by Amy Shojai
“Hot spots send out arms and circle around, can catch and trap you in minutes. Wind gusts are measuring 40 mph last I heard, so stay alert. Now, send me your text, then get back on the line. Best we stay connected.” He paused. “Lia, I don’t want you doing this, and I’d stop you if I could. At least let me help keep you safe.”
A good guy, after all. But she disconnected without answering, and fiddled with the phone until able to cut-and-paste and send the ranch’s schematic to his number. He was right. A fire pushed by a strong wind could outrace a horse. Lia hit redial, and gathered the reins as she waited for Combs to answer.
Smoke enveloped her face, and Lia coughed hard, surprised by a blanket of gray blocking all light. Fury reared and whirled. Lia lost her phone.
“Dammit! Settle, whoa boy. Calm down, Fury, I know, I know, it stinks bad. Brave boy, hold up.” The smog thinned enough to see again. She had to find the phone. She couldn’t find Karma without it, and relied on Combs’s breadcrumb directions around hot spots and through the smoke. Fire was bad enough, but disorientation from the smoke or just inhaling enough of the stuff, could kill.
Lia swung off the big horse, reins clenched tight in one fist. Fury pinned his ears. He snorted with unease and held his ground but just barely. She looked for the glow of the phone’s face blinking from somewhere amid the tall grass.
Combs’s tinny voice shouted her name during a brief lull in the wind, and she pinpointed the phone’s location. But a rush of bright fire crested the nearby rise with a roar.
She lost sight of the phone when Fury screamed, and yanked the reins from her hand.
Chapter 44
Karma woke when Shadow nose-poked and then licked her face. They snugged each side of Mele beneath the largest tree, and Karma sighed, not eager to move from the close contact. She yawned and stretched before she returned Shadow’s nose poke. She settled her head on Mele’s thigh, ready to sleep the night away.
But Shadow whined, stood, and shook hard before lifting his face to the wind. An unsettling yodel of many voices ululated from the distance, speaking of coyote concern and fear. Shadow tipped his long muzzle to the sky and answered with a long, aching howl of his own.
Mele mumbled. She hid her face on one arm.
Now Karma smelled it, too. Haze that stung a good-dog’s nose grew stronger. She sneezed to clear her head, but the choke-smell remained, and grew stronger. Her skin twitched, and the fur along Karma’s spine stood erect.
Shadow’s hackles also bristled, and he howled again, and then barked, dancing forward with warning toward the invisible but advancing threat. Still, it hurried on, and they could hear it threading its way through the dry prairie land, leaving behind superheated air and ash, all with a cackling, chuckling crackle like an old hag laughing. Wind blew, but didn’t clear the smoke or cool a good-dog’s face.
Leaping to her feet, Karma stood shoulder to shoulder with Shadow to face the enemy. She growled and snarled, showing her teeth when the shepherd’s tail lashed her side as he pounced forward and then immediately retreated.
“Īlio?” Their noise roused Mele.
Karma raced to the girl and licked her face, urging her to get up-up-UP! Karma had to protect Mele, the way Lia said. Show teeth and stand against any threat, as she’d been trained. Bite, if need be.
Mele jumped up. “Ahi-ahi-ahi!” She ran from the waves of advancing heat, following the muddy shoulder of the tank’s perimeter. Karma followed, happy to put distance between them and the fire.
But Shadow continued to bark. He bounded back and forth in a line parallel to the advancing blaze, as if to herd the flame away. Still it jittered on, blustering and muttering, only to pause and puzzle before letting the wind decide which way to run next.
As they reached the top of the embankment, Mele stopped. Karma ran into her legs and nearly toppled the girl. Below and as far as they could see, a moving blanket of fire came for them, black smoking char in its wake. Mele screamed, fell silent, and froze, too frightened to move.
Karma mouthed the girl’s wrist, tugged to turn her back to the tank below. The relative cool of mud on a good-dog’s paws beckoned. Could fire drink water the way it ate grass and wood? Karma didn’t know. But they would burn up if they waited in the tinder-dry brush.
Smoke and bright flame jigged closer, sending out teasing bright fingers ready to gobble anything in its path. A narrow untouched lane offered the only hope for escape. Shadow saw it, too, and paused his noisy defense to slink closer and see for sure.
