first up in my sketch rounds is @thelovelydeer âs lovely troll, Ruby! she was fun to draw honestly. a very comforting design to draw ;3 i hope you like! i am slowly getting to these!~

seen from Malaysia
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seen from Indonesia

seen from T1

seen from Vietnam

seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from Yemen

seen from United States
seen from Switzerland
seen from Netherlands

seen from Australia

seen from Malaysia
seen from China

seen from China
seen from China
seen from China

seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from China
first up in my sketch rounds is @thelovelydeer âs lovely troll, Ruby! she was fun to draw honestly. a very comforting design to draw ;3 i hope you like! i am slowly getting to these!~

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Madam Ruby Part 03
Continued from 11/15/2023
âAre you sure thisâs gonna work?â Sapphire paced the room.
âNo, but itâs the only chance we got.â I kept my voice low so that we would not be heard.Â
âWhy canât we bring John in on this?â Emerald asked.
âBecause I still donât know if we can trust him, and weâre out of time.â
âWhat if I can find out for sure?â Diamond suggested. âHeâs sweet on me, and I think I can flip him.â
I thought about what she said. âDo it. If you canât, weâll stick to the original plan.â
âRuby!â Eli called up from downstairs.
âAll right, here goes everything.â I walked out of the room and down the stairs. âThe girls are getting changed now.â
He pulled me closer to him and whispered in my ear, âYouâre not planninâ anythinâ, are ya?â
âOnly planning on showing you that we may have found something.â I wrapped the lie in a truth. âI found some dynamite, and John helped me rig it to open up a tunnel deeper into the mountain. If thereâs silver in the hills, itâll be in there.â
âHow did such smarts get into a pretty woman like you?â He nuzzled the side of my neck.
âGodâs Grace.âÂ
My four girls came down the stairs in their mining clothes. âWeâre ready,â Sapphire announced.
Eli stood up but kept his arm wrapped around my torso. âThen letâs get going.â John walked with the girls, followed by the rest of the gang. âRemember what Iâll do if you try anything.â
I escaped from his grip. âTrust me, Eli. I never forget whatâs at stake.â
âGood.â He pointed to the door. âAfter you, my dove.â
I pushed through the saloon doors and hopped onto the wagon that John hooked up for the girls and me. Diamond winked and climbed over the low seat back and sat next to him. She grabbed his thick arm and held onto it while she laid her head on his shoulder.
Eli and the rest of his gang followed the wagon up on their horses. When we reached the mine entrance, I jumped out of the wagon and helped Emerald, Topaz, and Sapphire down. John assisted Diamond, and she gave me the barest of nods that we could trust him.Â
I prayed to God that it would not be our downfall. Maybe I should pray to Lady Luck instead, since weâre gonna rely on Her power for most of this.
âFollow me,â I said with no emotion in my voice. I lit a few lanterns and handed them to the girls, John, and Eli. They all followed me down the main tunnel into the large cavern. âNow, thereâs three different tunnels that weâve been working with, so we can split up to cover more ground.â The girls handed the lanterns to members of the gang so they could explore the mine.
âWhat about the dynamite?â Eli asked when he grabbed my hand.
âThatâll come later,â I promised.
Aaron shouted from the central tunnel, âBoss! Thereâs silver here!â
Marcusâs voice came from the left side tunnel. âHere too!âÂ
Eli gave me a look like he did not trust me. He pulled me over to where Aaron was standing and held the light up to the rock. He touched it with his fingertips. Only a couple of flakes came off the wall, the rest stayed and sparkled. âHow did the miners miss this?â he wondered out loud.
âMaybe they werenât interested in small amounts like this,â I answered. âWhen youâre looking for a vein, youâll skip over the tiny flecks.â
He held his finger closer to the lantern, and a smile grew on his lips. âWeâre rich.â He set the lantern on the ground, picked me up, and twirled me in his arms. âWeâre rich!â He tried to kiss me, but I pulled away. He dropped me onto the ground, anger radiating from him.
Aaron took a step away from us.
âHow dare you deny me?â Eli growled.
I shot back, âI always dare. Especially on days like today.âÂ
âYou still donât get it, do you? I own you!â
âNobody owns me. Not even a murdering bastard like you.â
He backhanded me across the face hard enough that I fell back to the ground, and my lip split. He grabbed me by my hair and pulled me back up to my feet. He dragged me out of the mine. âSaddle up, boys! Weâll be back here later. My wife has somethinâ special for us to celebrate with.â He threw me into the wagon, where my girls all gathered with me.
John looked over his shoulder and handed me a handkerchief to wipe the blood that seeped from my lip. âThank you,â I whispered. The anger that flared through him helped me to see that Diamond was right. John could betray his gang. She just needs to convince him to do so.
He drove the cart down the trail and back into Silver Hills. Eli grabbed me from the wagon and hauled me over his shoulder. Behind the bar was a set of stairs that led down into the cellar under a trapdoor. He tossed me on the ground and threw the hatch open. He lugged me down the steps to where I kept the alcohol.
âWhere is it?â he asked with an edge in his voice.
âWhatâreââ
He slapped me again. âI know youâre hiding somethinâ down here! Where is it?â He tore through the bottles until he found an old, dusty jar sealed with wax in the furthest part of the cellar.Â
âNot that one!â I called out to stop him, but he just pushed me back.
He wiped the dust off the label. âCon-grat-u-la-shuns, Marshall and Ruby. Dated 1865.â He looked down at me. âThis is what youâre hidinâ?â
âPlease, Eli, itâs the only thing I got left of him!â I pleaded.
