Then, suddenly, she remembered. There was another way out of the canyon. The crevice behind Aria’s corral, the cave-like opening behind the pool, led to a trail high up on the main canyon wall. A narrow trail snaked from the end of the crevice to the canyon below, rocky, steep and dangerous. It was a deer trail and Sophie doubted that anything as big as a horse had ever traveled it before. But it was another way out.
Sophie had explored most of the crevice on foot when she prepared the hidden corral for Aria. Thinking Aria might try to leave the canyon, Sophie had blocked it off with some of the willow bushes she’d cut from the enclosure. Once Aria’s belly became larger with Melody growing inside of her, Sophie stopped worrying about her slipping out of the enclosure. The passageway was too narrow for a pregnant mare. But with Melody born, Aria would be thin enough again.
Sophie took a deep breath. “There is another way,” she said to Angelica and crossed her fingers. They all just had to make it out safely.
Chapter 36
Within a few minutes, the four were back inside the corral. While Angelica stood guard, Sophie pulled the dead willows out of the crevice and piled them to the side. When the way was clear, Sophie called Angelica. Angelica walked around the pool, watching the footing, making sure it was safe for Aria and Melody. The two horses followed close behind.
Upon reaching Sophie, Angelica turned to remove the bridle from Aria’s head. “I do not want her to get tangled in the reins,” she explained to Sophie. “Even if they are tied on her neck, there is a chance they might slip to the side causing her to trip. We cannot take that chance since the way ahead is dangerous.”
“Should I carry it?” asked Sophie.
“No, we will leave it,” replied Angelica. She smiled at Sophie. “Aria will let you ride her without it. And she knows her way home.” Angelica turned toward Aria and stood on tiptoes. Then she whispered in Aria’s ear. Though Sophie tried to listen, she only heard the wind, sliding through the crevice and sighing around her.
“What did you tell her?” asked Sophie when Angelica pulled away from Aria.
“I told her to take you and Melody to safety no matter what happens,” replied Angelica.
“But I’m responsible for Aria and Melody’s safety,” said Sophie. “It’s up to me to get them home safe. I brought them here.”
“You are responsible for Aria and Melody, but Aria has also accepted responsibility for you,” said Angelica. “It is the way things should be. All beings caring for each other.”
Sophie nodded and looked into Aria’s dark eyes. The mare gazed back at her with a warm, almost motherly expression. Sophie put out her hand and touched the silver neck. She had no doubt that Aria would take care of her. Then Sophie’s forehead creased. “But shouldn’t we be responsible for you too, then?” she asked Angelica. “Shouldn’t we make sure you are safe?”
Angelica looked at her with surprised eyes. “We must go,” she said after a moment. “The mountain lion will soon get suspicious that we have found another way.”
“But Angelica, I mean it. We will keep you safe…” Sophie’s voice trailed away. Rainbow dewdrops glistened in Angelica’s tawny eyes.
“Very few people have shown such concern for me,” she said to Sophie and reached up to wipe her tears. “You amaze me, Sophie. The horses care for me, but humans usually think I am here only to look after them. Few worry about me. You are very special, Sophie.”
In the silence that followed her words, Sophie felt her heart swelling. Was she really special, as Angelica had said? She always felt so worthless. So expendable. Somewhere deep inside her she felt a tiny hope start to grow: maybe there was something good about her after all. Maybe. “Come,” Angelica urged. “You lead the way. Aria, then Melody can follow. I will come down the trail last. Try to be as quiet as you can.”
Sophie picked her way carefully into the crevice, being sure to take care so Aria and Melody wouldn’t feel pressured to hurry. Though not much could happen to them in the narrow crevice, they had to get used to picking their way through the rocks. If they slipped on the trail and fell, they could be killed. The rock walls were so close that being in the crevice was almost like being in a cave, except there was a bit of blue sky above them. Sophie looked up. If the mountain lion knew they were coming this way and leapt from above, they wouldn’t stand a chance. There was no room to dart to the side, and they couldn’t run forward because of the cliff in front of them.
