China Doll dismounted behind Lazarus as they rode into the temporary campsite. She considered herself fortunate that they were so close. She followed Lazarus, the second in command of the Red Herrings to the center of the camp were Napoleon and a few selected scouts sat around a fire pit.

When Napoleon caught sight of her his face brightened. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming back."Thank you, Lazarus," he addressed his friend who then took a seat around the fire.

"The Windstalkers have turned to robbing the coach roads again and leaving no survivors," China Doll relayed. "They are also stopping trains. There was much talk on raiding our camps and January Frost is still interested in finding Amos Winter's treasure."

Napoleon nodded. "You heard nothing of who may have killed Andre?"

China Doll shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "But he keeps me busy training his men. It takes time, for most of them don't want to learn from a woman. I only got away this time because he sent me to trail Winters' daughters."

Napoleon shook his head. "So Tennessee convinced them to go."

"It's not that simple," China Doll said. "The two I was sent after are looking for their sister. I met her and Tennessee on the slope toward Yellowstone Park. If I delayed it was because I helped them."

"Helped them?" one of the scouts boomed. "Napoleon."

"Please listen," China Doll said. "Tennessee Wellbeloved may be part of the EAK but our fight is with the Windstalkers. I think we should help them. Anything to go contrary to what January Frost wants. Red Herrings aren't even after the treasure."

The scouts began to murmur against her.

"I don't like helping out the Knights."

"They are also the enemy."

"China Doll would want to help them. She used to be one of them."

China Doll glared at the scout. "I was their cook," she defended herself. "I never wore any colors until the Red Herrings raided their camp for chickens." She looked at Napoleon who hadn't come to her aid against his men. "Here is where my loyalties lie." She turned her back to him and went into his tent.

Removing her swords and bag, she sat herself on the mat inside and took down her braids. The flap behind her opened and Napoleon stepped in. "You might have defended me!"

"I don't agree with what you want," Napoleon said.

"Why not?" China Doll demanded. "You went to Massachusetts to warn Tennessee, how is what I want any different?"

Napoleon stayed silent for a while then spoke. "My men are just cautious when it comes to the Knights. They work very close with the law. Give me time and I will redeem my hypocrisy."

China Doll looked over her shoulder at him. "I will be glad when this is all over," she said. "It is very dangerous what we are doing." She sighed and closed her eyes. "The Windstalkers, they have a man with them called Philemon Yewtree. His family owns that mining company and he is out looking for his fiancé. January Frost says that his bad judgments got dozens of our countrymen drowned in a shaft." She shook her head. "You should have seen the way he shrugged it from his conscience."

Napoleon put his hands on her shoulder and kissed her temple. "I'm sorry you had to hear that, Ting Ting."

China Doll shook her head. "It is the same with the Windstalkers," she said. "Life is cheap, they do not care who is killed. That's why I want to help Amos Winters' daughters. Anything to go against them is justice for Andre."

Napoleon ran his fingers through her silky black hair. "Perhaps you should stay with me for a while."

China Doll shook her head. "It will compromise the mission. Though if I see Philemon Yewtree again, I may kill him."

"You are not a killer."

"What if January asks me to?"

"Then you won't," Napoleon said. He kissed her tenderly. "From now on you shall have a set of eyes on you for your benefit. I shall send Osprey as your secret guard."

"Osprey?" China Doll questioned. "But he is so young."

"He is also very stealth," Napoleon said. "He shall watch out for you...and so shall I."

China Doll flipped her new single braid over her back and proceeded to unbutton her blouse. "I should like to see my family," she said, looking back at Napoleon.

"I can arrange for you to get to California before February," he said.

China Doll folded her blouse. "I would like if my husband came with me."

Napoleon stood very still. "Ting Ting, you know that may not be possible. Think of the band."

"I do," China Doll said. "And perhaps it hasn't occurred to you, Hung that maybe some of them would like to see their kinsmen too." She turned her back to him stubbornly and left no room for further argument.

/

The smell of fresh dirt and stones and smoke choked the air. Rather than the sounds of the wild the unmistakable sound of a hammer echoed over the rolling hills. Following a well dug muddy trail, Ladybird and Wysteria found themselves overlooking a mining quarry.

"Do you think they'd be a blacksmith down there?" Wysteria asked.

Ladybird patted the sorrel mare Delilah who had thrown a shoe. "It is strange to see this," she said. "There aren't any signs pointing to it and it wasn't on the map."

Wysteria shrugged from her saddle. "None of the towns were on the map either," she pointed out.

Ladybird looked down at Sacha when he bumped against her legs. "Just to be safe, why don't you go on ahead with Mist and Sacha," she said. "I'll take my mare down to see if I can get her shoed." She removed her saddle bag and gave it to Wysteria for safe keeping.

"Are you sure you want to go down there alone?" Wysteria asked nodding to the blackened men coming in and out of the mine.

Ladybird nodded. "One of us has to make it to Beatrice," she said and regretted the way she had put it. "Look." She pointed down the hill. "There's a cabin there so there must be someone in charge. I'll speak to them about a blacksmith then I'll see you on the far side of the hill. If something happens I'll fire two shots. Other than that, don't come looking for me." She waited until Wysteria and the animals got underway then she took Delilah and her rifle and headed into the quarry.

