Page 134 of Beneath the Mountain Sky
Tony nods. “She has a point.”
Willow paces, chewing on her bottom lip as she works through whatever is churning in her head. “And that’s the only explanation for why all those notes and gifts showed up. Someone went out of their way to ensure I wouldn’t be missed, which should limit the search somewhat.”
Connor sighs. “It’s still hundreds of miles.”
She shakes her head. “It’s not.” Moving over to one of the newer maps, she taps her finger on the gorge. “I noticed this the other day. I know I have a memory of the gorge, of going through it, but there’s nothing up that way, not on the newer maps, but look at this.” She moves to the oldest one and drags her finger northwest of the gorge. “What’s this?”
I step over to it and squint, narrowing my eyes on the fading ink that my great-grandfather—or maybe even his father—drew. “An old logging area that hasn’t been used in generations.”
That doesn’t appear on any of the newer maps.
Willow looks at me, her dark brows rising. “How would they have gotten logs through the gorge?”
Shaking my head, I drag my finger down the map on the opposite side of the mountain from town. “They didn’t. There was likely a trail that went up the backside of the mountain that’s been abandoned just as long as that area has been.”
She follows where I’m pointing, but this map barely shows it, almost completely faded out. A faint line running up the most remote side of the mountain, near the far edge of the gorge, and up to the old logging area. “But…there would’ve been a cabin up there, right?”
My spine stiffens as I exchange a glance with Connor, Liam, and Tony. “Probably.” I turn back to her. “They certainly weren’t coming down here every day. Even for an experienced hiker, it would be at least a ten-hour hike from there to town, depending on where they built it. Even taking the trail wouldn’t have helped because they would have had to loop around to this side of the mountain, which adds several hours. They would have burned all their daylight just getting home.”
Raven nudges me out of the way, examining the maps probably for the first time since she’s never been in this office before, as far as I know. “They must have stayed up there for days or weeks at a time to make it worthwhile.”
Nodding, Willow refocuses on that old trail, her eyes glazing over slightly, as if she isn’t really in this room with us anymore. “I was in an old cabin northwest of the gorge. Near this area. I’m positive.”
The determination in her voice sends goosebumps skittering across my skin.
She glances over at me. “I’m sure, Killian. This is where I was.”
There’s a plea in her voice for me to believe her, for me to act.
I nod. “Then that’s where we’ll go.”
Tony bobs his head in agreement. “That’s where we’ll focus our searches.”
Willow squares her shoulders. “I’m going with you.”
My back stiffens. “Like hell you are.”
She turns to face me slowly, standing her ground. “I’m not going to sit back here while you all go up there to face God only knows what. I need to see it, see whoever this was, know what happened to me. Maybe I’ll get the rest of my memories if I do.”
I open my mouth to argue with her again, but Raven steps up, inserting herself between Willow and me. “She needs to do this.”
It doesn’t mean it makes it any easier to accept putting Willow in that kind of position, but I know Raven’s right.
“Fine.” I lock gazes with Willow, her eyes red-rimmed from crying but unwavering in their intensity. “But you don’t leave my side. You understand me?”
She nods.
Tony lets out a long sigh. “We’ve got thirty-four people ready to come out with us tomorrow. That’s a good number, and now, we know where to go.”
We all turn and look at the map, at the tiny squiggle of a line, barely there, that represents the old logging trail.
Hopefully, it’s where we’re going to find our answers.
17
TWO DAYS LATER
WILLOW