We would have to back out, realized Sophie. With a mountain lion attacking us, it wouldn’t be possible. I hope Angelica is right and the mountain lion is at the other end of Aria’s canyon.
After one more fearful glance upward, Sophie walked faster keeping an eye out for rattlesnakes as she went. The mid-morning sun was heating up the rock walls and trail and Sophie knew any creatures out in the sun would be thinking about the cool refreshing shade inside the crevice.
The ground began to rise and Sophie climbed upward. Then the floor sharply descended. Sophie could hear Aria sliding behind her, her hooves scrambling over the loose stones. They turned a last corner in the crevice and she could see the far wall of the main canyon through the narrow channel. Then Sophie was at the mouth of the crevice. She stepped out onto the trail. Aria nickered behind her.
Sophie had forgotten how high the crevice was above the main canyon floor and looked in dismay at the trail they had to follow. It didn’t look very safe. It was steep and rocky and a portion of it had been swept away in a rock slide.
She was relieved to see that the canyon below didn’t have water in it – yet. It was obviously still raining in the mountains. The clouds that hung over the distant spires were heavy and dark even though it was still hot and sunny in the canyon. Sophie could see distant thunderheads dumping their burden of rain.
She glanced over the edge of the trail and a wave of dizziness washed over her. Quickly she pulled back and closed her eyes. The air around her was heavy and suffocating.
Sophie turned back to Aria. “I’ll do everything I can to get you and Melody down safe, Aria,” she whispered and leaned her head against the mare’s forehead. “If I didn’t have you to protect, I don’t know if I could do this.” Aria stood calmly and Sophie shut her eyes again and soaked in the quiet presence of the horse. Finally she pulled away.
With a quickly-beating heart Sophie turned to face the rocky incline. “Let’s go, Aria,” she whispered and took her first step.
Chapter 37
The mountain lion is still waiting at the mouth of Aria’s canyon, but he is becoming suspicious. He is unsure that his plan of attack is the best one. He heard us coming down Aria’s canyon and now wonders why he can no longer hear our voices or our movement. He does not know there is another way but soon he will come to look for us. If we are lucky, we will be in the main canyon by then, already racing for the desert.
And once we are on the desert, Aria will follow her instructions. She will gallop to safety with Sophie on her back and Melody racing behind her. She has promised to leave me if she has to. She wants the same thing I do: she wants Melody and Sophie to be safe.
But first we must make it to the floor of the main canyon. The mountain lion must not catch us on the cliff-side trail. Yet one slip, one missed step, and any one of us could fall to our death.
Chapter 38
Sophie found the going relatively easy at first. The ground wasn’t too steep and the trail was wide enough for the horses. But Aria would have to descend slowly, and make her way carefully. Though she was a slight horse, she was still a lot bigger than the small desert deer that had carved out the trail. Sophie went slowly downward, pushing rocks and small boulders to the upper side of the path so the horses wouldn’t accidentally send any small stones over the edge. The last thing they needed to do was start a rockslide.
Almost a third of the way down, Sophie came to the part that had been ripped away by the rockslide. Since the trail had slid away, the deer had begun wearing a path into the hillside but
it was sloped toward the canyon floor and was strewn with loose stones. And there was still one short section that was completely gone. It looked as if the deer had just jumped over that part, not being able to find good enough footing on the ground.
Sophie put her hand back and touched Aria’s nose. “Stay here, girl,” she whispered. Then, using both her hands and feet, she climbed out onto the new trail.
“We can make it much safer,” said Angelica and Sophie looked up to see the older girl edge around the two horses. She picked up a sharp rock and dug at the slope in an effort to widen the new trail. Sophie followed her lead and began to chip at the stones and dirt. Carefully they packed the dirt they had loosened at the side of the trail to stop any stones from tumbling down the hill. More quickly than Sophie thought possible, the short section of trail was dug out. There was only the one gap they couldn’t fix.
