Fire

Carey’s plan was working. The cavalry was not prepared for an assault on the munitions, and when they blew, it shook the entire square. Glass shards flew through the air, people went flying, horses darted off, some with riders still holding on. The explosion had caught the wooden steeple and roof of the courthouse on fire, and the structure was going up in flames. Within a few moments, the entire top of the building was burning.
The Union troops realized that their focal point was rapidly disappearing. While this was certainly devastating to their purpose, it did suddenly create a sense of mobility to the commanders. No longer tied to a structure to protect, they began to pour out in formation, engaging the enemy where they were, rather than waiting for Quantrill and his men to come to them.
Quantrill recognized this problem almost instantly. He had hoped to acquire some of the weapons and munitions that had been stored there, but at least they would no longer be in Union hands. Seeing his objective melting away before him, he gave the order to begin retreating. His men knew, however, this meant to pillage and burn as they went, not to simply hightail it out of town.
Carey took this as his opportunity to carry out his own devilish plan. Spurring his horse, he called to some nearby men to follow him and took off down Broadway.
His ride would not be an easy one, however. Broadway was one of the major thoroughfares headed south, and a great deal of Quantrill’s men were now using it to make their escape. Most of them were aware of the bridge behind the Pike house, which they could use to cross Muddy Creek. While the presence of his fellow raiders was not an issue, the attention they garnered from the Union Cavalry was problematic, and the next thing he knew, Carey was dodging cannon fire as he neared his objective.
It was never the intention of the Cavalry to rain cannon fire down on the citizens. However, in the smoky conditions mistakes were made. Grapeshot or canister would be the most effective against men on horseback, but most of those munitions had gone up in flames with the grand explosion. Thus, they had resorted to cannonballs. It was one such cannonball that went through the roof of the Pike home, shaking the structure once again, firmly implanting itself into one of the thick wooden beams in the attic.
The timing couldn’t have been better for Carey. The cannonball hit just as he and his handful of men reached the yard. The jolt was enough to bring the occupants to the floor again, and by the time Will, Cordia, and Isaac recovered, Carey and his men had found shelter in the trees directly in front of the porch. The first victim of their assault was Will’s horse, which served only to provoke him.
Carey was not a stupid man, and seeing a horse tied up outside of the Pike house made him realize that his betrothed and her new romantic interest must be inside. “Cordia!” he cried. “Come on out, or else I set your folks' house on fire.”
Cordia gasped at the sound of his voice. She knew there were marauders in her yard, of course, but she was not expecting Carey to be one of them. She looked at Will, her eyes imploring him to tell her what to do.
He was not looking at her, however. His eyes were trained on the trees outside. She could not see what he was looking at, but just a few seconds after Carey spoke, the quick pop of Will's rifle left her guessing no more. The only sound they heard from outside was a sharp thump as one of the raiders dropped to the ground.
Carey glanced over at where the man had been standing just a second ago. “Nice shot, Will,” he admitted, realizing the victim had been one of the less intelligent of his men, thinking perhaps he had made a stupid move, and that’s the reason he now found himself face down on the ground. Nevertheless, Carey was sure to stay well hidden behind the tree. He had four men left, and all of them seemed both impressed and terrified by Will’s marksmanship, and he was hopeful that none of them would panic and run.
Cordia was also impressed. No longer wondering if she should step out of the house, she began to realize that her husband truly was going to take care of her. If any of those men dare move out of the shadows, Will would shoot them down immediately. He had one bullet left in the rifle, but she was able to hand her gun off to him if need be, and he still had a loaded pistol. If no more raiders showed up at her doorstep, they should be just fine.
Carey also realized that Will could pick any of them off at this angle. If any of his men stepped forward to throw a torch at the house, that man would be a sitting duck. However, Carey wasn’t above trying out this theory. He signaled for one of the other men to light a torch and toss it at the window where Will’s rifle shot had generated.
The man hesitated. He was one of Quantrill’s men, as were all of these fellows, not one of the men that had served with Carey in the city militia. As much as the raider feared Will’s aim, he also wanted to see the large brick home gutted. In the end, the thrill of the flame won out, and he lit the torch. Essentially, he provided Will with an illuminated target, and before he could even raise his hand to toss the torch, he fell to the ground, as did the unlucky bastard who had been standing next to him.
Aware that there were only two other men left, Carey began to rethink his strategy. He could hear a commotion on the road behind him, realizing that not only were the rest of Quantrill’s men fleeing the city, but that the cavalry was now beginning to make their way up Broadway behind him, he knew he was running out of time. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw blue uniforms steadily coming up the street. Gaining his men’s attention, he gave a quick hand signal, and almost instantaneously, the remaining guns were emptied on the windows of the house.
Cordia and Will ducked down in time. However, Isaac had been under the impression that the marauders did not see him as a threat, so he was surprised when the fire rained down on him as well. He fell backward as a bullet entered his shoulder, broken glass falling down on him as he tumbled.
Seeing that her father was hit, Cordia began to panic. Stifling a scream, she crawled over toward him, no longer concerned about the three trained killers in her yard, leaving her husband to cover her back.
Will reacted swiftly and violently. Unsure whether or not the raiders had other weapons, he gambled that they would have to reload. While Cordia had her back turned and could not see what he was doing, he sprang to his feet and flew out the door. Betting that it would take Carey slightly longer to reload because he only had one arm, he fired at the other two men first. They both looked shocked that he had dared come out to face them and neither of them was prepared for the assault, even though one of them did, in fact, have a loaded pistol in his holster. He fell to the ground just as easily as his unarmed colleague.
Will had his revolver trained on Carey now, who quickly raised his hand in surrender. He hesitated to shoot him, thinking of his Aunt Margaret and the rest of the family that they shared. This man had been Jaris’s best friend. Despite the awful things that he had done, shooting him just didn’t seem right.
Carey could see the hesitation in his face and took advantage of it. “Will,” he said, “I’m unarmed, and I am surrendering. You don’t want to shoot me.”
“If I let you leave,” Will began, “Where will you go? What will you do?”
“I promise,” Carey assured him, “You’ll never see nor hear from me again. You have my word.”
Will didn’t think Carey’s word was worth much, considering how he had just betrayed his entire town. As he was contemplating what action to take, a volley of gunfire rained down in their direction, coming from the Union soldiers on the street, who were firing at some of Quantrill’s men who were disappearing around the side of the house, near the barn, attempting to cut through to make it to the bridge.
Carey took this opportunity to duck into the shadows. The gunfire was aimed more in Will’s direction, and Carey managed to get around the side of the house before Will was able to come out from behind the tree he had used as shelter. Even as he took off on foot, Carey whistled for his horse. He had a second pistol as well, this one strapped inside his boot, and though it was just a derringer, anything might help at this point. He pulled it out as he ran, hearing his horse closing the gap behind him, the bridge in view in front of him.
It was completely unexpected when Cordia stepped out from behind the back of the house, rifle in hand, pointed straight at his head. “Where you goin’ Carey Adams?” she asked. “Drop the pistol. Now!”