against the horse's flank, and she reached for it with one hand to reassure herself it was still there. It contained the special weapons - holy water and sacred ash - that she would need to overcome her foes. Much too late, she remembered she had given some of the ashes to her erstwhile companion before they rode out that evening. Nothing could be done about it now. She would just have to pray that her remaining supply would be enough.
The grip of Cora's revolver lightly pressed into her belly as the horse moved beneath her. Alone and inexperienced though she was, she was as ready for the coming battle as she could be. Her will was set: she would not turn back or give up until she defeated them or they killed her.
Behind her, standing at the edge of the cliff, a shadow watched her ride into the gathering night.
SIXTEEN
The walls stood before her in the darkness, sudden and out of place in the desolation that surrounded them. They were not the castle walls she was accustomed to seeing, great grey barriers rising out of the green of the English countryside. These were smaller - no more than ten feet high in most places - and didn't look as though they had been built to keep armies out. The crumbling structure nearest her appeared to have once been a small house. Further down, a larger ruin stood against the stars, perhaps a temple or some sort of market.
Victoria wondered what sort of world this land had been, where ancient cities didn't build walls to keep invaders at bay. Guiding her mare up to the nearest ruin, she reached out and ran her hand along it. The stone was slightly warm to the touch. She thought it strange that the wall would retain its heat so many hours after the sundown, but the New Mexico sun had a lot of heat to give. Maybe it wasn't so unnatural after all.
Taking a deep breath, Victoria braced herself for another look into the spirit world. She had found her way to the ruin by stealing quick glimpses as she rode, feeling for all the world like a spiritual rodent poking its head out of some burrow. It was anybody's guess whether such a tactic had kept the skin-walker from noticing her as she approached. Whenever she slipped out for a look, she could sense the evil presence, but she didn't feel any indication of awareness on the other's part. She took that to be a good sign, but she knew her assumption was really nothing more than an educated guess.
Victoria closed her eyes once more and slipped out of her body. Her mare didn't seem to notice or care about the change; the animal simply lowered its head and began grazing on the long, dry grasses growing at the base of the wall. Victoria resisted the temptation to stare at her own form slumped in the saddle. She reached out with her awareness instead, searching for the dark presence. It was very close now, hiding somewhere in the ruins ahead.
Satisfied, Victoria ducked back into herself and sat up. Looking up and down the crumbling wall in front of her, she spied a shadow not too far away. Possibly an entrance. She gave her mare a single pat on the neck, then slipped out of the saddle as quietly as she could.
A faint chiming broke the stillness of the night.
Dropping into a crouch, she held her breath and waited for it to come again. After a few moments, she risked a look over her shoulder. Nothing. She took a tentative step, then nearly fell over from relief. The sound had been her own spurs jingling as she dismounted. Fighting an urge to burst out laughing, she bent over and pulled them free of her boot heels. Her horse regarded her with one large black eye as she tucked the spurs into a saddlebag.
"Stay here," she whispered.
The animal blinked in reply. Taking that for an affirmative, Victoria turned and cautiously approached the shadow in the stone wall. Her fingers itched to draw her revolver. She curled them into a fist instead. As much comfort as the weight of the gun in her hand would bring her, she didn't trust her own nerves. She might shoot at a bird, a rat, or even nothing at all, throwing out whatever small chance she had of catching her enemies off-guard. No, it was best to approach empty-handed