take his shot, and Cal looked like he was ready to charge the vicious spirit alone.

"You can't seriously think you can fight that thing alone, do you?" Jesse hissed at him, glancing toward the rotting Wraith screaming for more flesh as it desperately ducked through the alleys and streets.

"Stay out of the way. I have silver in this. It'll slow it down while Gunner lines up a shot."

"That's suicide. Give me a gun. I'll help!" Jesse said, shocking himself as it came out of his mouth. He hadn't planned on fighting the fucking ghost; he planned on running. With the chaos the way it was and all the men busy, this was the perfect time to run. But for some reason, the thought of Cal rushing headfirst at that disgusting Wraith had Jesse's gut in knots.

"Stay out of the way, Jesse. This isn't your fight." Cal dropped his tone, his dark eyes flashing as he glanced his way, dismissing him. As much as it shouldn't have, the dismissal stung like a slap. He had allowed himself to believe that he had been part of the fight, not just a source of information. Of course he was a tool to be used. He was just the captured bandit who was good as dead anyway.

Jesse's jaw set as he watched the stubborn, jackass Centaur trot after the Wraith, who was floating like a deranged cloud through the town. Gunner was parked near the railing of a building, his long rifle propped and steady as he watched the thing. Cal fired a shot of silver at it to draw its wandering attention toward him and stood his ground.

It was time to go.

Jesse slipped away as the Wraith screamed, the sound mixing with the panic in the air like a whirling storm of death and fear. Jesse's horse was trotting around nervously near the edge of the town, but Jesse had been able to tie the reins to a post before the animal could bolt in fear. Unlatching the reins, he gripped them to steady the beast as he swung into the saddle, another gunshot from Cal's rifle and his determined yell catching Jesse's attention.

The Wraith was finally turning its wavering attention toward him, claws out and splayed as he drifted his way, and Cal fired another round of silver into the wispy form. Jesse urged his horse away from the town and made a break for freedom.

He looked back over his shoulder just in time to see Gunner take his shot.

And miss.