Nigel noticed Sydney was staying closer to him than ever. To everyone else Sydney appeared calm, but Nigel knew appearances could be deceiving. Sydney never seemed nervous on any adventure they had shared before, and that scared him most of all.
Why was this time different? Nigel found himself asking that same question over and over as they rode higher into the mountains.
By the time they stopped for lunch, Nigel felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin. The feeling of foreboding had increased with every moment that passed. The group had made good time, and if the map was correct, the mine should be close by.
The view was magnificent. Nigel saw that Amy, Andy, and Lee were standing close to the cliff’s edge, enjoying the unobstructed view of the valley below them. He wished he could enjoy it too.
Nigel stayed with the horses. He was terrified by what he was feeling. Sydney had tried to talk to him when they stopped, but he had told her he needed to be by himself for a while. Nigel kept telling himself to relax, they had faced many dangers together and always landed on their feet. But he found himself asking the same question again. Why was this time different?
Sydney found herself staring at her uneaten sandwich. How could she convince Nigel everything would be okay when she couldn’t convince herself. She glanced over at him, he was brushing down his horse. Every fiber of her being wanted to go to him, to comfort him, but she knew he needed to work this out for himself.
Zach had noticed the tension emanating from both Sydney and Nigel. He completely understood. He was having second thought of his own about this trip.
Zach kept a close eye on Amy, Andy and Lee, who seemed oblivious to the tension in the camp. Andy as always, was taking pictures. He watched the trio as they headed further away from the camp.
"Don’t wonder off too far, we’ll be heading out shortly." Zach called after them.
"We won’t" Andy replied "I just want to get a few more shots."
Zach watched them leave as he headed over to Sydney.
"Are you okay?" Zach asked as he looked down at Sydney. " I couldn’t help but notice the tension, and I can’t say I blame you."
"I’m fine."
From the tone in Sydney’s voice, Zach knew she wouldn’t elaborate further. "I’m going to go keep an eye on our little photo shoot. I don’t like the thought of those three being out of sight for too long."
"I second that thought."
Sydney got the her feet as she watched Zach head out after the others. She didn’t even realize she was heading towards the horses until she heard Lucy’s soft snort of approval as Nigel scratched her ears. So much for letting him work things out for himself.
"Where are those four off to?" Nigel asked as Sydney approached.
"Andy told Zach he wanted to take some pictures, and Zach’s making sure that’s all they do."
"You know if the map is correct, the mine should be somewhere close to where the're heading"
"I know. That why I think we should go help Zach keep an eye on them."
Nigel moved closer to Sydney, his hand instinctively reaching for hers, but before they could touch, Zach came running back into the camp heading directly towards them.
Sydney noticed Zach was carrying Andy’s camera.
"I don’t know what happened! They were only out of my sight for a few minutes." Zach quickly caught his breath. "It’s like they disappeared off the face the earth."
Go to Part Seventeen.