Horizon Storms - Kevin J. Anderson [95]
Celli traced the line of water with her eyes. “Isn’t that one of the sources for the LookingGlassLakes? There was a village—”
“The village is completely destroyed. I’ve been there.” His broad shoulders heaved. “The hiveworm nests were shattered, turned to powder. I didn’t see a single living person.”
Celli hugged him tightly. The air smelled burnt. The clouds were thick in the skies, and she hoped it would rain and wash away the smell, make the forests feel fresh and clean again.
But that would take a long, long time.
“Enough for today,” Solimar said. “We’d better get back and make our report.” He unerringly guided them back toward the distant fungus-reef city, beyond the hazy horizon.
Chapter 48—RLINDA KETT
Flying the Voracious Curiosity was her joy, and Rlinda would have taken the ship anyplace the Hansa asked her to go. She and BeBob had access to all the ekti they needed, so long as they delivered supplies and colonists to the new network of settled worlds.
Rlinda was already carrying a full load of cargo, but there was no getting around the fact that her entire route had been determined by this one passenger, by special request from Chairman Wenceslas himself. She grinned at the man sitting in the Curiosity ‘s copilot seat. “Good to have you aboard again, Davlin.”
He looked over at her with a bland expression. “I confess to being pleased to see you again, Rlinda. Odd, isn’t it?”
“The Chairman knows we’re old buddies. Or don’t you admit to having any friends?”
“Not many. Especially since I started work for the Hansa.”
With the ship on autopilot, she could lean back in her reinforced chair. “Then it’s about time you got some time off to have a real life again. Say, would you like to play a game with me while we’re flying? I’ve got a wide selection of entertainment options.”
“No.” He didn’t sound rude, just uninterested.
Rlinda contained her smile, knowing he was a tough nut to crack. “Anything special you want me to prepare from the galley for your supper? I’ve got quite a few recipes.”
“No.”
She rubbed her hands together. “Ah, so it’s just some pleasant conversation you’d like, then?”
“No.”
Her eyes twinkled. “You know I’m just teasing you, Davlin. Don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I thought spies were supposed to be suave and adaptable to any social situation.”
“I am not a spy. I’m a specialist in obscure details and an exosociological investigator.”
“In other words, you’re a spy without any social graces.”
“That about sums it up.” He startled her by flashing a smile, a truly dazzling one, the first she had seen from him.
“You have a striking smile, Davlin. You should do it more often.”
“That is exactly why I don’t dare. Too many people would notice it.”
Sighing, Rlinda gave him a maternal pat on the wrist. Holding a conversation with him was like pulling teeth, but she enjoyed the game.
Davlin was quiet, neat, and unobtrusive. His hair was close-cropped, and he had an ageless face that could have put him anywhere from his twenties to his forties. He stood tall with a well-proportioned body; his features were remarkable only for their lack of remarkability. No wonder the other colonists hadn’t much noticed him.
“Crenna is very nice. I’ve only been there a few times, but the place seemed pleasant enough.”
“It is. Quiet. Normal. And I liked the people there.” Davlin looked out at the streaming stars. “Compared to popping through Klikiss transportals and investigating unknown coordinate tiles, it’ll be a perfect sabbatical. I’ve done enough for the Hansa, from espionage to outright combat. Some of my earlier missions as a silver-beret operative were…quite ugly.”
Now Rlinda was surprised. “A silver beret? You never told me you had that training. And I thought you gave me your whole life story.”
Davlin looked at her, his face completely expressionless. “I left certain parts out.”
“I never know when to believe you, Davlin.”
Now he finally smiled again. “That’s good.”
Eventually, Crenna’s sun grew conspicuous in the starscape in front of them. When the