The stolen horses.
Cody counted fires.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Then he saw armed men moving between the animals.
There were more than ten.
At least fifteen.
Cody lowered his binoculars.
"This isn't a simple robbery."
Then he noticed something else.
At the far end of the valley stood a wooden structure.
A barn.
Beside it were wagons.
And beside the wagons were crates.
Cody narrowed his eyes.
What were the bandits planning to do with two hundred horses?
He would find out.
But first, he needed to survive the night.
The Woman in the Ravine
Cody waited until darkness.
He left Sombra hidden behind the ridge and moved on foot toward the camp.
The moon was thin.
Perfect.
He crawled through dry grass until he reached a rock formation overlooking the valley.
From there, he could hear the bandits talking.
"Tomorrow morning."
"That's too soon."
"The buyer won't wait."
"Two hundred horses is a lot to move."
Cody's eyes narrowed.
Buyer.
So there was another man involved.
He moved closer.
Then he heard a different voice.
A woman's voice.
"Where are you taking them?"
Cody froze.
Someone had been captured.
A bandit laughed.
"Back to your people? Is that what you want?"
"These horses belong to my people."
"Not anymore."
Cody moved toward the sound.
Behind a small wagon, he saw a young Apache woman tied to a post.
She looked exhausted but furious.
Her black hair hung over one shoulder.
A cut marked her forehead.
Cody watched as one of the bandits approached her.
"You should have stayed away."
The woman spat at his boots.
The bandit raised his hand.
Cody fired.
The gunshot exploded through the valley.
The bandit fell.
Chaos followed.
Cody fired again.
Another man dropped.
The woman threw herself sideways as bullets tore through the wagon.
Cody ran.
He reached her and cut the rope.
"Can you walk?"
She stared at him.
"Who are you?"
"Someone who doesn't like thieves."
She almost smiled.
"My name is Elena."
"Cody."
A bullet struck the wagon.
Cody grabbed her arm.
"Move."
They ran toward the ravine.
Behind them, the bandits shouted.
Cody whistled sharply.
Sombra answered from the darkness.
The Mustang came running.
Cody pulled Elena onto the saddle.
He mounted behind her.
"Hold on."
Sombra surged forward.
Bullets chased them.
They disappeared into the darkness.
Only when they reached the ravine did Cody slow.
Elena climbed down.
She looked back toward the camp.
"They will come after us."
"I know."
"You don't understand."
She looked at him.
"There are more than horses in those wagons."
Cody's expression changed.
"What?"
Elena took a breath.
"They stole the horses because they are planning to attack my village."
Cody stared at her.
"Why?"
"Because they want the land."
Elena's Warning
They sheltered inside a narrow canyon.
Elena explained everything.
The Apache families lived north of the Red Mountains.
For years, ranchers and traders had tried to push them away.
Recently, a wealthy landowner named Victor Hale had discovered silver beneath the mountains.
The land belonged to the Apache.
Hale could not legally take it.
So he had hired men to create fear.
First came cattle thefts.
Then attacks on isolated travelers.
Then the horse raid.
"If our horses are gone," Elena said, "we cannot move our families."
"And Hale knows this."
"Yes."
Cody stared into the fire.
"Why hasn't anyone stopped him?"
Elena gave a bitter smile.
"Because powerful men often find someone else to blame."
Cody understood.
"How many people are in your village?"
"Nearly three hundred."