September, 1935

  Thick fog settled heavily atop the murky water of the Louisiana Bayou. Old varnished wood creaked as a small boat made its way through the swamp. Darkness had fallen, but the bayou was still lit up. The moon seemed gigantic to Tornado Joe, peaking through the thick tree line. The moon was not the only source of light, however. A dim oil lantern, held by a hook at the bow, illuminated the water around the boat. Alligator eyes shone bright as the light bounced off them. There was more light still, as the eerie balls of blue glow danced in the distance, disappearing behind the aquatic trees and reappearing in different spots without rhyme or reason. Joe studied them with fascination.

  “Feu Follet.” The twang of the Cajun witch Halle’s creole cut the ambience of the swamp around them. She could tell Joe was curious. “They spell misfortune.”

  The boat was propelled along by the witch, ferrying the hunting party through the swamp. Tornado Joe sat in the boat, alongside Winona. Mickey Higgs had come unaccompanied by any witch. He had brought his son, Chauncy Higgs, a fresh Gun who had only just begun his journey. Chauncy had with him his partner witch, Elizabeth of the Harp Coven, a particularly potent sorceress. Lastly, they had a Louisiana Six-Gun with them. A Queen of Diamonds named Elroy Timmons. Elroy was partnered to the witch of the Zola Coven, Halle. Elroy’s ebony skin made reflected the light of the lantern in cooler tones, as did that of his witch.

  “Don’t let them dazzle you, Joseph.” Halle preferred biblical names, “The Feu Follet are a man-hating kind of thing. They lure men to their deaths. Many a wanderer lost his life due to grim curiosity.”

  While Mickey Higgs was a personal friend of Lou Cobb, Elroy was a friend of Joe. The two frequently called upon each other where it was necessary, as high ranking Diamonds. Joe respected Elroy and Halle, and it turned out they were perfect for the job. The Zola Coven were bayou witches dating back to the first founding of Louisiana. They had spent centuries refining their many magics and adapting to the abundant supernatural phenomena of the bayou.

  “This is a land of great magic, and the Mississippi is an artery for that magic.” Halle had once told Joe, on one of their many hunts, “The Mississippi picks up much of that magic and floats it down to the Bayou. It is there where much of it collects.”

  This had always made sense to Tornado Joe, who found that the witches all had access to higher levels of energy in the Louisiana Bayou. It also presented a place with many magical threats, such as the object of their hunt that night.

  “Tell me why we’re out here again?” Chauncy asked, arms crossed. The younger Higgs did not appear too impressed with the restless swamp. “This stinks like a shit job.”

  Looking at the opaque, brown swamp water, Joe had to agree. His gut was telling him he would definitely need a dry clean for his fine clothes yet again.

  Mickey answered his son, “Couple months back, Cobb and I scored a Reader from some freelance Guns up in Yellowstone. We needed him to read this cursed book Cobb got from the Yellow Cult. He read it, and we learned what they’ve been doing with all these killings and child abductions.”

  “Wait what the fuck? You didn’t say all that before!” Chauncy smacked his father’s shoulder.

  Mickey punched him hard in return, a hearty thump onto the arm of his coat. Chauncy groaned a bit.

  “Anyhow,” Mickey continued, “Long story short we have to take down this Bastion place, but Lou looked into it and he says there’s only one Gun who said he knows where it is. And he bought the farm here hunting a Banshee.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Chauncy blinked, “A Banshee? We are gonna hunt a Banshee? Now I KNEW this was a shit job, I KNEW it.”

  “Shut up already, Chaunce, you’re a man now or what?”

  “Well, yeah, but I just don’t think I’m gonna be useful here at my level. I’m a 2 of Hearts, I haven’t even been evaluated yet.” Chauncy rubbed his neck, “Why’d you bring me along?”

  Mickey chuckled, “To be honest, I brought you along for Elizabeth. I need her, not you.”

  That pricked up the younger witch’s attention. She looked over in earnest, violet eyes fixed on her Six-Gun’s father.

  “You can fight a Banshee, can even shoot it under the right circumstances. But taking down a Banshee is about lifting it’s curse. That is work which takes powerful witches, not us. We are here to keep the Banshee off of our three witches and let them work. Once the Banshee is exorcised, all the souls it’s claimed will be freed, including Arthur Winkle’s soul. That’s the Gun we need to question. The ladies will let us commune with him before he passes on. This is an extremely tall task for the witches, which is why we need strong ones like Elizabeth and Winona.”

  “Especially Halle.” Winona added. She could see the wild, free energy of the Zola Coven witch standing at the bow. It whirled and churned throughout her body, flowed with her dress, and tumbled through her long braids of hair.

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Mickey draped an arm around his son. “Just stick with me and you’ll be ok. Don’t forget we brought two Diamonds. And they’re damned sharp ones too.”

  Elizabeth turned her attention to the two Guns sitting at the back of the boat. Tornado Joe and Elroy “Boom-Boom” Timmons. She could see their Resolve, hard as steel, burning bright along the currents of magic in the Bayou. These were Face Cards, she felt comfortable knowing that such powerhouses were there to help.

  She was also a little more than interested in what they chose to wear. Both men were dapper. Joe, as per usual, was dressed in a fine shirt and pants, with shined boots and an embroidered leather vest. He had on that odd-looking short poncho, tucked behind him, with the triangle pattern stitched on. Elroy was similarly well-dressed, In tailored pants and a double-breasted maroon leather riding coat. Gold buttons shone in the light of the lantern. Elizabeth wondered if this was because they were Face Cards. Her own partner and his father, both numbered cards, wore far more humble trail clothing of the Posse.

