Deed to Damnation

Til' Death Do Us Part

Henry's duster was soaked and heavy as Ireland draped it over her shoulder for the two mile trek back home. Not only was she lugging a cumbersome and saturated long coat, she had been saddled with carrying his wet shirt and her ruined riding jacket. He had climbed upon Bolt, perched shirtless and cocky on his mount and gazed down at her.
"I'm going to walk back then?" She huffed, fumbling with the unwieldy garments. "This is my punishment?"
"Part of it." He answered. "You're lucky you're not wearing a tether around your throat for good measure."
He spurred the horse into a lazy saunter as Ireland tried to keep up. It was going to be a long walk home, she thought, as the sun began dipping lower and the air began to cool. She was going to be freezing by the time they got back.
They walked in silence for a while before she spoke.
"How do you know them?" She asked suddenly.
Henry regarded her casually from the saddle.
"By them, you mean the natives?"
"Well, yes." She replied. "I'm assuming you have a good reason for knowing the language of the savages and why you cavort with them?"
He gave a condescending laugh but answered her question. She was already turning into a little shrew. A beautiful shrew but a shrew nonetheless, he thought.
"If I didn't cavort them, your little town of Solstice would be wiped off the map." He told her. "Soltice, River Run, Salt Lick...all of them."
Ireland understood that the Indian Wars had been raging for decades. It had been a dangerous journey from New York to out west and thankfully the hired guns her father had employed to escort them were able to protect their caravan from any dangers but their wagon train had been lucky. She had heard of others that had been decimated, the only remains being smoking wooden skeletons of the settlers transports.
It was not just a war on the settlers but they fought among themselves over the lands they were being pushed out of.  Her father had told her to fear them and that they "were barely even human", were his exact words. And yet, here was Henry, communicating casually. She had seen no tensions at all and the young man had been fascinating to look at!
"I traveled a lot, Ireland and I've seen a lot of shit bags slithering out here. So while they were busy fighting the natives I was busy funding them." He informed her. "In return they give me land and a safe spot among them. They stay away from the towns because they're my towns and they make me rich too."
"How could you?" She countered. "They're killing us and you're helping them!"
Henry stopped his horse abruptly and glared at her.
"I think the biggest travesty I've seen out here is you, Ireland." He leveled. "Sometimes I give you much more credit than you deserve. Your daddy raised you to be a bigot; to hate only the native people. I distrust everyone equally which is why I'm as successful as I am. I don't play the holier than thou game the way all these European immigrants do. Because of that, it affords me advantages none of the other fools have."
"I wish you would stop mentioning my father." She hissed. "You taunt the constable with being unable to protect him but apparently you failed too since you boast about the towns you own."
Henry slid off the horse in a flash and gripped Ireland's shoulders cruelly, giving her a jolting shake. His lips were curled in a foreboding snarl.
"Nobody could have saved his ass, Ireland. Lots of people wanted to kill him." He growled. "I'm not going to smear your delusional memories of him but I'm not surprised ol' Tim Drake ruled it an accident. Hunting accident my ass."
Ireland was stunned into silence. What was he even talking about? How many suspects could there be in Solstice? She had thought her father had put up a pretty good facade towards the townspeople. Yes, there was the gambling but he wasn't the only one doing it.
"It's much better that you're with me now." He continued. "Thanks to your scoundrel of a father, you need a lot of work and I'm just the guy to set you right."
Ha! Do right by her? He was an outlaw and was standing here judging her. And as far as doing right by her? This was all for show. It was just another feather in his hat. It was one more conquest and another spirit to consume.
"Let me tell you something else." He warned. "Those savages are better than most of the white scum that's infesting this country. And if you know what's good for you, you'll follow my lead if we come across them."
Ireland had come across a few. Occasionally, they would pass through town but they were certainly not like the ones that lived in the wild and painted their faces with tribal markings. The ones that frequented the shops and market had begun adopting the ways and customs of America. They were a lot less intriguing than the one she saw today, that was for sure.
" I should be afraid then?" She asked.
Henry snatched the heavy duster off of her shoulder and draped it over the horse's back before climbing back on. He made no move to hoist her up with him even though she had started to shiver slightly.
"Yes." He answered. "But right now, you should be more concerned with what's going to happen when we get home. You still have to answer for disobeying me and losing that god damn mare."