Chapter 5 - The Well
At dawn, Corvin examined the well stones.
One block near the base had a shallow carving.
A broken spearhead.
The same symbol appeared on the silver medallion.
Lena recognized it immediately.
“It means witness.”
Corvin lowered a rope.
They discovered a narrow cavity behind the stones.
Inside was a metal cylinder sealed with wax.
Before Corvin could pull it free, gunfire echoed from the ridge.
No one was hit, but the message was unmistakable.
Leave.
Corvin carried the cylinder into the house.
Inside were copies of land surveys, payment records, and letters.
One name appeared repeatedly.
Harlan Mercer.
Silas's grandfather.
The records showed that Harlan had paid county officials to alter property maps.
More troubling was a second set of papers.
They concerned Corvin's father.
He had accepted money from Harlan.
Corvin stared at the figures.
“My father took their money.”
Lena said nothing.
“But then he protected the land.”
“He made a mistake,” she said. “Then he tried to repair it.”
Corvin felt betrayed by a dead man.
A knock came at the door.
The older warrior stood outside.
He introduced himself as Tomas Grey Elk, Lena's uncle and keeper of the community records.
He told Corvin that the agreement had never transferred ownership to any individual.
Instead, it created shared stewardship.
“The ranch,” Tomas said, “was supposed to remain protected.”
“Then why was it in my father's name?”
“Because someone needed a legal title to keep the land from being seized.”
Corvin understood.
His family had been guardians, not true owners.
Tomas pointed to the cylinder.
“Those documents can prove it.”
Then he added the warning.
“But one page is missing.”
Corvin asked which page.
“The page that identifies the current trustee.”
Silence filled the room.
“Who has it?”
Tomas looked toward the road.
“We believe your father's surviving business partner.”
Corvin knew only one person fitting that description.
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Silas Mercer.
And Silas had just arrived at the ranch with a county surveyor.
