Page 83 of The Lost Guardian

But how—

“I didn’t find any nests, bones, or animal droppings,” Ali said, emerging from the cave with a large knife in one hand and a flashlight in the other.

In his anxious haze, Santi couldn’t even bring himself to notice how hot that was. Almost couldn’t bring himself.

“Okay?” Santiago found his breath again, the word coming out more like a question than an affirmation.

“So it’s likely no wild animals are using it as a shelter,” she explained.

“Okay,” Santiago repeated, trying to sound surer this time. Ali only laughed.

“Which means, Rios, that we can use it for shelter,” she said, dragging both of their packs inside. He wasn’t happy to have the bag out of sight, but he trusted Ali’s judgment. “It’s damp, so we’ll still have to pitch our tents, but it’ll shield us from the wind.”

He followed her into the cave, determined to prove that, despite his showing that day, he could in fact be useful. Santiago could pitch a tent with the best of them.

Wait…

“No, keep working on the clue,” she said, already pulling several items out of their bags. “I’ll take care of this.”

If Santiago was being honest, analyzing ancient rock carvings seemed a much more interesting use of his time, but his parents hadn’t raised him to sit idly by while others did the work. The Boy Scouts of America would strip him of his rank if they found out.

“It’ll be easier if we do it together,” he argued, continuing toward her. He stopped abruptly when Ali poked a long metal pole into his chest.

“Clue. Now,” she said. “I’ve got this.”

Knowing when he was dismissed, Santiago raised his hands in defeat and thanked her. If she answered, he didn’t hear it, his mind having only half left the translation project to begin with.

Hours later, Santiago felt thoroughly defeated. He hadn’t made any headway at all—and they were losing light.

“Come take a break, Rios,” he heard Ali call from inside the cave. “The food’s ready.”

Santiago sighed and stood, wincing as his muscles and joints protested. He knew better than to end a day of intense hiking by sitting motionless for hours.

He shuffled toward the cave and froze.

Ali had set their tents up on either side of the hollow chamber and started a fire in a pit of rocks close to the entrance. Over the fire were three poles, connected at the top, supporting a metal grill and small pot.

He could already smell the two pieces of corn on the grill, one side of their husks charred from the heat. A short log sat directly behind it all, which Ali must have dragged into the cave at some point.

A swarm of butterflies took off in his stomach. He knew now that Ali loved being in nature, but he hadn’t realized she was capable of…this.

He thought of all the nights he’d spent beneath the stars, laughing with friends around a campfire. How often he’d daydreamed about sharing it with someone special.

Now, watching a warm glow dance across Ali’s features… Dios mío.

When she saw him, she motioned him to sit beside her on the dead tree. He lowered himself gingerly as she spooned up a bowl of green soup from the pot.

“Caldo verde,” she informed him. “A local dish. It’s basically just potatoes and a bunch of herbs, but all of those things keep well when camping.”

“Wow.” He admired it. “José really hooked us up.”

They shared a quick glance at his name, and Santiago briefly lost his appetite. Briefly.

He brought a spoonful of the caldo to his mouth anyway, determined not to let it go to waste. He blew before taking a sip. His eyebrows raised in surprise.

The soup didn’t look like much, but the herbs gave it a sharp, salty flavor. It reignited his hunger, and he balanced a piece of potato on his spoon, allowing it to cool before taking a bite.

Ali grabbed the wrapped corn, passing one to him. It was flavored with lime and salt within its husk, and Santiago could have had three more of them; it was that good.