Karma nosed Mele’s hand, and the girl stumbled back down the slight incline. With four fast paws, good-dogs like Karma and Shadow could race the fire and dodge through the narrow flame-free path to safety. Fire would soon cut off even that slim chance.
Shadow stared hard at them, and barked. He barked again, using all his herding heritage to press into Karma’s personal space, urging her to move-move-move and run with him, run away to safety, out into the last fire-free trail. His invitation was clear.
Mele never looked up. Her gaze remained focused on the fire-monster now following them down the steep embankment they’d just abandoned.
Karma’s paws stuttered in place, yearning to join Shadow and race away, dodge past the hungry bright monster. It scared her more than anything she’d ever seen. She was fast, though. Her four paws could outrace the fire.
But Mele couldn’t. The girl’s bare feet barely kept her upright. Karma’s training demanded she stay, guard and protect this vulnerable child. Karma wasn’t sure how to do that, but a good-dog didn’t run away, even if afraid. Karma was brave, and trained to serve. It’s who she was, even if Lia hadn’t asked.
Karma barked a hoarse, tortured cry when Shadow bowed her way, acknowledging her decision. She knew that another held his loyalty, just as Lia held Karma’s heart. Shadow whirled and raced away, disappearing into the wall of smoke.
Now, everything was up to Karma.
Chapter 45
Combs yelled into his phone. “Pick up! Lia, pick up the damn phone. You there?” He still had a connection, but nobody answered.
Beside him in the car, Tee waited impatiently. “That can’t be good.”
He shook his head and punched off the phone. “Something happened.”
Tee adjusted the tie keeping her long hair from frizzing over her face. “Didn’t she say the phone application wouldn’t work while you talked? Give her time. She’ll call back. I get the idea Lia does things her own way.” She smiled. “Like me. Hawaiian girls got minds of their own.”
“So do Texas women.” He sighed, and turned back to the laptop coordinates. “I know her approximate location. Here’s where she cut out.” He pointed to a spot midway down the access road, and then compared it to the ranch schematic she’d sent. “That’s maybe a mile and a half away.” He pointed again. “There’s a tank right there, in the other direction.”
“Tank? Like, a fire truck uses? That could be handy.”
“No, in Texas a tank is a manmade reservoir, a pond. It fills up with rainwater or sometimes is spring fed. Big spreads like the Corazon’s sometimes drill wells to keep them full. Tanks water the livestock. Wildlife, too.”
“Still handy in case of a fire.” She squinted at the screen. “So Lia figured the dog would take the girl to the closest water, and that’s where Lia’s headed. Quarter of a mile? Shouldn’t take a horse long to get there, even in the dark and walking slow.” When he looked surprised, she added drily, “Hawaii has horses too, you know.” She sniffed. “My father was a paniolo on the Big Island, learned to cowboy from his father.”
Combs raised his eyebrows with surprise. Based on her scathing tone, he figured the story wasn’t particularly happy.
“Don’t suppose your PD has a mounted squad? We could canvas the area from our side, meet Lia in the middle and cut the search in half.” She looked at the car, musing. “Take a while to get horses here, though. Don’t suppose you’ve got four-wheel drive on this thing?”
She had a point. With the fire hopscotching everywhere, an ATV would be ideal to stay ahead of any hot spots. That wouldn’t happen, though, even if they had the equipment. Like he told Lia, they’d leave it to the fire fighters who lived to eat smoke.
Being so new to police work tempted Tee to go superhero, especially with a missing child. That was admirable. But even firefighters knew to stand down when the risk grew too hot. He had a responsibility to his own team. Gonzales was coordinating from town while Combs worked onsite. Rushing in at this point, without knowing where to go would get more people hurt.
“A lot of officers have horses, or at least know how to ride. They bring ’em in for parades and special occasions, but we’ve no official mounted division. Besides, horses get testy around fire.” Combs wasn’t a fan of horses, either, after being thrown as a kid and breaking his collar bone. His daughter pestered for a horse all the time, but unlike Melinda’s stepdad, Combs couldn’t afford either the time or expense. Combs preferred smart men and women partnered with technology, rather than temperamental animals. That had become something of an issue with September. If she lost Shadow after he’d asked her to risk the dog, it could finish their relationship. He pushed the hurtful thought away, telling himself the big dog had survived worse.
