Kimble Goes to Town.

Ruth woke one morning and couldn't breathe.

"I imagine it's allergies," she told Kimble, but she had him lead class that afternoon. The next day was worse and Kimble fetched Marisol Aragon, the Territorial Medical System nurse, from the village.

"It's asthma," Marisol said, measuring Ruth's lung capacity with a plastic flow meter. "Pretty bad, too."

Marisol gave Ruth prednisone pills to relieve the immediate symptoms but said, "This is short-term. I want you to go on an inhaled corticosteroid. That's a much safer long-term solution, but I don't have any here. I can get some from the capital, but it will take a month. Better if it was quicker, but it's a catch-22. Traveling would most likely aggravate the asthma."

"I can go," said Kimble. "If I rent a horse, I can be back in four days."

Marisol, not tall, but still a head higher than Kimble, eyed him dubiously, but Ruth nodded and said, "Go see if you can hire one of Mr. Kenney's mounts."

Matt Kenney greeted Kimble warmly but shook his head violently at the request. "Hire a horse? When I'd probably have two less without your help? I'll lend you Suze." He led Kimble to a small, brown quarter horse with a gray muzzle. "Both my boys started on Suze. They're on to bigger mounts now, but she'll go all day with someone your size. Fact is, she doesn't get the exercise she should, so a trip to the capital and back would be good for her."

"I don't feel right not paying," Kimble tried again.

"Use the money on feed and put her in a livery while you're there. We just epoxied new fiberglass shoes, but if there's a problem, see a farrier." He patted the horse on her flank. "One thing-she's a bear for holding her breath when you're tightening the cinch."

Kimble left the next day in the cool of the morning, reversing the route Ruth and he had walked to Perro Frio. He was an adequate horseman, having ridden his schoolmates' hacks around the village and on occasional school excursions, but even though he was in good shape, his muscles weren't used to an entire day of riding. Getting out of his bedroll the next morning required rolling over to all fours and struggling upright. The evening before, it had taken him over twenty minutes to get the cinch off, so he doubled the end back in a slipknot. He didn't knee Suze in the belly as Mr. Kenney had recommended, but he waited, watching her breathing, and tightened the strap again, and then again.

On this last one Suze whuffed, turned her head, and looked back at him reproachfully.

He'd made even better time than he'd thought. He reached Nuevo Santa Fe's south gate by noon, in time to stable Suze and get the cabrito tacos at Griegos.

Marisol had given him a script for the medicine and he only had to wait a half hour at the TMS pharmacy before receiving several disk-shaped inhalers, nasal sprays, and some pump-operated "rescue" inhalers. "These ones are tricky. Outside the territory they use pressurized ones, but they're metal." The pharmacist talked about their use and gave him a ream of instructions for Ruth to read.

Next he took an order and check to Retterson & Morales, building supplies. The dojo walls were as high as they were supposed to be and the concrete roof beams had been laid in place. "Our freighter will deliver the roof tiles before the end of September," they assured him.

He felt odd being back in the capital-the bustle seemed louder, more frenetic. The loiterers seemed scarier. He felt like it had changed on him, but he realized it was really he who'd changed.

He saw people he'd known slightly, who would have greeted him a year ago. Now they glanced at him and squinted, like his face was teasing their memories without effect. He was feeling sad about this when he ran square into Cesar Castellanos.

"Kim-BULL. Where you been, man? I thought sure the Rangers dragged you off, but then they came around again last week, so I knew they didn't."

Kimble had been about to name his new home but stopped mid-word. "Perr-they've been asking for me? By name?"

"They were asking for Kim Creighton, but someone must've recognized you from the new photo 'cause now they're asking for Kimble, too."

"They have a new photo?"

"They've got the old one, but they also have one of those aged-by-computer ones. That one looks a lot more like you."

Kimble fought the urge to look around for Rangers. He took out the floppy cloth hat he'd been wearing while riding and put it on his head.

"So where have you been?"

He thought he could trust Cesar but he didn't want Rangers showing up at Ruth's door. "Better you should be able to say, 'I don't know.' Right? I mean, why add one more thing you'd have to talk about at confession."

Cesar laughed. "But you're all right? I mean, you look good. You're nowhere near as skinny as you were."

"I'm good. I've got a good place to live, good work, and good schooling. And I'd rather not be dragged back to my good-for-nothin' old man and ruin it."

They talked about mutual friends, acquaintances, and enemies. Cesar's voice was deeper and he informed Kimble that he was walking out with Jessica Potter from his parish.

