They rode for hours before stopping near the top of the tall mesa. After making camp, Seeks the Waters spread out a buffalo robe and motioned for Jim to join him. They sat opposite each other, legs folded.

"This is where you will find your answers, my friend."

"What? How?"

"Close your eyes and concentrate on the sound of my voice."

Reluctantly, Jim complied. Soon the soothing tones of his friend's voice had him calm.

He was in a dark place, unfamiliar sounds around him. He walked into the light to find himself in the middle of a forest like none he'd ever seen. The air was hot and muggy. A sound in a nearby bush startled him. He turned to see a streak of black running away. He followed at a trot, but soon broke into a run, the foliage slapping at his clothing. He pushed a large plant frond out of his way and stopped dead in his tracks. The ruins of some ancient structure lay before him, a large black cougar lounging on the steps.

The cat sat up, and slowly morphed into the familiar figure of the shaman. Not able to comprehend what he saw, Jim turned away, putting his shaking hands over his face. In all his battle experience and other hard times, he'd never felt so rattled.

He whispered to himself, "This can't be happening. It's a dream. I need to wake up and get back to Blair."

"And you will, watchman." The familiar voice sent a chill up the rancher's spine and he turned to face the old shaman from his dream.

The two men stared at each other in silence. The elderly shaman seemed to have no need to speak, and Jim didn't know what to say.

After several awkward minutes, Jim cleared his throat and asked in a shaky voice, "Who are you?"

"I am Gray Wolf."

When no more explanation seemed forthcoming, an increasingly frustrated Jim asked, "What do you want from me?"

"For you to take a walk with an old man. Come, watchman." The grizzled old man turned and walked into the jungle. Jim followed.

"You said you could help me. How? Can you make these spells go away?"

"Be patient, watchman. Your guide is not yet ready. I am your spirit guide and can assist you until the young one is ready."

Jim halted. Young one?

"Blair? No. Not my boy." His voice was shaky to his own ears.

"Of course not, watchman. Not the boy, the man. When he is grown, he will be more than ready."

"And what if I'm not?" Jim bit the words off angrily.

"Then it is not for now. Watchman and Guide will be of another time. There are many paths you can walk, but they all lead to your destiny, sooner or later. It is the way."

"That's all well and good, Gray Wolf, but I need help now. Seeks the Waters said you could help me with these spells I've been having."

"It is simple, watchman. You have been given a gift. Your senses are heightened. When you focus too much on one, you cannot use the others. You must learn to always use at least two. Seeks the Waters can help you to do that."

"And when I can't?"

"Then there is the boy." At Jim's mounting protest, Gray Wolf raised a hand for silence. "He is in no danger from these' spells,' watchman. This I promise you. You have much to learn, watchman. Time for you to begin."

With a gasp Jim came awake, Seeks the Waters at his side. He looked around to get his bearings. They were on the mesa, the fire now mere ashes, and a blanket covered his shoulders. Wiping a hand across his face, he felt the stubble on his cheeks and chin.

"How long?" he asked his companion, his voice heavy with fatigue.

"Two days and a night, my friend."

With a groan, he forced his stiff muscles to move. He stood, taking the blanket from around him. "We need to get back to the village."

"Yes, my friend, but first drink this and have something to eat," Seeks the Waters commanded as he passed the canteen to Jim. The rancher drank deeply and quickly ate the offered pemmican before they broke camp and rode out at a gallop.

The two returning men were greeted by the children of the village who ran along side the horses. One particular little brave caught Jim's eye. He pulled the loinclothed, shirtless, sun-kissed child into the saddle. The moment the boy sat in his lap, Jim's air supply was constrained by a strangle hold hug around his neck.

"Papa! I'm so glad you're back. I missed you, but I had fun."

Blair pulled away to show Jim something around his neck. "See, Papa. Running Doe made it for me. She said it would keep me safe when you couldn't be with me."

Jim took hold of the beaded necklace that had been pushed in front of his face. The figure in the center sent a shiver down his spine. A large black cat made of many tiny black beads hung from his son's neck.

"Isn't it pretty, Papa?"

Jim forced himself to smile back at the beaming face before him. "Yes, Little Bit. It's very pretty."

Jim halted Sentry in front of Seeks the Water's lodge. After dismounting he helped Blair down.

He frowned down at the half naked boy before him. "Son, where are your clothes?"

The smiling face took on a look of pure innocence. "Clothes? Oh, they got wet so Running Doe gave me these. I like them. I have a buckskin shirt, too, but it was too hot to wear, I--"

"And just how did your clothes get wet?"

