by Rinelle Grey
Nelor crossed his arms. “The council is going to be up soon. Surely you want us to reach the ship as soon as possible.”
Tyris bit back a retort and instead said as mildly as he could, “Which direction is the ship from here?”
This, at least, they both seemed to agree on, they both pointed to the south-east without hesitation. Nelor’s path was a little to the right of the direction, and Marlee’s a smidge more to the left.
“Right,” said Tyris. “Neither path goes directly, but since Nerris knows Nelor’s path, I’d rather take the other one.”
Nelor frowned at him but didn’t argue further. Marlee grinned sideways at Tyris, who deliberately didn’t return the expression. He was not going to get into the middle of this power struggle. How they had managed to live together for more than a week without smothering each other was beyond him. He strode off into the trees ahead of them.
By the time they reached the Hylista, Marlee and Nelor had made up and were holding hands, though neither of them had the breath to whisper after the pace Tyris had set. It took little effort for him to ignore their behaviour. He was too busy staring at his ship.
From this side, it appeared undamaged. He heaved a sigh of relief. The shields must have held then or it would be showing extensive external damage. He walked around the perimeter of the ship, running his hands over the smooth metal.
His heart sank as he came to the rear, where the boosters stuck out above his head. He could see now why they hadn’t fired. The left booster was dented and damaged with the casing torn open on one side. Climbing up the trunk of a tree that had been knocked over by the crash, he peered into the darkness. His breath caught. It was hard to see much, but the internal oxidiser pump showed damage as well.
Tyris smashed his fist into the side of the ship in frustration, barely noticing the pain it caused. Even given the right tools and equipment, he wasn’t sure he could fix this. Out here, with nothing but wood and maybe the odd hammer, he had no hope. And without the rocket boosters, the Hylista couldn’t break orbit.
Tyris climbed back down and stared at the ship. What was he going to do now?
“Can you fix it?” Marlee’s innocent voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Shhh, don’t interrupt him, Marlee,” Nelor cautioned.
Tyris was glad he didn’t have to reply. He needed time to take in the facts in front of him. The reality that even if, by some miracle, he could work out a way to fix the oxidiser pump, there would be no way to do it before winter set in.
First things first, he would worry about breaking orbit later. Right now, if he could get the power on...
He pushed the mechanism that opened the hatch and walked inside. He didn’t even waste time trying to reinitialise the Hylista’s systems. Power had already been sketchy on his way down, and Nerris had said he couldn’t get it to come on either. It wasn’t going to miraculously just start working.
It took him only moments to pull off the maintenance panel and discover why. The secondary power generator had been knocked loose and damaged badly during the crash. Tyris took a deep breath. This, at least, he could fix.
Something moved behind him. When he looked around, he saw Marlee standing in the doorway. The expression on his face must have given a hint to his thoughts, for the smile slipped off her face.
He sighed and threw the hatch cover onto the floor. The clatter echoed loudly inside the metal hull. “It’s going to take me a couple of hours before I can even identify the problem. You might as well make yourself comfortable.”
Marlee stepped into the ship and put her hand on his arm. “We don’t have a couple of hours, Tyris. We have to go back to the village now. Clouds are building. A snowstorm is on its way.”
Tyris stared at her. “Now?”
She nodded. “We have to leave straight away. As it is we’ll be caught in it, but if we keep moving, we can hopefully make it home before it gets too bad.”
Home. Home wasn’t back at the village for him. It wasn’t anywhere on this planet. Leaving now meant he might never see home again. “You two go, I’m staying here,” he said. A small voice in the back of his head tried to protest, but he ignored it. He didn’t have time for doubts. This was his only chance.
Marlee’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. “Tyris, you can’t stay. You have nothing to eat.”
“Yes I do. Do you think I left Urslat without food? I’ll be fine. I just need a few hours to work out what’s wrong with the ship.”
“But it may not be possible to even make it back to the village in a couple of hours.” Her voice held a note of panic, and it was enough to bring Nelor up the stairs. Marlee turned to him. “He says he’s going to stay!”
Nelor put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them. “Marlee’s right, Tyris, you can’t stay. It’s too dangerous. The ship will still be here after winter is over. We can come back then.”
Six months. He couldn’t wait that long. Without a doubt Milandra would have found someone else. His disappearance would only make it easier for her to justify. He needed to get home now.
“No. I’m staying,” he insisted. He couldn’t just walk away, not when he was this close.
Marlee shook off Nelor’s hands and stepped forward to take Tyris’s. “Tyris, please, come with us. Once the snow falls, you won’t be able to make it back to the settlement.”
He looked down into her beseeching eyes, wide with concern for him, and something tugged at him. Then he saw Nelor scowling from behind her.
He pulled his hands free. “I’ll be fine. You two go, I don’t want you to be caught in the snow. I’ll see you in a few days.” He was glad now that Nelor had come. Otherwise there would have been no one to take Marlee home.
A wind howled through the clearing, blowing leaves littered with a sprinkling of snowflakes into the hatch. “We have to go, Marlee,” Nelor said. “We’ve waited too long. We’re not going to make it back in time.”
