Eliza Blackwood's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Eliza Blackwood rode into Jaspervale with a sheriff's badge in her pocket and no one to answer to. Nobody else would take the job. The last three lawmen had left in the night, and one had left in a box. She pinned the worn star to her dress the moment her horse crossed the town line. The metal was soft-edged and green with age. She had bought it off an old marshal for two dollars. It made her the law now, whether the town liked it or not. She reined her silver-grey mare to a stop in the dusty street. Men watched her from doorways. A woman pulled a child inside. Eliza climbed down, spurs ringing on the hard ground, and asked the nearest man where the jail was. He laughed at her. "Ain't no jail," he said. "Ain't no sheriff's office neither. Whoever wore that badge last worked out of the saloon till somebody shot him under the table." Eliza felt the weight of it settle on her. A badge meant nothing without walls. She could arrest a man, but she had nowhere to put him. He'd walk free by morning, and she'd be the fool who tried. She led her mare down the street and looked hard at every building. Most were shops or homes. Then she saw it at the edge of town. An old frontier building stood alone, boards weathered gray, paint peeling in strips. The porch sagged but held. Through the dusty windows she saw handmade shelves and a heavy wooden table. Someone had built it to last, then left it behind. She tied her mare to the rail and pushed the door open. The hinges groaned. Inside smelled of dust and old wood. A back room had a thick door and a small barred window. It would hold a man well enough. She ran her glove along the table and found it sound. The place had bones. It only needed someone to claim it. Eliza walked back outside and found a graying man leaning on the rail, watching her. His hands were rough and stained with sap. He'd built things his whole life; she could see it. "That's the old trading post," he said. "Belonged to nobody for years. You planning to squat in it?" "I'm planning to work out of it," Eliza said. She tapped the badge. "Sheriff's office. Jail's in the back." The man studied her a long moment. Then he spat in the dirt and nodded. "Board's loose on the north wall. I'll fix it if you're staying." He walked off before she could answer. Eliza stepped back inside and set her hat on the table. The town had no law, but now the law had a home. She had four walls and a door that locked. That was enough to begin. Now she needed a first man to fill the cell, and every man in Jaspervale had watched her stake her claim.