“Come on, Detective. How much time does that little girl have, does either girl have, if she gets caught by the fire?” Tee shoved open the car door, slammed it, and paced back and forth in front of the hood, getting more and more agitated. “How’s a dog protect against fire? Flame bites back. Fire has sharper teeth.”
He sighed, and rubbed his eyes, angry because she was right. “Pray the tanks haven’t gone dry.” By August, many turned into cracked and crumbling empty mud flats. He rolled down his window. “Lia grew up here, knows her way around. Acts like she knows what she’s doing, anyway.” If not, it could get her killed. “We got to let the firefighters do their job.”
“We can’t just sit here.” Before he could argue, she added, “You asked me to help, not just observe. I’m a police officer, too. Protect and serve, Detective.” She breathed hard. “There must be something we can do.”
A screaming neigh split the night sky. Combs jumped out of the car, and aimed his flashlight. The sound of hoof beats grew louder until he spotlighted the wild eyes of a rider-less horse.
“Watch out, Tee! Out of the way.” He could see the fancy “C” embossed on the side of the saddle, the Corazon brand, as the horse galloped by. Combs grabbed for loose reins, but missed.
“Put down the light!” Tee stood in the middle of the road, and held her arms out to each side, hands fisted, to block and slow the frightened horse. She acted like the horse wouldn’t run her down. And he didn’t.
When the buckskin stuttered to a stop, Tee darted in, ducking beneath the animal’s arched neck to gather the reins in one hand. She spoke in low soothing tones, the words for Combs but also designed to calm the animal.
“I’m guessing he’s Lia’s mount. So she’s out there on foot now, in the middle of the fire. Bet she lost her phone when this big guy spooked.” She murmured something like a lullaby under her breath to the horse, patting the side of its neck and jaw, waiting for the blowing breath to slow. She grinned. “I like Texas. Make a wish, and a horse appears.” In one swift motion, she vaulted into the saddle.
“Hey, what the hell you doing?” Combs ran toward her, expecting she’d pitch off. He hated green cops, always showboating and as unpredictable as this horse.
The stirrups were far too long, adjusted for Lia’s much longer legs. That didn’t seem to bother Tee. She stuck tighter than a tick to the saddle, and tossed her own dark mane to punctuate her words.
“I can’t sit still and wait. You know what they say about gift horses.” With some signal Combs couldn’t detect, the horse whirled, and cantered back the way he’d come.
Chapter 46
Karma growled and showed her teeth at the encroaching fire. She nudged Mele’s side with her nose, and licked the girl’s hand. But Mele didn’t react, frozen, just her head swiveling as she watched the flames surround them and draw ever nearer.
What to do? Where to go? Heat blew against Karma’s face, hotter than a good-dog could stand. Her eyes watered and she squinted, dropping her head low to get beneath the bitter scent. Mele followed her lead, and bent double in a coughing fit.
Spooky shadows danced against the gray-white curtain that swirled all around. Karma wished Lia was here. Lia knew what to do. She always explained so Karma understood. She pictured Lia’s face, desperate, wanting her guidance, and imagined she saw the girl coming for her through the smoke.
But Lia wasn’t here. And Karma didn’t understand. But Lia must believe Karma could protect Mele, even with fire all around. It sparked and danced, throwing up starry shoots of flame so that the wind caught and carried firefly-bright embers high, high, high into the sky. Only the placid black water remained free of the spit and spread of heat.
Mud still caked Karma’s paws. Now dry, it sloughed off when she pawed the cracked ground. She took half a dozen steps forward until the mud squelched between her toes again, and one big forepaw splashed in the shallows. Warm, almost hot, but wet. Wet wasn’t fire. That was a good thing.
The nearby tree that had shaded their slumber made hissing cat-spit sounds, leaves blackened and flew away until the flaming trunk and limbs remained alone. A clot of glow-bright leaves landed on Karma’s back and she screamed, twisted and dodged away, running into Mele and knocking the girl to into the shallows. Mele curled into a ball, keening and shivering in the muddy water. The smoldering leaves floated for a moment in superheated air, coasting above the pond surface and then dropped into the water. Flame sizzled as it extinguished. The remainder floated, black, no bright fire or embers, just ashen twigs buffeted back to shore by the windy breath.
