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Chapter Forty-Two
Afraid even to breathe, Ty watched Zebra and Lucifer picking their way over the narrow ledge with the delicacy of cats walking on the edge of a roof. The worst part of the trail was halfway along the ledge, where rock had crumbled away to make an already thin path even more skeletal. All that made passage possible was that the cliff at that point angled back from the vertical, rather than overhanging as it did along much of the ledge.
When Zebra reached the narrow place where rock had crumbled away, she stopped. After a moment or two her hooves shifted restively. Small pieces of rock fell away, rolling and bouncing until there was no more stone, only air. The mare froze in place, having gone forward no more than an inch or two.
"Go on," Ty said under his breath. "You can't turn around and you can't back up and you can't stay there forever. There's only one way out and that's to keep on going."
Zebra snorted. Ears pricked, she eyed the ledge ahead. Her skin rippled nervously. Sweat sprang up, darkening her pale hide around her shoulders and flanks. Trembling, she stood on the narrow ledge.
And then she tried to back up.
A hawk's wild cry keened across the rocks. The sound came once, twice, three times, coaxing and demanding in one; Ja
Slowly Zebra began to move forward once more. Holding out her hands, Ja
Gradually the ledge became wider once more, allowing Zebra to move more quickly. She completed the far end of the trail in a subdued rush, barely giving Ja
Ty had little time to be relieved that Zebra was safe, for now it was Lucifer's turn on the crumbling stone. The stallion liked it even less than the mare, for he was bigger and the saddlebags tended to rub hard against the overhang along the first part of the ledge, pushing the horse outward and toward the sheer drop to the valley floor. Unlike Zebra, Lucifer didn't stop on the narrow section of the trail. He simply laid back his ears and placed each hoof with excruciating care, sweating nervously until his black coat shone like polished jet.
Just as he reached the far end of the ledge, a piece of stone crumbled away beneath his great weight. His right rear hoof lost purchase entirely, throwing him off balance.
Ja
"Ja
Ty's horrified whisper was barely past his lips when Lucifer clawed his way over the last of the ledge and lunged onto the wider trail, knocking Ja
Ty barely noticed the narrowness of the ledge or the rub of his left shoulder against the overhang. He covered the stone pathway with reckless speed, wanting only to get to Ja
"Ja
She tried to speak, couldn't and fought for air.
"Take it easy, sugar," Ty said. "That fool stud knocked the breath out of you."
After a few more moments air returned to Ja
"Do you hurt anywhere?" Ty asked.
Ja
"Have enough air now?"
She nodded.
"Good."
Ty bent and pulled Ja
"Don't ever do anything like that again," Ty said roughly. "Nothing's worth your life. Not the stallion. Not the gold. Not anything. Do you hear me, Ja
She nodded, more breathless from Ty's searching, hungry and gentle kiss than from her skirmish with Lucifer.
Ty looked at Ja
Two feet away from Ty's left leg, stone chips exploded, spattering both of them with shards. From the valley below came the sound of rifle fire.
Ty dragged Ja
"When you get to the top, wait ten minutes," Ty said. "If I don't come, get on Zebra and ride like hell for the fort. Don't come back, Ja
"Let me stay," she pleaded.
"No," he said. Then he added in a low voice, "Please, Ja
Ja
"Now go," he said softly.
Ja
The remaining trail to the top of the plateau was more of a scramble than a walk, for the ravine that the path followed was filled with stony debris and a few hardy evergreens. The mustangs had left ample signs to follow- broken twigs and overturned stones and shallow gouge marks along solid rock.
The few steep pitches were mercifully brief. Within fifteen minutes Ja
She also had told herself he was all right, but tears kept ruining her vision and fear made her body clench.
From where Ja
The horses grazed nearby, wary of all sounds and shadows. All that forced Ja
Three minutes went by. Then five. Eight. Nine. Ten.
I'm safe enough here. It won't hurt to wait just a bit more. The mustangs will tell me if anyone else is near.
Twelve minutes. Fifteen. Seventeen.
Ja
"I told you-ten minutes," he said, breathing heavily.