by Robin Roseau
Her hands were frozen.
"Get your ass in here and warm up," I ordered. "You're the one in danger now."
She turned to the girl and gave the girl her hands.
"Vendart," the girl said. "She's right."
Together the girl and I stripped Sartine's wet clothes from her and practically threw her into the pool. Then I checked everything. Her feet were cold, but no frostbite. The same was true of her hands. But even from the water, she gave orders. The next woman was brought in, and Sartine ordered clothes brought from our house. A minute later, she was back out of the water, grabbing towels from where they were kept and drying off. I tried to join her, but she turned me to her. "Do you have medical training?"
"More than anyone here."
"You understand the tests."
"Yes."
"Stay here. Help here. Let Nalatine handle the baths, you handle the people in the baths."
"Yes, Vendart."
And then she was gone, still pulling on clothes. After that, they brought me women, and I checked them, and I let none of them go until I was satisfied with their color.
Nalatine kept the water hot, and she had a way to heat the towels. We had to use the same towels over and over, but she kept running back and forth with towels, still damp, but hot, and people left, warmed and in the dry clothes that others brought.
Every few minutes, Sartine was back, checking on things, handling everything, worrying about everyone.
"Cecilia!" she screamed once. "I need you!"
I grabbed a towel and was in the front room, still wrapping it around me. It was cold out there, but I ignored it. Lying on the counter was a man, and I could see the frostbite as I stepped out.
"Frostbite," I said immediately
"Check him," she said. "Fingers and toes first."
The frostbite wasn't bad, and it was just a little on the back of his hand. The villagers knew what to do.
"You're sure? No more."
"There's no more," I said.
They whisked him away, and she ordered me back inside. "How many more?"
"Only a few," she said.
Back in the tubs, I checked my charges. They were all tired, but responsive and doing well, so one by one, I released them, as long as they had dry clothes available. One woman didn't, and I called out to Sartine. Seconds later she was there.
"No clothes for this one," I said. "She wants to put her wet clothes on and walk home."
"No!" she said. She snagged the first dressed person she saw, and more orders went out. "Do not let her leave until Leonatine returns with fresh clothes."
"I won't."
The woman gave me a dirty look, but then she laughed. "The two of you are meant for each other."
* * * *
Sartine was back ten minutes later. I had no remaining charges. Nalatine was off drying towels. Sartine came back in, still full of energy. I knew she had to be exhausted.
"Vendart," I said. "Are you dry?"
"I am."
"I will be angry if you are lying to me."
"My clothes are damp; they are not wet."
"Is the emergency over?"
"All over. I came to take you home."
She dried me herself, and she pulled my clothes on me. And then she drew me home.
She meant to walk me to my room, but I said, "No, Vendart. I am checking you again. Do not argue with me."
And so she took me to her room, and I removed every stitch of clothing. Much of it was damp, and her skin was clammy, but there was no frostbite. Her hands and toes weren't warm, but they weren't frigid, and she could feel and wriggle everything. I bundled her into dry clothes, and then we hugged fiercely.
"You were brilliant," I said.
"I am glad you were there to help. With your imperial boots."
Then she led me from her room and back to mine, but no way did I want to be alone. "Vendart," I said. "I couldn't stand to spend a night alone right now."
"Did you just invite yourself to my bed?"
"Yes."
"Change into your nightclothes."
She turned her back, which was silly. She had seen everything, after all. Hell, half the village had seen everything. But I changed, and then she took my hand. She pulled me to her room. She put me to bed, then she stirred the fire, building it back up, before carefully returning the screen in place. Then she moved to the bed.
"Are you sure?"
"Please hold me."
So she climbed into bed, and we lay together for a while.
"You were brilliant, Vendart. That was nearly a disaster."
She only held me more tightly.
I was wound tightly, but exhausted, and she was more so. Soon, we slept.
* * * *
By morning, we had a complete understanding of the cost of the fire. Three of the horses were singed, but they were all otherwise whole.
The stables burned to the blackened support beams, and would need to be rebuilt from the ground up. The horses were all now housed at the smaller stables maintained by some of the farms, and the smithy had room for a few as well.
Some of the closest structures were singed, but due to prompt action on everyone's part, no other buildings burned.
There were a few minor cases of frostbite, none of them serious. And there were a lot of aching bodies the next day.
It could have been an utter disaster. And while the price had been high, the stable could be rebuilt.
Sartine had been brilliant, a true leader. And I was her galatzi prisoner.
I was tired of my status of prisoner, and I decided it was time for a new title.
Decisions
For the next week, I called her 'Vendart' with the slighest excuse. Oh sure, most of the time I used her name. But with the slightest provocation, I called her 'Vendart', and I put respect into the word every time.
She smiled when I did it, but she didn't try to kiss me. She might caress me or hug me. And once, she even patted my bottom. I wriggled it at her in response.
But she didn't kiss me.
And so, a week later, after an evening out, I invited her to my room. Some time ago, at my request, she had replaced my single chair with a loveseat, similar to her own. And so together we sat down, side by side, leaning against the back. She laid her head back and closed her eyes.