As the men caught sight of her jaws fell open and buckets dropped. When she reached the porch of the cabin a tall man rose up from a beat down rocker and spat on the ground. Looking over her shoulder she saw that several men had gathered and even a few boys that couldn't have been more than eight.

Even with the grime she could tell the vast majority of them were colored. Her heart was pounding so fast she could hardly breathe. What sort of banished place of torture was she in?

The man on the porch spoke. "You shouldn't be traveling out here alone," he said. "Wild animals aren't the worst of your troubles."

The cabin door suddenly opened and a clean man stepped out. Compared to the rest of them he looked like a drop of snow. "That's enough, back to work all of you before the foreman gets back." As the crowed parted the young man turned to Ladybird. He looked just as surprised but it was fleeting. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, sir. I'm Ladybird Winters and I was hoping I could find a blacksmith. You see my mare here, she threw a shoe and it's causing her an awful amount of discomfort." Ladybird stared at the man waiting for a response but he was looking at her like she had just sang a lullaby.

"A southerner!" he declared suddenly. "Someone from my neck of the woods." He held out his hand. "Ron, Louisiana."

Ladybird gave him her hand. "Ladybird, Mississippi."

Ron shook her hand enthusiastically. "Well my goodness, what are you doing way out here..." he lowered his voice and mumbled. "In this God forsaken place?"

"I'm looking for my sister," Ladybird admitted. "Blue eyes about this high."

Ron shook his head. "Didn't come through here," he said. "Say, why don't you go on inside the cabin and get something warm to drink and I'll take your horse to the blacksmith."

Ladybird looked across the quarry then at the cabin. "Is that allowed?"

Ron shrugged. "There aren't really any laws here," he said. "Go on inside and I'll be back in a minute."

Ladybird decided to obey and she stepped inside the cabin. The fire was going and the warm air was a welcomed pleasure. She went over to the hearth to warm her body. She wished she could package the heat and carry it to Wysteria. The cabin had two floors and had been swept clean save for the fresh tracks she had brought in. There was an overused sofa where it was clear someone spent the nights and a small wooden breakfast table which now was covered with paper work.

Going over to the sofa, Ladybird stared up at a long picture frame that showed a map of the area. X had been made on certain places but she did not see a ring of trees. She went over to the table and scanned over a few of the top documents with her eyes. The hand varied and clearly they were from a handful of different people but one word jumped out at her like the flash of a match being struck. Yewtree. No matter how fancy or poor the hand was she could make out the name easily.

Ladybird snatched up one of the papers and read it quickly shaking her head at the words that jumped out at her. "Extortion, embezzlement, murder, kidnap." She dropped the paper and backed away from the table. The door suddenly opened and she turned to Ron as he came in.

"Did you find something to drink?"

"This mine," Ladybird said. "What sort is it?"

Ron's face colored. "I'm not really supposed to disclose that with anyone at the moment," he said.

"It is owned by the Yewtree family, is it not?" Ladybird asked and Ron nodded. "Well you see, sir, I am Philemon Yewtree's fiancée. I am certain what business he has here need not be kept a secret from me."

Ron rubbed the back of his neck. "This is isn't their only quarry," he said. "There are—"

"But I would only like to know about this one," Ladybird said.

Ron stared at the woman before him. "Platinum."

"Platinum," Ladybird whispered.

"It's a very rare element," Ron went on. "This is the only dig with it this side of the Canadian border. But there is a whole mess going on with it now." He went over to the desk. "You might not like hearing that your wealthy fiancé is being sued."

"For what?"

"For getting his laborers killed," Ron said. "Not at this mine but another. Here the workers are worried something will happen to them if they speak out. That's...why I'm here."

Ladybird looked around the room. "What happened to these workers? How were they killed?"

Ron offered her a seat and she took it. "Several years back there was an inconvenience in the Yewtree branch...if you will miss."

"Inconvenience?"

"A boy," Ron said. "A joint heir with Philemon."

"No." Ladybird shook her head. "He only has his sister. She's long come into her inheritance."

"I suppose your fiancé never mentioned Andre?" Ron asked and Ladybird shook her head.

"Well this young man was his orphaned cousin, but the Yewtrees raised him as a son. He was to inherit a share of the company. Not much, but a share. Originally it seemed as though Philemon accepted him until Chinese New Year." Ron reached to the table and picked up a paper that said NOTICE. There was a tear in the top where it had been torn from a post.

"To all men of Chinese origin or otherwise working at Yewtree Mines Colorado come celebrate an amazing year with music and dancing my brother and me." Ron read. "They were invited with Andre to celebrate the Lunar New Year with Philemon. Philemon; however, after getting the men's spirits up sent them on one last assignment. He changed the coordinates on the map and had them dig into the river. They were all too enthusiastic about the celebration to know wiser."

Ladybird covered her mouth.

"Andre was supposed to be among them but when the bodies were drawn from the water he wasn't there. A few months later he was killed by mercenaries."

"That is awful!" Ladybird wept.

Ron nodded. "I'm afraid there is more," he said. "Much more."