Hopefully, those of you who are reading this will not be disappointed in this chapter. It's a bit short for my work, but chapter four will be a bit longer, and a whole lot faster. (See my profile for an explanation.)

Of Links and Laws

Desperate Measures

James and Rose looked at each other, shocked at the response their actions had brought about. In an attempt to save Mary from the fate Rose had seen for her in her vision, they had notified the Children's Protective Services that she was being abused. When the CPS went out to her house to investigate the allegations, the father had shot the CPS representative and run away with Mary and her younger sister.

James was cursing under his breath. He stopped suddenly, looking at Rose. "Find?"

Rose frowned as she stopped fretting and began thinking about ways to find the girls. She nodded slowly. "White Owl."

James nodded. He had figured that Rose would want to see the Medicine Woman that was training her in the ways of Medicine, and for that matter, he wanted to talk to Rolling Thunder about this. "Tomorrow."

The twins passed a restless night and were quiet at breakfast. Mary Evans looked at the twins she'd borne nine years ago, and let them be. James was not raging, or being reckless, so she figured that whatever they were worrying about would wait until they came to her. That decision would haunt her later.

Directly after the last class of the day, James and Rose headed for the Flathead reservation just north of their house. Robert Evans' mother had been a Flathead Indian, and Robert still maintained close ties with the People.

Those ties had become closer when Rolling Thunder and White Owl had chosen the twins to be trained in the ways of the Shaman and Medicine Woman the year before, and it was to see those two that the twins flew out to the reservation now.

James left Rose in the small town where White Owl was and flew on to the forest, guessing correctly that he would find Rolling Thunder in the Medicine Lodge.

James entered the lodge quietly, removing his shoes first, and sat down. He took a deep breath of the herbs Rolling Thunder was burning during his meditation. They sat in silence for nearly half an hour and then Rolling Thunder spoke in Lakota. "Wakan Takan Kici un."

James returned the Great Spirit's blessing that the old man had gifted him with and waited while Rolling Thunder examined him. "Dacoo ya cheen hey?"

James told Rolling Thunder about Rose's visions and what they had tried to do, and what had happened. "Doe kay sh kay lay ay cha moo ktay hey?" James waited for the Shaman's advice.

Rolling Thunder sat and thought about the subject that was troubling his apprentice. He hid a smile at the thought that only this apprentice would bring him something like this. He looked at James again, using the Spirit world sight that was his to call at will after so many years. Coyote still had his mark on James, not an unusual thing, as the Spirits marked almost everyone at one point or another, but this mark had been there as long as Rolling Thunder had known James, and that was unusual.

Of course, White Owl claimed the same mark sat on Rose and that she was learning the Medicine ways faster than most, especially the magic of Divination. That she was having visions did not unduly surprise the old Shaman. That James had acted as he had did surprise him. James rarely stopped to think about his actions beyond the need of living though his adventures, and Rolling Thunder wanted to encourage that.

He looked at James, who was still waiting for advice. "Oyate kin liglila iyapi na untunkiciye wacinpi eyaš wana toktukta cana hotankapi k'un hena tukteni taninpi šni."

James nodded. "So I have seen, but that is not my way, to hold back and ignore a wrong." James sighed as a memory rose up unbidden. "I did that once, and the cost was far too high."

The older man knew what James was talking about and nodded. He searched for the words to tell James what he needed to hear. He frowned. Lakota did not have words for a lot of what he wanted to say, and he had never learned to speak good English, for reasons that seemed foolish now. "Hay también muchos conceptos que no tenemos palabras para. Sabe usted hablar este pozo de la lengua bastante¿o debo echar el encanto de la traducción?"

James blinked as Rolling Thunder changed to Spanish. He frowned and finally shook his head. "I ningún lo habla bastante bueno hablar de esto."

Rolling Thunder chanted a quick phrase in Lakota and suddenly James could understand every word of the Shaman's Spanish. He could tell that the older man was hearing James' words in Spanish as well, simply by his expression.

