Ice Man

by Samantha Winston

  “I’m not sure.” Jim shook his head, prodding the steaks sizzling on the grill. The scent of baking potatoes started to fill the room. Steele always likened the smell of baked potatoes to chocolate, and his mouth watered.

  “Surely you have an idea. How long did you work there?”

  “Long enough to draw some pretty crazy conclusions.”

  “I like crazy conclusions.” Steele grinned, taking a plate and digging the foil-wrapped potatoes from the ashes.

  “What do you think about a longhouse built right down to the slightest detail to be authentic?”

  “Authentic?”

  “Yeah, let’s say second Iron Age. There were carvings they asked me to do in the wooden beams that I recognized from history classes at the university. They were Celtic. They had furs and pottery, a central fireplace, and oil lamps. Everything had to be perfect. They fired one guy who brought in a pronghorn trophy one day. Their reason was this: pronghorns didn’t exist in Europe.”

  “Bad luck for him,” said Steele. He tore the foil off the potatoes and sighed in contentment. “I love…” He broke off and looked at Jim. “Wait a minute, say that again.”

  “What?”

  “Pronghorns don’t exist in Europe. They made an Iron Age longhouse that had to be set in Europe, and nowhere else.” Steele put his plate down and started to pace. “A man from Europe. Guards that disappear when the longhouse is completed. A linguist. A linguist.” He shook his head. “What would a linguist be needed for? I can understand a stonemason, a woodcarver, a specialist in skins and trophies…all that can be explained by the completed longhouse. Everyone but a linguist.”

  Jim put the steaks on their plates and sat back, a bemused expression on his face. “Unless they somehow had an Iron Age man they needed to talk to.”

  A shiver ran down Steele’s spine. “A secret military base. A bunch of scientists and soldiers.” He stopped pacing and faced Jim. Urgently he said, “What would you do if you had a man from the past. A man frozen for thousands of years. He wakes up. What do you need?”

  “You need to wake him up slowly, and not frighten him. It wouldn’t do any good to have him wake up and die of a heart attack, and you need someone to tell him to relax and cooperate.” Jim chuckled, then grew solemn. He peered closely at Steele. “You’re not serious.”

  “It all fits together. The man from Europe was the valuable object that’s missing, only he wasn’t stolen, he ran away. Or the woman stole him. What did Captain Bide say? Thief, not thieves.”

  “That creates more questions than it answers,” said Jim, putting butter on his steaming potato. “Why did she steal him? Or did he run away? Why didn’t Captain Bide level with you? What were they doing with a Celtic guy anyway?”

  Steele rubbed his hand over his face. “I have to get back to the base as soon as possible. Is there a helicopter that can fly me there tonight?”

  “No, sorry, you’re stuck here. Why? What’s the hurry?”

  “If the man came from the Iron Age, the last place he’d go would be a town or city. He’d head inland…or towards the coast. A small village would be more familiar to him. He wouldn’t mind spending weeks in the wilderness. With just a branch and a stone he could get food, build a fire, and survive. These people knew how to survive in extreme conditions.” Steele looked at his plate and frowned. “I went in the wrong direction. Now I have to start all over.”

  Damn. Why hadn’t Captain Bide told him in the first place? What else was he hiding?

  Chapter Seven

  Allie gave in to the dogsled idea. Kell’s arguments were persuasive. The dogs wouldn’t need gas, and they could take enough dog food with them to last a week or more, whereas the snowmobile needed gas more often. Allie wrote a check for a dog team and sled, an ultra-modern tent, plus a rifle and ammunition. Thank goodness her purse always stayed on her shoulder.

  They hadn’t spoken again about love or leaving each other. Allie was afraid to bring up the subject. Afraid Kell had just said that out of fear, afraid that he’d decide he’d rather be alone…or with someone else. She’d seen him looking at the women in the village as they’d walked down the streets. No, she shook her head sharply. He stared at everyone, not just women. He hadn’t seemed the least bit interested in the pretty woman who’d sold them the rifle and ammunition. She’d tried to flirt with Kell in a friendly fashion, but Kell hadn’t responded, and she’d given up with a curious look in Allie’s direction.

  Allie sighed and supposed she’d get used to it some day--being stared at because she was the one with Kell, that is. Kell’s incredible looks and feline grace made her feel even plainer and more awkward, but to be honest, his eyes only sparkled when he looked at her. It mystified her, and at the same time, she wondered how long it would last.

  His curiosity knew no bounds. He’d insisted on taking a ride in a pickup truck, and when they’d gone to the small port to see the boats, he’d been thrilled with the motors. He’d been disappointed that the spring ice prevented any boats from leaving the port; he’d wanted to see how fast they went. What was it with men and speed?

  Kell, with Allie as translator, spoke to the dog master and they learned how to care for and harness the dogs. Then they’d gone to the shooting range. Kell proved to be a natural with a rifle, which didn’t surprise Allie.

