A shotgun roared, the flash illuminating the canyon in a blinding white light. Pellets slammed into the stone wall behind Caleb, showering him with dust and sharp rock splinters. Caleb squeezed the trigger of his Winchester in the same split second. The heavy lead bullet struck the deputy on Vance's right square in the chest, knocking him clean out of his saddle with a heavy thud.
Caleb racked the rifle lever with lightning speed, firing again as he dived behind a large granite boulder. A second deputy returned fire, his bullet ricocheting off the rock with a deafening metallic whine.
Before the shooter could cock his weapon again, a shadow darted out from the dark near the water spring.
Nalin lunged forward with blinding speed. She leaped onto the side of the deputy's horse, driving her knife deep into the man’s leather gun belt, tangling his reins and pulling him violently down into the dirt. The horse reared up with a terrified squeal, tossing the remaining deputy to the ground.
Vance panicked. Seeing his men fallen and overwhelmed in the dark, he fired two wild shots toward Caleb's position, spun his horse around, and dug his spurs deep into the animal's flanks, fleeing back toward the narrow mouth of the canyon.
"Vance!" Caleb shouted, stepping out from behind the boulder and racking his Winchester.
He aimed carefully at the fleeing lawman, but as he squeezed the trigger, Vance leaned low over his horse's neck, disappearing into the pitch-black darkness of the outer gulch. The bullet struck the cliff wall above his head, shower of sparks cascading down into the trail.
Silence returned to the canyon as quickly as the violent storm had erupted.
Caleb walked quickly over to where Nalin stood over the stunned deputy she had knocked down. She had her foot planted firmly on the man's chest, the tip of her long knife pressed against his throat. The deputy was shaking with terror, his hands raised in surrender.
"Don't shoot! Don't kill me!" the man pleaded, his voice cracking. "It was Vance's idea! He said you had more gold in your saddlebags!"
Caleb looked at Nalin. Her dark eyes were burning with cold fury, but as she looked up at Caleb, she saw his quiet nod. Slowly, she lowered the knife and stepped back.
Caleb dismounted the remaining horses, took the deputies' weapons, and threw them far into the dark brush.
"Get up," Caleb told the two surviving men cold. "Take your wounded friend and start walking back to Oakhaven. If I see any of you on this trail again, I won't use the flat of my blade."
The men did not hesitate. They hoisted their wounded comrade between them and scrambled out of the canyon as fast as their legs could carry them, leaving their horses behind in the dust.
By the time the first light of dawn began to paint the eastern sky in soft hues of pale gold and rose, Caleb and Nalin were miles away from the box canyon, climbing high into the rugged foothills of the Dragoon Mountains.
They rode together on the trails, Caleb mounted on his buckskin stallion and Nalin riding one of the captured deputy horses. The air grew cooler and crisp as they gained elevation, the dry desert floor giving way to scattered juniper trees, fragrant pine needles, and massive formations of granite boulders.
Caleb kept a watchful eye on the valley below, but there were no signs of a search party. Vance had been humiliated and beaten; he was not the kind of man to venture into Apache territory without an entire army behind him.
Around noon, they reached a high ridge that overlooked a vast, hidden basin. Nestled among the green pines below were several dozen traditional wickiups—the hidden encampment of Nalin's family and band. Wisps of blue woodsmoke rose peacefully from the cook fires into the clear morning air.
Nalin reined her horse to a stop on the rocky crest. She looked down at her home, a long, quiet breath escaping her chest. Then she turned her horse to face Caleb.
"This is where our trail splits," she said softly, her eyes filled with an emotion that transcended words.
Caleb brought his stallion alongside hers. He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out the heavy leather pouch containing his remaining gold and silver coins, and extended it toward her.