Dominion: Cold Damnation. (End of First Storyline.)

 

The storm came in violently hitting them head on, the wind lashed out bringing with it rain mixed with snow. They reached Potter's farm just after dusk, they dismounted and tied their horses in a group of tree's near the barn, and crept up to the partially open door. Remy quietly looked inside, there stood a total of three horses. The saddles were sitting on two empty saw horses. They clearly belonged to the Forge Brothers, who were obviously inside the farmhouse with Nathan Potter. They sent Blind Dog and Billy behind the house to guard the rear door with scatter guns, while Remy Robichau and Elias would serve the warrants.   

They stepped up onto the front porch pistols drawn, through the dimly lit window Elias could see the Forge Brothers, a board beneath his feet creaked, and he could see Orson Forge's ears perk up. The brothers studied the door for a minute and drew their own pistols, Nathan Potter hid in the corner of the room. All at once, Amel Forge opened fire on the front door, while Orson tried to go out the back but was met by Blind Dog Butler's and Billy Two Trees scatter guns. He immediately retreated back into the house, both he and Amel then concentrated on the front door. Elias smashed in the front window firing both Peacemakers, as both He and Remy opened up on them, one shot hit Orson in the knee, and when he fired back he grazed Elias's right shoulder, Amel fired a shot into Billy Two Trees left shoulder before Blind Dog fired his scatter gun point-blank through the rear window splattering Amel's guts all over the floor.

His body lie twitching, as Orson refused to give up even though his guns were empty, Elias kicked in the front door pointing both Colts at Orson Forge's head, in a daze, he looked up at him, Elias shook his head, but Orson Forge wasn't to be taken in alive he lunged for his brothers pistol ten feet away when Elias Crowe shot him dead. In the corner, Nathan Potter raised both hands as if to say he wasn't armed. Remy and Elias dragged the bodies of the Forge Brothers out to the front porch as Blind Dog and Billy came around the corner of the house. Blind Dog approached, his eyes never leaving the bodies

"I'll get their horses from the barn, we can use them to carry the bodies back to Pyrite." He said.

"Well we best be getting them back to town, before the snow starts building up, and Billy's gonna be needing the doctor." Remy answered.

They loaded up the bodies of the Forge Brothers and tied them to their horses, Elias leading one and Remy the other, and slowly made their way back to town, with the wind, rain and snow now at their backs, they rode back into Pyrite just before eight thirty PM, the undertakers light was still burning when Remy knocked on the door, he opened it to great surprise when he told him that they had two more bodies for him. They untied and unloaded the Forge brother's and turned them over before leading the horses back to the livery. After Abel and Ben Toussaint led them to the stables for the night, they dropped Billy off at Doc Willis's before heading back to the marshal's office. They were going to have to tell, Zane Grimm and Josh Clay, that their two friends were dead.

They all met up back at the marshal's office, and Zane Grimm and Josh Clay didn't take the news of their friends deaths well at all. Billy as it turned out wasn't hurt as bad as he thought, as the bullet passed through his left shoulder without becoming lodged or hitting bone. The doc put his arm in a sling for a few days while he rested it. They sat up through the night drinking whiskey recounting the evening's events, and it was decided that, needing a change of scenery, Billy Two Trees after a couple of days rest would accompany Elias Crowe and Blind Dog Butler to Jericho and eventually up to Dominion. Late at night where the lanterns still burned they worked their way down the dark empty street, saddlebags over their shoulders, they found themselves at Mika's Boarding and Bath, where the owner, a strikingly beautiful oriental woman, rented them three rooms for two nights.

The very next morning the three men emerged from the bath house to find Marshal Robichau waiting for them, he walked up to Elias and handed him a thick envelope, and nodded toward The End of The Trail Café where Elias had decided to split the bounty for Stanhope, Joe Shine and the Forge's with Billy and Blind Dog, he bought them all breakfast. Remy told them that he had received news when the stage arrived early in the morning, that both Zane Grimm and Josh Clay were wanted in Copper County as part of a cattle rustling gang, and they were arranging transport with the U.S. Marshal's office who was sending a prison wagon to Pyrite to take them back to Elkhorn to stand trial. They all went back to the jail where Remy walked into the hallway leading to the jail cells where Zane Grimm and Josh Clay were waiting for Judge Collins to arrive, he looked down at Zane.

"Well Zane, I have some good news and some bad news, the good news is, Judge Collins got himself hung up with some personal business so he won't be back here til next week, the bad news is you're both wanted in Copper County for rustling cattle and the marshal's office is sending a prison wagon to pick you up and take you both back to Elkhorn to stand trial there. so you don't have to worry about me hanging the both of you, they'll probably hang you both in Elkhorn." 

Remy smiled and walked back to the office. Elias, Butler and Billy would be leaving in the morning.

~Scratch A.B.T. Copyright © 2025~

Dominion: Frozen Trail. (Seven)

It wasn't until they had put sixteen miles between them and Malford that the snowfall had slowed considerably, the path leading to Thorneridge was still quite frozen. They rode the slow winding trail making their way into Mineral Valley, the town of Pyrite was the same distance as Thorneridge, and there, they could bed the animals and fetch a hot meal and better prepare themselves for Thorneridge, and the marshal in Pyrite was an old acquaintance of the Forge brothers, but unlike the one in Thorneridge, Marshal Remy Robichau wasn't an ally, in fact he was known for his hatred of them, so any information that he could provide would not be biased.

They rode into Pyrite a full four hours ahead of the new storm that was blowing in from the northeast, now there were three of them and although Billy Two Trees was concerned about being hung as an Indian horse thief, Elias assured him that there was no bounty on his head. Pyrite was a clean presentable little town, with a saloon, cafe, hotel, a barber and the usual shops and business's, and what helped to retain the peaceful setting was most outlaws and highwaymen avoided it like the plague, as it was the preferred watering hole for Pinkerton's and Lawmen from miles around, and Marshal Remy Robichau was a large angry Cajun man, and was known to be an iron fisted, no nonsense lawdog, who didn't tolerate the brutish behavior of trail bums and cowboys. 

