January Frost smirked and dabbed his dripping eye as Philemon came back from relieving himself with a stern look on his face. "Not what you're used to, city boy?" he asked and laughed.

Philemon looked down at the man reclining on a mat biting into a roasted squirrel. "I'm supposed to have found Ladybird by now and been back home," Philemon said. "Instead I'm peeing in bushes in this forsaken wilderness."

January snickered and looked at his nearby companions and China Doll. "Relax," he said dabbing his eye. "We're in Yellowstone." He raised his arms to indicate the untamed world around them: the towering trees, the roaring river of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the sweet cold mountain air. "China Doll, play the erhu again. China Doll?" He turned his head to see her staring blankly. "Are you unwell?"

China Doll shook her head rapidly and picked up the instrument. She hated the moments when he asked questions like that. It was too human for such a beast.

Philemon watched all the men relax to the music. Looking at January he saw he had his eyes closed as if he didn't have a care in the world. He found himself a tree and was about to sit himself under it when a commotion came from the nearby woods. The music stopped and everyone looked up as the man sent after Ladybird and claimed he had been attacked by a wolf and another one of about the same height came out of the woods hauling a man dressed all in black.

Everyone was on their feet as the spy was thrown to the ground.

"We found him in the bush sir," the first man said. "He's certainly from the EAK."

China Doll pushed through the crowd and looked down at the man on the ground. Her heart sank when she saw it was Osprey. Their eyes met briefly before he turned away.

January squatted down in front of Osprey and grabbed him by his hair. "So, they sent you to spy on me did they?" he asked and all the while Osprey kept a tight lip and a brave face. "Do you know what we do with spies from the EAK? Huh?" He pushed him face down in the dirt and stepped on his neck. "Looks like we know how your girl has been staying ahead of us," he said to Philemon.

Philemon stepped forward to take revenge on Osprey but others held him back.

January removed his foot from the back of Osprey's neck and he sat up coughing. The sound of metal brushing metal broke the tranquil morning as January unsheathed his sword. "Get him up," he ordered and two men pulled Osprey to his knees. January looked into the youngman's brave eyes and smiled. "I'd shoot you," he said leveling the sword with Osprey's neck, "but I wouldn't want to draw attention to our location."

The blade shimmered as it passed through the sunlight. With a hissing sound it came back toward its target glimmering like silver. CLANG. There was a long pause and for a minute no one knew what was going on.

"China Doll?" the words left January's mouth.

China Doll thought her heart would pop out onto the ground as she stood between him and Osprey with her crossed blades blocking his.

"You're the spy."

Thrusting upwards China Doll pushed him backwards. "Run, Osprey!" she shouted pushing him to his feet. They dove into the woods with the Windstalkers right after them. "Run faster!" she shouted. A shot rang out and Osprey grabbed his arm. There was another shot, the bullet cracking a branch. They couldn't out run them. "Don't stop!" China Doll said to Osprey before she turned to face her opponents.

Quick as lightening she charged back toward them. With a leap she propelled herself through the air and added a spin to increase her velocity. Blades ready she clashed with the first Windstalker, knocking his pistol from his hand. You're not a killer. The words echoed in her mind but she knew this was a fight to the death.

The Windstalker ducked her sword and brought his back around. China Doll thrust herself backward keeping her head but exposing her long braid which was severed at the end sending her black hair spinning freely. You're not a killer.

In a flash China Doll severed a branch from a nearby tree. Tossing one of her twin swords into the air she snatched it up and clubbed the man in the head, dropping him instantly. Before she could catch her breath she was blindsided in the ribs, sending her rolling across the forest floor. She immediately reached for her sword but a boot stepped on her hand and a blade went to her neck.

As she was led out of the woods the sun leaped into her eyes and the smell of the mountains rolled over her face in the cold breeze. January was waiting with Philemon and another half dozen men as she was stationed before him. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him and sending her hair dancing across his cloak like ink spilled on paper.

"Strip her," he demanded.

China doll felt her arms yanked back as she was stripped out of the white cloak of her treachery. She had to smile at the relief she felt at being free of it. They cut off her blouse and skit and took her boots until all she stood in was her chemise.

"Bind her hands."

China Doll stood tall, looking January dead in the eye unflinchingly. She felt the braided rope bite into her flesh at it was tightened.

"That will do," January said. He then turned to the man next to him and took China Doll's confiscated sword. He examined the blade, turning it over on his hands. "I would like to see how well this works." He turned to China Doll and looked at her quaking body.

"It is cold," she said to assure him that she did not fear him.

January rested the blade against her neck. "I should have known it was you." He brought the blade away...

China Doll turned her head at the sound of a laughing eagle. She wanted to keep her eyes open, to see life until her last minute.

"Wait."All heads turned in the direction of the voice. Philemon stepped up with his arms crossed. "She is the reason Ladybird escaped," he said. "She has caused me much trouble and I think I should be the one to punish her."

January laughed. "Can you use a sword?" he mocked. "Can you even shoot?" A few men joined him in laughing.

Philemon held out his hand and the laughter abated when they all realized how series he was. Once he had the sword in hand he turned to China Doll. "Walk," he said to her and she looked at him as though he were crazy. Elbowing her in the back she stumbled forward. "I said walk."

China Doll put one barefoot carefully in front of the other as he forced her out of the camp. The other men began to follow with January coming up last. When they reached the edge of the land they stared down into the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and its amazing river and fall.

China Doll looked back at Philemon, his red scarf waving in the breeze as gently as her hair. "I have ruined nothing for you," she softly said, with her own blade turned enemy still pointed at her back. "No matter how much he may think so, no man can have what refuses to be his."

