After thirty seconds or so, I heard Shaun’s voice.

“Maybe it’s time to rethink this. Maybe the guardrail isn’t the problem. Maybe we are the problem.”

We stared to the east, down at terrain we had walked through. The large lake we’d seen, near the geyser, was one of at least three dozen glaciated basins. Some of them were surrounded by rust-colored larch trees coming down from the snow-dusted slopes. The temperature was bearable now. We were thawing out, but there still wasn’t any room to set up camp except on the road itself, which was just too narrow. We had to push forward. The way was difficult, and my ankle hurt so bad I cringed and bit my lip.

“Let me help you, Nick,” Shad said. He put his thin but strong arm under mine and around my back, taking some weight off the ankle.

“You need to learn how to ask for help,” Malaiki said. “We want to be here for you.”

“It’s not that bad,” I said. What I didn’t say was that it would kill me to ask for help—I’d had a lifetime of experience not doing it.

As we moved ahead, I heard Malaiki groan, sounding distressed. I looked back quickly to see her push David’s hand away from behind her. I pretended not to notice and turned my head slightly to watch out of the corner of my eye. He whispered to her, and I saw him touch her again.

“Pass me, Malaiki,” I said, pressing against the rock. Eyes down, she did.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I challenged David through closed teeth, my nose two inches from his.

“It’s no big deal. Mind your own business.”

“Malaiki is my business. She belongs to the King, not you.”

“Who do you think you are?”

“Her … brother,” I said.

“You don’t understand,” he sniveled.

“I do understand. I’ve ruined my life and my family’s and more than one woman’s. I won’t let you do it, not to Malaiki.” I pointed my finger at him. “Do you hear me?”

He stared at me, and I braced for a fight. Finally he relaxed his shoulders, then turned his eyes to his position locator.

Watching my back, I moved forward again and caught up with Malaiki.

She turned and whispered, “Thanks for your help. I was scared and … confused.”

“No problem,” I said.

“You mentioned you have a daughter, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Her name’s Amy.”

“She’s lucky to have you for a dad.”

I looked down at the blurry mud on my boots.

No, she’s not.