Rogue Angel - Footprints Part 14

She looked at Joey. "Sorry, it's just so beautiful here."

"We can look at it later." Joey pointed. "We need to get going. Did you see the direction we need to head in?"

"Let's start back at where you left Jenny. I was there and then I was taken away after I tuned into her...fear, I guess."

Joey nodded. "Dancing Deer says that is one way to do it. By tuning into the emotions of the person you're trying to track, it's very easy to find them. Fear is one of the strongest. Rage and l.u.s.t are others."

"l.u.s.t?"

Joey shrugged. "I don't know much about that one yet. But the things that people obsess over are stronger than just basic emotions. Pretty interesting stuff, huh?"

"Definitely."

Joey led them back down the road and into the woods again. Annja laughed. I feel as if this is the third time I've traveled this route tonight. I'm almost getting tired of seeing it again.

Joey glanced back at her. "Old hat to you now, huh?"

"I was just thinking that."

"Happened to me, too. The first time I did it."

Annja frowned. "I thought you said you didn't know how to do it. That's why we went and saw your grandfather."

"What I said was I wasn't skilled enough at leading someone else on a spirit track. I knew it would have to be you."

"You never mentioned that."

"Would you have believed me?"

"Possibly."

Joey chuckled. "I guess maybe you would have."

They wound their way back down the trail. Annja's legs knew the terrain by now and she was surprised at how relaxed she felt as she moved along. It was almost as if she was able to sense the flow of the land, to read it before she reached it and adjust her body accordingly. The result was she wasn't nearly as exhausted this time.

Joey led them back to the hill where he'd left Jenny. "Okay. Now what?"

Annja glanced around. The last time she'd been there, she'd been out of her body and tuning into Jenny's emotional state. But now, being there in the flesh, it didn't seem possible to do what she'd done back at Dancing Deer's home.

"I don't know."

"Annja."

Annja shook her head. "It doesn't look familiar. I don't know if I can do this again."

"Of course you can. You just need to stop thinking that it's different now from how it was when you were in the chair. It's not different. It's the same. It's all connected."

Annja closed her eyes. She tried to remember how she'd felt when she reached this point. She could feel her heartbeat increase as the waves of fear gripped her insides again. She was Jenny. She was feeling the approach of some kind of unseen danger. And then she was swept up.

Running.

Running.

Through the trees and across the hills and the valleys. Branches whipped past her face. She could smell the wet pines, the dampness of the rain on the air. She could hear the breezes rustling the leaves and the deadfall. She could feel her feet on the slippery mud, but somehow kept her balance just the same.

And still she could feel Jenny's fear. She knew it now like it was her own. And she saw the darkness that surrounded Jenny.

The cave.

Annja opened her eyes and nearly fell over.

She wasn't by the pine boughs where Joey had left Jenny. She was somewhere else. Far away from where they'd been. Miles away, in fact.

Joey stood nearby. He was smiling. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself. Where the h.e.l.l are we?"

Joey shrugged. "I don't really know. This isn't a part of the woods that I've explored before."

"I thought you knew everywhere."

"Nope. This is a lot of land. Parts of this place are almost inaccessible. Frankly, when you took off running, I was a bit concerned I'd lose you. If you'd kept up with me like that earlier, we might have found Jenny even faster."

"Funny guy. I don't even remember moving."

Joey nodded. "Yeah, well, when you suddenly forget about keeping your body, mind and spirit together, crazy things can happen."

"I guess."

Joey glanced around. "This is some pretty steep terrain. You think Jenny's around here somewhere?"

"A cave," Annja said. She could see the darkness. "I think she's in a cave somewhere above us."

"We're almost above the treeline as it is," Joey said. "But these mountains and hills are packed with isolated areas that are almost impossible to get through. She could be in any one of them. Can you narrow it down some before we start poking our noses into every cave we come across?"

"How would I do that?"

Joey shrugged. "Close your eyes again."

"Okay."

"One thing."

Annja opened her eyes. "What?"

"This time, try to consciously move a little slower, would you? You almost had me tired out back there."

Annja grinned. "All right."