Then the ledge collapsed.
Pike disappeared into the canyon.
Taya rushed to Caleb.
Blood soaked his shirt.
"You idiot."
Caleb smiled weakly.
"You're welcome."
She pressed her hand against the wound.
"Don't die."
"Wasn't planning to."
"Good."
Her voice trembled.
Caleb looked at her.
"You're shaking."
"So are you."
"Only because I'm bleeding."
"Then stop."
He laughed.
The laugh hurt.
But it was the first genuine laugh either of them had shared.
What Isaac Left Behind
Pike's remaining men fled before sunset.
The canyon became quiet again.
Nahkai survived.
So did most of his people.
Caleb's shoulder was bandaged.
The wound was painful, but not fatal.
The ledger was recovered.
But the mystery remained.
Where was the original?
That night, Nahkai finally opened the old saddlebag.
Inside was a letter.
The paper was yellow with age.
Caleb recognized the handwriting immediately.
His father's.
His hands trembled as he unfolded it.
The letter was addressed to him.
Caleb,
If you are reading this, I am probably dead.
Caleb stopped.
Taya sat beside him.
He continued.
There are things I could never tell you because telling you would have put you in danger.
I did guide soldiers into the valley.
That shame will follow me until I die.
But I did not do it for money.
I did it because men threatened your mother and you.
Caleb closed his eyes.
I believed I could obey once and then undo the damage. I was wrong.
People died because I opened that trail.
I have carried their names in my mind every day since.
Caleb swallowed.
The letter continued.
I returned because I wanted to make one thing right.
I found proof of what happened.
Men in government offices, military camps, and private companies were paid to clear this land.
They called it war.
It was business.
Caleb looked at Nahkai.
The old chief said nothing.
I hid the original ledger where no man looking for money would think to search.
Caleb read the next line.
I buried it beneath the place where I first saw my son ride a horse.
He froze.
Taya looked at him.
"What?"
Caleb whispered.
"Our ranch."
His father's old ranch.
The place Caleb had inherited.
The place he had nearly sold the year before.
The place where an ancient cottonwood stood beside the creek.
He suddenly remembered his father taking him there.
Caleb had been seven.
Isaac had helped him onto a horse.
"Hold the reins."
"I am."
"No. You're holding them too tight."
Caleb remembered laughing.
His father had smiled.
Then he had pointed toward the cottonwood.
"Someday, you'll understand why some things need to stay buried."
Caleb had forgotten the words.
Now they returned.
The original ledger was beneath the tree.
"We have to go," Caleb said.
Nahkai looked at him.
"Tomorrow."
"No."
Caleb stood.
"Tonight."
Taya frowned.
"You're wounded."
"I can ride."
"You can barely stand."
"I can ride."
Nahkai watched him.
Then nodded.
"Then I will send three warriors with you."
Caleb shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because if anyone is watching, I want them to think I'm alone."
Taya stood.
"I'm coming."
Caleb looked at her.
"You don't have to."
"I know."
"Then why?"
She smiled faintly.
"Because you are terrible at staying alive."
Caleb laughed.
"Fair."
Before midnight, they left.
They rode through the darkness.
The stars were bright.
The desert was silent.
For the first time in twenty years, Caleb was riding toward the truth his father had died protecting.
The Price Worth Paying
They reached the Blackthorn ranch shortly before dawn.
The old cottonwood stood beside the creek.
Caleb dismounted.
He walked toward the tree.
Taya followed.
"You remember this place?"
"Yes."
He touched the bark.
"My father brought me here."
Caleb pulled a shovel from the saddle.
The ground was hard.
Cold.
He dug for nearly an hour.
Nothing.
Taya crouched beside him.
"Maybe your father meant somewhere else."
Caleb shook his head.
"He wouldn't."
He dug deeper.
The shovel struck wood.
Caleb froze.
Taya looked at him.
Together they cleared the dirt.
A metal box appeared.
Caleb's heart pounded.
He opened it.
Inside was the original ledger.
There were also letters.
Names.
Receipts.
Orders.
Proof.
Everything Isaac had risked his life to preserve.
Taya stared.
"This could change everything."
Caleb nodded.
But before they could examine it further, a rifle clicked behind them.
Caleb slowly stood.