Ashes and Ice

by Tracie Peterson

  “And pitch tents and wash dishes and freeze in the wind,” Karen said, hiking up her skirts in one hand and planting the walking stick ahead of her with the other.

  “You make it all sound like such fun,” Adrik said, giving her a wink. “Then again, I know I didn’t have this much fun on any of my other hikes up this mountain. Must be the company.”

  Karen warmed under his attention. She had fallen in love with Adrik Ivankov sometime between Grace’s marriage and her own departure from Dyea. Her emotions and disappointment at the sad turn of events in her life had kept her from enjoying this new discovery, but she couldn’t avoid the truth forever.

  ————

  It had started to rain as the party finally made their way to the summit. Exhausted and discouraged by the weather, the travelers wanted only a shelter from the impending storm.

  They located their caches by Adrik’s red-and-white flags. Two men, along with Joe’s wife, had been left to guard the materials and set up camp, and Adrik knew the women were more than a little happy to see they wouldn’t have to set up camp.

  “You ladies go ahead and get inside the tent out of the weather. Joe and I will get dinner together and bring it to you.”

  Karen was too tired to argue, much to Adrik’s surprise. She nodded and followed Grace inside the tent. Crispin relin- quished his hold on Miranda and waited until she’d followed suit with Leah close behind before turning to Adrik.

  “How can I be of assistance?” He followed Adrik and Joe into the largest of three tents.

  “Help me dish up this stew. Joe’s wife put it together, and she’s one of the best cooks I know.” Adrik directed Crispin to a stack of pie pans and spoons. Then turning to the small camp stove, he lifted the lid atop the cast-iron pot and breathed in deeply. “Oh, this is going to hit the spot.”

  “I heartily agree,” Crispin replied.

  Joe pulled out his knife and began slicing a loaf of bread. The women had made several loaves while awaiting their departure in Sheep Camp, and this was the last of them.

  As the rain began to fall more steadily, Adrik hurried to dish up the stew. No sense in letting a downpour spoil the meal. Crispin transported the stew two plates at a time back to the women’s tent. Miranda met him at the door and without a word took the pans inside. They exchanged food in a like manner two more times as Crispin finished by bringing them bread.

  Adrik followed up with four cups of a special tea Joe’s wife had brewed. The aroma made him all the more glad for having sent the woman ahead. This was going to be a nice surprise for the weary travelers. He hadn’t told any of them how proud he was, but the fact was, he’d had some doubts about whether or not they could make it. He knew Karen would climb the mountain energized by sheer willpower if nothing else. But Grace Colton was such a delicate little thing, and so, too, was Leah Barringer. Miranda Colton seemed spirited enough, but he knew from what she’d said that outdoor activities had not been her focus of attention back in San Francisco.

  “I have tea for you,” Adrik announced as he followed Miranda into the tent. “It’s pretty good and will help you regain your energy.” He had wrapped his fingers through the metal rings of the cups and now tried to disengage his hand without spilling the contents.

  Karen looked into the cups and then back to Adrik. “What is it? It smells wonderful.”

  “Joe’s wife put it together. It’s a concoction of rose hips and wild blackberry leaves. It’s the best drink for travel and living up here. Full of good things that revive the soul.”

  “Sounds perfect,” Karen said, pushing a cup toward Grace. “Sounds like just the thing for you.”

  Grace took the drink and thanked Adrik. “You’ve been very good to us. I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to bring me along.”

  Adrik looked around him at the four exhausted women. “I never thought I would take a group of women on such a perilous journey, but I must say, it’s a whole lot more fun traveling with you than with Joe and his sons.”

  Karen seemed to instantly sober at this. “They aren’t really heading back tomorrow, are they?”

  Adrik nodded. “But don’t go frettin’. We’ll pay the Canadian tax and then hire a mule team to cart our goods down to Lake Lindeman. With Crispin and me you’ll be just fine. And who knows, maybe we’ll pick up Jacob on the way.”