Jim tried hard to maintain his stern countenance as Blair put on an even more innocent demeanor, but it wasn't easy.

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I fell in the river."

"What!? Are you all right? When did this happen?" Jim asked as he led Blair to sit by the lodge. Damnation, he couldn't leave the boy alone for a second. "Well?" he prodded as he began a thorough examination of his child.

"Stop! That tickles! I'm fine. We went fishing and I slipped on a rock," Blair explained while trying to bat the probing hands away.

Jim's inspection turned up only a few minor bruises. He took the still bandaged hand in his. "What about the hand?"

"It's lots better. I get to take the bandage off tomorrow."

Jim smiled at the news and gave into an urge to hug his son. Holding his boy tightly, he said quietly, "I'm glad you're all right, Little Bit."

Little fists pushed back against his shoulders until Blair had moved enough to face him. The boy's brow furrowed and he looked intently at his father. "Are you okay, too?"

What to tell him? The whole truth? It still sounded crazy to him. I'm going to be fine now, son, because Seeks the Waters and a Shoshoni shaman who can turn into a black cat, like the one on your necklace, will help me.

"Yes, Blair, I'm going to be just fine. We're going to stay here a couple more days so I can work with Seeks the Waters to help stop these spells. That sit well with you if we stay awhile longer?"

In answer, Blair let out a whoop and ran off to join the other children leaving a bemused Jim in the dust.

"He has a strong spirit that one."

Jim rose to face Seeks the Waters.

"Yes, he's spirited all right," Jim chuckled before turning more serious. "When do we start?"

"Now, watchman. Sit."

They made themselves comfortable next to the firepit, sitting cross-legged, facing each other.

"You must relax and clear your mind, my friend. Close your eyes and breathe deeply."

Jim tried to obey the healer's commands, but could not focus. The shaman's voice whispered to him, "Hear your heart, watchman. Always keep it in your thoughts."

He struggled to obey to the point of frustration when he heard it in the distance, a heartbeat and a laughing voice 'It's my turn! It's my turn!' The sound of Blair at play soothed the watchman and he relaxed.

"That is good, my friend. Now picture a rope with a large knot in it."

"I can see it."

"Good. To use your senses more strongly, loosen the knot and let them flow."

Jim did as directed and smiled. Blair sounded right next to him. 'You're it!' "I did it. He sounds closer."

"You learn quickly, watchman. Now, tighten the knot to constrict the flow."

He saw the knot getting tighter until Blair's voice and heartbeat became very faint, but still there.

"Very good. Now open your eyes, watchman. Are you ready for your next lesson?"