His smile became vicious. âThen I guess itâs time to erase him from your history.â He grabbed my hand and pulled me from the cellar and set the bottle on the bar. âServe it,â he whispered with more than a hint of malice in his voice. He stood next to me, keeping his arm around my waist.
I cried while I opened the bottle. Part of me wanted to shatter it on the ground rather than serve it, but I had to think of my girls. I divvied the almost-black contents into glasses, having just enough for the gang.Â
Topaz served the glasses to each of the men. Aaron slapped her on the ass when she passed by him with the last glass. He tried to pull her into his lap, but she barely made it out of reach when he grabbed for her.
âI propose a toast,â Eli told his gang.Â
I leaned against the back of the bar where the alcohol sat on shelves. I wiped away my tears and apologized to Marshall, Iâm sorry, love.
Eli held his glass up in the air. âHereâs to the girls who found the silver in the mineââ
A glass shattered, and I looked over at Diamond who âbumpedâ into John.
Eli glared at her. âClean it up!â
I tossed her a rag, and she quickly cleaned the spill. âEli, thereâs none left in the bottle,â I explained when he turned to me.
âSorry, John, but maybe Diamond there can give herself up in exchange for what she broke.âÂ
âMaybe itâs best that negros donât have a white manâs drink,â Aaron chuckled to himself, but the rest of the gang heard it and laughed with him. Only Eli and John refused to join in.Â
Eli continued his toast, âHereâs to us becominâ rich!âÂ
âHere, here!â his gang shouted, and they all knocked back the dark alcohol.Â
Eliâs eyes lit up when he looked at me. âWhat is this?â
âIt was my wedding wine.â
He did not say anything for a second. âCome with me.âÂ
I fought a little, but after he gave me a cold look, I stopped trying to get away. I gave my girls the signal, and they knew what to do next. My job was to keep Eli occupied while the girls went to work.
He slammed the door to our room open and threw me onto the bed. He leapt on top of me and kept trying to catch my lips with his. âJusâ accept it, Ruby.â He finally moved my face to be nose-to-nose with him. âYou belong to me, now and forever.â He was gentle at first, at odds with the man I knew he was. That softness did not last long. He sat up on my hips and ripped my shirt off of me. He struggled with his belt buckle, and that is when I knew I was free.
âYou all right?â I asked, even though I already knew what was going on.
He slid off the bed and stumbled a little while he tried to stay upright. âWhaâ diâ ya do?â he slurred.
âI didnât do anything,â I replied with a sweet smile. I stood up and put my arms around his shoulders. âExcept serve you some cactus wine laced with laudanum.âÂ
âWha?â
âTchtchtch,â I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth. âYou should know better than to drink on an empty stomach. But it will help you enjoy this.â
âEnjoy wha?â His eyes fluttered a little as he fought with the drink.
I pushed him onto the bed with a thump. âYou want me to do my wifely duties, right?â I straddled his hips with my thighs and leaned forward to meet his eyes.Â
âYes,â he breathed. He yanked me down on top of him and stuck his tongue in my mouth. I found the ropes that I hid behind the top of the mattress while he was distracted. I looped them around his wrists but did not pull them tight.
Three knocks on the door, and then silence. I sat back up, tightening the ropes around his wrists. âLooks like your time is up, Eli.â
âWhaâ ya mean?â His eyes tried to focus on me, but the dilution of opium in the wine made it hard.
 âYouâll see.â I smiled and climbed off the bed.Â
He tried to sit up and stand, but he might as well have been a turtle on its back. I took off the torn shirt, grabbed another one, and put it on. âRuby!â he shouted. I blew him a kiss and left the room. âRuby!â he yelled again.
Sapphire stood by the stairs.Â
âHow did it go?â I asked her.
She smiled. âSee for yourself.â
The gang was asleep and tied up like little presents. âAnd it ainât even Christmas.â
Emerald, Diamond, and Topaz sat near a tied-up John.Â
âHeâs beinâ stubborn,â Topaz mumbled.
I pulled a chair up and sat down in front of him. âLemme put it to you this way, John. Either you help us, or you die with them. You can become rich from their bounties, or my girls will. Youâre not like them, John. You donât relish in the violence they cause. If you help us get rid of them, I promise that Iâll make sure the rangers donât look your way.âÂ
He looked at the gang, then to the girls. âWhat do you wanâ me to do?âÂ
I crossed my arms over my chest. âSimple. We need help carrying them to the mine.â
He narrowed his eyes. âThatâs what the dynamite was for?â
âExactly. Or, if you like, we can string them up like they did my husband one year ago. Unless you had something to do withââ
He interrupted me, âI followed the girls out of town. I ainât have nothinâ to do with that hanging.âÂ
I looked to my girls. âThis true?â
âHeâs the one who caught us before we made it to the train station,â Emerald explained.
I stood up from the chair and wiped my hands on my trousers. âSo? Which path are you gonna go down? The path to Hell with them? Or the path to redemption?â
âYou swear youâll keep the rangers off my tail?â
âI promise. And thereâs the bonus of becoming a rich man.â
He did not take long to make his choice. âI can get them up the hill in the wagon.â
âRuby!â Eli screamed from upstairs.
âWhat âbout Eli?â he asked as Diamond untied him.
