Black Mountain (19 page)

The leaden clouds straddling the sky taunted the mere mortals below with the promise of rain, but for now the gods were unwilling to release their bounty, and the humidity continued to build.

Chapter 30

Elly saw Mitchell step from his car in the middle of the morning. She'd been lingering over a cup of coffee, her pack in readiness beside her, and as soon as she saw his car she drained the cup, picked up the pack, and hurried to meet him.

‘Hi,' he greeted her, a smile on his face. ‘You're all ready to go, I see,' he added, glancing at her pack as he stepped towards her.

‘Ready and waiting,' she told him.

He stretched out his hand to take the pack from her, leaning down to kiss her cheek as he did so.

His show of warmth surprised her, and her cheek tingled at the brush of his lips.

‘How's your father now?' she asked as she handed him the pack.

‘We're cautiously hopeful,' he told her as they walked back to the car, and he tossed her pack onto the back seat before opening the passenger's door for her. ‘Hop in,' he told her, and waited until she swung herself up into the seat before closing the door and walking around to climb in beside her.

‘So tell me what the latest results are,' Elly asked him as he started the car and swung it around and headed for the highway.

They spent the next few moments discussing his father's condition, and the arrangements that had been put in place to ease his mother's burden of caring for him at home.

‘And now tell me how you've been managing on your own. Which area have you been covering?' he asked.

‘I've stuck to the perimeter of the forest for the most part, it wasn't so intimidating alone, so now we'll have to do the area closer to the mountain.'

A rumble of thunder caused them both to gaze skywards.

‘It's going to be a race between us and the weather,' he told her grimly.

It wasn't until they had reached their previous campsite, set up camp again and were enjoying a late lunch that Elly broached the subject that had been on her mind all morning.

‘There's been an interesting development while you were away,' she told him, as she finished her sandwich.

He raised his eyebrows. ‘Oh. And what's that?'

She took a deep breath. ‘Jackson Lee has been in Cooktown.'

‘What?' He stiffened. ‘Do you mean now? While you've been here?'

‘Yes. In fact, I almost bumped into him, literally, while I was walking down the street.'

‘Why didn't you tell me before?'

‘I didn't want to worry you while your father was so ill.'

‘And where is he now? Is he still in Cooktown?'

‘No. He left last night.'

‘How convenient for him. Just as I returned.'

‘But he couldn't have known that. I didn't know until after he left.'

Mitchell sat back in his chair. ‘You'd better tell me all about it then.'

Elly told him the whole story.

‘And you believe him?' Mitchell asked when she'd finished.

Elly took a deep breath, pushing back a strand of hair from her face. ‘I'm not sure. I think I did when he told me. He seemed so sincere.'

‘When he was telling you he deceived you because he was in love with you?' His voice was frosty.

‘I … yes, I suppose so …' Her voice trailed off as she thought how foolish she sounded. ‘I guess it was naive of me to think he might be telling the truth.'

Mitchell's face softened, and he reached across and touched her hand. ‘Not naive, Elly. Trusting. And unwilling to believe badly of others.' A half smile lifted a corner of his mouth. ‘It's one of the things that makes you such a special person.'

Elly gulped. ‘Oh.'

‘You're such a mixture. So independent, and yet so soft-hearted under it.' He sighed and began stowing away the lunch things. ‘Well, we'd better get on with our search.'

That night, after a fruitless afternoon spent searching, they returned to the camp tired and hot, and within minutes they had both changed into their swimmers and plunged into the lagoon.

‘Ah, what bliss. What heaven,' Elly said as the cool water enveloped her. Going to the centre of the lagoon, to the deepest part, she dived beneath the surface and swam underwater as far as she could and came up laughing and pushing her streaming hair back from her face.

Mitchell meanwhile was swimming back and forth across the lagoon, eating up the water with his long strokes.

‘Good therapy,' he told her, swimming to her side.