Rolling Thunder lit his pipe slowly and then looked at James. "Usted intentó hacer una buena cosa, dentro de los leyes de los ojos blancos, y para usted que esp. una buena cosa. A veces sin embargo, los leyes se deben poner a un lado para la justicia."

(For those of you that do not speak Spanish: "You tried to do a good thing, within the laws of the White eyes, and for you that is a good thing. Sometimes though, the laws must be set aside for justice.")

James blinked, and smiled at the old man. "Well, it was not entirely inside the law, but I get your point. I have to live in the town, and trying to fix this under the law was the right thing to do. So why do you think the law should be set aside if necessary?"

Rolling Thunder thought about how he wanted to answer that question for several minutes. He wanted James to be able to look beyond the law if he had to, but he didn't want James to get the idea that he could brazenly break the law either. "Sabiendo donde está una la línea entre la ley y las mentiras personales de la libertad de las cosas que separan a hombre de un muchacho, Moondancer. Piense de él, y cuando le hacen hágase una pregunta. Si usted no hace nada¿puede usted vivir con las consecuencias de su inacción?

("Knowing where the line between the law and personal freedom lies is one of the things that separate a man from a boy, Moondancer. Think about it, and when you are done ask yourself one question. If you do nothing, can you live with the consequences of your inaction?")

James frowned as he thought about it. He took his leave of the Shaman, and walked into the woods. About a mile from the lodge was an old oak tree and James climbed up into the branches with the ease of a task done many times. He climbed to one particular branch and leaned against the tree.

Rose watched James go into the woods heading for the lodge and turned to the house where White Owl lived. She knocked on the door and White Owl opened it after a minute. She looked at Rose and pulled the door open wide. "Enter and be at peace, child."

They walked into the living room and White Owl sat down in her chair. "Something troubles you," she said without preamble. "Tell me about it."

Rose told her about the situation. "James and I are going to try and find the girls, but I don't know what we're going to do after that." Rose explained what she had planned on doing.

White Owl nodded slowly. "It will work, but you will need a personal item that belonged to the girls to find them."

Rose grimaced. "I know, but it's the only chance we have to set this right, after we caused it."

"You said that the girl would have died if you had done nothing, correct?"

Rose nodded.

White Owl shrugged. "Being alive is better than dead, even in the worst situation. Situations change."

She looked at Rose. "Have you told Moondancer about the dreams?"

Rose looked away. "No."

White Owl looked at Rose. "He cannot know about this yet. He must accept what comes of his own will. Your brother is quite capable of deciding that he will not be controlled, even by a Prophecy. If he does not do this thing that looms before you, even the best of us cannot see the future, for Muggles or Wizards."

White Owl knelt by Rose. "You have seen the dreams. Do you want to live them?" At Rose's shudder, White Owl continued. "You are the logical one of your pair, that will be the brain of your being. Moondancer is the heart, and does things not from his head, but from his heart. Until he feels the need, he cannot know about this."

Rose looked at White Owl. "I hate keeping things from James." She looked away. "He is the one I need to talk to, the one that helps me see things clearly, and not to talk to him about this is hard."

Rose raised her head, looking toward the woods. "James has decided something. He's coming back, and he's got that feel to him." She stood up and looked at White Owl. "I gave you my word, and I will keep it." Rose looked up, toward where she could feel James approaching and then back at White Owl, and her eyes were hot. "But if this secret damages my relationship with James, I will not step foot on this reservation ever again, and that too is a promise."

Rose left, and White Owl went to the window, watching the twins walk away. "If you knew that the spirits watch over you, child, you would be even more worried."

Rolling Thunder moved up next to White Owl. "They will have lives that will be glorious."