He was tall, like Elias, well over six foot two, broad shouldered, and had a lean, mean appearance, he had long dark hair and steel blue eyes that sat beneath a low crowned wide brimmed black hat, and a single army colt which hung at his side. He was an intimidating man, and as they rode up in front of his office, and got off their horses and tethered them, he'd spotted Elias immediately and came walking across the street to greet them. He reached out to take the hand of Elias Crowe, all the while studying Blind Dog and Billy Two Trees suspiciously. He turned to look at the bodies of William Stanhope and Joe Shine, and then turned to Elias once again.

William Stanhope and Joe Shine, I'll get the bounty for you from the city council in the morning." He looked back up at Elias. "Where's Frog Barret then?"

"He tried to backshoot Blind Dog and Billy stuck him with a knife, he's buzzard food now, I reckon." Elias told him with a straight face.

"Well, get these animals over to the Toussaint Livery, and I'll get some of the boys to take these bodies to the undertaker. Then you can all join me over at Uncle Sam's Saloon for a drink." He smiled, nodding toward Billy. "You can come too Billy, hell ol Frog was a worthless sack of shit anyway, so you did the world a favor." He laughed, nodding toward the Saloon.

 They took their horses the livery where they met Abel Toussaint who then unloaded their animals and even gave them a place to store their saddles and tack, they all grabbed their saddlebags and headed for the Golden Palace. They walked slowly taking in the sights of the main street of Pyrite, the whole town was clean and well-kept, there was a hotel and a boarding house with baths, a barber shop, general store and cafe, and then of course there was Uncle Sam's Saloon. When they pushed their way through the double swinging doors the room was large and bustling with energy, there were elegant chandeliers lit with oil lamps hanging from the ceiling, they soon caught the eyes of Marshal Remy Robichau, he motioned from each of them to sit at his table, where he was drinking coffee but poured each of his guests a glass of whiskey.

"You know Elias, I never expected to see you riding with ol Blind Dog Butler, let alone Billy Two Trees, but if you trust them that's good enough for me, and as for them low down Forge Brothers, they ain't too far away, when word gets out that you killed William Stanhope, they may not be waiting for you to find them, they have a couple of more fellows riding with them by now, from what I hear Zane Grimm and Josh Clay. Zane tested me awhile back, but I run his ass off, don't know much about Josh Clay, but I hear he's fair with a gun, if they're smart, they'll keep they're asses over in Thorneridge, but smart, ain't never been their long suit. They'll be looking for you, because they don't know any better." Remy said.

Elias eyes looked first at Blind Dog and then at Billy.

"Well, I can't speak for these two, but if the Forge Brothers come for me? That'll be their mistake, those other two? I'll deal with them if the time comes."

Elias took another drink of whiskey, his eyes suddenly shifted toward the door as two men came walking in carrying guns. both were dirty looking, with long shaggy, bristled hair, their unshaved faces, looked worn and leathered, like they had been on the trail for months without a bath, the guns looked heavy on their hips, their hands twitching at their sides impatiently, their eyes searching the crowd as if looking for someone in particular. Remy turned in his seat, quickly looking both men up and down with cold calculating eyes, he abruptly rose to his feet. Elias, Butler and Billy Two Trees instinctively stood up to back his play.  Remy calmly walked over to greet the two men. 

Zane Grimm turned to face them fully, his dark eyes staring intently at Elias, his fingers tapping nervously at his pistol grip.

"Well, Elias Crowe." Zane said. "I guess it ain't hard to find a snake if you kick over enough rocks."

"Zane, Josh, you're going to have to leave those guns with my deputies, you'll get them back when you leave, you know the rules. no guns in the city limits unless you're wearing a badge." He warned.

Zane Grimm turned to face him, but Josh Clay looked uncertain, Remy's eyes stared them down as Elias walked up beside him, Grimm scowled, his eyes moving quickly between Remy Robichau and Elias Crowe. He went for the gun as Remy's shot ripped through his right forearm causing him to stagger backward dropping his gun, Josh Clay held his hands up realizing that he was seriously out numbered. Remy Robichau's two deputies came in a minute later, he told them to take them both into custody and to take his and Josh Clays weapons. They took them down to the jail at gunpoint, The Pyrite Jail was the biggest in four counties, it boasted a large main office area, and Jail cells kept in a separate locked room, they led Zane Grimm and Josh Clay down the long hall and locked them in two cells at opposite ends of the long hallway, their guns locked in a cabinet in the main office. Clearly there was no way out. one stayed to watch over them while the other deputy went for the doctor. Remy stood in front of the closed cell door looking angrily down at Josh Clay, he shifted uncomfortably on the bed, there was a nervous glint in his eyes, his growing fear betraying him. 

"We know you and Zane have been riding with the Forge's, and I know for a fact that they are close by, you tell me where they are right now Josh Clay, You've been ridin' with murderers and horse thieves son, they rape and kill women and children, and are scoundrels of the lowest order. Now if I am to assume you are like them, well then Mr. Clay, this isn't going to end well for you or your friend Zane over there." Remy warned.

"Orson and Amel Forge are my friends. I can't tell you where they are." Clay countered.

"Now, listen here, son."  Remy's voice fell to a growling whisper. "if you pledge allegiance, and align yourself with such scum, then you will be found guilty of their crimes, and you will hang for them. Now make no mistake, Orson and Amel Forge will be found out, and they are going to die, by Elias Crowe's hand, by my hand, or at the end of a rope with a noose around their necks, but for their crimes, die they shall."

Elias Crowe appeared over his right shoulder and leaned in whispering, Remy Robichau listened intently. Elias turned and walked out.

"Well, you can just sit here Mr. Clay, and wait for fate to do its job, Judge Collins will be back the day after tomorrow, you can plead your case to him. It would appear circumstances have changed, and we no longer require your cooperation. God be with you, son."

Elias, was waiting for him in his office, Ben, Abel Toussaint's son, who had just returned from a trip to Beaverton pass near Thorneridge, on the way back he'd picked up the trail of the Forge Brothers, Zane Grimm and Josh Clay. They'd finally made camp just five miles to the northeast of Pyrite.  When Grimm and Clay left the small group he'd known in his gut that they were up to no good, so he followed them, when he'd heard what happened in the saloon and what happened after, he saw the badge and told Elias Crowe everything he knew. Upon hearing this, Remy and Elias went back to the saloon, where Blind Dog and Billy were waiting with young Ben Toussaint.

