Chapter Text
He could remember the heat of the flames against his skin…the shouting…the screaming.
He could remember everyone scrambling to escape…crying for their friends and loved ones.
He could remember seeing people for the last time…not knowing if they died from a bullet or the fire.
He could remember his face…watching from the edge of town…smiling…proud of himself.
He remembered these things every day…they ate away at him like a disease.
But most of all he remembered how much he hated him .
And how good it would feel to get his revenge.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
“You will marry Mr. Saltarian and that is the final word on the matter.”
Your father’s voice echoed in your head as you looked forlornly out the stagecoach window. Miles and miles of dry land had passed you by. No longer were you surrounded by the fertile fields of your home, Missouri was far away at this point. You were getting closer and closer to your fate. Closer and closer to a man you had never met but would soon be calling your husband.
The comments about “dear Mr. Saltarian" started a few months ago. You heard about how wise and handsome he was. How he had a large estate in Nevada that was beautiful, but needed a woman’s touch. That his job as a bank owner afforded him every luxury one could imagine.
But mostly how Mr. Saltarian needed a wife and how it was going to be you.
You had chosen not to comment on any attempts your parents made to talk about the man. There wasn’t a point anyway, you had been told for years now that they were looking for a good match for you. You couldn’t live with your parents forever and you didn’t want to, but why couldn’t you find someone that you loved? Why did it have to be this man, miles and miles away from the only home you had ever known?
According to the whispers you had overheard from your father’s butler and a few of the cooks it was because of money. Apparently your father had gotten a loan years ago from Mr. Saltarian and had been unable to pay it off. Now he either must sell his business and your home or find some other way to repay the man.
“Luckily for the boss his daughter is pretty and unwed, that’ll be payment enough won’t it?”
You had turned and ran back down the corridor as their laughter echoed behind you. Flinging herself into your mother’s arms you had begged her to talk your father out of it. Begged her to let you stay and find someone you loved to marry and let you have a chance at being happy. She had remained stiff and quiet in your arms for a few moments until you finally had stopped sobbing, little hiccups escaping you as you tried to control yourself.
“My daughter, most women do not have the luxury to choose who they marry. You will learn to love Mr. Saltarian just like I learned to love your father.” Your eyes searched her face, looking for any sign of remorse for what she was doing to you but it remained impassive and blank.
You had finally resigned yourself to your fate, to be unhappy and basically sold to a man you barely knew. He hadn’t even come with the associates and stagecoach he had sent for you. There were six men in total, two drivers and four others that looked more like thugs than bank employees. You watched as they had loaded the few trunks of belongings you were allowed to bring. They were dressed all in black and remained quiet throughout their preparations.
When a few of them started to check their weapons over before you all left you couldn’t help but look scared. You’d never seen so many guns in your life, the only gun you’d ever seen up close was a small revolver your father owned. These men had revolvers at their hips and rifles in their hands. One of them noticed your wide eyed stare and chuckled. “You’ll be thankful we have these if we run into any bandits on the road.”
The man that seemed to be in charge walked over to your father and mother and started speaking to them in a low voice. You didn’t hear everything he said but he mentioned having to watch for a particular group of bandits on the way to Nevada. He mentioned that Mr. Saltarian was worried about the stagecoach being attacked and you possibly being kidnapped. What have your parents gotten you involved with?
Even though you were scared you couldn’t help a small thrill from racing through you at the mention of bandits and even the possibility of being kidnapped. As a refined, sophisticated young woman you were supposed to show interest in delicate activities such as knitting, embroidery or just sitting quietly and looking pretty. But you had always loved stories of the lawless west. Tales of cowboys and bandits filled your head when you sat prim and proper in church. When you laid in bed at night you often imagined what it would be like running into a ruggedly handsome gunslinger.
You especially thought about this while you touched yourself.
As the guard spoke more it was apparent that there was one person in particular that Saltarian’s men were worried about: The Cardinal. You had heard of him before, his exploits often made the newspaper headlines and you had seen his wanted poster in the window of a few local businesses. There were usually a few of the other members of his gang nearby as well, the papers had taken to calling them Ghouls. The sketches they made of the Ghouls were frightening, they looked almost demon-like with their faces hidden behind silver masks.
