The Ocean’s City

I licked my lips clean from our kiss and searched his expression for any hints of what he meant by not speaking. His thumbs brushed the sides of my temple, and our breaths slowly came under control.

“Please, Silvestia. I know you don’t have a lick of respect for me, and I know in your eyes I don’t deserve your loyalty, but… I need you to follow my lead. Now more than ever.”

“But what—” his lips came clashing against mine once again. This time was much shorter, and when our lips detached, his expression was much more severe than before. I didn’t say a thing. He didn’t either; instead, his eyes looked into mine like he was sure we could suddenly communicate telepathically if he stared long enough.

Carefully, almost strategically, Dalton reached for my hand. “Come, wife. Let’s get you back to your sister and be on our way.”

The way he spoke sounded like he was speaking in code. It caused shivers down my spine. Slowly, it felt like his secrets were coming to light, and I was no longer going to be left in the dark, but even by the way he paced back to the others, I could tell he was scared. Dalton’s height towered over me. He was muscular, and his face always bore a formidable expression. Not to mention the supernatural things he could do. In all my life, I’ve been afraid of things, but nothing more than being afraid of him. If he is scared, then…

“It will be dark soon. Let’s make some space from this hellhole and get set up for the night,” Dalton called out to everyone but didn’t stop to talk to them. He led me straight to his horse and lifted me. The sunrise was in the final stages of its vibrant color show. Dalton gave a fierce kick, and the horse went straight to galloping west. I held on and watched the light slowly die out.

…

The moon was bright enough that we could see where we were going. Dalton seemed so far in his world as he maneuvered the horse around a creosote tree. Another horse caught up to us; its sinches in the saddle clinked as the horse pranced like it was in a parade. Hutson’s butt tapped the saddle with a thud sound. When he spoke, he sounded annoyed. “This horse will not behave much more tonight.”

Dalton didn’t acknowledge Hutson’s presence as he stared into the distance. I looked from Dalton to Hutson. Hutson’s face expressed he understood. “Exhaustion will not help us any.” Two seconds passed before Dalton finally huffed and pulled the reins back on his horse.

“We camp here tonight. Two on watch at all times.”

One man called back with a yes, sir, and then everyone eagerly hopped down from their horses. Dalton carefully helped me down, but he was cold in his touch. For the first time, I wasn’t right there before him. I was a chore to handle instead of the person he wanted so badly he had taken against his will. I looked up at him, but he seemed so distant. He glanced at me only momentarily. My lips moved like I was about to say something, but he was already dodging me before I could make any sound. I watched as he hurriedly walked away from the camp into the darkness.

A long, agitated groan forced me to look away from the direction Dalton took off. I watched as Fran tried to help Jones get out of his horse. He let out a bunch of curses under his breath and placed his arm over Fran’s shoulder. “You just sit, and I’ll get everything set up.”

She helped him hobble to the trunk of a green tree. As he sat, the gravel grumbled under his weight. The soil here was more refined, like sand from the beach rather than the desert. I couldn’t help but wonder why. I walked up to them. Fran was so focused on Jones that she was startled when she noticed me. She stood robotic like and spoke like she wanted me far from her.

“Sister,” she greeted, avoiding my eyes. Her words had me wanting to clutch my hands shut. She wasn’t my real sister. If anyone deserved to be my sister, it was Dannie, and she …

“I’ll help you set up your tent.”

Fran gave a smile, but the nervousness did not leave her eyes.

“Thank you, sister.”

She rose, but Jones snatched her wrist before she could move away. She hissed in pain. His other hand went to her head and pulled her close to his ear. Fran pulled away robotically and nodded her head. “I must ensure my sister is okay before her husband returns.”

Jones’s eyes were practically feral as he searched me up and down. “You two keep your chit-chat to a minimum. I need to rest; the camp doesn’t need to know about your hair.” I nodded, reaching for Fran’s hand and squeezing it. The whole camp was taking this seriously.

Not a single person seemed out of character as they hurried to get the fire started and everything set for the night. Fran and I worked in silence. I had tried to ask her if she was okay, but she just responded by calling me sister again and stressing the importance of finishing so we could all sleep.

Afterward, we surrounded the campfire with the rest of the camp. The night air grew cooler, and the stars glowed brighter. We ate roasted rabbits that some men had caught and canned beans. By the time people crawled into their tents or makeshift beds, Dalton still hadn’t returned.

We all sat by the fire, letting the other men chatter in their robotic everyday conversations. After a while, Fran hummed softly to herself, rocking her body back and forth like she was trying to self-soothe. The longer we sat by the fire, the more we were losing her. Every once in a while, Jones would run his fingers through her hair, causing her to jump. It was an eerie environment. My eyes searched the area Dalton had disappeared to.

“He will be back soon… don’t you worry,” Hutson ensured as he absent-mindedly threw twigs into the fire.

“What’s going to—” I tried to speak, but I was cut off much like every time I spoke.

“You know, we could always pass the time by telling ghost stories. It’s a cowboy’s favorite pastime in the wild…” He gave me a mischievous smirk, and I didn’t dare say a thing.