To Carmen, it seemed wise to wait near the camper, where there was a supply of water, until help arrived. Alex pointed out that the men would probably expect them to return. He was certain he had left no tracks. If they brought the horse close to the camp, there would be hoof prints. In any case, he felt it was closer to that town than to any reliable help from homes in the area. It was over mountains, but Alex thought that would actually give them an advantage by being up high enough to see anyone approaching them.
Jonathan was right about the full moon. Alex led them around brush, always headed toward a mountain peak he had set as a landmark. He said they would probably reach the town a little after midnight. That sounded a little ambitious to Carmen, but maybe he was trying to keep them all thinking positive.
It didn't take them as long to reach the mountains as Carmen thought it would. Without the blazing sun, the desert heat lifted and cool air surrounded them. They had all dressed for the heat and were unprepared for the chill of the night air. Alex lifted Destiny to the back of the horse with the twins and removed his shirt, placing it around them. He said the energy required to walk would keep him warm. Carmen had to admit that after they reached the mountain, walking was more work.
After a few hours, two things became obvious. The first was that they weren't going to make it to the town by midnight and the second was that they were going to have to stop and make camp so the children could sleep.
Alex adapted, switching his priority to finding a good place for a camp. As far as the rest of them were concerned, the ground where they barely stood was enough, but Alex was looking for shelter. Why they needed shelter when it obviously wasn't going to rain was beyond Carmen's grasp. It wasn't as if they could make a fire. Up high like this a fire could be seen for miles. That was assuming anyone had a match, which was doubtful.
Carmen was relieved when Alex finally found what he considered to be a suitable place to make a camp. A smooth rock cliff rose about twenty feet before arching over some boulders.
"That should dissipate any smoke," Alex said, eyeing the arch. "The boulders will hide the light."
Carmen frowned at him. "Smoke? How are we going to make a fire?"
Alex smiled. "Don't be such a pessimist."
Jonathan looked at Alex and grinned. "I'll see if I can find some wood."