White Owl looked at her friend of more than thirty years. "Glorious? Yes, but we both know that those the Spirits watch rarely have long lives, or happy ones." She looked back at Rose. "I had hoped she would replace me. I am tired, and wish only to rest now, but I will have to find a new apprentice again, and train her."

Rolling Thunder shrugged. "We knew that they probably wouldn't stay when we started training them. We trained them because neither of us could resist helping to start a legend, even if the only thing that is remembered is that we trained them early in their lives."

White Owl was staring at Rolling Thunder. "Have you lost your mind? You know perfectly well that we claimed them because the Great Spirit sent us omens we couldn't ignore."

Rolling Thunder grinned at his colleague. "Then why are you fussing at me?"

White Owl smiled at Rolling Thunder. "Who else would I fuss at? You are the only one that understands what we did, and what we're going to."

James and Rose spent the trip back to town discussing what they were going to do. At Uncle Alexander's bookstore, Dakota North stopped James. "Here are two of those books you wanted. I had to order the other one, it will be here in a couple of days."

James took the books and grinned. "Let me know as soon as it gets here, would you? I'll even make a trip into town on the weekend, if it comes in then."

Rose and Dakota stared at James. "You'll leave your woods on the weekend for it?" Dakota said, astonished. "What is it, the Book of Creation?"

Rose was staring at James as well, and just as astonished. James had spent every weekend he could escape the house in the woods since their parents had first allowed him to stay out overnight. Not even the encounter with Silverpaw or the wolves had changed that. "What?"

James grinned at her. "Just let me know when it gets here, please." He led the way in back, and didn't say anything else until they were home.

Rose was nearly beside herself as she waited until they were in James' room. "Give."

James grinned as he started to open the first book. "Silent."

He looked up at Rose. "Ranged, also."

Rose stared at James. He was saying that he thought he could give the two of them the ability to talk without words. "How?"

James didn't even look up as he started to read. "Twins."

Rose frowned. It was true that they had the link that some twins were born with, that allowed them to feel each other's distance and direction, and if they concentrated, the emotional state of the other person. James wanted to build on that, did he? Rose nudged James, and they laid down head to head with the book between them. They began reading the book and that is where their mother found them when she came to get them for dinner.

Mary raised an eyebrow at the number of notes James was making as he read. She'd watched them read like this for years, and she still didn't understand how they did it, or how they told each other when to turn the page. "Dinnertime is in 30 minutes, kids. It's casual night."

James didn't look up and Rose barely glanced up. "Ok, Mom."

Mary went back to the kitchen in time to take a large sandwich from her husband. "Robert, you know better. Dinner is in less than thirty minutes."

Robert Evans smiled at Mary. He looked around the kitchen. "Where are the kids?"

Mary raised an eyebrow. "Working on something. Judging by the number of notes James is taking, this should be a good one."

Robert smiled widely. "Making money already. It's good to know that we will leave Cumulus in good hands." He sighed wistfully. "I do wish I could figure out how they modify those spells though. Do you know how much that would save us each year?"

Mary just sighed, having heard that comment at least once a week since James and Rose had started selling pranks to their school age friends.

The twins were absorbed in whatever they were doing at dinner, speaking rarely and mostly to each other in those one word sentences that confused everyone around them.

After dinner the twins went back to James' room and Mary had to tell Rose to go to bed.

Late that night, James' window opened and he flew away, dressed in dark colors and staying close to the shadows of the night.

Rose was sitting on her bed using the twinlink to follow his progress. She knew when he got close by the rising nervousness in him, and when he found the right house.

James drifted down into the backyard and crossed quietly to the back door. He placed a disk that would start barking like a dog if anyone but him came close to it and tried the doorknob. It was locked and he frowned. He got the pouch of disks he carried all the time these days and dug through it looking for one particular disk.

He placed the disk on the door and waited the few seconds until it activated. The door clicked open and James felt a surge of triumph. He made a note to tell Rose that the disk worked and slipped inside. It only took him a few minutes to find Mary's room and he slipped a hairbrush with a few hairs in it into his pocket. The other girl's room was right across the hall and James quickly found a small doll that had seen many better days.

