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Her brow furrowed. He’d said the firefighters had seen him. “Wait…the old mining house! I knew I saw someone in there. That was you?” Nova’s eyes widened. The metal ring on the floor. “You had a trapdoor. That’s how you escaped the fire.”
“One of many I have scattered all over the place. There’s a way to navigate this wildfire without succumbing to it.”
“You have a way to get me home safe?”
“It won’t be easy, but it’s our best chance.” Henry stood and moved toward the door. “Sit tight. I’ll be back.”
Henry disappeared into the darkness, leaving Nova alone with the crackling flames in the fireplace.
As Nova awaited Henry’s return, she assessed her injuries. A white bandage covered the cut on her forearm. Henry had wrapped her ankle with an elastic bandage and built a makeshift splint to support her possibly broken ankle.
The tea had dulled the pain pulsing through her body. A second cup might help, but she doubted she could even stand.
She took a steadying breath and leaned back on the pillow. Her thoughts coalesced into a prayer.
“God, I need Your peace. I…I can’t do this on my own. I need You,” she whispered. “Help me find Booth. Warn him about all this. Keep him safe.”
The door creaked open, startling Nova awake.
Henry’s presence filled the room. “Ready to find your way home again?”
“More than ready.” She had to find Booth and check in with her crew. Had to know if Finn had survived…or not.
“Okay, up we go.” With Henry’s support, she managed to get off the couch. She took a beat to gather her bearings. “Keep weight off your foot as much as you can. We’ve got a bit of a walk. Use these.” He handed Nova a pair of ancient-looking crutches.
Henry grabbed a flashlight and led Nova down a darkened tunnel. It was slow going with her injuries, but not as bad as she’d expected.
He turned left at a T intersection, walked awhile, and turned right at the next. Then another right and a left. Henry had her all turned around, and she was pretty sure they were walking right back to where they’d started.
Up ahead, an ominous glow illuminated the mouth of a cave. The silhouette standing at the opening froze her in place.
Henry stopped beside her. “What? What’s wrong?”
“Is that…?”
He shone the flashlight at the opening.
A saddled horse stood tethered and waiting. It lifted its head and whinnied.
Oh…oh no. Henry expected her to ride that horse.
Ride through the wildfire to safety.
Her good leg began to tremble, and her possibly broken ankle throbbed. “No way, Henry. I can’t ride that horse.”
“You don’t know how to ride?”
“It’s not…I can’t do it.” She leaned against the cold stone of the cave wall.
Henry put a warm hand on her shoulder. “Listen, kid. I’m not sayin’ it’s going to be easy. Especially in your condition. But it’s the only way. No vehicle can do what Abilene can do.”
“Abilene?” Nova looked at the horse. Henry was right. It was her only way out of the wildfire.
Her only way to find Booth before Floyd did.
She crutched over to Abilene. Reached up and petted her muzzle.
This wasn’t the same as what’d happened before. She wasn’t a frightened child leaving her family behind. This was her opportunity to do what Booth had done for her—save his life.