âIâve got special plans for him.â I put my hand out to him, and he used it to stand up. âYou wonât be the one to kill them, if that helps. No need to get blood on your hands where there is none now.â
He gave me an odd look but shrugged. âLetâs get to it, then.âÂ
We stacked the gang members in the cart. Their feet faced the front and their heads hung over the back end. âWeâll need proof of their deaths for the reward,â Emerald reminded me.
âI think the old preacher had one of them picture takinâ things,â Topaz told her. Topaz, Diamond, and John left to the preacherâs house, then up the mountain to cave-in the mine. Sapphire and Emerald took two horses and headed down to the train station to get a ranger up here.
I went back to the saloon and cleaned it up. I wanted it perfect for when I marched Eli down and outside. Inside my tiny office was a knife that Marshall gave me on our first anniversary. It was made of cherry red wood and had a simple sheath of a cardinal embroidered on it. He had it specially made after I successfully hunted a rabbit on my own. I put the sheath in my boot and covered it with my trousers.
On my desk was a small box. I opened it to show a needle and syringe with a vial laying on its side. I grabbed the needle and syringe, stuck it into the vial and pulled opium into it. It was just enough to sedate him for half an hour, but that would be long enough.Â
I also found the lipstick that I wore on my wedding day with Marshall. This is will do the trick. I stuffed the lipstick inside my corset between my breasts. The red was just as bright as my eyes, which is why Marshall bought it for me in the first place.
I found him still struggling against the binds on his arms. He must have worked off the drugs in his system by trying to get free.
âRuby!â There was rage and fury in his voice, but also something laced underneath. It could have been desire. He licked his lips. âRuby, I didnât know you had it in you.â
âTrust me, Eli. Thereâs a lot you donât know about me.â
âOnce I get freeââ
I laughed. âOh, darlinâ, you ainât getting out of this one.â I leaned over his face. âBut I do want you to see something before you die.â
âLike what?âÂ
âLike the end of life as you know it.â I stabbed him in the arm with the needle and pressed on the syringe plunger.Â
His eyes rolled back as he was filled with the ecstasy that only opium could give. He moaned in pleasure when I lightly touched him with my fingertips. âPlease,â he begged.
âPlease, what?â I whispered in his ear.
âPleaseâŠâ he could not finish his thought as another round of euphoria rushed through him.Â
I untied his hands and retied them behind his back. I laid him across my shoulders and carefully navigated my way outside. I made sure the rest of the town, whoever was left, watched as I sat him on the ground. I looped the rope around his neck and tied the other end to his horse. I took the lipstick out and meticulously applied it to my lips.Â
The sun rose higher over the horizon, and Eli stirred. We had a crowd of the people left in Silver Hills. âEli Carver!â I yelled more to the crowd than to him.
He looked around and realized where he was. He tried to fight off the noose, but it was too tight to shake off.Â
âYou are hereby found guilty on counts of train robbery, theft, assault, and murder.â I glanced back at him. âAnd as punishment for your crimes, you will watch your men killed and then hanged until dead.â
His eyes widened in genuine terror as I sauntered in front of him. âRuby, donât do this. I can change.âÂ
âYou lost that chance of redemption when you murdered my husband, kidnapped me, stole my town, and tortured my girls.â I moved to his side, helped him stand, and pointed to the mine on the hill. âWatch.â I took the knife from my boot and flashed the sunlight off of it.Â
I received a flash back, and I put the knife away. I held Eliâs head to force him to watch as the hillside exploded. The sound echoed through the town and its valley.
âNoâŠâ He tried to shake his head from my grip, so I let him go. He glared at me. âNo! Youâre not a killer, my doveââ
âI ainât your dove!â I snapped at him. âI am the wife of the fallen sheriff. I ainât killing them or you in cold-blood.â
âThen what do you call this?â
I smiled and kissed him on the lips. âJustice.â I moved behind him and guided the horse forward. Eli rose off the ground. This would be the slow death he deserved for everything he did. He kicked his feet and tried to get out of the noose and binds. I used my weight to pull the rope down more and tied it to the anchor in the ground. I let the horse free from its duties, and it ambled back to the front of the saloon.
He hanged there in panic and pain, just like he did to Marshall one year ago. I walked around to the front and just watched. I let the image of him begging, pleading, trying to breathe, and survive burn into my mind. This would bring me the peace I craved. He finally stopped kicking and moving after a while.
I turned back to the crowd. âEli Carver is dead. But that means nothing after your cowardice killed Marshall. The only reason I donât string any of you alongside Eli is because Marshall wouldnât have wanted that. He wanted to build a home here, and I intend to honor him and his memory. If any of you want to leave, go. Those who want to stay, we have work to do to take the stain of Eli and his gang off our town.â
Emerald and Sapphire rode in, just as Topaz, Diamond, and John came back into town. They all stared at Eli hanging there, with the smear of red lipstick on his mouth. They then looked to me, and there was satisfaction in the girlsâ eyes. John looked like he was not sure what to think.Â
Another horse galloped into the center square and stopped just in front of the gallows. âWhatâs goinâ on here?â
âJustice,â I answered. âWho are you?â
Sapphire made the introductions. âMadam Ruby, this is Cal Deacon. Heâs a ranger.â
His blond hair was cut short to his head, which made his blue eyes pop even more. He looked from Eli to John then to me. He took his hat off his head and bent his head a little. âMaâam.â It felt like nothing escaped his notice.
