Riley's Journey (27 page)

“Nathan!” Riley called. “They’re all coming with us!”

Swiveling in response to the commotion, a look of consternation stamped on his features, Nathan’s eyes widened in surprise. “I wasn’t thinking! Should have realized before! They’re used to flocking, and we have part of the flock, so if these go, they all go! Only way to stop them would be to put them down!”

“Well, I certainly hope you aren’t going to do that?” Riley cried aghast.

Briefly hesitating, as though giving the gruesome option some consideration, he replied. “Actually, no! This might be a Godsend. If any of the newcomers are tracking us, they might just surmise we’re part of a wild flock and ignore us. In any event, the sheep’s tracks will cover any you and I might leave.”

“Oh, great! So now besides being a pack animal, I get to be sheepherder as well!”

Laughing, Nathan moved ahead while she trudged along, tripping over sheep as they jostled and bounced against her.

“Why do they all try to group around the ram?”

Nathan’s voice floated back. “I think it has something to do with the stronger moving to the middle of the flock for protection, something like that.”

“Well, that’s hardly fair! Seems like the little ones should be in the middle with that big guy fighting for them!” She almost felt like giving the big ram a swift kick in his fat behind.

“Better keep the conversation down as much as possible from now on,” Nathan quietly warned. “Sound carries way too far out here.”

Instantly contrite, Riley’s lips snapped shut. “What about the sheep?” she whispered.

“They’re just making sheep sounds. Animals make sounds in the wild. It’s a natural occurrence. They’ll calm down once they get into the swing of things.”

Demon kept up a dogged pace, alternating between running ahead and swinging around to nip a few lagging sheep on the butt, urging them faster. Must’ve been a sheep dog in a former life, Riley thought. He was doing a pretty good job, too, keeping the strays moving. Nathan stopped periodically, taking short rest stops, for which Riley was exceedingly grateful.

The load grew substantially heavier as the day progressed, the straps rubbing uncomfortably against her shoulder blades. The terrain was rough and hard to navigate, and along with the awkward load and addition of the wayward sheep, she fell more than once, bruising her knees repeatedly. By noon, hungry, tired and thirsty, she was ready for a long rest, dropping the load to the ground with a resounding thump as Nathan called a halt. The horse bent down, cropping lush grasses growing in profusion while the sheep scattered to graze. The nearest large rock became the dreamed-of resting place. Easing carefully down, her legs aching from the stress of carrying the extra weight, Riley sighed in relief.

Concern etching his ruggedly handsome face, Nathan squatted down, watching her every move. Small lines of strain chiseled her soft features, but otherwise she appeared healthy. Tearing off a hunk of jerked meat and offering it to her, Nathan pointedly inquired. “Are you going to be able to keep going?”

“Do I have a choice?” Riley groaned, laying back on the rock and hungrily wolfing the meat down. “Maybe I’ve died and gone to heaven or, more appropriately, maybe I’ve died and gone to hell and the sheep are demons in disguise.” Demon’s ears perked up at his name. “Sorry, boy; didn’t mean to malign you.”

“Far as I can tell,” Nathan replied, “you’re still right here with me.”

“Dang it! I was afraid of that!” Riley thankfully took the water skin he offered, thirstily gulping the tepid contents.

“Save some for later,” he advised. “It’s still quite a trek to the first watering hole.”

Their resting place was high on the slope of a craggy, barren hillside. In the valley far below, a river raged rampant through the untouched beauty of the primeval landscape. In the distance, several large animals could be seen moving slowly in a ragged line.

“Mastodons,” Riley breathed, awed by the sight. “They’re really Mastodons.”

“To be correct, they’re Woolly Mammoths. I think Mastodons only roamed the Americas.”

“Oh, so now you’re an anthropologist or whatever, as well as everything else!” Feeling bitchy and tired, it was easy to grouch at him.

“I believe the term would be ‘paleontologist’. I never studied human development except when it pertained to the female of the species.”

Riley groaned half-heartedly. “You are
so
not funny.”