“Do you think Melody can jump over the part that’s missing?” asked Sophie.
“Yes,” replied Angelica. “She is small and light enough that she should have no trouble. Aria is going to have more difficulty.”
“We can’t let her jump it then,” said Sophie”
“We have no choice, Sophie. We cannot go back,” said Angelica and met the frightened girl’s eyes. “The mountain lion is waiting for us. And besides, Aria cannot turn around. The trail is too narrow. We can only go forward. You must be strong and calm no matter what happens. That will help Aria more than anything.” Angelica touched Sophie’s hand for a second before turning away and squeezing past the two horses again.
“Listen, Aria,” said Sophie. “You be careful. You have to be careful. You have a daughter to raise, so you can’t let anything bad happen. And you’ve got to get home to Kalene and Joel. I promised I would return you, so be super careful.”
She gave Aria’s neck one more stroke, then turned toward the new trail. Slowly, she walked out onto it. When she reached the gap she jumped as far as she could toward the old, well-worn hillside trail. She landed well onto the hard surface and looked back.
“Okay, Aria,” she said. “It’s your turn. You can do it. Just take it slow and easy.” Sophie backed a few steps away from the gap and waited. The gray mare sniffed at the new trail. She put her front hoof out and tested the ground, slowly shifting her weight. She took another step and another. Sophie felt her heart beat faster as Aria approached. Now she just had to jump over the gap and she would be past the tricky part. “Aria, you can do it,” she called encouragingly and backed a few steps to give the horse more room to land. She watched the mare carefully gather herself to jump, then almost in slow motion Aria floated over the gap in the trail.
“Beautiful! That was beautiful! You’re amazing,” said Sophie and rushed forward to stroke the mare. Aria nickered softly in reply, then looked back at Melody. She nickered again.
Melody came over the new trail like Sophie imagined a deer would, light and quick. Within seconds, she was on the other side, peeking at Sophie from behind her dam. Then Angelica was there as well.
“That was a lot easier than I thought it would be,” said Sophie. Her voice was filled with relief. Then she turned to lead them the rest of the way down.
They were close to the bottom when they came to the rock. It was almost as tall and thin as Sophie, and it was leaning against the side of the incline. Sophie knew she could squeeze around it, even though she would be close to the edge of the trail, but Aria wouldn’t be able to. But there was something else about this rock that made Sophie nervous. It looked like a snake rock.
Living on the desert for a year had taught Sophie to recognize the places that snakes liked to rest when they were looking for warmth or shade. The rock was big, so it would keep the coolness it had acquired during the night until the next afternoon and the earthy lair between the rock and the canyon wall looked like the ultimate snake hangout.
Sophie called to Angelica. “Can you keep Aria back?” she asked. “I need to make sure it’s safe.”
“What is it?” asked Angelica. She peered around the two horses, her eyes searching the trail in front of Sophie.
“A big rock that looks like a place where snakes would rest,” said Sophie. She saw Angelica glance quickly behind them, back toward the crevice that led to Aria’s canyon. There was no need for her to tell Sophie to hurry. The mountain lion could come into view at any time, and he was a lot more dangerous than a few sleepy rattlesnakes.
Cautiously, Sophie stepped forward. She wished she had brought a stick with her. She kicked some dirt into the shadow behind the rock. There was no sound, no rustle of movement, no buzz of rattles. Maybe I’m wrong, Sophie thought hopefully. She picked up a stone and lobbed it toward the dark hole behind the rock. Still nothing.
Sophie walked as quietly as she could to the boulder, then picked up another larger rock and tapped loudly on the big one. Sharp hammering filled the air, and still there was no response. Not even a whisper of movement.
It must be okay, thought Sophie, as she walked beside the rock and looked on the other side.
All she saw was a blur of movement flash toward her, quick as a tongue of lightning. Instinctively, Sophie threw herself backward on the trail, leaving the snake to snap its jaws just an inch from her leg. Her heart thumped so hard she thought it would explode as she scrambled backward in the dust. Sophie was lucky she hadn’t fallen over the edge of the trail. She jumped to her feet and hurried back toward Aria.