"Marshall Robichau." Ben said. "Them Forge Brothers are camped out near the notch at Sutters Creek by the stream, there are three cottonwoods, they're camped out right beneath them, well that's where they were when I followed those two fellers here."

"How far off is that storm that was following us in? can't be that far out by now, Sutter's Creek would be right in its path." Elias said.

"Yeah there were dark clouds comin in over the top of the peak right behind them, storm looked like it had a pretty good grump on, snow, rain, and the wind was kicking up too." Ben told them.

Remy rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"There ain't nothing out that way except cottonwood's, bur oaks, dirt and rocks, they're going to be looking for shelter soon, Nathan Potter has a small farm out there past the edge of town, he's the only one out that way, he'll probably put them up for the night for a price, and Orson Forge used to break horses for him so he knows them." Remy concluded.

He turned to Ben.

"Ben go help your pa get their horses ready for riding, and be quick about it son."

Ben Toussaint nodded and ran out the door. Remy turned to Elias.

"Nate Potter's place is a short ride from here, we should have plenty of time to get there and set up at the edge of his property, we could be waiting for them."

~Scratch A.B.T. Copyright © 2025~

Dominion: Billy Two Trees. (Six)

 

They wind had picked up and soon snow mixed with a light freezing rain began to lash at their backs, Elias, and Butler rode into Malford just before dusk, it was dark, dismal, lifeless place, that spoke to them of hopelessness, desperation, and death, there wasn't much there to speak of, a handful of old small wooden buildings, one a makeshift saloon of sorts, and a dilapidated sheriff's office, a feed and tack store, and a general store, the rest of the buildings were ominously dark. They started with the single story saloon, it was small, and only had a handful of people in it when they walked through the double doors. 

Elias's eyes slowly circled the room, William Stanhope wouldn't make it obvious, he wasn't going to be an easy mark. He and Blind Dog slowly stepped up to the bar. He placed the wanted poster of William Stanhope face up on the counter. His eyes carefully studying the reaction of the barkeep, who glanced at it nervously but never bothered looking up at him, Blind Dog instinctively turned around facing the room leaning back against the bar, his eyes moving back and forth carefully studying each patron. Elias leaned in toward the barkeep again.

"Have you seen this man come in here?" He asked, his tone deep and foreboding.

His eye slowly rose to meet Elias's intense stare. He slowly nodded. He turned to look across the street.

"He's over at Chatterly's looking for a whore. She's got plenty of them." He answered.

Elias's eyes narrowed.

"How long ago?"

"Bout thirty minutes, he'll be back for whiskey right soon, I reckon." The barkeep stammered. 

"Is he alone?"

He hesitated before looking back across the street.

"No sir, he's got Frog Barret, and Joe Shine with him. They're pretty liquored up." He answered nervously.

He glanced at Blind Dog and nodded toward a corner table in the shadows, out of the way. He placed a silver dollar on the counter and requested a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. and Blind Dog followed him to the table, where they sat down as Elias poured them two drinks. Blind dog stared straight ahead, his look hardened as he raised the glass of whiskey to his lips.

"Frog Barret as I recollect, is another backshootin coward Elias, you worry about Stanhope, you leave that other feller to me." He said flatly.

Elias nodded. Minutes later they heard the faint sounds of boots on the wooden walkway slowly making their way to the saloon, William Stanhope wasn't going to come along quietly and both Elias Crowe and Blind Dog knew that there was only one way this was going to end. He stood up and unclasped the colts from their holsters, and waited for Stanhope to enter. He pushed his way into the saloon and carelessly sauntered up to the bar, laughing all the way, with Joe Shine and Frog Barret right behind him. He stopped and looked down at the wanted poster that Elias had intentionally left behind, he had a sobering thought as he slowly turned around to meet the gaze of Elias Crowe. 

"Stanhope, my name is Elias Crowe, I'm with the U.S. Marshal's office. I'm here to execute an arrest warrant, you can come along peacefully, or you can come along dead, makes no difference to me either way, it's your choice Stanhope, but either way you're coming with me."

Behind him Blind Dog slowly rose to his feet pulling back his coat over the pommel holster, his eyes never leaving Frog Barret or Joe Shine. Stanhope studied his options carefully.

"I ain't swinging from no noose, Marshal Crowe." 

He hesitated before lunging for his pistol. Elias got off four shots into his chest before his finger even touched the trigger. Behind him two more shots rang out as Joe Shine staggered and fell back outside through the saloon doors. Frog Barret as expected threw both hands in the air and dropped to his knees declaring that he wasn't armed. Blind Dog stepped up beside of Elias, his disdainful stare burning a hole in Frog Barret's face.

"Go on, get outta here Frog, you aren't even worth a bucket of warm piss, Shine is at least worth fifty." He said. 

Blind Dog went back over to the table and grabbed the whiskey bottle. corked it up and walked out to his saddlebag and stuffed it in as Elias came dragging William Stanhope's body out of the saloon, he picked him up and threw over the back of Mudbone. out of the corner of his eye Blind Dog saw the form of Frog Barret stagger from the shadows, his gun pointed at the ground, his eye's staring blankly ahead, he stumbled falling forward falling face first onto the wooden sidewalk. A bone handled knife sticking out of his back, the form of Billy Two Trees stepped into the dim light. He looked down at Frog's dead body and then up at Blind Dog.

"I always knew ol Frog was a backshooting coward." He said. "Did you get your paleface, Elias?"  He asked.

"Yep, gotta buy some more canvas in the morning, but I reckon the bodies will keep for tonight, I saw an empty small barn on the outskirts of town, don't look too bad, we can probably hole up in there til morning."  Elias answered.

They loaded up the bodies of William Stanhope and Joe Shine, and left Frog Barret to Billy Two Trees discretion. They rode to the edge of town to where what they thought was an old barn, but stood a rather large abandoned blacksmith shop and a Livery stable all together, while it was no longer in use there was a place in back for the animals and there was even a brick furnace that they could build a fire in to make their dinner. The fire could be safely contained and they and the horses could stay dry and warm throughout the night. As Elias stood building a fire to get their pot of beans and salty bacon started, Blind Dog found two lanterns and lit them just as Billy Two Trees came riding in through the front door. Blind Dog looked up at him and smiled.

"Take off your saddle, and you can put him back there with ours, Billy." He said.