‘Of course, I forget that you still have to work on your injury,' she told him with a pang of guilt. ‘I'm sorry, I never think about it, or ask you how it is.'

‘That's good, because it means it's not too obvious.'

‘No, it's not. I just never think about it.'

Elly looked at him as they walked from the water and couldn't help admiring his strong physique, and then became aware that he was also taking a good look at her in her skimpy red bikini. And that made her remember he had once seen her naked from the waist up, and embarrassment made her hurry to her tent to change into shorts and t-shirt.

***

While Mitchell waited for Elly to come back out again he walked to the edge of the lagoon, trying to rid himself of the image of Elly in that bikini. My God, if ever a sight was calculated to raise a man's temperature, it was that.

Ever since he'd kissed Elly that time after Wujal Wujal, she'd never been far from his mind. But she obviously hadn't appreciated his kiss, because from then on she'd been cool to him. Friendly enough, yes, but not doing or saying anything to encourage him to try a repeat performance. She obviously felt nothing more than friendship for him.

In spite of all her protestations to the contrary, he felt almost sure that she felt more for bloody Jackson than friendship. But he couldn't press the point to find out how she really felt—it would only annoy her. And now it looked as if he might be back on the scene again, with declarations of love.

Ah well, they would either find the plant this time or not, and either way he'd be on his way back down south soon. But it was going to be hard for him to keep his hands off her. And it wasn't just lust. No, his feelings for her went deeper than that, and he was going to find her hard to forget when he left.

***

When Elly came out of her tent she saw his gaze flick to her bare legs beneath her shorts, but he pulled his gaze away as she offered to take first turn at cooking.

‘You cook, and I'll make a damper to go with it,' Mitchell offered, trying to keep his mind on the job.

They both busied themselves with their tasks, and when they had eaten and tidied up, they relaxed back in their chairs.

‘I think we should start our search tomorrow closer in to Black Mountain,' Mitchell told her.

Elly shivered. ‘It gives me the creeps, being close to it. I think it's the moaning you hear, it sounds like lost souls. Makes me think of all the people who've been lost in it. But I know we have to search there, so I guess we might as well get it over with.'

‘We don't have to go inside the mountain, but we need to check around it.'

‘I know. I couldn't face it alone, but with two of us, it'll be okay.'

That agreed, Mitchell went to the car fridge and came back with two stubbies and they sat talking as they drank the cold beer. When they finished, Elly stood, declaring it was time for bed, and Mitchell rose too.

‘I'll see you home,' he told her with a smile.

‘Thank you. And thank you for the damper tonight, it was delicious.'

‘Any time. You just have to ask and I'll be happy to oblige. And thank you for the dinner. I never expected you to be such a good cook.'

‘Ah, there's a lot about me you don't know,' she told him flippantly.

‘Maybe one day I'll find out,' he replied lightly as he walked with her to her tent.

When he bent his head and kissed her quickly on the cheek, she felt a rush of warmth. Then she reminded herself that it was nothing more than friendliness. He was in love with Fancy Pants.

‘Good night,' he told her, holding the flap back for her. ‘I hope you sleep well.'

‘You too.' She smiled. ‘Good night.'

Chapter 31

The next day they were up early again and, after a quick breakfast, drove to the edge of the forest and parked as usual, then made their way towards the granite outcrops at the edge of the mountain. With Mitchell leading the way they followed a narrow animal trail as it wound its way between the trees. Palms and ferns nestled among the taller trees along the way, and at one spot Mitchell had to duck to avoid a vine, as thick as a man's arm, that draped from side to side across the track.

The forest was quiet. It seemed as if even the birds lacked the energy to call to one another in the heat of the day. When a bush rat scuttled across the path in front of her, Elly jumped, and her surprised yelp sounded loud in the stillness. Mitchell stopped and turned, but Elly waved him on.

As they neared the mountain a giant python, all of two metres long and with the girth of a small tree, uncoiled itself from a branch overhead and lowered its head to sway slowly from side to side, level with Elly's face. Its beady eyes stared straight into hers as its tongue flicked in and out. Her screams rent the air as she jumped back, her heart racing.

