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cathartic. She’d never broken down in front of him like that before. She’d always been as solid as stone.
    He gave her the bandana that’d been wrapped around his neck most of the day. It was still moist from his sweat and smelled salty and musky, like him. Somehow, it didn’t seem gross at all. It seemed kind of wonderful. When she’d finally let out all of the built-up stress, she used the bandana to mop herself up. She felt limp and exhausted and a little uneasy about being so vulnerable with him. That wasn’t her way.
    When she was finally able to quiet down, she slipped off his lap with a watery laugh to find somewhere nearby to relieve herself. When she returned, she found he’d brought out the rest of the sleeping gear and laid it out on the ground in front of the tent. He was busily messing with the zippers on both of the sleeping bags, joining his bag to hers to make one larger one.
    “I haven’t noticed any animal activity down here. I think we’ll be safe enough to sleep in the open. It’s still early. We can look at the stars for a while before we go to sleep. We can leave at first light, if you want. It’ll be safer.”
    “Okay.” She nodded, smiling weakly. “I’d like that.”
    They curled up together, with her head on his chest and one arm thrown over him, hugging him tight. His heart thumped slow and steady, lulling her into a light doze.
    “Do you think you’ll tell your mom?”
    She inhaled sharply at the sound of his voice. But she didn’t have to think about the answer. “Invite all the crazy to come home to roost? No, thank you.”
    “She might know someone who could help.”
    Darcy snorted. “Some witch doctor? Or an exorcist?”
    He squeezed her arm gently. “What if I asked a tribal elder or the diyin?”
    She went rigid. The thought of telling someone else was so scary. But he was right—the People might know more about it. Maybe it had happened before. “It depends on what you say. I guess if you’re careful. I don’t want to get drawn into something weird.”
    He rubbed his cheek against hers and kissed the top of her head. “I know. I’ll be careful.”
    He was quiet for a long while. She started to drift, then startled when he spoke again, so quietly she almost didn’t hear him. “I’m going to touch those stones in the morning, Darcy.”
    A surge of panic gripped her. “No, Adam. You’re not.”
    They argued for a while but she couldn’t get him to agree to leave the stones alone. Eventually they just stopped talking about it. He cuddled her and murmured against her hair that it would be okay, that he’d help her figure it all out.
    She felt safe in his arms. She wasn’t alone. He was there for her. This would pass and they would be okay, more than okay. The silence lengthened until she finally relaxed and slept.

5
    S omething woke Darcy from a deep sleep.
    She’d been dreaming about something that seemed important, but she couldn’t remember what that was. Possibly it was something frightening after the stress of the day before. Surely that was why her heart was pounding and why she felt frozen, afraid to move or breathe.
    She waited, listening. A cool breeze ruffled her hair, bringing with it the fleeting sound of crunching steps over the stone near the top of the gorge, as well as hissing and something rhythmically clacking together. She didn’t know what it was and that bothered her. Something told her that the sounds were some kind of large animal vocalizations, but she couldn’t put her finger on what kind of animals they might be.
    The sounds came and went with the caprice of the wind. They played tricks on her mind. She could almost believe the animals were speaking two different languages to each other, one comprised of low-pitched hissing tones, the other of clicks and clacks.
    It was surreal. She felt suddenly cold and more than a little frightened. She shrank down and prayed she was dreaming, though it seemed far too real to be a