Ancient Echoes

CHAPTER 36



AS MICHAEL REACHED the spine of a high, jagged ridgeline, he saw a plume of smoke. He motioned for the others to drop down as they crept forward to the edge of a cliff. All gaped in wonder at the scene below.

Beyond the sheer drop they saw a clearing, and within it, a fenced compound. It appeared to be a grim, bleak place. The smoke came from the chimney of a tall, central building. A figure sat in a tower beside it. Michael wondered what he guarded against.

“I saw a man and woman carry firewood into the compound,” Michael said. “The man appeared middle-aged, wavy brown hair streaked with gray. The woman was tall, fit, with short blond hair.”

“Could be Melisse Willis,” Jake said. “But the man wasn’t one of the missing.”

“She didn’t look or act like a prisoner,” Michael said.

“Women’s looks can be deceiving,” Quade murmured, causing Charlotte to give him a quick glance.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to let them know we’re here until we learn more about them,” Michael said.

He watched the man in the guard tower leave it. No one replaced him.

Jake noticed that a split rock face below them formed a deep crevice, one he might be able to climb down. “This is a good opportunity to scout around. I don’t want to lose it. I’m going down there.”

Charlotte went with him to the point of descent. She stared into the steep, vertiginous, and narrow fissure. “You could get stuck in there,” she said. “I should go first, and if I get into trouble, you’ll be able to pull me out.”

“That’s crazy,” Jake countered. “No way I’d let you do that!”

Let me? Her anger flashed. Hands on hips, she said, “If you get stuck, you big oaf, who would rescue you?”

She’s worried about me? He felt both infuriated and elated. “And you could break your damn neck,” was his retort. “What do you know about mountain climbing?”

She was stumped a moment. “I’ve climbed pyramids.”

“Whoop-di-do!”

“She’s got a point,” Michael offered as he peered through his rifle sights at the compound. “If you two go in that direction, Quade and I will head north and see what’s on the other side of that village.”

Jake nodded, then mulled over Charlotte’s words. God save him from such a stubborn woman. “All right, we’ll both go. But if they capture us, Michael, we’ll give you a sign only when we’re sure they can be trusted. Until then, be wary.”

Jake looped a rope around Charlotte’s waist. As he tied it securely he tugged on it, drawing her toward him so they stood only inches apart, each too aware of the other’s nearness. Their eyes met and held before he broke it off to concentrate on making sure the knot was strong. He next looped the rope over his own waist, chest and shoulders, in effect, binding the two of them together. He made sure his jacket cushioned the rope, intending to use his body as a brake in case she fell.

He wore gloves, but she removed hers for the climb, not trusting them to grip the rock sufficiently tight. She walked toward the crevice. It created a wind tunnel and an icy breeze struck her, numbing her fingers and chilling her face. She took quick, urgent breaths as she eased herself onto the face of the cliff. She looked back at him. Despite the worry that lined his face, he gave her a nod of assurance. She felt flustered and at the same time warmed, which was good because the very next moment she felt she had stepped out onto nothingness.

The loose, spongy ground let small rocks roll under her foot and clatter against the cliff as they dropped. She shifted left and breathed easier when the ground felt solid once more. Slowly, she descended, trying not to think about the sharp pain in her cold hands.

She put her foot onto a slightly jutting boulder that appeared secure, only to have it tumble free under her weight. She began to fall, but almost immediately, the rope tightened. Jake, she thought, reassured, yet wondering what kind of insanity possessed her that she volunteered to dangle more than a hundred feet off the ground and trust her life to a man she'd just met.

As the boulder plunged straight down taking smaller rocks with it, Charlotte found solid footing on the cliff face and clung there. She held very still a moment and wondered if the people in the compound heard the noise. The angle of the crevice made it impossible for her to see the compound or surrounding area.

From the top of the cliff, Jake could see the compound. When he saw no movement, he gave her a thumbs up, then nodded and gestured downward.

“So far, so good,” she said, then drew in her breath and took another step. The next boulder held. Then another. Suddenly, her footing gave way and once more she dropped straight down the slope until she jerked to a stop, the rope tight around her chest as it caught, bunching up her jacket with it. She felt smothered by the rope and jacket. She was just about to tell Jake to relax the tension of the rope and allow her to climb the rest of the way to the bottom when she saw something coiled just below her foot. “Jake! Stop! Don’t let me slip!”

He strained to hold her in place. “What is it?”

“A rattler,” she gasped.

“Shit!” He braced himself.

“He's leaving,” she said. “Give him time.”

Just then the rope that had been wedged against the jacket, slid up and over the material. She dropped down in a sudden, jerking movement, before the rope caught again under her arms. The rattler lunged, fangs protruding. She cried out.

“Charlotte!” Jake yelled. The rope relaxed and fell past her, followed by a cascade of large and small rocks. Suddenly, Jake slid past her then somehow managed to stop himself and scramble up to her side, his face stark. “Where did he get you?”

“I don’t know. I saw him spring at me, but I didn’t feel anything. There’s no pain. He must have hit the sole of my boots.”

They climbed down to the ground where he wrapped his arm around her waist and ran with her to the shelter of the brush. He checked and double-checked her legs and ankles. He found no bite marks. The two then lay low listening for any sign they had been spotted. She heard his breath, felt his heartbeat. Her senses came alive, and it had nothing to do with the danger they faced.

All remained quiet around them.

She eased herself away. He let her go. “Wait here,” he said. “I’ll scout around.”

“No.” Charlotte grabbed his arm. “I’m going with you.”

His anger flared at her constant willingness to put herself in danger. “Listen, I could scout a hell of a lot faster without a citified Fed tagging along worrying me.”

Her cheeks burned at the words, even as she realized the wisdom of his words. “I’m sorry I’m such a bother. Go. And good riddance!”

As quickly as it came, his fury vanished, replaced by regret at his harsh tone. He gave her a jaunty grin. “Wish me luck?”

“Humph.” She folded her arms and settled back further in the brush to wait.

Jake took three steps, and stopped as two men stepped out from behind a hillside, their rifles aimed at him and Charlotte.