  “I think it’s in the genes. Little boys take a stick as soon as they’re able to pick it up and try to whack something with it, and then they aim and shout ‘bang, bang!’”

  “What did you say?” Kell peered into the scope and sighted the target. He pressed the trigger and a hole appeared right next to the bull’s-eye. His glance at her was pure satisfaction.

  “Good shot!”

  “I know.” Kell flashed her a wide grin.

  “My, aren’t you modest.”

  His eyebrow rose. “No one has ever called me that before.”

  “I can’t understand why.” Allie kept her face straight and looked at the target. “It’s a tiny bit to the left.”

  “Yes, well, I have to adjust the…scope. My English is improving isn’t it?”

  “Amazing. But I don’t want to praise you too much or you’ll get a big head.”

  “A big head? You mean conceited? Me?”

  “I think you’ve had enough rifle practice today. Let’s go get the dogs and head out. I’m worried that they’ll find us here.” The noon whistle had just sounded from the village The morning had been busy but now everything had been settled.

  Kell patted her arm. “All right. I can see your disquiet. The weather is going to change again, so perhaps we should leave and get away from the village before dark.” He slung the rifle over his shoulder and strode away, his boots crunching on the snow.

  “How do you know the weather will change?” She hurried to catch up to him.

  He glanced down at her and shrugged. “Small signs like the shift in the wind direction, the cloud formation, and the way my scalp prickles. Our druid taught us how to look for these things. Don’t your teachers tell you this?”

  “Um, no. We have the weather station.”

  “The place where the man had his body cut off?”

  Allie blinked, then she remembered his fright when he’d seen the television. “Not exactly.” And then she had to describe the weather station to him as they walked through the village. Allie noticed it seemed quiet, but Kell stopped and looked around.

  “Where is everyone?” he asked.

  “Maybe they’re at work.” Allie said, explaining that most people worked during the day.

  They arrived at the yard where their sled waited, already loaded and ready to go. The dogs waited too--picketed to stakes on short ropes, their expressions eager. There was only one sad face in the yard. The dog trader’s son sat on the top of the porch steps, his face glum.

  “Ask the boy why he is so sad.” Kell pointed at the child.

  She shrugged and approached him. He looked about nine or ten, with a round face and a sn
ub nose already pink from the cold. “What’s the matter?”

  He sighed. “My little brother is missing. My dad and mom are out looking for him, and I’m supposed to stay here in case he comes back.”

  Allie gasped and translated for Kell.

  “So that’s why it is so quiet here. Everyone is out looking for the little boy. Which way did he go?” Kell looked around, frowning. “We are close to the woods here, but maybe he took the street into town.”

  The boy pointed towards the forest. “We think he went there.”

  Kell said, “Ask him to show me exactly where he last saw his brother.”

  The boy hopped off the steps and pointed to a spot in front of his parent’s snowmobile. “He was looking at this.”

  Kell got to his hands and knees and examined the ground. Then he stood up and, still looking at the ground, started off towards the woods. Before he got there, he stopped and knelt in the snow, brushing it a bit and frowning. “He didn’t go into the forest. He went this way.”

  The boy on the steps looked up, interested. “That goes back towards the village.”

  “Does he know anyone there?” Allie asked.

  The boy grimaced. “We know everyone in the village, and everyone knows he’s missing. If he went to someone’s house we’d know by now.”

  Kell listened to Allie’s translation and nodded. “I will follow his tracks. Isn’t there a tracker here?”

  Allie shook her head. “They might track bear and caribou, not little boys.”

  Kell followed the boy’s trail and found him under a porch in the village, asleep, curled up with two dogs. He called to Allie and she crawled under the porch and woke up the little boy. By the time they got back to the dog trader’s house, everyone had gathered in the yard.

  The boy’s brother had called them with a talking box. Allie explained that it was called a telephone and was used for communication. To Kell, it seemed like talking to spirits. He cringed when they held the box to their ears and spoke into thin air. But everyone looked relieved and joyful. Everyone shook his hand, the women hugged him, and some cried.

  He thought they were making a fuss about nothing, but Allie explained that a child had gone missing last year and had been killed by a wild animal. The little boy’s family had been frantic with worry.

  The man insisted on giving Kell a gift, and he pressed some paper into his hand. Kell was mystified until Allie explained that it was money. He thanked the man, using the new words he’d learned, and then accepted his help to get the sled ready. He’d caught Allie’s disquiet and knew she wanted to be off. He’d have liked to stay in the village longer. The people seemed kind and he had liked everything…except the television box. If he got a dwelling, he wouldn’t put the box in the bedroom--it distracted him.

  * * * * *

  Allie watched Kell as he harnessed the dogs, calling each one by name and keeping them in order. As for everything, he’d only needed to be shown once, and he already looked as if he had been a dog sled driver all his life.

