“Trust me. It isn’t,” Tyler repeated.
“Is Ashley coming with you?”
“Yes.”
Ashley was standing at the kitchen counter studying a map, and she raised her head slightly when she heard that.
She would be on the other side of the mountain warning the residents there. So, not technically with Tyler. She let it go, knowing this was simply routine and that there was no reason to worry Kate.
The ex-medic was plenty worried already though, and she gave an impatient sigh.
"I don't know, Tyler, doesn't sound all that safe."
“Don’t worry,” Tyler insisted. “It’s nothing much. I drive up, talk to the residents, make sure they are ready to evacuate if they have to. Then I drive back down. End of job.”
“Okay...”
“They get fires quite often around here in the summer. This is nothing unusual, babe.”
Kate relented. She did not really have a say in this, she knew it, and it was unfair of her to unload her anxiety onto her partner. She was just finding it impossibly difficult to control the rush of memories from Cobel, all of them bad, that the news of the fire had reawakened in her.
“Sorry,” she said.
Tyler gave her a warm smile and pulled her into her arms again.
“Don’t be. I like it that you care.”
“Also, I sort of wanted you all to myself today.”
“Same here,” Tyler exclaimed, looking at Kate with a hungry look in her eyes. “All day, every day."
Kate laughed a little, and Tyler was glad to see the colour back in her cheeks.
"I’ll be back by the time you finish today’s dive. Fancy dinner in the village?”
“Absolutely.”
Ashley grinned as the two women again got lost in each other's eyes.
"Great," she said, "how about I book a table for four?"
"Perfect," Tyler replied, her eyes firmly on Kate.
Her phone went off again and she grabbed it impatiently.
“Sorry. That’ll be David again.”
Kate nodded, and released her grip on her.
“Okay. I’ll let you get on then. But please be careful.”
Tyler gave her a wink and her familiar, trademark response.
“Always, doc.”
A few hours later she stopped her jeep on top of a rise, and climbed out of the car into the baking Provençal afternoon sun. She was about ten kilometres from Sausset now, deep into the hills. She took a few steps away from the jeep, looking around and listening to the silence. It was dead quiet, worryingly so. The birds and all the cicadas all seemed to have gone away. Just like in Afghanistan, silence in those woods normally meant trouble.
Tyler dialled Ashley’s number to give her an update on her progress.
“Are you on your way down yet?” Ashley asked immediately.
“Nearly. I’ve only got Annette’s house to check out and then I’m done.”
“The wind’s just changed direction, Ty,” Ashley informed her.
Her voice was tight, and she sounded worried.
“The whole of that area is under red alert now, and the fire teams are going up into it. You‘ve got to get out.”
Tyler’s heart suddenly leapt in her chest, and she hurried back to the jeep.
“I can’t believe it‘s changed so quickly,” she exclaimed. “How long have I got?”
“Not long buddy. An hour at most.”
“I’ve got to get to Annette’s first.”
“No. You’ve got to get out, Tyler. Leave it for the fire fighters.”
Tyler gritted her teeth as a hole in the fire road threatened to throw her car into the ditch. She was going hard now, driving a lot faster than she should have done. It would take the fire teams more than an hour to get to Annette’s, she knew that. She gripped the wheel harder.
“I’m only a couple of miles away, I’m going to check her out,” she insisted.
“Tyler, no. You know the rules.”
“I’ll pick her up and drive straight down the other side Ash, won’t take me long.”
Ashley sighed in annoyance and turned to look toward Marseille. She could see the smoke blowing their way over the sea, and the wind
was strengthening.
“It’s not looking good over here,” she warned. “I’ll say it again, Tyler.
The fire is coming and it’s a big one.”
“Gotcha. I’ll be quick I promise.”
Tyler put the phone down and concentrated on the road. Her mood had shifted in an instant. Ashley rarely ever sounded worried, but this time she had. Tyler knew she had to take her warning seriously. She glanced at the phone again on the passenger seat and hesitated. She was dying to call Kate, but if she did she would probably just end up getting her worried over nothing. She sighed and returned her gaze to the narrow stretch of road in front of her.
Better not, she thought.
Every bump in the road was sending painful vibrations through her prosthetic and up her leg, and she was very glad when she came into view of the older woman’s building. It was a very small stone house, barely bigger than a shepherd’s shelter, and it looked in need of some work.
Tyler knew the woman who lived there quite well. Every once in a while she went up there for a chat and to bring her some food.
Annette was a local woman who after the death of her husband had decided to go live alone into the hills. Tyler liked her a lot. There was a time after Helen when she had thought she might disappear as well. She felt a strong kinship with Annette, and she was damned if she was going to turn around so close to her house and run away. Not letting her friend down ranked much higher than her own safety on Tyler’s current list of priorities.
She parked her car right in front of the small dwelling and climbed out.
“Annette,” she called. “It’s Ty. Are you there?”
As she walked toward the back of the little house a couple of fire planes flew very low overhead, and Tyler felt apprehension snake its way down her spine.
The fire was coming all right.
