GLITTER GULCH

Chapter 37: Into the Spider's Web

When they finally reached the Judge's home, Rowan let out a long, low whistle. "This wasn't here last time I was in town. Sure is a fancy place."

The front of the home was fairly nondescript as far as ranch houses went, except for the fact that it was wide enough for there to be ten windows. A swing, a few chairs and some potted plants lined the typical front porch that ran the width of the house. But the most remarkable feature about Judge Dais' place was that it was literally built into the side of a hill, the roof covered in grass and sod. From outside, there was no telling how far into the hillside the house went. No telling how deep or big it was. For all they knew, the house went as far as the eye could see.

Actually, it wasn't a bad idea, Sage mused. It would keep the house cool in summer and warm in winter, similar to a cave.

"Yeah, Dais isn't one for doing anything half-assed. Took them quite a while to build this one. Never seen the guys who built it around here again either."

Startled, Sage looked at Kento. "What do you mean by that?"

The mountain man shrugged. "Just never saw those guys again."

The lengthening shadows from the sunset crept over the sprawling rustic home, throwing a garish glamour of a giant spider silently waiting for its prey.

Cye shivered. "Not my idea of a friendly place. If you ask me, might as well put his enemies' heads on pikes lining a walk up to the front door."

Sage couldn't agree more. It wasn't exactly a welcoming sight. And the air seemed to get cooler the closer they got. Not to mention, the house seemed to swallow the fading light...

Ryo and he dismounted and hitched their horses, then waited for everyone else to clamber from the wagon before knocking on the heavy wooden door.

Sheriff Cale answered it himself, an ugly, fearsome scar marring the otherwise dark but handsome man's face.

Sage grimaced. "What the hell happened to you?"

"What the fuck do you care?" Cale growled before wincing and stepping back.

"Ignore him," Dais said, tugging on his white glove that he had used to rap the insolent sheriff with. "He had a run in with a foul character today and still hasn't quite gotten over it. Please, come in."

Removing his hat, Sage stepped through the door, noticing Ryo's angry glare when the pale Judge focused his nearly lifeless, cold eye on the Indian.

What was up with that?

This was going to be an interesting evening.

"I apologize for my appearance. I, too, had an unfortunate encounter with the same individual. Whereas Cale was merely scarred, I, alas, have lost the use of one eye."

"Damn" was all Kento said as he shouldered his way into the room, Cye following meekly behind. Anubis merely bowed and Rowan tipped his hat before taking it off.

"Hope it's all right that ya have one more for dinner."

Dais did seem mildly inconvenienced, but recovered quickly and offered, "No. Not at all. I shall just have the help prepare another place setting. It might postpone dinner for a few minutes though. Cale, why don't you show our guests into the parlor?"

Sage reached out a hand and lightly touched the silver-haired man on the arm, trying not to cringe at how cold the man felt. "Actually, Judge Dais, is there somewhere where we can wash up before dinner? We- We had to bury a friend on the way over here."

"Bury a friend?" Dais glared at Cale briefly before turning a sorrowful eye to Sage. "How unfortunate. Of course. Cale, show them to the guest washroom while I make the arrangements for dinner."

Cale huffed his disgust but escorted the men to a separate part of the house. The place seemed to go on forever...

The water closet was a lot nicer than anything Sage had ever seen - even back east. It had all the modern conveniences including one of those fancy flush toilets, running water in a sink and full-sized bathtub. Sage didn't want to guess where the waste was going; certainly there wasn't any form of sewer system out here. Unless the Judge had one made or imported and buried. There wasn't anywhere nearby that could manufacture the pipe - iron or wood.

Rowan could probably figure it all out and once he did, it wouldn't be long before Halo Ranch had a similar but more efficient system.

They went in two at a time. Sage was pretty sure that he and Ryo weren't the only ones who snuck in a kiss or two. Especially when Cye came out blushing like a two dollar bride on her wedding night.

