"Fastest way to Ft. Kearney is through the passage at Thunder Mesa," Lou said as she held in Lightning. Noah rode up to her.
"That’s not an easy rode – there’s a lot of tricky parts along that trail where a horse can triple – or worse."
"But we’ll save at least two hours."
"It’s fine with me then." Noah shrugged. Inside he had a strange feeling that he should avoid that passage, but he couldn’t find any argument for loosing two hours. He just had this bad feeling about it. Lou nodded and turned Lightning towards a rocky landscape that emerged at the horizon. Hesitating for a second Noah then followed her as they let the horses speed towards Thunder Mesa.
The sun was beginning to set as they reached the foot of the mesa. They both knew that there was no reason to enter the rocky hillside in the dark, so they decided to make camp. Lou was frustrated that they couldn’t go on, but she knew it would be futile to try the passage in the dark. She had a feeling of uneasiness and she wished that Kid had been there with her.
They soon had a fire burning briskly and they sat in silence next to it. They had made small talk, but they soon run out of subjects and silenced settled over the scenery. Not that it mattered to them. They both needed to think. And besides they were both worried about the others. Lou thought about what had happened in town – she hadn’t known Julie Greenwald very much, but she had seen her on occasion in town. She hadn’t been one of the most popular girls in town, but she had a nice smile and looked nice. Anyway she hadn’t deserved to die. Nor her parents. Lou couldn’t believe that anybody could do that – without any reason. When she thought that Teaspoon could have been the next victim, she shivered despite the warmth from the fire. If Noah hadn’t showed up the way he did, looking for Jesse, Teaspoon might have been dead by now. And she couldn’t imagine a life without him. Not now anyway. With all the accidents that had happened lately, she had become more uncertain of all their future. Ike’s death had shaken her to her core, and she really thought that she had gotten over the horror and the grief. All of them had learned to deal with it, except for Buck. And now he was in trouble too. The thought of Buck made her wonder how he was. If what Doc had said was true, then he might be – no, she didn’t wanted to think about that. To loose Buck so soon after Ike – it just wasn’t fair. Besides he couldn’t die, she still had to find his pouch. She was interrupted in her miserable thoughts by Noah.
"There’s nothing we can do."
"What do you mean?" she replied startled. "Ho do you know what I’m---"
"Your face is like an open book when you’re worried. Besides I’m worried too."
"I know. It’s hard to be on a run and not knowing." Lou bit her lip. "I can’t help fearing that we’ll return and he’ll be – gone."
Noah didn’t reply. There was not much to say, so he changed the subject.
"Wonder where Jesse is?" he mumbled, realizing too late that it wasn’t the best subject at the time.
"I can’t understand why he took off like that – so, his fever was getting down and he was better – but---" Lou shook her head.
"Well, Jesse have always done what he wants."
"Yeah, he has. I just wished he thought before he did something – at least once."
Noah smiled vaguely at her remark and then silence settled again. Slowly they dozed off, getting the rest they would need for the rest of the journey.
Baruk looked up at the hills. This was an area he recognized as familiar. He had always been more at home in mountains than on the plains. He couldn't believe his good fortune that had sent him out here with the one soul he longed to possess. He looked at the sleeping girl across the fire. She looked peaceful but he knew that her sleep was uneasy. She had too many worries on her mind. Worries that weakened her and that would it so much easier for him to possess her. In the firelight he saw her beauty and for a second he almost regretted that he would have to kill her. He would have preferred to have her by his side, but he knew that she would be too strong for him to own in that way. He would have to be content with her soul. For a second he was tempted to kill her right there, but then he decided to wait until they were on higher ground to make it perfect. He looked at her and smiled before he closed his eyes and concentrated on his unfinished business. It annoyed him that he had yet to possess the knowledge of the young Indian, who had proven himself more skilled in travelling in the spiritworld than he had expected. Not that it mattered – he lacked the knowledge of how to do battle with the soul and therefore he was doomed to loose, sooner or later. Slowly he returned to the darkness.