She allowed her gaze to drift over the area of woodland and shook her head a little. Most other residents kept the space around their house spotless, clear of trees and scrubs, in accordance with fire safety regulations, but Annette did not bother with any of that. Her little house was right in the middle of a cluster of pine trees. If the fire swept across this area there was no way the little dwelling would survive, no matter what the fire planes and their incredibly gifted pilots would do.
Tyler had seen pictures of entire hilltops, devastated by fire, dotted here and there with little areas of colour. These were the houses that had survived. Little circles of life and safety. All courtesy of the French Canadairs. Their pilots were some of the best in the world. Yet even those guys would not be able to save this one, Tyler knew that for sure.
“Annette!” she yelled.
Her phone rang and she picked it up straight away.
“Ash.”
“Ty. It’s me.”
Tyler stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of Kate’s voice. It felt like an instant caress, cool and reassuring.
“Hey,” she said. “Sorry Kate, I’m just running a bit late.”
“I know, I just spoke to Ash. She’s here,“ Kate said pointedly. “Not with you as you told me she would be. Ring a bell?“
Tyler exhaled slowly.
“I know. Sorry. Didn’t want to worry you.”
“Yeah, well, whatever you wanted, you and I are going to have a little talk when you get back,” Kate announced.
“About what?” Tyler asked suspiciously.
“About telling each other the truth, even when you think it’ll make your life more difficult.”
“Right. Okay.”
“So have you found Annette yet?” Kate asked, her voice softening.
“Not yet."
Tyler was walking around as she spoke. She checked the small vegetable patch at the back, and found no one there
. When she pushed the front door to the house it opened easily, and she stepped inside. There was a bed in the corner, a fireplace, a table and a chair. The place felt empty and abandoned.
“This doesn't look right,” she muttered. “I don’t think she’s here, you know.”
“Okay. So you’ve done what you had to do, now leave.”
Tyler stepped outside. She could smell smoke in the air now. The woods around her were still, and the sky had turned a hazy colour. Tyler glanced up at it, recognising the warning signs. She did not have long to get to safety now, and yet she hesitated. Her stomach clenched and tightened, and she experienced the same exhilarating rush of adrenaline she always used to feel before action in the field.
She breathed deeply, not entirely conscious that she was enjoying the feeling, and the clarity of mind that she always enjoyed in that particular instant. Danger always made everything so clear and sharp, and it left no time to think. It was easy. She welcomed it. Danger was close, and a big part of her was drawn to it, wanted to see it.
So she did what she should not. She lingered by the side of the car, scanning the woods as if daring the first flames to materialise in front of her. Playing.
"Tyler, can you hear me?"
Her lover's anxious voice cut through her dangerous daydream.
Tyler swore silently, and she got going again in a hurry. She would not tell Kate about this little moment, that was for sure.
“I'm here, doc. I’m on my way,” she said firmly.
“Good! Listen, Ashley says to tell you to take the eastern road out. You got that? You know where you are going?”
“Yeah, I know the one. Ash is right, it’s quicker that way. Listen, I’ll call you once I am off the hills, okay Kate?”
“Call me before that. I mean it, Tyler. And be careful.”
Tyler drove off, and she cursed under her breath as another bump in the road nearly jerked her off her seat. The phone flew out of her hand and landed on the floor. Without thinking she reached over to pick it up.
When she looked in front of her again, out of the dust, a small figure appeared in the middle of the badly maintained road.
“Shit!” Tyler exclaimed.
She hit the brakes hard and yanked the wheel to the right. On thick gravel, the car skidded off the road and onto the edge. Tyler had been going much too fast for it to stop there, and the momentum carried the heavy Jeep over the side. It rolled twice before slamming against a pine tree.
Tyler had not been wearing her seat belt, and the force of the impact sent her flying through the windscreen. She came down hard a few meters away from the vehicle. For an instant she thought she heard a voice calling out to her, before everything went black, and she lost consciousness.
Chapter Seventeen
Down by the water, Kate stood up and started pacing nervously in front of Tyler's boat, as Ashley tried once more to convince her that everything was fine.
It was nearly two o’clock in the afternoon. The entire village were out in the streets now, anxiously gazing up toward the hills, speaking on their mobiles and sharing out bits of news as the fire relentlessly burned its way toward them.
Every single member of the Sea Rescue team, fire fighters, and local volunteers were busy helping to evacuate houses around the area. Only Tyler was missing now.
“It’s been an hour. I've served with her, and I can tell you that when Tyler says she will call, she does, no matter what. Something‘s wrong, Ash.”
Ashley looked at Kate, then back in the general direction of the hills. She shook her head.
“Maybe. I don‘t know,” she said somewhat uneasily.
“How long does it take to come down via that track normally?” Kate enquired.
“About an hour.”
“So she should be here by now, or back on the phone.”
“Yeah. That‘s unusual,” Ashley admitted finally.
“We have to go look for her,” Kate insisted.
“Kate, the fire is about to…” Marion started.
“I don’t care about the bloody fire!” Kate exclaimed.
Her hands were shaking, and her voice broke.
