Wintermoon Ice (2010) (11 page)

"All right." Suvi reached into her bag. "But I want fifty for this." She handed over the yitar and then quickly turned away, so that Scaaf would not see the tears in her eyes.

"This yours?"

She nodded.

"Are you sure you want to sell it?"

Suvi turned back to face him and glared fiercely in his direction. "Of course I am sure, or I would not have come here. Now do we have a deal or--?"

He broke in gently. "You need the cloth for the shelter?"

"Yes, and so what?" Her resolve to sell the yitar came close to crumbling. "Can't we just get on with it?"

"It's just... I heard some gossip yesterday -- from the same man who traded the cloth. Something maybe you should know before you get rid of anything so dear to you." Suvi had to step quite close as he dropped his voice to a whisper. "He said they are going to shut you down. Separate everyone by Soli and send them to camps in the south."

Her eyes went wide. "What? Who is
they
?"

"The Harriers. The person who told me works for Major Bennett, himself."

"
Jack
Bennett?"

Scaaf nodded. "The same."

Suvi stepped back, absolutely reeling. "No! I won't let him. It isn't going to happen. Severnessa needs Carina." She flung herself forward and grabbed Scaaf by the shirt. "Did you hear anything else -- like when it might happen?"

He shook his head and extricated himself from her grasp. "It is only a rumor, Suvi. I told you everything I know. Now, do you still want to sell the yitar? I can only give you forty pelaaks for it. Fancy things like this are hard to unload at the moment."

She nodded. "But I want forty two, and... A bottle of poteen," she added thoughtfully.

He slammed his hand on the counter. "Done! But don't tell anyone how good I am to you, or I'd be ruined."

Suvi waited while he wrapped the cloth and handed over her twenty-two pelaaks in change. When he gave her the poteen he joked, "I guess you'll be wanting this to drown your sorrows, then." She gave him a cynical smile, but did not reply.

* * * *

After dropping the cloth in to Teggr, Suvi went to her office and tried to work. The prism in the gateway hovered gently at the edges of everything she looked at, making concentration impossible. It called to her in a silky voice, seemingly made of light rather than sound. Suvi found she could not ignore it. Cursing softly, she broke her own rule and headed back to the sewers.

The prism lay exactly where it had been before, just on the other side of the window, half hidden by swaying yellow flowers.

Passing through the window felt like plunging her fingers into a cool, smooth gel.

When she grasped the crystal, she felt something like static electricity charge up her arm. It frightened her, but she did not let go. Slowly she withdrew it, wondering what would happen when it reached her world. Would it disappear, or explode in a fiery denunciation of her theft?

Nothing like that happened. It went in her pocket and lay there, cool and smooth and quiet. She didn't look again until she reached the safety of the office and had locked the door. When she withdrew the prism, it felt much heavier than it ought to. The light from her desk lamp flickered mysteriously within its depths. Braided copper wire shrouded each end and reinforced the facets. Suvi traced the seams with her fingers, and discovered something like a switch halfway along one side. She did not dare press it.

Chelah, curious, jumped up on the desk with a low growl. She sniffed the prism delicately and then hissed. Suvi smiled at the degum's comically swiveled ears. "What? Don't you like it, girl? I think it is very pretty." Suvi patted Chelah, but she scuttled away and disappeared under the bed.

After placing the prism in the drawer, she locked the desk again. Suvi felt sure she could probably sell such an unusual object for quite a bit of money, but she was equally sure she would never be able to part with it, even if meant losing Carina and everything in it.

* * * *

Suvi dressed carefully, in her least threadbare stockings and a tweed skirt. She pulled a box from under the bed, rummaged down to the bottom, and withdrew a soft sweater, made of finest dureg hair, creamy yellow in color. Other than the yitar, it was her most treasured possession. Thoughtfully, she slipped it on, hoping Tom would like it.

He picked her up at six o'clock, and took the road towards Schippendorff. Suvi sat quietly, her hands tucked within the sweater sleeves, thinking on Scaaf's gossip and wondering what part her companion might play in the closing of Carina.

He glanced over towards her as he downshifted the truck through another patch of mud. "Are you all right?"