Philemon seized her by her arm and swung her toward the edge. Across the gorge the slopes seemed to come to life as figures in red ran across the rock.

January ran to the edge not believing his eyes. "Red Herrings," he hissed. "Riflemen, shoot!" he ordered.

China Doll watched in horror as four men loaded their guns and took aim across the canyon at the men of her clan. They would be pecked off like rabbits. "Napoleon!" she screamed. In the same second Philemon swung her forward over the cliff, feeding her to Tower Creek.

"Ting Ting!" Napoleon shouted when he saw her go in. Already Lazarus was charging down the river to catch her before she went over the falls. Bullets rained down on them and most were forced to take cover.

"Napoleon, we can't get a shot at them from here!" One of his men shouted. "We have to take cover. Napoleon, No!"

Napoleon raced down the river after Lazarus. He threw down his sword and freed himself of his cloak. "I'm coming, Ting Ting!" he shouted to her as she struggled to keep her head above water. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg and looked down to see red spreading on his pants. Another bullet bit into the rocks above his head. Using the cliff for support he kept going but by now China Doll was well down river.

Managing to free her hands China Doll waved them over the water. "Lazarus!" she reached to the shore but she might as well have not spoken for the roar of the fall.

Lazarus, despite the distance between them, reached out his hand for her. He wanted her to know that he tried.

"Laz—" in a flicker she was gone over the edge of the hundred some foot drop.

Lazarus fell against the rocks in anguish.

"No!" Napoleon screamed as she staggered to the edge of the cliff. "No! God, No! Ting Ting!" all that returned to him was the mist of the waters.

Lazarus looked back in the direction of the slopes. He could hear the victorious voices of the Windstalkers being carried down the gorge. He looked at Napoleon standing rigid and knew he could hear their triumphant cheers too.

Napoleon whirled around. "I'll Kill you, January Frost!"

/

Ladybird stretched out in the dry grass listening to the horses stamping their hooves. "I think I'll give Elsa my wedding dress," she said as she rolled grass between her fingers. "She rather taken with Reuben Candlewood you know."

"And what about all those photographs from you engagement secession?" Wysteria asked as she took a small box from her bag with an aloe plant painted on it.

"The charity of the hearth," Ladybird said and they both laughed.

Wysteria looked at the scratch on Sacha's snout. "Do be more careful," she said. She slid up the lid to the box and groaned when she looked inside. "That Beatrice!"

Ladybird got up and joined her. "What now?"

"She switched my plants around again," Wysteria said. "This box says aloe but this," she picked up the wispy dried plant. "This is valerian."

Ladybird took the sprig and smelt it. "What's it for."

"It helps you sleep for one thing," Wysteria said petting Sacha. "It's a very useful plant."

"I could sure use some sleep," Ladybird said. "Do you take it as a tea?"

Wysteria watched her sister fill her fist with the plant. "You do...careful though, Ladybird if you take all of that you won't wake up until the new year." She took back most of the plant. "I'll make you some tea after dinner."

Ladybird was excited to try the sedative. Their grandmother had always frowned up when Wysteria talked about her love of flowers. She knew the Smarts appreciated her talent and that Silas Candlewood could talk forever about it but she never really applauded her sister for her skills. Sure she commended her on her violin playing but she could see where Wysteria's true love was. Next recital they would do a plant dance.

"Do you remember when you painted this box for me?" Wysteria asked Ladybird snatching her out of her thoughts. "You got so frustrated because I said the aloe plant looked too much like a hemp plant."

Ladybird laughed and saw to their fire. This would be the last of their salted fish. She was glad Wysteria knew what plants they could eat.

After supper Ladybird and Wysteria prepared their tea. As they let it cook they stretched and danced in the open field nestled in the mountains. Wysteria pretended to play her violin as they danced to the music of an autumn night.

"What shall I pretend next?" As she asked the questioned a flickering light through the trees caught her eyes. "What's that?"

Ladybird turned around and looked. "A campfire? Maybe it's someone who can help us. Or maybe it's Beatrice. Come on!"

The sisters hurried through the woods. The fire had been much farther off than what it had appeared but as they got closer and closer they slowed to a creep.

They crouched down behind a log and looked into the camp. An odd dozen amount of men flanked it while one stirred a cooking pot. They laughed and smoked and told jokes but none of this held their attention like the white cloaks they wore. Wysteria had but to look at Ladybird to know she knew.

As a man came out of a tent they ducked down deeper into the bare foliage.

"Say, Jack," one of the men said. "When are we going to catch those girls and get our treasure?"

The one called Jack dabbed his eye. He was about to speak when a man on a worn down horse galloped into the camp. He dismounted and handed him a note. January Frost read over the letter then shoved it into his pocket. "Go to the other camp and tell them to reroute," he said to his messenger. "They are just down the mountain from here, make sure he goes with them."

As the messenger mounted his horse January paced the fire slowly. "Traitor."

"Boss?"

"Change of plans, boys." January said. "Our motive now is to kill the girls as soon as we find them."

Wysteria and Ladybird covered their mouths. Looking around they realized they could not escape without drawing attention to themselves. Instead they were forced to sit through horror stories until the men dozed off one by one.

Once it was quiet Ladybird peaked over the log back into the camp. "Wysteria?"

"Yes."

"You said too much Valerian and I'd be sleeping until the new year, right?"

"Yes." Wysteria looked into her sister's eyes and knew it was no time to be afraid. No time to let nightmares terrorize her while she was awake. They would have to act fast.