“Jerry…! I want you and Carl on the west side. Now! Randy and I’ll take the trees on the crest. Forget the underbrush… If we don’t tear out the timber from here up, we’ve lost the whole fucking thing…”

Every one of us was working on pure adrenaline now, leaning heavily on whatever reserves we had left. No one would stop now, not for food, not for anything. Not until we’d won,

Or until we’d lost…

The lights mounted to our helmets formed eerie beams through the smoky haze around us. The sound of a dozen chainsaws mixed with the roar of the encroaching flames, drowning the powers of communication. We were mostly left to read each other’s movements, anticipate each other’s actions out of instinct and habit. The smoke in the air caught what little light there was and illuminated the darkness, turning the mouth of the gorge into the glowing gates of hell itself.

While the others worked below, Randy and I headed for the top. We didn’t need to talk, we’d been a team for too long. We just needed to clear the top before the crowns caught fire. A shower of sparks flew over our heads as we bent our aching backs into our work. Success hinged on endurance and time now. I spit a mouthful of dry grit and leaned into my saw, praying we had enough of both. But all I could see was Ember’s face, all I could feel was my need to outrace the fire and keep her safe. The only future I’d ever imagined was one with her, raising a family in Cradle Creek. My gut twisted in sickening acknowledgement; that the only way to protect our future had been to leave her, and to put my own life and her brother’s in jeopardy. Yet now, Cradle Creek and Ember’s cabin were directly in the fire’s path…

Tree after tree came crashing down as we worked. The ground behind us was littered with broken limbs and jagged stumps, the living forest reduced to a shattered graveyard. I took a lungful of air and smoke. I lifted my head, listening… waiting. The air thrummed like a heartbeat, and a breath lifted the hairs on the back of my neck… Randy and I were facing each other when it happened.

One enormous gust lit the sky with a brilliant burst of showering sparks, and we both knew in the same instant, that in spite of our best efforts the worst had happened. The canopy above us burst into flames, blinding and deafening us both with its fury. We fell to the forest floor, gasping in the vacuum it left behind. I saw Randy’s mouth moving… and recognized the words…

“The bitch is gonna win…”

I climbed to my feet, dragging him up with me. “Like fucking hell it is,” I ground out viciously.

“It’s crowned, goddamn it,” he shouted. “We need to pull the crew back while we still have a chance. It’s gonna race through that gorge with the fucking wind at its back.”

“And it’ll take the whole range,” I yelled back. “North to south,” I gripped his arm and ran, half dragging him along with me, “and the whole valley on the other side.”

“The women,” he shouted.

“They won’t be there,” I yelled back, “but I’ll be damned if I’m letting it take the valley and the cabin.”

We ran, half sliding, half falling down the side of the cliff as burning debris fell from above. Through the smoke, I could see some of our men and a chopper on the ground. It was loaded with retardant, but useless as long as the winds held. But it could still carry men.

“That gorge is three miles long,” I shouted to Frank. “Randy’s in the lead.” I turned to face him, my blood brother and soon-to-be brother-in-law. “You outrun it. Drop down where you can get the crew safely on land, where the brush is thinnest and far enough ahead you’ve got a chance. If it stays in the canopy, keep it there. Kill it there if you can… just don’t let it escape on the other side…”

I headed for one of the trucks, but he jerked me by the arm. “What the hell are you going to do…?”

“There’s a back road through these mountains,” I shouted over the chaos around us, “Ember showed me. It comes out on the other side about five miles from Cradle Creek. If I can get there before it does and burn a line…”

“Go! Go… go!” he shouted. His fingers bit into my shoulder in goodbye before he turned and ran for the helicopter. He disappeared in the roiling smoke as I twisted the key in the ignition and stomped the engine to life.

The dirt road was rocky, almost completely washed out in places. The glow from the headlights bounced and jerked dizzily, but at least the haze had thinned. The wind was carrying the smoke and the fire-front to the southeast… closer to the valley. I leaned into the gas harder and the truck bucked. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the orange glow creep forward with all the stealth of an enemy in the night.

“So fucking help me, Ember,” I said out loud. “I’m not giving up our home… and I’m not letting this steal our future.” I shifted hard and the engine roared. “Not without giving it the fight of my life.”

Almost in response, a swarm of sparks flew overhead and a golden glow flared in the distance. A sickening wave ran through me as I sped up and the road fought back. I crashed into the door, the steering wheel, intent only on outrunning the fire. Oncoming headlights jerked and bobbed, angling high into the sky before blinding me entirely…

“Goddammit…

“Ember!” I cried, slamming the brakes on in time to avoid crashing into her truck. It twisted, fishtailing, and slid off the road. A fast second later, I had her in my arms, cursing her, kissing her, crushing her sweet, soft flesh into mine. I enveloped her with my whole body, my whole heart, my entire being… losing myself in the love that swept through us both. In that moment, we were truly one being, no less than when our bodies were joined in ecstasy. We were one breath, one heartbeat… one spirit.

“What in god’s name are you doing here?” I gasped out. “I told you to stay away…”

“I didn’t know,” she gasped, “not until it was too late.”

Reilly came flying out of the cab, jumping and barking as I kissed her. Precious seconds later, I had them both in my truck. I dragged her shoulder belt across with one hand and snapped it tight. Even belted in, we were tossed cruelly as the heavy truck lurched and bolted over the road. She wrapped her arms around Reilly’s body, struggling to keep him on the seat between us.

“Christ, Em… you could have been killed out here,” I bellowed. “Why in god’s name…”

“I heard it on the radio,” she said. “But it was too late… I was already back at the cabin by then.” We hit a bump and came crashing down on the other side. “All I knew was that I needed to find you. And this road was the only way.”

“Goddammit, babygirl…” I swore under my breath, shooting a sidelong glance at the glow in the sky. “We’re in this together now.” I took her hand in mine and held it tight, feeling the fineness of the bones, the softness of her skin. All I’d wanted was to keep her safe, and now she was facing down the same danger as the rest of us. I held the back of her hand to my mouth, kissing it, catching a sweeter scent than the smoke that filled my nostrils. She was my home, my only home.

“I’ll protect you with my life, Ember, but I can’t save either one of us from the truth. It’s a crown fire now,” I said bitterly, feeling her hand tighten in mine. “You’ve grown up in these mountains, lived your whole life here…

“You know what it means as well as I do.”