"Long day?"
"Aren't you tired?"
"I hoped you had a few minutes just for me, Vendart."
"Of course, Cecilia."
I snuggled against her a little, facing her now. Then I caressed her cheek.
"I am your galatzi prisoner, Vendart."
She smiled. "Yes, you are."
Still she didn't open her eyes. I caressed her check again, even brushing my fingers against her lips. She didn't stop me, but she did nothing to encourage me, either.
"When you came back from your hunting trip, I told you something."
"You told me a great deal."
"I told you the rules."
"Ah, yes. You did."
"You have followed them. And you have given me everything in your power to give me, besides."
"You have been very gracious," she replied.
"Do you remember the rules?"
"Of course."
And then I waited, and she did nothing.
And so I moved closer, turning her face towards mine. She opened her eyes and looked at me. "I told you there would be no kissing until I begin to call you Vendart again."
She didn't say anything, but her brow furrowed. She made no other reaction. What was wrong with her? I was practically begging. Wasn't I sufficiently clear? So I took her hand and pulled it to the back of my head, and still she didn't do anything.
Was she waiting for me to kiss her?
I was tired of waiting. If she didn't want to lead this relationship anymore, I was more than ready to do so. And so I set my fingers on her cheek, and I lower my lips to hers.
It was, perhaps, the shortest kiss of my life.
/> She shoved me away from her. I couldn't have told you what her expression was, but it wasn't desire.
"Get out!" I screamed at her. "Get out of my room. Get out!" I shoved her from the loveseat. "Get out! And don't you dare lock that door. I am no longer your galatzi anything. Get out!"
I shoved her forcibly from the room, slamming the door after her.
"Cecilia," she called through the door. "Wait."
"Go to hell!" I screamed. "You bitch! All this time, and I thought you wanted me. You bitch!"
She stood outside the door, trying to talk to me, and several times, she tried to push the door open, but I was bigger than she was.
"Go away. I don't need your pretty words explaining how much that kiss disgusted you. Your expression was all the explanation I needed. Go away!"
She pleaded for a while longer, but I just screamed, "Go away!"
And then damn if she didn't lock my door.
"You get back here and unlock this door!" I screamed. "I am no longer your prisoner. Unlock this door right now!"
"We'll talk tomorrow, Cecilia, after you've calmed down."
"Unlock this door!"
I screamed my rage as she walked away.
* * * *
She returned in the morning. As soon as the door was open, I pushed past her, heading for the water closet. She waited in the hallway for me.
"We should talk."
"There's nothing to talk about. If The Empire doesn't come for me by the time the passes open, you may come to me and tell me how I am returning to Sudden. If there is another home in Indartha for me, I will accept it. But if you lock this door again, you will not like my response."
"Cecilia, please calm down."
"Go to hell," I told her. "Am I that hideous? You couldn't have been more disgusted."
"I wasn't disgusted."
"Liar!" I screamed. "You couldn't have pushed me away faster, and your look told me everything I needed to know. Leave me alone. I am no longer your galatzi prisoner. If you need me in the line of your official duties -- or mine -- you may come to me. Otherwise you will stay away from me."
Then I stormed to my room and slammed the door in her face.
And she locked it. "We'll talk later," she said.
"I will burn this house down!" I screamed.
"Don't make threats you aren't going to keep," she said, and then she made enough noise I could hear her walk down the hall.
* * * *
She kept coming back. I kept chasing her away. Some days, she stood outside my door, trying to talk to me.
Not once did she offer an explanation for her behavior. Nor did she apologize.
But every time she walked away, she locked me in.
If the passes were clear, I would have left. Instead, I was forced to wait. But when this went on for a week, I did something I had never done before.
Minerva could do a great many things. I'd long figured out the only broken systems were the local network communications system and the recording system. So I told her to shut down both systems until I reactivated them. And thus, I was free to use my implant for all its other uses.
And so I directed Minerva to interfere with my hearing. I didn't want to be deaf, but I told her to add interference to any speaking that I heard. The interference wasn't that much; if someone spoke English, I probably would have understood. But Talmonese? No. And so, Sartine's attempts to talk to me became the buzzing of bees, and while I couldn't entirely ignore her, I stopped responding to her.
It was as if I didn't speak a word in common with her.
The same interference worked with everyone else she sent, too, and so I ignored Kilarn and Belain and Laradain and everyone else Sartine sent.
And that was the status for the next three weeks.
Visitors
The sonic boom rattled the windows.
Minerva's interference wasn't designed to work on any other noises, just speaking, and so I instantly knew what it was.
"Minerva," I ordered. "Cancel sonic interference."
"Canceling."
And the slight, persistent buzz was gone from both ears.
While she was doing that, I ran to the windows, opening the center one and looking out. I didn't see anything in the sky.
"Minerva, scan UHF radio frequencies."
It took her a minute. "Carrier signal detected on 2 gigahertz."
