Casey rested for a moment beneath the overhanging roof of the Meeting Hall, welcoming the shade and letting the sea breeze blow through his hair to cool the back of his neck. He’d tried to lose himself in the heavy tasks of cutting trees, but his mind kept returning to Kerri. Wondering where she was and if she were safe was driving him to distraction. Finally, he’d given up, knowing he’d have no peace till he’d found out. So, he came calling on Lulu.
“Any news, Lu?” called Casey, ducking and sliding sideways through the doorway. “I wish you’d made these doors wider!”
She caught herself staring off into nothing, lost within the glowing coals of the brazier. Looking up, she smiled at her new Guardian since Kerri had left.
“We did make the doors wider, but you keep growing. You’re getting bigger since you’ve taken up with Isabella. I hear she cooks like her character; hot and spicy!”
“Have you got nothing better to do than listen to town gossip?” though he couldn’t help grinning.
Lulu laughed for the first time in days.
“Any news of Kerri or your Mom?” he asked.
“Nothing. I’ve had no response from either of them, though I did think I ‘saw’ Kerri once, but everything was so confusing. It was as though she wouldn’t believe it was me.”
“That’s not like her. I’m sure you’re mistaken,” Casey said.
“Yeah, maybe.” She turned back to watch the fire in the brazier. “I’ve been thinking about what you said—about reinforcing the defenses on the pass.”
“And?” he asked.
“I’ve had a bad feeling for the past few days. I don’t like it that I can’t ‘call’ anyone. I can’t see Mom or Sam or Carter; I can’t even find Vin and Naz. No one! I think we’d better be prepared, just in case.”
Casey watched her stare into the fire. “Okay, I’ll get on to it. It’ll be a change from sawing logs. I was planning to send another company of guys up the mountain tomorrow to rotate the ones up there,” he said.
“Are you going with them?”
“No, my place is here with you.”
“I’m sure I’ll be okay for a couple of days.” Lulu sat back in her chair and took a long breath. “Nothing’s happening here, anyway. It’s so quiet.” She quickly looked up at him. “What about if we both go up?” she asked, smiling.
“A walk in the mountains will probably do us both a world of good,” Casey said.
“Yeah, why not? Let’s do it. We can leave at dawn?”
“I’ll pack supplies for an overnight stay up there,” he smiled, also for the first time in days.
The following morning, the wind had dropped, leaving the lagoon with a mirrored surface that reflected the sky’s rainbow of hues before the sun rose. Tiny ripples lapped at the water’s edge, rolling half-heartedly up the white sands.
The party set off in high spirits, following an easy route through the foothills. By midday, they’d already started their trek into the higher slopes, with the final climb into the pass ahead of them.
Lulu felt invigorated to be moving after spending so much time planning and organizing. The pack on her back reminded her of the simple days in the Southlands when they’d head out during the summer months to tend the sheep and cattle in the luxuriant grasslands that the animals loved so much.
Lost in her memories, she realized her last carefree trek was only two summers ago when she and Kerri had spent a month trying to fish and cook for themselves. At night they’d sleep out under the stars, two young girls on an adventure.
So much has changed and so quickly. She tried to push away the memory, to live the moment she was in.
By late afternoon, they crossed the snowline. It felt like opening a door from summer into winter. The sparkling ice crystals reflected the last of the afternoon sun, like diamonds in the snow. The crackling, crunching noise as they stepped on the crisp, dry ice made the final part of their trek a magical journey.
They reached the bottleneck, the narrowest point of the pass, where grey granite walls rose vertically on either side. She’d forgotten how cold the rock looked and felt; it sent a shiver down her spine.
In the distance, her heart started racing when she saw a fire burst into life. The clan was guiding them to where they’d set up camp behind a defense line. The welcome was as warm as the thick vegetable soup waiting for them when they walked into camp.
Everyone wanted to know the news, but Lulu felt she had little to tell. Her life seemed to be on hold; simply waiting. Wrapped in fur cloaks and seated around the fire, the talk eventually turned to the possibility of an ape attack. In the close intimacy of the clan, all news was shared, as were all thoughts and opinions.
“I don’t think those apes will come sniffing around here before summer. It’ll be late spring before this pass is cleared of snow,” said Dray, the leader of the Cat People.
Lulu looked at him in his Mountain Lion form. His thick fur and coloring made him perfectly suited to living in the High Alps.
“Don’t you miss being in your man form, Dray?” Lulu asked.
“Rarely. I find it’s coming less often now. Maybe the day will come when I forget how to change!” he said with a laugh.
“When was the last time you did shift?” she asked.
“It was when we were on the boats,” Dray said.
“Ah yes, cats don’t like water!” Casey said.
“Lions, Casey. We’re Mountain Lions!” Dray corrected him.
Lulu let the banter go on around her, happy to be in the warm companionship. She looked up into the vastness of the stars. Seeing her favorite constellation with such clarity made her heart and spirits soar. I’m too young for all this… responsibility. I wish… God, I wish… She let out a big sigh, leaving the thought hanging in the night air.
She saw Casey look at her, but he held his tongue.
“I love it this high in the mountains,” she told him. “It seems there are so many stars we never see down on the coast. And tonight is so clear!”
“It’s been like this for days and days,” said Dray. “I can’t remember the last time we had a cloud in the sky. This winter has been so mild.”
“Let’s hope it lasts,” said Lulu, wrapping her fur cloak over her head.
“There are snow caves we’ve carved out if you want someplace warmer?” asked Dray.
“Thanks, but I’m happy here for the moment,” she said. Casey untied the fur blanket strapped to his pack and passed it to her. She settled herself beside the fire, letting the quiet conversations drift away into the background as she fell into a sleep of contentment after the exertions of the day’s trek.
The storm hit them around midnight. Without warning, the stars disappeared behind the high circling clouds. Then the spiraling winds dropped lower, picking up the snow and ice crystals that blasted them through the pass, directly into the face of their defensive line. Any exposed skin felt like it had been stung by a swarm of angry bees from the force of the ice. The fire was lost with the first blast of wind. Casey crawled to where Lulu lay, scooping her up in her blanket and carrying her to the ice shelters that had been cut into the snow.
“Crawl in there. It gets bigger the further you go in. I’ll get our sacks,” he shouted above the howling wind.
Lulu made an exaggerated nod, believing it was pointless trying to be heard above the storm.
Casey took a step back and was immediately lost from view in the swirling snow. She crawled through the short tunnel into a large space cut from the ice. The floor was lined with furs, and supplies were stacked around the sides. The wind noise immediately dropped when she entered the snow cave.
Where did this storm come from? she thought. Talk about a bad time to visit!