God knows the way, Little Moon, but only those who truly seek will find. Anne would say this was a time to trust.
The way back downhill was easier, and they retraced their steps in half the time. Kara didn’t stop to think about what she had to do. She couldn’t chicken out of this. She was out of options.
She set her pack next to Ryan and eased into the tunnel. “Stay here. I can’t have you bumping me.”
“Don’t go away.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
She crawled through the narrow passageway, took a deep breath, and leaned out of the opening. Once again the feeling of falling into empty space made her stomach do jumping jacks. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to scan the canyon walls on either side. Nothing, just sheer rock.
Where the mountains kiss, and the river falls. The mountains kiss. The only place the mountains really touched was here. And if the river were higher, it would fall through in this spot too. A pathway to the sky. She wanted to scream. They were here. The sky was up, but there was no pathway on either side of these cliffs!
The only place she hadn’t looked last night was down—it had made her too dizzy. She felt her pulse pounding in her ears. Take it easy, breathe. She closed her eyes, held on, and thrust her head and shoulders through the opening.
It was now or never. She opened her eyes.
A pebble fell from above her head and landed with a clunk. Without thinking she followed it down with her eyes. She blinked. I don’t believe this. She could almost see Anne smile.
The granite shelf was a four-foot drop from where she knelt at the end of the tunnel. It was fairly narrow but still large enough to stand on. She kept her eyes on the ledge and stretched out on her stomach like she’d done when she had rescued Ryan. From this position she could see a gaping hole in the rock face just below her. Was it a cave? Another tunnel?
More likely another dead end. Still, she had to find out. She turned around, told Ryan to stay put, and eased herself over the edge.
The ledge cut deep into the rock face. She would never have seen it if she’d stayed in the tunnel. She ducked under the overhang and followed the pathway, keeping her body pressed against the solid rock. Ten steps took her under the empty waterfall. From there an outcrop of boulders sloped like stair steps to the top of the cliff.
IT TOOK LOTS OF PRAYER and more than a little persuasion to get Ryan down onto the ledge. But once they made it across the canyon, he scrambled up the makeshift staircase like a bear cub up a tree.
They came out onto a high plateau surrounded by dense forest. Nothing on this side of the falls had burned, but the trees and vegetation were so thick they could only move a few feet in each direction. If the ancient path continued, it had long since been overgrown.
“They’ll never find us in this. We need to climb back up there.” She pointed to the pile of boulders. To her surprise, Ryan didn’t argue. He beat her to the top, plopped down on a large, flat rock, and began rummaging through the contents of his survival bag.
She leaned into the cleft of two gigantic rocks and scanned the valley with her binoculars. Charred and burning trees dotted the smoldering landscape. On this side of the river, the fire had burned almost to the abandoned campsite where they had tied their horses the day Ryan fell off the cliff. It seemed like a year ago instead of just a week.
“It’s still burning. I can see some flames, but it looks like they’ve got it contained.” She was glad she couldn’t see Eagle Lodge from here. If it was ashes, she didn’t want to know about it. At least not right now. She couldn’t see Otter Lake either, but from the looks of the smoke, the fire could easily have burned that far.
Kara heard the drone of another plane. She caught a flash of light from its wing, then lost it behind a veil of smoke. “They’re dumping water, not looking for us. We need to do something to attract their attention.”
“We could signal with a mirror. Colin said that’s what you do when you’re lost in the woods.”
“That’s great, Ry, but I haven’t got a mirror. Dad had all of the survival gear packed away with his hunting stuff. I didn’t have time to find it.”
“I have this. Here.” He handed her a small, round piece of glass that had been polished to a sheen.
“Where’d you get this?”
“I found it at that camp. Where I found my bullets. Isn’t it cool? All you got to do is flash it in the sun. Dad will see it and come and get us.”
She laughed. “It’s worth a try. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get out of here.”
It was easy to catch a beam of sunlight in the glass. She reflected it off the trees, then the rocks, and finally into the sky. After twenty minutes, she was ready to scream. “It’s no good. They’re too far away.”
