understand,” growled Buntline.
“I think I'm beginning to,” said Edison, leaning forward.
“Good!” said Buntline. “Then one of you two can explain it to me.”
“Let me take a guess,” said Edison.
“Go right ahead,” replied Holliday.
“He wants you to face War Bonnet because War Bonnet was not created with you in mind. At the most extreme, and this probably isn't the case, he is immune only to Theodore's bullets and blows, and Geronimo's spells, and at the same time, he is deadly only in combat against Theodore or Geronimo.” He paused and looked at Holliday. “Am I close?”
“You're close. He doesn't guarantee that anyone is safe facing War Bonnet, but he's sure that I'll be safer than him or Roosevelt.”
“It's possible,” agreed Edison.
“I still cut and I still bleed,” said Holliday. “How the hell safe can I be?”
“Is Geronimo protecting you with some kind of spell?” asked Buntline.
“He didn't say so,” responded Holliday. “Besides, I have to think if there's one thing his spells are useless against, it's War Bonnet.”
“So...you're off to face War Bonnet, and you want...what?” asked Buntline. “Weapons? Protection?”
“Maybe a train back East,” replied Holliday with a wry smile.
“I'm being serious, Doc,” said Buntline. “Have you made up your mind to face him?”
“Geronimo's made up his mind,” said Holliday. “I suppose it comes to the same thing.”
“Where is he?”
“Geronimo?”
Buntline shook his head. “No, War Bonnet?”
“Who the hell knows? I assume Geronimo will be more than happy to direct me.” He sighed deeply. “I'd like to survive it. I'm not afraid to die—in fact, I've been busy doing it for years—but I hate to do it at the hand of a monster that isn't even interested in me.”
“We'll do what we can to protect you,” said Edison. “Is there anything new you can tell us, anything you can add to what we already know?”
“Or think we know,” added Buntline, finally finishing his sandwich.
“Not much,” said Holliday. “It's all guesswork. All Geronimo knows is that War Bonnet can kill him and Roosevelt for sure, but he can only kill the rest of the world maybe.”
“Well, let's put our heads together, figure out what won't work, and concentrate on what's left,” said Edison.
Holliday frowned. “I don't follow you.”
“War Bonnet was made to face Geronimo and Theodore, right?” said Edison. “So, if he's the threat Geronimo thinks he is, and he's a magical being, he must be immune to anything those two can throw at him.”
“Of course, being immune to magic is academic,” said Buntline. “But it makes sense that he's immune to that rifle Theodore favors.”
“In fact, War Bonnet could be immune to all bullets and shells,” said Edison. “I know Theodore doesn't have much confidence in his six-gun, he's said as much to me, but the medicine men don't know that, and could assume he'll come with pistols blazing.”
“Which brings up an interesting question,” said Buntline. “Is he immune to all bullets, or just those fired by Roosevelt?”
“It's a possibility,” replied Edison. “But not one Doc will want to bet his life on.”
“So what weapons can we provide that neither Theodore nor Geronimo will ever use?” said Buntline.
“Well, there's acid, of course,” said Edison. “But what if he swipes at it with his hand? If it's made of flame, it may not have any substance at all. Acid might go through it like water. If there is some substance, he still may not feel any pain, and could spill it all over Doc.”
“We can attach it to an arrow and have Doc fire it from a safe distance,” replied Buntline.
Holliday shook his head. “Won't work. I haven't had the strength to pull a bow back far enough to shoot an arrow home since I was a teenager.”
The two older men fell silent for a moment, and then Buntline looked up. “I've got it!” he exclaimed.
“What?” asked Holliday.
“Nitroglycerin!” said Buntline, excited. “We'll blow that son of a bitch all the way back to wherever he came from.” Edison seemed to be considering it, and Buntline continued: “Tom, is there a way to coat Doc's bullets with it so they explode when they hit War Bonnet?”
Edison shook his head. “Coat his bullets and they'll explode inside his gun when he pulls the trigger.”
“Damn!” said Buntline. “I thought I had something there.”
“Maybe you do,” replied Edison. “But it requires Doc to control where they meet.” He turned to Holliday. “If you can choose the site, we can salt it with nitro containers so you can shoot them from a safe distance, hopefully when War Bonnet