Cordell’s heart seemed to stop pumping. He said to Lise, “I’m going with them!” He turned to Chinook. “If anything happens to my son—!” He made a threatening move toward the boy, but Lise stopped him. “No, Cordell! He’s just a frightened boy!” “Well, so am I!” yelled Cordell. He tried to remain calm as he faced Chinook again, but his voice quivered. “I’ll get my team ready.” He pulled his hood up and fastened it. Lise stood quietly by, too upset to speak, tears running down her cheeks. Cordell raised her chin gently until he could see into her eyes. “Will you be all right?” Lise nodded. He kissed her cheek and opened the door for the others. Taguk stopped him, barking strange words and waving his hands in the air. Cordell turned to Chinook. “What did he say?” “Taguk says we’ll take our team!” Chinook wiped away his tears. “He says our dogs are faster. They know how to get around in this storm. We’ll take our team, Monsieur Ardoin, please?”