Two things happened. Mitchell turned and covered the ground between them in seconds, while the python hastily retracted itself back into the security of the tree.

Mitchell wrapped his arms around Elly and pulled her to him, her face against his chest, trying to calm her as she continued to scream. ‘Shush, shush, it's all right,' he said, holding her tight. ‘It's gone now. It can't hurt you. You're safe now.'

Elly's screams stopped as she realised where she was, and heard his words. Shaking, she struggled to regain her composure, then lifted her head and tried to step back, but he held her tight.

‘Stay here,' he told her firmly. ‘You've had a terrible fright.' One hand came up to stroke her hair, while the other arm held her firmly against him.

‘Did you see it?' she asked him, her voice coming in ragged gasps. ‘It was huge.'

‘Yes, I saw. But it's gone now. Way back up into the tree. I'm not sure who got the biggest fright, you or the python.'

Elly shuddered and tried to slow her rasping breath, feeling the blood still pounding through her veins. ‘It was big enough to squeeze a man to death,' she said shakily, looking up at him.

‘It certainly was,' Mitchell agreed. ‘You had every reason to be frightened.'

‘I-I'm sorry,' she said, trying to take a step back, but he still held her tight and she couldn't leave his arms. Not that she really wanted to, she realised. She liked the feel of where she was.

‘There's nothing to be sorry for,' he told her, gently smoothing the hair back from her face with one hand. ‘Anyone would be frightened by that.'

Looking up into his eyes Elly saw they were full of concern, and it made her feel secure.

‘Are you sure you're all right?' he asked her as he loosened his arms from around her. ‘Shall we go back to the camp?'

‘No, I'm all right,' she assured him, her voice still unsteady as she stepped back. ‘I want to keep on.'

‘Are you sure?'

Taking a deep breath she willed herself to be calm. ‘Yes, I am.'

‘Then stay close to me.'

As he turned and led the way forward along the track Elly felt reassured when she saw he carried his tomahawk at the ready, and she made sure she stayed only a few steps behind him.

The rest of the day passed without incident as they combed an area radiating out from the base of the mountain.

Once again their search was fruitless, and again, at the end of the day they left the forest empty handed.

That night, after they had eaten and cleared up, they sat relaxing with their stubbies, and Mitchell asked her about her work. She told him about the hours she had spent working beside her father in the laboratory, and with her mother as she mixed her sweet smelling essential oil potions.

‘I've learnt so much from them,' she added.

‘And you also spent time in Cairns working in a beauty salon, didn't you? Did you enjoy working there?'

‘Yes, I did. But it's the creation of products, the experimenting to try and improve, to make each one better than the one before, that really interests me.' Elly paused as she found herself smiling. Even thinking about it made her prickle with eagerness. ‘I find that exciting, as well as challenging,' she finished.

Mitchell inclined his head, regarding her seriously. ‘I know you've put so much time and effort into this,' he told her. ‘How will you feel if we don't find the plant? It is a big possibility, you know. Will you be able to cope with that?'

‘It's not me I'm worried about, it's Mum. It was my father's dream, and it means so much to her to be able to fulfil that dream, even though he's not here to see it.'

‘But how about you?' he insisted. ‘How would you feel?'

Elly turned his question over in her mind, wanting to give an honest answer. ‘I'll be disappointed, of course,' she told him slowly, ‘but I'll go on with my work. Without the plant we won't have the “fountain of youth”, of course, but I have come up with a new area of work that promises to be successful, if not as earth-shattering as the
stripling
serum. It's building on what Dad and I were experimenting with earlier, and I'm hopeful it'll turn out well.'

‘But it's the product made with the
stripling
that will bring in the big bucks, isn't it?'

‘Yes, of course. And I'm not saying that's not important, but life will go on without it. It's as much about Rob Cooper receiving the recognition he deserves for his skill and his persistence.'