Chapters (39)
- Cover
- Title
- Author’s Note
- Glossary
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Acknowledgments
Faye shoved the notebook back into the bag, closed it and pushed the backpack beneath the bed.
Twelve
Twelve
By the time Derek woke up, the others had long since left the cabin. He hobbled onto the stone deck and looked around. With the clouds having lifted, the view over the trees and onto the peaks across the valley was vast. The vegetation nearby was leafy and vibrant while, in the distance, the mountains looked like the faces of weather-beaten old men, lined with cracks, crevices and caves.
He leaned against the railing and rubbed his back. It was stiff and sore, as if someone had folded him in half, lain him on the floor and bounced on his shoulders. The shrill call of a sunbird pierced his already throbbing brain. His mouth felt furry and his neck ached.
Although he couldn’t see them, Derek could hear the others talking in the lapa. Bev and Helen had walked to the river to see whether it had subsided.
“If anything, it’s risen,” said Bev. “There’s no way we would’ve dared try cross it in its current state.”
“Never,” said her wife. “And we’re not just saying that because we’re still traumatised by what happened yesterday.”
There was mumbled accord before Diane announced that she’d found four sachets of instant coffee in her daypack. The news elicited a cheer and Bruce offered to boil water so they could share the find. Coffee might help, thought Derek, walking slowly down the stairs.
“Hey,” said Bruce, as Derek shuffled into the lapa, pain shooting through his lower back with every step. “Just in time for your half cup of coffee. How are you feeling?”
“I’m afraid my hiking ends here.”
Bruce collected the mugs. “Really? Damn, that’s unfortunate.”
“I could probably make a few kilometres of easy terrain, but today’s route is hairy. There’s no way I’m up to it.”
“We’ve decided none of us are up to the original route,” said Geoffrey, pointing to the map spread on the table. “We’re not going to chance another river crossing, particularly since it looks like we might be in for more rain.”
Derek felt a modicum of relief. At least he wouldn’t miss out the main trail.
“What’s the plan then?”
They gathered around the map.
“We thought we’d take one of the escape routes,” continued Geoffrey. “This one is the shortest and will take us to the road that leads back to the rangers’ office. It’s still quite a distance and we might encounter problems at the bridges, but it’s the most practical. Ideally, we’ll meet the rangers with Clare and Faye once we get to the road. Of course, since we don’t know how badly damaged the road might be, it’s just wishful thinking.”