Buck desperately searched for the light that would lead him back to his world and out of the dark trap in which he found himself haunted by an unknown force that seemed to hold on to several souls. He had heard them screaming and he knew that if he couldn’t find a way out he would soon be among them. And Lou. He didn’t know how he had come about the knowledge, but he knew that this force, this evil force, was after Lou. He knew that so far Lou had escaped but anything could happen while he was trapped. He had to get free, to warn her of the danger that awaited her. He wished he knew how long he’d been trapped in the darkness but time didn’t have any meaning in the spiritworld. All his strength went to evade the force that threatened to possess him and he was tired. Too tired too think about anything else than the way away from the darkness. He had to find the light.
"Come on Katy, not far to go now." Kid urged his horse forward through the darkness of the night. Only the soft moonshine lit up his way but he trusted Katy to know her way home. He had never known her to stumble and he really wanted to be back home. He had this strange feeling that Lou was in danger and he really needed that to be set to rest. Lou had no rides, so she should still be at the station and he couldn’t imagine her to be in any danger there. Still he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was about to loose her. The thought of a life without Lou by his side, if only as a friend, caused him to shiver from fear. He loved her more than he could express in any words and although he’d never admit it to her, he would never be able to love another woman the way he loved her. So it was with some relief that he saw the familiar contour of the station appear. He slowed Katy down for her to calm down some and patted her neck.
"Thanks, girl," he whispered as he rode in to the station. There was no lights but he hadn’t expected it. The others should be asleep by now. He quickly took care of Katy and then he silently walked over to the bunkhouse. Tip-toeing, he stepped in and looked around. It was too dark for him to see much and he was tempted to light a candle but thought better of it. Silently he walked over to Lou’s bunk, intent on giving her a kiss. But there was no one in the bunk. Taken aback with the realization that Lou was not there, he gave up all ideas of not wakening anybody up. He lighted a candle, spreading light over the room. He saw Rachel dozing by Buck’s bunk, her arms covered in bandages. Buck was still sleeping apparently. But there was no one else in the bunkhouse. He just stood there, stunned by the fact when Rachel stirred in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes.
"Kid! What are you doing back so soon?"
"I was worried – what’s happened here?"
Rachel sighed.
"Too much," she replied. "You better sit down and I’ll tell you. I’ll just check on Buck first." She turned to Buck and Kid, unable to sit, joined her.
"How is he?" he asked.
"We’re not sure. Doc fear that he might be – " Rachel sighed deeply, "might be loosing his strength."
"What?" Kid looked at the pale face and suddenly it dawned on him.
"You mean that he might---" he whispered. Rachel nodded.
"But ---" he begun, at a loss of what to say. "You better tell me what’s been going on," he said finally in a strained voice.
"So Lou and Noah are on their way to Ft. Kearney to get Teaspoon’s friend?"
"Yes, they left yesterday. They should be half way there by now."
Kid sighed.
"What’s wrong?" Rachel asked as she poured him some coffee.
"I don’t know. I have this strange feeling that she’s in danger."
"Noah’s with her, Kid. He won’t let anything happen to her. Besides you know she can take care of herself."
"I know. But I can’t help it – something’s wrong, Rachel, terribly wrong. And Lou’s right in the middle of it."
The first rays of sun slowly wandered up over the hill, touching Lou’s face, slowly warming it. Lou blinked at the sun and yawned. When she was accustomed to the light she saw that Noah was already up and had started to prepare the horses.
"Morning." Noah smiled at her. "I thought you’d never wake up."
"You could have waken me up," Lou objected as she stood up and folded her blanket.
"Hadn’t the heart too," Noah confessed. "You’re ready?"
"As ready as I’ll ever be. Besides the sooner we get to Ft. Kearney, the sooner we can get back."
"I couldn’t agree more."
They mounted and prepared to continue through the passage of Thunder Mesa, a passage that was no more than a narrow trail on the mountain. They both knew that although they saved a lot of time by using the passage, they would not reach Ft. Kearney before dark. Their first aim was to get off the mesa before nightfall, something that wasn’t certain as the trail was pretty steep. It would take some time to climb it before they reached the plateau and could start the descend.
They made slow progress uphill and Lou was frustrated as their pace. Occasionally she felt as if it was Noah that slowed them down, but she tried to get rid of that feeling. Noah was as eager as her to get to Ft. Kearney. Lou sighed and concentrated on getting Lightning pass a narrow passage of the trail. She would be pleased when they reached the plateau.
Baruk smiled to himself. So far the girl had not suspected anything and he had managed to slow down the progress quite easily. If he could continue slowing them down they wouldn’t get off the plateau before darkness.