As soon as they'd all washed the dirt from their hands, Cale led them into a large parlor, decadently adorned with a marble fireplace and overstuffed settees. A tapestry fabric was hung all over the walls, the swirling dusty rose-colored design repeating over and over again, only broken by candle-bearing sconces and a few oil paintings.

A fire had been started, giving the room more than enough light when coupled with the large amount of candles in the room. It would have been extremely cozy, if it weren't for the present company.

The gruff Sheriff grunted and gestured toward the couches while he went toward a table stocked with liquor - a lot of liquor. Alcohol fires the resolve, Sage thought.

Flipping his hair back from his eyes, he caught a glimpse of two people already occupying one of the large divans. Mayor Sekhmet and Lady Kayura. They were watching the newcomers with avid interest.

Each one of the men that he had grown to dislike the moment he'd arrived in Glitter Gulch looked like they'd been viciously attacked. Cale's scar, Dais' eye and Sekhmet… well, the Mayor looked like he'd been ridden hard and put up wet. Huge dark circles lined his eyes, his skin had taken on a severely sick green hue that gleamed where sweat dotted his lip. Sage imagined he could smell the man's breath from where he stood. He nodded and the green-haired Mayor only vaguely acknowledged his presence. Lady Kayura, however, batted her eyelashes and waved with her fingers.

Sage smiled politely and unconsciously stepped closer to Ryo.

The drinks were served, Cale not even bothering to ask what everyone wanted, handing Sage a rather large shot of whiskey in a wide-mouthed glass.

What the hell? Did the Sheriff just… sniff him? Sage panicked. Okay, maybe it was a mistake coming here. This was beginning to creep him out something fierce.

There was a long silence before Rowan, ever the diplomat, piped up, "Who the fuck did that to you guys anyway? Must have been one helluva son of a bitch."

Cale's scowl deepened - Sage hadn't thought it possible - and looked like he was about to give the Yankee what for when the Judge glided back into the room.

"Is everyone comfortable?" Dais asked.

They all looked at each other expectantly, waiting for someone else to say something, all of them incredibly uncomfortable but not willing to be the one to admit it. It was like being in a nest of rattlesnakes and not wanting to be the first to move for fear of being bitten.

The Judge must not really have expected an answer because he didn't wait for one before pouring himself a drink and saying, "So, tell me. How are things out at the Wilker- oh, pardon - the Halo Ranch?"

No one said a word.

Finally, after a relatively long pause, Sage coughed and said, "Well, it's been pretty rough with the fire and all. Not to mention there's been some sort of... creature skulking about."

"Creature?" The Judge raised a pale eyebrow. "Fire? Doesn't sound like things have been going very well at all for you young men."

Cye mumbled, "Things could be better."

The sickly Mayor leered at the schoolteacher as he drank from his glass tumbler. "You're not enjoying yourself at the ranch, Mr. Torrent?"

The alcohol proving to be a bit too strong for the Englishman's constitution, Cye sputtered and blushed. "Oh, it isn't that. I had assumed... Well, when I agreed to come here I was under the impression that I would receive a house as part of my wages. I feel as if I'm imposing on Mr. and Mrs. Halo, staying on at the ranch."

Sage raised a golden eyebrow. It was still odd to hear the 'Mr. & Mrs. Halo' thing. He kept thinking people were talking about his parents.

"Unfortunately," the Mayor began, "there's no budget this year to allow for your house, Mr. Torrent. I'm afraid we were all hit hard by the drought last year. I told you that when you arrived here."

"Drought?" Sage asked.

"Mmm. Yes," Dais replied. "Rather nasty. Several local farmers and ranchers sold out and moved on."

Kento snorted.

A cold eye focused on the mountain man. "I beg your pardon, Mr. Hardrock, did I say something amusing?"

"Yeah. Actually, you did." Kento glared in the Judge's direction. "They didn't just 'sell out,' they were forced out by you and your buddies here. Just like you were trying to do to me. But I'm still NOT selling."

