Doors slammed, echoing in the night. The first vehicle rumbled to life. The SUV made a cautious three-point turn on the narrow road and drove slowly back down the mountain.

Ash whimpered. “Please. There are things out here. Nightmares. Just like she said.”

“Yes.” Harlan managed to keep the kid from stumbling into a tree. “And unless you want to deal with those nightmares on your own, you’ll shut up and do exactly what I tell you.”

Ash was trembling. Not from the cold, Harlan decided, and not only because of the gun. The guy definitely had some talent but evidently he lacked an intuitive understanding of how to suppress the hallucinations. Or maybe he was too frightened to focus.

A short distance away a crystal sparked in the fog. And then another.

A few minutes later Harlan and his captive emerged on the old logging road. Olivia appeared, a ghostly figure in the fog.

Ash froze. “No, please, no.”

Olivia glanced at him. “Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you.” She turned back to Harlan. “Are you okay? I heard shots.”

“I’m good. You?”

“Fine. They got away in one of the cars. I can’t believe it. I’ve never heard of anyone who was able to drive that road at night.”

“They had a little help from some sort of paranormal navigation device,” Harlan said. “Ash here had one in his vehicle, too. That’s what he’s carrying.”

Olivia looked at the square metal object Ash was holding. “An artifact. And a pretty amazing one if it can navigate through this fog.”

“Let’s get inside the car,” Harlan said. “We can take a closer look later.”

They walked back toward Olivia’s SUV. Ash had stopped whimpering. Harlan suspected he had moved beyond shock and was now numb.

“He’s not in good shape,” Olivia said. “His aura is wobbly.”

“Damn. He can’t die on me. I need answers.”

“Your empathy is heartwarming.”

“This bastard tried to kidnap you, Olivia.”

“I know. But he’s just a kid and he’s terrified.”

“The terrified part is good. I can work with that.”

When they reached the vehicle, Harlan went through the pockets of Ash’s cargo trousers, confiscating some long zip ties, a stun gun and a small kit containing a loaded syringe.

“Probably a dose of some tranquilizer they planned to use on me,” Olivia said. “They are really determined to grab me, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” Harlan said, “they are.”

He wanted to comfort and reassure her, but that wouldn’t do her any good. There was nothing he could add that would make the situation sound any less dangerous, so he didn’t say anything else.

“Thanks,” Olivia said.

He concentrated on using one of Ash’s zip ties to secure the young man’s wrists behind his back. “For what?”

“Not trying to tell me I’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Anytime.”