Description

The story opens on the scorching ascent up Los Gatos Road, where a winding track climbs toward a hidden terrace crowned with dwarf firs. Travelers on stagecoaches and mule teams stare at the promise of cool shade, only to find the plateau ablaze with a strange, self‑generated heat that releases a heady blend of balm, spruce, juniper and other wild herbs. The fumes intoxicate horse and rider alike, turning fatigue into a feverish exhilaration.

Into this steamy wilderness slips Lance Harriott, a notorious gambler fleeing the Monterey sheriff, who abandons the moving coach and crawls through dust‑laden brush under cover of night. The pungent air sharpens his senses as he struggles past tangled branches, his ragged clothes clinging to trees, while the distant tinkling of a tiny stream hints at a possible haven beyond the heat. The opening sets a tense chase against a landscape that feels both beautiful and perilous, inviting listeners to ride through California’s untamed past.

Details