Marlee looked at Tyris one more time, her eyes big with concern. Nelor tugged on her arm, so she threw him one last, pleading look, before she let herself be pulled away.
Tyris stepped to the hatch to close it. Across the clearing, Nelor broke into a run, pulling Marlee along with him. Tyris watched for a few moments, hoping they made it safely back to the village then closed the hatch behind them.
They thought he was crazy for not leaving with them. But he wasn’t suicidal. The rocket booster couldn’t be salvaged, not in the amount of time he had. But if he could get the backup power generator working...
He knelt down beside the mangled generator, took a deep breath, and got to work.
An hour later, he stood back, wiped his hands on a greasy rag, and surveyed his work. It wasn’t pretty, but the repairs he’d made using liberal amounts of duct tape and zip ties should work.
This was the moment of truth. If the generator would start, he’d be able to access the systems that would tell him why the main power was malfunctioning.
He flicked the switch, holding his breath until the low hum of the generator filled the small room. Consoles around him beeped as they came online. Tyris let out his breath in a sigh and crossed to the nearest one.
It spat out a slew of red flashing messages, and as Tyris read their contents, his hopes plummeted. This was worse than he had thought. Much worse.
Nelor and Marlee may have been right. Staying here might just cost him his life.
Chapter 9
Snow swirled around them in gusts, and Marlee could barely see the ground through the blanket of white by the time she and Nelor reached the edge of the woods. They didn’t even attempt to talk. Any energy they had was used to put one foot in front of the other through the deepening snow and fight against the wind that threatened to blow them off their feet. The villagers running towards the tree line were a welcome sight even though Marlee knew they were going to get a scolding.
Without a word they were bundled into the village hall where a warm fire roared and pli
ed with hot cups of tea. Nelor drank his down gratefully, but Marlee couldn’t help jumping up to look out into the snowstorm. Tyris must have realised the danger by now. Surely he was right behind them.
The door opened behind her, and snow blew into the room. Marlee turned. Kalim strode into the room, his eyes on Nelor. “Just what do you think you were up to, young man, rushing out into a snowstorm? And putting Marlee at risk as well!”
Nelor said nothing, and Marlee knew he wouldn’t tattle. “It wasn’t Nelor’s fault,” she admitted readily. “I was the one who suggested we go.”
Kalim turned to frown at her. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? I thought I’d made it clear to you that you and Nelor needed to stay away from each other?”
“Tyris’s arrival changed all that. If he can repair his ship, then we can leave this planet and Nelor and I can be together.” The minute the words were out of her mouth, she knew she shouldn’t have voiced them. They wouldn’t understand.
“The ship can’t be repaired. Nerris has already said that. There is no point in discussing what you would do if it could. And ignoring rules that we have for the safety of everyone in the village is dangerous. What if you had been trapped by the snowstorm? Do you think it is fair that others here risk their lives for your recklessness? Do you want to be the cause of someone’s death? If we don’t all work together here, Marlee, then we don’t survive. Do you understand?”
Marlee stared at him wordlessly. How could he not admit this changed everything? Did he really expect her to keep going on as though nothing had happened?
Apparently he did. “Do you understand, Marlee?” Kalim repeated.
There was no other option. Marlee nodded obediently, seething inwardly.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Nelor said quietly. “I knew we shouldn’t have gone, but Tyris was determined to go to his ship, and if we had waited, he wouldn’t have made it.”
Weiss broke in, “And just where is the boy now? Don’t tell me you let him get off the ground in that ship of his. You know he’ll never come back for us!”
Marlee could keep silent no longer. “He would! He promised to take me with him. He said he just needed a couple of hours to work out what was wrong.” Weiss glared at her, and her moment of bravery deserted her.
“Weiss, you’ll have a chance to raise your concerns in a moment. Please refrain from interrupting. And Marlee, don’t make me speak to you again,” Kalim said firmly. He turned back to Nelor. “Where is Tyris now?”
“He stayed behind with his ship,” Nelor said.
“Didn’t you explain to him how dangerous it was?’’
“Of course, sir. But I’m not sure if he believed us. Or maybe he is just so desperate to get off this planet that he’s willing to take the risk. If so, who could blame him?” A hint of bitterness tinged Nelor’s words. So he wasn’t as immune to the unfairness as he seemed.
Weiss muttered something under his breath.
“Do you have something to add to the conversation, Weiss?” Kalim asked.
Anyone else would have realised that Kalim’s question was a warning to be silent, but not Weiss. “It’s obvious the boy wanted us out of the way so he could get off the planet and return to lodge the finding of the anysogen himself. He’s probably on his way there right now!”
Apparently Weiss’s speech was an invitation for a free for all, since Nerris broke in as well. “That ship was unrepairable. I’ll stake my life on it. Perhaps, if he can get the power back on, he could make it fly, but it won’t break orbit. A fact which I’m sure Tyris is completely aware of.”
“Tyris wouldn’t do that,” Marlee asserted again. “He promised to take me with him.”
“You naive little hussy,” Weiss sneered. “Do you really think the boy cares about a promise to you? Did you think you could jump into bed with him and he’d suddenly love you?’