He nodded and led his horse to the back with the others, The whole building looked like it hadn't been used for a long while, so at least for one night they would be safe and dry. He appeared from the back minutes later holding something at his side, Blind Dog looked down to see he was carrying two dead prairie hens. Billy gave a big sheepish grin.

 "Got em a couple of hours ago, may as well cook them, right?"    

"So how much did the man give you for the horses and scalps, Billy?"

Billy gave Blind Dog a sideways look. 

"Gave me two hundred for all four horses and  ten dollars apiece for the four scalps, cheap bastard." Billy complained.

"And Frog?" Blind Dog asked.

"Left him outside of town for the buzzards."

Butler shook his head, half smiling.

"Hey-" Billy continued. "Everybody's gotta eat."

He cleaned the prairie hens and cooked them over the furnace oven next to the pot of bacon and beans, as the snow outside slowly started to build up, and they stayed as close to the furnace as they could to keep warm, and later that night they filled their bellies with beans with bacon and roasted prairie hens and drank whiskey from tin cups, just when they thought it couldn't get any better, they found four wooden buckets of coal in the corner of the room, the coal would burn longer than wood and allow them to sleep during the night.

Scratch A.B.T. Copyright © 2025~

Dominion: Duskhelm Gorge. (five)

 

They came up to the western rim of Duskhelm Gorge pausing in the shadows of large jutting rocks by pools of cool running water, they let the horse drink and filled their canteens. Elias walked to the rim and, with spyglass in hand, went to survey the scene below them. There looked to be fresh horse tracks along the riding trail, although they wouldn't know how fresh the tracks were until they rode down to check first hand. He walked back to where the horses were tied, he sat down next to Butler, he nodded in the direction of the gorge.  

"There's tracks headed east along the open trail down there but we won't know how fresh they are til we get down there, and it looks like somebody may be following him." Elias said.

They rode down along the winding trail until they reached the bottom of the gorge, the trail that he'd seen earlier was still clearly visible there were four sets of unshoed tracks trailing behind, and one shoed, but with strange markings, all were following behind the tracks of William Stanhope's horse. Someone was indeed following William Stanhope's trail, someone who would in Elias Crowe's eyes undoubtedly turn out to be Indians, but someone else had been following them as well, as he thought about the odd tracks that were following behind the unshoed Indians, a thought had occurred to him, the odd markings on the trailing horseshoe, had somehow triggered a long forgotten memory, and a name finally came to mind, "Billy Two Trees." As they sat beneath the shadows of the large cliffs towering above them, eating jerked beef and drinking cool water, as the air began to take on a noticeable chill.

"Billy Two Trees?" Butler rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Why do I know that name, Elias?"

"Billy Two Trees is a known horse thief and a scalp hunter." He answered.

"Well sir, with a name like Billy Two Trees, I can only suspect that he himself is an Indian, So am I to assume that being a known horse thief that there is a bounty for him as well?" He asked, sounding slightly confused. 

"Nope, the law doesn't want Billy, he only steals horses and scalps from other Indians, I suspect he doesn't even know William Stanhope is ahead of them, it's those four Indians on his rear that Billy is after, or at least their horse's and scalps." Elias answered.

Butler gave him a curious look, cocking his head to one side.

"What kind of an indian steals horses from and scalps other Indians?" 

"He's a Comanche, outcast from his original tribe in Texas, about six years ago."

"Why was he an outcast?" Butler leaned into the conversation even more then, genuinely curious.

"Billy killed his own brother in a knife fight, over a squaw they both wanted, Billy got exiled, his brother just got plain ol dead. it didn't take him long to figure out that round eye law was paying up to twenty-two dollars for an indian scalp, and seeing as how most Indians don't brand their animals, the horses can fetch anywhere from fifty to a hundred dollars apiece if they're in good condition." 

He stood and took one last look around and the terrain, large, tall jutting rocks standing in front of the gorge walls like giant stone fingers reaching up to the heavens, and then slowly up at the sky at the slowly gathering storm clouds. They mounted their horses and headed east.

"They are still a couple of miles ahead of us," Elias Said. " we're going to have to pick up our pace if we are going to gain ground, we have about four hours before dark, and there's a storm brewin to the northeast, rain, maybe even snow, we'd best be getting to it." 

They followed the trail until it began to veer south, telling Elias Crowe, that he wasn't going to Thorneridge anymore, instead he was headed straight for a small settlement named Malford, he probably figured out that someone was following behind him and got spooked. They turned south toward Malford until they saw small tails of smoke drifting up to the sky, they turned toward the rocks where there was a group of ponderosa pines, there they found four horses tied up, twenty feet to the right there lye the bodies of four freshly killed and scalped Indians, and a camp fire another thirty feet from them. The sound of a cocking rifle broke the silence, both Elias and Butler raised their hands slowly.

"Hello Billy." Elias said slowly. "Long time no see."

"Elias? what are you doing here? last I heard, you were in Texas chasing down cattle rustlers, like Dwight Haddock and his boys. what brings you here?" He asked.

"Elgin Gatewood and I ran down a gang of five, robbery, rape, murder, real bad types. We got the Church Brothers, but there are still three accomplices running around. William Stanhope is somewhere ahead of us, and we believe the Forge brothers are in Thorneridge. or somewhere close to it."

He stopped to look down at the four dead Indians, before looking up at Billy Two Trees, who was smiling.

"Business." He said softly.

Then Billy Two Trees gave him a confused look.

"You ridin with Blind Dog these days, Elias? He asked in a surprised tone.

"Yep, four eyes are better than two, I reckon." He answered.

"What's this world comin to? I never knew the great spirit was a trickster." He began putting out his campfire. "I know a man in Malford who will pay good money for my horses and scalps. If you see someone following behind you Elias Crowe, don't kill them without lookin first, it'll probably be me." Billy added.

Elias just smiled as he turned to face Blind Dog Butler. 

"Malford is only three miles from here, and if Stanhope is headed there he's probably waiting for us, somewhere between here and there, and that storm blowin in isn't gonna keep still, so let's not keep him waiting Mr. Butler." 

