Faith In Every Footstep by Wesley Banks

Author:Wesley Banks [Banks, Wesley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wesley Banks
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

16

Several hours later a coarse voice woke Kyle, curled up on the bench.

“I’ll see you at the base in an hour.”

Kyle opened his eyes. Ewan Harbinson.

He looked over to the blue sleeping bag in the corner of the room. Jenna wasn’t there. A couple reporters were eating breakfast or lunch or dinner, depending on how terrible their circadian clocks had been thrown off, and one of the handlers was sleeping sitting straight up in a chair. But Jenna wasn’t there.

Kyle straightened the kinks out of his socks so they felt flat against his skin, laced up his boots, and pulled on his beanie and anorak.

His dogs sat at the sound of his boots crunching over the snow. They were rested. They were ready.

Less than thirty miles away, the sun yawned, and morning’s first light splashed across the tips of Eagle Summit to the east. At the lower elevation where Kyle was, it was still too dark for shadows. He ran through the ritual of checking the dogs quickly while clipping their harnesses back to the towline. They cheered in excitement for the day. Even King, who sang his song above the rest.

Kyle clipped him in last. He held King’s big head between both hands and spoke to him like he understood each and every word. “Take it easy this morning. We have an easy thirty until the base of Eagle. We’re going to walk most of the way up with Ewan’s dogs. I don’t want any trouble.”

King barked.

“No,” Kyle said. “We’re not running up the mountain.”

King barked again.

“I don’t care if you can do it. It’s too much energy wasted. Plus somebody could get hurt.”

King unfurled a catlike sound. “Yes, we can let loose on the backside.”

Several of the dogs jumped forward, restrained only by their harnesses and the claw brake buried in the snow.

“Calm,” Kyle said. They barked and pulled to the left, and Kyle saw Jenna walking toward him.

He left King and walked around to the back of the sled. The basket was strapped in tight, and instead of Artemis and Ria, there was a little extra fuel and food.

Jenna stopped in front of the sled, next to Colossus and Olympia. “You heading out?”

Kyle nodded, and she walked around next to the sled. She placed her hand on the top rail, and it felt as if she had electrified the sled. Every part of his body shivered.

“Okay, well, I just wanted to say good luck, and I’ll see you in Fairbanks.”

Kyle nodded and pulled the brake line. Before he spoke, the sled lurched forward, the natural pressure of the dogs to pull against any restraint, carrying them slowly past Jenna. He looked at her from the slit in his balaclava. Even in the dark he found himself drawn to every aspect of her. The way she pressed her lips together, the strands of hair from underneath her headband and parka. Even how she stood, the length of her body forming slender lines. He ignored all of it and looked to King.

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