by Alex Archer
“Did you all survive the crash?”
“Yes, but the man Mike is injured. He’s got a bleeding wound in his thigh. We’ve stabilized him as much as possible, but we will need a medical team to come to us soon or he will not last the night.”
There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “Tuk, I’ve got bad news. We can’t get a rescue team out to you now.”
“Why not?”
“There’s a storm heading your way. A bad one.”
Tuk looked at the sky. If he’d grown up with people who knew how to read the weather, he might have noticed the line of clouds forming and heading right for the peak he was on.
Already, he could feel the temperature falling.
“When?”
“Tomorrow if the storm breaks. But I’m not going to lie to you, Tuk. Not after everything you’ve done for me. The chances of a rescue early on are remote unless this storm breaks before dawn. The odds are long of that happening and you may be out there for a couple of days.”
“We won’t make it.”
“Listen to me,” the man said. “Remember how I told you to stay close to the plane?”
“Yes.”
“Forget that advice. You need to find someplace else to take shelter while the storm rages. Get yourself into an overhang or some other piece of shelter close to the mountain itself, out of the wind. If you can do that, then you can survive this thing.”
“The man may not survive.”
“How is Annja?”
“She collapsed unconscious twice, but seems all right now. She apparently has two broken ribs but is mobile enough.”
The man paused again. “I understand what you’ve told me, Tuk. I wish I had better news. As long as Annja lives, that is the priority. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.”
“Then you don’t have any time to waste. Find a shelter and get as many of the supplies into it as you can. Wait this thing out. Keep the phone with you.”
“I’m amazed I got any reception at all.”
“It’s not a cell phone, Tuk. Merely designed to look like one. You can reach me from anywhere on earth with that little thing. It’s tremendously powerful despite its size. Just like you.”
Tuk looked up into the sky. The wind was increasing. “I’ve got to go or I’ll lose precious time.”
“Understood. Call me tomorrow if you can.”
“The woman doesn’t know about you yet. I’ve kept it from them both. But I may not be able to much longer.”
“Do your best, Tuk. That’s all I can ever ask.”
Tuk disconnected and frowned. The news that there would be no rescue irked him, but life had dealt him bad cards before and somehow he’d always managed to come out ahead.
The most important thing just then was finding them an adequate shelter. And fast. It would still take the time to reach it from the wreckage once Tuk found something.
The wind felt stronger on this side of the mountain. The storm appeared to be blowing in from the northeast so Tuk went around toward the other side. As soon as he cleared a large outcropping, the wind died down.
There’d be no guarantee that it would stay blowing in only one direction, but if they could minimize their exposure, then it would be better on this side of the mountain.
His legs kept churning beneath him and he glanced back at his own trail in the snow. If it started to snow, he would be in serious trouble. A rapid snowfall would erase his lifeline back to the plane. And then he would truly be alone.
He pushed ahead for another two hundred yards when he caught a glimpse of dark color in the field of grayish white twilight. He hurried over and felt a small depression in the side of a large rock face.
Tuk pushed his hand into the space and felt a rush of excitement as it seemed to open up into a larger area. The opening itself was barely twenty-four inches across and hardly a cave mouth.
But it would do. Tuk ducked inside and couldn’t make out much in terms of detail. But it had a roof and it would offer them protection during the storm.
He had to get back to Annja and Mike.
Back outside, the first snowflakes swirled through the air. It would only be a matter of time before the storm would embrace the mountain in earnest. Tuk revved himself up and, with lungs already burning, trudged back hard through the snow toward the airplane.
As he came around the side of the mountain, the wind returned and slammed him so hard he fell on his back. He bent forward and made himself as low as possible, then kept fighting to make his way to the plane.
Finally, after another thirty minutes, he saw the tail of the plane ahead.
“Annja!” he called out.
His voice was barely audible over the encroaching storm, but after shouting two more times, the woman’s head appeared and waved him on.
Back at the plane, she had a bottle of water ready for him. Tuk sucked it down, amazed at how hot and sweaty he was.
Annja eyed him. “Any luck?”
Tuk nodded and put the top back on the bottle. “It’s a fair hike on the other side of the mountain, but there’s a place we can use.”
“Is it big enough for all of us?”
Tuk nodded. “I think so, but I couldn’t be sure. I was just concerned with getting back. There’s no time to waste. We’ve got to get going.” He looked at Mike, who actually seemed better now. “Can you make it?”
Mike tried moving and gritted his teeth. “I’ll make it.”
Tuk glanced at Annja. “We don’t have any time. We’ll all die if we stay here. That storm is going to be massive.”
Annja looked at Mike. “I’ll carry you,” she said.
Mike laughed. “Give me a break, Annja. I’ll be fine. The bleeding’s stopped and I’ll make it on my own.”
Tuk reached into the back of the plane and started gathering supplies. “I can carry two bags.”
Annja took another and the first aid kit. “I arranged the contents so we’ve got blankets, food and the water,” she said.
Tuk hefted the bags and found that, while they didn’t weigh a whole lot, they made his walking cumbersome. “You’ll need to help Mike. If the bleeding begins again, he might die,” he said to Annja.
