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First Rider nodded, then signed, "The evil gold rock has stolen another man's spirit. What does this man look like?"

"He is tall, perhaps a little shorter than you, my almost-brother," signed Red Fox.

"He has long brown hair which he ties back with a ribbon.

He shaves the hair from his face, wears a fur hat on his head and dresses in the buckskin leggings and shirts the white man is fond of purchasing from the trading posts.

His moccasins are high and beaded in a Kootenai style.

He speaks in a low voice and is handsome, if an evil white man can be described in this way. "

Again First Rider nodded, then asked in sign, "What is his age?"

Stands Strong shrugged, then signed, "Perhaps a few winters older than us.

He has, also, two fine horses: one pony he rides; the other is a pack horse.

If he can recover his fortune at the small white man's settlement at The Medicine, we think his plans are to go to the gold fields southwest of here.

But, if he cannot win those games of chance, he will have to make the journey to Fort Connah and there obtain what he will need to go to the gold fields.

"Because he is a trapper, he will know the lay of the land between here and Fort Connah, and if he does not regain his wealth at The Medicine, he will likely have to go out of his way and journey to Fort Connah.

Let us, however, change his course back to Fort Benton so all there can witness this man's shame.

It is possible this might cause him to change. "

"Perhaps you are right," signed First Rider. "Maybe his shame will cause him to hesitate before he takes a knife again to a woman. It is a good plan." First Rider grinned. "Also, bringing him back to the fort where all might witness his dishonor will be my first gift to my soon-to-be-woman."

Both Stands Strong and Red Fox smiled.

****

Liliann awoke with a vague sense of alarm. But, why? Was it the dream?

Yes. Frowning, she tried to remember the particular part of her dream that…

No. It escaped her. But, this she recalled vividly: her dream had featured First Rider and…had he been in trouble? Yes, she was fairly certain this was so. Could the dream mean First Rider was in danger? Or had it merely been a nightmare?

All at once, she flashed back to the dream, and it caused her to shiver. Cautious about what the vision might possibly mean, of one fact she was certain: First Rider was riding into a life-threatening situation.

She had to warn him.

As she gazed out the window through the transparent and silky curtains hanging over the window, she saw the day was ending, stating the departure of daylight clearly in the form of an orange, blue and red sunset.

This meant she had spent most of the day sleeping…sleeping when there could be danger for First Rider looming on the horizon. She had to speak to First Rider and do all she could to ensure he stayed safely here within the fort.

"First Rider?"

No answer.

She tried again. "First Rider!"

"I be coming," came her father's voice.

Quickly, Liliann pulled up the covers to her chin and, peeking beneath them, saw her gown was once more covering her body.

At once, a sensation of warmth rushed over her, since she realized it must have been First Rider who had redressed her after he had inspected the rest of her body for injuries.

She sat up and stretched her right arm only, her left arm being too raw and painful to be moved. However, lowering the neckline of her gown and looking down, she saw the knife wound was neatly bound with soft deerskin. It smelled of herbs and mud.

She moved the arm slightly and felt the injury to be less painful. She smiled. Indeed, she would heal.

Grabbing hold of a mirror where it lay upon her bedside table, she lifted up the looking glass and glanced at her image there. She gasped. All of the cuts and bruises upon her face were covered in herb-scented mud. This explained the scent she had been aware of since she had awakened.

But, the effect of the mud made her features look distorted and strange. Indeed, she might have been a naughty child who had been caught playing in the mud.

She set the mirror back onto the table and, looking up, saw her father had come into her room. Dragging a chair next to the side of her bed, he sat down upon the bench and smiled at her, saying, "Did thou call for me own self?"

"I…I… No, Father of me, I be callin' out for First Rider. Where be he?"

"Doesn't thou know? He be gone from here now; left in the early mornin' after bringing me own self a parfleche bag full of plants and instructions on usin' them on thee."

Looking up at her father, Liliann winced before saying, "Father of me, I fear I need thou to help me, then, if First Rider be gone from here.

I beg thee not to become alarmed at what me own self is about to say and to do, but I must go to him.

