Storm of Arranon Fire and Ice Read Online Free PDF Page B

she cursed, shaking her hand to ease the pain
shooting up her wrist. That sense of others, of being watched, came
closer, studying her. Their scrutiny stabbed through the frosty
air. She punched the button again, but the speeder’s engine
remained silent. Her respirations increased. Fog misted the inside
of her visor, obscuring her vision. She flipped the shield up and
out of her eyes. Without the visor, she couldn’t observe an
approaching threat, but with it on, she was unable to see to start
the speeder.
    “What’s wrong? Why won’t you start?” She
gritted her teeth, depressing the button repeatedly.
    A small screen below the starter sputtered to
a dim yellow glow. Words in a faint red radiance blinked off and
on.
    SYSTEM FAILURE. POWER RESERVE DEPLETED.
    The light in the screen flickered and went
out.
    “No! There was a full charge.” The heavy
blanket of white around her buffered her voice.
    To her right, tree limbs shook, losing their
mantle of snow.
    Erynn pulled her weapon with a smooth, fluid
motion. Yellow eyes appeared under long pointed leaves.
    A heavy breath rushed between her pursed
lips, fogging into the icy air. “It’s you.” The relief in her voice
carried to the three white maejen, and they slipped out from the
shadows. Erynn glanced around, still holding the staser. “But you
aren’t what I sense out there, watching.”
    The maejen circled her, yipping and dancing
nervously on round paws.
    She frowned. “Something’s hunting me.”
    The alpha threw back his head and howled, the
other two maejen joining his song.
    “So what do I do?”
    The group hurried under the limbs, glancing
back at her.
    “Follow you. Good idea.”
    Erynn abandoned the speeder and ran.
     
     
    The den of downed trees covered with snow was
dry inside, and the wind didn’t penetrate. Erynn pulled off the
helmet and stripped out of heavy gloves, placing them inside the
upturned emptiness. She no longer sensed being watched, except by
the pack. This season’s pups were nearly full grown. Their
curiosity radiated to her. She sat back against a wall of sticks
and held out her hand.
    One by one, the five young came forward,
sniffing her.
    “Friends?”
    The big alpha male chuffed, his teeth showing
in an obvious grin. He scooted in next to Erynn and sat down.
    “Thanks. I owe you.”
    He lay against her leg, head on her lap, his
blazing eyes gazing up at her, and whined.
    “Okay, we’re even, kinda.” She brushed her
hand over warm, dense, soft fur. “I won’t keep score if you
don’t.”
    Outside the small opening, the day gave over
to evening in faint degrees, finally succumbing to night and the
impenetrable dark.
    Erynn opened her pack. She pulled out water
and a bland protein bar. More curiosity flowed from the young
maejen. She offered to share her meal.
    The pups sniffed the portion she held out,
sneezed, and backed away, shaking their heads.
    She chuckled. “I don’t blame you. They’re
pretty bad.”
    Erynn finished her meal, washing the
tasteless bar down with a bottle of water. Wiping the back of her
hand across her lips, she curled against the wall to wait for
morning. When a fitful sleep came, unsettling dreams took her
underground.
    Open caverns dimly lighted by distant
fires were alive with human-like forms. Screeching howls punctuated
the gloom. Shadows slithered behind rocks and at the periphery of
her vision. The dream shapes faded into nothingness, and she was
alone in the dark .
     
     
    Erynn woke to a gentle snowfall, but no wind.
Soft morning radiance crept lethargically through the small entry.
With a modest effort, the day created little more than a pale
silver puddle of light near the den’s opening. The maejen slept
around her, feet twitching, barking quietly as they ran after dream
prey. An unidentifiable carcass stripped of flesh and discarded in
the center of the den was evidence of a successful night’s hunt and
full bellies. She was glad she hadn’t been awake for that