He started back out and froze. The disk he had left in the backyard was barking. James turned and started toward the front door only to drop as headlights turned into the driveway, briefly silhouetting him in the front room.

He looked around desperately, looking for a place to hide. He ducked into a small pantry as someone opened the front door.

Rose had felt it when he found the things they needed, and then the apprehension. When that had turned to worry and then to panic, she'd nearly gotten on her broomstick, but James had calmed down and now he was nervous but not overly so.

Rose was not prepared for the burning rage that suddenly swamped the link, but she'd felt this before, and she automatically started trying to calm James. It was not working very well and Rose was seriously beginning to think about confessing to their parents before James did something rash.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the feel of James started back. She tracked him, frowning. James wasn't even trying to stay hidden right now, not moving that fast he wasn't.

He was soon back in his room and Rose gave him a couple of minutes to calm down and change before she went over there.

She slipped into the room and looked at James, who was pacing around the room. He looked at her and his eyes were still hot. "The mother knew."

Rose blinked, and then paled. "She knew?"

James snarled. "Oh yes, and didn't care."

James started talking. He told Rose how he'd gotten into the house and found the things they needed, and how the alarm on the back door had warned him, and then the car had come.

"I ducked into a pantry, hoping they'd go upstairs or something so I could get away." James started pacing again as he talked. "Mary's mother came in the front door and went directly to the back door. She let some guy in and they started talking."

James started getting angry again as he thought about what he'd overheard. Mary's mother had had Mary young and gotten married unwillingly. She didn't like kids, and Mary would have been an only child if not for an accident with the Muggle birth control she used.

She ignored the kids as much as she could, much as she did her husband. She'd found out about two months ago that her husband was using Mary to relieve the needs his wife wouldn't do anything about anymore.

James looked at the shocked Rose. "She said, and I quote, 'I was glad actually. It meant that fat slob would leave me alone.'"

Rose paled in horror and James stopped pacing, pulling his sister into a hug against the things they'd learned. James quietly related how he'd gotten out of the house when the man and Mary's mother had started having sex in the living room.

James closed his eyes and Rose could feel him using the calming exercises he was learning from Rolling Thunder. "We can't send those girls back to her."

Rose nodded. "We can't leave them with him, either."

James nodded, watching Rose closely as she considered what their father might be doing to them right now. They discussed the problem for nearly an hour and had the start of a plan in place when Rose went back to her room.

The next morning they went to school, and sat through the classes without hearing much except the thoughts in their heads as they planned their actions.

After school, they walked slowly toward Uncle Alexander's store, discussing what they were going to do.

"Weekend." Rose nodded. They would have to do this soon, before those girls got hurt any worse.

"Communications." James shook his head. If this spell he was working on worked, that would not be a problem.

"Linkspell." Rose frowned. She knew what he wanted to do, but she wasn't sure if even their ability to modify spells was equal to this task. James grinned. He knew that the spell would work, although he didn't know how he knew. "Calculated Risk."

Rose rolled her eyes, and spoke a sentence anyone would have understood. "Bite me."

James ruffled her hair and started walking again. They entered the bookstore and greeted their Uncle.

Alexander Evans looked at the twins and then looked again. "What are you two up to now?" he asked them bluntly.

James and Rose looked at him and then at each other. James finally turned to Alexander. "We can't tell you, yet."

Alexander considered this blatant refusal while he stared at the twins. A member of the Evans Clan would not lie outright. They would dance around the truth, avoid the question entirely, make excuses, or do whatever it took, but they would not lie. The problem with that was that every member of the Clan knew it and they were very good at asking questions that got right to the important aspect.

When that happened, the person being questioned had just two choices; tell the questioner what he wanted to know, or refuse to answer. That would tell the person asking the questions that there was something being hidden of course, but not what.