Assured that she was okay, Nathan stood up. “I’m going to backtrack for just a bit and see if we have any company.”

“Shouldn’t you be resting too?”

Grimacing, Nathan stripped off all but the barest essentials. “I should, but I can’t. We need to know if anyone’s behind us and, if they are, how far.”

“Can’t I do it?” Not that she really wanted to, but better her than him.

Chuckling, Nathan shook his head. “I’m only going back a short distance—where I can get a good view and watch for awhile. I won’t be gone long. Stay here and rest—you need it. I can barely carry myself and a few things more. I can’t carry you, too!” Motioning the dog to stay, he started back.

Riley watched his progress along the pathway they’d just descended. Slowly and carefully, he moved back up the incline, pausing every few minutes to rest. Losing sight of him as he crested the ridge, and nervous at being alone in the open, Riley heaved herself up, moving to squat beside the watchful canine, and resting against him for comfort. Barely acknowledging her presence, Demon’s eyes glistened as he focused towards the direction Nathan had taken, his ears twitching, nose sporadically testing the air for scent. The horse and the sheep continued to graze, content to meander aimlessly around the small grassy basin.

Riley reached for the water skin again, sipping slowly, warily eyeing the open hillside. Nothing stirred, but her nerve endings were tingling. Something didn’t feel right. The minutes dragged by slowly, and it seemed like forever before she finally spotted Nathan making his way back down. Though moving at a respectable clip, he was taking time to brush the ground with a tree limb. His face betrayed his agitation as he drew nearer.

“Get up!” he urgently whispered. “We need to get into cover fast! They’re tracking us and I don’t want to be caught out in the open. I think we’re about an hour, maybe two ahead of them, but I can’t be sure.”

Her heart pounding, Riley raced around, gathering up packs and strapping them on. Adrenalin raced through her system, the aches and discomfort of the morning’s trek forgotten in an instant. Nathan haphazardly brushed away their footprints and then started out, pulling on the horse’s lead rope, the sheep milling behind and bleating in confusion. “Leave the sheep behind!” he mouthed. “They’re only going to cause us to lose time.”

Riley tried shooing them away, but they only looked at her helplessly, bewildered by her actions. “Unless we leave the ram, none of them will stay.”

“Forget about them! If they follow—fine! If not, we can’t worry about it. Drag the limb and erase what you can!” The sheep seemed content to follow their lead, keeping up with the faster pace, unwilling it seemed to be left behind. Footholds were challenging, the steepness of the hillside increasing dramatically as they journeyed down. Below them, practically at a vertical drop, the river violently churned. Waves bounced and roiled over huge rocks and mist dampened the air. Fancifully, Riley imagined the waves reaching up and pulling them in to the deep, uncompromising waters. Fear of heights had always been Riley’s personal phobia and this was no exception. Vertigo hit with blinding force. Stumbling slightly and grabbing wildly for fistfuls of the tall grass, she hung on with desperate intensity, unwilling to let go, her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

“Grab the horse’s tail,” Nathan yelled over the noise of the river. “If you slip, he’ll keep you from falling.”

Refusing to release her tenuous hold, sweat dripping down her brow, Riley frantically clutched the slippery fronds, praying they would support her weight.

“
Let go, Riley
!” Nathan bellowed. “You have to let go! I can’t get back up there to help you!”

Though fraught with fear, she forced her eyes open, one at a time. Gingerly loosening her fanatical hold on the grasses, she managed to grab a handful of tail, seriously nervous about the horse’s predisposition to kick, but even more nervous about falling into the raging precipice below. Impervious to the dangers of their convoluted route, the horse pulled her along, his steadiness a soothing balm. The chasm loomed starkly beside them, rocks continually dislodging and dropping along their makeshift pathway and crashing down into the abyss. Focusing on the horse’s broad butt with forced concentration, she shuffled slowly forward; even a slight misstep right now would be hazardous in the extreme.

