Fearless Warrior: Isaacson Trilogy Book Two

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Over the next few hours, Elsie remained silent on the matter, leaving them without any further clues. Why had Piper been taken, and perhaps more importantly, why had the women traveled in the first place? When they arrived at Coyote Hill Depot, Elsie quickly directed them to where blood still stained the wooden platform.

After showing them, Elsie averted her eyes and moved several feet away; appropriate actions for a woman in her situation. But as Esmund inspected the area further, he discovered there was a substantial amount of blood marking the spot; too much blood. Esmund's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

The majority of it appeared to have run to ground through the slits between the wooden planks, evidenced by the pool of congealed blood at the outer edge nearest the train tracks.

In Esmund's mind, it was proof events far more heinous than an abduction had occurred, which possibly meant Piper Jackson had been gravely wounded and was now dead, or perhaps there had been more than one crime committed and overlapped in the same spot. His gut told him Elsie knew more than what she was letting on about, but he had no tangible proof and wanted more facts.

He studied Elsie for a few minutes, watching for any clue in her behavior to suggest she was responsible for her friend's fate. But nothing about her demeanor implied she was capable of such duplicity.

Esmund sighed and returned his attention to surveying the area. Why hadn't the women been on the main depot platform? Out of nowhere, a shrill whistle pierced the air, and Ulric motioned to the ground where he stood. "It's the McCreedy's all right."

"How do you know?" Elsie asked.

"The leader favors a particular shoe for his mount." Esmund rode forward next to Ulric and looked down to where he pointed. There, plain as day, was a horseshoe imprint with a notch in the center and two intertwined 'M's staring back at him.

After studying the tracks, Ulric discerned which direction they needed to go and set out due west in pursuit. Knowing the gang had a full day lead hung at the back of Esmund's mind, taunting him, but with any luck, Ulric's unnaturally keen skill for tracking would work in their favor.

An hour passed in silent monotony before Gunnar broke it when he pulled Wasp up beside Esmund, "Why's Ulric acting so strange?"

Wasp tried taking a nip at Esmund's leg, so he directed Frisky further away and glared. "You know, when you had your beauty rest, I actually became concerned for your devil horse."

"Why?"

"Hell if I know. Perhaps it was a moment of insanity," Esmund said with a shrug. "She was moping around her stall and didn't once try to bite me when I'd go in to check on Frisky. It wasn't until she saw you earlier today she went back to being her normal, evil self."

Gunnar smiled and patted Wasp's neck. "She loves me."

Esmund quirked a brow, "Well, the next time she tries sinking her teeth in my flesh, I'm going to berserk and take a nibble out of her hide. Maybe then she'll treat my precious body with the respect it deserves."

"As much as I enjoy hearing you expound on the qualities of your physique," Gunnar chuckled, "can we get back to my earlier question about Ulric?"

Esmund studied Ulric for a moment, searching for the best words to protect the feelings of both brothers. Ulric was quiet on an average day, but what he was exhibiting now was more than his usual reserve. He'd distanced himself from the group, which wasn't his customary fashion. Was it because he disliked Elsie and her chatter or from what had happened between Gunnar and Nora?

Knowing what he did about Ulric's feelings concerning the two and their new bond, he suddenly wished this journey was strictly him with his brothers and father. If anyone had ever told him Gunnar—who had struggled for years with being a Berserker—would end up accepting who he was and claim a woman who was also a Berserker, Esmund would have laughed in their face and questioned their sanity.