âRanger.â I cut to the chase. âWhyâre you here?â
âHeard rumors of Eli Carverâs gang set up a hideaway near here. When these two ladies were trying to send a message to the nearest Rangersâ station, I made my acquaintance.â He gave Eliâs corpse a long look. âBut it looks like Iâm too late to arrest him. Whereâs the rest of his gang?â
John spoke up, âBuried in a mine shaft.â
âAnd you are?âÂ
âJohn. John⊠Onyx.â He gave himself a last name. âI work for Madam Ruby. Sheâs the proprietress of the saloon and mayor of Silver Hills.â He looked at the other people left in town and none of them said anything differently.
I raised an eyebrow at the promotion. âSince Eli Carver and his gang are dead, thereâs no need for you to stay Ranger Deacon.â
He looked around the small town. âYou know, normally, thereâs someone here with a shiny badge telling me to get off their turf.â He looked at our faces. âMy guess is that Eli killed your sheriff when he first arrived.â
I crossed my arms over my chest. âKeep talking. Youâll get to the point eventually.âÂ
âIâm saying that if youâre gonna run a way station town, you need a sheriff. I donât see anyone else stepping up.â
I raised an eyebrow at him. âAre you volunteering?â
âIf youâll have me. Life on the road hunting outlaws gets old after a while. Maybe I can stay here for a while until the wander bug bites me again.â He put his hand out to me. âWhat say you, Madam Mayor?â
I looked at my girls, then my town. I froze and stopped breathing when I saw what I thought was the ghost of Marshall. He blew me a kiss and bid me farewell. I gathered my wits and exhaled the breath I had been holding. âWelcome to Silver Hills, Sheriff Deacon.â I shook his hand.
Madam Ruby Part 02
Continued from 11/08/2023
I dusted my hands on my trousers while I exited the front of the silver mine. The plan was almost ready, then I will have my revenge on Eli and his men. I held my hand over my eyes to see the town of Silver Hills below me in the rising dawnâs light. The gallows had another body hanging from its rope, and I almost did not care who it was this time. It had been a long year and since those bastards did not help me with saving Marshall.Â
I was half of a mind to take my girls and leave. I laughed bitterly at the thought. There was no escape. Not for my girls, not for me. Eli would hunt us down and kill them just to make his point. Just a little longerâŠÂ I promised myself and prayed to whatever God was watching down on us.
âWhatâre ya doinâ up here?â A drunken member of Eliâs gang, the man one who manhandled Sapphire when the gang first arrived, stumbled up the ridge.Â
I lied, âEli asked me to take a look at the mine, Marcus.â I pointed to the wide entrance into the cooler darkness.Â
Marcus narrowed his eyes at me, but I could tell that he was having issues focusing on me. âEli asked you?â
âOf course. Why else would I be up here?â
He still looked like he did not trust me. âWhatâd ya find?â
I hesitated. âYou canât tell Eli, not until I know for sure.â I pulled out a small vial of silver from my pocket. âLooks like the miners might have missed some spots.â
He sobered up quite quickly. âThereâs silver still in these hills?â He whooped. âWeâll be rich!â
âSh!â I shushed him. âI donât want Eli to know until I can make sure itâs a good vein.â
He ripped the vial from my hands. âHowâd ya know if itâs good or not?â He held the silver flecks up to the light.
âMy husband taught me how to look for silver in stone.â
âEli did?â His voice raised in pitch.
I glared at him. âEli ainât more than my kidnapper.â I yanked the silver back from him. âNow, I have to get back down to Silver Hills to start breakfast.â I looked back to him while he eyed the mine. âWho was hanged?â
âDoctor. He tried to leave last night, and we canât have that,â he answered, sounding distracted.
I left him there to star at the mine and walked down the paths to town. I reached my saloon and went up the back stairs.Â
âWhere is she?â Eli shouted from the dining area. A loud slap echoed through the halls.Â
Without changing, I ran down the stairs. âWhat are you doing?â
Eli held Emerald in his hand while his second and third in command watched. A handprint darkened on her cheek and her green eyes were full of pain and terror. He did not let her go when I arrived. âThatâs three weeks Iâve woken up to you missinâ. Three weeks wonderinâ if my wife was off consortinâ and breakinâ her marriage vows.â
âDonât take your anger out on my girls.â I stepped into the dining room. âThey are innocent, and if you want to hurt someone, then hurt me.â
He held up Emeraldâs wrist and arm. âIf I hurt you, you wonât learn. But if I hurt your girlsâŠâ He slammed her hand onto the table. I tried to run over to her, but John, Eliâs second, grabbed onto my arm. His dark black hand was at odds against my paper white forearm.
Eli kept his eyes on me when pulled the knife from its sheath. I fought against Johnâs grip, and Aaron, Eliâs third, grabbed onto my other side. âStop!â I cried out to him. âLeave her alone!â
âBut then how will you learn your place?â Eliâs eyes never left mine as he cut her arm.
Emerald screamed and tried to pull away. He held her in place while he sliced her delicate skin again. Johnâs hand trembled where he held me. From watching his interactions with my girls this past year, he hated when any of them were hurt. It just solidified what I knew before about him. He was a part of the gang but did not take part in most of the violence.
I wanted to kill Eli for murdering Marshall, but as he tortured Emerald, I knew that I needed to drag the bastard to Hell myself. âI was in the hills!â I shouted, hoping it would get him to stop.
âWhy?â He held the knife ready to slash Emerald again.
âI heard rumors that the mine was never fully emptied of silver. I was trying to see if there was anything left.â
âWhat did you find?â
âCheck my left pocket,â I told John.
