Ice Runner (2 page)

Hopefully, Lor wouldn’t insist on her witnessing the last of his experiment.

“S
o, you have to pollenate each one?” Kes tried to keep her voice chipper and encouraging.

She stifled a yawn.

“Yes. Even in our high-tech world, we can’t create self-pollinating plants. Well, we can, but they don’t taste very good and don’t produce fruit.” He went around with a swab and a brush dipped in different pollen, tending to each one of the twelve plants in turn.

She turned idly on her chair and took in the expanse of the greenhouse. Some of the plants were bearing fruit, some looked familiar and some looked downright dangerous.

“Do you eat any of this?”

“Some. The researchers at Yola transported the living plants to me through the tunnels, but it is faster to have a courier bring them. I can send them my results within a day instead of weeks.”

“Nice. Why weren’t they using me before?”

“I asked Dr. Senzer that when I confirmed the delivery. Apparently, you are very expensive.” Kes sat up and wiggled her shoulders happily.

“Yes, I am. That was my mother’s idea. She said that since my skills were so specific, I needed to get paid for their exotic nature. How can you two afford me now?”

He snorted. “The Citadel is picking up the tab and charging the Alliance.”

“Very nice. I am guessing that a run between Teckaro and Yola might become a regular thing.” Mentally, she rubbed her hands together as she contemplated the extra funds. Her sister, Eera, was going to be getting a new tunnel sled for her birthday. It may not be the most lady-like present, but Eera was years from having to worry about being classed as a lady.

He gave her a piercing look with his bright green eyes. “I think it just might.” She blinked rapidly, and a heat that had nothing to do with her talent crept through her body, resting in her cheeks.

To distract him, she asked, “So, why are you the only one here at Teckaro Base?”

“I am the only one that was needed. It is a small project, nothing to require additional personnel.” Lor smiled as if he knew what she was doing.

She nodded, watching him complete the pollination. “Is there a place for me to bed down for the night? I am a little tired after my time outside.”

“Are you staying the night?”

She sighed, “Yes. I can only run during the day. At night, the temperature is too cold and the air too still. I can manage short runs, but I prefer to only make one venture outside per day. Frankly, the cold is very hard on the system.” He finished his work and put his tools away.

“How long have you lived here?” She snorted. “How do you know I am not local?”

His laughter shivered the plants all around them. “I guessed.”

She lifted her hand and scowled. “I guess I am a little on the pink side compared to those born naturally on Wanlio 6.”

“Every local I have met or spoken to so far is a charming shade of blue. Face it, you stand out in a crowd here.” He laughed and put his kit away under one of the benches, double-checking the progress on the plants as they closed their orange flowers for the night.

He stretched, and suddenly, Kes was exceptionally hot. Even with the robes flowing around him, his physique had just the right combination of muscles and lithe dexterity.

“How did you get tapped to show up here to work?”

“As a member of the Citadel, I travel from world to world using my talents where I can to propel the growth of designed food species.” Lor shrugged. “Normally, I am on worlds that have just been reformed for habitation. Ice worlds are a new environment for me.”

She laughed. “Fun, aren’t they? How long have you been here?”

“Four months. I don’t know who was in this base before I was, but they left it very tidy.” He offered her his hand, and he helped her hop off her stool.

“Dr. Holiatic. He moved to one of the cities. Being out here was too hard on his sensibilities.” She snorted and tried to take her hand back.

He resisted for a moment before he released her. “You can take my room. I will take the couch.”

She shook her head. “No. I won’t. I will be up at dawn, and I tend to heat up in the middle of the night. I will take the couch, and next time, set a cot up for me in a cold room.”

He paused. “That is unacceptable.” She let some of her heat bleed out into the room. “That is the way it will be.” Lor scowled. “Fine. I will get you a blanket.” She laughed. “I don’t need it.” His lips twisted. “Fine. I will see you in the morning.”

She watched him exit and moved to take her seat on the couch. With a little squirming, she was comfortable, and with a full belly and shelter around her, she embraced sleep.

