October 31, 1938

  The crisp autumn air felt heavy in John Calhoun’s lungs. Standing outside the administrative office of the Smoky Mountain Sanctuary, he couldn’t help be shiver a bit with the nerves. It was an electric feeling, he believed he might burst into sparks at any moment. Team Bootknife and Team Smallmouth both stood outside the office waiting for their trainers to retrieve their entry certificates for the Hallows Eve evaluation event.

  John couldn’t quiet his mind, so he looked to his fellows to see how they were feeling. Buster had Mavis looking him over. She waved her hands over his arms, her purple magic glowing low.

  “This hex ought to keep the bugs off you, Buster.” Her voice held a little concern.

  “Me next!” Teddy chuckled, earning a playful smack from Wendy.

  John’s eyes went to Eugene, who was checking his pistol. Dorene floated next to him, appearing to sit elegantly. She examined some of his rounds. The two had gone over what kind of ammunition to bring. Eugene and Dorene both had a mind for tactics, and they agreed it was better to be prepared. John saw Esteban looking through a book with Shirley. He knew the two had been studying optimal spells for her to cast.

  He looked to Calvin, who leaned against the porch post. Catching his gaze, Cal looked back. Calvin appeared calm, content with himself. He seemed to be happy about the exam. John couldn’t shake the feeling that he was looking at Billy Baird. Standing there with that same soft smile, Calvin looked just like his father. It sent a chill down his back, thinking about what Billy had said about the Willerbees the day they met, the day of the Dance.

  The Dance was another topic on his mind. Things with Elise had changed dramatically since that day. She was still harsh, still temperamental, but she looked after him a bit better. She helped him heal from training injuries, and supplied him with ample conditioning hexes to help him get even stronger. Furthermore, she was much more comfortable showing him her own magic, her destructive fire spells. For the first time since she selected him, it felt like he was actually partners with Elise. When he caught her looking at him, there was affection in her eyes. Not just curiosity, like before. He understood what had Calvin so smitten with her.

  John thought that Calvin would be unhappy about the Dance. He hadn’t mentioned it to him, but it had been on his mind. However, from where John stood it appeared as if he wasn’t bothered at all. The day after the Dance, he didn’t find Calvin sulking over it. Cal appeared to be excited, full of energy; the same Calvin he had met in the cabin before the Trial. In the whole two months since the Dance, Calvin hadn’t talked about it once. John knew there was more there. Calvin was far from an open book. Whatever feelings he really had on the matter of the Dance, he had elected not to share them.

  “You look ready for this.” He told Calvin.

  “You do too.”

  John looked into his green eyes for a long moment, searching for his thoughts. Was he really ok with how things went with the Dance? Was he really ok with how close Elise had gotten to him? Was he really ready to throw down for this family business that didn’t belong to him?

  His questions were cut like a knife by Calvin’s smile. It had shifted from that cold grin that Billy Baird wore around to a warm and genuine look. Calvin smiled at him like his brothers did.

  “We got each other, John.” Calvin stepped forward, offering a hand.

  The words Calvin had spoken to him before all of this exam business, reiterated now. John recalled their little deal, during the test with the cigars. The tone of his voice could not have been more different than before. John stared at Calvin’s hand, busted and covered in bandages. Calvin didn’t shake his hand back then. John could see now that he needed to earn it. He took his hand, all confidence returning to him. Calvin had restored his sense of self.

  “Cal, you’re my first choice for a teammate.”

  Calvin’s emerald eyes gleamed a bit. The words had hit him just a little harder than he would have thought.

  “Ditto.”

  Elise watched this with some interest. John Calhoun and Calvin Baird; she had come to know them better than anybody outside her own family. She had let both of them take up seats at her table, and both of them had permanently shaped her view of the Six-Guns. John was beautiful, smart, easy to play with. He was everything she wanted in a toy to pick at. Further than that, John had seen her. At the Barn Fire, he had clued her into this truth. He looked right through her, everything he had said was right. Instead of using it against her, he acknowledged her. Nobody, not even her brother, had made her feel truly respected like that. The seat he took at her table was a big one.

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  Calvin was like candy to her. It was bad to eat candy, she knew that, but it tasted so good. The affection she had cultivated for the cursed boy was shameful, a guilty pleasure. She knew she shouldn’t play with him, he was already lonely, but she just couldn’t help it. He was easy to be around, and she wanted to unravel his strings to see what was really there at his core. Six-Guns were not known for being easy to read, but he was especially tough. After seeing the Resolve on his father, all the amazing and horrible feelings it gave her, she wanted to know more about Calvin. She had not told him about his mother, it didn’t feel right that he would hear it from her. She had a strong hunch that there was more to the story, much more. She wished he didn’t have to be alone, but she didn’t like the idea of another woman taking all his sweetness for herself.

  The glass door to the office swung open, with the Bootknife filling its frame. He puffed on a cigar. The two teams directed their attention his way.