Nathan kept them moving, one eye focused on the hillside above. The tree line drew closer, the footing easier as they neared the safety of the denser vegetation. Breathlessly, Riley sprinted the remaining few feet into the trees, thankful to be away from the river’s edge. The sheep stayed the course, bumping and knocking her about in their haste to follow. Deeper into the darkness of the forest they burrowed until Nathan was satisfied they were safe from prying eyes. Tethering the horse under cover of a huge spreading conifer and motioning Riley to wait nearby, Nathan raced back to the edge of the tree line, searching for signs of the newcomers’ advance, Demon at his side.

The huge pines shadowed the earth below, the murky gloom sinister and menacing. Other than birds flitting through the trees, nothing moved, but Riley could feel the presence of watchers in the woods. The sheep huddled together, barely moving and for once silent, as though they too sensed the dangers lurking nearby. Slipping off the packs, Riley took a fresh grip on the war club, readying herself to fight should the need arise. What she wouldn’t do for a machine gun right now! Limbs moved and Nathan and the dog dropped down beside her.

“They’re above us on the ridge,” he breathed, “and they don’t seem to be in a big hurry to climb down the way we came. That might buy us some time.”

Without warning, Riley leaned forward, pressing her lips firmly to his. Startled, he briefly hesitated, then, cupping her face in his large rough hands, Nathan joined in enthusiastically, his lips and tongue plundering the silken warmth of her fiery mouth. When, after several minutes the kiss ended, Nathan drew back quizzically. “I liked it, but what was that for?”

Deep in her eyes, sadness glimmered. “Because I might not get a chance later.”

“We’ll get through this,” he soothed, “you just have to believe.”

As though unhearing, she continued, “And I love you so much it hurts. I don’t want to lose you!”

“You won’t lose me. I’m not going anywhere.” His eyes twinkled. “Besides, you’re the only good looking female for miles. I haven’t forgotten that.”

A tentative grin warmed her strained features. “I’m the only female for miles, good looking or not.”

Pressing a soft kiss to her trembling lips, Nathan offered what little comfort he could. “You’re beautiful, and I love you so much it hurts, too! That has to count for something! Surely that great entity in the sky that protects all us idiots has a good reason for bringing you and me together. I can’t believe it’s just to die so soon.”

“Not dying is a good thing,” she agreed.

“Believe it! I do! And I’m not about to give up yet. The game has barely started.” He planted a smacking kiss on her willing lips.

“I’d feel a lot better if our side had a few more players,” she reasoned. “I doubt the sheep will make a good showing in a standup fight. Best they can do is to be annoying.” Her lame attempt at humor did not go unnoticed.

Flashing a quick smile, Nathan continued. “We should make it to the first cave tonight if we keep up the pace. Who knows? They might just get tired of chasing us and go back. At this point, they don’t really know who or what they’re tracking so we have the element of surprise here.”

“What element is that? That there’s only two of us?” Riley didn’t believe for a minute that they had any chance of surviving if the newcomers attacked.

“I have a few surprises up my sleeve,” Nathan replied smugly. “I didn’t come here totally unprepared.”

“I did find some interesting
artifacts
among your things, and I’m pretty sure they aren’t historically correct for this time period.”

Grinning hugely, Nathan lightly acknowledged. “And a few more that you’ve never seen either.” Opening his pack, he displayed several grenades.

“Oh, you devil!” Clapping her hands, Riley felt like dancing in glee. “What about the historical significance. Is this going to change time?”

Tilting his head, Nathan looked at her questioningly. “What do we really know about the Pleistocene period other than it was cold and a lot of animals died out?”

“Uhmmm, if you’re asking me specifically—not much.” She was a botanist, for goodness sakes, she wasn’t a historian.

Casually tossing a grenade from hand to hand, Nathan explained. “What I’m saying is, not much survived that period and if we use these babies, there won’t be enough left to identify, even if some of it’s found thousands of years from now.”

“Too true! But how did you get these by Bethany? She was pretty specific about what I could and couldn’t bring.”