Chapter 1

There was a loud pounding on the cabin door. Dan and Becky were jolted from sleep and rolled from the bed, Becky grabbing her shawl and Dan pulling on his pants as they walked. The pounding never stopped and now they could hear the woman's voice, loud and insistent.

"Mister Boone! Dan'l Boone! Wake up! They got my girl. They got her!"

Daniel pulled the door open to reveal Milly Moss, her nightgown wet to the knees and her nightcap askew on her graying brown hair. The healing scratches on her face were traced starkly in the moonlight. Wrapped in her coat with her feet thrust into her son's boots, she made a spectacle that neither Boone had ever seen before. She continued to shout as the two tall people stared at her.

"They got my girl! Air you people deef? You got to get her back! She's a innocent lamb and they got her!" Milly began to pull her braids in her agitation. Behind her Mingo approached, aroused by the banging and shouting.

"Who has Ivy, Mrs... Oooof!" Milly Moss turned on Mingo and hit him hard with the broom she carried in her right hand as defense. He fell backwards and rolled as the screaming woman flailed at him. Interspersed between her swats were threats of dire physical injury. Mingo continued to roll along the ground, trying mightily to escape her crazed blows. Daniel stepped forward and grabbed her broom, preventing Mingo from receiving another blow from the wildly flailing woman. Becky ran to Mingo's side and knelt beside him as he cradled his bruised ribs. Their eyes stared at the deranged woman who continued to try and hit Mingo with the broom. Daniel fought for the weapon and eventually wrestled it away from the woman's hands. It was then Milly Moss finally looked carefully at Mingo sitting on the ground, Becky's arm around his shoulders. Her demeanor immediately changed.

"Oh, sorry Injun. I didn't realize it were you. All I seen was that long black hair hangin' around your face. I mistook you for one o' them devils that took my Ivy."

Daniel sought an answer to the question Becky and Mingo feared to ask. "Indians took Ivy?"

"That's what I been ascreechin' about! They come 'bout a hour ago and snatched my little girl. She were just sittin' outside lookin' at the moon. Purty as a pitcher she was with the moon a'shinin on her light hair. And they snatched her!" Milly Moss began to cry. Becky exchanged a look with Mingo, then rose and patted Milly on her broad shoulder. Dan could see her swallow before she invited the other woman into the cabin. The last time Milly was a guest in their house several repairs had to be made. Of course, that seemed to be Ivy's doing, but just the same Becky's memories remained very tender on the subject. She gave Daniel a look that begged for quick action. Mingo slowly straightened and went to stand beside Daniel. The two friends exchanged a long look.

"If they came at night, they are probably Shawnee."

Daniel nodded his head and swallowed. The thought of a band of Shawnee trying to deal with Ivy's peculiar "gift" sent cold chills down his spine. Beside him Mingo seemed to read his thoughts as he shook his dark head.

"We'd better hurry Daniel. There's no telling what could happen when Ivy's unusual propensity for disaster manifests itself."

Daniel nodded and strode back into the cabin. He pulled on his socks and boots while Becky silently packed his travel bag. Mingo entered through the door with his own pack readied. Becky continued in silence as she trailed the two to the porch. She hugged Daniel tightly, pecked his cheek and whispered in his ear, "Hurry Dan. I can only imagine what may happen if those braves have to deal with anything like you had to deal with on the trail. I remember everything you and Mingo told me." Becky gave Mingo a quick peck also, which surprised the Cherokee and caused a dark blush to spread over his dimpled cheeks. He grinned at Becky and patted her shoulder. "I'll watch out for Daniel's back, Rebecca, and he will watch mine." His dark eyes glanced past Rebecca's pretty shoulder at the swaying, muttering Milly Moss. "And we'll be a quick as we can be. I assure you!"

The two men set out toward the Moss cabin. They arrived soon after the moon indicated midnight. The cabin was lit by candlelight. Mingo and Daniel exchanged a cautious glance, then crept silently to look into the open cabin door. In the dim light they could just make out Rocky's profile. The young man sat staring at the floor, a feather in his right hand.

