We hit the base of the ridge. The terrain steepens. The trees thin out, giving way to rock and scrub brush.
"Heads up," I say. "We're exposed here."
As we start the climb, the pack makes its move.
They don't attack. They appear.
Five of them. They step out of the timber below us, lining up in a row. They sit down in the snow, watching us climb.
It's chilling. They're in no hurry. They're escorting us.
"They're waiting for us to slip," Aris says.
"Then don't slip."
We climb. My legs burn, and the stitched calf burns hottest, a hot wire under the bandage. The sweat freezing on my back feels like knives. But we keep moving, climbing higher, leaving the tree line behind.
Finally, we crest the ridge.
The view is spectacular. The sun is just breaking the horizon, painting the peaks in gold and fire. To the west, the strait liesflat and gray as hammered tin. To the south, the vast expanse of the valley.
And there, cemented into the rock, is the repeater tower. It's a small metal structure, covered in ice, humming faintly.
"We made it," Aris breathes, dropping to her knees in the snow.
"Not yet," I say. "Get the radio."
She pulls out the handheld VHF we grabbed off the mudroom charger, and I connect it to the repeater's auxiliary cable, a trick Finn taught me years ago.
"Power's green," I say, scraping a crust of frost off the status panel. "We're boosted."
I take the radio. I take a deep breath.
"This is it," I say. "If Reid is out there, he'll hear this."
I key the handset.
"Lantern Bay, Lantern Bay. This is Misty Meadows. Emergency traffic. Reid, pick up the damn phone. Over."
Static.
I wait. The wind howls over the ridge, cutting through my layers.
"Come on, Reid," I whisper. "Don't be sleeping."
Static.
Then, a voice cuts through the white noise. It's loud, clear, and annoyingly cheerful.
"Misty Meadows, this is the Kingfisher. I hear you loud and clear, brother. You sound terrible. Did you run out of coffee again?"
The relief hits me so hard my knees almost buckle.
"Reid," I choke out. "Listen to me. I have a situation."
"A situation? Like 'I need a beer' situation, or 'I need a medevac' situation?"
"A 'surrounded by wolves and need an extraction' situation," I say. "I need the boat. I need you at the shore below the ridge. Now."
