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Chapter One

Twenty-eight-hundred feet below the red single-engine de Havilland Beaver's wings, the broad swath of the frozen KoyukukRiver glistened under the ht like a ribbon of crushed dia stretch of ice-jammed, crystalline water north out of the small town of Harmony, the back of her plane loaded with supplies for the day's delivery run to a handful of settlements nestled deep in the interior

Beside her in the passenger seat of the cockpit was Luna, the best copilot she'd ever had, aside fro she knew about flying The gray-and-white wolf dog had been standing in for Hank Maguire for a couple of years nohen the Alzhei hold of hih Alex often felt she had been slowly losing hier than that At least the disease that ate away his mind and memories had also ended his pain, a small mercy to be sure

Noas just Luna and her living in the old house in Har the supply runs to Hank's small roster of clients in the bush Luna sat erect next to Alex, her pointed ears perked forward, sharp blue eyes keeping a steady watch on thebulk filling the northwest horizon As they crossed the Arctic Circle, the dog fidgeted in the seat and let out a s whine

"Don't tell me you can s out to ruffle the big furry head as they continued north along the Koyukuk's Middle Fork, past the ses of Bettles and Evansville "Breakfast is still twenty irlfriend Make that thirty minutes, if that black storm cloud over the AnaktuvukPass decides to blow our way"

Alex eyed the dark thunderhead that looht path More snoas in the forecast; certainly nothing unusual for November in Alaska, but not exactly prime conditions for her delivery route today She exhaled a curse as the wind co off the mountains picked up speed and scuttled across the river valley to give the already buusto The worst of it passed just as Alex's cell phone began to chirp in the pocket of her parka She dug the phone out and answered the call without needing to knoas on the other end of the line

"Hey Jenna"

In the background of her best friend's house, Alex could hear a Forest Service radio chattering about sketchy weather conditions and plu your way in a couple of hours, Alex You on the ground yet?"

"Not quite" She rode through another round of bumps as she neared the town of Wiseman and turned the plane onto the route that would take her to the first stop on her day's delivery schedule "I'm turned the plane onto the route that would take her to the first stop on her day's delivery schedule "I'm maybe ten minutes from the Toms place now Three more stops after that, shouldn't takeright now I think the storht by this time" It was hope more than qualified estimation, sympathy for her friend's concern ood flier, and too well trained by Hank Maguire to do anything completely reckless, but the sio hold were already a week overdue because of bad weather She'd be dausty breezes keep her fro reaches of the interior ere counting on her for food and fuel

"Everything's fine on this end, Jenna You know I'm careful"

"Yeah," she said "But accidents happen, don't they?" Alexit wouldn't have done any good Her friend kneell as anyone--perhaps better than hly the sao out; you don't have to co line of Staties--and theof one to boot--got quiet for a longdown a dark path, so she worked to fill the silence with chitchat

"Hey, when I spoke to Pop To batch of moosehed, but she sounded as though her thoughts were a et aith it, then yeah, I'd like that"

"You got it The only thing better than Pop's et some of both"

Breakfast at Pop Toe for semimonthly supply drops had been a tradition started by Alex's father It was one she enjoyed hed the price of Pop's siuy and his fa authentically off the saenerations of their stalwart kin The idea of sitting down for a hot, ho up on the week's events with Pop Toht out to the ree and began her descent toward the ined the salty-sweet smell of smokedon the woodstove when she arrived

"Listen, I'd better go," she told Jenna "I', and I--" The words caught in her throat On the ground below, soht Alex's eye In the dark of the winter , she couldn't quitein the center of the settlement, but whatever it was made the hair at the back of her neck prickle to attention