“You best get out of the snow before your clothes get any wetter,” he said in a stern voice.
She looked down to find that Mikhail was right. Her parka and part of her skirt had gotten bunched up near her waist with the force of Heath’s fall, and her trousers were thoroughly soaked.
She grasped Mikhail’s hand, and he pulled her from the snow.
He released her hand the second she was on her feet. “Thank you for helping. It was very brave of you.”
Brave? Her throat grew thick beneath his gaze, a giant lump lodging there that she didn’t know how to move. He thought she was brave?
“You’re the one who saved my brother. I couldn’t have stopped him from going over the edge by myself.”
“I might not have been able to stop him either. My boots slid in the snow, and your brother had enough momentum that he could have pulled us both over.”
Her heart hammered against her chest all over again. Was he right? Had Mikhail been close to going over the cliff along with Heath? It had all happened so fast. “Did you know Heath might take you over when you tried to help him?”
Silence stretched between them for a moment before he finally answered, “It’s my job to bring everyone in this group safely back to Sitka.”
Or die trying.
He didn’t speak the words, but she heard them anyway, knew they were going through his brain despite the stoic, emotionless expression on his face.
So she threw her arms around him. “Thank you for saving my brother. Thank you for putting yourself at risk to keep him alive.”
Mikhail stood stiff in her arms, almost as though the rest of his body were made of stone and not just his face. But then his arms slowly came up around her. He patted her on the back once, then twice. The movement felt as natural as being tapped on the back with a giant icicle.
“Bryony?” Father’s voice sounded from behind her. “What’s going on here?”
She stepped back from Mikhail, who looked even more stiff and awkward now. “I was thanking Mikhail for saving Heath.”
Her father’s brows furrowed as he looked between the two of them. “I see.”
“Yes, thank you for saving me.” Heath strode up and clapped Mikhail in a one-armed hug. Mikhail looked just as uncomfortable with Heath’s hug as he had been with hers, but Heath didn’t seem to notice as he pulled back, his face beaming. “I owe you my life. If you ever need anything from me—and I mean ever, even after I’m back in Washington, DC—don’t hesitate to ask.”
Mikhail gave a stiff nod. “Appreciate it, though I hope I never have to take you up on the offer.”
Father stepped up and shook Mikhail’s hand. “I see now why you have the reputation you do. Thank you for saving my son’s life, Amos. And Heath is right. If there’s ever anything we can do for you in Washington, DC, you need only ask.”
“Yes, that was downright heroic.” Dr. Ottingford shook Mikhail’s hand next.
“Well, I think the whole thing could have been prevented.” Richard crossed his arms over his chest. “Heath, what were you doing so close to the edge of the mountain? Do you really need to be told to stay away from the cliff?”
“I was trying to get to you so I could carry the trunk, but then I slipped.”
“If we’re going to point fingers, Heath isn’t the person we should be pointing at.” Mikhail leveled his golden glare at Richard.
For one terrifying moment, Bryony thought Mikhail was actually going to blame Richard for the ordeal. But then he moved his gaze to encompass the rest of the group. “It happened because we got distracted. We have one goal, and one goal only: to safely reach the Iskut River. It will take us at least two more days, possibly three, and now that the snow is here, it will be a long, hard journey. You will get cold. You will get wet. You will get tired. But you can’t let any of that distract you from the most important thing. We need to travel as far as we can each day, regardless of how we feel. Does everyone understand?”
Mikhail scanned the group again, and everyone nodded, even Richard.
“Good.” Mikhail shoved a hand toward the ground. “This part of the path has gravel beneath it. Walk slowly, stay away from the edge, and be sure of your footing. Once we get back into the woods and move away from the edge of the mountain, gravel shouldn’t be a problem. As soon as we find a good place to camp for the night, we will. I’m not trying to be an ogre. I want to get us to the safest, warmest place possible to stay the night, and I don’t expect to find that until we’re below the snow line.”
“You think there’s a snow line?” Dr. Ottingford asked, sounding almost as excited as he did when they discovered a new species of lichen. “That it’s still dry in the valley?”
“It’s probably raining in the valley, but I don’t expect it will be snowing. Snow comes to the higher elevations first. But the only way to know for certain is to keep walking.” Mikhail looked at Heath. “Are you capable of carrying the trunk?”
Heath nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. Just a bit frightened is all.”
“Good. Then we’ll give Richard a rest. Stay on the inside of the trail, away from the cliff as we walk.”
