Spiral and Torn Books 1 and 2 of The Salzburg Saga Trilogy

by D. U. OKONKWO

  “The way I laid into you after what had happened to Emily...” He winced. “I’m sorry. I know it wasn’t your fault. I was out of line.”

  “It was a difficult day,” she conceded. As they all had been. “But I accept your apology.”

  He looked relieved. “Thanks.”

  She pressed a hand to her dry throat. “I need water.”

  “I could do with some, too. Let’s go get some...water.” He held out a hand to her.

  Pausing, she looked at it, and then up at him.

  “To help you up,” he said with a smile.

  With a smile in return she tugged on her gloves then took his offered hand and let his strong hand pull her up. Incredible, she thought, that he still had strength in him after all they had been through. It just went to show, she thought, the amount of strength men had.

  It was colder than yesterday, she decided several minutes later. Though the morning had brought bright blue skies, the wind commanded their attention with its vicious bite.

  “I guess you’ve been thinking of your sister Hazel a lot, huh?” he asked as they gathered up snow between their gloved hands.

  “Yeah.” A lump formed in her throat. “You tend to think about family a lot at a time like these.”

  Though he nodded he said. “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t got any family waiting for me back in London. I’m an only child, my mother died years ago, and I never knew my father.” Before she could respond to that he shot her a look under his lashes. “So, any boyfriend or fiancée waiting too?”

  She sent him a look but he’d veiled his gaze, effectively revealing nothing. He was good at that, she realized. “I have a boyfriend back in London,” she said slowly. “But he’s on his way out.”

  He gave a low rumble of laugher. “Interesting way of saying he’s about to be binned.”

  Her lips curved in amusement and she didn’t feel even a little bit guilty. “He is. Hazel will be pleased; she’s never liked him.”

  “Well, I only met your sister for a few minutes before take-off, but she came across as having a good head on her shoulders. If she doesn’t like the boyfriend I’m sure there’s a reason.”

  Isn’t there though, Nina thought, and prepared to swallow the melted snow between her gloved hands.

  “It’s going to get colder.” Jake glanced up at the sky and then quickly looked away again, the dark gray of the sky held its own warning.

  When will there be good news? Nina wondered. “What now?”

  “Blizzard.”

  “You’re a weatherman, too?” Her teeth chattered like a skeleton’s as she melted a large chunk of snow.

  He shrugged, a slight smile crossing his face. “Pilots have to know about weather; comes with the job.” Jake gathered snow too, forcing himself to put the snow into his mouth even as his body rebelled against it. He couldn’t help but wince as it slid down his throat. The sensation could only be described as painful. Though his scarf was wrapped tight around his neck, cold still seeped in and he couldn’t stand it.

  “Hey.”

  `They both looked up to see Justin standing only two feet away. He jammed his gloved hands into his pockets and hunched forward against the wind. He started toward them.

  “Great,” Nina heard Jake mutter. She watched Justin’s stilted progress toward them; the wind pushed him back a step for every two he took forward. Finally reaching them, he sat down, shooting them a covert glance. Unable to consume more snow-as-water, Nina struggled to her feet, then had to fight to remain on them as the wind attempted to throw her back down. Jake put out a hand to steady her and she held onto his hand to keep upright. “Thanks.”

  “Looks like we had the same idea about water,” Justin said with a slight smile. He began scooping up snow.

  Nina eyed him, unsure of what to say to him now. She had heard the argument he had had with Parker following what Parker had revealed. And now she just felt...awkward. Would he resent her for being the one to bring out the truth about his parentage? Not knowing what to say into the tense silence, she said the first thing that came into her mind, and then could’ve kicked herself. “How’s your father?” As soon as the words left her mouth she squeezed her eyes shut. “I mean–I’m sorry, I...” Throw me a shovel, she thought in self-disgust; I’ll bury myself right now.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Justin’s voice was strained.

  “Right. Well...” Her eyes met Jake’s, caught his shuttered gaze. “I’m uh...going to head back,” she said.

