Indigo Rain Read Online Free PDF Page B

much older, and muttered voicelessly as he pushed pieces around the board with deliberate motions. A flickering glass ball the size of a walnut sat on the table at the board’s edge.
    He was so intent on the “game” that it took him ten seconds to realize someone was there. When he did, he jerked upright, nearly knocking over the black queen.
    Roulette turned more fully to him and smiled, keeping her expression demure. “Hello.”
    “I did not hear you come in.” He turned his attention back to the chess board. “You are new here.”
    “I guess I am. I’m Roulette.”
    The wolf grunted. “Gregir. Volunteer?”
    She shook her head. “No.”
    “Refugee.” He moved two pieces at once, frowned, then started moving several into different positions.
    “Just for a few days. What is it you’re doing?”
    “That is what we all say. I am recording chess strategy.” He tapped the orb with a claw tip. “It captures what it sees.” Pressing his finger to it more firmly, he leaned toward the glass and said, “Stop.” The glow went out.
    Tapping it once more, he said, “Show.” The air above the ball shimmered and coalesced into a small image of Gregir, the chess board and part of the room, distorted as if reflected by a curved mirror. The image of Gregir began to move chess pieces around, mutters replayed in tinny fidelity by the little device. He slid his fingers over it, making the image grow and shrink, then tapped it once more and again said, “Stop.”
    “That’s amazing!”
    “It is bound magic. Not very expensive, just rare in this country. There are a few of these around the building. Good for legal meetings, yes?” He picked up the orb and slipped it into a pocket. “So what brought you to this snowy pit?”
    “I moved here with a friend to work at a vineyard down in Bergin Valley. She’d been offered a management job, and I was supposed to work in the tasting room. When we got there, her job became some kind of much lower-level assistant position and mine didn’t exist.”
    He snorted. “They would never have anyone but a human serve customers.”
    She folded her arms and half-smiled. “They had a Melifen working in the tasting room already.”
    “Ah, then they had their token and could look very progressive, yes?” Gregir pushed back from the chess board and stood up. “Are you hungry? We can just make the end of lunch.”
    “Yes. I am.” She stepped through the door he held open, but as they walked down the hall she avoided standing right by his side.
    “When we work at farms here, we are usually in fields. But that does not look like what you do.”
    “I’m a dancer.”
    “Ballet? Exotic? Clogging?”
    “Just street performances. A little exotic, sometimes.”
    “Mmm.” He shrugged, tail wagging once behind him. “I am sure you are good, but it is very strange for one of us to do dancing here. ”
    “That might be what makes it work. I’m exotic just by being a raccoon.”
    Gregir grunted again, the momentary curl of his lip suggesting what he thought of that rationale, and remained silent.
    “How long have you been here? At the Society, I mean.”
    “Seven weeks. Refugee and volunteer. I am trying to chase birds out of the ceiling.”
    She laughed. “I guess they could get a warehouse cheap.”
    “Yes.”
    “I haven’t seen one with all the pipes exposed like this, though.”
    He pointed up. “See the little valves on the pipes? If the place started burning, they could turn on the pipes and water would pour down from those and put it out.”
    “Really!” She craned her head back to look more closely. “I’ve never seen that before.”
    “You see the little valves in other buildings around Achoren. Warehouses, expensive hotels, meeting halls. But I am not sure the ones here even work, so try not to catch on fire.”
    The cafeteria was only eight tables, and the sole other diner was finishing his meal—they’d just barely caught the last serving. Roulette had