Aiden dropped to the ground, instinctively covering his head. The shopkeeper shouted and ran into the backroom. As he was about to slam the door, he rushed the woman in behind him. She stole a handful of ribbons and shoved them into her purse as the shopkeeper's eyes were directed out the window.

"Are you coming?" The shopkeeper asked.

A horse screeched in the street. Nova. "No." Aiden crouched lower to the ground. The shopkeeper looked at his cash register and then back at Aiden. He frowned. Another gunshot sounded in the street. That decided it for him--he slammed the door shut. The latch slid into place. Part of Aiden wanted to run out the back door, but he couldn't. He was worried about Nova, who was out in the street and just as scared as he was.

He crawled to the windows and peeked out. He reached into his boot and withdrew Tanner's gun, still loaded with six shots left. He steadied a finger over the trigger and the other on the hammer. Aiden startled, nearly jumping straight out of his dusty old socks when the glass window shattered on the other side of the shop. He ducked, clenching his eyes shut until he was sure he was safe from any rogue bullets.

Out in the street, a man drew his top hat from his head, puffed his cheeks out and spit into it. Flicking the sweat off his brow with a daring list of the neck, he twirled his arm about, hat and all. It was like a sleight of hand. He tossed the hat into the air. Ever so confidently, it found a place back on his head. Out from behind the saloon dove a barrel-chested man. Aiden couldn't make out his face until he lifted himself up off the ground on his arms. It was Silas Noble, sure as anything. His face was covered in scrapes. He shot his gun. It missed the man in black and hit the dirt road. A wagon led by mules tore by, motivated by the heat of the bullets to a wild gallop. Silas Noble crawled up into a cart for shelter. The man in black strolled forward, shooting bullets at the cart.

Aiden hurried through the broken window. It was now or never. He untied Nova from the hitching post. She bucked wildly as he pulled her into the alleyway of the general store. Aiden tried to calm her down so that they could ride back to Aydesreve, but she refused to comply. Out in the street, Silas Noble reached up from behind a crate and shot the man in the leg. He fell back. The man extended his pistol and fired a bullet. It hit Silas Noble's horse in the shoulder. The white horse reeled back and squealed. It stomped about in pain. Nova cried in disapproval. Again, Silas Noble fired at the man and missed. He shot another bullet. It rumbled through the air and hit the man in the chest. Silas Noble stood above the crates and put his gun back into his holster. He spit his bullet from his mouth and vigorously shined it against his trousers. The man in black lay dying on the dirt road. He tried to lift his gun, but his arms were too weak. Silas Noble sidled up to him. With his foot, he nudged the gun out of the man's hands and kicked it. It trundled through the dirt street. The man rasped for breath. Silas Noble brought his gun forward and cocked it. He shot the man one last time.

Silas Noble's horse continued to grunt and squeal in pain. The blood was mingling with his white coat and running down his long front leg. Silas Noble went back to the horse to sop up the blood. He stroked the horse's mane while he pressed down on the wound with his other hand. The horse tried to bite him, but Silas Noble cooed at him until he was pacified.

While Noble was distracted, Aiden finally soothed Nova and hopped on her back. He willed her out of the alleyway, but as soon as she got in the street where the white horse was, she began to cry and rear. Aiden held on to her neck and calmed her back down onto all fours.

"Ey, you," Noble said in a brittle voice.

"Oh, hello." Aiden turned Nova around and walked her back into the alleyway. He'd just go out the back way.

"I scared you off?" Silas Noble called. "I thought you had more stones than that."

Aiden sighed and pulled Nova to a stop. "How's your horse?"

"Just needed a bit of patching up is all after that son of a bitch shot her. Her name is Wild Tooth," he said.

"Do her teeth look all that bad?"

He got his dagger out and made an incision where she got shot. "Only when they're coming straight at you." Wild Tooth tried to bite him, but he ducked away. He opened up his saddlebag and found a pair of tweezers. He pushed them into Wild Tooth's shoulder.

She screeched and stomped her foot.

"You'll survive, girl," he groaned, pulling the bullet out. He dabbed the wound with a cloth.

Aiden adjusted himself on the saddle. "What exactly is it that you do?"

"Surf and turf bounty hunting," he said. "It pays big octans. That fellow," he pointed with the bloody tweezers, "Just robbed the bank in Trinity Gorge." He pulled a green thread and a needle from the bag.

"I read the pamphlet you gave me," Aiden said.

"Thought you would have," Silas Noble said. "I seen you around here." He pulled Wild Tooth's skin together as he avoided her teeth. He pierced her skin with the needle and pulled the wound closed. "Do you have a skill?"

Aiden nodded. "I'm a good sailor, sir. I'm a hard worker, too." What would Haworth do if Aiden just up and left Aydesreve without another word? "I know a carpenter too—Rich Haworth's his name."

"I could use you both." Silas Noble patted Wild Tooth on the rear. "Good as new." He stepped back and sat on the bed of the wagon. "We're leaving in about two weeks. Get yourself sorted out."

Aiden nodded. His gun was still tucked into his boot, so he put it into his saddlebag. He didn't want it digging into his ankle the entire ride. Nova took off after receiving two gentle nudges. They sprinted out of town and then down the road to Aydesreve. Something was different about the weather that day. It was quieter, hotter too. He could hear a noise far off that disturbed him, but still he couldn't place it. It was like a whispering in the back of his ears, a talking that couldn't be stopped. Aiden slowed Nova to a walk and enjoyed the scenery. The sunflower fields were growing larger. They were dancing in full bloom. Within the week they'd all be harvested. It was the town's biggest celebration—even bigger than the Bloom Festival.

He made his way into the fields and dismounted Nova. He hitched her to the mesquite tree. While she snoozed, he leaned against the tree. The fields were quiet and the dry heat was refreshing today. He closed his eyes and let the light warm his face.

He heard footsteps. Amelia Rose trudged up the path alone, her round nose buried in a book. She didn't see Aiden. She kept walking past the mesquite. He stepped around the tree and leaned on the other side, watching her walk down the road. But before she got too far away, he cleared his throat.

She didn't look too happy to see him, which bothered him. He stopped smiling.

"Good Afternoon, Amelia Rose."

She shuffled and held her book tight to her chest. "Mr. Payne," she bowed.

Aiden laughed. "Oh please don't call me that." He stepped out of the shade. "You alright?"

She nodded, but she didn't look very convincing. "I'm fine. Are you?" Amelia Rose asked.

"There was a gunfight down at Dead Man's Palm," he said, "It was crazy there was this—"

She bit the inside of her lip. "Why were you at Dead Man's Palm?" She rubbed her finger across the corner of the book.

"There wasn't a good reason. I could've saved the trip." He wasn't ready to tell her about the job. He just wanted to be happy with her.

Amelia Rose's eyes widened. She dropped the encyclopedia and reached out for Aiden. With one hand she got ahold of his arm and with the other, she searched clumsily, then found a handful of his shoulder seam. Her grasp was tight. Aiden's heart hammered. He couldn't help but allow a flustered smile to return to his face. "I thought you.."

But she wasn't looking at him. She was looking past him. Aiden turned around. The silence had broken and there was a dreadful rumbling again.

"Moon above," Amelia Rose whispered, awestruck. She held onto Aiden tighter.

The horizon past Dead Man's palm was black and spiraling. He couldn't make sense of this murder of crows, this black soot and ash pedaling and pedaling towards him.

"What is—"

Amelia Rose grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him after her, but he couldn't look away. "It's a dust storm." Aiden finally let Amelia Rose drag him along after her, but with one look at the sky, he knew there was no way they'd make it to shelter quick enough.