  “Me too. I’m done.” Jake dusted off snow.

  “No, stay with Justin. No one should be out here alone.” She felt guilty saying it as she knew how he felt about Justin and Hugh, but the truth remained that no one should be alone. She only smiled when Jake shot her an annoyed look, but he didn’t argue with her, for which she was grateful. “See you later,” she said to them, and headed back inside. When she turned back before entering the cave, she found Jake staring after her.

  ––––––––

  Jake refocused on Justin when Nina disappeared back into the cave. Silently he urged the younger man to hurry up so they could both go back in.

  “I checked on Angela before coming out here,” Justin said. “She seems a little better.” Working the snow between his gloved hands, he reluctantly swallowed.

  Jake gritted his teeth when a gust of wind swept up a ball of snow and threw it cheerfully in his face and he swiped it off. “Yeah. Hopefully she’ll...pull through.” He hoped his words sounded more convincing to Justin than they did to his own ears.

  “You were good out there on the lake yesterday.”

  Jake sent him a quick look. “We both did our best out there.” He paused for a moment and looked out into the distance again. “Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to save Em. She was...”

  “A good friend of yours, as was Ben.” Face red and pinched from the cold, Justin looked at Jake with somber eyes. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  Eyes snapping to the younger man, Jake stared at him. “Are you, Justin?”

  “Of course, I am.” Hurt flared in the younger man’s eyes before he veiled his gaze by lowering his lashes. “No one would be surprised if you never wanted to talk to Hugh, Parker, or me again. Or if you were to tell your team in London to leave us here and rescue everyone else.” He looked back at Jake then concentrated on gathering more snow. “No doubt it would make you feel better.”

  Jake sighed inwardly. It would be a vengeful thing to do, but that wasn’t who he was. Nor was it how any of his team were trained to operate. As he’d watched Emily plunge to her death, Angela fight for her own survival, and Parker reveal what he had, things had shifted in his mind. “Leaving you three behind wouldn’t achieve anything, Justin.”

  “It could make you feel better.”

  “No, it wouldn’t.” He met Justin’s guarded gaze. “It wouldn’t,” he repeated.

  “I haven’t meant to be so...” Justin trailed off, then dumping the snow he held, shoved back his hat to meet Jake’s eyes fully. “I haven’t meant to be so difficult.” His gaze slid away in shame before returning to Jake’s. “I know I come across– both Hugh and I come across –as being...”

  “Spoiled brats?”

  Justin looked away. “Yes. But there’s nothing spoiled about Hugh and I.”

  After hearing what Justin and Hugh had experienced as kids, Jake now believed it.

  “But,” Justin said, “Everyone deserves respect.”

  “Respect is earned, Justin. But what we all deserve is to treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves.” His mother had taught him that since childhood, and he’d tried his best to live by it.

  Justin blew out a breath. “You’re right, but what happened to Ben, then with Emily...I want the rest of us to get through this. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt. I’m sorry for me, for Hugh, for all of it. I know it doesn’t change what’s happened–”

  “No, but it’s a start,” Jake admitted. “I accept your apo
logy, Justin.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, Justin stood and held out his hand. “To getting through this together?”

  Jake looked down at the extended gloved hand. Never had he thought he’d see Justin humble himself enough and act like a real man. Maybe something good had come out of this situation after all. He shook the younger man’s hand. “To getting through this together.”

  Justin blew out a relieved breath. He looked like a weight had been lifted from his broad shoulders. “I’ve already apologized to Neil and Rita. I’ll talk to the others. I want a clean slate with everyone.”

  “You’ll get no argument from me.”

  They started back toward the cave. “Nina was right that first day when she said we have to think of the possibilities and not the obstacles,” Justin remarked.

  “Yeah.” But as Jake cast a covert glance up at the sky again, he knew they would soon be facing more obstacles than possibilities.

  Chapter 9

  ––––––––

  A sound woke Nina. Disorientated, her gaze swept the small room. Angela still laid on her platform breathing evenly, if shallowly.