But the one of The Cardinal didn’t frighten you at all. Even with many sketches showing him to have odd, discolored eyes. A white eye that people speculated was given to him by the devil himself. You weren’t ashamed to admit you thought him handsome. He wore what looked like black kohl around his eyes, making them even more mesmerizing. The posters showed other ways to identify him, he usually had a mustache and sideburns and he often wore a long dark red duster.
No one knew his real name, or that of any of his Ghouls. The rumor was that he had grown up in a church (and a devil worshiping one at that) if you believed some of the gossip. Some people said he was unhappy with his place in the church and had murdered most of the upper clergy. Others said the nearby town had finally had enough of the evil church and burned it all down one night, with many of the members still inside. Either way it was said The Cardinal was one of the few surviving members and that he rode through the western lands with his Ghouls committing evil acts in the name of Lucifer.
You shook your head and brushed your hands down the front of your traveling dress. It was a dress your mother had made specifically for your trip. She had chosen a fabric that was white and blue and to you completely impractical for traveling in the dusty west. It had already gotten stained while you were able to stretch your legs during the short stops the guards had allowed. You did like that it had pockets though and you snuck your hand into one to grip the folded piece of paper you had slipped in there.
While the dressmaker and your mother had been speaking you had drifted to the shop window and seen one of The Cardinal’s wanted posters. You snuck a peak back at the two women and glanced briefly out to the street before pulling the poster off the window. It seemed such a silly thing to do, but you figured if you were being forced to marry a boring bank owner like Mr. Saltarian you should allow yourself a small thrill. Something to look at when lying alone in the dark in your new home.
Your daydreaming ended when you heard a commotion outside the stagecoach. One of the two guards that sat across from you stuck their head out the window to speak with the drivers. You saw the other two guards that were on horseback ride by quickly, the horses kicking dust up as they sped off. The men had their guns out and the sunlight glinted off the metal. Your heart started pounding in your chest, what was happening?
All at once both drivers started shouting and you could hear loud popping sounds out in the distance. You rushed to look out the window but one of the guards shoved you back into your seat. “Stay down!” The man turned and looked out the window and you could easily see the fear on his face. The popping sounds started again and were beginning to get closer. One of the guards aimed their rifle out the window and started shooting. You couldn’t help but yelp and throw your hands over your ears at the loud sound.
The stagecoach suddenly veered off to the left and the momentum flung you and the guards to the side. You were able to grip the window while the guards ended up on the floor, their rifles falling from their hands. You looked outside and your mouth fell open as you saw numerous figures on horseback in the distance, quickly gaining ground to the stagecoach. You couldn’t tell how many there were through the dust in the air, but the guards with you were obviously outnumbered. You didn’t even see the two that had been on horseback anymore.
As the group got closer one rider broke away and quickly started gaining ground on you. One of the drivers leaned out from his seat in the corner of your eye and you yelped when he started firing at the rider. You watched as he leaned to the side and his horse quickly maneuvered out of the way. He then pulled his own gun out and fired off a series of rounds towards where the drivers were sitting.
The man was focused on where he was shooting and didn’t seem to have noticed you, but you couldn’t take your eyes off of him. He brought his horse closer to the side of the carriage and you saw the group of riders behind him split with half going around behind you and the other going closer to the front, getting closer and closer to the drivers.
Abruptly he turned his head and your mouth fell open at what you saw. Two familiar mismatched eyes looked into your own. The other features you saw were familiar to you as well, a mustache and sideburns. Over his shoulders was a dusty dark red coat flapping in the air as he rode next to you. You brought your eyes back to his and a sudden grin flashed over his face and he winked at you before pulling away and riding around the back with his other riders.
A hard grip on your arm shook you out of your trance and you were pulled back into the carriage as the guard reloaded his rifle. The drivers were shouting again and you could just make out what they were saying over the commotion of hooves and gunfire. It was something you didn’t need to hear though, you already knew who was out there.
“It’s The Cardinal! He’s found us!”
