Page 137 of Beneath the Mountain Sky
It quickly disappears behind the treetops, dropping the temperature and the mountain into darkness.
Time passes, though I lose track of how long we’ve been hiking or how far we’ve gone, until the smell of a campfire and food cooking finally hits my nose. By the time we break through the treeline and into the clearing near the river, camp is established, dinner already in full swing.
Sheriff Briggs sits on a log on one side of the bonfire, his wife, Tonya, beside him, laughing at something he whispers in her ear. A handful of others mill about the dozens of tents already set up near the center of camp.
It isn’t far from the spot Killian and I stayed the night we came up here alone, seeking answers we couldn’t locate but finding something else just as important.
That was the start of us figuring out a way to come together again. To forgive and allow ourselves to feel all the things we had been trying to tamp down since my return.
“Are you hungry?”
Killian’s question breaks my train of thought, and I shake my head as he twines his fingers with mine and leads me toward the encampment. Concerned blue eyes watch me. “You need to eat something.”
“I know…”
But now that we’ve stopped moving, that we’ve reached this spot, the fear of what we might find up there, of what I’ll have to see and what memories will come with it, turns my stomach until bile climbs my throat.
I force it back as Killian releases my hand to let his pack slip off his shoulders. He rests it beside our tent that someone set up for us before we arrived, then directs me toward the fire.
My feet move, but I barely register what’s happening, my mind already slipping into the dark place I avoided on the way up here.
Connor and Liam approach us with two plates in hand. Liam slips one into mine without a word but offers a knowing half-smile. Connor does the same for Killian, clapping him on the shoulder before they return to the makeshift kitchen area to get their own dinners.
I stare down at the food someone carefully prepared to ensure it would be hot and ready by the time the rest of the searchers arrived, but I can’t muster up the appetite to even consider eating any of it.
Killian urges me over to an empty log along the side of the bonfire and settles beside me. Connor and Liam return, dropping down on the opposite side of their brother. They all dig in, friendly chatter filling the night air along with the sound of the river not far to the east.
Millions of stars blanket the clear sky above, a canopy of sparkling lights.
I tear my gaze from them and watch the men and women around the fire, the flames flickering across their faces, which are mostly filled with humor, but there’s an underlying hum of trepidation and restless anticipation.
No one knows what we might find tomorrow.
But everyone expects the worst.
That much is evident based on the looks being cast in our direction.
Only the rest of the search party finally entering the clearing breaks the attention from me.
Additional tents go up.
People come and eat. Drifting around. Chatting. Then returning to their spots to settle in for the night.
All while I sit frozen in place, unable to move.
I have no idea how much time passes.
An hour.
Two, maybe.
Killian finally leans over, dipping his head toward my ear. His long hair tickles my cheek. Even with the fire burning close, the scent that’s all Killian still fills each breath I take. “You didn’t touch your food. And I’ve been trying to give you some space and time, but we have a hell of a hike tomorrow. You need to eat something.”
I glance down at my plate.
He’s right.
Today was the easy part of the journey—physically and emotionally.