Daniel stepped through the cabin door, startling Rocky and causing him to leap for his gun over the mantle. "Hold on there, Rocky! It's just me, Daniel Boone. Your ma came to my cabin for help. She said Ivy was taken by Indians?"

"Yes, sir, she was. Just after the moon rose over the trees. I make it about nine o'clock, maybe ten. She was sittin' outside on that there stump by the well, just lookin' at the moon. And they came out of the forest like they was part of it. I couldn't do nothin' but watch 'em take her away." He twirled the feather. Mingo looked at it in Rocky's hand. It was a hawk feather. His dark eyes looked into Daniel's. There he read the same knowledge that was in his own mind. The feather had come from a Shawnee headdress.

Daniel's eyes roamed over the small cabin. He and the settlers had built it in record time after the Moss family came to stay in his cabin. Ivy's strange attraction to disaster had been an incentive to the settlers to quickly get the family settled some distance from the settlement. Even in the dim light Dan could see that two of the shutters hung by only one hinge, three stones had come loose from the chimney, and the door latch was hopelessly inoperative. He had noticed several loose boards on the porch and one support beam was entirely broken away from the house. He and Mingo exchanged another long look.

"Rocky, Mingo and I will go after Ivy and bring her back. Don't worry about her. I'm sure the Shawnee won't harm her. They often capture white women for ransom, or to trade. We've had experience dealin' with situations like this. You ma is with Becky. Why don't you go on to sleep. Mingo and I'll be back in a few days. Try not to worry."

Rocky looked up into Daniel's calm face and relaxed. "Thanks, Mr. Boone. I know you'll do your best." The young man paused, then continued in embarrassment. "And remember to be careful."

Mingo answered for them both. "We will. We remember Ivy's unusual talents. You get a good rest while you can." Mingo looked pointedly at Rocky's bandaged arm. Rocky grinned and nodded, then limped off to lie on his bed in the corner of the room. The two men shook their heads, turned and began to track Ivy and her captors.

In the bright light of the moon Mingo spotted the trail. It was hard to miss. Several small branches were broken from nearby shrubs and debris littered the ground every few yards. In a short time the two men had collected a handful of beads, three hawk feathers, a broken knife, and one stringless legging.

"Ivy's strange gift seems to be working with full force," Mingo whispered to Daniel.

"Yep. I've got to admit I'm surprised they haven't let her go yet. I thought we'd find her sittin' beside the trail well before this."

"Daniel, I think you're mistaken. Ivy's strange ability to attract disaster may be seen as a sign from the gods."

"What! Mingo, you can't be serious."

"I'm completely serious. You have to admit that being in Ivy's company produces unusual events."

"Unusual is right! But why would that be considered good?"

"I didn't say it was good. I said it was a sign from the gods. Like a Cassandra or a Sybil."

"A which?"

"The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that certain women could foretell future events. They were thought to have special powers beyond that of ordinary mortals. They were actively sought and protected."

Daniel looked into Mingo's eyes. Their expression convinced the hardy frontiersman that his friend wasn't attempting a joke. He was serious.

"Mingo, if you're right we might have a whole new set o' problems."

"Exactly. We may have a 'devil of a time' convincing the Shawnee to relinquish her."

"Mingo, there are times when havin' you for a friend gives me a whole new set o' puzzles to wrestle with."

Mingo laughed and stepped on down the broad trail. Behind him Daniel shook his head at all the possibilities flashing through his mind. If Mingo was right they were not going to have an easy time getting Ivy away from the Shawnee. A few paces ahead, Mingo bent and retrieved the remains of a Shawnee beaded belt. The ties were firmly knotted but the ends nearest the belt were both sheared as though with a knife. Mingo glanced back at Dan, placed the belt in his shot pouch and continued to follow the trail. Suddenly he halted and beckoned to Daniel. On one of the broken branches of a blackberry bush was an unmistakeable drop of blood. Dan frowned and he and Mingo began to run.