  The sound came again. Not inside the cave, Nina realized, but outside it.

  Easing herself up, she cast a quick look at Angela again before leaving the room, heading straight to Neil and Rita’s room. Rita and Luke were sound asleep but Neil wasn’t. He lay staring up at the ceiling.

  She stopped at the doorway. “Neil,” she whispered.

  When he didn’t respond, she crossed over to him, laid a hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle shake. “Neil.”

  He shifted, yawned, and then turned his head to her. “Neen? What’s wrong?”

  “I heard a noise outside.”

  He frowned. “Noise? What kind of noise?”

  “I don’t know, but I think we should check it out.” She started out, gesturing for him to follow her.

  With a grunt he sat up and slid off the sleeping platform to join her. “Are you–?” He broke off abruptly and cocked his head.

  “Did you hear it?”

  “Yeah.” His bleary eyes sharpened. “Sounds like an engine.”

  Nina’s heart leaped with exhilaration. “Of a plane?”

  “Let’s hope. Can you grab Jake? I’ll meet you both outside.”

  She hesitated, torn between wanting to head straight outside with him, and logic. Logic won. Jake should be with them. He knew more about all this.

  I mustn’t get excited, she told herself as she headed out into the corridor. There was no use in waking the others until they knew for sure, she thought. They didn’t want to create mass hysteria. Jake laid on his back staring up at the ceiling. He was in his room and not out in the corridor as he’d been yesterday.

  “Jake.”

  He angled his face toward her. “Hey. What’s up?”

  “I heard a noise outside. Neil’s gone to investigate. We think it might be a plane.”

  He was up instantly, swearing as the jerked movement aggravated his sore body. Carefully, he placed his feet on the floor. “I haven’t heard anything.”

  Nina shrugged. “We have.”

  “Why are you whispering?”

  “The others are asleep, and it could be a false alarm.”

  “No false alarm,” Neil breathed in relief a few minutes later as he craned his neck with Nina and Jake to watch the fleet of helicopters circle the sky a hundred feet above them. “Definitely planes, baby!”

  Jake agreed as exhilaration pumped through him. “They’re search and rescue copters.” He recognized the logo of ISR. Gwynne had come through.

  Nina was up on her toes, all but vibrating with excitement. “You think your team in London is responsible for this, Jake?”

  He heard the unconcealed hope in her voice, the desperate hope they all shared. “Highly likely.”

  She gripped his arm but didn’t shift her riveted gaze from the copters circling the dark gray sky like a fleet of birds. “You’re sure?”

  Jake barely noticed the vise-like grip she had on his arm. He’d been thinking of this moment as soon as he’d finished speaking to Sam in London their first day out here. Though Jets by Gwynne had never needed the services of the search and rescue team before, ISR’s reputation was legendary.

  “They found us,” Neil said in wonder, and squeezed his eyes shut in relief.

  Jake’s gaze skimmed the bright red jumper marker that he had wrapped around the slanting pole near their cave. Snow had yet to fall, leaving it still noticeable. Their S.O.S. sign was still there, too. Like the red jumper, it had yet to be obscured by heavy snow he felt sure was on the way.

  “They’re not lowering,” Nina pointed out a few minutes later, her tone confused.

  He’d noticed that too, and Jake pursed his lips. “They’re waiting for something.”

  “What?” Anxiety and edginess made Nina’s voice short and brittle. “Haven’t we been out here long enough? We’re right here!” She began to wave her arms frantically, wincing a bit as the energetic movement tested her sore muscles.

  Jake grabbed her arms and forced them down.

  “Hey!” Incensed, she snatched her arms free. “What are you doing?”

  “Don’t wave at them,” he snapped, unable to hold back his own anxiety. “Despite what you see in movies, waving sends the message that you’re having fun, not that you need help. We’ve put up markers; they’ll see them.”

  Mouth tightening, Nina wrapped her arms around her chest. “Fine.”

