Fearless Warrior: Isaacson Trilogy Book Two

26

They arrived in Sparrow's Hallow precisely as planned on Monday morning without any further problems occurring along the way. It was such a rare occurrence while in Elsie and Piper's presence that Esmund braced himself for disaster as they reined to a halt outside the Marshal's office.

Several inches of snow already coated the ground as more of the large flakes continued to fall. Bitter, cold wind stung exposed skin, a drastic change from the infernal heat they'd suffered while here seven weeks ago.

The freezing fog had cloaked every building, boardwalk, and tree with frost, lending the harsh, dismal town a magical and somewhat beautiful appearance.

Soft candlelight shone through both lower windows of the office and illuminated the four Deputy Marshals already at work within the two-story structure. Footfalls echoed against the planks as the party of four walked up the steps and entered the warm lobby.

Fenwick, a short, older man who looked more like jolly Saint Nick than the rough US Marshal he was, stoked the pot-bellied stove in the center of the main room.

A harsh featured marshal, resembling an ornery bull and named Stan, sat behind his desk and scribbled away on a piece of paper. It was doubtful Stan did anything other than scribble, let alone move from his desk.

Over the past seven years, Esmund had never heard more than a grunt from the man; but from the speed with which Stan's pen moved across the paper, it was apparent he had plenty to say.

When the wind whipped the door out of Piper's grasp and slammed it shut, Stan looked up and frowned in disapproval.

"Howdy, Stan...awful cold outside, isn't it?" Esmund said with a jovial smile.

Stan grunted and resumed his scribbling.

Esmund winked at Elsie and motioned to the bench shoved against the wall behind them, "The two of you will be fine here while Ulric and I report upstairs."

Piper frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, "You mean we're not allowed to wander about town?"

Ulric shook his head, "It'll be safer for you to stay here."

Piper's eyes narrowed, and her nostrils flared, but she didn't argue further as she perched daintily upon the polished wood with a huff.

Elsie sat as far away from Piper as the bench would allow and folded her hands primly in her lap, "How long do you think you'll be?" She caught Esmund's gaze, "Don't take too long...I think something's wrong with Piper."

Esmund crouched and took Elsie's hand, "What makes you say that?"

Elsie bit her lip and glanced at Piper from the corner of her eye, "I don't know; it's just a-a feeling I have."

"Hopefully, no longer than an hour," Esmund winked. "Have one of the men come and get me if there are any problems." He kissed her quickly and hurried after Ulric, who was halfway up the staircase.

When they reached the landing, they took a few minutes to tidy their appearance as much as possible before squaring their shoulders and marching to the Chief Deputy's office door.

"What do you think he'll be like?" Esmund whispered as he raked a hand through his hair.

Ulric glanced at Esmund from the corner of his eye and straightened his hat, "As long as he's nothing like Morgan, I'll be happy." He raised his fist to knock, but the door swung open to reveal a bear of a man, or was it a bear wearing men's clothing that stood before them? Esmund stared, fascinated by the creature.

He wasn't much taller than Esmund's height of six foot three, but he truly was built like a bear. His shoulder-length hair, except for a shock of white at his left temple, was a pitch-black so dark it appeared to have a cast of blue.