"Yes! Minerva, attempt to establish satellite uplink on 2 gigahertz."
"That is not the frequency of the satellite in orbit around Talmon."
"Minerva, try anyway."
It took her a minute. "Satellite uplink completed."
"How long can we maintain contact?"
"Evaluating.... Estimating forty-one minutes, seventeen seconds."
"Yes!" I said again. "Minerva-"
"Incoming audio-visual communications request, Cecilia."
"Accept connection."
There was no display or projection or anything like that. I didn't see the communication through my eyes or hear through my ears. Instead, it was like suddenly having a second set of eyes and a second pair of ears. The first time I had done this, it had been very disconcerting, but now it was effortless.
And so I saw a woman in a blue flight jacket, wearing a military helmet, staring intently at me.
"Cecilia Grace, I am Colonel River Blue, currently commanding the imperial corvette Darkside."
"Colonel. You are a sight for sore eyes. But River Blue. Seriously?"
"I know. Parents. No accounting for taste. Status, ma'am?"
"I am healthy and unharmed. Was it Darkside that just rattled my windows a few minutes ago?"
"Yes, ma'am. The Empire has been a little concerned about you, and they sent me to take a look at you."
"Very kind, Colonel. I have a variety of questions."
"I must first ask. Are you currently safe?"
"Yes, Colonel. No one here is going to hurt me. Colonel, what is Darkside's complement?"
"Ma'am, I am the commander and pilot. I have two of your aides with me and a squad of ship's security personnel."
"Colonel, did you bring the marines?"
"Ship's security, ma'am. No marines. We got your message, ma'am. If we couldn't find you, there was always time to fetch marines."
"Oh thank the stars!" I said.
"Ma'am, we need to pinpoint your location."
"There is a village green with a large home on one side. I'm sorry, I do not know which side. If you stand on the green with the lake to the left, the home is in front. I am in an upstairs bedroom in the back of the house."
"Ma'am, are there windows?"
"Yes, Colonel."
"Are you currently secured?"
"The door is locked from the outside."
"Are you alone?"
"Currently but you probably woke everyone up."
"Sorry about that, but we needed to wake you up, ma'am."
"So you did," I said. "Thank you for that."
"Go to the windows. Do they open?"
"I am hanging out the window now, looking for you. I don't see you."
"We're pretty high," she said.
"My eyes are augmented. Tell me where to look."
"Estimating a seventy degree angle up, ten clicks altitude, on a heading from you of approximately thirty-seven degrees."
"I'm sorry, I don't know which direction is which."
"Straight back and up, ma'am, if we have the right house. I see an open window with one female looking out."
I began to point my arm. "Tell me when she is pointing at you."
"Her left... her left... up five degrees. Now."
"I see you, Colonel." And there she was, high in the clear air above me. No one else would see her.
"And I see you, ma'am. Ma'am, I need you to send visual to me. Scan the room slowly so we can assess."
"Colonel, I'd rather not. My implant is wonky. If it shuts down, I don't know if we'll get it back up."
"Roger," she sa
id. "Describe the room."
"This window and the ones on either side of me are all in this room," I said. "Towards my left is a fireplace."
"I see chimneys. I presume the closest to your left is the one for your room."
"Probably. The room is five meters wide. I am at the center. It is four or four and a half meters deep. There is a wide corridor outside this room and more rooms opposite."
"Roger. Where is the door?"
"If I turn around and face that wall, my back to the windows, it is offset to the right, closer to the fireplace, perhaps two meters from the wall."
"Construction?"
"Wood. I can't tell you more than that. The door is extremely sturdy, and I have no tools to bypass the mechanical lock. It would take your soldiers three seconds to open."
"Not even that, ma'am. Can you describe the rest of the structure?"
"I don't trust the implant that long."
"Path from the front door to your room."
"Stairs in front, landing on second floor and then they continue to the third floor. Right side, down the hall, second of three doors on the left. The front door is exceedingly sturdy. The windows, however, are simple glass. There are bars on my window however."
"All right, ma'am. It's a little cozy, but we're going to set down right in front of your house, and then we'll see how you're doing."
"Wait."
"Ma'am?"
"Have I been relieved of duty?"
"No, ma'am."
"Colonel, who is the leading imperial authority on the planet?"
"You are, ma'am."
"Is there something larger in orbit?"
"No, ma'am. We're a fast, interstellar corvette."
"Very versatile. Colonel, your engines will risk fires. I'd rather not burn the town. Can you land on the lake? It's still firmly frozen."
"Analyzing." There was a long pause. "Ma'am, we could, but we're hot."
"Hot?"
"We could glide in, but we'd melt the ice, ma'am. We might not melt through, but we'll ice in when it begins to cool."
"What's your fuel status?"
She glanced aside. "Twenty-two thousand tons."
I shook my head. "Okay, I'm a civilian. I asked a stupid question. How long can you stay where you are without it jeopardizing your mission?"
"Several hours, ma'am, if we glide around. Shorter in hover."