Jimmy sighed with relief. Finally he was on his way back to the station after helping out Teaspoon's friend. It had been a nice change from the runs, especially since he had not been forced to shoot at anyone. He suspected that Teaspoon had had an idea about sending him out there. Teaspoon’s friend had turned out to be an old man with a self-assurance and confidence that seemed to catch more thieves and troublemakers than a sheriff who relayed on his weapons. Jimmy knew that Teaspoon meant well, but he felt that he could choose for himself. Besides, Jimmy didn’t feel like thinking about his future just yet. The Express was everything he needed and if it would end he would take care of that problem when it arose. But he was grateful for Teaspoon’s concern – nobody had gone through that much trouble for him, not as he remembered anyway.
He was in no hurry on his way. Teaspoon would not expect him back yet and he could use some time off. He enjoyed the warmth of the sun when a dust cloud caught his attention. He rose in his stirrups and tried to get a closer look. It appeared to be a rider, and in a hurry too. As he watched him, the horse stumbled and both rider and horse fell to the ground in a dust cloud. Without hesitation he urged his horse over to where the horse slowly got to its feet.
As Jimmy dismounted and rushed over to where the rider was lying motionless, he couldn’t help feeling that the rider had looked familiar in some way. When he turned the unconscious rider round he knew why.
"Jesse," he mumbled as he saw the boy’s pale face. "What on earth are you doing out here?" He reached for the water canteen and tried to revive the boy by splashing some of its content in his face. It took a few minutes before Jesse responded, during which time Jimmy imagined all kind of catastrophes to have happened at the station.
"Jimmy?" Jesse moaned and tried to open his eyes more than to a squint.
"Take it easy Jesse, you had a nasty fall," Jimmy replied as he got the boy to drink some water.
A few minutes later, Jesse was feeling better and was sitting under a tree to get some shadow. Jimmy sat down opposite him and watched as Jesse greedingly drank from the water canteen. When the boy was finished he handed the canteen back to Jimmy who looked at him with a questionable face.
"Now tell me what you’re doing here," he demanded. Jesse looked foolishly at him. His errand felt strange and he wasn’t sure Jimmy would believe him – after all nobody else had.
"There’s something wrong at the station," he started hesitantly.
"What?"
Jesse took a deep breath.
"Noah tried to kill me."
Jimmy looked at him incredulously.
"What are you talking ‘bout?"
"It’s the truth I tell you! He did something to Buck and I saw it and now he’s gonna kill me!"
Jimmy looked into Jesse’s eyes. Jesse was well known for his exaggerations but there was s something in his voice that told Jimmy that this time Jesse was genuinely scared.
"Noah couldn’t kill you."
"Yeah, but I didn’t think he could hurt Buck either," Jesse mumbled.
"Hurt Buck? How?"
"I don’t really know – he just did something---" Jesse hesitated knowing how silly he sounded.
"Did what?" Jimmy asked somewhat impatiently.
"You gotta believe me," Jesse pleaded. "All I know is that they were fixing the wall on the barn, you know the one facing the bunkhouse, and suddenly Noah sort of touched Buck and in the next second Buck was on the ground, squirming in pain."
Jimmy shook his head.
"So Noah just touched him?"
"Well there was this red light too---"
Jimmy interrupted him.
"You were probably dreaming."
"How to you explain Buck being ill then? Doc came out but he couldn’t tell what was wrong with him!"
Jimmy looked troubled at the news.
"Buck’s seriously ill?" he asked.
"Yeah, think so. He didn’t look so well when I left."
"After Noah had tried to kill you," Jimmy added sarcastically.
"If you’re not gonna believe me, I’ll just as well leave!" Jesse exclaimed and tried to get to his feet.
"Hold on – I ain’t said I ain’t believing you. But you have to admit it’s a pretty steep story you’re telling me."
"But it’s the truth!"
Jimmy sighed and rose. What Jesse had told him was too farfetched for him to believe it, but something must be wrong at the station. He’d never seen Jesse this upset before, so maybe there was some truth to his stories. He looked at the boy, who seemed to have recovered from his fall. A quick examination of the horse told him that the animal was fit for travel.
"Come on," he said to the boy. "We better get moving before it get dark."
"Where to?"
"Home, of course."
"I ain’t going back there."