The moon caught his eyes, making them shine. Suvi saw only genuine kindness and concern. "Of course. Sorry, I guess I am just a little tired. I haven't even thanked you for repairing my window. You must have worked very hard this afternoon."

He gave her a charming grin, a twinkle of white under his moustache. "Doing favors for a pretty girl hardly counts as work in my book. Especially when she has agreed to step out with me for the evening. Speaking of which -- here we are... The local provender palace -- Stellaan's."

The truck ground to a halt in a gravel yard full of velos. A low building, shuttered and dark, lay alongside. Although it looked unwelcoming, as Tom crossed to open her door Suvi saw a curtain open a crack and a warm shaft of light beckoning.

The roadhouse was full of people. They found a table close to the back, and Tom ordered roast chicken for both of them. "It's the best thing on the menu. And no cabbage whatsoever," he added with a smile. Suvi smiled back and felt herself slipping into relaxation, and, more dangerously, into trust. And that would not do.

While the jukebox rattled away in the background, they drank beer and chatted. Suvi decided that she must not allow herself to get too comfortable with him. "Tell me about the place you come from -- Litchfield, isn't it?"

He stared at her, obviously disturbed by her question. "How did you know..."

"I heard you say the name to Katy. Maybe you thought I was sleeping."

Tom ran his hand over the top of his crew cut, making his hair stand up like a brush. "I am from Schippendorff. A member of the Rose Soli. That is all I can tell you, officially."

"And yet you and Katy Bennett went to medical school together." Suvi raised her eyebrow. "How very strange."

He looked more and more unhappy, but didn't say anything.

"You are a doctor, aren't you, Tom? That is how you knew what ailed Riku."

Tom frowned, but was spared having to answer by the waitress, who bustled over with a platter of chicken and roasted potatoes. It smelled divine, and Suvi, who hadn't seen food like this since she left her parent's house, tucked in rather than pressing him further.

He watched her eat, leaving his own food almost untouched. Suvi paused between bites, feeling unexpected remorse. "Finish your dinner. I won't ask you any more questions if you don't want me to. Let's talk about the weather or something."

But though he picked up his fork, Tom only rearranged the pieces of chicken on his plate. "I shouldn't be here with you. It is against every order I have been given. But I just wanted..." The waitress appeared again, and brought them more beer. Tom stared moodily at the bubbles rising in his glass and did not finish his sentence.

Now it was Suvi's turn to look unhappy. "What did you want?" She kept her voice soft, only just above a whisper.

He met her eyes. His were melancholy. "I wanted to forget about the war, and sides and suspicion -- just for tonight. And I thought... Maybe you were tired of it too, and that you would trust me. But I can't force you to, if you won't." Tom put down his fork. "We should probably go."

Suvi reached under the tablecloth and found his hand.

"Please forgive me, Tom. I had... some unfortunate news today, and it made me a little preoccupied. Honestly, I am not usually this rude." She smiled at him, and squeezed his hand tightly. "Let's say I believe you are a Rose mechanic who comes from Schippendorff -- just for tonight. But will you tell me what it is like there? Because, truly, I have never seen it, not through your eyes, and I would very much like to know."

He understood what she meant, and gave her a wry smile as he picked up his fork. "Schippendorff? Well, Schippendorff is very different from here. Dead flat, for one thing, and hundreds of miles from the ocean. Acres and acres of corn fields surround the town, stretching in all directions. As a young boy I used to ride my bike all day, and never leave those fields."

"No forest? I don't know if I would like a place without trees."

Tom finished his first piece of chicken and started on the second. "Oh, there are bits of woodland, scattered about. Rayn's Wood is where I first met..." He paused and looked at Suvi anxiously.

She gave him an encouraging smile. "Just for tonight, remember?"

He sighed and nodded his agreement. "It is where I met Katy, when she was sixteen. She was a... stranger to Schippendorff, and had no home. So Jack's parents took her in, and became her guardians. Later she and I went to school together."

"And Jack, was he your friend too?"

He scratched his head. "Well, I guess so. He and I played on the same baseball team before the war." At Suvi's baffled look, Tom explained. "Baseball is a sport they play in Schippendorff. Two teams, nine players on each side. One team hits a ball and runs the bases, and the other side tries to stop them from scoring."

"Kind of like stick ball, then?" She named a game that the children often played outside in the enclosed yard, with a broom handle and an inflated bladder.