"What's that on your lip?" Kimble kidded.

"That's my mustache." It wasn't a very definite mustache.

"That's a relief," said Kimble. "I was afraid it was a caterpillar. A very sick caterpillar."

"Well, Jessica likes it so you can just shove it up your-"

"Great seeing you."

Before talking to Cesar he'd planned to leave the next morning but now Kimble moved through the mid-afternoon crowds to the stables, trying to exude casualness. He panicked a bit at Southgate, when he saw an entire troop of Rangers lined up through the gate, not mounted yet, but apparently headed out. Their saddle holsters all held the composite gyro rifles and they all had two-and-a-half-foot truncheons hanging from their belts. Kevlar helmets and vests were bundled behind their saddles. There was a squad of lancers, too, carrying eight-foot shafts.

Kimble swerved toward Griegos but several of the Rangers were in line there, too, picking up food.

He took a deep breath, resettled the saddlebags over his shoulder, and headed back to the gate. A family-mother, father, son, and two daughters with unmistakable resemblance to each other-were walking out of the gate, the son pushing a two-wheeled garden cart full of purchases. Kimble took two long strides and joined them, walking through the gate at their side, earning a hard look from the mother, who shifted her purse to her other arm.

The Rangers were watching the two teenage daughters. The oldest daughter was walking with the studied casualness of a young woman well aware of her beauty. The younger daughter, walking behind her sister, was exaggerating her sister's walk, and rolling her hips, and getting a laugh from several of the troops.

As the family passed the head of the double-column of horses, Kimble increased his pace again, pulling out in front and taking the turnoff for the livery stable.

"Thought you were going to be overnight?" the livery man said.

"Was." Kimble paid him for the afternoon and bought some extra feed for the road. "Got everything done quicker than I thought." As he was saddling Suze the same family arrived, redeeming a team of horses, a wagon, and two saddle horses.

While the father and son helped the livery man harness the horses, the younger daughter came over to look at Suze. "Nice horse-I love her neat little feet. Huh. Why do you put the slipknot on the cinch?"

"'Cause otherwise it takes ten minutes of hard work to get it off. She has a rib cage like an accordion, I swear." Kimble turned the horse and took her to the watering trough.

The girl looked at the now-exposed brand. "Bar-Halo. That's the Kenneys' Ranch. Did you buy this horse from the Kenneys?"

Kimble had to look up to meet the young woman's eyes. "Didn't buy. Mr. Kenney loaned me Suze. I don't recognize you from around Perro Frio."

"Oh, we don't live that far south, but our family and theirs go way back. Daddy and Matt Kenney were roommates at Baylor University." She turned and called out. "Daddy, this boy knows the Kenneys." She turned back. "What's your name?"

He thought about the recent inquiries. "Kim Monroe," he said, using Ruth's last name like he did at the village school.

"I'm Sarah Costillo." She pointed. "Those are my parents; my sister, Parker; and my brother, Paco. Paco's the oldest. I'm the baby."

"Uh, fifteen?" Kimble guessed.

"Next month," she said.

Kimble nodded. "Thirteen, myself."

"You came all the way from Perro Frio by yourself?"

He shrugged. "My guardian is sick." He patted the saddle bags. "Needed to get some medicine from the TMS pharmacy."

Her mouth opened and then closed and she frowned.

He answered the unasked question, half-lying. "My parents died when I was small."

"Oh." She turned and looked at her own parents, her face thoughtful.

Mr. Costillo, the harnessing done, walked over and stuck out his hand. Sarah did the introductions.

"Seems to me, Matt told me about some stolen horses back in June and a neighbor boy who got them back. You wouldn't be him, would you?"

Kimble blushed. "I'm the neighbor, but I didn't do anything, really. The man who stole them knocked himself out and broke his arm chasing me down the riverbank. The posse caught up because of that."

"Traveling alone? You're starting out awful late, aren't you?"

Kimble explained about the medicine.

"Ride with us. Our ranch is only six hours down the trail. You can spend the night and get an early start."

Kimble started to refuse, but then he thought about the troop of Rangers. If he was traveling with the Costillos he was less likely to draw the Rangers' attention.

"Well, thanks. That would be nice."

Mr. Costillo nodded firmly. "Good. It's safer that way what with all these attacks."

"Attacks? There's been attacks? What kind of attacks?"

"Ha. I thought you probably didn't know about them, heading out alone like this. Ladrones. A group of eight or so men, the reports say. They've been robbing travelers west and south of the capital and they've hit a few farms and ranches, too. I brought word to the Rangers about a raid on one of our neighbors-they lost some horses and one of their hired hands was clubbed down."

