It was a dark night as Simpson had noted; the new moon had been only a couple days earlier and a slight sliver was all that had waned back. Even the stars seemed dimmer that usual. But despite the darkness of his location and his continuing inebriation, Reynold felt confident in his familiarity with Fox Den to see where he was going as he escorted Meriem St. Mares to the hotel where she was staying.

"Sorry," he slurred slightly as she giggled at his wobbly walking, "I'm a little uneasy of my feet after all those drinks but I'll be fine. Which hotel was it you said you were staying at?"

Even in those days Fox Den was already becoming the boom town it now was, and as such the settlement had numerous establishments for visitors to lay their heads.

"I...I didn't say I was at any hotels here," answered Meriem. From the way she did not pause her walking, her steps indicating she had some certainty where she was trying to go, and it wasn't deeper into Fox Den.

"Hold on, wait," the deputy waved a hand to the woman, "we're getting close to the edge of town. Wherever it is you're staying, it's not going to be that way. That way is just open wild land. No one lives that way."

Meriem paused a moment, as if contemplating something.

"I've set up camp this way," she said finally, "up there, in the hills."

"'The hills'?" repeated Reynold. There were no hills that way.

"Yes, in the...in the caves up there."

"In the Cheyenne Crossing Caves?!" Drunk or not, the cave system was not the kind of place folks lived in. They were in the mountainside; to call the area "the hills" greatly downplayed the height. The caves were a challenge to hike to even in the daylight and they were host to a variety of dangerous creatures, among them rattlesnakes, bears, and cave buffalo.

Aware of the deputy's surprised reaction to her statement, Meriem giggled nervously. "Yes, I know, it must seem silly. But I have set up camp there. It's peaceful, I find. I suppose now that I'm down here in Fox Den I guess I should have thought this through a bit more, but I am lucky to have met you tonight. With how dark it is out I do so appreciate you coming with me up to the caves to make sure I get back safely."

"I thought you were staying in town," the deputy sputtered, "this...this isn't a good idea, going to Cheyenne Crossing Caves so late. I recommend you follow me, we can get you a room in town somewhere-"

But as he spoke, Reynold eyes locked with Meriem's. At once, he again felt a feeling of if under a spell; his protestations immediately stopped and he unexplainably started taking steps to continue on his way towards the caves. Meriem's odd smile grew.

"Thank you, Rexford," she murmured, "I am glad you're coming back to camp with me. It may strike you as a bad place to stay when it is night like this but..I have a sense we'll reach the caves just fine if you just let yourself walk like that." There was an weirdness to her voice, almost as she was giving an order that could not be refused. Incidentally, it couldn't; despite his better judgement, the lawman seemed compelled to proceed onwards.

As the pair walked up the side of the mountain with seeming ease, Meriem made passing comments: "my, I wasn't aware how close to Fox Den I've set up camp, I thought I was a bit further away!" "I hope no one can see my campfire down in Fox Den." To Reynold's confusion, even though it was so dark and the terrain rough, his feet seemed to know just where to step as he ascended towards the planned location. It was unnerving to him, but as drunk as he was the deputy let his liquored mind convince himself that there was a logical reason for his uncontrollable behavior- perhaps he was so intoxicated that he was highly impressionable to suggestion and that was why he was going to the caves with a strange woman at that hour despite everything within him saying this was not wise.

It was a matter of time before Reynold and Meriem reached the mouth of the caves. They caves looked forboding and treacherous in the still of the night; hardly the sort of place a young lady with Meriem's appearance ought to be spending the night, or really any time.

"You...you should come back to town," Reynold began, only to be startled at the sight of the cave suddenly lighting up from the inside before him. There appeared to be torches in certain spots on the walls, yet no one there to light them as the caught aflame. As he turned to look at Meriem, Reynold saw she was holding out her hand before her at the darkness with an intensity to her gaze. But what he was seeing made no sense, the lawman reasoned- after all, it appeared Meriem.was somehow responsible for the torches being lit. But how could her holding her hand like that have caused the cave to light up as it did? There has to be another cause.

Meriem gave no explanation. With a playful grin she lowered her hand and commanded: "come on, Rexford, let's go inside."

At once Reynold found himself moving against his will again, entering the rocky caves with no control over his own feet. But he and Meriem did not walk for long; not far from the cave mouth in he soon found them standing before a well-lit flat area of terrain. On the walls of this particular section were strange markings drawn in what appeared to be chalk; on the ground, a large pentagram with piles of noxious incense burning around its perimeter was visible.

"Wait..." uttered the deputy, the reality of just what kind of woman he was in the company of suddenly coming clear, "those...those are mystic symbols! Sheriff Ghastfash showed me a book with these same symbols! Said they were used by the prairie witches that sometimes roamed the area to perform magic! That means you're a-"

Before Reynold could finish his sentence he felt a strong blow to the back of his head. The deputy was a ridiculously muscular and strapping young man, but the combination of booze and enchantment already from that evening had weakened him enough that the strike did as it was intended to do; the lawman fell to the ground unconscious.

Behind him stood Meriem, the wooden club that had struck her handsome companion still in hand. With a laugh she threw it aside.

"You've realized too late, Rexford," she cackled loudly. At once she went to work tying him up in accordance with the ways of her planned dark magic ritual.