That was the answer!
Karma licked Mele’s face, cold-nosed her ear and even jabbed her muzzle in the girl’s bare armpit. That worked best to rouse Lia in the morning. Up-up-up, Mele had to get up, too! Karma licked the girl’s eyes until Mele tried to push her away. So Karma took the girl’s wrist in her massive jaw, and tugged.
When the dog’s teeth closed on Mele’s skin, her eyes flew wide and she instinctively pulled back. But Karma kept up the gentle, tugging pressure, pulling Mele toward the water. If gentle didn’t work, Karma had to act.
A loud CRACK! sounded. A big branch fell off the flaming tree, and rolled, hissing, into the water where it sizzled, charred branches below and flames still riding the upward twigs. Karma saw sudden understanding in Mele’s expression.
Together, they stumbled into the water, Mele falling to her knees after a couple of steps. Karma also struggled to keep her balance on mud-slick that coated the floor of the tank. Mele’s small hand gripped her harness, so Karma took another strong stride into shoulder-height water, tugging the girl with her. Water soothed her body. But bits of fire rained from the tree, stinging a good-dog’s head and the girl’s bare skin.
Karma whined. She remembered the rushing flood from that long ago time, when water filled her eyes and mouth, choking away air. Shadow saved her then, reached out and snagged her collar the way Mele grasped her now. But Shadow was gone.
Karma didn’t want to go deeper. She was brave, but wanted solid ground beneath her paws.
Another CRACK announced more flaming rain. No time for fear. Karma lunged, yanked Mele along.
The bottom of the tank fell away. Karma sank, head swallowed beneath dirty warm water, and she flailed with all four paws, fighting the treacherous liquid. Breathe! She couldn’t breathe. Karma choked on a mouthful of brackish tank water before her toes touched the muddy bottom. Mele above scissored the water to froth with thin girl-legs, thumping toes into a good-dog’s head and back.
Mele’s foot struck Karma’s nose, and Karma emptied half her lungs in a bubble-filled snarl. She couldn’t see. Couldn’t smell. Couldn’t hear. Black, silt-filled liquid clogged her
nose, mouth, ears. And no air. Karma had to reach the air! Another string of bubbles escaped as she struggled to find the surface.
With great effort, Karma pressed muscular hind legs into the muddy bottom, springing her massive body upward. She burst up-up-up out of the water, pummeling the water with her front legs to keep her face in the air while she gasped and gagged. She tried to shake water away. The liquid muffled every sense.
“Karma! Karma-pup, you there?”
Whimpering, Karma’s ears twitched with hope. Maybe she hadn’t imagined her after all. She paddled, frantic, neck straining to find the familiar voice.
Mele’s arms snaked around Karma’s broad neck, and they both went under once again. This time, Karma relaxed and let herself settle to the bottom, ignoring the girl’s throttling grip around her throat. Once all four paws touched the mud, Karma propelled them back to the surface. She gasped in two great lungfuls of tainted air, and struggled not to choke. The girl helped this time, kicking her legs to keep them afloat, even though the superheated air scorched a good-dog’s nose and ears.
Again came the cry. “Karma! Please be here. Karma? Mele!” Lia’s silhouette appeared at the far side of the tank, backlit by bright flames. She staggered toward the water.
Karma’s happy yelp of recognition couldn’t be heard over the next CRACK from the burning tree. It shivered once, tipped, and fell, reaching with burning limbs toward the center of the tank. It somersaulted on top of where Karma and Mele trod water.
Chapter 47
Lia staggered to the edge of the tank, flinched as the mountain ash tree splashed into the water. That weird whisper tickled inside her head. She saw a seal-slick dog head duck down just before it hit.
“Karma! Mele? Answer me!” The whisper-tickle insisted she hurry to this tank, despite no evidence of the GPS collar. Hot wind scalded Lia’s back through her thick shirt. She stumbled to the tank’s edge, and splashed belly down into the water, and then rolled. She welcomed the stink of rancid but lifesaving wet, and came up from the four-foot dunking, sputtering. The braids came loose with the bandana. Lia took it off, dunked it in the water, and tied it over her nose and mouth as she cried out again, “Please, are you there?”