Project Hannibal Kathryn Hoff (best free e book reader TXT) 📖

women slept as much as they could, huddled together under the tarp. They ate bits of nutrition bars when their stomachs started growling, until the food was gone. When the water bottles were exhausted, Estelle refilled them from the meltwater running down the glacier, using a scrap of nylon scarf to filter out the ash. Any parasites they picked up, they’d have to deal with when they got home.

“I’m going to write a book,” Sera said. “The Alaska Volcano Weight-Loss Plan. A guaranteed best seller.”

Estelle laughed, but soon the lack of food would be no joke, especially for Annie. Food was fuel, and without fuel, the body’s engine wouldn’t be able to stay warm.

They needed to conserve energy, but still Estelle made them get up and walk a bit from time to time. She insisted that Annie sit upright as much as she could, braced against a suitcase. Patients lost muscle and lung function quickly, lying down too much.

The wolves sounded off from time to time. Were they getting closer? Estelle couldn’t tell. She tried to take comfort from their cries—surely, they’d be silent if they were on the hunt? But that thought put her nerves on edge when she didn’t hear the howls.

Sera sidled close to Estelle. “Do you think the wolves would attack us?”

“They won’t attack humans,” Estelle said, with more confidence than she felt. “Especially not three of us. You saw them in Denali, how they shied away from people.”

“That’s different—we were in a tour bus.” Sera glanced toward the makeshift tent where Annie was resting. “Pick off the sick and elderly, isn’t that what predators do? Maybe we should go back to the plane. I know it would be colder, but the wolves . . .”

Estelle shook her head. The crumpled plane might as well be on the moon—there was no way Annie could make it, no matter how much help Sera and Estelle provided. “We’ll just have to stay together so none of us looks like an easy target.”

Sera hunched her shoulders, arms crossed. “I don’t want to die out here to be some wolf’s lunch.”

Estelle took Sera’s hand. “Help will come soon.”

CHAPTER 30

Running

Luis had to shake Kanut awake in the morning. “Come on, Officer. We have a long day ahead.”

Kanut groaned and glanced at his watch. “Jesus, Cortez, it’s only four a.m.”

“I’ve been up for ages.” In fact, Luis had already harnessed the mammoths and packed everything but the tent. “You can eat breakfast while we ride.”

Luis put Kanut on a different mammoth, Emerald. He told Kanut that Topaz needed a rest from being ridden, but mostly he’d made the change because Emerald tended to lag at the rear of the herd, so Luis would be spared having to talk to Kanut.

It was stupid to get stoned with a cop. How could he have talked so much? Telling Kanut about his dad, for God’s sake. He’d never even talked to Brandon about Dad. Lone wolf, my ass. This ridiculous situation had Luis acting like a damned trained seal.

But it would be over soon. Two more ridges to cross, a small river to ford, another ridge, and they’d be at the crash site. He’d drop Kanut off to protect the women, then take the herd and head north. A few days should see him to the tundra in a place flat enough for the bush pilot to land, and by then, surely the ash would have cleared. Then back to Fairbanks and kill some time until Anjou was ready to begin operations again. That is, he thought gloomily, assuming Ginger was able to work her magic and get the grant extended. If not, it was time to think about a new career.

For the next few hours, the mammoths kept a decent pace, trekking effortlessly over the tall grass, pausing to snatch a few bites, then moving on. The ash-dusted meadows changed to hills, more up than down, as the herd gradually gained altitude. The clumps of aspens grew fewer and farther apart.

In midafternoon, Luis stopped and dismounted. “Time for a break.”

“I could keep going for hours!” Kanut called.

Luis chuckled. Liar. The trooper had to be hurting. “Maybe you can, but the mammoths need to rest.”

He was getting worried about Opal. When she straggled up, fifteen minutes after the rest of the herd had stopped, she was almost asleep on her feet, too tired to eat.

Elephants give birth without help all the time, Luis thought. But Opal was carrying one of Anjou’s newer engineered mammoths, bigger than a baby she might have had naturally.

Kanut put away his satphone with a sigh.

“Family all right?” Luis asked.

“Fine, but Karen’s pretty mad at me for being AWOL all this time. It would be easier if I could tell her when I’ll be home.”

“No air travel yet?”

“The volcano’s still smoking. Alaska Eagle Med is hounding headquarters about their doctor, and they’re hounding me. What’s our ETA?”

“Half a day. We’re about eight miles from the crash coordinates.”

Kanut stretched. “Then let’s . . .” He froze, his eyes on the ridge they’d crossed an hour ago.

A solitary wolf was silhouetted against the gray sky. It paused, head up, ears alert, facing their direction. Then, nose down, it ranged back and forth, mining the grass for all the information it could pick up from their scent.

“Think he’s alone?” Luis asked.

“No. But I don’t think even a whole wolfpack would take on a herd of mammoths.”

“They might take on a young one like Jet if they could separate it. Mount up. Time to give the mammoths some practical training in avoiding danger.”

As soon as he and Kanut were mounted, Luis touched his tablet. The device emitted a high cry, an elephant alert call.

Instantly, the mammoth heads popped up. Ears flapped in agitation