She sat down beside him on the rock. “You wouldn’t have a steak in there, would you? I’m so hungry I could eat a bear.”
She got the smile she’d been looking for. “Nope. But we can eat more raisins.” He handed her a package, then opened one for himself.
“What else do you have in there?”
“Just my bullets. I shined them up real good.” He poured the handful of empty cartridges onto the rock. Two books of matches slipped out of the canvas bag.
“Ryan Sheridan!” She shook her head. How could she scold him? Matches were one of the most important requirements for a survival kit. So far his treasures had really come in handy.
And so would these. “Fire! That’s the answer. Ryan, take your bag and go get me some dry twigs, pine needles, moss—anything we can use for kindling.”
His eyes got wide. “You’re gonna start another fire?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep it small, right here on these rocks. That’s what they’re looking for, Ry. The smoke will get them over here fast.”
“All right! Smoke signals.” He scrambled off the rock.
Kara pocketed the matches, then pushed aside the rest of Ryan’s things to make space for the fire. She swept the empty cartridges into a pile. They would help to shield the first tiny spark, and they would reflect the heat back into the fire.
“Here, Kara, I brought lots. And some bigger pieces too.”
She crumbled some dried moss into a pile, then added pine needles and stacked twigs tepee style around the pile. “Kneel here, Ry. Shield it from the breeze.” The dry tinder caught on the first try. She blew on it until the twigs were burning well, then added some rotting tree bark and crossed a couple small pieces of deadwood over the top.
“Soak your bandanna and squeeze it out, and we’ll use it like a blanket to trap the smoke.”
They each gripped two corners of the bandanna and held it over the fire, just out of reach of the flames. When the trapped smoke had built up, they lifted the cloth away, sending puffs of cloud-white smoke high into the air.
Ryan coughed and had to step away. “Careful, Ry. Try not to breathe it. We might have to do this a while.”
“No we won’t. Listen.”
There was no mistaking the sound of an airplane engine as it swooped by overhead. And no mistaking the familiar brown-and-green logo as the plane circled lower for another pass.
“Dad!” Ryan was jumping up and down, waving his arms, yelling at the top of his lungs. “He sees us! He sees us!”
The third circle was as low as she’d ever seen Dad fly. She raised her hands above her head. Two thumbs up. She sent the message, “We’re all right.”
Dad signaled a thumbs up back, then flew off.
“He’s leaving us here!” Ryan cried. “Why, Kara?”
“It’s okay, Ry,” she assured him. “Dad can’t land the plane in here. He’s going back to send help. We need to wait right here—they’ll come get us.”
If there was any sweeter music than the clatter of chopper blades, it had to be the forest ranger’s voice as he pushed through the brush to meet them. “You kids okay?”
Thirty minutes later they set down at the airport in Lariat. Dad was wai
ting on the tarmac. He lifted Ryan from the chopper, and Kara saw the dark circles around his eyes. She knew he hadn’t slept, but she was shocked to see the stubble on his cheeks and chin was mostly gray. He hugged them both so tightly she thought her ribs would crack.
In the pilots’ lounge, she accepted the cup of coffee Mark handed her, then groaned when he offered her an apple. “Forget the apple. I want french fries and a hamburger.”
He grinned back at her. “You’re on. But I’m afraid it’ll have to wait. I think your dad wants to take you home.”
Dad was already bundling Ryan into the car. She bit her lip. “Colin and Anne were up at Otter Lake. The chopper pilot said there’s been no sign of them.”
Mark stared at her, then shook his head. “I was just up there. That area’s still burning itself out.”
Dad walked toward the open office door. “Come on, Sugar Bear, let’s get you home.”
“I can’t, Dad. Colin and Anne are still out there.” She looked up at his tired face. Please, please understand. “They would have taken the Pine Creek trail. I have to help look for them.”