“I didn’t sleep with him!” Marlee shouted at Weiss.
“That’s enough!” Kalim’s voice rose over the shouting, cutting it off abruptly. “There’s nothing that can be done while this storm continues, I suggest we all return to our homes and calm down.”
*****
“I’m sorry Marlee. It’s just too dangerous,” Kalim said gently.
“But the sun’s out! The snow’s melted!” Marlee insisted. “We could go now and be back before any risk of a storm.” It had been snowing for two days, and she was worried about Tyris, out at his ship all alone.
“The mud would slow us down, and crossing the stream would be dangerous in this weather,” Kalim said. “You know as well as I that a snowstorm can blow in without warning. Tyris was told of the risks and chose to remain behind. If he’s ready to return, he can see that the weather has cleared up as well as anyone here can.”
“What if he tried to get back and got lost?” Marlee said, even more worried now. “He could die. And if he dies, we’ll never get off this planet.” A familiar ache in her throat signalled threatening tears, but she swallowed hard, determined not to give in to them.
Kalim shook his head. “If he is lost, we could spend hours wandering around searching for him and not find him. I know you’ve spent a lot of time with him and feel a connection to him, but I cannot change my initial assessment. Going on a rescue mission is too dangerous.”
“And if it was someone else? One of us? Would you think differently then?” Marlee demanded. Anger and frustration welled up inside her, and the tears that had been threatening spilled out. She ran blindly for the door, not waiting for his answer. She knew what it would be anyway. They had been out in storms to rescue a lost child before. Even a lost goat once.
The truth was, they didn’t want Tyris back. He was threatening the control they held over everyone here, and it would be easier for them if he didn’t return. Tyris was right, not only were they trying to stop him repairing his ship, they were trying to stop everyone else getting off this planet too!
“Marlee! Come back,” her mother called behind her. But she didn’t stop. Why did she always cry at moments like this? Right when she wanted to be calm and rational, she burst into tears like a child. She didn’t stop running until she slammed the door to her house behind her.
She threw herself onto the bed, tears running down her face. She’d been so close to getting off this planet, and then Nelor had dragged her home. She should have stayed with Tyris. Then she’d at least know if he was okay.
Now he’d probably die. Survival was a long shot, even with the shelter of his ship. Without fire and food, it wasn’t possible. Surely he’d have realised that by now? She jumped up and stared out the window, searching the distant edge of the woods for sign of movement. But nothing so much as stirred. Marlee shivered in the chilly air inside her small house, but she didn’t close the curtains, instead staring out across the trees as though she could see through them to Tyris’s ship.
Restlessly, she paced the room, pausing to stare out at the feeble sun that was barely able to warm the ground enough to melt the ice. The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight. The only barrier between here and Tyris’s ship was the muddy, icy conditions. She railed again at the simple mindedness that caused the council to leave a man out there all alone. A man who could possibly be their ticket off this planet. Didn’t they realise what this could mean for them?
It wasn’t fair. They had no right to say she couldn’t risk her own life. It was her life, and risking it was her right!
As soon as the thought came, she grabbed at it. She’d go by herself and convince Tyris to come back. Surely by now he would either have fixed his ship or realised he couldn’t? Even admitting the possibility that it couldn’t be repaired caused a sinking feeling in her stomach, but she ignored it. She’d cross that bridge when she came to it.
Everyone with any sense was inside, out of the cold, so no one noticed her trek across the muddy fields to the trees. The cultivated land sucked at her clogs with each step. More than once she had to stop and retrieve one pulled clean off her foot by the m
ud.
Once she reached the trees, the tangle of roots and fallen leaves on the ground made the going easier. She pulled her shawl around her shoulders against the icy breeze. Ignoring the fact that her socks were already wet from mud, she pushed on.
When she finally reached the stream, she paused. Melting snow had swollen it to twice its normal size, and less than half the stepping stones were still visible above the water. But having come this far, she didn’t want to turn back.
She took a deep breath and stepped gingerly onto the first stone. The water brushed the edge of her shoes, but didn’t wet her foot. The next was quite a distance away, but she could see the shadow of one in between, just beneath the water. She stepped cautiously onto it under the surface, arms out to help balance. Her clogs kept her feet dry. She made it to the next stone, then the next.
The last stone was entirely under water. The river rushed over it, pulling small sticks and leaves along with it. If she stepped onto it, her feet would get soaking wet, putting her at risk of frostbite later, not to mention the possibility of falling into the creek. She stared at the opposite bank, so near, yet so far, and debated if she could make it if she jumped.
Chapter 10
Tyris knew he was in trouble from the moment he saw the anysogen tanks were empty. Without fuel, he had no hope of firing up the manoeuvring thrusters and flying the Hylista back to the village, as he had intended. Worse than that, it meant he had only the power in the generator to stop him from freezing to death.
The ship’s hull was designed to protect its occupants from external temperatures in space, so the amount of snow wasn’t a problem. Even with the heat set on minimum, he remained comfortable. But that wasn’t going to last. Eventually he would run out of fuel and not too much later, food. The amount he’d brought with him would last several weeks, but if the villagers were telling the truth about the severity of winter...