Scratch A.B.T. Copyright © 2025~

Dominion: Partners. (Four)

 

The rain lessened slightly, long enough for him to make his way down the wooden sidewalks of Grove street until he reached a building with a Board and Lodgings sign, he opened the door, and cautiously stepped inside the softly lit room. A middle-aged well-dressed woman, her long auburn hair rolled up in a bun, there was a look of elegance to her, she softly patted her way across the room, and took her place behind the front desk. She placed her eyeglasses on the bridge of her nose, 

"May I help you with something?" She asked.

He approached slowly.

"My name is Elias Crowe, ma'am, Marshal Gauge said that you might have a room to rent me for a couple of days. while I conduct business."

"Well Mr. Crowe, we can certainly accommodate you, it'll be two dollars a night, and we do have a bath house out in the back, baths are 50 cents, and one meal is included with the room. If you'll follow me, I'll see you to it." She said.

He changed his clothes, and taken a bath and a shave, and later in the evening Hetty Granger called him down to dinner, he and two other guests sat down to a dinner of hearty beef stew with freshly baked biscuits with a bottle of fine red wine. A thin older gray haired gentleman who sold household goods to local merchants such as cooking pots and pans, plates, bowls and cutlery, they were also joined by Shelby's newest schoolmarm, who was just settling in after she'd arrived a day earlier on the noon stage, they continued exchanging small talk until an hour after dinner when a young man came into the dining room holding two envelopes addressed to Elias Crowe. One was from Blind Dog Butler, the other was from Marshal Elgin Gatewood it read: "Elias, I've been summoned back to Hastings, be careful out there my friend. The Forge Brothers are near Thorneridge. Your Friend Elgin." 

The 2nd letter read: "Meet me at the Broken Spoke in one hour, I have information that you might oughta know. ~Blind Dog~" 

Elias walked to the end of the street, lights fading around him in most shop windows, but the massive two-story building that housed the Broken Spoke Saloon, he walked in, and his eyes began scanning through the room until they came to rest at a single table in the corner sat the man they called Blind Dog Butler, a short stocky fellow, in a black and tan suit, and a black derby perched on his head, he had a professional air to him and most folks thought he looked more like a retired banker than a gunslinger, but the army colt carefully tucked away in the pommel holster hidden beneath his long coat, told a different story entirely. Elias stopped in front of the table, Butler looked up at him over the top of his spectacles.

"Why hello Elias, I heard that you were after those Church brothers, so I figured you were heading this way." Butler said in a slightly high-pitched southern drawl.

"Butler? what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Well, Marshal Crowe, I have some news you just might be interested in hearing, if you choose to sit I will pour you a drink and tell you a story." Butler answered. 

Elias sat down and watched silently as Blind Dog poured them both a whiskey. He studied him carefully.   

"I believe I have heard, Marshal Crowe, that some old friends of yourn were seen recently up South Dakota way. In the vicinity of a town called Jericho, I do believe." Butler said.

"Friends? of mine? In Jericho? I've been to Jericho many times, rough place, what friends? and where exactly did you hear this?" Crowe asked. 

"Well Marshal, as you may or may not have heard, I have spent the last five years in an unfortunate place called Irongate Prison in South Dakota, about a month before my release, I received word, that Bloody Bill Longcoats, Ezekiel Kettles and a little backshootin scoundrel named Linus Sixsmith who has been traveling in their company. They seem to have designs on killing one US Marshal Elgin Gatewood." Blind Dog said.

"And why would you share this information with me now Blind Dog? I mean, you were never a pillar of any community yourself, to begin with." Crowe said.

"Well, let's just say Marshal Crowe That while I was in Irongate Prison, I had a lot of time to reconsider my life choices, and I figured well, seeing as how the only tool I was ever good with is this here army colt, I would use it to try walking the other side of the fence. Look, the way I figure it, it's really quite simple, I'll ride with you to deliver those bodies, then we can head over to Thorneridge, that's where the Forge brothers and that Stanhope feller are from, so that would be a good place to start, then we can go see what Bloody Bill and his two pals are really up to." 

The thought of him riding with a known outlaw, reformed or otherwise, didn't quite sit right with Elias, but he'd decided to let it play out and see where it went. They talked on through the night about, where they would find Bloody Bill Longcoats and his accomplices, it was then that Elias learned that Linus Sixsmith was the reason behind Blind Dog going to prison. The story went that Blind Dog had crossed paths with Linus down a little boomtown in South Dakota called Saltlick, and Linus and his two riding buddies pulled an unsuccessful bank job, and even though Blind Dog didn't do anything, the local sheriff thought he was part of the gang, and he somehow got blamed for it, and did five years in Irongate prison. 

The next day Marshal Gauge true to his word sent the telegraph, and it didn't take long for them to get an answer, five hours later in fact the received word that the bank manager of Kindred Bank and Trust had already received word from Willwood, that Elias Crowe had already killed the Church brothers and was on his way to Shelby with the bodies, so the manager was on his way to Shelby, with two deputy sheriffs in tow, they would pay the bounties and claim the bodies and take them, back to Gaston. which left Elias and Blind Dog to concentrate on the Forge Brothers and William Stanhope. The Next morning Elias received the bounty and he and Blind Dog headed out to Thornridge, they rode along King's Trail before heading south down into Diamond pass before they pushed on to the town of Thornridge. If anyone there knew that they were looking for the Forge's or William Stanhope, finding allies wouldn't be easy.

~Scratch. A.B.T. Copyright © 2025~

Dominion: Closer. (Three)

Shelby, Wyoming Territory, November 1st, 1874.

He had ridden one hundred and fifty hard miles, over sand and rock, through dry scotching desert heat, mountain snow storms, and down into a wide valley in a down pouring rainstorm that turned his path into small streams and mudholes. He rode into Shelby Wyoming just past dusk where the fading light quickly laid down into his path on the empty street, with the driving heavy rain beating down on his back he kept the pack animal in tow, the two dead bodies bobbing and swaying with each step until he finally came to a stop in front of Myers Livery and Tack, he rode slowly in the large open door and stopped when the older hunched over fellow approached him with a raised lantern. He lowered himself from the saddle, removed his saddlebags, and threw them over his shoulder, and then handed the old man two dollars in coins.

"Just leave them loaded until I come back." He said. 

The old man carefully looked him up and down and then nodded.

"Where's the marshal's office?" 

The old man leaned forward and pointed across the street.

