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  Athelred turned to Maeve. “That went well. I think. They make a nice couple.”

  Alfred leaned towards his mother, waggling his beetle brows. “She’s a little on the skinny side but I noticed she’s got a nice rack.” He sniggered obscenely.

  Maeve’s temperature rose exponentially. Her lips thinned in a tight line. “A nice rack? Tell me you didn’t just say she has a nice rack!”

  “Uh…I meant…I…um…” he stammered as he started to squirm. “I just meant she’s smoking hot.”

  He blubbered on. “I’ll give her a call in the next few days and take her out on the town. We can go Dutch treat so she doesn’t feel like she owes me anything. You have her number, right?”

  Maeve fought the urge to throttle the disgusting creep. She stared fixedly at him for a few seconds. “Actually, I forgot to mention, Fiona is dating someone. I don’t know how much extra time she’s going to have.”

  “You said she wasn’t dating,” Athelred interjected.

  “I meant she wasn’t dating seriously,” Maeve retorted. “And with her schooling and everything, I doubt she’ll have any time.”

  Athelred’s round face flushed beet red, verging on an apoplectic attack. Too bad, thought Maeve, but such is life—and creepy Alfred would never be given the opportunity to bother her Fiona.

  “Excuse me. I see Delia over there and we need to visit about tomorrow. I’ll talk to you soon.” Maeve stomped away.

  “Well, I never!” Athelred sputtered. “See if I ever do Maeve any favors again. Her daughter can end up an old maid for all I care.”

  Fiona finally managed to get through the crowd of dancers and out the doors of City Hall. Rain was pouring down. At least my umbrella’s safe in the car! Right where it usually was whenever she needed it. She grabbed her keys, made a dash for the car, got in and started up the motor. The engine roared to life on the first crank.

  “Now we’re talking,” she laughed.

  As the car exited the parking lot, a sudden chill raced up her spine. All the windows were rolled up and she couldn’t figure out where the cold air was coming from. That’s weird! She shuddered. Someone must have walked over my grave. Not a good thing to be thinking about while driving home alone in the dark. It gave her the creepy-crawlies.

  By the time she got to the highway, rain was coming down in torrents and even with the headlights on high beam, she could only see a few feet in front of the car. The highway was one continuous “S” and as she inched around another corner, her attention was drawn to the right side of the road. She could see the indistinct outline of a drop-off and vaguely remembered it being pretty steep on the trip earlier.

  A bright light blinded her and as she turned her head, something slammed into the car broadside. Her head banged against the window and pain immediately radiated down the side of her face and neck. She could feel the car sliding sideways. She tried wrenching the door open but it was wedged shut. The impetus of the other vehicle pushed the car further towards the side of the roadway. She slammed on her brakes but the car kept sliding, forced to the edge by the sheer weight of the other car.

  A black void was all she was able to see at that moment, and as the car teetered sickeningly on the brink, she experienced a moment of irrational lucidity. She remembered reading somewhere that her life was supposed to flash by just before she died. The only thing on her mind was overwhelming terror. I don’t want to die! She hadn’t really lived yet! The car teetered one last time before rolling sideways over the edge and into the blackness. Panic-stricken, she screamed.

  She hit the ceiling again and again as the car rolled and bounced on its downward plunge. The noise was deafening. Metal squealed and groaned as the car hit the ground over and over. She lost track of how many times the car flipped. The windshield broke, spraying shards of glass on her face and upper torso. The car bounced one last time. The door flew open and she felt herself sailing through the air. Her arm bone cracked as she hit the ground and mercifully she lost consciousness.

  ****

  Maeve checked her watch, it’d been almost two hours since Fiona had left and she was really beginning to worry. She should have heard something long before this. It wasn’t like Fiona not to call. Better to be a nosy mother than to stew about it. She dialed Fiona’s number and waited for a ring.