Kes was up and making breakfast out of supplies she scrounged up in Lor’s cupboards. He walked into the main room, and she had to admit that he even looked good in the morning.

Her hair had fought her when she woke up, but it seemed that his knew when to stay still and lie flat.

“Morning, Lor. Pardon my taking liberties with your kitchen, but I need to fuel up before heading back to Yola.” She fixed two plates and brought them over to the table.

He grabbed the pot of tea she had mixed and poured two cups. He settled across from her and lifted his eating prong.

As he ate, Kes was reminded of Eera and her ability to consume anything in front of her as long as it wasn’t red. He ate as if food prepared by someone else was a rarity. She knew that feeling.

Smirking to herself, Kes ate the omelette of rehydrated eggs and vegetables that she had located in his chiller. “I really hope that the veg in the chiller was for eating.”

He grinned as he finished his portion. “I am very particular to keep the experiments in the greenhouse and the food in the chiller.” She sighed in relief and ate with a bit more enthusiasm. It was pretty good, but she was a master at rehydrating foods. The bonus to an ice world, you never ran out of water.

“So, what do you do on your off days, Lor?”

“I work in the greenhouse and engage in conference calls around the globe.” He shrugged.

“There isn’t much off time when you are by yourself.”

She blinked. “You never take a tunnel rider into one of the towns? It takes about twelve hours, but you could have a trip to the bazaars, watch a play, buy some protein that isn’t dried… ” He grinned. “Do you take days off?” Kes chuckled. “Of course. My sister is turning eight in a few weeks. I take her to the parks, the hot springs, go shopping with her, that sort of thing.”

“You have family here?” He collected the plates and ran a sink full of water, scrubbing the plates and the pans she had used.

“Yes. I have a mother and a sister. My father passed away four years ago in a tunnel collapse.” She grimaced.

“And yet, you suggest that I travel by tunnel?”

She snorted. “My father was digging a new route in an unstable area. There was a geothermal break and the walls came in on the digger he was working on. The new tunnels are locked by gate at either end, and it was that gate that not only saved the nearby city but drowned the workers as the water came in.”

A lump came to her throat as it always did when she remembered that day. She had been running tech a day away from home when the collapse was announced. She got home as quickly as she could, but it didn’t change the fact that her father was dead half a world away.

Lor turned. “I apologize. I did not mean to tread on a sensitive subject.” She smiled weakly. “It’s all right. You didn’t know, and now, you do.” Kes sipped at the tea and enjoyed the warmth flowing through her veins.

“It is dangerous here then?”

“Every planet has its dangers. Even your greenhouse has its dangers. The key to living with the danger is to know it exists.” He sat across from her and gave her a long look that had a grudging respect. “There is a wisdom to you that I was not expecting.”

“What where you expecting, and why were you expecting anything?” She bit her lip and furrowed her brow.

“The Ice Runner has been the subject of many conversations between me and Dr. Senzer. He described you as young but businesslike.”

“Why were you talking about me?”

“I was waiting for Citadel clearance to authorize payment to you. How long have you been a courier anyway?”

“Since I finished school, six years. Dad didn’t like it, but once he was sure I was safe and knew what I was doing, he grudgingly encouraged me. When he died, I had to step things up a little.”

“Does it take a toll?”

She thought about it before she answered. “I would say that the toll is more emotional than physical. I miss my sister and mother while I am gone, and sometimes, I am gone for weeks going from base to base, city to city.”

“Would you ever consider leaving Wanlio 6?” His words were casual, but there was something behind his tone.

“It would have to be a helluva reason for me to leave, and my mother would have to approve.” She shrugged. “That isn’t likely to happen.” He sipped at his tea. “When is your next day off?”

She grinned. “On Fiveday. My sister’s school has asked me to explain what I do and why I can leave the underground when they can’t. I have been doing this lecture once a year since I was thirteen.”

“Where do you call home?”

“Corial City.”

He was surprised. “That is only seven hours via the tunnels.”