Sarah added, "Broken collarbone."

"He was lucky," said Mr. Costillo. "Some of the travelers have been killed. You hadn't heard about this?"

"Not a word," said Kimble. "I'm sure Mr. Kenney would've warned me if he'd known. I seriously doubt that Sensei-my guardian-would've let me come."

"Well, it's all been in the last ten days. They'll hear about it soon enough."

"Eight men? Are you sure that you will be safe to travel?"

Mr. Costillo laughed. "We caravanned up with two other families, but we're going back with an entire troop of Rangers."

So, thought Kimble. That's a big fail on the avoiding-the-Rangers thing.

THE Costillos' saddle horses belonged to the older daughter, Parker, and the son, Paco. Kimble expected Mr. Costillo to take up the reins of the wagon, but it was Sarah who drove it down to the main road. Mr. Costillo sat in the back bench seat with a disposable four-barrel cardboard rifle. His wife took up some wool and a pair of wooden knitting needles, but Kimble noted a composite crossbow with a quiver full of ceramic-headed fiberglass bolts at her feet.

The troop, fully mounted, was waiting at the main road. As soon as Mr. Costillo's party appeared, the commanding officer issued a short command and pairs of scouts headed forward at the gallop, reducing the troop by half. The remainder split into two groups, one before the family and one after.

Kimble heard Parker say, "Great. Dust for supper."

Her brother Paco smiled and said, "A-gaaaaaain?"

Underway, the commanding officer looped back to the wagon and rode alongside. "Good afternoon, Rosalita, Sarah, John." He gestured at Mr. Costillo's four-barrel. "What you packing, John? Slugs?"

"Bird gravel. Not terribly accurate but at twenty feet it makes an impression."

"Well, I hope you won't need it. If we do spot them, though, I might borrow your wagon and try a decoy with a few of my men."

Kimble, riding behind the wagon with Paco and Parker, saw the CO gesture back toward him. "You've got a new recruit, I see."

Mr. Costillo raised his voice, "Come on up here, Kim."

Kimble took a deep breath and touched his heels to Suze's side. He hoped the CO wasn't up on all the territorial circulars.

"This is Captain Bentham, Kim. Kim Monroe here lives down in Perro Frio. He's a neighbor of Matt Kenney. You remember Matt, right?"

"Of course." Bentham was of medium height and build. He had a beaky nose and prominent bushy eyebrows. "Though what I really remember is Patricia Kenney's biscuits and apple butter."

Mr. Costillo laughed. "I can understand that. Kim rode up to the capital to get some medicine. He didn't know about the bandits."

Kim nodded agreement. He didn't like the way Bentham was studying him. The man was smiling slightly but it didn't touch his eyes, still and unblinking.

Bentham responded to Mr. Costillo. "Yeah, well the news probably passed him going the other way."

Kimble hadn't thought about that. "They'll be worried."

"Concerned, certainly," Mr. Costillo said.

The adults kept talking and Kimble let Suze drop back. Bentham gave him one more intent look before turning back to Mr. and Mrs. Costillo.

Back beside Paco and Parker, Kimble asked, "You know the captain long?"

"Oh, yeah," said Paco. "Ten years, at least. I was eight when he used to stay with us as a new lieutenant. He was in the ethnographic survey then, counting heads and keeping people away from major infestations."

An hour later, as the sun neared the horizon, a single rider appeared, one of the scouts previously dispatched. Kimble didn't hear the scout's report to Captain Bentham but the CO promptly halted the column and rode back to the wagon. "Looks like we may have spotted them. There's a bunch camped overlooking the road in the next valley-seems the right number of horses. My boys are keeping an eye on them, hidden, but if they are the ones, we can ride the troops around to the east and close unobserved by coming up an arroyo. If you don't mind, I'd like to try to decoy them with your wagon."

"What about the girls?" asked Mr. Costillo.

"All of you would ride with me," said Captain Bentham. "Sergeant Pouri and two of his squad will take the wagon. They're gonna change into mufti. Sarah, Rosalita, and you would ride their horses."

"That's good for Sarah and Rosalita but it is my wagon. I'll drive it."

Kimble saw Mrs. Costillo turn her head sharply. So did Captain Bentham, who said, "Sorry, John. Against regs. If you'd rather I didn't use your wagon, I can understand."

Grumbling, Mr. Costillo gave in and Kimble saw Mrs. Costillo exhale deeply.