Several of her dogs took a quick glance back at her. It wasn’t a command they were used to, but in the silence, they understood she was struggling with something. Of coursethey did. That’s what she loved about them. They couldn’t speak, but they sure could sense her emotions. Her turmoil.
“Go.” The word was strained, but it was enough.
The dogs kept running.
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Why? Don’t You love me anymore? Am I not good enough?”
A flash of green started on the western horizon and shot across the sky.
“Whoa.”
Her team came to a stop.
Waves of green and yellow filled the star-studded black dome of the sky. A faint crackling broke the silence of the night and then disappeared. She’d always loved seeing the auroras. But tonight, the sight lifted a bit of the weight from her heart. Made things seem normal. Comfortable.
As if God had sent it just for her.
She watched the sky’s light show for several minutes, then felt the heaviness in her chest. What was she doing? Why had she turned to the tonic––and now whiskey––to rid herself of pain, anxiety, and worry?
Why hadn’t she turned to God?
Even as the logical part of her brain struggled to sort it out, things became fuzzy, and then the headache started. But it wasn’t a dull ache this time. It was sharp. Deep. She buckled to her knees.
What was wrong with her? Was she permanently injured? What if she died out here? Alone.
Covering her eyes with her hands, she heard several of her dogs whimper ... bark ... moan.
Shehadto keep going. They weren’t far from the village. She could lie down there.
But the stabbing sensation in her temples grew.
You know what will help.
Yes, she did. Her trembling fingers pulled the bottle free. She took another sip. Then a long swig. She had to make it back. For her dogs. For Amka.
“Let’s go!” She cried the command out against the pain that threatened to split her head in two.
Her vision blurred, so she relied on the dogs to follow the trail.
Help us make it back. Please, God.
She hadn’t prayed in a long while. Would He hear her? Dipping her head, she leaned over the handlebar, willing the pain away.
The dogs slowed.
How much time had gone by? She risked lifting her head and saw Amka waiting outside the village for her.
Her heart lifted a touch. Amka would take care of her team.
She urged the team to Amka’s side, but when the sled stopped, something wasn’t right. Why were her legs so weighed down? And her arms as stiff as tree trunks. She stepped off the footboards and everything spun. The northern lights danced overhead and she was drawn into the swirling motion.
Then everything darkened as she floated down, down, down.
SEVEN
It was as he feared.
Measles. At least it was presenting that way.