"Marshal Gauge is right next to the land office." He said with a slight southern accent.

He stepped up and swung the door open and shook off the excess wet before stepping inside, there were two younger fellows sitting at a small table in the corner playing cards, they stopped and stared at him as soon as he entered, casting him cautious looks. He carefully leaned the rifle up against the window SIL, and sat the saddlebags on the long table in front of the window, looking around the room, there was a large wooden desk in the corner that looked slightly out of place, a rack of locked rifles on the wall surrounded by several public notices and wanted posters. there was a lit wood stove in the opposite corner, he turned his attention to the two young men slowly removing his black leather gauntlets. He returned their cautious glances.

"My name is Elias Crowe, I'm a United States Marshal, we're tracking a group of outlaws wanted in three states, could one of you young bucks point me in the direction of the town marshal?" He asked.

The young slightly built, blonde, moppy haired fellow stood up seeming slightly indignant, looking Crowe up and down.

"How do you know one of us ain't the town marshal, mister?"

Crowe's steely stare never left him as he carefully removed and stuffed the gauntlets into his coat pocket. The look unsettled the much younger man.

"You look a mite young to be a marshal, but if you are, I have business to discuss with you." He answered.

"What kind of business?"  The 2nd asked nervously.

He shifted his gaze to the 2nd young man, slowly stepping forward and lying two wanted posters onto the table in front of them.

"Dead outlaw business." He answered slowly.

Both of them looked down at the wanted posters and then slowly back up at Crowe, his steady gaze offered them no comfort. Behind him, he could hear the cowbell above the door ring out as it swung open, through the door, a taller older muscular man with long salt and pepper hair came walking in, he looked over the top of his spectacles at him, and then at the two young men. He cocked his head to one side and grinned. 

"You done scaring my deputies, Mr. Crowe?  They look like they're about to soil their britches." He laughed.

"Matthew?"

He smiled in return and shook his extended hand. Marshal Matthew Gauge seemed genuinely happy to see him. He walked over to the table and picked the wanted posters, looking sideways at him. 

"Hmmm, two of them Church brothers, aye? That clan still giving you problems?" He asked.

"Yep, there's two less now though, ol, Elgin Gatewood and I had been tracking them and the Forge brothers, along with another young man, we aren't sure who he is, they seem to have formed quite the notorious little gang, everyone from the US marshals office, The Pinkerton's and Wells Fargo have been looking for them. They split up at the South Dakota border, and so did Elgin and me. I took down Damian and Pritchard Church. I took Damian clean in Saddlerville, Pritchard tried to backshoot me outside Willwood, I got them both hanging over the back of my pack animal wrapped in canvas over at the livery. I aim to collect those bounties to pay for my provisions and lodgings for me and my horses."

He folded the wanted posters up and tucked them into his inside coat pocket, he walked slowly to the window, picking up the rifle and saddlebags carefully. He turned back to face Marshal Gauge.

"How did you end up in this mudhole, Matthew? last I heard you were up in Cold Station, Colorado." He asked.

"I was, worked on a cattle ranch, tending to a herd, cowboying, branding, a man came calling, saying that Shelby needed a marshal and long story short, they needed a marshal and I needed a change of scenery and a new job, so I packed up and moved here. At first, it was a mess, but I did some house keepin, and now it's nice and quiet." He drew in a deep breath and turned to face him. 

"I'll grab my duster, and we'll go over and take a look at those bodies." Gauge said.

He instructed both deputies to go around to the back of the office and to hook a two horse team up to the flatbed wagon and to bring it around to the livery stables to collect the bodies to take to the undertaker.

"Tell him to build two boxes but don't bury them yet". 

He pulled the duster up over his shoulders and followed Crowe across the street to the livery stables, Marshal Gauge called the liveryman over with his lantern as he pulled the canvas away from their faces, Gauge knelt down to take a closer look, he positively identified both men as the wanted Church brothers, he cocked his head to one side, gave a curious look, and then stood to face Elias.

"Come on back over to the jail and have a drink with me Elias, there's something that I need to double-check, don't worry about your saddle or horses, Merle Myers is a good man, he'll take proper care of everything." Gauge told him.   

As the two deputies loaded the bodies, They walked back to Gauge's office and went inside. He sat down behind his large wooden desk and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, he began looking through a stack of papers in one of the drawers, his eyes squinted against the failing light, scanning every word carefully, Crowe filled the glasses with whiskey. Matthew lit a second kerosene lantern on top of the desk and asked to see the two wanted posters again, before he carefully pulled out a thin stack of folded papers, he put on his spectacles and leaned in closer to the light to read the one on top.  He leaned back in his chair and raised the whiskey glass to his lips. He paused slightly, staring for a moment out the window at the pouring rain.

"Well, Elias, it would appear as though you did the world a great service by removing these two Church brothers from it." He leaned across the desk and handed him one of the papers. 

"It seems that a little over a month ago, Damian took to raping a fourteen-year-old girl and then shot her and her mama to death afterward, about thirty-five miles to the north of here in a town called Gaston, while Prichard, two of the Forge brothers along with William Stanhope, robbed the overland stage, killed the driver, the shotgun messenger, two passengers and made off with the strong box. According to that paper there, they're wanted in half a dozen or so counties, in three states. The bounty is being paid by Kindred Bank and Trust." 

"The Forge brothers are from around here?" Crowe asked.

He nodded, without replying.

"You've got a lot of high value targets in this vicinity, Mace Dukes and Zayn Riddle were both seen heading this way, or so I've heard, I've also heard that Lucius Frost may be sneaking around hereabouts. If you have a hotel here, I'll get a room for a couple of days."

Matthew poured them another glass of whiskey.

"Miss Hetty Granger runs a rather large boarding house at the end of Grove street, it's across from the school, around the corner from the saloon, about one and a half blocks from here. Hetty runs a clean, quiet place, with no gun play, You tell her I sent you, and she will treat you right." 

~Scratch. A.B.T. Copyright © 2025~

Dominion: Backshooter. (Two)

 

He figured that Pritchard Church hid somewhere in town and lay in wait for him to pass by, and when he'd gotten in behind him, his plan was to backshoot Elias. Pritchard much like his brother could be ruthless, but unlike Damian, Pritchard lacked the courage required to commit to such brutal acts, as it could only be summoned when his target had their back turned. He was a little more than a saddle bum, and a coward, by nature, to his core, a no good backshooter. Elias knowing this, quickly realized that he had the bait to set the perfect trap. There was another rocky hilltop across the shorter end of the small narrow valley, the storm clouds were drawing closer, but there was still enough moonlight to illuminate the entire area.

