Ahead of them Neal crossed the bridge, then stopped yet again. His cough was deep. "Dios," exclaimed Dolores. Her long black hair swirled about her anxious face. With a muttered oath, she tied it in a knot at the back of her neck. "He sounds awful." She trotted up to him. "Jito, you're gonna get pneumonia out of this little trip."
"Nah." Head bent, Neal fought for breath. "Just a little under the weather... that's all."
Kerry caught up in time to hear him. "You're going to be little under the ground, the way you're going." She peered at the lowering sky, hunching her shoulders. "This is crazy. Where the hell are we going?"
"We'll find her. We have to." His face was composed but his hands trembled, causing him to fumble with the top buttons of his coat as he tightened the collar for warmth.
With no warning lightning flashed overhead, throwing the dark rocks into sudden brilliant relief. The air around them boomed.
"Oh, shit, shit." Elizabeth hunkered down in her jacket. Her heart was racing and panic nibbled at her control. "I hate lightning. Hate it, hate it." She walked quickly, her eyes fixed on the path, and plowed into Kerry, who had stopped dead.
Kerry stared toward a group of pines at the turnoff to the Amphitheater trail. Their branches churned in the rising wind.
Elizabeth followed her gaze and saw nothing to explain her rigid stance. "What is it?" Ahead of them Neal had reached the fork in the trail from the bridge and was turning east onto the Bluebell-Baird path.
Kerry turned toward Elizabeth, auburn bob blowing around her ashen face. "You don't see it?"
Elizabeth searched for something beyond the trees, rocks and mountainside undergrowth. "See what?"
Suddenly Kerry scrambled after Neal. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a halt. "The Amphitheater!" she shouted. "We need to go up to the Amphitheater."
Head lowered against the wind, Neal just looked at her, and then retraced his steps to the Amphitheater trailhead.
He'd trudged halfway up the dogleg when Elizabeth caught up to Kerry. "What's the deal?" she yelled. Her words were nearly swallowed in thunder rumbling down the mountain. "Why go this way?"
Kerry leaned against the wind, plodding over the rocky ground. "The scarf on the tree."
"What?" When Kerry didn't answer, but just kept going up the trail, Elizabeth decided to wait until later to find out what she meant. The whole insane trek up the mountain was an act of faith.
Aura Lee stumbled within hailing distance behind Elizabeth as they struggled over the rugged terrain. "Do you think they're all right? Don't you think they'd find cover?"
"They damn well better." Elizabeth pushed against the gusts and forced herself to lengthen her stride. "Come on," she called back to Aura Lee, "they're getting too far ahead of us."
They were across the bridge over the talus before they caught up with Dolores. She'd stopped at the base of another stairway of boulders and was pointing up the hill. "I think I see Rose. Look up there!"
"Where?" Elizabeth stepped up to Dolores's side. Following the direction of her arm, she saw the figure of a woman. Then she slipped out of sight. "Maybe it's Rose. Did you see anybody else?"
"No." Dolores lifted worried eyes to the trail ahead where Neal was making slow headway. A fine, hard mist had begun to fall. Already her face was damp with it. At their feet, the rocks took on a shine. "Man, this'll kill Neal if he lives long enough to get back to the house." She wiped at the moisture across her forehead.
Elizabeth shivered, pulling her jacket closer. "Let's just find those idiots and get everybody out of here." She cursed the slick soles of her shoes as she slid on the wet rocks.
Aura Lee pushed on past them to Kerry's side, precarious on the pebble-strewn surface. "Maybe they've found something up there."
Kerry's green eyes met Aura Lee's grimly. "What? A death wish?" She put her head down and slogged through the puddles.
The rain was coming down in force now and Elizabeth was finding it increasingly difficult to see anything. Neal had moved out of sight. Lightning cracked, and she shrieked as one foot slipped out from under her.
Dolores caught her by one arm and kept her from falling. "Easy! Let's try to get to Neal. He's fifty yards or so ahead of us." Thunder jolted the air. She surveyed the boulders nearby them. "We've got to get out of this before we're hit by lightning."
Aura Lee had a fierce grip on Kerry's shoulder. "Elizabeth! Let's make a run for the rocks over there while we still can." She motioned toward the huge sandstone formation above them.