  Two

  The sun shining on her backside woke Fiona up. The temperature was freezing and she was shivering uncontrollably. She could hear the wind whistling strongly. Wind in her bedroom? Her bed felt really hard and lumpy, too, and where was her pillow? Unless she was mistaken, a stick seemed to be stuck up her nose. For that matter, she hurt all over and, when she attempted to move, she almost fainted from the pain in her arm. She could hardly think from the headache pounding her skull. Forcing herself to roll over to her side, she opened her eyes. It was day and the sun was high up. Probably ten o’clock or so, she thought.

  My God, her arm hurt. She gingerly felt her forehead. A knot the size of Kansas covered half the left side. Her fingers came away sticky with congealing blood. She pushed herself to a sitting position with her uninjured arm and looked around. She was definitely not at home. A wide open expanse stretched out in every direction. Nothing but scrub bushes and skimpy vegetation. How the heck did I get out here, and where’s my car? The last thing she remembered was—oh yes, the car running into her. That’s it! She had been in a car wreck! Maybe she was delirious. Made sense...she was delirious! Nothing else could explain this. Let’s see, if I close my eyes and tap my red shoes together and say “there’s no place like home,” I’ll open my eyes and I’ll be in bed. The only problem was, she didn’t have any red shoes. Definitely hallucinating!

  The pain in her arm was excruciating and she needed to find help. She gently probed her arm and decided that there didn’t appear to be any bones out of place, but until it was x-rayed, she couldn’t be sure. Just touching her arm almost caused her to faint. Better try to sling it, she thought. That was easier said than done. As luck would have it, the plaid drape was still wrapped around her and after a few unsuccessful attempts, she managed to wrap it tight enough around her shoulder to keep the injured arm somewhat secure. Good thing she still had the wrap, it was so cold. She could be suffering from exposure, too. Where was everyone? And where was she?

  Levering herself up, she pushed to a standing position and turned around slowly. Nothing—absolutely nothing for as far as she could see. She was alone in the middle of nowhere. It certainly didn’t look like the country around her home, at least not the areas she knew, and it didn’t appear that there was even a road anywhere nearby. The vastness overwhelmed her. Far off in the distance, she could see hills, but she wasn’t able to judge how remote they were. I don’t even know which way to go, she thought, I think I must have been wandering all night, otherwise, how did I get out here? From the looks of things, she must have been walking for quite some time, but she certainly didn’t remember it. I would kill for a drink of water! Her mouth was parched and tasted like she had been eating sand. She felt so alone and, other than the sound of the wind, it was totally quiet. She couldn’t ever remember being anywhere where the silence was so complete.

  Perhaps someone was close enough to hear her if she yelled. “Help!” Nothing. “Is anyone out there?” Nothing again, and yelling only made her head hurt worse. Surely someone was looking for her. There were other cars on the road and someone would have seen the wreck. She was supposed to be in the booth again today, not out here in the middle of nowhere. By now, Maeve would realize something was wrong. She probably knew last night. They would have to be looking for her, at least she knew Mom would.

  It was all so confusing and she wasn’t thinking clearly. Her head was pounding and she just wanted to lie down again. I’d better try to find help, she thought, but it looks like the only one who is going to help me is—me! Which direction, though, it all looked the same. Well, north would take her into Canada if she walked far enough. Too many hills behind her, th
ough—was that even east? It looked easier walking to the west. West appeared to be the best bet, if that was west. Which way was west? Getting lost was not a contingency she had ever planned on.

  “Okay, the sun comes up in the east and sets in the west. So the sun is almost directly overhead now. I can either sit here until the sun goes down or I start walking,” she muttered to herself. Having made that highly technical decision, she turned to what she considered was west and began walking.

  Hour after hour she walked, never seeming to get any closer to the hills or finding any signs of civilization. Night would soon fall and, if she didn’t find some sort of shelter, she would end up spending another night in the open. That was a scary thought and not something she found in the least appealing. There might be wild animals around and heaven knew what she would do if one of them attacked. She didn’t know what kind of wild animals might be about, but right now, even a small one was an unwelcome thought. She had seen a few chipmunk-looking animals and was pretty confident she could hold her own against one of them if they attacked.

