Rain & Fire by Chris D'Lacey Page B

by Tootega, the Inuit guide who works at the research base where David and Zanna are staying.
    Zanna, by now aware that David has the power to write “fact” rather than simply fiction, is none too happy about this state of affairs.
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    â€œThis is just too spooky,” said Zanna. “Read the story, Dr. Bergstrom. Now.”
    Bergstrom glanced at the open laptop, weaving colored pipework on its flat gray screen.
    â€œNo, I’m destroying it,” David said. He stepped forward and moved the mouse. Bergstrom immediately clamped his arm.
    â€œYou have a contract, remember?”
    David looked into the scientist’s eyes. It wasn’t clear whether Bergstrom was referring to Apple Tree Publishing or the personal promise David had made him to keep on writing about the Arctic. Even so, David said, “I’m wiping it.” And he dragged the file into the computer’s trash can and emptied it.
    This was still not enough for Zanna. “Defrag the disk.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI don’t want it in memory, even in bits. Run a defrag over it. Now.”
    â€œBut —?”
    â€œJust do it, David.”
    â€œBe my guest,” said Bergstrom, wheeling his chair away.
    Silently furious, David ran the program that would rearrange the disk so all the files were contiguous and any scraps of deleted files were eliminated. “There. Happy now?”
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    Unbeknown to David, however, Bergstrom has previously printed out a copy — but to what purpose? Anders Bergstrom is definitely not what he first appeared to be. A lecturer, yes, but much, much more than that, for not many professors can shape-shift between man and polar bear … or possess a small dragon not unlike those that Liz makes, who can Travel through space and time, also shape-shift, and become invisible to boot….
    Meanwhile, back at Wayward Crescent, Gwilanna has abducted Lucy to be a “Guinevere clone” to aid inthe raising of Gawain. Lucy has been taken to a cave on the Tooth of Ragnar, where she is to be held for the next three months, until the fire star is in its correct alignment. While there, she finds an isoscele, the last scale of a dragon’s tail, belonging to Gawain, which she hides from Gwilanna.
    After a frantic phone call from Liz, informing him of Lucy’s fate, David returns home early from the Arctic. Zanna remains behind and, with Tootega, helps release the tranquilized Ingavar back onto the ice. Gwilanna, in raven form, creates a blizzard, hoping to steal the tooth at last, but her plans backfire when three polar bears arrive and carry Zanna off with them.
    While all this is happening, G’reth, the wishing dragon, is still trying to fulfill his duty and find the whereabouts of Gawain’s fire tear for David. Rather like David, his investigations are about to take him far beyond what he might have expected. He manages to Travel outside the boundaries of the known Universe and there meets up with a young entity from a race called the Fain.
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    He had a startling impression of emptiness now. No light. No color. No temperature. No smell. And yet he sensed he was not alone.
    He was not.
    He felt it enter through the tip of his tail, lift the scales along his spine, and whisper through the tunnels of his spiky ears. Intelligence, finding its level, like water. A youthful, happy being, fusing with his auma.
    What are you? it said, tickling his thoughts.
    What are you? G’reth asked it.
    I am Fain, it said. Shall we commingle?
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    The Fain are thought-beings who have no physical form of their own, but can merge or “commingle” with any other entity, sharing their host’s body. They have a long and benevolent historical connection with dragons, and their ultimate aspiration is to merge with one. G’reth is transformed by this experience, returning back to the known Universe along with the young Fain.
    By the time G’reth gets home, Liz has