Chapter Seventeen

Fire.

Jess felt the leaden weight of dread settle into the pit of his stomach. Please, dear God, not fire. Not fire.

His search for the razor grew more rapid, more frantic. He'd already lost most of his family in a fire. He couldn't let it happen again. Not now. Not because of something he'd done. Trent wouldn't have been here if it weren't for him. He couldn't let Mike and Daisy die for that.

"Where is it?" he panted, still patting the ground around where he'd been standing and then shoving Trent's body over in case he was lying on it. "Where is it!"

Traveller nickered again. Alamo answered him, and so did two or three of the other horses. They were restless in their stalls, trapped. Trapped like Daisy and Mike.

"Please, God," he breathed, the sudden sweat pouring from him, chilling him in the increasing heat. "Please, show me. Help me."

There was nothing under Trent. He'd have to try to untie Mike and Daisy, but he'd never have time to get them free, not without his sight.

"Please. Please, I need to see."

In answer, there was a sudden roaring whoosh and a rush of heat. Likely a bale or two of hay had caught. Maybe he could find something to push over that way to keep the fire from getting to Mike and Daisy until he could get them out. Or maybe he could somehow make a fire break, make sure there was nothing around them but dirt.

Jess turned his face toward the heat and blinked his stinging eyes. He wasn't sure, but he thought there was a dim flicker of orange before him. He squeezed his eyes shut and looked again. It wasn't much, but it was there, a little brighter now. The color made his head ache, but he stared into it, willing it to brighten into actual light.

"Oh, please—"

He turned toward where he thought Mike and Daisy must be, and he could see the faint yellow flicker of a lantern still alight. Maybe that would be enough to let him untie those ropes. He moved unsteadily toward it, wishing he knew what had happened to the walking stick he'd brought into the barn with him. There was no time. No time.

"Mike!" he called. "Hang on, Tiger. I'm comin'."

He could hear the crackle of the flames. Closer now. Hotter. There was no time.

"Please," he breathed, and then he stumbled and fell to his hands and knees. He'd stepped on something. He patted his hands over the ground and then saw the tiniest glint of orange light on metal. The razor. Remembering it was still open, remembering he could see only faint bits of light, he took careful hold of it and snapped it closed. Then he made for that small wavering glow, the lantern that had to be close to Mike and Daisy.

The heat was almost overwhelming now. The horses were whinnying and banging against their stalls.

"Traveller! I'm comin', boy. I'm comin'. Stand easy now."

Please, God, don't make me choose. Help me get 'em all out.

Mike was only a few unsteady steps away. Jess opened the razor and grabbed the rope that was wound around Mike's body. He slipped his left hand under it, holding the rope away from the boy, and then he put the razor under it, too, turning it toward himself so he could cut Mike free.

The rope quickly gave, but Mike's hands were tied with a different line, and Jess had to grapple with the knot.

"I'm hurryin', Tiger. Gotta get Miss Daisy out, too."

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face and ran, stinging, into the cuts on his throat. The roar of the fire was closer now, the heat itself painful, but he forced himself to stay calm. More on instinct than anything else, he glanced toward the fire again.

It was brighter now, and he could see a little variation in the light, actual individual flames. He dashed the back of one hand across his eyes and saw that little flicker of lantern light there beside him. He saw the lantern, too. Not so clearly yet, but he could make out the soot-blackened metal and the glint of the glass. His breath came a little faster, a little harder.

"Got you now, Tiger," he said as the last of Mike's ropes came free. Then he moved to Daisy's side and started on her bonds. Quicker now. Surer.

"I'll get the horses out," Mike said once he'd pulled off his gag.

"No!"

"But Jess—"

"I got a more important job for you." He couldn't let the boy stay in here a minute longer. "I just about got Miss Daisy loose. You gotta get her out and into the house. Can you do that?"

"Sure, Jess, but—"

"No, buts. I gotta be sure I can count on you." Jess was sawing through the ropes on Daisy's wrists as fast as he could, struggling to breathe as the smoke got heavier. "You gotta see she gets inside and stay with her," he panted. "Don't come back. Promise me. I'll see to things out here."

