All Chapters of Gunpowder, Magic, and Lead: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

Oren Knox holstered his six shooters. The lithe shadow had ducked into some trees up ahead and his eyesight wasn’t as good as it used to be, even in the daytime, much less at night. He felt around on the ground for his walking staff and found it. The staff felt cold to the touch but the rough surface wasn’t so polished it wouldn’t offer him a way to prop himself back up into a standing position. The old wound in his leg gave him fits, especially on cold nights like this, but he had learned to ignore it, mostly. He put the staff under his right arm and rubbed his cold hands together, blowing on them to get the circulation going again. He reached into his duster overcoat and produced his leather gloves. After carefully pulling on each glove in turn, he grasped his staff and moved through the snow toward the trees where the shadow had gone. The crisp air was laden with moisture and, sure enough, after he took a few more steps the snow began to fall. He tightened his duster as h

Oren led Loril through some trees on a worn path until they could hear the sounds of rushing water up ahead. Oren walked at a brisk pace and Loril struggled to keep up. “Hey, slow down, Where’s the fire?” Oren slowed his pace, “Sorry, I forget myself sometimes.” “Why didn’t you let Cain come with us? I can handle myself.” “Two charmers together mean trouble. I learned that lesson the hard way over the years. It’s best he stays behind.” “I’m sure I could hold him off.” Oren stopped to face her, “Just what do you think would happen?” “I don’t know, he might make advances at me?” “That’s the least of it. Charmers are pulled to each other as it is but when they are both in the presence of an Earth node the pull is almost irresistible. You may be able to handle it right now but the longer you both stay in this Earth node the harder it will get.” “What are you afraid of?” Loril asked. Oren resumed walking towa

The light rain came in the night and kept falling throughout the morning as Oren and Cain led Loril and Isiah out of the Earth Node. Oren knew it was raining because he noticed the stream running into the node had swelled when he went to wash up for breakfast. He patted his jacket to make sure he had returned the spell nodes to his vest after filling them with magical energy. They were there as evidenced by the tinkle of the glass against stone and the lump from his vest. The light rain accumulated on the brim of his hat and ran off the edges. It was a cold rain. If the temperature had been just a few degrees lower it would have been more snow instead. He suspected it still might change over as the day wore on.“I hate rain after a snow.” Cain said as if he were reading Oren’s mind, “It makes the snow from before mushy and damp. I wish the weather would make up its mind and either snow or rain but not both.”“The weather will turn co

Branson motioned for his two henchmen to follow him away from Oren, who was still as death on the cold ground. Oren could hear the men talking but wisely kept silent. The scruffy henchman Harlan hesitated, “Shouldn’t we make sure he’s dead?”Branson tightened his coat to ward off the cold. “Sure, if you want but look around you. It’s a snowy, frigid, winter’s night. He has no horse. No one is around for miles. Where would he go? Let him suffer. He will be dead soon enough. Mount up.“If you say so.” Harlan said. “But if he does somehow survive, don’t go complaining about it to me.”“What about what he has on him? I’m going to search him.” The other henchmen said.“There is no time for that less you want to die out here in the cold too. The storm is picking up. Looks to me like a blizzard is coming.” Branson reigned his horse, “Check him if you feel