Robin Owens - Heart Fortune

“I’ve heard your curiosity is as hot as your hair,” Raz teased.

He was one to talk, his own hair was auburn.

I am red, too, Lepid said, looking at them. And I am a hero. I opened up a new room and a hallway.

They all stared at him.

“‘Fools rush in,’” Raz murmured as if quoting, though Glyssa didn’t recognize the words or the source.

“What did you see down there, fox?” asked Del.

BOXES! And a room! And a hallway!

“Boxes,” Glyssa breathed, sharing a glance with Raz and Del.

Del took work gloves from her belt and slapped them on her thigh. “I’d better order some security around the hole. And we’ll move the work there?” she asked her HeartMate.

“Absolutely,” Raz said.

Lepid gave one more yip, danced the few steps along the duffle, then curled up and dropped into sleep.

“Young ones,” Del said indulgently. She aimed her gaze at the hole. “You said you’re friends with Camellia Darjeeling?” she asked Glyssa.

“Since grovestudy days.”

“Huh. Camellia Darjeeling, who’s now D’Hawthorn, helped us with the general blueprints,” Del said.

“More.” Glyssa angled her pursenal. “Camellia has finally parted with copies of the last Captain’s, Netra Sunaya Hoku’s, journals.”

Raz and Del came to a stop, both staring at Glyssa. “You have them in there?” Del asked.

“Yes.”

Del eyed her. “You might be worthwhile after all.”

Raz bumped his HeartMate with his hip. “Helena D’Elecampane!”

“Thank you,” Glyssa said. “I am humbled by your opinion. I will endeavor to live up to it.” She dug into her bag and handed over copies of the original journals for the Elecampanes. She had a set of her own.

“Not much here,” Del grumbled.

“The last Captain was awakened from the cryonics tubes to pilot the ship down. The journals provide great insights into the last days of the journey, the ship life—rather militaristic—and the previous Captain.” Glyssa cleared her throat. “And as your own ancestor, the original D’Cherry, stated in her own diaries, Hoku was fond of maps.”

Del stared at the papyrus, then glanced back toward the communications equipment. Sighing, she gestured to Raz to take the journals. “You look through the journals. Get Maxima, our daughter,” she explained to Glyssa, gesturing to a small band of people in the distance, “in on it, too.” She scanned Glyssa. “Hmmm. How’d you like an assistant? Maxima is interested in history and stuff.”

“Sounds good,” Glyssa lied.

After a sharp nod, Del walked back to the airship.

“We hadn’t anticipated that the communications equipment would be so large. Larger than the space we’d dedicated for it.” Raz shrugged. “Del will handle it.”

“I’m sure,” Glyssa said, falling into the easy pace he set as they moved toward the largest personal pavilion—not quite as large as what she reasoned was the mess tent farther down the large main pathway. “Del seems eminently efficient.”

“Yes, and she’s taken over the technical side of things, though she does love her maps.”

“Her maps and charts are prized by the librarians,” Glyssa offered.

“She’ll never give up her cartographic career, though it is not as important to her—to us—as this project right now.” Raz lit with an inner fire that Glyssa thought was all sincerity, no actor’s show. “Imagine, uncovering the last starship! The wonders within, the knowledge we will discover about Earth and our ancestors.” He pulled his mind from whatever visions spun in that creative head of his and gave himself a shake, aimed another charismatic smile at her. “And most of our team believe as we do, are as fascinated by the project as we are. One of the factors we considered when hiring, for instance, Jace Bayrum.” Raz’s eyes twinkled. He was an observant people person, all right.

They’d reached the Elecampane’s pavilion and Raz moved toward an open area a couple of meters away. “This is your spot. We’ll talk later,” he said with a quick grin that was even more charming because it seemed more sincere. “About Captain Hoku, your duties, the excavation, the communications equipment. Everything.”

“Thank you for this opportunity,” Glyssa said. Weariness from her restless night before, the trip, the dazzling first sight of Jace, and the scare by Lepid began to weigh down on her.

“You’re welcome,” Raz said. “I think we will all work well together.” He took her hand and bowed over it with the most grace she’d ever experienced, including Laev who’d been drilled in FirstFamilies etiquette. When Raz straightened, he said, “Jace Bayrum is one of us, a believer in our quest.” Raz paused. “However, I do not think Andic Sanicle or Funa Twinevine have that in common with us.”

A delicate warning. Glyssa nodded. “Thank you.”

“Midafternoon tea will be served in a few minutes, feel free to join us in the dining tent.” With a last wave, he loped to his pavilion and disappeared, leaving Glyssa staring at a large area of cleared ground.

She stiffened her spine, not letting herself droop. The sun beat down on her, hot and affirming that she and her loved ones were alive—but also adding sticky sweat to her weariness. There weren’t as many trees as she’d expected . . . cleared for the excavation, a wide meadow turned into a camp, surrounded by green and cool forests. She’d seen that as they landed, the width of the wide land between Fish Story Lake and the Deep Blue Sea.

With a touch on her duffle, she lowered it to the ground. Then she bent over and lifted Lepid, moving him to some cushy-looking ground cover she couldn’t identify. Not many Earthan-Celtan hybrids here, she didn’t think. Her own FamFox wriggled around a little, releasing a pleasant herbal tang into the air from his bedding, snuffled, but didn’t wake. Good.

Eyeing the duffle, she figured out the opening mechanism was a simple slip-tab spell and ran her finger down the seam, saying a soft spellword. The bag yawned wide and showed a lot of unfamiliar items. Taking up a third of the area was a small no-time food storage unit. Glyssa stared. Her own personal no-time. She’d bet the last silver sliver of her salary that it was fully stocked. Amazing.

She took out the top object, four round sticks about the length of her hand with a wrapping of gossamer material. Heavy Flair spells clung to the thing, but she had no idea what it was or what to do with it.

More than the sun made her hot. She knew people were watching and the flush of embarrassment and irritation rose to her skin. Her cheeks must be red. She fought back tired, cranky, feeling- stupid tears.

Her HeartMate wanted to pretend they were strangers.

Jace accepted claps on his shoulder and congratulations at saving the fox—and intense looks of envy that he’d been down again into the ship. Then Del Elecampane crisply asked for volunteers and people left him for the new communications equipment or for their own business.

His gaze went to Glyssa again and he saw Raz T’Elecampane walk away from her.

Jace was torn. He wanted to see—and put his hands on—the new equipment. But he also wanted to spend a little time with—and put his hands on, a lot—Glyssa Licorice.

And, yeah, he’d like to see what was in that duffle from Outside Outfitters, probably the latest in camping equipment. With his usual curiosity, he wondered what that looked like. Maybe he needed to know—a good rationalization.

Emotions churned inside him, aided by the dump of adrenaline in chasing the fox down to the corridor of Lugh’s Spear , the discovery of the rooms, the near loss of the fox and the triumphant return. Maybe that’s why his pulse surged when he’d seen her.