Hidden Fire

by Alexis Fleming

  Gili jumped to her feet. “Oh my God, we stayed here all night? Charlie will be worried we got lost or something.”

  “Ah, I don’t think so.” He chuckled. “I’m pretty certain Charlie and Narri will have a fairly good idea what we’ve been up to.”

  Gili groaned. “You know Narri’s going to tease the daylights out of me about fire in the belly, don’t you?”

  He moved her out of the way and retrieved their clothing. After shaking out the dust, he handed Gili’s over with a grin. “Suck it up, babe. It’s called being a part of a family.”

  As she stepped into her underwear and dragged on her top and shorts, a warm feeling blossomed in Gili’s heart. She did feel part of this group. Charlie and Narri had taken her to their hearts and she adored little Piri. If she’d given in to Jeremy’s demands, it could have ended so differently. The last thing she’d want to do was hurt these people.

  “You ready?” Morgan stood before her, fully dressed and his miner’s hard hat held in his hand.

  “Just give me a minute to put my boots on.” Perching on a boulder, she quickly slipped her feet into the boots and tied the laces. “Okay, I’m fine.”

  Morgan’s hand clasped in hers, Gili led them across the cavern, pausing at the hiding place of the Dreamtime Fire. The two intertwined pelicans stood out in stark relief on the sandstone wall. As Gili watched, the pelican that had resided on her shoulder lifted one wing as if to wave her goodbye.

  She smiled. “Funny, I think I might actually miss that bird scratching around under my skin.”

  Giving the pelican one last salute, she bent and lifted the flat slab of rock that had hidden the resting place from view. Placing it up against the wall of the cave, she stood and brushed off her hands. “Come on, let’s go home.”

  Gili and Morgan began the trek back from the sacred cave. The oscillating beams of color from the opals came with them, a benediction Gili felt deep inside her.

  They reached the rock fall in the tunnel to find the men had widened it and they didn’t have to climb through a small hole. They’d taken no more than a few steps when the mine started to rumble and groan. Morgan grabbed her and pulled them away from the center of the tunnel. He pressed her up against the wall and covered her body with his.

  A cacophony of noise, like a bad thunderstorm, rolled around them and filled the small space. Rocks and debris tumbled down. Dust rose and caught in Gili’s throat, threatening to choke her. She buried her face in Morgan’s t-shirt and hung on.

  When it finally stopped and the dust had settled somewhat, Gili lifted her head and peered around Morgan shoulder. “Look,” she whispered.

  The rock fall blocked the tunnel again, just as it had when Gili first found it. Now the Dreamtime Fire and the sacred cavern were protected from discovery again.

  “Good defence system your opal has,” she said to Morgan.

  “Our opal. The spirits protect their own and now you belong to the people as much as I do.”

  She looked back at the rock fall to see a white wisp materializing in front of it. It twisted and turned in the still air, gaining definition with every movement. Within seconds, the Aboriginal woman floated in front of Gili.

  She dragged a ghostly finger down Gili’s cheek. “Thank you, Gili lubra. You have served us well.”

  She giggled, the sound rich and infectious. Gili smiled, caught up in the joy the woman projected.

  The spirit spun on the spot and then backed away until she hovered in front of the rock fall. Her face creased in a big grin. “Did the Gili lubra enjoy the fire in the belly?”

  The phantom faded. The lights of the opal winked out. Complete darkness enveloped Morgan and Gili.

  Morgan jammed the hard hat on his head and flicked on the light fixed to the front. “And you thought it’d be Narri teasing you?” he said and reached for her hand.

  “Can I ask you something?” Gili shivered in the early morning air of the mine. Goosebumps pebbled her skin. She was almost afraid to ask the question, but she needed to know. “Do you think—what’s between us—is simply because of the spirits and what has happened in the mine?”

  He pulled her close, wrapping his arms about her. “I wanted you in Iran and I want you now. That’s not going to change, Gili, even if we never come back to this sacred spot.”

  He lowered his head and fused his mouth with hers. Gili gave in to the swirl of emotions and the heady taste of him. When he ended the kiss, she wrinkled her nose. “Eww, you taste of dust.”