With a calm he hadn't felt before he replied, "Yes, I'm ready."

~~~

Jim stretched, his joints popping from the strain. He'd put in more than a full day's work and had been since returning from the Shoshoni village almost two weeks ago. He and Blair had only stayed a couple days longer after he returned from meeting his spirit guide on the mesa. Seeks the Waters had wanted him to stay longer, have more training for his heightened senses, but Jim felt he'd left the ranch too long. No telling what Nemo had done in the barn while they were gone. Luckily, only a bridle had been chewed to shreds as retaliation of being left behind. Fortunately for the dog, it'd been an old one.

He finished putting the tack away, hanging the bridles and harnesses neatly on their pegs. With hardly a conscious thought he let his hearing track the sounds of his son. He heard the boy tromp up to the cabin porch and open the door. 'Here, Nemo! Come on, girl!' Jim winced
at the volume of the yell and tightened 'the knot' a bit as Seeks the Waters had taught him to lower his hearing until the discomfort went away. The pain gone, he increased his sensitivity in time to hear a chair scraping across the floor and little moccasined feet climbing on top of it. The little imp, he thought while heading towards the house. Sure enough, the sound of a ceramic lid sliding against its jar came to him along with a contented sigh 'You want one too, girl?'

Half way across the yard, Jim shouted to the house, "Blair! Get out of the cookie jar!"

By the time Jim reached the door, he'd heard the lid being slammed into place, Blair jump from the chair, and the chair being hurriedly dragged back across the floor. When Jim opened the door he was greeted by the sight of his very innocent looking son sitting on the floor next to an
equally innocent looking little spotted dog. He bit back a smile at the two sets of guileless eyes looking up expectantly at him and kept his face stern.

"I thought I told you those cookies are for after supper?"

"I was just checking to make sure they were all right, Papa." Blair looked right above Jim's eyes.

"Um hmm. After supper, remind me we need to look up 'obfuscate' in the dictionary and discuss it." He ignored Blair's puzzled expression. "Now go wash up for supper."

Blair quickly scooted past his father to obey. Jim couldn't help but chuckle overhearing the boy's muttered, "Gosh, I guess he really does have eyes in the back of his head."

Jim tucked into bed a very contrite little boy who vowed -- after spending an hour, in lieu of a bedtime story, looking up synonyms and related words for 'obfuscate' and writing the definitions in his most careful hand -- never to deceive, prevaricate, mislead, equivocate,
tergiversate, dupe, tell a falsehood, fib or lie to his father again. Jim accepted the heart felt apology with a hug, and kissed Blair's forehead before going out to the porch to enjoy the cool summer's night air.

He needed to go to town, mostly to get news via the mail, The Cascade Sentinel newspaper, and Sheriff Banks. Turning down the sheriff's request for help on the posse to hunt the Kincaid gang weighed heavily on him since turning down the sheriff's request for help on the posse. Now that he had a better handle on his senses, and the ranch under control, he could offer his services in locating the outlaw gang. He'd be cautious about using his senses though, a spell on the trail
would be devastating.

In the morning, Jim had a hard time rousing Blair from sleep.

"I don't see why we have to get up so early. The sun ain't hardly even up yet," Blair mumbled and grumbled as he pulled his pants on in the chilly morning air.

"The sun isn't up yet, and we have to pack up a change of clothes and such since we're likely be away more than a week. So shake a leg there, imp, we have a lot to do," Jim admonished lightly while filling their saddle bags. He wanted to get an early start hoping to catch Sheriff Banks in town.

Blair paused, one treasured, colorfully, beaded moccasin on, the other halfway up. "Where we going?"

"To town," came the off-hand reply, and Jim cinched the 'knot' down on his senses, just in case.

It proved to be a wise decision. The rancher guessed Blair's whoop of >happiness could be heard all the way to Cascade.

They rode into town by mid-morning, stabled their horses and headed over to the Sheriff's office, Nemo at Blair's heels.

"Good morning, Rafe. Can you tell me if the sheriff's in town?" Jim asked the deputy as they shook hands warmly.

"Morning, Jim. Simon and the posse got back several days ago. They ambushed the Kincaid Gang and captured two, Morrison and Alton. Durn shame the rest got away. He said he was going to make the rounds this morning."

"Congratulations. The sooner that scum is behind bars the better. I'll take a look for him, but just in case I don't find him, please tell Simon I need to speak to him. We'll be staying at the Cascade Palace Hotel."

Jim quickly checked into the hotel before taking Blair and Nemo over to the Banks' house to play with Darryl. Blair barely acknowledged him leaving, he and Darryl were so engrossed in their game of hide and seek.

Jim met up with Simon Banks outside the courthouse.

"Jim, good to see you." Simon shook Jim's hand warmly, a wide smile across his face. "We had good luck on this posse. Two of Kincaid's Johnny reb marauders are cooling their heels in my jail. It's only a matter of time before we get the whole thievin' bunch. Some people just can't accept that the war's over and the South lost."

Jim nodded his head in agreement. "Rafe told me. Congratulations. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I've changed my mind, I'd like to help you track the rest of that bunch down."

"Thanks, Jim. We could sure use your help. I was going to get another group together at the end of the week and head out towards the north country. Lots of blind canyons to hide in up there."

The two men were almost to the sheriff's office when a very frightened Darryl, with Nemo hot on his heels, came barreling down the street right into his father's arms.

Simon Banks held his crying five year old in his lap while he sat at his desk. He murmured soothing words trying to get the boy calmed down. Jim stood next to the desk wondering where Blair played into all of this and hoped his boy wasn't the cause of the younger child's tears. If so, Blair'd be shedding some of his own real soon.

"Darryl, it's all right, son. I'm here. You're safe. Now tell me what happened."

"B-Blair. He.." was all the boy could manage before falling into tears again. Jim had heard enough. There was one conspicuously absent person who could shed some light on the situation.

With a curt nod to Simon, he said, "I'm going over to your place to see if I can get some answers. I'm sorry about this, Simon."

The sheriff returned with a short nod before Jim left.

A very angry Jim Ellison strode purposefully down the walk to the Banks' house. Within a few minutes he stood in their empty yard.

end part 3

***

on to part 4. . .