  “Got your papers.” He grunted, cigar in his teeth. Their entry certificates flapped about as he waved them.

  “I’m surprised that you got all that paperwork in on time…” Buster raised an eyebrow.

  Smallmouth stepped out after Logan, “I’m the one who filed for you boys. He would never have gotten it all done.”

  “Way to rub it in, jackass!” Logan rolled his eyes, passing the certificates to the young Six-Guns.

  “Let’s get moving, people are already gathered at the garden.”

  As the group walked along the main street of the Sanctuary, men and women in Plaid hooted and hollered for them. Some were clapping and giving thumbs up. Other Guns who passed them tipped their hats, a sign of respect and good luck.

  Logan wasn’t focused on them; he was focused on his boys. A nagging feeling itched at him. There had been something he wanted to tell them, in preparation for this day. He had put it off for weeks, finding excuse after excuse to tell them later. There was no later oh Hallows Eve. He would have to share his piece or hold it.

  “They know today’s the day for you boys.” Smallmouth grinned, “It’s a big deal, you entering the exam. I think you’re all gonna do great.”

  “It’s really dangerous, huh?” Teddy asked, excited for all the attention.

  “It is, but what Logan put y’all through is worse. He’s real good at being a dick like that.”

  “The best.” Logan puffed.

  Smallmouth continued, “You guys are ahead of the curve. I didn’t take it for over a year after I got my pistol.”

  “That’s cause you suck.” The Bootknife had to pipe in.

  “Did you take yours your first year, Logan?” Asked John, “I forgot that all you guys had this exam too back in the day.”

  “You bet your ass I did. I’m different, though. I’m from the mud. I’m a fighter. I made y’all into fighters too, so I reckon. We’ll see tonight.”

  Team Bootknife exchanged determined looks. The three of them had been on this journey for many months, undergoing Logan’s torture for this very day.

  “Speaking of which.” Logan rolled his shoulder, “Let’s talk about the exam again. We been through this before, but we will go over it one last time. The goal of the Hallows Eve examination event is to evaluate your performance against supernatural threats and other Six-Guns. To this end, you will be taken via Translation Hex to the Black Valley. There you must exorcise the creatures they placed there. There’s a few different things; shadow wolves, wood fiends, that sort of thing. Nothing Earth shattering. You’ll have to keep your heads and trust your team mates. For each magical entity you kill, you’ll be awarded a Tack. The administration keeps the numbers on those, so just focus on the job.”

  Calvin had heard it before, it sounded too exciting for him. He had shot many bottles and trees, but he hadn’t shot a monster before. A fluttering in his chest stirred him.

  “Also, there will be other Six-Guns there, the other teams. You will be considered enemies. They may try to shoot you. You know how to tell if that’s going to happen. You’ll be issued rubber bullets to shoot at the others. If you’re caught shooting lethal rounds at other Guns, you’ll be disqualified. If you manage to incapacitate an enemy team, you get ALL their Tacks. All of them.”

  It occurred to Calvin that he may have to fight Team Smallmouth. He resisted the urge to look their way, instead looking to John. John shot him a glance of acknowledgement. Team Smallmouth wasn’t their target, but they wouldn’t be friendly either. The evaluation required them to be enemies.

  Logan continued, “No other members of the Posse will be there. The administrators and trainers like me will be watching your progress through Scryer Stones. The Black Valley is set up with all manner of scrying tools, and our Grand Scryer Crowder has given us excellent coverage of the exam for years. We will see you, but we can’t help you. People have died on this test, we accept that risk for the sake of the Posse.”

  There was still more on Logan’s mind. Glancing over at Smallmouth, he felt it just wasn’t right to bring up in front of him and his team. What he had to say belonged to the boys he had put through Hell from the beginning.

  The crowd became denser as they reached the inner section of the Sanctuary. Within an inner set of walls the Garden had sat for decades, displaying colorful sections of flowers from all corners of the Earth. The stone walkways gave visitors access to all the plants being grown there. Other sections included important alchemical herbs that were harder to find in America. Normally the Garden would be empty, but for the alchemists keeping stock and selecting their ingredients. Today it was standing room only on the walkways.

  Logan nodded to Smallmouth, who gestured for his team to move onward through the crowd. Calvin looked to Teddy and Eugene, offering his hand.

  “I’ll see you guys out there, ok?” Calvin grinned.

  Teddy took it firmly, “Just hope you don’t get caught by me! I’ve got a lot to show off.”

  Cal snickered, “Same. Stay safe.”

  With that, Team Bootknife and Team Smallmouth parted ways. Logan watched them go, a forlorn look on his face.

  His other teammates, Frankie and Andy, weren't ready to take the exam. They wanted to play it safe like most other Guns. Logan didn't enter alone, he joined the team with Lou Cobb and Gareth Doherty, who were missing their third at that time. Lou and Logan got along very well, as Hearts supporting Doherty (who is a Diamonds-aligned sorcerer). Their team made the top of the chart that year.