She expected him to order her to the car. Instead, his shoulders sagged, and she saw the resignation in his eyes. “I had a feeling you’d say something like that.” He rubbed at the stubble on his chin. “Look, let me get Ryan home. I’ll get someone to stay with him, then we’ll have Sheriff Lassen put a posse together.”
She shook her head. Now that Ryan was safe, all she could think about was Colin and Anne. “That will take too much time. We need to go now. Who knows what could have happened to them.”
“You stay with Ryan, Dad. I’ll go,” said her older brother.
She hadn’t heard Greg come in, but now he stood just behind Dad in the doorway. He looked like he’d been rolling in ashes, except for the rashlike blisters covering his hands and face. “You okay, Sis?”
She nodded. “You look like you had a fight with a grizzly and lost.”
His teeth grinned white behind the soot. “The grizzly may have won, but the fire didn’t.” He looked at Dad. “It missed the lodge. We lost one cabin, and it looks like something caved in the barn, but the main buildings are fine.”
“Thank God!” She didn’t realize she’d said it out loud until she saw the surprise on Greg’s face.
“Yeah.” He rubbed his forehead against the sleeve of his jumpsuit. “Let me get out of this tux. Then we’ll load some horses in the trailer and get up there. From the looks of it a while ago, the upper part of the trail was passable.”
KARA DIDN’T KNOW WHAT had happened, but in the few days since she had seen him last, Greg had really changed. She sat in the cab of the truck between him and Bud Davis. Greg was quiet but polite. And he looked different. Resigned. That was the word. The anger that had plagued him since Mom had died was gone.
He’s accepted Mom’s death. With a feeling of shock, she realized that she had too.
Mr. Davis squeezed her arm. “Don’t you worry, Honey. God’s gonna get them two found. You just bet on it.”
They were getting closer. The horses in the big slant-load trailer started stomping around. “Hey, what’s going on back there?”
Kara bent the mirror so she could see into the open window at the front of the trailer. “They smell something. Maybe the smoke’s got them spooked.”
Greg shook his head. “Not these guys. They’ve been on fire cleanup crews. That’s why I brought them.”
“There’s your answer.” Bud nodded to the open meadow. It spread three acres wide from the dirt road to the trailhead. Two horses stood smack in the middle, munching on the sparse, green grass.
“Lily and Dakota!” Kara didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “No saddles or tack. That must mean Colin or Anne took it off. Which means they must be alive.”
She saw the set of Greg’s chin and knew what he was thinking. Colin and Anne could have released the horses—turned them loose so they’d at least have a chance to escape.
When Kara jumped out of the truck, Lily nickered and trotted over. She rubbed her muzzle against Kara’s shoulder. Dakota came willingly too. Kara let Greg check Dakota out while she ran her hands all over Lily’s body, down her legs, even checking inside her mouth for sores.
“She’s got a few scorch marks, but she’s sound.” Kara felt the tightness building in her chest and pressed her face against Lily’s side. Not now. You don’t have time to cry.
“Dakota’s got a cut above his fetlock,” Greg said. “It doesn’t look like anything serious, and he’s not lame. I say we take him in. He might be able to lead us to Colin.” He glanced at Bud. “Besides, he’s strong. He can carry two if he has to.”
Bud nodded. “We’ll ride him and pony one of the others.”
Kara patted Lily’s flank, then followed Mr. Davis back to the trailer. “I’ll get some gear for Lily too. I’d rather ride her than one of the others.”
When the horses were ready, Kara gripped Lily’s mane, grabbed the saddle horn, and vaulted into the saddle. “Let’s go. Anne and Colin are down there somewhere, or these two wouldn’t have stuck around.”
Bud Davis frowned. “I don’t know. We’re supposed to wait for Sheriff Lassen and his men.”
In your dreams.
Greg laughed. “When my sister gets that look in her eye, you might as well give up the fight.”
Lily danced along the trail, settling only when the path got too steep to do anything but slide. She needed to run. Kara kept a tight rein and patted the mare’s neck. “Easy girl. We’ll get some exercise later. Right now we have work to do.”