  “And you don’t?”

  She suddenly grinned. Maybe it wasn’t just the frigid air or the visitation of the paranormal aspects of the mine that caused the rush of goosebumps on her flesh. Morgan was pretty good at causing the same reaction.

  Her thoughts winged back to the night she’d spent with him in the sacred cavern. She’d expected Charlie to come looking for them, but he’d left them alone. Good thing, too. He might have gotten an eyeful had he ventured into the cavern. Who knew Morgan had such a wild side? Her insides heated up just thinking of it.

  “We’ll break camp this morning and head back to the homestead to try to contact your parents,” Morgan said, taking her hand again and leading her from the tunnel. “I know you’re worried about them.”

  All thoughts of her previous night’s sexual excesses fled as concern for her parents rushed in. “What if we can’t get an answer from them?”

  “Then we’ll get Roy to contact the police in their hometown and get them to help out. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

  Gili tried to put his words into action, concentrating on navigating the tunnels out of the mine instead of worrying. When they reached the place where she and Morgan had camped, he called a halt.

  “Want to have a quick wash-up and change of clothes before we head out?”

  The bright morning sunlight seeped into the entrance of the mine and created a halo of light around their campsite. She turned her gaze on Morgan and burst out laughing. “If I look anything like you, it might be a good idea if we clean up. Otherwise Charlie will have a fit.”

  Red dust streaked his skin and coated his clothing. When he removed the hard hat and rubbed his hand over his face, all he managed to do was smear the dirt until he looked like a kid who’d been playing in a dustbowl.

  Gili was laughing so much she couldn’t speak. She simply pointed at the plastic container filled with fresh water, hoping he’d understand what she wanted.

  With a chuckle, Morgan filled two dishes with water and dunked a washcloth in one of them. He wrung it out and turning, tossed it to Gili so it landed on her chest. “Hah, laugh at me, will you?”

  Wet cloth in hand, Gili flicked him on the rear end as she headed for one of the dishes of water. “You’ll keep. When you least expect it, I’ll get you back.”

  “You reckon? I’m shaking in my boots,” he quipped as he washed the dust from his face and arms.

  Gili proceeded to do the same, her heart filled with pleasure at the easy teasing and camaraderie that existed between the two of them. She hugged the feeling to her as she stripped off her dusty clothing and donned a clean set of shorts and t-shirt.

  By the time Morgan had changed and they finally exited the mine and climbed the mullock heaps to the Aboriginal village, the women had a fire going and were in the middle of preparing breakfast. The children ran around the campsite, laughing and playing as if nothing had happened.

  Charlie came trotting up to them as they entered the circle of gunyahs. “Hey, you two. I was beginnin’ to think I’d have to send out a search party for you.” He laughed. Big belly rolls of hilarity that made Gili smile.

  He sidled up to her and dug his elbow in her ribs. “Hey, plenty fire in the belly, Missy Gili? That cave’s powerful stuff.”

  She looked at Morgan and the two of them burst out laughing. Charlie pushed his hat back on his head and scratched at his scalp, a puzzled look on his face, which only made Gili laugh even harder.

  When she finally
calmed down enough to speak, she gave Charlie a hug. “Sorry, we weren’t laughing at you. I just figured it’d be Narri teasing me about—”

  She broke off as a wave of heat rolled up her cheeks. With a wink at Morgan, she leaned closer to Charlie and whispered in his ear, “You’re right. Plenty of fire in the belly. You should give it a try some time.”

  The old man gave a crack of laughter and shook his head. “Nah, this fella too old for those types of shenanigans.”

  “Did Roy have any problems getting Jeremy and Whitey out?” Morgan interrupted.

  “Nah, that Jeremy was so out of it, it was easy. Other fella was a bit frisky, but my boys handled him. Those two fellas won’t be causing any trouble for some time to come. Roy said they’d be seeing the inside of a cell for quite a while, although the older guy’s probably headed for one of those mental health hospitals.”

