Jamie held his son Jayrun and wondered as he did so many times why it felt so natural to hold him, and why he kept thinking of Quentin, and Quentin had been one summer old when he had first held him. But who was Quentin and why did Jayrun remind him of Quentin.

Jamie sometimes felt that the family he made with Daygleesha was fragile.

Fire Hair is coming," Daygleesha said, breaking into his thoughts.

"Fire Hair," Tarkan giggled, and went running after an older boy who had came by to give them the news.

Jamie watched her go find her parents to tell them. Twice and sometimes three times a year the trader came. Jamie had never met him despite being here for three years.

He was usually out fishing or hunting or cutting larger logs to build on to the lodge something he found he had some skill for and was always being asked to help others to repair or build on to their lodges or build new ones.

Jamie didn't mind, in fact since he wasn't that good at hunting or fishing, it was his way of making it up to the village.

Firehair could speak English, French, and Nakobi the dialect the people here spoke. He explained to Jamie an African woman he had found years back had helped him with his English she has been a bit more then a girl when he had found her. She had ran away from a plantation with her family down south and some how had been seperated from them.

With him he had his son Keno about 11, half Native and half white.

He told Jamie his real name was Pierre Patrick O'Malley Dupree, his mother had been Irish of course knew some English, and his father had been French, he had built the trading post, which was about a half days travel from the village on horses running flat out about half the way. Pierre didn't like the French traders in Arcadia, so he went to the Quaker shopkeeper in Rivers Edge, which was a much longer trip but with three horses he could make better time then wagons.

He asked Jamie if he wanted anything special, they had quite a long conversation while he waited for Toma to bring fesh horses for the journey.

Jamie had some hides and he gave them to Pierre and said, yes he wanted some tea and a new axe if possible for the hides, Spring also ordered flour and a new black kettle, their needs were few.

Pierre almost went into rage when Jamie asked him why he lived out here with just an African woman, his wife and children, and didn't he miss other whites?

Jamie himself didn't but part of it was fear of what might happen if he went back.

"No, some are all right, but most would kill those not their kind for no reason. They call these people animals, but animals don't kill their own kind, not wolves, not bears, not elk, they may fight but the other animal retreats they don't chase them down and kill them. SO tell me who is the animal," Pierre growled.

Quite a few people came to see the trader off and wish him a safe journey into the land of the bearded ones.

Jamie smiled, he thought that he himself had kept his face shaved with his sharp knife, and suddenly had a thought did Peirre know of a better way to keep the whiskers away. Daygleesha did not like them.

Pierre said he woudld bring Jamie what he needed and smiled at the man and his young son. Then begain to dance around and swing his own son warning him he should use the latrine before they went on the journey. He did this in English and Kivak giggled, he was the only one besides Saban and Lyrah to pick up any English. Kivak knew a lot more then they did he and Jamie could converse in English.

Something about the way father and son were dancing and playing, made Jamie once again think of Quentin, and picture a boy with black unruly hair and deep blue eyes, but who was he.

Quentin and Roland sat out early that early summer morning feeling good, driving the team along with Posey tied behind. She was a three year old Quentin was training to take her father Junipers place as his race horse. She was very spirited and Quentin planned on riding her back thinking she would be tired out by the trip.

The team were two of Oly's coach horses that he wanted to be exchanged for two he had at Three Rivers. He constantly rotated horses so none would be worn out.

They had wanted to take this trip for three months, but Lewis had always asked them if he could take it, and took some young woman with him, Roland suspected it was Rebecca Reed. But since this was a day trip coming back with a fresh team the same day with no overnight at Swensen Inn and Coach Station in Rivers Edge, Lewis had passed on it.

"I wonder what is wrong with my mother, she went from crying to so jumpy, I scared her twice when she was reading a letter and when she was writing up the list of items she wanted.

"My mother gets all weepy about father and I fighting. But your mom seems so thin and pale, I hope she is not getting sick." Roland said.

"Me neither, say how did the picnic with Amelia go?" Quentin asked, knowing he and Amelia had talked before they had gone as she packed the basket.

"Wonderful, she is so sweet and mature, as you said she would be, she wants to help me with the paper, imagine that, whats her name never wanted anything to do with my paper, I don't think she even read it." Roland laughed.

"It sure is beautiful out here," Quentin said, thinking about Casper and Leatha living at his grandfather Amberlys plantation. He knew that Jacob Amberly was not happy about the marriage. Two Amberlys had now married Martins.

"Did you hear that Warren is joining the kings Army?" Roland asked.

"I don't understand why," Quentin sighed.

"Trying to impress my sister Milicent and my father," Roland sighed.

"Do you think it will work?" Quentin said thinking men that did things to impress women were weak somehow.

"Milicent loves Kane, much to my fathers discust probably, but nothing will change that," Roland laughed.