  Leah perked up at this. “He could be up here right now. I wanted to go look for him, but the weather got bad.”

  “We can look for him tomorrow. I think we should rest up a bit before pressing on anyway,” Adrik said. “Now, you ladies have a nice supper. I’m going to go eat with the boys. If you get too cold, come on over to the big tent. There’s still a bit of warmth in the stove, and we might even be able to build the fire back up for a short time. There’s not much in the way of fuel up here, however, and you’ll pay dearly for it if you have to buy it off someone else.”

  He paused at the tent flap and smiled. “I just want you all to know I’m proud to have been leading you. You were all real troopers, and I shouldn’t wonder but that we’ll make it to Dawson without any of you being any worse for the wear.”

  With that he left them, smiling to himself and contemplating how in the world he was going to convince Karen Pierce to marry him by the time they reached Dawson City, or maybe even Whitehorse.

  After supper, Adrik decided to make his way over to the customs tent. He wanted very much to see what they might expect when they moved on in the days to come. He hadn’t gone ten steps, however, when he found Karen at his side. The rain apparently was not a deterrent to her.

  “What are you doing out here?” he asked.

  “I want to look for Jacob.”

  “I thought I told you to rest. You’ll have time to look for him tomorrow.”

  “But there’s still plenty of light, in spite of the overcast.”

  “And there will be even more light tomorrow after the rain has passed.”

  Karen stopped and put her hands on her hips. “You have no way of knowing that it won’t be raining tomorrow. I won’t perish in the rain, you know. I just want to come along and see if anyone remembers Jacob. Surely the Canadians keep a list of people passing through.”

  Adrik frowned and decided to come clean with her. “They do. They also keep a list of the dead. Word is sent down from the other posts to the north. Eventually the list will make it all the way back to Skagway. I thought maybe I’d spare you from having to . . . well . . .”

  “Find Jacob listed with the dead?” Karen asked softly.

  Adrik nodded and wiped rain from his face. “Look, let’s get out of the rain. We’re going to have a hard enough time staying warm tonight, so there’s no sense in being soaked to the bone.”

  He led the way to where the British flag hung limp and drenched. Ushering Karen inside, he introduced himself and asked first about Jacob. The Northwest Police officer appeared skeptical but nevertheless pulled a book from his desk. Adrik prayed in silence as the man thumbed through the register.

  “I show a Jacob Barringer passing through on the twentyeighth of May,” the man told them, glancing up to see if they would make further comment.

  “What of William Barringer?” Karen asked. “He might well have come through last winter—even as long ago as December.”

  The man returned his attention to the ledger but shook his head. “This register only goes back to April. We’ve had thousands come through,” the official told them. “The other records have been passed on to our headquarters.”

  Adrik saw Karen’s expression of hope pass to one of worry. He took hold of her hand and shook his head. “No news is good news. Bill could have passed through here months ahead of the avalanche and given that letter to someone who was headed back to Dyea. People post letters and packages like that all the time. I can’t tell you how much mail I’ve carried down the trail.”

  “I wish we knew for certain one way or the other. The waiting is taking its toll on us. Leah is certain she mus
t give him up for dead, and I can’t offer her much hope to do otherwise.”

  Adrik understood. He felt more than a little frustration that he’d played such an inadequate role in all of this. He’d brought them the letter and word of the dead man, but he couldn’t be sure it was Bill Barringer who lay in that grave and not some other poor fool.

  ————

  Karen awoke quite early the next morning. The skies had cleared and the sun had come up somewhere in the middle of what would normally be night. She had trouble adjusting to the long days. The sun would stay up so long, not setting until around ten o’clock, only to rise again at four in the morning. Adrik had told her it would only get worse as they journeyed north. He had told her of a time when he’d ventured far to the north. The sun had set at midnight only to lighten the skies again two hours later. Karen didn’t think she would like that very much, but it seemed to be the way of this strange new land.