Alexander was considering the chances in the twins over the last week and the look they were wearing today, and wondering if he should press this matter when James sighed.

"A debt of Honor. We owe it, and we have to pay it."

Alexander frowned again. If this was a debt of Honor, he could not interfere. James looked around and spoke quietly. "We have done something to bring harm to an innocent, and we must set it right."

Alexander sighed as his hands were tied. That was a debt of Honor, and until the twins tried and failed, there was nothing he could do. "I never should have taught you two about that," he said, looking at them. "You will tell me about this as soon as you can though, understood?"

The twins nodded and continued into the back of the shop. Dakota North looked up as they came in and held up a package. "Your book arrived about an hour ago."

James took it with an absent thank you and tore the wrapper off. He stood there, skimming the pages until he found the section he wanted. He read for a bit and then handed the book to Rose. "Read."

Rose looked at the indicated section. She skimmed it and then went back and read it carefully. "Possible." The book was a collection of spells that dealt with bonds, both spiritual and mental. The spell James had pointed out was designed to temporarily simulate some of the effects of a Soul bond. Rose was frowning, until she realized that the supply list for the potion was quite similar to the one they used to adapt the "Victus Magicus" spell for their disks.

She looked at James. "Disks?"

James shook his head. "Self."

Before Rose could question James about it, he turned and got their Portkey from Dakota. The twins ported home and James led the way to his room. He began talking while he scribbled notes everywhere on two sheets.

Rose frowned at him and took one of the sheets. She began copying the notes on another sheet, organizing them, just as she did every time James started to modify a spell.

By dinner James had the modifications done and Rose was frowning slightly. It was never this easy. She tried to say something to James, who merely shrugged. "Rose," he said, speaking normally for once, "it will work, and we have to be able to communicate without anyone knowing we are for what we have planned anyway. We can always undo it later if it becomes a problem."

After dinner they went back to James' room and James started setting up for the spell.

Rose looked around, and then looked into James' cauldron. "Not on your life."

James looked up, confused. "What?"

Rose pointed at his cauldron. "Bits."

James looked into the cauldron, where there were small bits of whatever he'd made last in there. He shrugged. "Never hurt before."

Rose took the notes and started toward her room. "I am so not drinking whatever you were making last week."

James sighed and followed her to her room. Rose set up the cauldron while James found the spell they would be casting. This was a ritual spell, unlike a normal spell.

A spell requires a motion and a short sentence to be cast, such as "Finite Incanteum". A ritual spell on the other hand, requires that the casters gather in one place and brew their potion while they chant a spell over it. Most of them are short, less than an hour, but some few are days long.

This was one of the short ones, about forty minutes long. James finished setting everything up the way he wanted it and showed Rose her part of the verbal spell.

The twins looked at each other and started the spell. They chanted, and every so often one of them would add the next item to the bubbling cauldron between them. About twenty minutes into the ritual, the contents of the cauldron turned gold and began glowing.

As the ritual progressed, the gold glow became brighter and brighter, until neither of them could look at it. Just before the end of the spell, the glow seemed to flow over the side of the cauldron and spill across the floor toward the two children. They watched it nervously as it flowed across the floor, touching their shoes, and starting up their legs.

By the end of the ceremony, they were both covered in the golden glow, and it was so bright they had their eyes tightly shut against the glare.

As they put the last bit of feather in the potion, they both felt something, like a tap on the back of their heads, and then the glow disappeared instantly. They looked at the cauldron, where the gooey mess was cooling off and congealing in the bottom of the cauldron.

Rose frowned at it. "I hate cleaning the sticky goos out. It takes forever." Rose was thinking about cleaning her cauldron and debating leaving it for tomorrow.

James was frowning at his notes, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. "I'll help you clean it in a minute."

Rose froze, staring at James. "James?"

"What?"

"I haven't opened my mouth since the spell ended."