"Are they getting married? Kane is kinda old," Quentin said, he liked Kane, Cass, and Keith all al lot. Keith was a year older then him, but his brothers treated him like an adult.

"Kane is not that old only 22, he went to sea at 14, after his dad died," Roland said.

"That makes sense why Seth tried to get my mom to let Kane call on her, I thought he was old like 30 like my mom." Quentin laughed.

"No not that old, does your mom want to get married again?" Roland asked, Quentin shook his head and grew quiet.

"Easy boys," Quentin said breaking the silence, they were using the shortcut to Rivers Edge through the hills instead of taking the coach road which added hours on their time. But the back road was not safe in early spring or winter at all. Horsemen could cross it fine most other times and wagons only in summer and fall, and they had to be light but well made wagons like the one that had been Chester Dawsons.

There were a couple of dangerous parts and all though Quentin had not been to town since he had came with his father at age eleven, he had talked to enough men at the pub to know the road, and Roland did know the road well, he had gone to school for three years in Rivers Edge.

This was one of the dangers, a place where water passed under the road. It was narrow and sometimes erroded if no one had repaired it. They passed with ease, the other had been a hairpin curve that had tipped wagons going to fast over. The team they had was a good one and they responded well to the reigns.

Well there she is Rivers Edge," Roland said as they came out of the trail onto the coach road.

"It seems even bigger then it was when I was here as a kid," Quentin said as the wheels went to almost noiseless to a purring sound as they hit the cobbles of the coach road.

"It has grown, it is a city of 440 people now three times bigger then Amberly Village.

"That is a city, of course I wager Boston and Portland are still the largest citys in New England.

"You would be right, Boston has over 10 thousand people," Roland laughed.

"That seems like more people then their is in the rest of New England," Quentin said wide eyed. Roland had been to Boston once.

"Look at those girls they are beautiful," Quentin said.

"That is the Red Dog Saloon," Roland laughed, he thought he saw Jenny Coates ducking into the doors.

"Hello boys," the girls called, they were in their late teens Quentin guessed and beautiful with painted lips and cheeks.

"You don't want to go in there," Roland said sound worldly and older then his seventeen years.

"Why don't you come up and see us," one of them giggled.

"Why not we have a pub, isn't it the same?" Quentin asked.

"No a saloon has girls that entertain men, and sometimes they have diseases, some of the older boys from the school I went to got . . . bugs on their private parts from going to see the girls at the Red Dog and they say that the cure burns like fire," Roland explained.

Quentin was puzzled and decided to heed Rolands words, he did not want to get bugs on his privates.

"Look at those horses, they look as painted up as those girls," Quentin said, suddenly realizing how the bugs could have gotten on the young men's privates.

"They are pretty," Roland agreed, see that clock tower that is my grandfather Inn and Coach station. The stable is a block away."

"Thats pretty nice." Quentin said smiling.

"There is Daniel's store want me to back the wagon in?" Roland asked knowing that his friend was not that experienced backing a wagon, he was more of a rider then driver.

"No I can, give me one try if I mess up I will hand you the reigns," Quentin said smiling he had been practicing with two of his mothers mares, that he was training to replace Bow and Bess who were almost ready to be turned out to pasture or just be childrens mounts for Monique and Annabelle, even Delilah was riding Rosie a younger mare.

"Fair enough," Roland said, he had backed the heavy frieght wagons up for his father, but never one like this smaller one.

"We will go in and see how busy they are if they are busy I will go ahead and unhook the team and take them down to the stable." Roland said.

Quentin expertly backed in the wagon.

"You have been practicing," Roland laughed.

Quentin nodded and smiled as Roland tied the team.

Quentin looked around at all the goods stacked up he had more outside then Amberly had in his whole store.

They went on inside, and the smells of all the different items sold there was almost overwhelming.

There were several people in the store, including a man with red hair and wearing buckskin and an Indian boy about ten.

"You go ahead and buy what is needed, I will head to the stable with this team, and we can head out soon as we are loaded." Roland said.

"All right, I saw no other wagons out there," Quentin said, he didn't want his wagon blocking others from loading goods. Quentin watched his friend go, then looked around the store, noticing the Indian boy, he was really fascinating because Quentin remembered seeing the Indian that time with his father.

"You can't bring no Injun in this store iffin its only a brat," a man said.

Quentin wheeled and glared at the farmer that had said that. He smelled of rum, and looked slightly familiar, like one of the Johnsons perhaps.

"Shutup Henry, I can have who I damned well please in my store, beside his daddy has money to pay cash for his goods! But do you?" the shopkeeper bellowed.

Henry stalked out of the store, and the man who helped with the loading laughed, "He will be back William won't give him credit."

