Wild Fire (19 page)

“No!” Kara felt her throat tighten, and hot tears formed behind her eyes.
Great. Now what are we going to do?
There was obviously no way around. Going over wasn't such a hot idea either. What if the pile gave way, or their legs got tangled in the brush?

Maybe they could dig a hole big enough to crawl through it. She ran forward and began tearing at the branches, breaking off twigs and pieces of scorched bark. She jerked her hand back from a still-smoldering pine cone. She moved over and tried digging at another spot.

Ryan was right beside her. “Yuck, what's that smell?”

The stench nearly knocked her off her feet. She covered her nose and gagged when she saw the deer embedded in the pile, tongue protruding, dead eyes staring straight at her.

“No! No! No!” She screamed and jumped backwards, almost tripping over Ryan. She turned and ran until she reached the boulder, then bent her knees and let her body sink into the nearly dry riverbed. She yanked off her pack
and pressed her back against the rock. Solid and strong, it would hold her upright while she tried to think.

What now? All she wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep. Right there in the middle of an empty riverbed. Let the fire rage. The worst of it was miles away, or they had it almost out by now. Who cared?

Ryan slid down beside her. “That deer's a goner, Kara. It can't hurt you.”

One look at the disgust on his face and she burst out laughing. She laughed until her nose ran and the tears spilled down her cheeks, and she still couldn't stop.

Ryan giggled, then scooped up a handful of water and threw it in her face. “Stop it. You're weirding out on me.”

He sounded so much like Tia, she almost choked. “Okay, okay. Let me catch my breath.” She warded off another handful of water and used the tail of her T-shirt to mop her face. “Well, Kiddo, there's sure no way around that mess. I guess we go back to the door in the tunnel.” Part of that legend seemed to fit. She could only hope the rest of it was real.

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.

I
T 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 waiting 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.”