  Morgan pulled Gili down to sit beside him on a log that fronted the campfire. “Can’t say I’m sorry. Now all we have to do is find Gili’s parents. Charlie, Gili and I are going to head back to the homestead this morning. Can you—”

  Before he could say anything else, a large white RV turned onto the road leading to the camp. It pulled up with a squeal of breaks and a cloud of red dust just outside the ring of gunyahs.

  “What now? We do not need any more visitors.” Morgan jumped up and strode across to the vehicle.

  Gili watched as the driver’s door opened and a woman dressed in red shorts and a white top jumped down. Leaving the door swinging open, she looked wildly around and then stumbled into the village.

  “Mom?” Gili shook her head and stared again, not certain her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. “Mom!”

  Bolting to her feet, she ran across to the woman, catching her as her legs went out from under her and she started to tumble. With her mother’s weight in her arms, Gili sank to the ground, conscious of Morgan hovering at her side.

  “Mom, are you alright? What’re you doing here? Where’s Dad?”

  Morgan kneeled beside them and laid his hand on Gili’s shoulder. “How about you give your mum time to answer, okay?”

  She drew in a shaky breath and tried to smile at her mother. “Sorry, I’m babbling.”

  Her mother flung her arms around Gili’s neck and hugged her. “Sweetie, you can babble all you like. I’m just so glad to see you. Dad said the Dreamtime Fire was at Opalton and that’s where we’d find you.”

  Gili pulled back so she could see her mother’s face. “Mom, where’s Dad? Is he still in the RV?”

  A sob greeted the question and the older woman burst into tears. Gili felt as if her heart had dropped into her boots. Remembering Jeremy’s taunts in the cavern, a sense of foreboding filled her.

  Her own eyes watering, she cupped her mother’s face in her hands and wiped away the tears with her thumbs. “Shh, it’s okay, Mom. Just tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Oh, Gili, that awful, awful man took him.” She collapsed against Gili, hands clutching at Gili’s t-shirt as she sobbed out her story.

  “W-we were on our way here when they stopped us just outside Winton. That Whitey…he pulled your dad from the passenger seat and bundled him into their vehicle. They said they were t-taking him to use him as leverage against you.” She paused to catch her breath and wipe at her streaming eyes. “And they didn’t even take his crutches.”

  “Why didn’t you go back to Winton and contact the police?”

  “T-they were headed this way. I-I didn’t want to lose sight of them. I followed them, but then the RV got a flat and I d-didn’t know how to fix it.” She dissolved into noisy sobs again and buried her face against Gili’s chest.

  Morgan placed a hand on Gili’s shoulder. “Why don’t we get your mum over to the campfire and then we’ll sort this out?”

  Through the sting of her own tears, Gili tried to focus on Morgan. Her mother’s pain burned deep inside her, feeding her own agony at the mystery of her father’s whereabouts.

  Dear God, what if Jeremy had hurt him? With his leg in plaster, he couldn’t run or defend himself. Gili wished she’d never heard of Jeremy Grissom…or the seal ring for that matter.

  Rage overrode the pain and she wanted to scream. She wanted to pound Jeremy into the ground and stomp all over him. She reined the anger in, knowing she had to see to her mother before she could even begin to look for her father.

  Morgan helped to lift her mother up, keeping his arm around her to support her. “Mrs. Adams, I’m Morgan Hunt, Gili’s friend. Let’s get you comfortable and then we can see about finding your husband.”

  He walked her across to the log in front of the campfire and sat her down. With a wave, he called Charlie and Narri over. “Mrs. Adams, this is my foreman, Charlie, and his wife, Narri. Narri will look after you while Charlie and I work out where Jeremy might have taken your husband.”

  Narri moved in and sat beside Gili’s mom, her arm about her shoulders. “It’s alright, Missus, we’ll find him for you.”

  Gili hunkered down in front of the log and took her mother’s hand in hers. “The police have Jeremy and Whitey in custody, Mom, so they can’t hurt anyone ever again. And—”

  “But what about your father? What did they do with him?” The tears flowed even faster. “They might have killed him.”

  Gili shook her head. “I don’t believe so. You think about it. If they wanted to use him to force me to steal the opal for them, they’d have to keep him alive. Jeremy knows I wouldn’t cave in without proof.”