  “Allie, you sit here under the furs so you won’t be cold. I will stay behind and be the mush.” He loved scattering English and slang words in his sentences, but sometimes he got words slightly wrong.

  “It’s musher. Are you sure I won’t be too heavy?”

  He tilted his head, considering, then shook it. “No. Now, sit.” He pointed to the sled with his whip.

  “Yes, master,” she said, only half joking. When he gave an order, he expected to be obeyed instantly.

  The dogs knew this too, and reacted to his natural authority with a slavish obedience. They came in all shapes, sizes and colors, but all were husky-types, and they whined in anticipation. They seemed to love pulling the sled, and when Kell gave the word, they shot off so fast Allie had to grab the sides of the sled.

  “Wow!” she cried.

  Kell laughed in sheer delight, and the sound lifted Allie’s heart. She loved his laugh, so open and so completely sincere. He trotted after the sled, standing on the runners in the back when the dogs ran, walking next to the sled when they walked, and within no time the village disappeared from sight, and they found themselves in the vast wilderness.

  Allie had a map of the area with all the paths and tracks clearly marked. The dog sled driver had given it to them, and she pointed out the way to go. Most of the tracks had been well traveled and so they made good time. Soon, however, snow began to fall and their pace slowed. “You were right. It’s snowing now.” She peered into the gathering darkness. “Is it a storm, do you think?”

  “Maybe.” He didn’t seem concerned.

  “Do you think we should start finding shelter?”

  “I’ve been looking. There is a ridge not far. It will block the wind. We’ll cross it then camp on the other side.”

  Only then did Allie notice the direction the wind blew, and the high, sharp ridge he spoke of. She shivered despite the furs. Alone, she would have no chance in the wilderness. Kell seemed as at home here as in an apartment. No, he would surely be less at home in an apartment. Here he was in his element.

  They crossed the ridge and sure enough, the wind didn’t blow as hard. Kell unhitched the dogs and made sure they were securely picketed before getting the tent set up. The snow came down faster now, but the dogs needed food and water before they could curl up and sleep out the storm. Kell took care of everything with an economy of movement that was pure poetry to watch. She wanted to help, even just to give the dogs their rations, but Kell pointed to the tent and said, “Inside. Make dinner for us… Please,” he added, giving her a charming grin.

  When he came back in his face seemed pale with fatigue. She didn’t want to seem worried about him, so she said, “Are you sure the dogs will be all right?”

  He undressed, hanging up his parka, and stretched his hands towards the camp stove sighing contentedly. “They have always slept outdoors and they will be fine.”

  “Kell…” She hesitated. “I’m not sure how we’re going to get to Iceland. We have to find a boat, and to do that we have to find a seaport. There are a few, but they will be far bigger than the cities you are used to.”

  “I’ve been to Rome, what can be bigger?”

  “Our cities are much bigger than Rome.”

  “Like Thebes or Babylon then?”

  She hesitated. “Do you trust me?”

  He yawned and took her hands in his. “Allie, as the god Lug brings light to the world, so I swear that I trust you.”

  “Our cities will terrify you, but if you stay close to me, nothing will hurt you. The noise will be unbearable, but don’t worry about it, you’ll adapt. That’s what I’m trying to say. I have the utmost confidence that you will adapt.”

  “Thank you, Allie,” he said gravely. Then he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, holding her to his chest, his chin resting on the top of her head.

  She snuggled into his arms. She’d always wanted a man who could take care of her, someone who would protect her and make her feel secure. Kell didn’t know anything about this world, and he was unprepared to face it; nonetheless, the way he’d accepted everything told her that he could overcome whatever he had to in order to adjust. He might not ever truly fit in, or feel ‘right’ in this time. But she had confidence in his abilities. And when he held her in his arms, she knew nothing could happen to her. Nothing.

  * * * * *

  “Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” Steele leaned back in his chair and fought the urge to put his foot on Captain Bide’s impeccably ordered desk.

  “We have no intention of letting our discovery become common knowledge. Whatever conclusions you’ve reached, there is no way to prove anything and we’ll never corroborate any story you’d want to tell.”

  “I didn’t plan on telling stories. If you hired me, it’s because you know all about me, and I didn’t get my reputation by blabbing.”

  “Exactly.” Captain Bide smiled. The smile didn’t reach his eyes. “The woman is highl
y expendable. The man is more valuable, and we’d much prefer to have him captured alive.”

  Steele shifted in his chair, suddenly uncomfortable. Something about Captain Bide made him uneasy. He didn’t let anything show, however; he just nodded.

  Captain Bide put his fingertips together and looked at Steele over them. Finally he shrugged and said, “How would you like to triple the amount you’re getting.”

  “Triple?” That caught him off guard.

  “All you have to do is make sure the woman never tells anyone about our…project.”