Page 89 of Tusks & Saddles
Epilogue
Boone
“Jacobus, quit fuckin’ around!” Boone laughed as Jacobus hung from one of the temple pillars. The goofball was winking at some bright-eyed, young initiates near the front door. His current flirting targets giggled and shuffled away as Boone threw a rock at his best friend. Jacobus squawked like a clumsy flamingo as he came tumbling down to the dusty earth. SunBringer smiled down at them, her golden rays lighting up all of Irongarde. Her touch warmed Boone’s back as he hoisted Jacobus off the ground. “We got paid, let’s get back to the ranch, huh?Withouttempting the new initiates?”
“Whaaaat?” Jacobus grinned, shimmying his shoulders suggestively. “Not my fault clerics find a rough and dirty man exciting.”
Boone snorted, rolling his eyes. With a quick slap upside Jacobus’ head, he chuckled under his breath as the goober sauntered away. Hands up, yoking it up, Jacobus had been a blessing the whole journey to the stronghold then to Gloomsdale. While the High Cleric Endman was truly a wise man…he was also chatty.Very. Chatty.Boone spent the entire time chin on his fist, thanking the SunBringer for Jacobus who could keep up the yapping for ages. Endman and Jacobusyapped from the moment they awoke till late in the evening. He even watched them both fall asleep separately,mid conversation.
“Oi! Watch it!”
Boone barely scruffed Jacobus seconds before a giant beam was carted in front of them, followed by several stacks of wood being delivered from the general store. It wouldn’t be odd, as there was always something being built in Irongarde. Only…they took the wood down the road toward the well. The well that, as far as Boone knew, was unoccupied. He furrowed his brows, following the wood down the dusty path.
“What’s down there?” he blurted out.
“Oh! Oh! That Idoknow. Heard about it when I came in town to buy some kibble for the dogs. There’s a new All Seer temple. Apparently the High Cleric or who-ever-da-fuck got lost and one of the clerics hired a gunslinger from in town. You know, the spooky lady that wears all black and that big ass hat? The one with the massive fuck-off gun always on her hip? Her! And they were lost in the Searing Wastelands for a while. But yeah, they’re building themselves a temple.”
All Seer?Gunslinger…Welborn!Boone rushed past Jacobus, his boots thudding with each heavy step as he flew through the hot air. Jacobus kept hot on his heel, asking the silliest question, “Where we going?”
But Boone’s only thought was in checking out the story Jacobus told. When his father stopped taking his gold, he wrote back a small letter. ‘Welborn’s gone to join the All Seer’s church’. At first, Boone thought that his brother took after him in that aspect.Became a paladin, sought out coin and purpose. However, he learned along the way his little brother became acleric.Which is not to say clerics don’t get coin or purpose or power.But, if he were honest, there was a little selfish disappointment his brother didn’t take after him.
The dust began to settle as the pair slowed to a trot a few feet from the edge of the road.Calling it a road is a stretch.There weren’t really roads in Irongarde. There were spaces that were flattened by carriages, horses, and boots in between buildings. As the sun broke through the cloud of rust-colored silt floating around them, he found the foundation of a temple being put up.
And Welborn at the front, holding up some sort of schematic while a woman all in black loomed just over his shoulder. He was clearly trying to explain something to one of the workers, who was stood there with a dumb look on their face and fingernails scratching at their scalp.
“It’s not that, uh, I don’t…no, it is that I don’t get it,” the poor human man with a scraggly beard grunted as he sat back on his boots.
“That’s cause you’re as dense as a boulder, Herman!” Jacobus chortled, brushing past Boone. The three at the front of the construction site twisted, staring at the pair who’d seemingly come out of nowhere. Boone was struck solid, his feet nothing but stone buried in the sand beneath him, as his gaze met Welborn’s.
“Oi! Jacobus, my man!” Herman cackled, twisting to clap Jacobus on the back. He hugged him close. “What you doing out here? Lose a heifer or something?”
“Nah, Boone…well…Boone?”
Boone wasn’t sure why his body moved on its own. But, he crossed the dusty earth with a few heavy steps before he threw his arms around Welborn and ripped him off his boots. He hugged that boy as hard as he could without breaking his spine. Curling his fingers around him, he wasn’t sure if he was trembling or if he was imagining it, but…he held his brother for a long time.
“Gods above, Welby,” he murmured, finally pulling back enough to look down at his face. Then he recalled what Jacobus said earlier. With a quick flick of his wrist, he slapped the back of his brother’s head…affectionately, of course. “What’s this I’m hearin’ you got lost in the Wastelands?”
“Oh! And attacked by a pod of Sand Slithers!” Jacobus added. Boone shot him a ‘don’t help’ glare at Jacobus, who grimaced back at him as a response. Jacobus returned his attention to Herman. “What cha’ building here?”
The pair waltzed a few feet away while Boone leveled his attention on his younger brother. He set Welborn back on his boots and took a step back. Just to look at him.Well, shit, he really is a full-grown guy now.
“Not so much ‘got lost’ as maybe wandered without a direction,” Welborn grimaced. “But the Sand Slither thing is a bit more accurate.”
Boone stared at him, only blinking once as if the information was taking a moment to digest. There was a flash of protective rage, then a sliver of reality checked him with a swift kick, and finally, acceptance.You’re not his father, you’re not even close to him, you have no right.But he wanted to be…
“Well,” he sighed, putting his hands to his sides. “I’m sure glad you’re not dead.”
"That makes two of us," the woman in black stated point blank. Welborn twisted to her, ears a little dark green at the embarrassment.
“Apologies, you must be the gunslinger I’ve heard only one thing about.” He nodded to the massive gun on her waist. “Jacobus called it a big ‘fuck-off’ gun.”
"I actually keep my 'fuck off' gun in a suitcase." Her tone was humorous as she settled up at Welborn’s side. Draping one of her arms over his brother’s shoulder, Boone watched his brother clam up.Typical baby brother.Warming up to a forest-green around the edges, his eyes slightly widening, Welborn audibly let out a little, nervous laugh.
"I—um, so... I'm—I mean this—" Welborn frantically glanced between Boone and the gunslinger. Her gold eyes glanced at his brother, full of mirth.Ah, so she’s used to this.Boone was struck with just how much he missed his brother’s incessant babble. Crossing his arms over his chest, hip cocked, Boone reveled in the familiar sound of his brother losing it exponentially.Affectionally, of course. Boone raised an eyebrow, Welborn continued, "And this—what I mean is—"
"Hello, I'm Beatrix Eaves, pleasure," Beatrix, the purple-faced, gold-eyed, gunslinging, clearly sweet on his brother, woman struck a hand toward him. But before Boone could even shake it—
"We're getting married!" Welborn blurted, turning even greener.