Kerry scrubbed at the rain coursing down her face. "Are you crazy? We'll fall and break our necks."
"It's either that or the lightning," Elizabeth shouted. "Let's go."
Bunched together they struggled up the broken trail. As they reached the side path to the Amphitheater itself, the sky flared again with lightning. Terrified by the odor of ozone in her nostrils, Elizabeth scrambled toward the shelter of the big rocks forming the front walls. She tripped and fell headlong, unable to catch herself with her hands. Her palms slid over gravel, stinging at the contact.
"Elizabeth!" Aura Lee fell to her knees beside her. "Are you okay?" She lifted her face toward the sky in fury and yelled, "Goddess protect us! Shield us from the thunderbolt!" Roughly she grabbed Elizabeth by the shoulders. Dolores gripped Elizabeth's hand and they tugged her to her feet. They staggered to the base of the rocks, seeking cover.
Behind them Kerry shouted, "I think I see them." She waved at the slope to the rocks forming the rear embankment of the Amphitheater.
Abruptly Dolores dropped Elizabeth's hand and fell back against the stone at their backs. She gaped at the projecting rock above them. "There they are!"
* * *
Neal grabbed hold of Andrea's hand, pulling her toward a fissure in the sandstone rising above them. In the erratic light shadows danced around them, quickened by the near-constant lightning. Gasping for breath, he forced her ahead of him across shingle made treacherous by increasing rain. The sky flashed overhead and before he could shove her into shelter, a silhouette lurched toward them, enveloping Andrea in shadow.
Sick with cold, Neal stumbled back, his hand still clutching Andrea's, and she was forced to move with him, away from the shade engulfing her. Unbelieving, Neal watched the foggy darkness twist toward them, slowly taking on substance in the downpour. Shining rain was creating the outline of a man.
Neal backed away, eyes riveted on the growing figure. Like a funnel-cloud it moved toward them, a head forming above hulking shoulders, and stubs at the sides lengthening into arms. He heard harsh, panting breaths and realized they were his own. Beside him Andrea was making high-pitched sounds that were swallowed in the crashing thunder surrounding them.
The skies opened. Sheets of water ran off boulders and the sloping hillside almost immediately. The shape was silvery now, but for cold dark eyes staring at them with malevolence. Legs had developed from the lower murk, and the first, halting steps brought the apparition yet closer.
Neal jerked Andrea backward, not daring to take his gaze from what was stalking them. Now hands were at the ends of the arms, clenched fists swinging at each side as it followed them.
Beside him Andrea stumbled, falling to her knees, and Neal dragged her to her feet. He swung her around and half-carried her to the path. As they reached the trailhead, he felt a sudden thrust at his back, sending him headlong onto the wet, rough surface, forcing Andrea's hand from his. Before he could push himself to his feet, water gushing from the hillside hit at knee level, rolling him over, carrying him down the trail. He heard a scream.
* * *
Elizabeth grabbed Aura Lee and Dolores clutched Kerry by the arm. Together they dragged each other toward higher ground at the edge of the sandstone mass and took shelter under a rocky overhang. From their vantage point Elizabeth stared up at the mountain. In the flashing light she saw three figures in front of the soaring rocks. She drew the sleeve of her jacket across her eyes. "Is that Rose or Noreen with them?"
/> Dolores shook her head. "They're over there." She pointed to the bank near a thicket of bushes and saplings. They could hear Strudel's muffled barking.
Fissures in the jagged rocks behind Andrea and Neal looked alive in the shadows cast by lightning. The two of them backed away from a third person—Elizabeth couldn't tell who it was—and then Neal swung Andrea around and pulled her with him. The other figure almost fell toward them and Neal lurched to the ground. "What the hell." Yet another shape swayed unsteadily after the other. "Who is that?"
"What's going on?" Aura Lee had sunk to the dirt and was clutching her knees to her chest, shivering with cold. "Why aren't they coming down?"
"Madre de Dios!" Dolores jumped to her feet. The rainwater flowing off the rugged confines of the Amphitheater had filled the nooks and hollows in the walls. Now it spilled from hidden places, streaming across the ground, eddying around boulders. Rivulets ran together toward the natural channel formed by the trail, gaining power as they united. Bits of earth broke away and were carried off in the current.
Through the deluge they saw Andrea catch hold of a rock and pull herself up above the water streaming down the hill.
"Where's Neal?" Elizabeth forced her way through the water flowing over her shoes. "I can't see him," she called back to the others. "We have to get up there. Hurry!"
The four of them battled across the roiling water toward the place they'd last seen Neal. As they neared the mouth of the Amphitheater, Elizabeth heard a volley of barking. Rose and Noreen were struggling toward them through mud and water. Noreen had zipped Strudel into her sweatshirt against her chest. The little dog's drenched head poked out from under her chin.
A flurry of dirt and mud scattered past Elizabeth, and she turned to see Andrea sliding down a bluff. She landed on her knees and scrambled to her feet almost immediately, running to them. Her face was bone white, eyes burning with terror. "We've got to get to Neal," she shouted. "The water forced him down the trail."
Lightning sizzled overhead, thunder roaring instantly, swallowing Aura Lee's shriek.
"Sweet Jesus, protect us." Elizabeth forced herself forward. "Let's go."
Slipping, grasping at rocks and bushes, the women fought to stay on their feet as they slid down the trail.
Aura Lee tugged at Kerry's arm. "Look! There he is." She pointed to the bend in the track. Neal was clutching a boulder but water splashed and pushed against him. His legs were shifting over the edge, his hands slipping along the surface of the rock. In a flash of lightning the large stone looked like a living thing locked in battle with him as he fought to maintain his grip.
Elizabeth peered through the downpour, saw Neal slide further down the face of the rock. For one mad instant, she thought the stone tried to fling him off. "Grab him," she yelled. Dolores lunged for Neal's arm just as Aura Lee fell on her, anchoring her by one leg. Kerry came down beside Dolores and seized her other ankle.
"Help me." Dolores had barely said the words when Andrea fell at her side, immediately grasping Neal's arm. Beside her Rose knelt along the edge of the trail. Heedful of the water spilling along the rim, she leaned forward, reaching for Neal's leg with one hand. Elizabeth scurried toward her.
"Watch out!" Noreen's cry halted Elizabeth in mid-step. "The bank is falling away."
"Okay, okay," muttered Elizabeth. Agonized at her helplessness, she watched the others strain to pull Neal up. Lightning cracked again and shadows darted toward Neal and the women clutching him. Flat on the ground, hands fixed around Dolores's leg, Aura Lee chanted prayers.
The women tightened their grips and braced themselves. "Okay—now!" They heaved Neal back onto the trail, Andrea and Dolores falling backwards, Rose sprawling beside them. Neal lay motionless.
In that instant lightning struck the boulder where Neal had dangled moments before. The boom of thunder was deafening. Pain bit at Elizabeth's cheek and she fell to the ground.
* * *
Andrea felt hands moving over her body. She couldn't hear for the ringing in her ears. When she opened her eyes, it was to the sight of Aura Lee kneeling at her side. The older woman's face was covered in mud and her eyes were dazed.
After a while, Andrea could hear her ask, "...you all right?"
Andrea took a deep breath and her chest hurt as it filled with cold air. "I'm alive." Her voice cracked and she fell silent. In a rush, the events of the day spilled back into her mind. A pit opened in her stomach. "Neal?" She pulled her fingers from Aura Lee's patting hand and scrambled to her knees, muscles protesting. She scanned the trail anxiously.
Kerry knelt on the ground, forehead against her knees. Beside her Noreen waited as Rose tried to tie a handkerchief around her right hand. Mud streaked Rose's forehead, and she moved at the edge of exhaustion. Braced against an embankment, Elizabeth, her tiny braids dripping water down her face, stared at the shattered boulder at the edge of the trail, her breathing broken by meager sobs. Dolores huddled beside her, trying to rub warmth into her hands. Neal lay at their feet on the path.
Andrea crawled to him, barely registering the bruising gravel under her knees. "Did lightning hit him?" She groped for his hand.
"I don't think so." Elizabeth released a shaky breath. "I guess none of us were hit."
"Only cuts and bruises so far." Rose knelt beside Andrea and bent over Neal. "Neal?"
He opened one eye and then closed it against the sporadic rain. The scrape on his forehead was garish against his pallid skin. "Bay rum," he rasped. "Almost choked me."
"What?" Andrea laid her head on his chest, ignoring the rivulets trickling around them. She heard the steady beat of his heart and exhaled in relief. He began to cough.
"We have to get him out of this rain. Neal," Rose said more loudly. "Can you stand up?"
"Yeah." Another cough rumbled from his chest. "Let's go home."
Aura Lee bustled nearer. "Should we put my poncho on him?" She flinched at the lightning flash down the hill.
Kerry stood up slowly. "What difference would it make? We're all soaked." Thunder grumbled along the mountainside.
"Think you can make it down?" Rose asked. One by one they nodded, and she returned her attention to Neal. She touched his shoulder. "Can you walk?"
"Sure. Let's go." He had little strength of his own, but with their help he struggled to his feet. Swaying, he looked up the trail, memory seeping back into his eyes.
Elizabeth shuddered. "Let's get the hell out of here."
Andrea braced her shoulder under Neal's right arm and Rose did the same on his left side. They steadied him as they started down the trail. The storm was dwindling into fitful showers and distant thunder. Rocks shifted against each other as they tramped down the washed out trail.
Aura Lee came to an abrupt stop. "By the Goddess!"
Elizabeth bumped into her, nearly knocking her down. "What's the matter?"
"The other one," exclaimed Aura Lee. "The person up there with them."
Elizabeth stared at her numbly. "You saw somebody else, too?"
Dolores surveyed the hillside behind them. "I saw two more, but there's nobody there now."
Andrea pulled at Neal, urging him forward. They had to get off the mountain and her strength was ebbing fast. "Come on, let's go."
Neal mumbled something and coughed. Andrea tightened her hold around his waist and tugged, propelling Rose forward at his other side.
Kerry frowned at Elizabeth and then stepped in front of Andrea, forcing her to stop. "If there's somebody else up there, we've got to—"
"Kerry let it go." Andrea looked into Kerry's bewildered face. "I swear there's nobody else to worry about. Come on." Kerry bit back a retort and followed them down the hill.
Chapter 24
Noreen helped Andrea steady her glass. Her teeth knocked against the rim, and it was all she could do to swallow a bit of the brandy. Liquid heat shot down her throat into her chest, making her cough, but the shivering lessened.
"All of it." Noreen tilted the glass again
and Andrea emptied it.
"What happened up there?" Kerry reached for the bottle on the coffee table and refilled her own glass.
"That's what we need to figure out." Rose came into the living room slowly, and despite the thick wrap around her shoulders, she was visibly shivering.
Neal eased around her, heading for the sofa. His face was haggard, the scrape on his forehead as vivid as neon. Strudel trailed behind him, and when he sat down next to Andrea, the dog jumped onto the cushion to lie beside him.
"Whatever it was, I don't want to be there if it happens again." Elizabeth's chair was beside the fireplace where flames licked at thick logs. Cocooning in a plaid throw, she tucked her feet under her. "I don't think I'll ever get warm again."
Noreen poured more of the amber liquid. "Here, get this down. We're all suffering from shock."
"Yeah." Kerry's shoulders were hunched, her face colorless. "Shock is what I felt when I saw—whatever it was."
"God, those moving shadows," Elizabeth murmured. "That's what they looked like to me, anyway."
"Spirits in the stone." Aura Lee bore the tea tray to the table and set it down as gently as she could.
"Don't say that." In spite of a hot shower and dry clothes, Dolores looked small and pale. "With the lightning and the rain, who knows what tricks of vision there were up there?"
"Wait a minute," Noreen said. "We need to write down what each of us saw, and we can compare notes. We'll contaminate our recollections if we—"
"There's no way to be scientific about this." Kerry's voice broke in the middle. "I think I saw a shadow attack Neal. I can't just write stuff down when I feel like I'm losing my fucking mind!"
"Hey, it's okay." Rose sat and put her arms around her. "Breathe in and out, hold it... come on and breathe with me." Rose's voice was calm and comforting, and soon Kerry settled into the rhythm, gaining control over tiny bubbling sobs.
Edge of the Shadow Page 20