Elias rode out into the open, allowing Pritchard to see him but only from a safe distance, he knew he wouldn't risk a long range shot, in the failing light, but maybe he could draw him in closer, allow Church to think he had a chance, he was still back there, slowly pacing himself at a comfortable distance.  Elias still had time before he was close enough to make an attempt on his life. He surveyed the scene in front of him, laying out the perfect spot to spring his trap. By a large, tall boulder, up on the rise, he tethered his horses and began, collecting rocks to make a small fire pit, he gathered kindling and wood and placed it, unlit at first in the firepit. He retrieved his spyglass and from behind a short cluster of rocks he tried to relocate Pritchard Church's position in the valley below. He was approaching the bottom of the hill. Time to light the fire.

Elias lit the campfire, and slowly moved around the opposite end of the largest boulder and stayed hidden in the belly of the shadows, watching, waiting, Prichard didn't keep him long, Elias could clearly see him. He was on foot then, slowly and quietly making his way toward the rocky top, and when Pritchard saw the light from the makeshift campfire dancing on the neighboring rocks, he could almost feel him smiling one of those evil Church smiles. Church froze briefly, crouched down pulling out his gun from its holster, slowly creeping closer to the campfire light. Elias quietly moved along the edge of the rocks, and when Pritchard darted around the corner, he quickly moved in behind him gun drawn.

"Drop the gun, Church," He froze at the sound of Elias Crowe's voice. "Put it down, son, I don't want to kill you, and I'm sure you don't want to be dead." Elias said.

Pritchard Church like his brother Damian, like their whole family, had lived the lives of wretched men, taking whatever they wanted from the world, without regard or remorse, and now they would be delivered, not only to justice, but to God, survived by three younger brothers, two younger sisters, and a grieving mother, who were all left behind to make sense of it all.  Pritchard Robert Church was 27 years old, at the time of his passing. He tried to turn, but before he could even squeeze the trigger the Peacemaker roared to life, spitting a cloud of fire, smoke and the lead bullet ripped through his chest as a stream of blood spat out his back. He stared at Elias in shocked disbelief.

"You goddamned lawdog." He muttered, falling slowly forward. "You've killed me."

He pulled two more pieces of canvas from Mudbones pack along with two more strands of rope, he stripped the body of Pritchard Church of his weapons and other valuables. Before wrapping the body and tying it in canvas. The loud rumble of thunder over his shoulder gave him pause, he walked down to the bottom of the rocky hillside to where Church's horse stood grazing on desert grass. He grabbed the reins and led it back up the hillside to where he found another cave deep enough for all three animals, he took another sheet of canvas and secured it to more rocks using the rope.

He led his other two animals down to the cave and led them in, removing the two bodies and gear. He built another fire just under the edge of the homemade lean-to, and he settled in for the night just before the first drops of rain began to fall, He poured himself some fresh made coffee, as the rain started to really come down, he sat down and leaned back against the saddle, drinking his coffee, staring out at the empty desert. He was going to be needing to head for Willwood in the morning, it was still a couple of miles away. He would ride there to re-stock his supplies in the morning.

~Scratch. A.B.T. Copyright © 2025~

Dominion: Elias Crowe. (one)

South Dakota Territory, October 25th, 1874. Rockwood Peak.

They were careful to stay behind the large jagged rocks lining the top of Shadow Ridge, giving careful study to the five figures below set off in the distance. Elias Crowe looked through the spyglass carefully studying their prey, he turned briefly to give a quick look to Elgin Gatewood who was busy watching the darkening sky. Thick black clouds were slowly rolling in from the east with loud echoes of thunder crashing in the distance behind them, it wouldn't be long before the weather took an even uglier turn. Below them, moving down along a trail, dust billows kicked up in the air behind the five riders, they began to pick up speed as if they could sense the incoming storm getting closer. Gatewood knelt down beside Elias Crowe.

"How far?"

Elias collapsed the spyglass.

"Far enough." He said, giving Gatewood a concerned look.

"We're not going to catch them before they cross over into Wyoming, if they don't take cover from the storm they're going to split up, and we might be in for a rough spot as well, It's going to be dark soon anyway, there's a cave in that cliff down there, looks like it might be big enough for us and the horses, rain I can handle, but lightning's going to spook the horses." Elias said.

"We best be getting to it then. we'll have to catch up to them another time." Gatewood answered.

Elias looked up at him as he slowly rose to his feet.

"We'll get 'em El, every last one of them."

They carefully rode the rocky path down into the canyon as the black clouds moved in ahead of the low rumbling of thunder. Chain lightning mixed in the belly of the black clouds crackled to life in brilliant flashes of light overhead, they made it all the way through the cave entrance as the sky opened up and unleashed a torrential rainfall that quickly began to soak the surrounding desert. Elias went and grabbed a small fallen tree and dragged it into the cave before it got too wet to use for fire wood. They put the horses in the back of the cave before building a fire. They ate dried beef and made beans for dinner, washed it down with a bottle of whiskey that Elgin had in his saddlebag.

 

They held up in the cave and slept through the night, hoping that they could pick up the trail of the outlaws they'd been following. The next morning at daybreak the rain has slowed to a drizzle, and by the time the sun was peeking up over the horizon they were saddled up and making their way through small puddles and sizable streams left behind by the rainstorm from the previous evening, they rode hard and two miles from the Wyoming border, they had picked up the trail again. Elias swung himself free from the saddle and bent down to examine the hoof prints, his eyes carefully scanning the horizon, he climbed back up into the saddle, and slightly turned to face Marshall Elgin Gatewood.

"Well, it looks like the Church brothers are heading north toward Saddlerville, and I'm guessing the Forge brothers, are going west, that other rider is going south. The tracks are still kinda sharp along the edges, but the wind is picking up, I'd say they're probably an hour old not much more. If you want to take the Forge's, I'll take the Church brothers." 

Elgin Gatewood nodded in agreement.

"See ya down the line, Elias." He said tipping his hat.