"Don’t be stupid, Jesse. Where else would we be going?"
"Anywhere," Jesse mumbled.
It took Jimmy a good five minutes to convince Jesse that they at least should return to Rock Creek and at let Teaspoon have a chance to hear the story. They were still some hours away from Rock Creek when a familiar rider appeared in front of them. When he saw them he changed his course and headed up to them.
"Thank God I found you," Cody exclaimed as he reached them.
Jimmy noticed the deputy badge on his chest and a feeling of uneasiness got hold of him.
"What’s wrong?" he asked. "Where’s Teaspoon?"
"Somebody tried to kill him yesterday. He deputized me and asked me to find Jesse – but I guess I don’t have to look anymore." Cody wiped the dirt from the hard ride from his forehead. He looked tired and Jimmy looked carefully at him.
"What’s going on?"
"There been more murders in town. Teaspoon stumbled in on one murder and was about to be the next victim, when Noah found him. He’s resting at the station right now with two knife wounds in his stomach. He’s gonna be all right though."
"Jesse told me about Buck?"
Cody shook his head.
"How is he?" Jimmy asked not liking the look on his friend’s face.
"He was alive when I left," Cody replied grimly.
"Told you Noah tried to kill him," Jesse interrupted. Cody turned to him.
"What’s he talking about? Noah?"
"Never mind him," Jimmy said. "Where’s the others?"
"Teaspoon sent Lou and Noah to ft. Kearney. I guess Kid’s back at the station by now."
"Lou’s with Noah?" Jesse looked upset at Cody before turning to Jimmy. "You’ve gotta do something – she might be in danger!"
"Hey, listen here, Jesse. Noah ain’t gonna hurt anybody – for one, he’s the one that saved Teaspoon’s life!" Cody frowned at the excited boy.
"You’re sure ‘bout that?" Jesse sneered back.
Jimmy looked at him. He suddenly had a bad feeling about it all, and the feeling that Lou might be in trouble after all was enough for him not to take any chances.
"All right, I better head out after them."
"You’ll never catch up with’em," Cody stated.
Jimmy shrugged.
"Not if anything’s all right. If something’s wrong then I might be of some help."
"You sound as if you expect something to be wrong," Cody said suspiciously.
"Well, there’s something that ain’t right, that I know. And standing here ain’t gonna help me found out what it is. Figured I start with seeing to Lou and Noah."
"You want me to come with you?"
"Teaspoon deputized you, so you better stay. Besides, somebody have to see that Jesse gets home."
"If you say so. You’re gonna head out after them right away?"
"I better if I’m gonna have a chance of catching up with’em."
Cody simply nodded and Jimmy went back to his horse and mounted.
Lou couldn’t believe it. They had just reached the plateau and she realized that they wouldn’t get off it before nightfall. Something was wrong. They should have been further than this. Now she wasn’t even sure that the way over the mesa would be a shortcut. Deeply disappointed she turned to Noah and explained her worries to him. He just shrugged and said that they better spend the night on the plateau. Lou felt a twinge of fear as if somebody had walked over her grave. She didn’t like the idea of spending the night on the plateau and she tried to tell herself to stop being foolish. She’d spent nights in the open on many occasions and besides, she wasn’t even alone. Noah was with her. So why did she have this strange feeling that something was wrong? Oh, how she wished that Kid had been with them.
"We better try and find a campsite," Noah interrupted her thoughts.
"S’pose."
"You’re in a bad mood?"
"Aren’t you? Nothing has been going our way lately."
"I have a feeling that will change. I’ll see if I can find any shelter up ahead."
Before Lou had a chance to reply he was gone. Lou looked bewildered after him. He had almost sounded happy and there was something in his voice that she didn’t recognized – something that sent a chill down her spine. She sighed and urged Lightning forward, following Noah.
An hour later they were seated around a small fire just below a small hill, which could serve as cover in case of a hard wind. The plateau was a plateau in the true meaning of the word and at any other time Lou would have enjoyed the view as the sun set. Not far from them the plateau ended in a steep slope and behind a small rock formation there was a sheer drop of ten meters unto another slope, filled with rocks. As they sat in silence Lou glanced over at Noah. He was sitting with his eyes half closed and with a faint smile on his lips. Somehow this made her uneasy and for a second she had to fight an urge to jump onto Lightning and head out of there as soon as she could. But something kept her by the fire. She had almost dozed off when something made her look up. Noah was still sitting as he had when she dozed off, but something was different. When she first had looked up she could have sworn she had seen a soft red light around Noah. Now it was gone, but there was something else. She couldn’t see his face as it was turned down.