  Chauncy nodded, looking back up. “Alright, dad. I can hang in there with you guys. I’ll do what I gotta do.”

  Elizabeth smiled a bit. She read all the fear on her partner’s Resolve. She knew this was hard for him, but he was genuinely ready to throw down. She knew she would have to take the same stance alongside the other witches.

  “You think you got this, Joe?” Winona had her arm around his. She never missed an opportunity to soak in some physical affection. “A Banshee is a Type 3 spirit. The Green Coven wouldn’t have sanctioned this if Halle weren’t here.”

  Type 3 was the Posse classification given to Aethereal entities such as ghosts, which presented an extreme threat those who came in contact with them. Type 1 spirits were ghosts who might alter emotions or otherwise distort reality superficially. Type 2 were physical manifestations such as Poltergeists, which could manipulate the physical world but only conditionally and without much force. Type 3 spirits, like Banshee, were as real as flesh when they chose to be, and often distorted reality in lethal ways.

  “Boom-Boom and I got this.” Joe nodded, his tone firm and confident as usual. “With the Higgs backing us up, we’re golden. You ladies gotta focus on breaking the curse. I’ll buy you all the time you need.

  Joe smirked a bit, “Rand sent me a letter telling me that this hunt had been denied by the board. He says he doesn’t know I’m doing this. The letter burst into flames soon as I folded it back up. That fucking guy…”

  “Louey and Madeline must’ve got to him.” Winona snickered.

  “I’d be willing to bet that was it, yeah.”

  “So… What exactly is a Banshee?” Chauncy fixed his hat.

  Mickey took a swig from his flask. “Well now the answer to that is kind of complicated. We believe a Banshee is a ghost. A violent ghost. Or a Fae, something spiritual like that. The Posse doesn’t really take on too many spirits. We tend to avoid those jobs or just support Coven efforts to exorcise them.”

  An orb weaver spider hung from a nearby branch, retreating as the boat passed by. Its nightly duties continued as they left its branch behind them.

  “What we have observed,” Mickey continued, “Is that Banshees appear to use intense screams to incapacitate their victims. The swamp variants, like this one, tend to chase their victims into deeper water and pull them in to drown them. It’s nasty stuff.”

  Joe looked over to the two Higgs. “As for fighting them, we’re using Ghast Rounds. Those ought to pack a punch if we get a shot at the Banshee. I’m not sure that we can kill this kind of ghost, even with those. Our job here is to buy time for the ladies to get the job done. If you need to pull back to keep your head, feel free. Elroy and I will pull it to us as much as we can.”

  “What you’re saying is we have no chance of actually killing this thing.” Chauncy shot him a flat look, “You Diamonds are actually nuts.”

  Joe and Elroy exchanged a look. Elroy shrugged, he had no counter.

  After a moment, Halle shifted her posture. The trees around them looked a bit different. They had lost their leaves, appearing as jagged and gnarled fingers grasping out into the dark. The fog became heavier here, blotting out the moon. Many Feu Follet danced around here. They appeared to come to a clearing of trees.

  “She can see us.” Halle told them, her voice almost gasping for air. “It is she, Persephone.”

  The name of the Banshee had come to the Zola Coven Witch like a dream. She could read it in the fog. Halle breathed out, her breath now visible in the chilled air.

  “We are approached. Gradymen, you must stand before her. We will find her mound.”

  Winona planted a kiss on Joe’s lips, a long and clearly planned one. She loaded magic into him with her kiss, a goodbye present for her Gun. Joe blinked as he felt himself invigorated. Elizabeth blushed a bit, watching them. She gave a sideways glance to her own Gun, who she found similarly embarrassed at the thought.

  “Not a chance, kiddo.” Mickey laughed and threw himself out of the boat, “Come on, grab your nuts and ready for battle.”

  Elroy only gave his partner witch a nod. The Zola Coven were complicated women, as Elroy had come to know. Affection before the hunt was unwelcome to them. He stood and hopped out of the boat.

  Joe patted Winona, “Good luck, Winny. I’m rooting for you.”

  With that he stood, prying his arm from the Green Coven witch, and stepped off the boat. He landed with a splash into nearly knee-high water, immediately regretting his decision to carry out this hunt in his finer boots.

  “Well, I hate this.” He looked at the streaks of swamp water on his shirt.

  Joe watched as the witches floated on in their boat, disappearing into the fog. After a few moments, the light of the lantern faded completely. The four Guns were alone in the darkness.

  “What if the Banshee tries to attack them?” Chauncy asked.

  “She won’t” Mickey shook his head. “Not with us here. Banshees are all female spirits. They primarily prey on men. The witches are only in danger if we’re all dead.”

  “That’s not gonna happen, right?” Chauncy steadied his breathing.

  “Not gonna happen.” Elroy answered, his Louisiana drawl distinct. “There’s four of us. Joe and I will take point. Let the witches work, and we will be clear before you know it. Just remain Resolute, can’t see shit for nothing in this fog.”

  Chauncy could feel an approaching presence. He couldn’t see anything through fog, but the feeling was unmistakable. An immense entity was in front of them. He watched as Joe and Elroy took a few steps out ahead of him. Both of them put up their Resolve Stalls. The water at their feet rippled with the energy. The sight of the two advanced Six-Guns reassured him. These two were what Chauncy imagined true Diamonds looked like, facing the darkness and danger head on.

  “We really ready for this, Boom-Boom?” Joe asked, blue eyes glowing in the fog.

  Elroy’s brown eyes shone as well, “Probably not. Let’s see how it shakes out.”