Rogue Angel - Footprints Part 8

"It was. We came up north to escape the persecution of the Spaniards and the white man. It took us a long time to find a suitable home, but this was it. We had a need to remain hidden until such time as we could prosper."

"Has that happened yet?"

Joey shrugged. "There's always the future to look forward to. Life on a reservation doesn't offer very many Native Americans a lot of hope. Crime's rampant. Kids drop out of school. It's a mess."

"You lived on one?"

"Me? Nah. I visited a cousin one summer. It was all I could do to hope for September to hurry up and get there so I could come home and go back to school. Not the kind of place I'd choose to live, you know?"

"So you live here?"

"Sure. My grandfather takes care of me. My parents died in a car accident when I was really young."

Annja ducked under a tree branch. The wind had died down some and she lowered her voice since shouting wasn't necessary anymore. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, well, I didn't really know them. It makes me sad to think of them sometimes, but my grandfather is all the family I need. Him and the animals who live here."

"I don't blame you. I never knew my parents, either." She nodded at the trail. "You really know your way all over these parts?"

"Yep. I've been running around here for about five years now. My grandfather insists I come out here to practice my skills so they aren't lost. He was a scout for his tribe when he was young."

"That must have been a long time ago."

Joey nodded. "Yep."

"And he taught you how to do all of this stuff? The tracking? The stalking? All of it?"

Joey paused and studied the ground. "Skills like that are what made my people such a tough enemy. They're also what protected us when we needed them. My grandfather says it's my duty to ensure they never die out. When I have a son, I'll teach them to him, as well. Just the way it goes, I guess. Stuff gets pa.s.sed on this way like it has for hundreds, maybe thousands, of years."

"Incredible," Annja said. "You're very lucky to have someone like your grandfather in your life."

"Yep, he's pretty cool. He once walked from Alaska to South America. He called it the spirit journey where he learned how to beat his own limitations. Eventually, I'll probably do something similar. Kind of a rite of pa.s.sage for my tribe."

"How many of you are left?"

Joey ran his hands over the ground. "Your friend pa.s.sed this way about an hour ago."

"Really?"

Joey glanced at Annja. "She's stumbling, though. You see how her footprints are staggered? There's not a rhythm to them anymore. She's in danger, most likely from the wind and the rain."

"You're certain these tracks were made about an hour ago?"

"I might be off by fifteen minutes or so, given the degradation of the track from the weather, but yes, it's pretty accurate."

"Can you find her?"

Joey frowned. "Be a lot easier if she was in better shape. As it is, she'll be unpredictable. Her footwork will make it tough to follow her along a set course. In her state she might easily stumble and fall and we'd never find her."

"We've got to try," Annja said. "Lead the way."

"Can you keep up? I'll move faster if I know you can hang with me as I go along."

"Don't worry about me. If I can't keep up, I'll call out and ask you to slow down."

Joey eyed her. "Okay, then. Let's go." He turned and started moving quickly. With his body stooped lower, Annja watched him move at a crouching run, checking the ground every few minutes for more signs and then continuing on.

Annja kept pace pretty well for a while, but then her own stamina took a bit of a hit. She felt herself starting to grow weary from the fast pace. Joey kept moving. Annja forced herself to push on, concerned that Jenny could well be dying somewhere close by.

Joey paused. "You okay?"

Annja bent over and breathed deeply. "Fine. Why?"

"I can hear you panting. You sound like a train huffing along back there. Honestly, I thought you were in better shape."

Annja frowned. "I'm in fine shape, thanks. I'm a bit tired, though."

"You want to rest?"

"No. Jenny needs us."

Joey pointed to a nearby tree. "Stay there and get some rest. I'll go on alone and find her. When I do, I'll come back and lead you there. Right now someone needs to make sure she's okay."

"I'm slowing you down, aren't I?"

"Yep."

Annja nodded. "All right, then. Go."

Joey turned and vanished into the night. Annja watched him disappear and then leaned her head back. The trunk of the tree behind her felt solid and somehow comfortable. Within a few moments, her eyelids dipped shut and she fell asleep.

And then she felt herself being shaken.

"Annja!"

She popped her eyes open. Joey's face was close to hers. "Come on and wake up, sleepyhead."

Annja got to her feet. "You found her?"

Joey nodded. "About a mile farther on. She was in a bad way but I got a fire going and huddled her up close to it. Hypothermia, I'd guess. The rain and wind probably took her down, but she should be okay. I made some pine-needle tea for her to drink, to warm her from the inside out. She was coherent when I left."

"What did she say?"

"I guess she went back to camp and found it deserted."

Annja frowned. Of course there was no way she could have let those kids stay in danger with gunmen threatening them. She had to break camp and send the students away. Jenny would understand, Annja felt certain of it.

"So what happened? She just went hiking around, looking for us?"