Андреа Хёст: Snow Day [Touchstone: Extras]

Quietly digesting the discovery that Kaszandra’s mother was socialising with KOTIS' Selkie, they followed Julian to the right, only noticing a small building when he pointed to it.

"That guard house. Bigger than it look—mostly underground."

Maxen knew that the building would represent a complicated part of the island’s life. The two Touchstones were heavily guarded, both for their protection, but also because they were so potentially powerful that the government would not permit them to go outside official control.

"Did you have guards at the club, or was it really just you and your cousin and his girlfriend?" Maxen asked.

"Two Setari, four regular KOTIS security." Julian said. "Annoying, though fun seeing what virt-mask they use. That Cass house up there." He paused on a bridge, gesturing past a pool of water and a miniature waterfall to a snow-decked balcony.

Maxen, remembering his role of perfectly unassuming guest, was careful to only glance, not stare, and then followed Julian without lingering.

"Don’t walk on exposed bits of path," Julian added. "They get icy and slippery. Cass—no-one here—properly used to living in snow. Keep having to make adjustment things don’t work, like path up to Mum and Aunt Sue’s houses. I whizzed down it other day, which awesome, but whacked my shin at end, which wasn’t so much."

"Is the snow on the slopes hard to walk on?" Oriel asked, cautiously picking her way around a spot beneath the leafless trees that had missed out on the heavy blanket of white.

"Easier than paths. But lot of leg muscle. This is tower." Julian pointed ahead to a pillar-shaped building nestled into a curve of the central hill. "They put it in because lots guests often. Has bathrooms on bottom, kitchen-lounge in middle, and top has couple quiet places to sit or lay down. So if need to go bathroom, or want get out of cold, sit down, have drink, just come here. It’s for visitors, so don’t need ask first." He paused, then said: "Go back way came now. We mostly fighting on southern slope, but heading this way long way around. Too much work in snow."

"I’m feeling very odd about this tour because I know most of what you’re saying already," Maxen confessed. "There are documentaries about Arcadia, and aerial maps, and tracking sites, and—" He gestured feebly, trying to encompass the enormity of concentrated attention focused on the island. "I suppose it must feel like being an exhibit on show."

"They not allowed come close enough to watch," Julian said, unimpressed.

He slid suddenly forward, on the very patch of ice he’d warned them about, but flailed his arms to keep upright, and laughed delightedly.

"I expect get sick of snow soon, but so fun. So awesome, live snowy place, plus on island. And games like Red Exchange . Makes up for nosy people, guards."

Impossible not to respond to the kid’s beaming smile. Maxen laughed in return, and followed along to a slope leading up to two houses sitting at the eastern crest of the island’s hill. A trail of tramped footprints beside a partially exposed path showed that quite a number of people had recently made their way up.

"Yesterday techs came grew posts to hold here," Julian said, pointing to where the tracks led between the two houses. "Might put them up each winter, take down after melt."

They came to a junction. To the left was the rear of one house, and a partially frozen pool, while the tracks led right to the very crest of the hill. Maxen could hear sounds of chatter just beyond, and steeled himself.

Maxen: I feel like there might be fanfare when we get to the top.

Oriel: Why would there be? Oh, you mean for us seeing them, not them seeing us.

Maxen: If I call out Ta-dah! will you hit me?

Oriel: If you manage to say anything at all, I will be so numb with shock that you’ll be in no danger.

The south-east slope of the island was empty of buildings and trees, was simply one grand sweep of snow leading down to the slate-blue lake. Just before the bank, snow had been mounded to form protective walls, preventing anyone from accidentally sliding onto the rocks or into the water. The eastern boundary was marked by a long, raised watercourse, currently frozen, and to the south-west a line of bushes. At a flat area near the lake, a group of children were busy building snow sculptures—mostly a series of spheres placed on top of each other. Everyone else was gathered around several benches and tables set several metres from the crest.

Maxen didn’t say anything, just looked, a feeling of unreality sweeping over him. That was Raiten Shaf, captain of Kolar’s top Setari squad. That—was that the actress who played Nori on The Hidden War ? And there, bracketed by two tall men, Kaszandra herself.

She was around the same height as Maxen, with an oval face, and brown hair partially covered by a knit cap. If Maxen had not seen countless pictures of her, she wouldn’t have stood out in any way. His imagination might add intangible gravitas, some expression of the powers she could wield, or simply the fact that she was the reason the years of disaster had come to an end, and the home world had been unlocked, but in truth he hadn’t even spotted her until she turned around.

The two men standing with her had a more distinct aura. With a close family resemblance, and similar height and frame, they looked like variations on a theme. To the left Kaoren Ruuel, Setari Captain, hair cropped short, stance upright, expression serious, wearing clothing in dark blue tones that failed to hide that he was honed to a peak of fitness. To the right could only be his older brother, Arden Ruuel, who was some kind of artist. He wore his hair long, gathered into a tail, and his clothes were a striking black and white, while his stance was more relaxed, and his expression gentle and faintly smiling.

All three of them were looking up at Maxen and Oriel, with a focused attention that was a little uncomfortable. Arden Ruuel said something that made Kaszandra look at him, but then she shrugged, and clasped Kaoren Ruuel’s hand, pulling him over to the largest clump of people on the slope. Here a row of shiny green planks were poking out of the snow. A short woman with blue hair had her hand on one, and was talking in an informative manner.

"Aunt Sue’s going to teach everyone how to snowboard after lunch," Julian said. "I wanted some giant inner tubes, but Cass said that trying to slide onto the lake would cause everyone else a headache, so she only made sleds, and made them put up those walls."

"Slide…into the lake?" Oriel sounded appalled.

"Onto. Though I going to wear wetsuit—it’s not like would have been that big deal." Julian shrugged. "Most of people on island, big part of their job is keep Cass and Lira safe, that washes over onto rest of us. They not strictly stop me doing things, but Cass said nicer not give them extra stress, unless thing really really want. Going guild meet-up first thing I really ask far. Oh, and see moonfall, but we went different city. Hey, Mum, you remember Tzatch and Corezzy?"

Laura Devlin offered up a warm smile and a nod, and made Maxen feel considerably less awkward by talking easily about the virt-game event. Maxen could only be glad that he’d not said anything stupid to these people in-game, and that Julian did not feel it necessary to introduce them personally to everyone on the slope. Nor did most of the crowd do more than glance, nod or smile in their direction.

Maxen: Is it my imagination?

Oriel: He hasn’t looked away.

Maxen: But is it you or me, or both of us, he’s staring at?

Oriel: Split up a little, so we can see.

Obediently, Maxen picked his way through the crowd so he could get a closer look at the green planks, which had words written in Earth language on them, and two clasps on one side, which seemed to be for keeping the plank attached to boots. Once at a sufficient distance, he looked stealthily back toward Arden Ruuel, still standing a little down slope, staring fixedly at Maxen’s sister.