Then she stopped. There was only one way to make the way safe for the others. Only one way to widen the trail. And I better just do it. I can’t stop to think, or I’ll chicken out!
With a quick step, Sophie was back at the boulder. Her eyes watched the bottom of the large rock for movement as she leaned into it and pushed with all her might.
The rock was precariously balanced, thinner at the base than at the top. Slowly, slowly, it scraped along the side of the cliff, loosening dust and small rocks. As gravity caught it, it fell faster. Sophie hoped that the snake would be able to get out of the way. As long as it left them alone, she didn’t want to kill it.
The rock hit the trail with a loud crash, then heavily rolled for a few feet before it toppled over the edge. Sophie was relieved to see that the snake was okay. It slithered away in panic with another right behind it. They whipped over the edge of the trail and disappeared among the rocks on the steep slope. When they disappeared in the dust caused by the falling rock, Sophie breathed a sigh of relief.
At least they’re not hurt, she thought. The snake didn’t mean to scare me. I just startled it.
Suddenly her thoughts of snakes stopped short. She had just realized something terrible about the loud crashing noise the rock made as it tumbled down the slope, loosening the smaller rocks that bounced and clattered and echoed along behind it. It was much too loud.
The lion will hear it, Sophie realized and her stomach suddenly felt queasy. He might have been around the corner, waiting for us at the other end of Aria’s canyon, but he heard that. He’ll be coming now.
Chapter 39
He heard the rock slide.
He knows we have taken too long to pass beneath him.
He knows we have found another way.
Chapter 40
“Go! Hurry,” Angelica yelled behind Sophie.
Sophie quickened her pace, but she didn’t dare go faster than a rapid walk. As it was she could hear Aria behind her, hooves skidding on the steep slope.
Sophie quickly pushed another large rock out of the way to make Aria and Melody’s path a bit easier. There was no point in being quiet now. The lion would be coming. Sophie shuddered despite the heat shimmering around her.
As the trail widened at the bottom, she walked faster and finally ran the last few steps down to the canyon floor. Here it was bare of everything but rock and sand. No willow surrounded the new trickle of muddy water that ran between the rock walls. Sophie stopped and turned back.
“Where is he?” she asked Angelica. “Can you tell?
Is he coming down the trail after us or will he wait somewhere up high and attack as we pass beneath?”
Angelica’s face tightened in concentration. She closed her eyes. Sophie could feel her reaching out, not with her hands, but with something that couldn’t be seen. Something that felt like fingers of energy probing and searching.
“He is above us. Maybe in Aria’s enclosure. It is hard to tell exactly,” the golden girl finally said. “But we cannot wait to find out. We must go quickly. If he is in the enclosure, he will be here shortly. We can move faster if you ride Aria.”
Angelica boosted Sophie onto Aria’s back and the mare immediately trotted toward the open desert. Melody loped behind her dam and Angelica brought up the rear, running quickly over the rough ground.
Most of the trail was covered with the brown water, so the going was slower than it otherwise would have been. They had to move at a pace the horses could easily handle and Melody, especially, was having trouble. She was only a few hours old and already she’d had to negotiate rocky, uneven ground.
Rounding the corner, Sophie guided Aria with her heels as far away from the entrance to Aria’s hidden canyon as she could, while keeping an eye on the narrow opening to her left. There seemed to be no movement. Maybe the mountain lion is in Aria’s corral, searching for us, she thought. Or maybe he’s heading down the deer trail right now. If so, we’ll get to the desert before he catches us.
She glanced back at Angelica. The older girl was keeping up behind Melody. She didn’t look tired at all. Her long golden hair streamed out behind her like a molten cape, flashing in the morning sun. Ahead, Sophie could see the desert between the canyon walls, its dry expanse stretching away to the horizon.
We’re almost there, she realized. We’ve almost made it. She urged Aria on a little faster. They were so close. So close.
Chapter 41