“We’ll start here,” Ethan said. “And we’ll need to walk fast.”
The burned man gazed out the window without interest. They were surrounded by high peaks and steep slopes but Ethan was sure the man saw no threat there because he had no intention of getting into a situation where he might fall off a peak. But he would, Ethan believed, allow himself to get into a situation where he climbed toward one.
What Ethan needed was a slope that rose on them abruptly, and for a short length. One that they could walk along until suddenly they needed to make a short scramble to the top. Enough to force the holstering of the gun and demand the total attention of the hands.
Republic Peak offered that opportunity. It was a long, leg-burning hike, but a hike all the same; you could keep your hands free. Until you reached ten thousand feet. There it leveled out to a wide plateau that overlooked a glacier to the west and the drainage of Republic Creek to the north. The country to the south was blocked by the peak itself, but it wasn’t a terrible climb to the top, and for that reason Ethan often used it as a summit for the amateurs he brought into the mountains. No ropes required, no technical experience or gear. Anyone in decent physical condition could make it to the top of Republic Peak-but you couldn’t just walk to it. It required a little hands-and-knees work; you had to pick your way among the rocks. At the summit, there was an extraordinary view of the surrounding countryside. There was also, as was common in these mountains, a stack of stones marking the summit, a small pyramid of rocks left by triumphant hikers who wanted to acknowledge their journey to the top of the world, or as close to it as they’d yet been. Ethan’s boys had added to it over the years. Heavy, rounded stones and flat, jagged chunks. Killing rocks, in the right hands.
But can I beat Luke? How fast is my clock ticking now?
He was sweating even though they hadn’t yet started up the trail. It was all out there waiting for him, he could take care of the man easily if he was left alone, but he might not be left alone. He hadn’t counted on the wild card, Luke. He hoped Roy had actually radioed Luke and told him to get the hell out of the mountains.
Then you’ll meet him coming back down. And then…
“Ethan? What’s our plan? You seem distracted. What’s on your mind? Is it Allison? Ah, such a sweet thing, true love. But let’s not let it disrupt our focus.”
“We’re going to have to get high, and do it fast,” he told the burned man as they left the truck. “He’ll have a light going as soon as it gets dark. If he’s on the move, it will be his headlamp or a flashlight. If he’s in one place, it will be a fire.”
“If he’s hiding, as you believe, why would he have a light?”
“Because I spent the past several days scaring him. In order to get the kids to take things seriously, I share some war stories. Trust me, none of them are comfortable up here at night. Not at first. And if he’s moving, which he may be, then a light is simply required. He’ll have to see where he’s going. I watched this boy start a fire. He’s good at it, and he likes it. I’m sure he’ll want one going. The fire will give him a sense of strength, of security. You’d be surprised at the feeling that comes with starting a fire.”
“Oh, I’m rather familiar with it, Ethan.”
Ethan didn’t look at him, didn’t react. Told himself not to think of Claude Kitna. Not to think of the source of the smoke they’d passed. Instead, he thought of the fire that Allison had started. That was a survivor’s fire. That was the heart that he had to match.
“So we hike fast, and we get high,” he said. “I’m telling you this so you won’t question where we’re going or what we’re doing.”
“I’ll question everything, actually. But carry on.”
The wind freshened and blew at them warm and dusty from its journey over dry terrain. There was a thickness to it, a humidity that felt misplaced in the high mountains, and Ethan knew there was a storm behind it. The days had been too hot and too dry for too long this early in the summer. It had fed the fires, and now rain would come in and maybe help, maybe hurt. A good drenching downpour would be a blessing to the firefighters; a lightning storm might be a disaster. This wind did not feel as if it came from a savior. “Feel that?” Ethan asked.
“The breeze. Yes, Ethan. I feel it.”
“Not a breeze. That’s a warning.”
“Is it, now?” The burned man managed to keep his voice drawling and uninterested even when he should have been out of breath. He was hurt and they were moving fast and it had likely been some time since he’d slept, but he did not show any of that. Ethan was concerned by this. Ethan had the feeling that the burned man was a survivor himself, and that was trouble.
“It’s coming ahead of a storm,” Ethan said. “And we’re two miles up in the air. It doesn’t take long for lightning to connect with the earth when you climb this high to meet it.”
“I’ve come through a fire already today, Ethan. I’ll welcome the storm.”
They continued to work their way along the trail, flashlights on now because darkness had settled, and when the burned man moved, he was loud, too loud, and Ethan smiled. No, this was not his world. Ethan had made the right choice. They would reach Republic Peak and there the burned man would die. It was a matter of hours, that was all. Two hours, maybe three. That was all the burned man had left, and he did not know it. Ethan had made the right choice, and he would prove it in blood.
“You say the searchers have not sighted him, but the fire lookout did,” the burned man said. “Yet we aren’t going to the lookout. You’re ignoring that. Seems unwise.”
“I’m not ignoring it. One person has seen him. How? By having the elevation advantage. If we get to Republic Peak, we’ll be higher than him, no question. I don’t know how you’re feeling, how much you’ve got in you. If you want to sit it out and let me make the climb, then we’ll do it that way. Running away from you won’t help me, so you know I’ll come back down for you.”
“Your concern is touching,” the burned man said, “but I have plenty in me, Ethan. Don’t you worry about my resources. You just set the pace, and I’ll keep up.”
This was the answer Ethan had been expecting, and it was good. He’d wanted to goad him a little bit. Ethan would attempt to discourage him from the summit again when they were closer, and the burned man would hear that and commit to reaching the top because he would not want Ethan to think he was weakening.
“You believe he hid from the searchers, don’t you, Ethan?”
“Yes. Because he thinks you’ll be with them, or near them. An ordinary boy would try to get out of the mountains as fast as possible. He’d seek help. Connor-that’s the name I know him by, at least-is not interested in finding help, because he doesn’t trust help. From anyone. As long as he knows you’re here-and he does-then he will not willingly give himself up. He made that clear when he ran off last night.”
“You can find him?”
“I will find him.”
“And what do you think will happen to him then?”
Ethan hesitated. “I’m not sure.”
“Yes, you are, Ethan. Yes, you are. So admit it. If you find him, what will happen to him?”
Ethan was silent, and the burned man said, “You’re wasting time. Answer the question.”
“You’ll likely kill him.”
“I certainly will kill him. It’s not a matter of likelihood. It’s a matter of certainty. And you know this, but still you’ll find him for me. So you are willing for him to die.”
Ethan turned back and looked at him. The burned man was smiling, his face pale in the glow from the flashlight.
“I don’t desire it,” Ethan said. “But I also don’t know him. I don’t love him. I love my wife. If sacrificing him allows me to save my wife…”