  “Here’s another thing to think about,” Morgan interrupted. “If you started out following them to the mine, it stands to reason they stashed him somewhere out here. They’d want him close. Charlie has sent some of the men to check out the road into Opalton, but there aren’t many places they could hide a grown man.”

  “Missy Gili, ‘pears to me the best hiding place is in the mine,” Charlie said. “And Jeremy and Whitey were already in there when you and Piri found the first half of the opal.”

  “You mean when Piri found it,” Gili said with a shake of her head. She turned Charlie’s words over in her mind and came to the same conclusion. “There are dozens of tunnels branching off the main one. Dad could be anywhere.”

  “We’ll find him, Missy Gili. The spirits will help us. ‘Member what I told you? They’ll be there when you need them. You just have to call them.”

  For the first time since she’d learned her father was missing, Gili felt a nugget of hope. Jumping to her feet, she gave her mom a quick hug. “You stay here with Narri. She’ll look after you.”

  Charlie turned to the men from the station. “John, take a couple of the men and grab whatever spare rope you can find in the truck, along with flashlights. I think most of the kids brought flashlights to camp with them so commandeer them, too.”

  “We’re going to do this systematically,” Morgan chimed in. “We’ll start from the entrance and branch out into each side tunnel we come to. I don’t want anyone getting lost so we’ll rope you together, with one man remaining at the entrance to each tunnel while the other one searches. If the tunnel goes on for longer than the length of rope, then you return and we’ll fix more rope to you. Safety first, you hear?”

  The men nodded and started to move down the gully that led to the mine. Charlie came over to Morgan and Gili, a large pack on his back. “Got some water and the first-aid kit here in case it’s needed. Come on, Missy Gili, let’s go find your Pa.”

  By the time they’d crested the mullock heaps that guarded the entrance to the mine, the men from the station had formed up into pairs and divided the lengths of rope between them. Morgan took Gili’s hand and they ran down the mullock heap, with Charlie following them. Morgan pushed his way to the front of the group, tugging Gili with him.

  “Okay, boys, take it slowly. Don’t miss anything. If y—”

  Gili tapped Morgan on the arm and held her finger to her lips. “Shh, I think I heard something.”

  She turned and
stepped into the mine, stopping every few feet to listen. There was nothing to hear, not even the singing of the Aboriginal ancestors.

  Damn it, maybe it was just wishful thinking. For a second there, she thought she’d heard her father’s deep voice. She shook her head, disappointing settling deep in her gut.

  “Missy Gili, Missy Gili.”

  Tears filled her eyes and a grin trembled on her lips as she spun to face Morgan. “That’s—”

  “Piri, where the heck are you?” Morgan yelled as he joined Gili in the mine. “Christ, I’m going to have to put a gate across the entrance to keep that little fellow out of here,” he grumbled to Gili.

  Charlie appeared on Gili’s other side, a mischievous grin on his face. “No need. Spirits called him this time. They won’t call him again until he’s older.”

  Morgan frowned. “Charlie, is there something you’re not telling us?”

  Charlie tapped his forehead. “The old people just told me. This was Piri’s time.”

  Before Gili could ask him what he meant, she heard Piri’s high-pitched voice again and this time she definitely heard a deeper male voice answer him.

  “Missy Gili, Missy Gili, look who I found.” Piri stepped from the tunnel where Gili had found the rock painting of the pelican. His little arm was wrapped around the hips of an older man as he helped him hop on one leg, the other one encased in plaster.

  “Dad!” Gili flew across the cave, tears overflowing and rolling down her face.

  “See, I told you Missy Gili was waiting for you,” Piri said as Gili reached them.

  One hand braced on the tunnel wall for balance, her father lifted the other from Piri’s shoulder and ruffled his hair. “How right you were, young man. And my thanks for finding me.”

  He grinned at Gili and held his hand out to her. “Come give your old man a hug, Gili Girl.”

  Dust covered her father in a thick coat. His face looked lined and tired. His t-shirt was torn at the neckline. The plaster on his leg was grubby and cracked. All told, not a pretty picture, but Gili thought it was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen.