Walking Through Shadows

by Sheri Lewis Wohl

  “Our packs are gone.” Winnie glanced back at the open cabin door. She seemed stuck on that detail, and while it bothered Molly, it didn’t bother her enough to stop her forward momentum. A sense of dread draped over her like a blanket, yet she pushed on.

  “Don’t worry about it.” The packs would surely come in handy, but she didn’t want to take the time to figure out where they went. They were gone, and they’d just have to deal with it.

  “But—”

  “Let’s go.” Angus grabbed Winnie’s hand. “We don’t need them.”

  “The packs…Loba…” Winnie wasn’t giving up without a fight.

  That thought stopped Molly momentarily. Where was Loba? Not once since the whole paradigm shift occurred had she seen her dog. Why? The single word echoed in her head, demanding an answer that she simply didn’t have. Loba hadn’t wanted to come into the cabin to begin with. Her dog probably had better sense than the rest of them. If they’d stayed at that door or, better yet, outside, maybe they’d still be in the twenty-first century and not running away from some shadowy horse rider intent on hurting them. Or would that be one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse?

  “Loba will be fine.” Angus tapped her on the shoulder as he pulled Winnie past her and into the cover of the trees.

  “Who is Loba?” Aquene looked around as if searching for another person.

  “My dog.” That sounded so inconsequential, given Loba’s place in her heart. She was more than just her dog, but that was a conversation for another time.

  “I do not see a dog.”

  That was the big problem, now wasn’t it? Since the moment she’d encountered Aquene, nothing was as it had been only seconds before. Whether she liked it or not, things had changed, and she didn’t have time to figure out what it was right now. She had to follow Aquene’s lead and run. She had to believe that wherever Loba was, she’d be fine.

  “No,” Molly sighed. “Neither do I.”

  Without saying anything else, she followed Angus and Winnie into the trees, attempting to put as much distance as she could between herself and the cabin. The wind was picking up in intensity, and raindrops were falling faster and faster.

  With several long strides, Aquene passed her, and together they traveled quickly away from the cabin. Her eyes were on Aquene as she moved like a gazelle through the trees and over jutting rocks. Her black braids trailed behind her as the wind blew against them as if it was trying to push them back. That wasn’t going to happen. Storm or no, they were going to cover some ground and put as much distance as they could between themselves and the mystery rider.

  Twice she tripped, and twice Aquene was immediately at her side to help her up. It was like she had a sixth sense about Molly. It was nice to have help. It was strange to have someone she’d just met be so in tune with her.

  The storm suddenly vanished like someone had turned off a gushing faucet. One minute rain was pelting them, and the next it was eerily calm. She wondered if Aquene thought it strange. Hard to tell because she was ahead of her moving with purpose.

  She wasn’t sure when she lost Angus and Winnie. They’d taken off first, and Molly had been so focused on Aquene she didn’t realize their paths had diverged. It made her uneasy. That and the unsettling sensation of someone at her back. It didn’t make any difference that they had covered enough distance to make the sound of the approaching horseman disappear. She still couldn’t shake the feeling of a dark cloud following her. While her family was in the business of white magic, she knew black magic when she felt it. Or in this case, when she was being beaten up by it.

  * * *

  At first Winnie thought the whole time-travel scenario was kind of cool. It was getting less cool by the second. In fact, she’d shifted into believing this was majorly messed up. Yeah, she got the whole witch thing with Molly and most of the time thought it was sweet. But not right at the moment. She’d just wanted to spend a couple of leisurely days with the love of her life, her best friend, and an awesome dog, hiking along the Columbia River. It had sounded great when Angus came up with the plan.

  Now…not so much. Her earlier suggestion that it would be an excellent reality show was kind of dumb. Even if there had been reality TV in 1837, the show they found themselves in wasn’t a very groovy rehash of history. No, this was more like being dumped in the outback and left to their own devices to survive. Not her idea of fun at all.

  So here they were running into the woods like they’d just robbed a bank and trying to get away from what? Molly and Aquene both said someone was coming and that someone was real bad. She didn’t hear anything, making it a little harder to work up enthusiasm for running around in the wilds like the flocks of turkeys that were everywhere these days back at home. Then again, she’d been with Molly before when she’d had premonitions, and damned if they weren’t dead on.

  Even though the landscape here was nothing like the thick forests that surrounded the Spokane area, running through the trees wasn’t exactly easy. Lots of low bushes with prickly leaves. Way too many fallen branches and rocks sticking up from the ground had her stumbling many times over. Without Angus, she’d have done a face plant more than once.

  “Stop,” she gasped when the exertion finally got to her. She could swear a three-hundred-pound man was sitting on her chest. This was totally messed up.

  Angus stopped and helped her sit on a fallen tree. “Are you all right?” His expression made her think he was afraid she was about to have the big one. She had to believe she looked awful.

  She’d make some witty remark but was too busy gasping for air. He didn’t look as though he was even breathing hard. In fact, he looked downright hot. She loved him, but right now she kinda hated him too.

  Finally she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I am now.”

  He laid his palm against her cheek. “You should think about trail running. You’re not too bad at it.” Apparently he didn’t think she was ready to have the big one. Her moment of hating him was fading away.

  “Are you kidding me? That just about killed me. This ass was not made for leaping over fallen trees and skipping over rocks.”

  “Oh, darlin’, I hate to break it to you, but you were pretty impressive. And that arse is most fine. You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

  Okay, hating him was totally out. This man was a keeper. She was not under any delusions about herself. She was no striking beauty, and her figure, at best, would be defined as curvy. Even so, he had a way of making her feel as though she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He might be lying, but she’d take it.

  “You’re just trying to get lucky.” She gave him a small smile. Her breathing was evening out, but despite her taunting words, sex was most definitely off the table.

  He leaned down and kissed her. It wasn’t a sweet peck. The passion of it rocked her and once more robbed her breath. “I’m already lucky,” he said against her lips. “And don’t you ever doubt it.”

  She wasn’t sure she could make him that promise, but her resistance was fading. When she got her breath back, she glanced around. “What happened to Molly and Aquene?”

  Angus looked in the direction they’d come from and frowned. “I don’t get it. I thought they were right behind us.”

  “I don’t hear anything.” It had struck her how quiet their surroundings were once her labored breathing had calmed enough to hear something besides her own gasps. But there was nothing to hear. If Molly and Aquene were, indeed, running behind them, they should be able to catch the sounds of their feet against the earth and the snaps of fallen branches. Lord knows they’d made enough noise as they’d dashed across the unfamiliar ground. Well, if she was being honest, she’d made all the noise.

  His frown deepened. “Neither do I.”

  Fear began a slow creep up her spine. Being with Angus always made her feel safe, and she still felt that way now…sort of. The thought of being separated from Molly filled her with an icy chill. Whatever wa
s going on was so outside normal that it defied any kind of understanding. She wanted, no, needed, for the three of them to stay together.

  She tilted her head up and looked at Angus. “We have to find her.” She didn’t know if he’d get it. Angus had always said he liked Molly, and she believed him. It was just that he might not truly understand the close bond the two women shared and why it was critical that she find Molly now.

  Her fears were unfounded. He nodded as he agreed. “We do.”

  Tears pooled in her eyes, and she silently berated herself for being weak. This was not the time to be soft. She couldn’t help it. Her worries about being separated from Molly were strong and soul-shaking. “How do we do that?”

  Angus sat next to her on the tree and took her hands. He was warm and solid, and reassuring. “We’ll go back the way we came and see if we can pick up their tracks.”

  She protested. “We’re not trackers.” She was sure she’d fail miserably at even trying to make out a track. Lord, she’d barely made their run intact.

  “Oh, but I must argue that fine point, my dear. I am a trained tracker.”

  She turned and stared at him. “What? No way.” How could she not know something like that?

  His smile was a little wry. “All right, trained tracker might be stretching it a wee bit, but a few years back, I was a cameraman on that series where they dropped people in the wilderness and gave them seven days to find their way back to civilization. I learned a ton following those folks about.”

  She actually remembered the show, though his time as a cameraman on it had occurred before they became a couple. “I didn’t know you worked on that one.”

  He shrugged. “It was my last gig before I went into business for myself. Decided it was time to settle down and give stability a shot.” He kissed the side of her head. “Quite glad I did too.”

  Couldn’t argue the point because she was glad he’d decided to choose Spokane when he could have gone anywhere. But how could his revelation regarding the show be helpful? “Those people didn’t track anybody.” From what she remembered, it was more about navigation and survival. Besides, he’d been following them, not trying to find anyone.

  “True enough, but one guy on the second season specialized in man-tracking. He did search-and-rescue kind of stuff back where he lived, and after his episode we became friends. He actually gave me a wee bit of instruction, and it was fun. I still remember a few of the basics and am sure I can dig up enough of it to help us now.”

  Angus was full of surprises, and honestly, they gave her some hope. She kissed him on the cheek, which flooded her with warmth, and once again she thought of how much comfort his presence brought her. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

  His smile was broad and his eyes bright, even in the growing darkness. “No. I don’t think there is.”

  “And so modest too.”

  “That I am.”

  Feeling more positive than she had since they’d found themselves in this altered reality, she stood. Even though she had no clue how they were going to do it, she held out her hand and said, “Come on, handsome. Let’s put your so-called skills to work and go find Molly.”

  Chapter Ten

  Power rolled off Molly, and Aquene was glad of it. Before their journey was done, they would need her wisdom and strength. The path they were to travel was troubled, and it would take all their strength combined to survive it. That they would was not certain.

  Molly—how she liked the way her name felt on her tongue—was as fierce as she had seen in her visions. What she had not seen as clearly was how beautiful she had turned out to be in the flesh. Gazing upon her face now made the wings of butterflies flutter in her stomach. It was a new feeling for Aquene, and she wondered if this was how Alumpum felt when she was with Ouray. She thought that it was. Why she would feel the same thing when she looked upon a stranger was something only the Great Spirit could explain.

  Aquene gazed up into the sky as she navigated between the trees. She was grateful for years of doing the same with her friends as they played. It made her swift and sure on her feet. Soon darkness would take hold, and she wanted to find a safe place to hide before the moon rose high above them. It was worrisome that the man and woman who had appeared with Molly had run into the woods without direction, for they could easily lose their way. At this moment she could not stop and use precious time to try to rejoin them. They would have to take care of themselves, for she must guide Molly to safety.

  “We must go in this direction.” Though she would like to stay closer to the water, Aquene had a strong sense that they must remain where they were assured of cover while still having a good view if others approached. The danger she had sensed back at the cabin had lessened somewhat as they put distance between them. But it was not gone. Their lives were still balanced between this world and the next. Safety was not a given.

  Molly was following silently, her gaze moving, her body tense. Suddenly she stopped and spun in a circle. Her eyes searched and Aquene knew what she sought. “We have to find Winnie and Angus.”

  The panic in her voice made Aquene stop too. How well she understood, for if Alumpum were lost she would feel the same such anguish. She glanced back up at the sky and to where the sun had nearly fallen completely behind the mountains. The day would soon leave them.

  “We will find them when the sun comes up.”

  “No.” The one word was filled with fear that came from somewhere deep inside her. “We have to find them right now.”

  Aquene took hold of Molly’s hand. In her heart she was certain the man and the woman were safe—for now. “We do not have time. Not now. Please. We must not stay here. It is not safe.”

  “We have to find the time,” Molly insisted. “I’m not leaving my friends out here. If it’s not safe for you and me, it’s doubly dangerous for them.”

  Aquene shook her head, even though she understood the desire to protect friends. “I beg you to trust me. They will not come to harm on this night. When the sun comes up, we will look for them again and reunite. It shall be so. Of this you have my word.”

  In the rapidly dimming light she could see the sheen of tears that glistened in Molly’s eyes. “I can’t leave them.” Her voice wavered.

  Aquene had to make her understand. “You are not leaving them. You are but separated by distance for the rise and set of the moon.” Molly’s hand in hers trembled. It was as cold as if they stood in a winter wind. She wished she could bring her warmth and solace.

  For a breath, Molly said nothing, and then she brought her gaze up to meet Aquene’s. Tears were still glistening but did not fall down her cheeks. “You swear they will be okay tonight?”

  “Okay?” Aquene did not know this word.

  “That they will be safe? You’re sure?” Her eyes didn’t move from Aquene’s.

  She nodded, for this she understood. “I give you my word.”

  The trembling of Molly’s hand seemed to lessen. “I will hold you to it.”

  “As you should.” Aquene never gave her word lightly, and she did not do so now. If she did not believe the truth of what she said with her whole being, she would not promise it to be so. “We must go. Please.”

  She thought Molly might turn back, still trying to find her friends. Thankfully she did not. Instead, she told Aquene, “Lead the way.”

  Those three words were like sunshine on her face. Aquene had feared Molly might disappear into the night in search for her friends, and she could not have allowed that. Danger lurked hidden in the shadows, waiting for its turn to harm them.

  For tonight Aquene felt it best to take shelter in the rocks. They would protect them from the cold air sure to come on the heels of the sunset, and they also would provide them a lookout spot in case the stranger was closer than she believed. She and Molly would need to be on alert as well for the snakes that also sought the warmth the stones provided. If one did not take good care, the bite of the snake would bring sickness and sometimes
death.

  “Here,” she told Molly when they had climbed to a depression in a grouping of rocks big enough for the two of them to lie down. “This will protect us through the night.”

  Molly looked around in the dim light and, from the expression on her face, did not seem as sure of the spot as Aquene. It was a good place to take shelter, and Molly would understand once they settled in. It gave them protection from the wind and had an overhang that would cover them should the frequent rains come.

  The air was cooling quickly, and for the first time Aquene took a close look at Molly’s odd clothing. While she had never seen such garments before, it appeared they were keeping her warm. She was not shivering, which was good. On any other night Aquene would build a fire to chase away the cold. But not this night, for she feared the one who hunted them would be on the lookout for just such a signal. The flames would light the night, the smoke would rise, and the scent of burning wood would float across the air as if to beckon him to their den.

  “I will prepare a place for us to sleep,” she said as she dropped her deerskin bag on the ground. “Wait for me. I will return.”

  “I’m not waiting alone.” Molly looked determined to follow Aquene.

  “Please,” she pleaded. “I ask you to trust me. Stay here, and I will be back very soon.”

  “I…”

  “Please.” This would be much faster if she did not have to keep watch on Molly.

  Molly sighed and sank to the ground next to Aquene’s bag. “Fine.”

  Aquene did not wait. She ran back to the trees with her knife in hand. It did not take her long to cut an armload of tree boughs and carry them back to their temporary camp. Soon she had them arranged on the ground into makeshift mats that would allow them to rest in a bit of comfort.

  “Come,” she said, and held her hand out. “These will keep you off the cold earth and give you a little softness. We will need our rest.”