The trail zigzagged for a hundred yards along a narrow ridge, then settled into easy curves for half a mile. Kara eased her grip on Lily’s reins and looked around for any fresh tracks in the dirt and rocks. She grimaced as the familiar acrid smell stung her nostrils.
The fire had not reached this part of the mountain, but as they rounded a curve, she saw smoke smothering the tree tops like a thick, gray quilt. She couldn’t see the bottom of the trail, but she knew it snaked with hairpin turns down into the murk.
Greg brought Dakota alongside Lily. “We won’t get far in that.”
“Let’s hope we don’t have to.” She tried not to show her real thoughts. She wasn’t giving up that easily. If she had to, she’d go on her own.
She clicked her tongue. Lily obeyed the command and moved forward, then once again tried to break into a trot. Kara held her in check until suddenly the mare put on the brakes, and nothing Kara did could make her budge.
Dakota whinnied, coming up on Lily’s tail. Both horses jigged in place. “Back him off!” she yelled at Greg.
“I’m trying.”
Lily spun around on the narrow trail, and for one terrifying moment Kara thought they would both go over the side.
Bud’s horse stood calmly a few paces behind Greg and Dakota.
Bud held his hand up for silence. “Shh. Listen.”
Even the horses quieted, but both Lily’s and Dakota’s ears were twitching like radar. A low whistle, weak and thin, sent them dancing once more.
“It’s them,” Kara whispered, “it’s got to be.” She jumped out of the saddle and began searching the brush. Greg was right beside her when she saw a pair of boots sticking out of a rock. As she slid down the rocky slope, she was glad to be wearing her heavy jeans.
Colin was propped in a sitting position, half in and half out of what looked to be a small cave. He grinned at her. “Hi there, Indian Princess. I see you brought the cavalry.”
Before she could think of anything to say, he closed his eyes.
Greg pushed past her and pressed two fingers against Colin’s neck, then lifted one eyelid. “He’s alive, just out cold.”
“Wakara?” The whispered question came from inside the cave.
“Anne! He found her. Colin found Anne. She must be hurt, or she would have come out.” Her pulse throbbing wildly, she pushed past Greg and Colin and rushed into the cave.
&nb
sp; All they had to go on was Colin’s story. Anne couldn’t remember anything after lightning struck a nearby tree and sent her rolling down an embankment into Otter Lake. He had found her lying partially in the water, one leg twisted up and under her at an impossible angle.
“She was so white I thought she was dead. But she screamed like a wildcat when I tried to move her.” He grinned at Anne, who lay in a hospital bed, her right leg swathed from toes to hip in a hard plaster cast.
She glared at him, but Kara could see the spark of humor in her dark eyes. “You would not make the best nurse, I think. Better you stick with horses.”
“Hey, the doc said I did a good job setting that leg.”
Everyone laughed, and Dad shook his head. “Tree bark and fishing line. What’s that old saying? ‘Necessity is the mother of invention.’”
Colin doubled over with a coughing spell.
“I’ll get some water.” Kara grabbed a paper cup and filled it at the small sink, then waited until he caught his breath.
“I think we’ve stayed long enough,” Dad intervened. “Kara starts school tomorrow and Colin needs to get home. He’s not even supposed to be out of bed yet.”
Kara heartily agreed. Colin had already described their ordeal to the doctors, to Sheriff Lassen, and then to the rest of them. She shuddered every time she thought about it.
She could almost feel the heat of the flames closing in, the embers catching Colin’s shirt on fire. He had rolled in the lake, then soaked Dakota’s saddle blanket, wrapped it around Anne, and laid her in front of him across the horse’s back.
“I have to tell you I was scared,” Colin had said. “Dakota wanted out of there bad, and I couldn’t see two feet in front of me. He took off, and I figured we were headed in the right direction when we ran into Lily.
“Her reins had snagged a tree limb. It slowed her down, but it sure didn’t stop her. When I cut her loose, she took off like an arrow straight up the side of the mountain. That’s when I knew we’d found the Pine Creek trail.”
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