When he broke through the surface, the roar of the falls and of blood pounding in his ears eliminated other sounds. It wasn't until a strong arm grabbed him and dragged him through the water that he realized he wasn't alone.
He was bumped over the edge of the pool, then landed on a rough stone floor in a chamber feebly illuminated by candlelight. Reality tilted crazily, for above him he saw Laura's face, which had to be impossible.
Nonetheless, he reached up to touch her cheek. The smooth skin was warm beneath his chilled fingers.
She leaned forward and kissed him and his confusion cleared instantly. "Bloody hell," he croaked. "I'm alive?"
"You are indeed."
It was David's voice. Ian shifted his gaze and saw his brother kneeling beside him. After coughing again, he said, "What the devil are you doing here?"
"Trying to find out if I'd inherited Falkirk. I thought for sure I had it this time." David gave a lopsided smile. "You've got more lives than a cat, Ian, but you've really got to stop getting yourself killed. It's too exhausting."
"I couldn't agree more." Shaking his head to clear the water from his ears, Ian pushed himself up.
David helped him get to his feet, then enfolded him in a fierce bear hug. Laura was there, too, all three of them wrapped around each other like the aerial roots of a banyan tree.
The combination of physical and emotional warmth restored Ian more than he would have believed possible. It began to sink in that he really was alive, and likely to stay so. With life came curiosity. "Is there a war going on outside?"
"No, you kept the Afghans from getting through. The pass was destroyed when the cliff collapsed," Laura replied. "There's still trouble in Afghanistan, but that's where it will stay."
"So we did it," he said softly. "We put out the fire before it could spread across India."
"Not 'we,' love. You," she said. "You're the one who deduced what the plan was, you're the one who held off an army. Pyotr must be very happy up in that onion-domed heaven of his."
"I'm glad, too." With great reluctance, Ian disentangled himself from his wife and brother. "It's been a hell of a day, and I'm really not in the mood for a war."
While Laura dug into her pack for food and brandy, David wrapped a coarse woolen blanket around Ian's shoulders. "Better use this to keep yourself warm. We still have a fairly lengthy trek out of here."
"The sooner we get out, the better." Ian swallowed a mouthful of brandy, welcoming the burn. As he accepted a rolled chapati from Laura, he added, "If either of you ever hears me express a desire to go into another cave, please hit me on the head with a rock until I change my mind."
With laughter ringing in his ears and Laura's arm around his waist, Ian set off for the land of the living.
* * *
When Ian awoke, he ached all over. Nonetheless, he felt wonderful, which undoubtedly had much to do with the fact that a soft, familiar female form was wrapped around him. Opening his eye, he found that they were on a charpoy in a darkened room, with a low-burning oil lamp on a table by the bed.
It was the guest room of a Pathan compound, much like the one at Habibur's. This time they were with the Afridis who had taken in Laura and Gulzar Khan several days before. Dimly Ian remembered the lengthy, exhausting trip out of the cave. He doubted that he could have made it that far alone.
They had emerged at dawn. Zafir and a helpful Afridi, Kuram, had been outside. They had also reached a point in the cavern where they could go no further.
Ian wondered if the waterfall was the only link between the upper and lower caves. He'd been lucky, damned lucky. Or perhaps it wasn't luck. Perhaps there was such a thing as iqbal.
Kuram had insisted they come here, to the home of Gulzar Khan's cousin. Ian gathered that he and Laura were entitled to lifetime hospitality because they had helped the havildar through the pass. The fact that Gulzar Khan had tried to kill him was tactfully unmentioned. These little misunderstandings happened.
Once they reached the compound, David had said goodbye, for he must lead his troops to Jallalabad. Zafir, who was still officially on leave, decided to stay with Ian and Laura to escort them back to India. Or at least as far as Habibur's, where Zafir intended to marry Meera as soon as possible.
Ian thought that was a sound plan. He looked down at the bronze hair tumbling over his arm and the curve of Laura's cheek and thought what an excellent idea marriage was. At least, with a wife like this one. He stroked her hair, scarcely able to believe that they were really together and safe.
Light though his touch was, it woke Laura. Her long lashes fluttered up, showing the amber depths of her amazing eyes. "How are you feeling, doushenka?"