"Noah?" she asked vaguely.
Noah slowly rose his head and looked at her.
"Yes?" he asked but Lou didn’t recognized the voice. Suddenly she felt scared as two dark eyes stared coldly at her.
"Something wrong?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Suddenly everything changed and Lou found herself staring into the somber eyes of somebody or something else, eyes that filled her with fear and caused her to tremble.
Baruk looked at the girl. She was perfect, as was her soul. He would be much stronger once he had possessed it, but this time he would not take it quickly. An eternity in his master’s service had taught him that a willing soul gave him more strength than those who he’d taken violently. This was something he wanted to savor. He wanted to possess her completely. He wondered for a second if he should let her keep a part of her soul, just enough for her to live. To live as his servant. That could enable him to get the others, especially the one called Kid. The boy had strong feelings for the girl, Baruk had felt the love when he’d been in their presence. He stared at her, content to know that although the girl mentally fought him, he managed to control her movements, forcing her to remain by the fire.
"I’m Baruk. I knew you want to run, girl," he mumbled. "But you shouldn’t worry – there’s an honor in what’s going to happen. You’ll meet my master, Chardu, and your soul will serve him.
Lou could hear the strange voice in her head as she thought the force that seemed to force her remain by the fire. She had no idea of who Chardu or Baruk was, but she had a feeling that it was nothing nice. She didn’t understand what the "thing", Baruk, was that was sitting opposite her. All she knew that it was no longer Noah although it might look like him. Suddenly Jesse’s words made more sense.
"What have you done to Buck?" she managed to ask weakly.
"Buck? Ah, the young Indian. He’s been some trouble – or rather – the spirits that seem to protect him. They’ve been very annoying in their efforts to stop me. Of course they have nothing on me." Baruk chuckled.
"You took the pouch, " Lou mumbled.
"I had to – he would have been stronger with it."
"You’re gonna kill ‘im."
"Ah, you should think better of me. He has knowledge of this land that I need. All he has to do is to give it to me."
"What do you mean?"
"I keep his soul." Baruk smiled at her as he whispered the words. Lou felt a
cold breeze pass between them. "He can not do anything until I let him." Baruk
didn’t see it necessary to tell her that he only hold on to a part and that Buck
still had some freedom.
"What about Noah? What have you done to him?"
"Noah is no more. One he filled his purpose, he’ll die. You need not to concern yourself with him. He can’t help you, no more than the Indian."
"Kid will stop you!"
"Your lover? Hardly. He doesn’t know who I am, and who would tell him. Your friend, the marshal never saw me, the boy is gone and the Indian is in my powers."
"I don’t believe you!"
"You don’t? Then I better show you." Baruk reached out and touched her forehead with his hand. Lou tried to turn away but she was unable to move. She felt a sting of pain as he touched her and soon she found herself surrounded by darkness. She gasped from fear when she felt a presence. Although she didn’t see it she knew it was Buck. Then she could feel his pain and his plight. She flinched at the pain she experienced and after only a few seconds she couldn’t stand it.
"Let go! Let me out of here!" she begged and was relieved when she was returned to the fire. Baruk smiled sardonically at her. Lou found herself gasping for air as she trembled.
"Why are you doing this to him?" she asked desperately.
"Why?" Baruk shrugged. "Would you like to help him, then ?"
"How?" Lou asked suspiciously.
"Give me your soul freely." Baruk reached out to her. This time Lou managed to turn away.
"No."
"Then he’ll suffer until he dies or surrender. That goes for the rest of your friends as well. Save the pain and give yourself to me."