Cale growled something unintelligible while Dais merely refilled his drink. "Now, Mr. Hardrock, you know better than that. We offered those people a reasonable offer for their land and they accepted it. No one forced anyone to do anything."

Kento snorted again. "Right. That's why Sage here had to marry Rosemary Wilkerson so she could keep her ranch. Otherwise, the bank would have foreclosed on it because she wasn't 'allowed' to own property."

"That IS the law, Mr. Hardrock. That was not done with malicious intent. We were trying to help Miss Wilkerson."

"By offering to marry her off to one of you three?"

Dais seemed surprised and chuckled. "Why, yes. Are any of us NOT a decent candidate for a husband, Mr. Hardrock?"

Sage bit his lip to keep from blurting out loud, "At the moment you're all pretty gruesome choices." Then again, he hadn't been a very pretty choice at the time either. Battered and bruised from his run-in with Sheriff Cale, he'd known something was up when Rosemary pointed him out. Okay... so he'd been second-choice, but he didn't feel slighted in the least. He would have chosen Ryo over himself any day.

"Why don't you come live here, young schoolteacher?" Sekhmet suggested, his voice hissing in his throat.

Cye stammered, "I- I couldn't."

"Oh, yes. Why don't you come stay with us until you can find your own place?" Dais suggested. "It is crowded here at times, but it must be even more so there. You must be sleeping two to a room there? Especially since our good friend, Anubis, moved in with you."

Rowan laughed out loud. "I don't think you'll hear any of us griping about the sleeping arrangements. Oh, with the exception of Ulee, of course. He's just been booted out of bunking with Ryo, his hero."

Sage shot Rowan a look. If he could've kicked him from where he stood, he would have.

"Oh?" Dais was interested. "And who took his place by the red man's side?"

"None other than Sage Halo."

Dais was VERY interested now. "Really?"

Sage silently cursed Rowan, his ancestors, and any future relations he might have.

"Don't tell me there are already problems with the new wife?"

The cowboy cleared his throat and said, "No. No problems. She has her room, I have mine."

The predatory smirk that spread across the Judge's pale features made Sage shiver. It was clear that Dais found this tidbit of information VERY favorable.

Whatever he'd been about to say was forestalled by the arrival of a pasty faced servant boy who announced the table was ready. The pale Judge smiled and stood. "If you'll follow me, gentlemen, we can begin our meal."

The dining room turned out to be even more decadent than the parlor. A long cherry wood table flanked by ten chairs rested in the dead center of the room, a richly detailed plush rug underneath it. An ornate tapestry fabric alive with naked youths and unicorns dancing together in springtime forests lined the upper part of the walls in this room, the lower simply sanded and whitewashed wood. A large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling directly over the table, the lit candles sending flickering prisms of light throughout the room.

"Wow," Rowan breathed, echoing the sentiments of all the newcomers.

Place cards with beautifully scripted handwritten names denoted the seating arrangements, alternating the guests and efficiently separating the familiar friends from one another in a not altogether pleasant configuration. Pleased with himself when he recognized his own name on one of the cards, Kento smiled in triumph at Cye, who returned it until he realized exactly where his own place card sat. Sekhmet held his chair out for him. Sage didn't fare too much better. He sank into his chair with a sigh.

Rowan and Dais were at the ends of the table, Kayura and Kento to Rowan's right, Cale and Sage to his left. At the other end, Ryo and Anubis sat to Dais' left, Cye and Sekhmet to his right. All in all, each couple was sufficiently divided.

Sitting between the beastly Cale and the sickly Sekhmet, Sage resigned himself to having a horrible evening, noticing there wasn't much maneuvering room, his elbows bumping into Cale's as they vied for room. He chanced a glance at Ryo and noticed the Indian wasn't enjoying his seating arrangement much either.

Fine bone china and more eating utensils than Sage had seen in his entire life adorned the dark table, giving off a fragile and seemingly delicate ambience. Sage felt grossly underdressed and ill-mannered.