Elias Crowe picked up the trail of the Church brothers and rode steady for six hours being careful not to run down his horse, there were several watering holes along the way, and he stopped a couple of times, but never losing sight of the trail. The Church brothers were indeed heading toward Saddlerville, and he was patiently holding his pace, the wind continued to lap at his back but even as the trail slowly disappeared he'd already figured on where they were going to end up, so he stayed on the same path knowing Saddlerville was only a few miles away by then. By sunset, he had breached the top of the rise overlooking the town, and studied the scene below him carefully, Saddlerville was rather sizable.

He rode in right at dusk, the shadows falling long narrow shapes darkening his path, faint traces of light began to flicker in the windows of businesses, the saloon lit up, and across the street the bright yellow glow in the window of the sheriff's office caught his immediate attention, he pulled rein in front of the Talc Livery Stables and Feed, but decided he wouldn't be staying long. Instead, he found what he was looking for at the Rusty Spur saloon, although when he realized that only one of the Church brothers horses was tethered to the hitching post in front. He paused to look around and Pritchard Church's horse was nowhere to be seen, which meant that Damian, the more menacing of the two, was somewhere inside The Rusty Spur. He turned and walked across the street to the town Sheriff's office, he opened the door and stepped inside.  

Behind a large desk sat a small, thin, unassuming gray haired man, and two others sitting in chairs across from him. The man behind the desk sat wringing his hands like his face tight with worry, the other two men equally slight in stature sat staring almost absently at the floor. Elias studied all three carefully before speaking. If this was the face of law enforcement in Saddlerville, it looked sadly unconvincing.

"Are you the sheriff of this town?" He asked.

The older man sat upright, suddenly adjusting his posture, trying to look more confident than he actually was, slightly less disheveled.

"Yes sir, I'm John Reagan, and these men are my deputies Jacob and Jared." He answered nervously.

"Well sir, my name is Elias Crowe, I am with the United States Marshal's office in Fort Hastings, South Dakota, and I'm here for a couple of fugitives that I've been tracking, I believe one of them is in the Rusty Spur saloon at this very moment.  Now, I'm here to execute an arrest warrant."

He produced the warrant and a wanted poster lying them both in front of the sheriff. He looked up at Elias his face growing pale.

"You're here for Damian Church?" He asked hesitantly.

Elias nodded silently.

"You know Mister, I can handle the occasional drunk cowboy, or someone getting lippy with the barkeep, but those Church brothers? They're animals, and Damian? He's a stone-cold killer, and honestly, he scares me."

"Look, sheriff, my business here? It's not all that complicated, all I need is for you and your deputies to be my witnesses when I execute the warrant, the posters? the warrant? Say dead or alive, and I'm not real particular about which way he chooses to come along, but I'm taking him to Shelby one way or another."

They all crossed the street together, slowly making their way to the saloon. Elias pushed through the double swinging doors with the sheriff and both deputies in tow. There across the room at a table with a young lady and a bottle of whiskey sat Damian Church. with a foot propped up on the edge of another chair, smiling almost nonchalant, as soon as their eyes met the young lady bolted from his side as Elias Crowe approached him slowly, neither man spoke for what seemed like an hour. Finally, he pulled out the arrest warrant and wanted poster and carefully laid them out on the table in front of him.

"Damian Church? I'm Elias Crowe with the U.S. Marshals office, I have a warrant for your arrest, and you're coming with me." He said coldly.

Damian Church studied him, his eye's slowly trailing down, suddenly fixed on the wanted poster and then the arrest warrant, he looked back up at Elias as a slow sly smile began to purse his lips.

"I don't give a damn who you are, mister, I ain't going anywhere with you!" He hissed.

"Now son, you can come riding upright on the back of a horse in shackles, or you can come wrapped in canvas, cold as a stone and draped over the back of my pack horse, but either way you're coming with me." Elias said.

People around them  began to scamper out of the line of fire already realizing what was about to happen. Damian Church had always prided himself on having the fastest hands in the room, but this time when he reached for his Schofield revolver, Elias Crowe's Colt Peacemakers had already cleared leather and put two holes in his chest with stunning speed and accuracy. The two shots exploded through his chest sending him flying backward out of his chair, landing with a wet thud on the saloon floor, and with a quiet calm Elias slowly replaced the two Peacemakers back in his holsters, he leaned forward, picking up the arrest warrant and the wanted poster, carefully folding both returning them to his pocket. He turned to the sheriff and the two deputies who all stared in stunned silence. Finally, the sheriff slowly looked up at Elias. 

"You're good, Mr. Crowe, that was a clean shoot, we all heard you warn him."

The deputies carried the body out to the sidewalk to where Elias wrapped it in canvas and tied it with a rope. They then used another piece of rope to secure it to his pack horse Mudbone. 

"You don't think Pritchard stuck around Marshall Crowe?" He asked.

"No sir, my guess is he's halfway to Willwood by now." Elias answered. "His whole family is from that area. He's not a trail man, not like Damian was, he'll be looking toward the comforts of home pretty soon I expect, Willwood's only an hour or so's ride from here, He'll stop there for a drink and a warm bed, I'll catch him there."

Sheriff Reagan, made sure he was well supplied with ammunition for both pistols and the Winchester, and even gave him a full bottle of whiskey to help keep him warm on the trail. Meanwhile outside. the moon sat full, well above the horizon and cast a silvery light in all directions, there was nary a cloud in the sky, all except for some gathering in the distant east, slowly rolling toward them, promising a new series of rainstorms in the not so distant future. He could clearly see in all directions, so he loaded up his horse Reaper, mounted up, tipped his hat to Sheriff Reagan, turned and headed in the direction of Willwood, with Mudbone in tow.

With a slight breeze at his back and the brilliant moonlight illuminating his path he pressed onward, the terrain slowly changing from flat ground to once again hilly and rocky, until almost two hours had passed and behind him he could once again hear the familiar sounds of low rumbling thunder. He turned to look back at the approaching storm, and something caught his attention through the flash of chain lightning, he headed for the higher ground when he got off the horse and pulled out the spyglass, and there it was, off in the distance coming up behind him, a lone rider trailing him to the rocks. It was Pritchard Church. he'd gotten in behind him.

~Scratch. A.B.T. Copyright © 2025~