James looked up and smiled. "I knew it would work, I could feel it." He thought. "I can't wait to rub it in."

"You do, and I'll spend a week thinking about the Lumbermen."

"No need, I've already forgotten what I was going to rub in."

The twins practiced with the new ability even after they went to bed, and they were so silent the next morning that Mary checked them for illnesses.

Friday they had set the rest of their plans and only had to cast the spell that would locate the girls for them. James could not help with this as it was a Medicine Woman thing, and Rose was forbidden to tell any male about Medicine.

James waited in his room trying to work on a prank, but he finally gave it up. He could feel Rose working on the spell but without know how the spell worked he had no idea how it was going.

The spell Rose was casting required her to set a circle. Many of the Indian spells required the caster to ask the spirits for help, and when one calls for a spirit, sometimes spirits you don't want to talk to answer the call. A circle of protection would keep the malicious or evil spirits out while allowing the ones you want in. Rose was going to try to work the spell by calling on one of the friendly ones that she had used before.

Rose checked her preparations and when she was satisfied that everything was right, she took a deep breath and began the ritual that would allow her to call for a Spirit Guide.

Rose finished the beginning of the ceremony and began the Calling. She stuttered in surprise when the Spirit was there before she finished the first Call.

"Why are you so surprised, Flower Child? You rarely call on us, despite your skill. When you do, it is always interesting." The voice that came from the mind of the Great Horned Owl sitting in the middle of Rose's circle was dryly amused.

"I would ask for your aid in finding two innocents. Moondancer and I have placed them in danger, and we must save them."

The Spirit cocked its head in that strange way only an owl can do. "The Moondancer is involved? Of his own will? Allow me into your mind, Flower Child, that I may see the entire story."

Rose bit her lip, but gave the Spirit permission. She felt the Spirit looking at her memories and shivered a bit. How James could do this regularly was beyond her.

"I know you do not like to share your mind, but I had to see, and it was a test of your determination in this matter. I will help you, Flower Child. Wait here but one moment." With that comment the Owl disappeared and Rose took a deep breath again. She studiously refrained from scratching her skull. The visit of a Spirit always left her feeling as though her head itched.

"Go ahead and scratch, youngling, I know how it makes you feel and I know why. One day soon, you will understand as well." The voice in her head was amused again.

Rose blushed, but did as the Spirit said. You don't Call a Spirit and then ignore its first bit of advice. Rose did not need an annoyed Spirit hanging around this weekend. She didn't want one hanging around causing trouble any weekend, but this weekend it would be bad.

"The man has taken the girls to a place where armed men hide from the White Father's soldiers and police." Rose jumped as a map fell from empty space to land at her feet.

Rose finished the ritual, bidding the Spirit goodbye after thanking him for his help. She took down the circle and picked up the map. She took it to James. James pounced on it. "Good work, Rose." He examined the map carefully. "Here we are, and they are just over the state line in Idaho. If everything goes right, we can have them back here in less than fifteen hours."

James tossed a bag to Rose. "New toys. You might want to examine some of them before you use them."

James pulled his haversack out from under his bed. He double checked the contents and put it back. "I'm ready to go at first light. Get some sleep. I think tomorrow is going to be a long day." By now, the silent speech was as natural as talking to them, and they used it exclusively when they were alone.

Rose looked at him, seeing the anger simmering under the surface. She concentrated on him and felt the anger. "James, you cannot go looking for revenge. We will leave the man for the authorities, after Mary and her sister tell their stories."

James looked at her. "I will not look for revenge, Sister mine, but if the chance comes, I will take it."

Rose went to bed, thinking sleep would avoid her, but it seemed that she'd barely lay down when James was calling her. She got up and got her haversack and Broomstick.

James and Rose stood on the porch and looked at each other, searching for doubts or second thoughts. When they didn't find any, the two children lifted off, looking for two children they felt responsible for.