Fresh tossed salads with some sort of oil and vinegar dressing were served and Sage followed Dais' lead, tucking the linen napkin in his lap and using the small fork to eat the greens.

He was a little more than tipsy, which was odd, especially after he'd sworn off drinking after the last bout when he'd thrown up all over Ryo. He'd only had the one drink while they had been in the parlor. So why did he feel like thousands of little pick axes were mining for coal in his head? Surely it wasn't the company. He rolled his eyes.

Lady Kayura seemed to have been beaten with a silly stick, giggling at every single thing that came out of anybody's mouth. Then there was Mayor Sekhmet with his nearly green skin, and rank-smelling breath who was having a hard time keeping his bugged-out eyes off Cye.

And the Judge whose duty it seemed like to make Ryo uncomfortable, staring at the Indian from time to time and licking his pale, corpse-like lips, making comments laced with sexual innuendo towards the nearly blushing brunette. Sage merely wanted to punch Dais square in the face. Anything to stop the creepy stares.

Last, but definitely not least - especially in Sage's book - was Cale.

The Sheriff seemed to have grown more hair to go along with his new 'beastly' look, bright red scar included. The man's canine teeth were too long to fit in his mouth, his nose a little more protruding, and his eyes seeming to glow an unearthly, certainly unhealthy, yellow. Worst of all, he appeared to have a fixation on Sage. The cowboy'd caught him staring once or twice. A hungry, savage look in those glowing eyes. Sage had to bite his tongue several times to keep from blurting out, "What the hell are you looking at, you miserable cur?" That just wouldn't have been polite. Of course, neither was Cale's staring.

Cye was the first one to resume the lagging conversation. "This is all very lovely. Thank you, Judge Dais."

"My pleasure. You really should consider coming here to live with us if you feel your welcome at Halo Ranch has been worn thin."

"Not a chance of that happening, Judge." Apparently, the whiskey had loosened Kento's tongue and dulled his sensibilities. With a surge of possessiveness, he leapt to his feet, fists going down on the table, rattling silverware and china. He swayed a little, he was feeling the effects of the alcohol as well. "He's mine so you and your friends here can keep your grubby little fingers off. Got it?"

Sage could have sworn he heard Cale growl. The Judge sat back and gave Kento an evil glare.

"Perhaps it would be best if the schoolteacher remained where he is, considering five of us are residing here at the moment; this place can get quite… crowded."

A wave of nausea hit Sage and his head began to pound. From behind a layer of cotton gauze, he watched Kento collapse to the floor in a heap. Cye's head lolled to the side and the redhead passed out on Sekhmet's shoulder. He heard Rowan mutter, "Five of you?" as the Yankee took a header into his plate.

"Yes. Five," Dais replied. "The three of us here, Damon, and-"

"Me."

Sage's movements hindered by his drink, he merely shifted his eyes to watch as a tall, foreboding shadow coalesced at Dais' side. Knee-high, shiny black boots, clinging white pants, and a garish red and gold riding jacket materializing out of nothing.

All of the air left Sage's lungs and he gasped for breath. He could feel the anger, disgust and helpless fear coming from his link with Ryo.

"Lord Talpa…" Dais stood, bowed and moved away from the table, making room for his master.

The fiendish ghoul sat in the vacated chair, his sinister gaze solely focused on Sage's Indian brave. A sick shudder rippled through Ryo's body as Talpa's gloved hand touched his shoulder. "I've been looking for you for a long time, Ryo Wildfire. It's-" A repulsive smile. "VERY good to see you again."

The Indian hadn't said a word and barely even moved. Sage's heart hammered wildly in his chest as Talpa bent forward and cupped a hand under Ryo's chin. "Yes. VERY good to see you again."

Sage couldn't stand it anymore. His responses were slow, sluggish - but he HAD to get to Ryo. He lurched to his feet and fell with a sickening crunch against the large table. But I killed him... Sage thought, holding on to the vision of Ryo's angry, terrified face until everything went black.