Chapter One The Returning Cavalryman

Wolves howled on the far edge of the night. Jack lifted his eyes north. There lay the waste, the gold, the true fear of his enemies, and the only road by which he could rise. He patted the old horse on the neck. "Come on, Old Bill." The horse blew white breath into the dark. Before dawn, Jack Walker left the burned ranch and rode north into the frontier. He took no furniture, no old letters, and no second look. Behind him were graves. Ahead of him was gold. At his hip, the revolver hung like a silent oath.