Finally, his eyes begin to adjust to the darkness and ahead he sees a flicker of light. Anticipating an end to this tunnel, he begins to move faster, keeping his hands on the damp brick wall. Solomon wipes at the blood leaking from his nose, and soon he emerges inside a large chamber. Squinting against the brightness, he fights back a wave of dizziness and pushes on.
When a man comes around the corner, he rushes to the injured man’s side calling out for help, but Solomon hears only the sound of his rage building.
Chapter 28
As the train barrels through the night, Cassie sits up in bed and struggles not to scream. Coughing and choking, she claws at her throat, and Dalton is shocked awake. “What is it?”
“Fire!” she chokes out coughing, and Dalton leans over and grabs a glass of water to offer her.
“It's just a dream, Cassie. You're safe!” he murmurs, trying to calm his beating heart.
“Fire, Dalton. Explosions and death! We're not safe here!” she pushes his hand away with the water in it and throws her legs over the side of the bed. Pulling her wrap around her, she cinches the belt and turns to him with terror in her eyes, “They're coming now, Dalton. We have to get off the train!”
“Who's coming Cassie? You aren't making any sense.” he leaps from the bed and walks towards her. “It was a nightmare…” but she shakes her head, stopping him in mid-sentence.
“A vision, not a nightmare. I know the difference. If we stay on this train, we will die!” she declares.
The last five days had been magical. They made love, ordered room service, laughed and spent time getting to know each other. Plans were made and a future spoken of with hope and anticipation. Now Cassie feels all of that slipping through her fingertips, and she rushes into Dalton's arms and whispers, “I'm so sorry.”
“Sorry for what? Saving our lives.” He pushes her back away from his chest and looks into her eyes. “Cassandra you have to start trusting in your gift. This time instead of running scared, use it!”
“Use it?” she whispers, looking up at him. “Use it. Of course, Dalton you're a genius.” She kisses him and laughs when he clutches her and tries to pull her back to bed. “Not now, Dalton.” She sits on the edge of the bed and looks at him. “I saw fire, explosions, and….” Squeezing her eyes shut tightly she tries to relax and focus on the image of “Fire.”
Instantly, she is transported to the sky above the train, like a bird soaring through the night sky, she follows playing in the updraft from the train pushing through the night. Something glints on the track ahead and catches her eye, so she speeds up. Groups of Indians are digging frantically at the dirt under the track and driving logs under the metal rail, using it as a lever to pry it up. They take turns pulling at different parts of the rails until they are satisfied that it will work, and they fall back to the cover of the trees.
“Oh my God!” she whispers.
The train barrels along unaware of the danger waiting for them and the people sleeping inside the train have no clue what fate has in store for them. Cassie looks around desperately trying to find some kind of clue where this attack will take place, but all she sees is darkness. The train hits the destroyed track, and the cars begin to crash into each other, and the fires and screaming begins.
The bird turns to follow the track backward. If she follows it back, she can find out where it came from. Cassie glides at speed backward until she comes to a large body of water.
Dalton calls her name over and over, “Come back, Cassie!” he says shaking her. She startles, and her eyes fly open.
He sits heavily beside her on the bed. “Lord, you scared ten years off my life. You're not doing that again!”
“Dalton, we have to get off this train! You won't believe what I just saw!” She fills him in and waits in silence for him to process this new set of information. “Why would Indians do that?”
“Retaliation, darlin,” he responds darkly. “Indians don't care for gold, Cassie. They want our weapons and our scalps. Anything else they will use for trade. This land is rough, only outlaws, bandits and hunters cross it. Those that survive the elements, have to survive each other. Damnit! I didn’t want to cross over land until we were further along,” he says pacing back and forth.
“Dalton I can't be sure when this attack will happen. There were no identifying markers, but I followed the train tracks backward until I came to a large body of water. Is there a lake close, Dalton?”
He stops pacing, “Yes. We will travel around the Great Salt Lake this morning before reaching the depot. From there we will have to cross through some pretty rough territory, Cassie.” He looks at her and his worry increases. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he sees a beautiful, fragile, creature…
Her laughter jars him from his thoughts, “Dalton, I am hardly fragile. Although I am younger than you, I have survived the slaughter of my entire family and the loss of a child. It will take more than this land has to throw at me to destroy Cassandra Wolfe.” She stands and walks to him with a determined look in her eye.
“I want a future with you, Dalton and nothing, not a