She nodded. “I am aware of that. Now. We have eaten, and I am eager to see if there is anything for me to take back to Yola Base.” Knowing that their moment of privacy was over, she pushed away from the table and rinsed out her teacup. She followed him to the greenhouse, and her jaw dropped open as red, ripe fruit was hanging and calling to her.

He smiled and prepared the sample box. “It worked. They should have twelve hours of optimum freshness after being picked. How long to get these back to Yola?”

“I had wind pushing me out here, but if I run directly, it should be around three hours. Wrap up your precious fruit, and I will top up my water supply. I will be ready in a few minutes.” She ran her normal checks after filling her water pouch. She checked her kite, made sure the lines were straight and verified that she had three days of ration bars.

Kescu took the science pack and settled it on top of hers. She checked the weight and pulled the straps tight. “Right. Ready. Open the doors, and call Dr. Senzer. Tell him I want hot soup.” Lorvik stood in front of her, and he said, “Be careful.” To her surprise, he gave her a quick, chaste kiss and walked away.

She stood in front of the inner door and watched it rise, moving through it out of reflex.

The monitors were all around her, so she couldn’t touch her lips, but she wanted to.

In minutes, she was back on the ice and making her way to Yola as fast as her limbs could propel her.

* * * *

Lorvik quickly moved to his lab and swabbed his lips. He had an idea of what the Ice Runner was made of, but he didn’t have proof. A genetic scan was not something most men would have wished to carry out after the first kiss, but he was not the ordinary male.

His time in the Citadel had told him that there were plenty of compatible species for one of his kind, but only one was the woman he was destined for. A peculiar seer had told him that he would find a heart of fire in a world of ice, and Lorvik Wender, Third King of the Hanushivi, believed that he had just met his heart of fire in the Ice Runner.

D
elivering the fruit to Yola Base exhausted her, but she was only an hour and a half run from home. If Kescu pulled out all the stops, she could have an extra day with her family. That was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

Dr. Senzer had the hot soup waiting for her, and she gulped it down in a few minutes with several effusive thanks. “Thanks, Doc. I am heading out again. I need to get home and practice my speech.”

“You are heading out again? That isn’t like you.”

She chuckled. “Eera has been complaining, so if I am a few hours away, I will make a run for her, even though I wouldn’t do it for you greedy research bases.”

He snorted. His deep blue skin and white hair were the perfect example of Wanlian naturally born citizens.

“How did you like meeting Dr. Wender?”

“He was pleasant enough. How did the fruit hold up?”

“They are perfect. Lovely. I will put in a courier request for next week if you don’t mind.” She laughed. “Talk to my booking agent. You know the drill.”

“Your mother hates talking to me.”

“She loves it. She just hates sending me outside, so keep that in mind and fake concern for me. You might eventually get a date out of it.” She checked her supplies and headed to the door. “Have them let me out. I want to get home.” He nodded and the inner door to the base opened.

She stepped forward and did the slow march to the exterior of her frozen world. Outside, she let her body heat flare, and she started to slip and slide along the surface until she was running on a thin layer of melted water and metal.

The skyline was amazing. Mountains of ice glittered and cast shadows. The bright light of the sun made her world a glittering diamond with endless facets and planes. She loved being in the wild of Wanlio 6. She was one of only a handful that could walk the surface without dying and the only one who could manage it without insulating suits and equipment.

The way home from Yola put her halfway back to Teckaro Base. The mental image of Lorvik heated her without any spurring on her part, and she sank a little too deep into the ice. She had to pull back on her emotions while she continued back to Corial City.

She would try to hide her overheating in the thermal bathes.

The familiar door in the stone wall was so welcome to her exhausted body. She knocked twice, waited and knocked three times. She heard her mother’s feet slapping the floor as she ran to the door.

“Kescu! How are you? You are early.” Kema continued her questions and concerned murmurs as she pulled Kes inside and removed her equipment, stripping her down to her underwear on the way to her bedroom.

“You have redecorated.”

“You have been gone a month, Kescu.” Kema frowned.