“Then listen for once.”
He chuckled softly, then grew quiet again. “Marisol, Graycloud, I need you both to know...if any of that about Pa’s true, and it shames you—”
Graycloud cut him off. “Stop. Your father’s choices ain’t yours.”
“And you’re the one we follow, not him,” Marisol added.
“You sure about that?” Blaze asked.
“Very sure,” she said. “You led us here. You faced Wilder. You ended it.”
Graycloud tilted his head. “The mountain stands, even if its roots are buried in ash.”
Blaze looked at him, half smiling. “You always talk like that?”
“Only when I’m right,” Graycloud said dryly.
Marisol laughed. It was a short, rough sound that broke the tension. “Come on, both of you,” she said. “Let’s get water and bandage those cuts before you start talkin’ poetry.”
They moved toward a small stream that ran down from the rocks. The water was cold and clear. Blaze knelt and splashed his face, washing away dust and blood. When he looked up again, Marisol was watching him.
“What?” he asked.
“You still look lost,” she said gently.
“Maybe I am,” he said.
She shrugged. “Then we’ll help you find your way.”
He stared at her for a long moment. There was no pity in her eyes. He nodded. “Thanks,” he said softly.
She smiled. “You can thank me when we’re all home safe.”
Graycloud glanced toward the valley. “Sun’s climbing. We should move before more Riders decide to regroup.”
Blaze rose to his feet. “Right.”
They started down the slope, weaving between rocks and brush. The mine behind them was silent now, a scar on the mountain’s side.
Halfway down, Blaze paused and looked back one last time. The dust had thinned enough to see where the entrance used to be. A faint glint caught his eye before the wind covered it again.
“Guess that’s where the past stays,” he murmured.
“What?” Marisol asked.
“Nothing,” he said. “Just talking to ghosts.”
She gave him a small, sad smile. “Then tell them goodbye.”
He did. Quietly, under his breath, as they walked.
By the time they reached the base of the ridge, the sun was high above the horizon. The light warmed their backs as they made their way to the horses tied in the shade below.
Graycloud mounted first, scanning the distant plain. “Smoke in the distance,” he said. “Could be trouble.”
Blaze climbed onto Shadow, ignoring the ache in his ribs. “Then trouble’s where we’re headed.”
Marisol swung into her saddle beside him. “You sure you’re ready for this?”