She nodded. “Start leading the way, Tuk. We’re getting critical on time.”
Tuk led them around the front of the plane and then started walking back through his own tracks. The snow increased and more flakes fell. Walking with the two bags strapped to his back made things even tougher, but he couldn’t complain. The choice was clear—march or die.
They gradually managed to limp their way around the bend in the mountain and got out of the direct wind blasts that had assailed them since leaving the plane. Tuk called a halt and checked on Annja and Mike.
Annja looked cold and tired, but still in fairly decent shape. Mike looked pale and winded. He was limping along with Annja as a support for him.
Tuk cupped his hand over Annja’s ear. “How is he?”
“He can make it. I think the bleeding started again, though. How much farther is it?”
“A few hundred yards,” Tuk said. “You’ll see the outcropping and that’s it.”
Snow continued to fall on them as they clawed their way those final few hundred yards. At last, Tuk spotted the outcropping, relieved that it hadn’t been covered over with snow yet. His tracks made just thirty minutes earlier were already mere depressions in the snow.
He waved Annja and Mike over, helping them the last few feet. Annja handed Tuk the single flashlight that she’d retrieved from the plane. “Tell me what it’s like inside.”
Tuk ducked into the outcropping and switched the light on. His heart raced. He had found them a cave. A few yards in from the opening, the roof opened up to a height of seven feet or so and then seemed to go on right into the mountain.
There was always the danger that an animal lived inside, but Tuk was beyond caring. They had a place to wait out the storm.
He poked his head back outsi
de. “Let’s get Mike in here.”
Annja eased him through the opening, which was barely big enough to accommodate his girth. Mike wasn’t obese, but years of football had made him large. Getting him into the cave was a challenge.
Annja ducked through the opening a moment later, dragging the last of their gear with her.
She looked around and nodded. “Good work, Tuk.”
“Thank you.” He moved the flashlight around the walls and floor of the cave. It seemed remarkably dry. “We need a fire to get us warm,” he said.
Annja grunted. “Wish we had some firewood.”
Tuk looked at her. “You’ll be okay with Mike here by the entrance for a little while?”
Annja nodded. “I need to change his bandage. He’s bleeding again.”
“All right. I’m going to see what there is to use in this cave.”
Annja frowned. “You expect to find a tree?”
“You never know what might be around,” Tuk said. “If animals have lived here, they might have bedding or even scat that we can use to burn. Anything to get our temperatures up would be good. Especially for Mike’s sake.”
“Well, you’ve already saved us by finding this place,” Annja said. “Just don’t be too long. I’ve barely got any light over here as it is and that flashlight is our only source right now.”
“I’ll be quick,” Tuk said. He headed off toward the back of the cave and kept shining the flashlight around all the crevices. His feet brushed over bits of straw that he dutifully gathered up in his pockets. It would burn, but it wouldn’t last long. They needed more substantial fuel if they were going to stay warm.
The cave seemed to descend toward a point where the walls converged. Tuk looked down at the ground and saw evidence of smaller animals living there, but again, nothing beyond that. As much of a blessing as the cave was, there seemed to be little of use inside its walls.
Tuk leaned back against the rock face of the wall and took a breath. He hadn’t realized how utterly exhausted he was. Forging through the snow drifts had sapped all of his strength.
He decided to get back to Annja and Mike. They might not be able to have a roaring fire, but at least they were out of the storm.
“Any luck?” Annja asked as he came back around the bend.
“Unfortunately, I only managed to find a handful of straw. It is probably from an old bird’s nest.”
Annja had spread the coats around on the ground and layered them atop one another. “Well, so much for my picture perfect idea of a campfire and ghost stories tonight.”
Tuk smiled. “How is he?”
Annja looked at Mike, who lay on the coats with his leg slightly elevated. “I’ve stopped the bleeding again, but he’s lost a lot of blood. We’re going to need medical help tomorrow or else…” Her voice trailed off.
“I understand,” Tuk said. “We will get him the help he needs.”
Annja waved him over. “I’ve got some survival rations here. It’s not filet mignon but it will do. Eat with us. Then I think we’re all going to have to cozy up to one another and share the warmth. That storm outside sounds pretty awful.”
Tuk helped himself to some of the food and sat chewing for a while as the snow continued to fall outside of their cave.
He hoped the man on the phone would be able to find them.
Before it was too late.
12
Despite being out of the direct path of the wind, Annja could still hear it howling around the mountain outside of the cave. If we’d stayed with the plane, she thought, we’d already be dead.
Mike lay next to her. He was feverish and Annja was extremely worried about his injury. If the storm didn’t break before morning, she doubted that any rescue party would ever find them. As it was, they were already quite a distance from the plane wreckage. And no one had any idea where they were.
But morning was still hours away. And they needed to get through the night first.
She felt Mike’s head and checked his pulse. His heart rate seemed to have increased. At least he wasn’t hypothermic. On the other side of Mike, Tuk lay on his back, perfectly still in the dark. His breathing seemed deep and level.