He took no pleasure in touching me, unlike Aaron who would have lingered and groped. John pulled the vial from my pocket and tossed it to Eli. âLooks like she found somethinâ.â
Eli let go of Emerald, and she collapsed on the ground. âLet her go.â John immediately dropped my arm, but Aaron was reluctant. With a second look from his leader, Aaron let go of me as well.
I ran over to Emerald and grabbed some towels. âSapphire! Diamond! Blood kit!â I shouted toward the stairs and pressed the towels on the cuts to stem the bleeding.Â
Sapphire raced down with a medical bag in her hands, Diamond following close behind. She had been training as a doctor assistant on the East coast when he was brought out West in hopes to claim her status as a doctor. Instead, she had been forced into the role of a dancing girl.Â
I found her when Marshall and I had visited her ownerâs saloon. We stopped her from becoming a soiled dove and brought her here with the promise that we would protect her. Not doing well in that area.
Sapphire got to work on Emeraldâs arm, and I knew I was in the way. âGet her upstairs.â I helped the three of them stand as a unit to carry Emerald. Diamondâs dark black skin stood out against the almost white dress she would. Her frizzy hair was cut close to her head to help tame it, which just make her dark brown eyes more striking. John came over and picked Emerald up easily. He carried her upstairs with Sapphire and Diamond leading and following, respectively.
I faced Eli. âYou swore you wouldnât touch my girls.âÂ
âAnd you gave your word that you would do everythinâ I say,â he replied with no emotion in his voice. He set the vial of silver on the table. âTell me about this.â He acted like nothing happened. He pulled me down into his lap and wrapped his arms around my waist. âBetter start talkinâ, or Iâll have John break Emeraldâs fingers.â
âI told you already. I heard rumors about the mine and decided to take a look for myself.â
âAnd?â
âAnd I think the miners might have missed a some spots of silver.â
âThat sheriff must have taught you more than youâre lettinâ on if you could find somethinâ that the mininâ companies didnât.â
I balled my fists but did not strike him. I needed to buy time. âMarshall taught me many things, including how to read the land. Even if its underground.âÂ
âWho else knows what you found?â
âMarcus caught me on the ridge, so he knows about it,â I admitted. âI havenât told anyone else.â
âGood. This is gonna be our little secret, then.â He kissed the side of my neck. âHow long until you know for sure if thereâs silver in them hills?â
âIf I bring my girls up with me, I can get more eyes on it.â
He laughed. âDonât think you can trick me, my dove.â
âJust have one of your men escort us, then. Iâve got four girls, plus me, so we can spread out further into the mine. My husbandââ
He squeezed my body hard. âWho?â he tried to sound sweet, but there was malice laced under his voice.
âSheriff Marshallââ I corrected, ââtaught us what to look for. Iâd show your men, but beyond Aaron and John, how much do you trust your band of lowlifes?âÂ
He thought about it. âIâll give you one week to find silver that you claim is in that mine.â He grabbed my hair and pulled my head back. âAfter that, Iâll make sure that you have somethinâ more important to deal with, like my heirs that youâll be birthinâ.â
I stiffened and horror rushed through me. It was bad enough being married to this monster. Now, he expected children? I needed to check the herbs that would keep me barren. I prayed there would be enough to last until i could get more.
âThen I had better get started,â I choked the words out in a desperate attempt to flee from him.
He released me from his lap. âOne week, then youâll return to your wifely duties.âÂ
I ran upstairs and into my office. I shut the door and slid down the wood to the ground. I bit back the tears and grief. I had always wanted children with Marshall, but it never worked out. The thought of bearing Eliâs children made me sick. One week. I have one week to put the rest of my revenge plan into place.
I gathered my wits, the mining clothes for the girls, and left the office. John stepped out of Emeraldâs room. He moved to the side to let me pass. I stopped next to him. âI donât know how someone like you came to be a part of Eliâs gang, but if you donât find your way out, youâll lie dead in a ditch or hanging from the gallows alongside him.â
John did not move for a second, until he swung his arm in front of me to keep me from moving. He looked down at me. âYou donât know nothinâ âbout me.â
âYouâre right. I only know what I see. Find where you want your soul to reside, John, because if you keep following someone elseâs path, its liable to lead you down into Hell.â I ducked under his arm and went into Emeraldâs room.
Sapphire finished bandaging Emeraldâs arm. Diamond and Topaz, a girl who came up from the southern border, sat on the bed next to each other. I shut the door behind me and leaned on it. âHow are you feeling?â
Emerald winced when she moved. âIt hurts.â
Sapphire grabbed something from her bag. âHere, chew on this.â She gave Emerald some bark to gnaw on. Sapphire stood up. âI wrapped her arm with cattail to help stop the bleeding and prevent infection. I donât have any powdered coyote willow but chewing on it will help with pain.â
âWhy not give her some opium?â Topaz tilted her head as she thought out loud.
âBecause Iâve seen the effects of opium, heroine, laudanum, and morphine. When I was travelling from New York to here, I saw too many men and women dying from lack of it. They would kill themselves trying to find relief when they ran out along the way.â She looked up at me. âSheriff Marshall gave me a book and told me what plants can help with different things.â
âAnything that could knock these sumbitches out?â Diamond asked her quietly.
I answered, âI have something.â I moved away from the door.
