rich, very rich. Two more years on the hunt and you could buy a new compound outright.”
Ekkatt pretended to consider the suggestion. “I’ve promised my father and brother. I have an obligation.”
“Yes, I understand. Is your brother’s weakness increasing? Many people who suffered through the Wind of Death find that years later, their weakness becomes more profound. My father suffers the same. I’m disappointed, Ekkatt, but I sympathize. Well…” he walked toward his office, “Let’s get you your share.”
Ekkatt made a show of counting his cills. He thanked the chief and wished him well then he went to clean out his locker. When he’d used his gear bag to spirit Mari out of the facility, he’d had to leave some items behind. He grabbed a spare bag from the storage closet and flipped open the clasp. He piled in two pairs of sturdy boots, warm trousers, several thick jackets, a small uustal, more suitable for one Mari’s size, and a set of large knives which were always good for protection. He slung the bag over his shoulder and left the unit. As he approached the gates, one of the pilots stopped to chat. Ekkatt did his best to hide his impatience.
“You are like a man chafing to go after a paid woman,” the pilot said, with a laugh. “Just like your friend Pana. He took off a short time ago, saying he had an urgent matter to attend to before we leave tomorrow.” Ekkatt’s heart began to pound . “The only thing Pana considers urgent is a woman,” the man joked.
He smelled her on me. He smelled her scent. I shouldn’t have been with her right before I left. I shouldn’t have touched her. I have to get to Mari. I have to go now.
“What did you say, Ekkatt?”
“Nothing…excuse me…I remembered something…something I left behind in my craft.”
Ekkatt took off at a trot, trying not to appear in any distress. He stopped at the guard station to wish the men well. Fly safe , they told him.
Pana has a head start and a new, sleek, fast craft, Ekkatt thought. If he wanted to catch him he’d have to fly like a man possessed by the devil, as the Earthers said. He hoped to her god that she would use the uustal. Shoot him, Mari , he said in the silence of his craft. Kill the son of a bitch.
Chapter 12
Mari knew she’d taken longer than she’d planned, but she’d wanted to rinse out a few shirts at the hot spring. She’d also brought along Ekkatt’s nail clippers and the file to give herself a much needed nail trim. She’d tried the hair remover on her legs and underarms. Before he’d flown off, she’d asked him how he removed his facial hair, explaining in a self-conscious voice that some earth women removed the hair from their underarms, legs, and sometimes other places. Ekkatt had looked her up and down for a moment and then he’d said, interesting, and he’d given her the bottle of lotion and explained how to use it.
Weeks of half-assed grooming makes you appreciate the feel of nice, smooth skin , Mari thought. Now if I can just invent deodorant, I’ll be set. It occurred to her that there must be some mineral in the hot spring that changed her pH a little because she’d noticed that she didn’t really have a need for deodorant. Maybe the water is like one of those crystal deodorant sticks, whatever those are .
She’d carried everything up in a woven basket Ekkatt kept in the kitchen. s She’d packed the soap, her toothbrush, and the tooth powder along with her other supplies, including a clean shirt to put on after her bath. She’d done exactly as Ekkatt had instructed. For all intents and purposes the cabin appeared uninhabited. She’d kept it dark and shuttered, hadn’t built a fire, and she’d been careful to lock the door behind her. The key and the uustal sat on a nearby ledge where they were easy to grab if a giant durra happened by.
Ekkatt pretended to consider the suggestion. “I’ve promised my father and brother. I have an obligation.”
“Yes, I understand. Is your brother’s weakness increasing? Many people who suffered through the Wind of Death find that years later, their weakness becomes more profound. My father suffers the same. I’m disappointed, Ekkatt, but I sympathize. Well…” he walked toward his office, “Let’s get you your share.”
Ekkatt made a show of counting his cills. He thanked the chief and wished him well then he went to clean out his locker. When he’d used his gear bag to spirit Mari out of the facility, he’d had to leave some items behind. He grabbed a spare bag from the storage closet and flipped open the clasp. He piled in two pairs of sturdy boots, warm trousers, several thick jackets, a small uustal, more suitable for one Mari’s size, and a set of large knives which were always good for protection. He slung the bag over his shoulder and left the unit. As he approached the gates, one of the pilots stopped to chat. Ekkatt did his best to hide his impatience.
“You are like a man chafing to go after a paid woman,” the pilot said, with a laugh. “Just like your friend Pana. He took off a short time ago, saying he had an urgent matter to attend to before we leave tomorrow.” Ekkatt’s heart began to pound . “The only thing Pana considers urgent is a woman,” the man joked.
He smelled her on me. He smelled her scent. I shouldn’t have been with her right before I left. I shouldn’t have touched her. I have to get to Mari. I have to go now.
“What did you say, Ekkatt?”
“Nothing…excuse me…I remembered something…something I left behind in my craft.”
Ekkatt took off at a trot, trying not to appear in any distress. He stopped at the guard station to wish the men well. Fly safe , they told him.
Pana has a head start and a new, sleek, fast craft, Ekkatt thought. If he wanted to catch him he’d have to fly like a man possessed by the devil, as the Earthers said. He hoped to her god that she would use the uustal. Shoot him, Mari , he said in the silence of his craft. Kill the son of a bitch.
Chapter 12
Mari knew she’d taken longer than she’d planned, but she’d wanted to rinse out a few shirts at the hot spring. She’d also brought along Ekkatt’s nail clippers and the file to give herself a much needed nail trim. She’d tried the hair remover on her legs and underarms. Before he’d flown off, she’d asked him how he removed his facial hair, explaining in a self-conscious voice that some earth women removed the hair from their underarms, legs, and sometimes other places. Ekkatt had looked her up and down for a moment and then he’d said, interesting, and he’d given her the bottle of lotion and explained how to use it.
Weeks of half-assed grooming makes you appreciate the feel of nice, smooth skin , Mari thought. Now if I can just invent deodorant, I’ll be set. It occurred to her that there must be some mineral in the hot spring that changed her pH a little because she’d noticed that she didn’t really have a need for deodorant. Maybe the water is like one of those crystal deodorant sticks, whatever those are .
She’d carried everything up in a woven basket Ekkatt kept in the kitchen. s She’d packed the soap, her toothbrush, and the tooth powder along with her other supplies, including a clean shirt to put on after her bath. She’d done exactly as Ekkatt had instructed. For all intents and purposes the cabin appeared uninhabited. She’d kept it dark and shuttered, hadn’t built a fire, and she’d been careful to lock the door behind her. The key and the uustal sat on a nearby ledge where they were easy to grab if a giant durra happened by.
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