"But, Jess, you can't—"

Jess glanced at him for one brief second, met the boy's tear-filled blue eyes, and gave him an encouraging nod. "I can see a little. Enough to do what I need to. But I'm trusting Miss Daisy to you. Understand? Do I have your word?"

Mike nodded rapidly. "I promise. I swear."

"Okay then." The last of Daisy's bonds snapped and Jess pulled her to her feet. "Daisy, you get Mike inside and stay put. I'll be right after." She tried to pull off her gag, but he pushed her toward the door. "That'll wait, Daisy! Get him out! Go on! Do like I told you, Mike!"

Mike grabbed her hand and ran with her into the black square that was the barn door. Jess hurried further into the barn. It was darker here, and he could see almost nothing.

"Traveller? Where are you boy?"

Traveller whinnied in reply, and Jess rushed into his stall to cut his halter rope and back him out.

"Go on now!" he said, giving him a hard swat on the rump. "Get out!"

Traveller didn't balk at the flames. He ran straight out into the yard, and Jess sent Alamo after him.

"Get on, boy! Go!"

The light was closer now, brighter, and so were the flames. Gasping for breath, tears streaming down his face, Jess went from stall to stall cutting the horses free. He could see little more than the whites of their terrified eyes, but he managed to run them out. All but one.

The little black mare in the last stall huffed and danced in her panic. Even after Jess cut her free, she wouldn't budge.

"Come on now."

He shoved her back with his shoulder. The fire was already consuming the post Mike and Daisy had been tied to. If Jess didn't get out now, he was never going to.

The mare danced sideways, refusing to leave the stall.

"Move!"

He shoved again, and she tossed her head and neighed.

"Boy!" This was the mare he'd come down out of the hills on. Timmo's horse, he was sure. "Come on, Boy. Please."

The far side of the barn was coming down now, the timbers groaning as they fell. Jess grabbed the saddle blanket that was hanging over the side of the stall and put it over Boy's eyes. What little sight he had now was dimmed again by the thick black smoke that surrounded him. He pulled his coat up to cover his mouth and nose and ran with Boy through the door and out into the yard.

"Jess!" Daisy called, hurrying to him from the porch.

"No, Aunt Daisy!" Mike tried to pull her back. "I promised we'd stay here! I swore!"

Jess staggered toward them, one arm draped over Boy now. "It's all— all right— Tiger," he wheezed. "Daisy—"

He slid down to his knees, and Boy ran over to the corral fence where the other horses were huddled together.

"Go get some water, Mike," Daisy said as she ran to Jess.

Mike scurried into the house.

"Daisy," Jess breathed, sucking down the cold, fresh night air, and she caught him before he could topple face down in the snowy yard. "Daisy?"

"I'm right here, dear," she said, easing him to the ground and settling his head in her lap.

"Are you— Are you all right?"

"Oh, Jess. Are you all right?"

She stroked the hair back from his forehead, and he thought there was nothing more beautiful than her sweet, worried face looking down on him.

"Don't cry. We can put up a new barn."

"Don't you be silly, Jess Harper. I'm not crying."

A cough tore through his raw throat, but he managed to grin. "You can't fool me anymore, Miss Daisy," he croaked, and he reached up to wipe a tear from her pale cheek.

"Oh, Jess. Oh, thank God. You can see!"

"Sure I can," he wheezed. "A little now." He coughed from deep in his chest. "I can— I can—"

"Shh, dear. You're all right. Just breathe. Shh."

He closed his stinging eyes, still coughing, still feeling the heat from the barn as the fire consumed it and the body that lay within.

"Jess?"

Daisy's voice sounded very far away now. He struggled to answer her, but somehow he couldn't manage to.

"Jess."

He couldn't open his eyes.

He could only give in to the darkness.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter is a special surprise present for Nakoosay's birthday! Thanks for your support and encouragement and overall greatness. I hope you have the very best birthday ever!

To everyone else: Tomorrow my little vacation will be over and I have to be an adult once more, so I probably won't have chapters this close together again, at least not for awhile. I hope you've enjoyed this story. Just a little more to go now. I really appreciate all of you who have stayed with me this long. Thank you!