  “What are they doing now?” Neil demanded. “They’re...they’re...” He didn’t finish.

  “Leaving,” Jake finished in a hoarse voice as the copters began to ascend. “They’re leaving.” Unable to watch the only source of escape leave them behind, he turned away. In his rational and experienced mind, he understood why the rescue team had made that decision. As a pilot he understood that they had no choice—no one could fly in a white out. But as someone who remained stranded in the backcountry, someone whose stomach had shrunk due to lack of food and was holding onto survival by a thin thread, something inside him died.

  Chapter 10

  ––––––––

  Alistair was the one to grab Hazel’s phone when it rang again. The three of them had moved to the more comfortable communal sitting room in the house to wait.

  “Mr. Gwynne? Yes, it’s Nina and Hazel’s brother, Alistair.” He switched the phone to speaker mode and set it on the coffee table so Hazel and Seb could also hear. “You’re on speakerphone.”

  “Fine.” Frank’s voice came through loud and clear in the quiet room. “The rescue team has seen the avalanche that has fallen.”

  Hazel squeezed Seb’s hand and mentally urged Frank to explain things faster. “Have they seen Neen?” she pressed, hearing the tension and anxiety in her own voice. “Have they found their snow cave? Have they–?”

  “Snow caves are tough to spot because they’re built below ground,” Gwynne said. “The rescue team won’t be looking for that. They’ll be looking for markers.”

  “Markers?” Hazel looked at her brothers blankly.

  “Signs to help make it easier to spot them,” Seb explained quickly. “A bright flag, an S.O.S. sign. Stuff like that.”

  “That’s right,” Gwynne said.

  Hazel steeled herself. “And have they....?”

  “The team has spotted markers. A red jumper had been wrapped around a pole. This was two hours ago.”

  Hazel gripped Seb’s hand tighter. “Does the rescue team know if they definitely belong to—?”

  Frank expelled a deep breath. “There’s no guarantee that it belongs to our guys, but we’re hoping it does. Of course, we don’t yet know if others have been caught in the same predicament our group has.”

  Alistair nodded. “So what’s next?” he pressed, leaning anxiously over the phone.

  “Well, with the avalanche still fresh there may be more mountain movement.”

  Seb
and Alistair exchanged a concerned glance. “Another avalanche could occur,” Seb muttered.

  She stared at him in horror. “But...but Jake wouldn’t have built a cave near avalanche terrain, surely?” She too leaned into the phone. “Even if there’s movement like you said, Frank, it shouldn’t affect the rescue team if they haven’t built a cave near the avalanche.”

  “It’s not that simple, Hazel,” Gwynne stated grimly.

  Of course not, she thought grimly. Simplicity would be asking too much.

  “Give it to us straight please, Mr. Gwynne,” Alistair said.

  “The weather in backcountry is always unpredictable, and heavy snow has been predicted this morning so...” he trailed off briefly before continuing. “The weather in backcountry doesn’t always stick to a predicted pattern or forecast, so extra vigilance is needed. The team must be convinced of stable weather for a couple of hours at least before they let any rescue crew members off the planes to search.”

  “You mean to search on foot?” Hazel asked

  “Exactly. Searching by foot is still the most effective method. And with search dogs to. They’ve got a whole team on this.

  So why haven’t they been found yet? Hazel screamed silently.

  “So what happens now?” Seb asked, glancing down at his watch. “It’s almost noon here.”

  “I’ll touch base with you each time the search team has an update. I’m keeping all the families updated.”

  “How are they...?” Hazel began tentatively. “How are the other families managing?”

  Gwynne’s answer was brief. “They’re praying.”

  ––––––––

  Nina watched in disbelief as the flock of jets continued to ascend, putting more and more distance between them and their only hope of rescue. Gradually and methodically, they turned, circled, and then began to fly away. Unable to believe her eyes, her gloved hand flew to her mouth to hold back a moan.

  “Why are they doing this?” Neil whispered. “They must have seen our markers.”