“Bloody hell mate, Tyler is up there on her own and I know something has happened to her. I don't care about the stupid fire! I am going up, period!”
Marion bit her lower lip, her eyes full of tears as she stared at her friend.
“Sorry, Kate” she said quietly. “I am worried about her too. But the thought of you going up there at this point is even more frightening.”
Kate wrapped her arms around her.
“I’m sorry honey,” she said with feeling. “I didn’t mean to shout at you. But I need to go get Ty. You understand, right?”
"Of course I do."
Marion nodded and immediately turned to Ashley.
“So, can we drive up?” she asked.
“You can stay here and be our liaison,” Kate said quickly.
She raised a hand to stop her when Marion started to protest.
“I can’t risk you getting hurt,” she said. "This is my fight."
“Kate is right,” Ashley said quickly.
She gave Marion a gentle smile and went to stand closer to her.
“I’ll feel better and more able to concentrate if I know you’re safe,” she added.
Marion looked from one woman to the other, shaking her head in frustration, wondering if and when someone would try to stop being a hero for just a single sweet second. But for once in her life, and to her great credit, she did not protest. She took the phone Ashley gave her and clasped her hand.
“You look after yourself, okay?” she said. "Take a spare radio too. I'll find David and we'll be your backup down here. Be careful."
Ashley gave her a little salute, and Marion rolled her eyes.
“Always,” her girlfriend said with a little grin then, giving her Tyler’s standard reply.
The sky was a dusty orange haze now, and the smell of smoke was getting stronger. Kate filled a rucksack with bottles of water and a first aid kit. She grabbed a map from the back of Ashley’s Jeep and stuffed it in her bag as well.
“Are you ready Ash?” she asked impatiently.
She watched as the woman gave Marion one last hug and jumped on to the seat next to her.
“We’ll go up the Eastern road,” Ashley informed her as she started to weave her way through the crowds out of Sausset.
“Okay,” Kate said intently, staring straight ahead, not bothered which way they were going so long as they were. “Let’s go, step on it.”
Ashley glanced at her.
“Look, Kate, there is no guarantee that they will let us go up. You know that, right?”
“Who are you talking about?”
“The fire fighters. They’ll all be up there right now.”
“I don’t care,” Kate replied flatly. “I am going up on foot if I have to. I am not leaving Tyler.”
Ashley returned her gaze to the road ahead.
“I’m glad you feel so strongly about her.”
Kate stared at her profile for some time before she replied.
“I love her,” she said in a firm voice. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“Good. Because she has been a hell of a mess, you know? She needs you.”
“And you need Marion?”
Ashley smiled a little.
“It's that obvious uh?” she said.
Kate squeezed her leg and gave a soft chuckle.
“Yeah, it is that obvious,” she said. “I’m glad you two found each other. Now floor it.”
About the same time that Kate and Ashley left Sausset, Tyler came to in the middle of the woods. It took a second for her vision to clear, and when it did she stared at the small woman crouched down
beside her.
“Bois un peu d‘eau,” Annette said, and she gently lifted a bottle of water to Tyler’s lips.
Tyler tried to drink but she could only manage a sip before her stomac
h churned. She sat up, eyes squeezed shut, trying hard not to be sick.
“Annette,” she muttered. “What the hell were you doing in the middle of the road?”
“Le feu,” the woman said sharply, forcing Tyler to turn her head and look at her. “Y’a le feu, il faut descendre!” she said urgently.
She handed Tyler the prosthetic that she had lost on impact and waited for her to put it on. Tyler was pleased to see that the leg was intact. The Marines had done a good job providing her with the some of the very best in the industry. She was lucky.
She blinked when she felt something wet dripping into her eye, and brushed it away only to realise that it was blood. One glance at the car confirmed that it was totalled. She tried to get up and a huge ball of pain exploded between her eyes. The pain was so fierce it made her knees buckle, and she sank to the ground once more.
Annette was pulling on her arm, urging her to get up.
“Give me a minute,” Tyler whispered.
“On a pas le temps,” the little woman replied.
She was surprisingly strong for her age. She pulled Tyler to her feet, and rested her hands on her hips to stop her from falling.
“Respire,” she said firmly.
“I am,” Tyler muttered.
The pain in her head made her want to curl up on the ground and pass out. She realised she could still understand Annette’s French though, and it made her smile a little. The petite woman took her face in her hands and waited until Tyler opened her eyes and looked at her.
“Tu es venue me chercher?” she asked gently.
“Yeah. I came to get you,” Tyler said drunkenly. “Y’a le feu,” she added in French, repeating what Annette had been telling her repeatedly for the past few minutes. There is a fire.
The little woman, who had very short white hair, tanned, leathery skin and bright blue eyes, smiled at her then. She kissed her on the cheek and pressed the bottle of water in her hand.
"Merci ma chérie," she said.
Then she wrapped her arm around Tyler’s waist and pulled her forward with her.
“Viens,” she added. “Je connais un chemin.”
Kate and Ashley made it about half a mile up into the woods before they came across a fire truck. Immediately two of the crew stepped in front of their car and gestured for them to stop.
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