âWhatâs the plan, Madam?â Diamond sat up straighter.Â
I handed them the clothes. âSimple, get dressed in the menâs clothes and weâre going mining.â I winked at them, so they knew there was more to it. I opened the door and almost ran into Aaron. âGet out of my way.â
His leaned on the doorframe and looked down at us. âAnyone ever tell yâall just how beautiful yâall are? I bet youâd look even better undressed.â
I pushed him out of the way, knocking him off balance. He fell back into the wall behind him. âLeave them alone.â I shut the door behind me.Â
He scrambled to stand back up. He towered over me, but he did not scare me like Eli did. He raised his hand to smack me. âYou bitchââ
âAaron, what in the Hell do you think youâre doinâ?â Eli asked from near my office.
Aaron lowered his arm with a snap back to his side. âNothinâ boss.â
âThatâs what I thought. Get out of here.âÂ
The taller male ran downstairs with less dignity that the snakes outside.Â
I walked over to the stairwell. âThe girls are getting dressed, then weâre heading out to the mine.â
He strolled to me and touched my face softly. âJohnâs goinâ with you âtil you find the silver. When you do find it, you will report back here to me. If you dally or try anythinâ, Johnâll kill your girls.âÂ
âWouldnât dream of wasting time,â I muttered.
âGood.â He removed his hand and allowed me to go downstairs. I waited until my four girls came down the stairs in the clothes I found for them. They crowded around me. âFollow me.âÂ
We left the saloon. Many of the buildings were empty, and I wondered how many would survive when Eli finally left Silver Hills. My only priority were my girls, but there was a sense of guilt in the other women and children who had died because they did something that put them on the wrong side of the gang.Â
Maybe Silvers Hill ainât meant to survive this. Maybe God is trying to send me and my girls down a different path.Except that Silver Hills was my home. It was the town Marshall and I built from the saloon up. He was the one who found people to inhabit it while I worked the numbers. Another annoying benefit from being a part of Eliâs gang before: I learned numbers and letters.Â
John stalked behind us as we hiked up the small mountain to the Silver Hills mine. None of us talked. Not even the rattle of a snake broke the silence that held onto us.
We reached the cross timbers of the mine, and I lit the oil lanterns as we walked into the cool darkness. âMadam Ruby?â Topaz whimpered.
I grabbed onto her hand with mine. She was the youngest of the girls, fresh and dewy-eyed. I allowed my girls to pick what they wanted to do. They could be dancing girls, painted ladies, or anything else they wanted. In more economic times, I could have had more girls and been more ruthless of a Madam, but I wanted something better for these girls than I ever had.
After about a hundred feet, the tunnel widened into a large cavern. The lanternâs light flickered off the shining walls where there were flecks of copper. âWow.â Emeraldâs voice echoed. She came with, even if she was not going to do anything. I never left any of the girls alone with Eliâs gang, if I could avoid it.
âCan you hold this?â I asked her. She walked up and held onto it with her good arm.
John stayed at the space between the tunnel and cave. He did not say anything while he watched as I put the girls to work.Â
I faced away from him. âIn each of the tunnels ahead, thereâs these buckets. What I need yâall to do is toââ I motioned throwing the sand from the buckets onto the walls, then patting the silver flecks down, ââscrape the walls to see if thereâs anything underneath. Weâre looking for large areas of silver to show Eli.â
They four of them nodded. I helped Emerald light more of the lanterns and sent the girls off down the tunnels. âEmerald, stay here. John seems like heâs a gentleman and wonât touch you. Shout if you need help. Iâll be going down each of the tunnels to look for silver.â
She sat on an overturned crate. âIâll be here.âÂ
There were three tunnels, plus the entrance one. I went down the one on the left first. I passed by Diamond with her bucket of dirt and silver flakes and continued down into the darker parts of the mine.Â
I reached the end of the tunnel with my small lantern and its focused beam of light. Here was what I needed. I dusted off the crates that were labelled âNobelâs Safety Blasting Powder.â
âDo you even know how to use âem?âÂ
I jumped and whipped around. John was standing there. âIâwellâuhââ
He came up next to me. âLasâ time you were in the gang, you wanted nothinâ to do witâ me.â He picked up one of the sticks of dynamite then set it back down in the box. âWhaâ changed?â
âI did,â I admitted. He looked like he was unsure how to react to that, so I continued, âWhen I was trapped with Eli the first time, I saw all of you as monsters. Since seeing how you treat my girls? I knew that youâre a better man than any of the rest of them will ever be.â
He took his time to think about wat he wanted to say. âEli found me when I escaped slavery before the War. He said that if I followed him and did as he said, heâd not turn me in. When the rails were beinâ built after you escaped, I worked them, tryinâ to get a better life. Then the railroad men said I couldnâ have land or a house because Iâm a negroâŠâ He clenched his jaw and fists. âI showed Eli where the railroad men keep their money.â
I debated on whether I wanted to tell him my plan. Too late. He already knows about the dynamite. An intrusive thought popped into my head, Maybe I should kill him to keep the secretâŠÂ I shook my head to clear it. I changed the topic, âTo answer your first question, no, I donât know how to use them.â
âGood thing I do.â A ghost of a smile crossed his lips.
Madam Ruby Part 01
âMadam Ruby!â one of my girls, Sapphire, called up to my office. The tone of her voice worried me. I had been ignoring the loud hoots, hollers, and screams from outside, but her shrill cry broke through my concentration.