Annja thought about his sudden appearance earlier. Seeing him topple out of the back of the plane was a shock. She almost thought that Tsing might have stashed someone else aboard with a more evil agenda.
But Tuk had proven handy. He’d saved their lives by spotting this cave. Annja wasn’t sure she would have been able to find the place on her own. And it was less likely she would have been able to get both the gear and Mike to the cave before the snow buried them.
The simple fact was that they owed their lives to the diminutive Nepali man.
The question that plagued Annja was very simple. What was he doing on their plane?
The excuse he’d given didn’t hold up. Annja had a great nose for booze, and if Tuk had been drinking heavily the previous night she would have smelled it all over him, especially when he got back from his scouting mission. He was sweating so much that any booze in his system would have scented him like a perfume.
And yet, there was nothing about him that reeked of alcohol.
Which meant the little guy was lying.
But why?
Annja frowned. A stowaway on a plane that happens to crash who then saves their lives was a bit too much coincidence for her. And Annja wasn’t big on believing in such things in the first place.
But Tuk seemed almost completely harmless. Almost. Annja knew better than to accept the notion that his small size meant he was a pushover. He’d already demonstrated his incredible drive to accomplish finding the cave. And he’d then come back, grabbed two bags and led them to the safety of this shelter.
Most people wouldn’t be able to do that, she thought. But Tuk had accomplished it easily enough. It was almost as if his determination carried him along when physical strength did not.
And that made the little man dangerous. Or, at least, potentially so.
Annja took a breath and exhaled. She could just make out a bit of the breath as it frosted the air in front of her face. Her muscles slowly loosened from the earlier push to reach the cave. And the stress over Mike’s injury had subsided somewhat, as well. He was resting comfortably and there was nothing more to be done for him at the moment. Mike wasn’t out of the woods yet, but Annja needed sleep. Her body craved it like a drug, and mercifully, Annja felt the cloak of slumber reach for her and pull her into its embrace.
ANNJA TRIED TO RESIST the urging of her body to come back to a more conscious state. She wanted to stay asleep. Things were warm and happy there.
But she could sense movement. Maybe it was Mike needing some help.
Annja allowed one eye to open and glance around.
The interior of the cave was absolutely dark. She could see nothing. But she could feel something.
Mike was moving.
She rolled over and felt for him in the darkness. Her hand found nothing.
Annja sat up.
“Mike?”
She sensed another source of movement. “Tuk?”
“Yes?”
Annja relaxed a little bit. “Is Mike with you?”
“No. He’s lying next to— Wait.” Annja heard Tuk rustling around and then the flashlight beam cut into the darkness, illuminating the surrounding cave.
Mike was gone.
Tuk scrambled to his feet and shone the flashlight all around the cave. Annja was on her feet, as well. “Where the hell did he go?”
Tuk looked down at their improvised bedding and shook his head. “I don’t see any fresh bloodstains. That’s at least a good sign.”
“Yes, but he’s gone,” Annja said. “And that’s not a good thing.”
Tuk looked around. “He was right next to me.” He looked at Annja. “Forgive me. Ordinarily, I would have remained alert. But I’m afraid the exertion from my trek earlier quite exhausted my ability to stay awake.”
“You deserved
the sleep,” Annja said. “I should have been on watch. I didn’t think we’d have anything to worry about with such a crazy storm outside.”
Tuk shook his head. “This doesn’t make any sense. If Mike is gone and we cannot find him—”
Annja frowned. “How far back did you search the cave earlier when we got here?”
“Almost as far as I could go. The roof converges and the walls actually get much closer. I don’t think there’s any way that Mike could have gotten out back there.”
Annja grabbed the flashlight and headed toward the back of the cave. Tuk followed along behind her. “Annja? I don’t think he went this way.”
“Then where did he go? Outside? That would be suicidal. And Mike’s not the type to do that.”
Tuk cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to sound cold, but perhaps he was worried that he was weighing us down. That if we were concerned about him, then we might all die. Perhaps he thought—”
Annja flashed the light back on to Tuk. “Stop it. I don’t believe that for a second.”
“It was just a thought.” Tuk clamped his mouth shut.
Annja shook her head. “Sorry, it’s just that I know Mike and he wouldn’t think of doing that. There would be another way to solve the problem. Besides, Mike was too fixated on the purpose of our mission.”
“And what was that?”
Annja smiled. “We’re searching for Shangri-La.”
Tuk nodded. “Really?”
“You don’t seem surprised.”
Tuk shrugged. “You’re not the first foreigners to come looking for it. The lure of an idyllic world isolated from the rest of the earth is a powerful one. Many people have come to Nepal looking for it.”
“Do you believe it exists?” Annja asked.
Tuk shrugged. “I believe in only what I can control—my own future, until recently.”
Annja reached the back part of the cave and frowned. Just as Tuk had said, the cave roof and walls all converged at a point that made any more progression in that direction impossible. Unless you had a drill or the means to pass through solid rock.
Annja had neither.
She supposed that the sword might be able to penetrate the rock at least for a few inches. But what was the point of that? she wondered. Unless there was a hidden route through the rock, it would be a useless gesture.