Tom grinned. "Kind of, but the ball is a lot harder. Once a grounder hit me in the face and broke my nose. Hurt like hell. After that I decided I liked being a catcher better -- they get to wear a mask."

One of the other patrons put a few centos in the jukebox and it began to play a waltz. Several couples got up to dance. Tom looked over at Suvi hopefully.

"I... I'd love to dance, Tom, but I don't know if I can, what with my calf. I'll probably just tread on your toes."

He gave her a confident smile. "Don't you worry. We'll get along just fine."

Tom stood and offered her his hand, and she took it, wondering if men from Litchfield knew anything at all about dancing.

She slipped her wrap from her shoulders and let him lead her to the floor. He placed an arm around her waist, pulled her close, then twined his fingers with hers and bent his arm so that her hand rested on his chest. They began to move in time to the music, and it did not take Suvi long to discover that Thommats Finn could dance very well indeed.

Suvi's last misgivings melted in the warmth of the room, and as Tom spun and whirled her about the dance floor, she lost herself in the music and the intoxicating feeling of his arms close about her. He spoke in her ear, and she felt his moustache tickle her skin. "This is pure heaven, dancing with you, Suvi."

"You too," she whispered in return.

Suvi let her cheek fall onto his shoulder and rest there. He pulled her even closer. The song ended and another began, but neither noticed. The other couples who had shared the floor with them stopped dancing and simply watched. When the money ran out, and Tom and Suvi's graceful turns stopped, the crowd applauded wildly.

Suvi blushed bright red, mortified by this unwanted attention. Tom kept his arm around her waist, and started to guide her back towards their table.

A short, thickset man wearing the uniform of a Harrier lurched over from the bar and blocked their way. "Want to dance with your girl. Ain't never been close to a Harp before, but if she'll dance with Rose scum she'll dance with a Spear." He grabbed Suvi's arm, and tried to pull her away.

Tom thrust her behind him. "The lady is with me, friend. You'd best go back to your beer if you know what's good for you."

The muscles in the soldier's neck swiftly bulged over his collar. "Well I guess I don't. So how about I dance with you instead?" Moving with a speed that belied his drunkenness, he pulled a flick knife from his pocket and snapped it open.

Tom calmly guided Suvi to one side. "Get your things and wait for me in the truck." He sidestepped the man's first thrust easily. "The keys are in my coat pocket. Start the engine and lock the doors. I'll be there in a minute."

Suvi grabbed her wrap and purse and then backed towards the door, watching as Tom raised his hands. "Tom? Are you sure...?"

He smiled at her. "Go on. Don't worry about me."

She saw another soldier moving behind Tom, intending to blindside him with a cosh. "Tom, look out!" By the time she finished her warning he had already whirled gracefully and lashed out with his fist. The second soldier staggered back, clutching his nose, the blood streaming from between his fingers. Suvi went through the door as the barkeep pulled a sawed-off shotgun from behind the counter.

As she started the truck, Tom flew out the door and hurled himself into the passenger side, shouting, "Go! Go!"

The truck skidded off the gravel, just as twenty men poured into the lot, and hurried towards their velos. Enraged shouts and cranking engines filled the night air. Suvi tore along the back roads, and soon lost their pursuers. Tom gave an elated whoop. "Well done, Suvi." He glanced sideways, his blue eyes blazing with merriment. "We make a great team, don't you think?"

Suvi nodded, bemused by his high spirits. "Weren't you even a little bit afraid? That soldier had a knife. I thought he was going to..."

He examined his grazed knuckles dispassionately. "No ma'am. It would take more than the likes of those idiots to get the better of Tom Finn. I was the Gold Gloves state champ three years running."

"Well, I don't know what gold gloves are," Suvi said, laughing. "But I believe you like fighting even more than you like dancing, Dr. Finn."

The light from the moon hit his face and Suvi caught a glimpse in Tom's eyes of someone far older. "Quite possibly, my dear. You might very well be right."

They pulled up to the door of the warehouse, and Suvi switched off the truck. The clicks and pops of the cooling engine filled the awkward silence between them. She gazed over at him nervously. "Would you... like to come in for a while? We can sit in the office and talk without disturbing the others."