  Of course, winter had been even more difficult. The reverse had been true, with the sun long absent from the sky. And even when the sun made its debut, it seemed many days were overcast and gray. The darkness had nearly driven her mad. She’d had no one to talk to save Leah and Jacob, and while they were dear children, they couldn’t begin to understand her feelings and needs.

  True to his word, Adrik arranged for their things to be freighted down to Lake Lindeman. The Northwest Police checked through their supplies, took their money, and issued them receipts to show they had cleared the checkpoint. After this, the goods were loaded onto mule trains and transported down the rocky decline.

  The weary band of travelers followed, depressed at the lack of civilization. Leah was glad to hear news of her brother, but the understanding that their journey had just begun weighed heavy on their hearts.

  Adrik moved out ahead to converse with the freighters and pick up any news or information that might make their passage north a bit easier. Karen felt both a loss and a relief in his absence. Her growing feelings for Adrik were so overpowering that they terrified her at times. She found herself daydreaming constantly about what it might be like to share this man’s life.

  Her father had trusted Adrik, and to hear Adrik tell it, they had enjoyed a strong friendship and camaraderie. Karen had no reason to doubt the truth of his words. In fact, she worried that her attraction to Adrik had been based upon that relationship with her father. Now, however, thoughts of her father were only distant memories when she was with Adrik Ivankov.

  Desperate to think on something else, Karen caught sight of Grace as she lagged behind Miranda and Leah. Crispin seemed to be once again caught up in some animated tale of his adventures. But Grace held an almost visible wall around her—a wall that seemed to keep her safe inside herself. Or maybe it just kept others out.

  Karen pondered her friend for a moment. Dressed in a dark green skirt and jacket, Grace walked the trail with a refined elegance that reflected her background. She had spent a lifetime being trained for high society. Karen shook her head. Some society!

  “Going down is almost harder than going up,” Miranda called as she passed with Crispin and Leah.

  “I was thinking the same not but a minute ago,” Karen replied.

  “Mr. Thibault is telling us about his adventures in Africa,” Leah threw in with wide-eyed wonder. “He’s actually seen an elephant!”

  Karen laughed at the young girl’s excitement. Here she was risking her life in the northern wilderness, her brother missing, her father possibly dead, and it was the musings of a roaming aristocrat that allowed Leah to forget it all. Good for her! Karen thought. And good for God, too, for having sent Mr. Thibault their way.

  Grace came walking down the same trail, her walking stick clacking along the rocks as she passed by. Karen watched for Grace to lift her face and acknowledge Karen’s presence, but she never did.

  Preoccupied and silent, Grace had no idea that Karen even stood by watching. “I thought,” Karen began, “that we might chat while we walked.”

  At this Grace looked up. “I’m sorry. Were you talking to me?”

  Karen joined her on the trail and linked her arm with Grace’s. “Yes, I was talking to you. You’ve been far too distant to suit me. I want you to tell me what’s locked up in those thoughts of yours.”

  Grace looked at the ground but allowed Karen to pull her forward. They walked a few minutes in silence before Grace spoke. Her voice barely audible, she said, “I miss him so much.”

  The sorrow in her words was intense, and Karen was struck by the depth of her emotion. Poor Grace. Just looking at her expression caused Karen to feel like the most neglectful of friends.

  “I’m sure he’ll read the note you left him at the hotel and come join us. It isn’t like he couldn’t find us if he wanted to.”

  “But he may not have the funds. He might not be able to get supplies,” Grace argued. “Oh, I should never have come.”

  “Nonsense. Peter Colton is a strong, determined man. I’m certain he probably has set aside money for just such occasions and concerns. He’ll read your note and wire his bank—you did say the telegraph to Seattle was in place in Skagway now, right?”

  Grace nodded. “But he may not have returned to the hotel. I only left the note on the hope that he might. I have no reason to believe he will.”

  “You’re the biggest reason I can think of for his return.” Karen squeezed Grace’s arm. “He’s hotheaded and worked up about all that has transpired. But give him time.”