I set down the pencil that I used for keeping tally of debits and credits. I gathered my dark red skirts in my paper white hands and left the small room with its wooden desk and chair. I walked down the hallway and stairs behind the bar where she was trying to get away from a rough and tumble male. âWhat is the meaning of this?â I asked him with no hint of politeness.Â
He turned and faced me. His brown hair was plastered against his head from sweat under his hat. His face was covered in scars and stubble. He dropped Sapphireâs hand, and she fled to me.Â
Her bright blonde hair was falling from its style, and her pale blue eyes were full of terror. I gave her hand three gentle squeezes to tell her to get the other girls out of here and to the sheriff then head to the train station until someone came for them. She ran upstairs in her blue body-hugging dress.Â
âYou own this place?â His voice matched the gruffness of his looks and demeanor.Â
âI do. I am Madam Ruby.â I crossed my arms over my chest. âWhat do you want?â
He spat into the spittoon then whistled.
The saloon doors slammed inside against the wooden walls. A tall man in all black, from his hat to his orange dusted boots, stepped into my bar. The morning light hid his features until he reached an area of shadows. The gas lanterns lit up his face with his scar across his cheek and golden blond hair.Â
âEli Carver.â I recognized his face from the wanted posters in the train station and from personal memory.
He sat his hat on the bar and looked around the room. âMarcus, you said you found the owner.â
Marcus took a large step away from Eli and me. âEli, thisâs Madam Ruby, and she claims to own this here saloon.â He must have been new to the gang because I did not recognize him.
Eli finally looked at me, and a smile played on his lips. âMadam? Youâve moved up in the world since you was a dancinâ girl in Goldfield. Decide to open your own joint after your time as a soiled dove?â There was a playfulness on his voice, but it just made me want to slam his face into the dusty wood of the floor. âBeen a long time since Iâve seen your pretty red eyes.â
âLetâs cut to the chase, shall we?â I put my hands on my hips to feel stronger than I was. âWhy are you here? Weâre a quarter dayâs ride to the train station, the mines are all shut down, and thereâs nothing here for you to want. So, take your gang and hitch your pony somewhere else.â
He stepped uncomfortably close to me. He gently moved a piece of my silver white hair away from my face. âIs that any way to treat your first customer as a whore? I was the only one not afraid to make your albino body mine.â
I slapped his hand away from me. âCustomers pay. You kidnapped me and stole my virginity, Eli. Once I had the stigma of being a whore, there was no going back to being the dancing girl I was.âÂ
âIt canât have been that bad.â He lifted my chin to force me to meet his eyes. âYou are a pretty woman, and, from the look of this place, you made good money.â
I took a large step away from him. âThank you for the trip down Memory Lane of the worst time of my life. Now, get out, before I call the sheriff.â
He laughed, and his gang followed suit. âIf you mean the man whoâs a bit tied up at the moment, I donât think I need to worry.â He motioned to the door. âBut if you donât trust me, see for yourself.â
I glared at him, but I needed to make sure that the sheriff, my husband, was all right. I did not even need to step out of the saloon, because once I opened the doors, there was no doubt that he was hanging from the gallows. I covered my mouth behind my hands as I cried out. He was still alive and kicking.Â
I tried to run over to him, but Eli grabbed me from behind. âYou should really get a better sheriff for your little town.â
âCut him down,â I said under my breath. âCut him down, or Iâll kill you where you stand.â
âYou can try.â He smelled my hair, so I took the chance to elbow him in the face. He let go of me with a shout.
I pulled my skirts up and ran over to my husband. His tan face was turning purple as he hanged by his throat. His normally pulled back long black here was slick with sweat and out of its tie. âIâll get you down, Marshall.â I stood under him, letting him use my shoulders as footholds to take the pressure from his neck. I looked around and saw the other people of our small-town staring from their windows. âHelp me!â I screamed to them, but none of them moved.
Eli sauntered up and bent down to almost nose-to-nose with me. âNo one is gonna to help you. Not after what they saw how easily we strung your sheriff up.â
âThen damn them alongside you to Hell!â Marshallâs weight was hurting my shoulders and back, but I refused to let him die.Â
âI might be amendable to cut him down, if you do somethinâ for me.â His smirk told me everything that he wanted.
Sweat covered my face and body as I struggled to keep Marshall from hanging. âIâm married, Eli, and I wonât ever join your bed again.â
He seemed to put two and two together. âIs that why youâre desperate to save this sheriff? Heâs your husband?â
I saved my breath for my trembling muscles.
Eli grabbed me from under my husband and shot Marshall then the rope that held him. Marshallâs body crumpled when he hit the ground. âGo grieve for your spouse, because startinâ tonight, this is my town.â He let go of my arm.
I raced over to Marshall and tried to stop the bleeding, but there was nothing I could do. I was not a doctor, and I doubt our townâs physician would come help. I laid his head in my lap, hoping to make his passing more comfortable.
Marshall reached up and touched my cheek with his fingertips. âAtsa.â He called me by the nickname he gave me when we first met years ago when he saved me from my position as a painted lady with marriage.
I cupped his hand to my face. My tears splashed on his shirt. âDonât talk, Marshall. You gotta save your breaths.â
âYou have to stop them,â he whispered. âYouâre the only one who is strong enough to stand up. Iâm sorry that I wonât be there to help you.â
I cried in his hand. âYouâre wrong. If you couldnât, thereâs no way I can.â
âI love you, my Atsa.â He smiled softly and closed his eyes for the last time. I lost the only man to have never used my past against me, the only one who helped me pursue my dream of a peaceful life, and the only one who was willing to help me build the saloon from the ground up.
I bent over and kissed his forehead. âI love you too, Marshall. Rest in peace, and I will try to save our home,â I whispered to his corpse.
