Page 31 of Fire Bear

The interior was dim. Sleeping bags, a few random boxes, and scattered clothing lay about. “Mateo?” he called, his voice echoing against the walls.

A weak sound came from a second room. Ash rushed inside. There on the dusty floor lay Mateo, hands bound, face bruised, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. Ash’s heart lurched in relief and horror at once. Ash dropped to his knees, pressing two fingers to Mateo’s pulse. It throbbed, albeit weakly.

“Mateo,” he said gently. “Hang in there. We are going to get you out.”

Mateo’s eyes fluttered, a moan escaping his cracked lips. Dried blood stained his temple. Soot and sweat coated his clothing. Ash carefully tore at the ropes binding the young man’s wrists, while Alec checked his vital signs.

“Looks like they ran off,” Kyle muttered, pulling medical supplies out of his paramedic kit. “Probably left him to burn.”

A spike of anger flashed through Ash. These people had nearly killed Eliana’s orchard, kidnapped Mateo, and tried to hide theircrimes behind a wildfire. He swallowed the fury and focused on freeing Mateo, carefully loosening each knot until the young man could move his arms. Mateo grimaced, pain evident in his features.

“You are safe now,” Ash said, his voice thick with emotion. “We have to move him.”

Kyle and Ash exchanged a glance, and Kyle nodded. Gently, they hoisted Mateo to his feet, supporting him on either side. The young apprentice let out a strangled cry when he put weight on his left leg. The two men helped him out of the cabin.

Outside, the flames crackled in the surrounding brush, though helicopter drops had helped reduce the inferno to scattered hotspots. His radio crackled with updates from the rest of his crew, confirming they were holding the line against the fire’s spread. Ash felt shaky relief wash over him. They were not too late.

He pressed his comm button. “We found Mateo. He’s alive.”

Chapter

Twenty-Two

Mateo’s wordscame out in a near-croak as Ash and Kyle loaded him into the back seat of the brush truck. “They kept saying they would burn it all.” Mateo coughed, wincing with pain. “Not just the orchard. The whole forest. Fate Mountain. They said it was only the beginning.” His eyes flickered with panic. He tried to lift his hands as if to emphasize the warning, but his arms trembled too much to stay raised. He dropped them with a choked sound.

Ash felt the bottom of his stomach drop. The orchard had been a prime target, but hearing that the kidnappers wanted an even larger swath of land to go up in flames was staggering.

He glanced up at the dark sky, streaked with swirling smoke, and realized that if these people managed to ignite multiple fires around the mountain, the devastation could be huge. The orchard had been bad enough, but a massive forest fire was a catastrophe for the entire mountain.

“Easy,” Ash said, voice low, though every muscle in his body was tense. “You’re safe now.” To Kyle he said, “Let’s get him to the ambulance near the police line.”

Ash wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his glove. His radio crackled. “They’re containing the worst of it to the north, but we have hot spots popping up near the ridge. The helicopter crew says they can land near you to pick you up. They need someone to coordinate from above.”

Ash gave a single nod. “Tell them to meet me here. Everyone else stay on your perimeter lines. Keep dousing those flames. And watch for any sign of suspicious people. We have reason to think the criminals are still out here, lighting more fires.”

Kyle looked grim, but acknowledged the order to take Mateo down the mountain alone. Ash gave him a pat on the shoulder. Kyle climbed behind the wheel and drove away.

The helicopter approached, its rotors making a chopping sound against the smoky air. He squinted up to see the pilot descend. The swirling winds whipped at the ash on the ground. Ash had to shield his face until the chopper settled enough for him to approach.

Then the pilot gestured that they could only hover for a few seconds, so Ash ran forward, keeping his head low, and hopped up onto the skid with practiced efficiency. Another crew member helped pull him inside.

The helicopter rose again, banking away from the thickest columns of smoke. Ash strapped on a headset, adjusting the microphone to sit near his mouth. He gave the pilot a quick thumbs-up, then surveyed the forest below. Even through the tinted window, he could see the glowing patches of flame as they flickered in scattered clusters.

“We have a partial handle on the main line,” said the pilot over the headset. “But the wind is shifting east. We’ll have to dorepeated water drops to keep it from crossing that ridge. If it crosses, the entire southwestern slope might go.”

Ash leaned forward, scanning the terrain with his sharper-than-average sight. Even in human form, shifters had keener senses than humans. He spotted swirling grey plumes beyond the ridge, where bright orange tongues of fire licked along the forest floor.

“Start those drops,” he said into the mic. “I’ll try to direct you where it’s worst.” The pilot nodded and adjusted the helicopter’s heading. Ash keyed into the Fire Patrol frequency and told them he was coordinating from the air, describing the pockets of flame that needed attention from the ground.

As the pilot guided the helicopter, a second firefighter on board readied the large bucket that hung beneath them, preparing to scoop water from a nearby reservoir. Ash watched them, feeling a surge of pride in his crew’s skill, but also a surge of anger at the unknown saboteurs.

They completed two quick passes, dropping water on the forest canopy where the fire threatened to climb higher. Steam rose in great billows, partially masking their view, but the pilot kept them steady.

On the third pass, Ash told the pilot to hover at a midpoint where the fire had retreated from one side. He could see a suspicious cluster of movement through the swirling haze. It did not look like wildlife or firefighters. The figures seemed to be running in the direction of the thickest trees.

Ash squinted, breath catching in his throat. That movement pattern was not random. It was too coordinated. He pressed the button on his headset, speaking with calm urgency. “We have men moving through the forest, heading east. They look likethey’re trying to skirt the main area. I think they’re the ones who started this.”

The pilot glanced in that direction, although the smoke made it difficult for him to see. “Your call, Chief,” he said. “We have enough fuel for more water drops, but we can drop you closer if you think you can track them.”

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