Page 1 of Tusks & Saddles
Cattle Spurs
Lizzie Strong
Once upon a train station
Boone
The train station was dusty as ever, the screaming wheels kicking up more than a cloud. It was almost an oppressive smog. Coating everything and everyone within a hundred feet of it. Boone did his best not to immediately hack up a lung as everything was painted sandy yellow and his skin was buffed out with a fine grit. Thankfully, he pulled up his neck cover earlier, shielding his tusks. Nothing worse than finding Irongarde salt caked to the back of them when brushing his teeth. Or worse, when drinking his sacred coffee. The only way to survive a place like Irongarde is a good cup of coffee.
And a strong will. Irongarde, the biggest hub along the railway, and his current residence. Boone Larokson never intended to end up in a place like this…but it sure did need him. There was always some poor soul in need of rescuing, and a Paladin’s job is never done. Unfortunately for him, his biggest damsel in distress was the smug looking motherfucker climbing off the train… “On a pair of crutches! Jacobus!”
“I know, I know!” the floppy, blond-haired, puppy-dog-eyed daemon called out with a sheepish smile. He clung to those crutches like they were a lifeline.I could strangle him.Boone’s hands trembled at his sides. He wasn’t sure if it was fury or concern as he raced up the concrete toward the limping,horned fool. Like most daemon’s, Jacobus had a pair of horns protruding from his forehead. His were short and cute, barely little imp bumps that held up the floof of his hair. His orange skin had streaks of red and purple in it like he was made of an inferno. Golden eyes flashed up at Boone as he stopped to catch his breath. Jacobus raised a weak hand. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“I told you not to go! I specifically told you not to go with Timothy Two-Toes and that fool Simon!” Boone stormed the last few feet to stand in front of Jacobus. The daemon smiled up at him weakly. Boone couldn’t help but sigh, a disappointed sound that made his friend grimace. “What did they do to you?”
“Not them. Me. I did this to me. I fell off a dock, but one of my legs didn’t want to go,” Jacobus laughed nervously with a non-committal shrug. “It was a good weekend though, all things considered.”
“I’m glad you drank enough to drown half of Gloomsdale, but now I have to return you to Will the day before the last push of the season.” Boone hit the daemon with the hardest truth there was. Jacobus was many things: fun, loyal, loving, generous, selfless…bone-dead stupid. Because as the words floated around them, despite the gritty smog, the hissing smokestack of the train, the gaggle of people talking around them, they hit the daemon like a booming blade. His best friend paled and his mouth fell open.
“Oh…oh no,” Jacobus hissed, glancing up with wide eyes. “Boone.”
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
“Don’t ‘oh no’ me, your sister’s going to be livid!” Boone would throttle the boy if it weren’t for the fact Jacobus was his favorite. The goober was the first person to say hello to the orc seven years ago, and Boone decided that day he would befriend the bright eyed daemon. Had he known that Jacobus would make his life a nightmare all those years ago…he’d still be his best friend.
“Will’s gonna kill me!” Jacobus whined. “It’s just the three of us this year.”
“Kill you?” Boone scoffed like the Enriyes would be angry at anyone but him. No matter how Boone tried, he could never convince the older, protective fury of the farm that he wasn’t the bane of her existence. It didn’t matter if he just breathed near her or if he was performing a miracle. Willamina Jones made it clear she hated his guts. And with every little, foolish thing her brother did, she blamed him further. “Wait, what do you mean it’s just the three of you?”
“Roger, Will, and I. Gracie left halfway through the season to have the triplets, remember? There wasn’t any time to train another cattle hand and until the season’s over, we wouldn’t have the money to hire someone from another ranch!” Jacobus hit Boone with this sledgehammer and the orc could already see his future go up in smoke.That’s it, this time she burns me alive. She’s going toactually kill me. Last Chance Ranch was the biggest cattle producer in all of Irongarde, but that didn’t mean much. Everything west of Parandor Stronghold, the capital city so to speak, lived off the land. It wasn’t a very rich environment, but it was a hardworking one. Everyone in Irongarde did their fair share. Some more than others, like Willamina who started running the ranch shortly after her father’s death three years ago.
“Jacobus,” Boone grumbled, knowing exactly what his friend was about to ask him.
And knowing exactly what he was about to do.
“Boone, please, ya gotta go in my place.”
“Godsdamnit,Jacobus!” Boone barked, accepting his fate. He was about to get his eyes clawed out by Willamina and he deserved it. If he hadn’t believed Jacobus would wait for him to get back from his last security gig to go out celebrating, then they wouldn’t be inthis situation.Well, they might have if I knew Gracie was out.But, in that situation he’d be playing farm hand alongside Jacobus while avoiding Will’s burning glare. Now…now he was going to get gutted by the prettiest, angriest woman he knew.
“Will’s gonna be grateful! I just know it!” Jacobus grinned that sweet, lopsided grin that got him out of everything.
“You have far more faith in your sister’s temperament than I do,” Boone grumbled.
“Aw, come on. Will loves you! You’re family.”
Boone furrowed his brow, eyeballing the daemon before him.Will does not love me. And I’m definitely not family to her. She made that quite clear.Jacobus always saw his older sister in a golden light because she was his bodyguard growing up. Willamina was mean, sharp tongued, and even more vicious than a viper. It was part of the reason Boone liked her. She bared her fangs and didn’t let anyone get away with anything, especially when it came to Jacobus. Unfortunately, for him, she thought Boone was a bad influence on Jacobus…It’s not my fault.
“Come on, you broken bones bastard. I’d like her to kill me sooner rather than later.” Boone rolled his eyes, twisting on his heel to head out the train station. He would berate Jacobus more later. Especially after surviving an agonizing cattle push for no pay with a pissed off viper in his boot. Only, he stopped himself, struck completely still like stone as he caught a flash of green among the sandy smog. There, farther down the train station, a skinny orc stepped out after a woman in all black. Boone’s eyebrows shot up on his head, as he saw the orc raise his hand, pulling the glove back onto his digits.
Only one fucking orc I know that’s got a giant hole in his hand and not supposed to fucking be here!His body thrummed with worried rage as he stepped forward onto the train station. His boot rattledagainst the concrete, the spurs on the backside spinning as the train took off again. Screaming into the air, the metal beast crept out of the station and took large clouds of kicked-up sand with it. In that split second where the orc across the station looked up, locking eyes with Boone, he knew for a fact that his half-brother was there.
“Welby!” he roared, the sound almost completely swallowed up by the train. The younger orc who was definitely not supposed to be on this continent, let alone in Irongarde, smiled at him sheepishly. Unlike Boone, Welborn was six feet tall, slender, dressed in cleric robes, and under a wide brimmed hat was a head of dark hair and the same yellow eyes as Boone. Something they shared with their father, but Welborn was definitely taller than Boone remembered.
And definitely here, and not home with Pops!
“Boone?” Jacobus asked, tearing his attention back from his brother.What is he doing here? How did he get here? Why is he in cleric clothes...has it really been that long?Boone glanced back at the daemon, barely able to balance on his rickety crutches. The Paladin was pulled between charging across the station to throttle his baby brother and the idiot directly in front of him.Why me? Sun Bringer, do I not pray enough? Have I not given enough?
Welborn did the choosing for him, as when Boone looked back at the spot the other orc stood, he was already rushing after the woman in all black. Boone lurched after him, his heart tugging. Yet, he stopped as he heard the yelp from Jacobus followed by a clatter.