Lou’s hands desperately tried to found support among the nearby rocks in order to drag herself away, since her legs seemed immovable. But it was no use, she thought desperately as her searching hand found a loose rock. Even in her upset mind she realized that a rock could be used as a weapon and using every inch of her strength she managed to throw the rock at this "creature" that looked like Noah. The rock hit him just above one eye and Baruk lost his concentration for a second. Just enough for Lou to realize that for a second she was free. Unable to get to her feet fast enough, she simply threw herself backwards, rolling away from the dangerous presence of Baruk. As soon as she felt she could rise she did and started to run. She didn’t care in which direction, as long as she got as far away as possible. She was trembling with fear and as she run she could feel herself being followed, but she didn’t dare to turn around, afraid of loosing precious seconds. She stumbled and fell hard on the ground, scraping her knee and her hands. But she didn’t feel the pain. Instead she was on her feet seconds later, running as fast as the stony ground permitted her. She looked for Lightning but she couldn’t see the horses anywhere, so she continued. She knew that she had to get off the plateau but that was easier said than done. It was a cloudy night and the darkness made it almost impossible for her to see where she was heading. Behind her she could hear Baruk yell out his frustrations. Then she heard his voice in his head, calling her back. She fell to the ground again at the intensity of the call.
"Come back! I’ll find you and you know it! You can’t get away from me!"
Lou pressed her hands against her ears in an attempt to shut the voice out, but it was futile. Instead she tried to ignore it, how hard it seemed and just continue running. So she stumbled to her feet and continued until she was almost out of breathe. Then she sank down between two large rocks and reached for her gun. She couldn’t run any more. With hands that trembled from fear and the importance of getting everything right she loaded the gun. Twice bullets fell from her shaking hands and she couldn’t find them. Finally the gun was loaded and she sank down with her back against one of the rocks, waiting for Baruk to show up.
As she sat there, trembling, she heard somebody approach her hiding. Slowly she rose her gun as she swallowed hard. She could not miss. Trying to steady her hand she heard a voice calling for her.
"Lou! Where are you Lou?"
"Noah?" Lou mumbled bewildered, then she realized that it was just a trick to get her out of her hiding. She would not fall for it and she rose the gun again. A second later she saw his silhouette.
"Lou? Please answer me – you make me worried!"
Lou bit her lip. It really sounded like Noah. But he didn’t exist anymore. Baruk had told her so – this was just a trick. At least that was she tried to tell herself. Stop being squeamish, she thought, just pull the trigger and get out of here. Still she hesitated. What if Baruk had lied to her? What if this was Noah? Could she really kill him? I have to, she thought desperately. Please God, help me. With that thought she took careful aim at the silhouette before her and pulled the trigger.
Baruk felt the pain in his shoulder and he realized that the girl had shot him. For a second he lost all concentration as the pain burned in his shoulder. He screamed out the pain and pressed his hand at the wound. It would heal soon, but he had lost the mental contact with the girl and now he would have a harder time to find her.
"You won't get away!" he called out into the darkness. "I’ll find you."
Buck was tired. He was tired of the darkness and the pain but he knew he couldn’t get out. Not without loosing his soul. Suddenly there was another voice calling him, beckoning him. And then he saw the light. A soft light shining in the distance and he begun to move in that direction. He was almost there when it started to get dark and he made a last effort of reaching it.
Kid sat by Buck’s side trying to get him to swallow some water. Rachel was sitting next to him, sipping coffee and Teaspoon had left his shack and was resting on Jimmy’s bed. None had heard anything from Jimmy or Cody, and they all hoped that they were all right. Kid turned to say something when a moan made them all turn to the bunk.
"Buck?" Kid whispered not trusting his own voice.
Buck moaned again and opened his eyes.
"Kid?" he said weakly. "Kid—"
"Don’t try and talk Buck, and we’ll get Doc over here—"
"No." Buck’s voice seemed weaker. "Lou—" Buck gasped for air." Lou’s—in danger. You – have to – save her – Noah." Buck sank back from the effort and closed his eyes.
"What are you talking about, Buck?" Kid asked, frightened as his words. But Buck had sunk back into unconsciousness and Kid’s question remained unanswered. But there were two words that was enough for him to act on – Lou and danger.
Kid rose and quickly left the bunkhouse. Rachel followed him and stopped him on the porch.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
"I’m going after Lou."
"Why?"
"You heard Buck. She’s in danger."
"We don’t know that."
"Buck seems to think that. It’s enough for me." Kid run over to the stable and only seconds later he rode out from the stable at full speed on Katy.