The father smiled at his son, the boy looked intelligent and Quentin thought, he knew what the men had said, he might be an Indian but he knew English. But he played it stoic like he didn't understand. He could see a bit of merriment in the dark intelligent eyes.

Quentin was intrigued.

"What else can I get for you Pierre?" the storekeeper asked. "I have an Englisher living out with one of the tribes, he needs razor, strop, soap, and tea," Peirre said. Quentin thought this was strange but there was a lot he didn't know.

"Hello," Quentin said to the boy who was edging toward him with curiousity, perhaps as much as Quentin himself had.

"Hello," Keno said smiling but just slightly.

"I first came to town when I was about your age," Quentin said the boy nodded.

"First time I come town,"the boy said almost perfectly except he had a slight accent.

"I am Quentin," Quentin said, offering his hand.

"Keno," the boys said and shook his hand by clasping his wrist.

The red haired trader and the shopkeeper were haggling good-naturedly over the bill, Quentin could see this was part of the usual routine.

A woman came in and looked around, and asked, "Are there many to be served, I need only some sugar and some lard?"

"Go ahead of me I have a lot to get," Quentin said, glancing to see if Roland had returned yet he had not.

Thank you, she said and glanced at the Indian boy and said nothing.

"I know a white man, he has hair the colour of your horses of harness, he looks a bit like you, his name is Jayman," Kenno said.

Quentin binked could it be, could Jayman be Jamie, the boy slightly misprounounced some words but Quentin who was used to small children like his brother Jeremiah and his sisters and knew how to figure out what they were saying like ticken for chicken.

"Tell me about this white man," Quentin asked, his heart pounding, could it be?

"He has sky eyes like you, he is a good builder. He told my father that he was scared to go back to his people because of some word I think it is a bad thing, some men tried to kill him," Keno explained.

Quentin nodded. Pointed to the back of his own right hand, and asked, "Does he have a scar there?"

Keno looked puzzled, then smiled, and nodded, "A wound that left a mark?"

"Yes, it is called a scar," Quentin explained.

"I was thinking of twinkling sky at night thing . . . um star," Keno said and almost laughed. "Yes he has a scar."

The trader and his son were gone, but Roland almost missed Quentin as he headed out to saddle Posey.

"Where are you going?" Roland said looking puzzled Quentin looked upset and excited.

"To find my father, that Indian kid saw him, he is living with a tribe to the north of here." Quentin said.

"Quentin come inside," Roland said, not wanting anyone to over hear them, in the shop the shopkeeper was busy measuring out sugar and lard for the young house keeper.

Quentin you can not do this go out there by yourself, go talk to Captain Ferrin or Seth at least," Roland said, but he saw it was doing no good.

Quentin was a lot like himself, once his mind was made up no one could sway it.

"At least let Roscoe or I go with you," Roland pleaded.

"I don't hve time I have to follow Keno and his father to find mine, you take these things to my mother tell her not to worry." Quentin said.

"All right but Roscoe is going to be upset and your mother is going to be beside herself," Roland sighed knowing there was nothing he could do.

Roland felt helpless as he watched Quentin ride Posey out of town, he hoped that Octavia Warwick would not see the filly again brought in by some farmer like Juniper had been, or worse yet find her in the stable yard fully tacked up and no sign of Quentin. It might send her over the age. The girls called out something to him as he rode by but Quentin didn't notice.

It was late when Roland got back he didn't feel comfortable driving alone with a wagon load of goods on the short road. So he had taken the coach road.

"Octavia was worried, but then Mr. Parnum said he saw you and passed you about three miles out so she went on to bed, why were you taking the coach road and where is Quentin?" Roscoe asked.

"I am going to trust you Roscoe," Roland said, thinking Parnum must have said that to relieve Octavia's mind he didn't remember the coach passing him, he had seen it a few times in the distance, and thank goodness Parnum had not seen that he was alone.

"Sure you can," Roscoe said, wondering what on earth had happened now. Octavia asking Parnum about stage runs to Portland and now this.

"Quentin has when to Indian territory alone to look for his father," Roland sighed.

"Oh my God," Roscoe said and looked around at the pub he had been cleaning as if he expected Quentin to jump out and say they were having a prank on him.

"Yeah some Indian boy said he saw Jamie Warwick at one of the tribes, I don't think it was a trap. Do you think it is possible he could be alive and afraid to come back because someone tried to kill him, who?" Roland said.

"I don't know. I owe Quentin and Mr. Warwick a lot, what are we going to do?" Roscoe asked.

"I don't know, first I have to unload that wagon and get those horses to my grandfathers stable, then we will talk about this tomorrow after we both had some time to think," Roland said.

He had been thinking all the way home. All he could think of they had to think of a way to keep this from Octavia, she looked like another straw upon her back would break her like those glass figurines his mother had on the shelf.