Eliâs men ripped Marshall away from me and threw him to the side. I had no fight left in me while Eli dragged me back to my saloon. He sat me down at one of the tables. âHereâs how thisâs gonna goâŠâÂ
I stared at the wood grain in the table. Memories of meeting Marshall after my escape from Eli the first time flooded my mind.Â
Marshall came into the saloon I was whoring at one day. He was looking for a few good men to help him rebuild a town that was abandoned after the mines were empty. He wanted to create a town that would become a waystation from the trains to other parts of the county and state.
A customer had tried to take me upstairs, but I was too enthralled with Marshall. He stood tall and handsome with his high cheekbones and black hair. He saw me trying to fight off the customer and came over to my rescue. âThis man botherinâ you, Miss?â
The proprietor laughed as he stood behind the bar to clean glasses. âShe ainât been a âmissâ since she was soiled by Eli Carver.â He was pencil thin and refused to stand up for his girls.
âI didnât ask you,â Marshall snarled at the saloon owner. He turned back to me. âDo you want my help?â
I had to make a choice. Either I refused his help and stayed a painted lady, or I go with him. He said he was looking for a few good men, so maybe he had room for me, if I could prove myself. It would mean that I would lose my job and home at the same time, but I saw a future in Marshallâs light brown eyes.Â
I pulled my hand from the customer, slammed my heel into his foot, then elbowed him in the face. I guess my time trapped with Eliâs gang was not a complete waste. âOnly if you donât mind taking me with you?â I hoped he would accept.
He smiled warmly, and my cheeks burned. âI was lookinâ for a few good men, but I can see where youâd be an exception, Atsa.â When the customer grabbed my arm again, Marshall punched him in the face. The man crumpled to the ground.
The proprietor came around the bar. âNow, see hereââ
Marshall pulled the pistol from his hip. âThe Ladyâs made her decision. Sheâs cominâ with me. If you got a problem with that, then meet me outside.â
The smaller man shrank away. âHer thingsâre upstairs.â
Marshall looked at me. âThere anythinâ you need?â
I looked down at the dress I wore and thought of everything else I owned. âWonât take me long to get my things.â
He let go of my hand, and I rushed up to my tiny room. It was barely larger than the bed, water basin, and wardrobe. I opened the wardrobe, then found the little notch of the hidden compartment. I gathered the important things, including the earnings I stole from drunken customers and my papers. I smiled at the extra cash that I had been building over the past few years from my customers and the ownerâs coffers. I stuffed them into a bag and ran back downstairs.
Marshall held his hand out to me, a perfect gentleman. I grabbed it, and we went outside. âI never caught you name, Atsa,â he said while we walked on the wooden boardwalks toward his horse.
âMy name is Ruby. Why do you keep calling me âAtsa?ââ
He lightly moved a piece of hair from my face to behind my ear with an intimate touch that sent flutters through my stomach. My cheeks burned when he cupped my face in his palm. âAtsa is the color of your pretty eyes and cheeks.â
âAtsa is âredâ?âÂ
He nodded. âStay with me long enough, and Iâll teach you everythinâ I know.â He helped me onto the horse at the front of the saddle, and he sat behind me. âHereâs how this is gonna goâŠâ
A loud crash brought me back to the present. Eliâs fist was sitting on the table in front of me, the glass mug shattered over the wood. âYou ainât been listeninâ.â
Youâre the only one strong enough to stop them. Marshallâs last words came to mind. âAll right, what do you want?â I could pretend to be surly. I could push my grief down until I had my revenge. With the girls gone, I just needed Eli to trust me for this to work.
Eli lifted an eyebrow at my sudden change. There was cold calculation behind his eyes. âYouâre tryinâ to figure out how to kill me.â
I gave nothing away. My poker face was a blank mask that he taught me when I was kidnapped the first time.
He waited for any change in posture or movement to that would give away my thoughts. When I did not move, he continued to talk, âAs I was sayin,â thisâs my town now. You can either be friendly with me, or I can send you to God, just like I did your husband.â
I clenched my teeth, but he saw that small muscle twitch. He grinned as he stood up. âOnly reason Iâm keepinâ you alive is because you own this joint. Itâs a good place to hide out from the law.â He came around to behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. âThen thereâs the extra benefit of havinâ my girl back.â
âI ainât your girl, Eli.âÂ
He dug his fingers into my shoulders hard enough to bruise. âI think youâll be singinâ a different tune after a while. Especially if I send my men after your girls.â
I whipped around in the chair. âDonât you dare lay a hand on âem!â
He stooped down to my eye level. âBe a good woman to me, take care of my men as your customers, and run the saloon like the proprietress you claim to be. And if they come back, Iâll keep my gang from harminâ them.â
It was an easy choice to make. âWhy here? You coulda picked the damn town with the railroad going through it. Why did you pick Silver Hills?â
He pulled the chair up next to me. âSimple. I need to be close enough to strike, but far enough away to avoid gettinâ caught. Findinâ you was just a bonus.â He pulled my face to look at him. âAnd before you get any ideas in that pretty liâl head of yours, if you call for help from the rangers, Iâll kill everyone in this town while you watch. Think of it this way, the life and death of this town depends on you and your actions. Choose them carefully.â
âI do exactly what you say, and youâll leave the town alive?â I needed confirmation.
âYou do what I want, and yeah, Iâll spare your town.âÂ
I took as deep of a breath as I could. It was shaky, but it only settled my resolve. âYou have a deal.â
He smiled, cold and cruel with a promise of the taste of Hell in the future. âGood little dove.â He mashed his lips to mine.Â
Continues 11/15/2023