  The pain in her arm had lessened somewhat but she felt like she might be running a fever. She might even be walking in circles. She didn’t know anything about surviving in the outdoors. How many city girls did? Thirst was really beginning to be a problem as well, but there didn’t appear to be any water sources close by. Why hadn’t someone come for her yet? The sun was setting and, fortunately, she found a small outcropping of rocks which would afford at least some protection. If she didn’t find someone soon, she was going to be in some serious trouble. She was so tired by now, she was staggering. Better stay here for the night. She braced herself against one of the larger rocks and lowered herself to the ground.

  There were a number of small stones nearby and she gathered them up in a small pile. At least she might be able to throw them if any wild animals got too near. To quell the panic that was threatening to overwhelm her, she envisioned herself at her parents’ house, sitting in the kitchen, surrounded by Mom’s prized collection of ceramic roosters. Mom would be chattering on about her favorite topic—how to improve Fiona’s life—while cooking something truly wonderful.

  What she wouldn’t do for a cup of hot chocolate right now, or a cup of Mom’s herbal tea, and some food. Her stomach had been rumbling all afternoon, going without food wasn’t helping her condition any. She was already weak enough without starving as well. Thank God the plaid drape provided some warmth! She wrapped the stray end around her shoulders, doubling up on the layers. It was getting colder as the night progressed. Why was she here? Nothing made any sense. She couldn’t have walked that far from the wreck without someone seeing her. She was in the middle of a populated area and she should have stumbled across someone by now! Fiona settled down near one of the largest rocks, grateful that it blocked most of the wind. The rocks had heated somewhat from the sun and the ground beneath her was slightly warm as well. She snuggled in as best she could and tried to relax.

  A wolf howled in the distance. A wolf howled in the distance! Oh-my-God! Maybe it was just a coyote. There it was again! That certainly sounded like a wolf, but then, she really didn’t know the difference between a wolf’s howl and a coyote’s. She didn’t even know if she would recognize the difference if she actually saw a live one. “Please, please, please,” she pleaded to herself. “Somebody find me.”

  It was full dark now and all her imagined fears came to life. If only she had some matches, she could start a fire. There were enough dried twigs around and that might keep the animals away. There were snakes in the desert, too, weren’t there? And for that matter, why was she sitting in a desert, if this was a desert? There weren’t any deserts in Michigan that she knew of; prairie land, but no real deserts. For cripe’s sake, Michigan was known for its lakes, not open spaces like this. All these thoughts kept running through her brain, around and around until, out of sheer exhaustion, she dozed off. Only to then jerk awake, startled by the unfamiliar sounds of the night.

  During one such heart-stopping moment, she was positive she heard something moving stealthily on the other side of the rocks. The night seemed to last forever and the temperature had dropped even more. Would morning ever come? She wrapped her skirt more snugly around her legs and pulled a corner of the drape over her head. She tucked her free hand inside the shawl and that helped a little. Thank goodness the boots were lined. They kept her feet marginally warm. She was so grateful for the wool dress. Its added warmth was a blessing and she wouldn’t complain about it itching ever again. Oh, but her arm hurt so badly. Now that the initial shock was over, it was a constant aching pain and being cold only made it worse. “Momma,” she whispered, “where are you? I need you.”

  Only silence greeted her. How could any place in this day and age be this quiet? There should have at least been some airplanes flying overhead once in awhile, but she hadn’t seen any at all that day. It was if this part of the country was separate and apart from the rest of the world.

  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the sky started to lighten up and dawn broke. Her muscles had stiffened up and she felt bruised up and down from her ankles to her neck, and with only one good arm, it was hard standing up. I must look like a truck hit me, she thought…guess what, a truck did hit me. Her feet were sore from walking and her mouth was so dry, she couldn’t even work up enough saliva to wet her chapped lips. They had better find her today or she didn’t think she would be around much longer. Time to get moving. She still didn’t know where she was going, but anything was better than just sitting around here waiting.

