Brek's surroundings seemed to vanish into greyness.
Moments later, light swirled around him....
Plata City, New Mexico, was enjoying a warm, lazy summer day. No one paid much attention to the stranger who came into town on a very ordinary-looking cayuse, pulled up before the Casa Loma Saloon, and dismounted. He hitched his horse to the rail, looked up and down the street casually, and then strode into the saloon.
"What'll it be, mister?" asked the fat, mustachioed bartender.
"Whiskey," Brek said. "And a little cold beer to follow it. That road from El Paso is hot."
The barman filled the order. "El Paso, eh? That's a right smart ride. Been on the road long?"