  “I’m afraid of time,” Grace replied, looking up to meet Karen’s eyes.

  “But why? Time can heal all wounds, or so they say,” Karen replied, trying her best to sound lighthearted. “You’ll see. Peter will think things over, and he’ll go back to the hotel in search of you.”

  “And I won’t be there, and he’ll be hurt and angry with me.”

  Karen shook her head. “He has to make a choice, Grace. He has to put aside the past and deal with the future. There’s too much at stake for him to do otherwise.”

  Grace nodded and returned her gaze to the ground. “Far more than anyone realizes.”

  Karen wondered what her friend meant by such words, but she let it go and decided against probing for more infor- mation. Grace’s sorrow over her husband’s absence was nothing that Karen could resolve for her friend. She would simply have to bide her time and trust that Grace would open up to her as she always had in the past.

  —[CHAPTER TWENTY]—

  LINDEMAN TOOK THE ENTIRE PARTY by surprise. Adrik hadn’t seen the city in over three years, and he was rather dumbfounded to find it so well established and planned out. The rest of the party took absolute delight in the lakeside town. Despite being comprised mostly of tents, there were hotels, bakeries, restaurants, and stores to lure weary travelers. Promises of hot meals and soft beds were tempting, but other than stopping long enough to stock up on supplies, the plan was to move the party forward.

  Adrik had planned to have them rest in Bennett, a town north of Lake Lindeman, but seeing his companions so completely worn out, he changed his mind.

  “There’s plenty of materials and such that we’ll need for building a boat,” he told the group the afternoon of their arrival. “I believe instead of building a boat in Bennett, we’ll go ahead and do the deed here. Perhaps even find additional supplies and such—if they’re not too expensive.”

  “Sounds like a capital idea to me,” Crispin said, wiping his hand against his perspiring forehead.

  “Where will we stay?” Karen questioned.

  “Well, we can pitch our tents and make things as comfortable as possible. If the weather stays nice and the materials aren’t too expensive, we won’t need to be here all that long. I’ve built many a boat in my time, and with Crispin’s help, we ought to have something decent put together in a couple of weeks. We don’t want to rush and make something that will just break apart when it hits the rocks.”

  “It looks as if much of the good timber is gone,” Karen said,
looking around at the hillsides.

  Adrik noted the stumps where hundreds of hemlock, spruce, and fir had grown years earlier. “It’s a sorry state to see the land so stripped, but I’m sure we’ll find the necessary goods. First, however, we need to make camp. I don’t want you ladies worrying about anything for a few days. We can all wear dirty clothes and eat canned food. We can buy our bread at the bakery or do without if it’s too expensive.”

  “We won’t wilt, Mr. Ivankov,” Grace threw out.

  But Adrik wasn’t convinced. The poor woman looked almost green from her travels. She’d been so tired coming through from Crater Lake that Adrik had thought it impossible for her to take one more step, much less travel for miles.

  They settled the matter of their camp by following the example of others before them. Setting up with the lake a short walking distance away, Adrik was almost sorry he’d allowed Joe to head back to Dyea. He missed his companionable silence, along with that of his sons, and Adrik also felt safer having more men in their party. There were no doubt plenty of scallywags and no-goods who would be tempted to trouble the women when Crispin and Adrik were off gathering supplies. It was a grave concern, but no more so than the idea of getting the small troop north.

  Two days later, with Karen looking quite rested, Adrik permitted her to accompany him while he looked for lumber. She was eager, almost restless to be doing something more than sitting in camp, while the others were still bemoaning their sore feet and weary bones.

  “Are you certain you’re up to this?” Adrik questioned as they hiked away from the lake and up the rising slope.

  Karen kept even with his every step. “I’m doing quite well. I think this country agrees with me after all. It’s difficult to get used to the long hours of light in the summer and the equally long hours of dark in the winter, but I must say, the lack of formality agrees with me.” She laughed softly. “I never thought I would be saying that. I was such a stickler for keeping rules when I first arrived.”