  Three

  Kellach slid off his horse and stooped down. He had been tracking sign since yesterday morning. The footprints were too small for a man, unless one of the yellow men had made them. It was just a single set of tracks and, from the looks of it, either a child or perhaps a small woman. Either way, it didn’t make sense that anyone would be out here alone. It was hard country and bandits and wild animals were a constant threat to travelers.

  Whoever it was, they seemed to be going in the same direction as his traders were. Kellach didn’t sense any threat yet, but he was on the alert just in case. This morning, he found where the unknown one had bedded down for the night, just a small indentation by a rock, no sign of a fire or any debris left behind. From his calculations, they would catch up sometime today. He and his men would be ready. Spies from the wild nomadic tribes to the north could venture this far south. It didn’t make sense, though, usually they raided later in the season, but he was ever on the alert.

  He remounted his horse and wheeled it around. The caravan was a short distance behind him and he and Siran, his second in command, had scouted ahead, as was their normal behavior. Outriders surrounded the caravan on all sides, as well. In the event of an attack, they would quickly form up and protect the rest of the train.

  Siran caught up with him as they neared the first wagon. “You’ve been watching the ground since morning yesterday,” he commented. “Are we in danger?”

  “I don’t see any threat, but I don’t want any surprises either.”

  Siran nodded, “What caught your eye then?”

  “Single traveler, no sign of any others, came from there,” he pointed east.

  “A single traveler? Do you suppose its one of the northern barbarians? What could tempt anyone to wander out here alone?”

  “Who can say? But they don’t appear to have much direction, whoever they are. Their track goes this way and that, never in a straight line.”

  “Could be they’re trying to cover their tracks.”

  “I don’t think so. If they are, they aren’t doing a very good job of it. Your small son could follow their sign.”

  “Well, my small son is very big for his age,” Siran bragged. “He’ll be a warrior by the time he sees twelve summers.”

  “I’ve no doubt about that, I just meant whoever this is, they don’t know how to cover their tracks, and anyone would find them easily. They aren’t v
ery far ahead and we should catch sight of them soon.” He quickly perused the expanse. Other than a hawk circling high above, no other living creature was visible.

  “What are you going to do when we do catch up?”

  “We’ll make that decision when we find them. I don’t want any trouble and if they seem friendly, we’ll let them pass. If not, well...”

  “I’ve been wanting to try out my new throwing spear.” Siran waved the weapon. “I want to be sure the balance is good.”

  “Just make sure you throw it after we know if they are hostile,” Kellach commented dryly. “You jump in too fast sometimes and we don’t want more trouble than we need.”

  “Too fast? I’ve saved your neck more than once because I was too fast.”

  Kellach nodded. He and Siran had grown up together and on many occasions, they had saved each other’s lives. Their personalities definitely complimented each other. Siran was hot-tempered and loved to fight. His fiery red hair paid tribute to his fiery nature. Kellach, on the other hand, liked to judge the situation before jumping in. Siran was the fire, he was the earth, solid, steady, sustaining.

  Five large wagons pulled by teams of oxen, a number of hand-pulled carts and several heavily laden camels comprised Kellach’s trade caravan this journey. The trip had been a long and arduous process. They had wintered in Haojing, and most of their bartering had taken place there.

  Haojing was a center for trade and was at the eastern end of the journey. Merchants from every direction converged for commerce and trade. The jade mined by his people was of high quality and he had no trouble persuading the yellow vendors to purchase it, as the rulers of the yellow people clamored for jade. Most of the items he bartered for would otherwise be inaccessible to his people, but for traders such as he. The trip to Haojing and back had taken almost a full year and it would be good to be home. All in all, it had been an uneventful passage and they had made good time. Nice profits were to be had and he had bargained well.