The Dogs of War
Note: This story is currently in progress... stay tuned for the complete version, which will be posted as soon as it is finished and has been reviewed by my beta readers. For now, I've posted the first scene as a hint as to what will come.
Cry "Havoc", and let slip the dogs of war;
- Julius Caesar: Act III, Scene 1
The sun had long since set on Four Corners and her seven protectors, who could be found that evening, as with most others, at their usual tables in the saloon. Ezra, JD, Buck and Josiah were playing poker, while the other three peacekeepers relaxed over their beers at the next table. Things had been calm recently, and the lawmen were enjoying the lull while they could, knowing how rapidly the situation could change.
"Call," Buck said smugly, certain that he finally held the winning hand.
JD and Josiah had folded, so Ezra gave him a faint smile as he laid down his cards. "Straight flush, Mr. Wilmington."
Buck's face fell and he dropped his cards on the table. "Damn, Ezra! I thought I had you that time." He gestured futilely at the three aces in his hand.
JD snorted. "You don't play good enough to beat Ezra, Buck."
"Too true, Mr. Dunne," Ezra said with a grin.
Buck knocked JD's hat off of his head. "Neither do you, kid."
"'Least I admit it," JD grumbled as he bent to pick up his hat. The new dime novel he had been reading slipped out of his pocket and fell to the floor.
Buck snatched it up before JD could get his hands on it. "What'cha got here?" Buck grinned and began flipping through the pages.
"Gimme that," JD said in annoyance. "It's just a new book I got."
Buck's grin slowly turned to a frown as he perused the story. "Why d'ya want to read about the war? Ain't nothin' entertainin' about that."
"It ain't about the war," JD retorted. "It just happens at the same time is all. Besides, I think the war is interesting."
"Yeah, well I was there and it wasn't all that interestin' to me."
"Mr. Wilmington is correct," Ezra agreed. "War is a most unpleasant topic."
"Were you in the war Ez?" JD asked curiously.
Ezra paused momentarily in shuffling his cards, noticing that the others were watching him as well, apparently as interested in the answer as JD. He resumed shuffling as he decided how to respond. Normally, he would toss off a flippant remark and make light of the question, but he had always found it difficult to lie to JD, and as he looked up into the young man's trusting gaze, he found he had to speak the truth. "Yes," he said softly.
"Which side were you on?" JD asked, eyes wide at having learned something new about the secretive gambler.
The others rolled their eyes and chuckled, as if it were a rhetorical question, but Ezra seemed suddenly taken aback, and with a faraway look in his eyes, replied absently, "Both."
To be continued...
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