I'll be needin' thee to assist me, and no mistake.

I must dress. I cannot seek him out lookin' as I am.

He might change his mind about becomin' my husband. "

Her father tsked, tsked. "Now, be thou not sayin' such things about thine own self. Since he be the one puttin' the mud all over thee, I be thinkin' he loves thee true, and t'would not be matterin' how thou looks."

Liliann sighed before muttering, "It always be matterin' to a man how a woman looks."

"I think thou is doin' this soon-to-be-husband of thine a disfavor. Not always does it affect a man in the way thou be thinkin', no mistake. If he be lovin' thee, he loves thee."

"Father mine, ‘tis kind of thee to say so, and I thank thee for your words. But, where is he?"

"Why, the man has left to find tha' scoundrel's trail, right enough," answered her father. "And, he will be bringin' justice to the man."

"Father! Thou let him go?"

"Of course, me own daughter. I couldna have stopped the man, even had meself tried."

"But, I be not wishin' him to go after Ernest. One of them might get killed.

And, I be prayin' it will not be First Rider.

Father of me, I awakened feelin' scared, though I could not be puttin' a reason to it.

But, now I remember me own dream. I cannot tell it to thee, Father mine.

But, I fear First Rider be in great danger from Ernest. I feel it in me own bones. "

"A dream? Now, now, calm thine own self. Surely thou hast only had a nightmare. After all, he has his friends Stands Strong and Red Fox to help him."

"I be glad about that. Now, I ask thee to please come and help me to dress. I must go to him at once."

"Go to him? Daughter of me, thou cannot."

"Thou will not be stoppin' me, Father."

"Nay! Listen to me, Daughter!" exclaimed her father, sitting forward on his chair. "I cannot be allowin' it. Surely thou knows the best manner to help thy soon-to-be-husband be to remain here and get well."

"I am determined to go to him now, Father."

"And, I will not be allowin' it."

"I be nineteen."

Liliann's father stared at her for what must have been several minutes, until at last he said, "Then, me own self must go with thee. But, how can I, with meself still bein' a manservant. And, today, Master Fehér requires me. Delay this, Daughter, until I can go with thee."

"I cannot wait."

"But, thou can. Delay here, if only a wheen bit, and be allowin' me to ask Master Fehér to let me own self go with thee."

Liliann frowned. She could not wait. Hadn't her dream shown her there was trouble ahead of First Rider? And, soon? Trouble that could take his life?

Though she didn't really believe in dreams in the same manner as did the Indians—as though they were premonitions—this particular vision seemed as though it were a forewarning.

And, although she would like to think it meant nothing, she had been close enough to the Indians these past several years to observe that these "medicine dreams" sometimes foretold the future.

And so, not knowing the difference between a dream and an omen, how could she ignore it?

She could not. Therefore, she would go to him even though her body was bruised enough to make it difficult to simply sit a horse.

If she didn't leave here at once, and if anything bad should happen to First Rider, she would never forgive herself.

Better it was to err on the side of action than to lay abed, fretting.

But, she was also not well enough to do this on her own; she needed her father's help. Would he give it to her?

"Father mine," she began, her words soft and gentle.

"I be needin' your help to get me ready to go to him.

Me own self shall not be stayin' abed when there might be danger seekin' out First Rider…

and especially when I be the reason for the danger.

Thou shall not be talkin' me out of it." She paused before asking directly, "Will thou help me? "

Her father stared at her as though he didn't know her.

However, after some moments, his features began to change from a stern countenance to a more sympathetic demeanor.

At last, he said, "If thou be determined to go to him, I will be a-helpin' thee to go.

Meself only wishes I could be there with thee. "

"I know, Father," she said. "I know. But, help me or not, thou will not be keepin' me here. He be in danger. I know it with every bit of me."

Her father sighed. "Then, what thou needs, it shall be. Though me own self does not like it, I'll be helpin' thee to get ready."

She inhaled deeply. There were tears in her eyes, and when she gazed up at her father and looked into his eyes, there were tears in his, too.