He chuckled and saluted her before walking off. Arie turned to eye the man at her feet. Why wasn't he possessed the same way the others were, she wondered as she hauled him up. But she had the sinking feeling that he was a messenger.

Arie dragged the man back to Raoul's tent. She heard the him speaking to who she assumed was the different leaders of her group and his own.

"I just don't know how we are going to carry all the wounded," Flynn said.

"We aren't leaving them to be fodder for this." That was Raoul.

"It will take weeks just to get them there, we don't have any way to transport-."

Arie cleared her throat as she entered the tent. Everyone turned and looked at her. Arie recognized the leaders of her band; Abba and Mac, Flynn was by Raoul, along with several others in military gear.

"I have a solution."

A slight smile spread across Raoul's face. He didn't seem surprised that she had a way out for them. Her own people looked at her with surprise and relief. They clearly did not want to be left here to face more raids without extra hands.

"When I left, I asked a friend to look at getting a few wagons so that wounded could be moved quickly and safely if need be."

Flynn asked, "And where exactly did you get-."

Raoul elbowed him cutting off what he was about to ask. He knew she had probably obtained them through shady methods, but they needed the wagons to move the injured, otherwise they'd have even more dead.

"As I am not the one who retrieved them I have no idea where they came from, however they will be returned once we are done with them. I'm sure several of my people can even mend them so they are better than new upon their return to wherever they came from. At the moment I don't care where they came from. We need them to move everyone and we need to do it now." Arie saw Flynn and several others raised their eyebrows at her. Some looked like they would even protest. "If you have a problem with this than this where we part ways. I will take my people and those who are too injured to travel by horseback away from here and see to it they are safe." She didn't mention that she would then work from the shadows to do what she could. Already they looked worried at the idea of losing two of three people present who could fight against the poison. Raoul cleared his throat.

"That won't be necessary if you are sure they will be returned with reasonable compensation to the owners." Now he looked at the man who was stirring in Arie's grip. "And this gentleman?"

Arie shrugged.

"He was dressed like and with the others that broke into the camp. He however lacks signs of possession that the others seemed to have had."

Raoul nodded to some of his men who took the assailant from the tent.

"What are you going to do with him?"

She did not want to hand the man over to die, but on other hand she didn't want him reporting back to his master either, and she couldn't baby sit him forever.

"We will hold him with the other man you managed to detain. They will be questioned and then once we are sure we have all the information from them they if they were willing participant they will be handed over to Provost's guard where the courts will deal with them."

Arie let out a small breath of relief.

"What about the search?"

"Everyone who isn't watching over the wounded are being gathered. They should be ready."

Arie suddenly realized she never checked the people in this room or the men that had taken away her prisoner. Quickly she brought her Gift to her eyes and checked the people in room with her. Thankfully there was no tell tale signs of poison. She let out a sigh of relief, that was too careless, she thought to herself.

Arie and Neal walked the lines of people and found only two who had the barest beginnings of poison. Both of them were part of were from the what was left of the village. The first was a husband to one of the band's leaders the other was son of the fur trader who had gone off with those infected with the poison. Neal and Arie took them aside and drew out the poison. Mercifully it was nowhere near as taxing as the other healings had been. Once that was done Arie checked on Zev who was staying with the wounded. Everything was fine.

"Too fine," Zev muttered. "They had plenty of time to cause mischief so why didn't they?"

"Or maybe they didn't just infect people." With that thought she went to the makeshift well that the band had been forced to dig after being cast out. Sure enough the telltale blackness swirled thickly in its depths. Arie swore and went back to the main tent and informed Raoul what she found.

"Anyone who has drawn water from it needs to dump it now. I can clean out anything used to hold it, but it will take too long the clean the well. After everything has been searched we need to leave."

"But we can't leave a poisoned well for just anyone to come across either."

"I can block the well, but we need to move these people to safety, now." Even after having been in Raoul's company for as long as she had she still expected the man to bristle at her giving a command, but instead he nodded and gave the order for all the water and food that may have come in contact with the poisoned water to be dumped. Soon everyone who couldn't ride was loaded into the wagons including the few children that were left. Arie was about to climb up on SandStorm's back when a small hand grabbed the hem of her cloak. She turned to find Jess clinging to her cloak.

"I'm staying with you." Her small voice quivered, but there was steel in her. Arie sighed then pulled her up on SandStorm's back. Her horse friend eyed the child.

Don't let her kick me.

Don't be such a baby, Arie told him as she adjusted herself better. You good to walk through the night?

I'm not a colt to get startled by the darkness.

I wasn't worried about that.

I know, I will be fine. You should rest while you can.

Arie yawned.

Not likely to happen.

"They are following."

Arie looked down at Jess, but the girl was looking back at the group of ghosts that were drifting along behind the wagons. Arie nearly jerked on the reins when she realized the child could actually see them.

"You see them?"

Jess nodded, but didn't take her eyes off the ghosts. "A man can too."

"Which man?"

Jess shrugged. "He was wounded and with you when you came to the village."

"Could you point him out?"

Jess nodded. Arie sat back and considered this. How on earth was Jess able to see the ghosts and why could she see them and others not, she wondered. Slowly she drifted off to sleep in the saddle.