Chapter 45—Hearts in the Wilderness

Early the next morning Christina's eyes flew open. She looked down and saw that Devin's hand was gone. Not just his hand, his entire body. She stood with a groan and let her stiff legs take her to the opening where the branches had been pushed aside.

"Hey," Christina heard as she stepped out into the bright morning sun. Covering her eyes, she turned and saw Devin standing with the pole at the edge of the drop-off. He held a pair of binoculars in his left hand.

"Hi," she said, rubbing her eyes. Her stomach growled. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"No harm done—I didn't expect you to stay awake all night."

"Maybe not, but I wanted to." She made her way to where Devin stood overlooking a small, green valley.

"How's your leg?" she asked, bending down to look at his pant leg. It had only a few small wet stains. A good sign, she thought. But Devin's face was ghostly pale with pink blotches, and his lips were swollen and parched.

"Great visibility from here," Devin said. "So I oriented us to the dirt road. We're not far, actually. Want to see?" He held up the binoculars. "Point them southeast—I mean aim them there toward the road." Christina took the binoculars and held them to her eyes.

"Look for a stand of white birch trees. Once you sight those, you'll see the dirt road, and you may sight the resting rock. Follow the road west—I mean right—and look for the cairn."

Morning bird songs filled the air as Christina peered through the lenses, trying to sight the landmarks. A slight wind blew her thick hair over the right lens. She started to reach, but Devin was faster and pushed the hair behind her ear. She pretended not to notice, but her heart danced a few beats. Find that cairn, she thought, trying to return to the business at hand.

"Take your time; binoculars can be tricky the first time out," Devin said, and with the help of the pole, he sat on the grass to rest his throbbing leg. "We need to make a plan. They won't see us from down there." He worried about making it back to the cairn. I need fuel, he thought, and felt a miserable ache in his stomach.

* * *

The rising sun cast an orange glow over the worried search team as they rushed around at the base of Scouter Mountain, unloading vehicles and getting organized. No one had slept much, especially not Nikki, who had stayed up to tell her shocked parents about the tunnels and Devin's accident.

Nikki felt like a robot as she crawled out of the jeep to prepare for another climb up the mountain. Ranger bounded out behind her and stayed close, nosing her arm every few minutes. She was still reeling from her dad's near explosion when he learned they had been inside the tunnels. Her mom, speechless and teary-eyed, had run over and hugged her hard, but her dad's face and ears had been the color of hot coals at a barbecue.

Nikki and Jake told about traipsing through the cold and dark tunnels, crossing the treacherous pit, watching the collision between Devin and Jake, and making the trip over the frail wooden bridge. But they didn't utter a word about the angel, or the crystals everyone had found and hidden.

Now the parents were on alert, and Nikki needed to plot how they would get away for the full moon. She had spent the whole night fretting when she should have been sleeping and regaining her strength. It was too late for sleep now.

The searchers mumbled orders as they assembled the stretcher for its journey up the mountain. It would be a challenge to carry Devin down. He was tall, and although slim, he weighed over a hundred pounds.

Jake walked toward Nikki at the back of the jeep. "Do you think Devin's okay?" Nikki whispered as she and Jake began to load food, water, and other gear into their packs. "I mean, do you really believe he found a cave like your dad said?"

"I don't know," Jake whispered. He noticed his dad was watching them but was too far away to hear. "But if anyone could find a small cave in the dark, it would be Devin. I just hope he didn't bleed to death on the way—or overnight."

"That's a pleasant thought." Nikki pinched her nose. "I can't wait to get to the cairn so we have a trail to follow, even if it is a blood trail. We have to find them, Jake." She set her heavy pack down on the back of the jeep, turned, and groaning, pulled it onto her back. Her tired muscles lifted and she pulled the front straps tight.

"My dad was livid when he heard we were hiking inside the old mine tunnels," she said. "When I told him about the pit, I thought his ears were going to start firing off roman candles."

Jake pulled a contorted half-grin. "I wish I'd seen that." He shrugged into his own heavy pack. "Joe didn't say another word to me. He pointed to my bedroom, and I ran in fast."

"Let's go, kids," Joe shouted, beckoning with both arms. "Time's of the essence. I've made arrangements with the search helicopter to be on call in case we need it."

Nikki and Jake walked to the trailhead to join the others, who were all geared up with backpacks, waist packs, ropes, emergency supplies, and water. Two men held the long stretcher between them. It was made of durable microfiber and held together with aluminum poles. The men would have to manage it up the narrow, steep terrain and then down again with an injured hiker. They were used to it.

"Jake, Nikki, you go first," Joe said, tying a loose bootlace. "We'll go up without stops." By the time Joe stood up, Ranger and the two kids had disappeared into the woods.

* * *

Devin sat on the cliff's edge, soaking up the warmth of the rising sun. It was his only pleasure as he assessed their situation. "Did you find the cairn?" he asked, opening his eyes.

"I did." Christina walked along the cliff edge, mesmerized by the drop-off. "Where did we come in from last night? I don't see a trail anywhere." Her eyes searched the surrounding area.

"It's behind us, to the north. The hike's not far, but the trail is unmarked so we won't be easy to find. Can I make it to the cairn? It's doable for a normal hiker."

"Tell me the truth. How do you feel?" Christina sat beside him and set the binoculars down with the lenses facing up.

"Let me put it this way. When I stand, I get dizzy and my peripheral vision goes dark. If I don't sit or lie down, I feel like passing out." Devin's face looked for a moment like a frightened little boy's.

"My mom would call that severe hypoglycemia," Christina said. "Blood sugar so low the body can't function." Devin nodded. "No surprise," she added, considering we haven't eaten since yesterday." Her stomach made odd sounds.

They looked out over the wide vista. As tired as Devin was, Christina felt the opposite. Somehow her thinking was clearer. Was she getting a second wind? She'd heard that could happen, especially when someone faced a serious threat.

"Listen, Devin. I can bushwhack and find us something to eat, and maybe water from a pool."

Devin smiled. "You mean our own Spanish princess, tearing around like Jane of the jungle?" He chuckled. "You'd get lost, and we'd have to send a search party for you." As if those words had drained his last bits of energy, Devin stretched out on the grass and put an arm over his eyes.

"Can I take your temperature?" Christina asked. "And look at the leg?"

Devin nodded and she put a hand on his forehead. Just as she thought—hot. She pulled up the stiff, dry pant leg, removed the dressings, and stared at the wounds. Three of the superficial cuts were no longer bleeding. But two deeper cuts had not closed up and were seeping. And even more frightening, the bruised skin had swollen and was filling with pus. Christina's heart sank; definitely infected, she thought. No wonder he had no energy—so much of his life force was targeting the injuries. This was worse than she had imagined; her prince had been wounded searching for enchanted crystals.

"Devin!" She shook his shoulder. "Can you hear me?" No answer. He was out again.

Christina put her face in her hands. She wanted to howl. Devin might die in the wilderness and there was nothing she could do about it.

After a few minutes, Christina wiped her eyes with her dirty T-shirt and walked to the cave for her first aid kit. There was something she could do—keep the wounds clean to minimize the infection. Her mom had always said to watch the skin for a red line moving away from the injury. That was a sign the bacteria might be entering the bloodstream.