As soon as she had fired the gun Lou started running again. She knew she had missed. She had not been able to kill Noah – or Baruk. Not until she could be sure that Noah would be all right. She didn’t know what kind of hold this Baruk had on Buck either. If she killed him, she might be killing Buck as well. So he kept running. It was dark and she fell several times over loose rocks, scraping her hands and knees. Running through some bushes with sharp points gave her numerous scrapes and scratches in her face and on her arms. Nothing of this bothered her. She was obsessed with one thought and that was to get off the mesa before dawn. As soon as the sun was up, she would be able see where she was going and then she could find Lightning. At least the voice n her head had disappeared, something she was grateful for. She almost thought that she actually had got away and stopped to catch her breath when she could her Baruk behind her. Desperately she chose a small path leading upwards and started to run again.
She thought she had run for an eternity but still she continued as fast as she could. The haste was almost her undoing, when the moon broke through the clouds and a spectacle so unexpected and so alarming met her eyes that a gasp of despair left her lips as she recoiled from it. The ground in front of her dropped sheer for how long she didn’t know. It was pitch-dark at the bottom that made it hard to decide. For a moment she dropped to her knees, in her mind thinking that this was it, there was nowhere to run. For a moment or two she remained still, fighting the feeling of hopelessness, angry that she had succumbed to it. Taking herself in hand she tried to find a way out of her predicament. She heard Baruk closing in on her and when she turned around he was almost upon her. To her astonishment there was no sign of any wound on his body except a small patch of red on the shirt.
"You can’t hurt me," Baruk sneered as he saw her bewilderment. "You can’t win over me, you should have known that."
"I’m not giving up," Lou promised.
"You don’t want to save your friend?"
"You’ll kill him anyway!"
"Ahh. But you would try even so, am I right? I know you girl – I saw you in the basement, handling your fear, I saw you stand up for your friends, caring for them. I saw your love for – what’s his name? –Kid. I know your fears." As his last words Lou gasped as images appeared in her mind – images from her worst nightmares.
"Stop it," she pleaded.
"Then you’ll join me and give me your soul?"
"Noo!" Lou looked down over the steep and breathed deeply. "Then I rather
jump," she added firmly. Suddenly she thought she saw a hint of fear in Baruk’s
eyes.
"Don’t so that," he said sternly and rose his hand as a soft red light seemed to light up the scene before him. Lou felt how she started to loose control over her movements again, and in one last effort she turned to the steep. She closed her eyes. "I’m sorry, Kid, but this is for you," she mumbled into the dark night and prepared to let herself drop all the way down the steep.
Kid rode as he had never rode before. At first he hadn’t really known what to make of Buck’s words, but then he had heard the urgency in them and whatever had caused Buck to utter them it was too much for him to let them be ignored. As the sun disappeared at the horizon he continued, trusting Katy to find her way even through the darkness. There were two ways to Ft. Kearney and he desperately hoped that Noah and Lou had taken the safe route. That would mean if he took the way over Thunder Mesa he might catch up with them just after dawn. It would mean a more dangerous way but he didn’t care. He had full confidence that he and Katy could handle it.
"Come on, Katy, I know we can do this," he mumbled as they continued through the darkness. Slowly the surroundings changes and Kid was forced to slow down as he encountered narrow trails along steep cliffs and trails covered with loose rocks in which Katy easily might slip and threw him off. Trembling with frustration he slowed down. More and more he had this feeling that Lou was in serious danger and unless he reached her he might never see her again. That urged him to push Katy harder despite the risks. A few times he had a feeling that he was close to an edge and one mistake would send him over it, but Katy continued steady up the mesa. He had almost reached the plateau when a high-pitched scream sounded in the night. Kid abruptly halted Katy, causing the horse to object. He knew that voice. He’d recognize it anywhere – it was Lou’s.
Jimmy held in his horse. It was too dark to continue to Ft. Kearney and reluctantly he decided to make camp just below the hill. He looked up at the cloudy sky and hoped that it wouldn’t be any rain or hard winds during the night. He could use a good nights sleep. He unsaddled his horse and wrapped the blanket around him. He sat down, hoping to get some eyes-shut before dawn. He had almost dozed off when a sound reached him and he immediately got to his feet. It had sounded as if somebody had yelled out in pain. He stared up the hill but when he didn’t see anything he returned to his place.
"Must have been an animal of some sort," he mumbled as he sank down, his back at a tree. He sat listening for a while in case the sound returned, but when he didn’t hear anything he dozed off.