The Ice Fortress (Frozen World Book 2) Read online

  Tahan came rushing forward, Niri in her arms and Egan clinging to her leg. “I’ve been told it’s safe – but all the blood – Scott, are you unhurt?”

  “He is fine, Tahan,” Omrek said, putting an arm around his sister. “And he very nearly brought down the monster, too. No one is hurt except Ne Tarveg, and he’ll be fine. I think we must have scared them off good, too. I hope it will be a good long while before they venture here again!”

  Annette did not understand a word of this exchange, of course, but she kept glancing at Ne Tarveg. Finally, with a look of grim resolve, she tore her feet off the ground and made a few steps until she stood directly in front of him. She cleared her throat.

  Ne Tarveg’s eyes were closed, and one of them was bluish and puffy where the side of his face hit the ground. He opened his good eye and glanced at Annette, raising his eyebrows a notch. She opened her mouth, but only a rather pitiful squeak came out. She cleared her throat.

  “You saved my life,” she said. “Thank you.”

  Ne Tarveg made a grunt of acknowledgment. “Too much trouble for one foolish woman,” he said, but his expression betrayed a faint hint of satisfaction. “You not hurt?”

  Annette shook her head. “No, but you are.”

  “This nothing. Will heal soon. Well, what think now? Flying monsters… nice? Make nice, how you say, pets?”

  Despite his blank expression and halting English, Annette realized he was baiting her, and so did those around them. Scott suppressed a grin, while Omrek chuckled openly.

  “That is neither here nor there,” Annette muttered. Chris now approached, looking equally shaken but unscathed.

  “Goodness, Annette, what was that about? I thought we were all goners!”

  “I hope you realize now,” Scott said, “that this wasn’t just a hunting trip made by carnivores looking for sustenance. These creatures were trying to pick some of us off. Or do you deny it, Annette?”

  Annette licked her dry lips. “I… I’d say it… well, yes, it sure looks this way,” she finished in a very small voice.

  “And you still want to try and hatch those eggs?”

  She raised her chin defiantly. “Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, today’s events confirm that this project might well be the most important thing we can do right now. If this species is intelligent, establishing a connection with them is vital.”

  Scott shook his head. “You are hopeless. You nearly found yourself turned into a snack for a vicious carnivorous reptile, and you… well, never mind. You do realize now that the threat is real.”

  “Yes. Yes, I do. I will speak about this to Ray Douglas. Chris, would you please get in contact with the station? We need to get back as soon as possible.”

  “Why don’t you come in and rest a while?” Tahan asked. “You two look like you are about to drop down. How about a hot drink?”

  Annette ran a shaky hand through her hair. “A… a hot drink. Yes, that sounds good. Thank you, Tahan.”

  Ne Tarveg got up from his boulder, shaking off all attempts to help him. He started in the direction of his house, but turned back and looked at Annette. “You should learn,” he said, pointing a finger at her, “and learn fast. Who enemy is. How to protect life. Your life, other life. Next time, great big brute might not there to save you.”

  Annette remained silent. As Ne Tarveg walked away, limping slightly, she began to shake her head. “He is a brute,” she said. “A brave one, though.”

  Scott hoisted Egan up on his shoulders, and they all walked home. Once there, Scott sank upon the sitting cushions with a sigh of relief. His legs suddenly felt weak, and he gratefully accepted the cup of strong fermented brew Tahan handed him. Chris took some as well, but Annette insisted on sticking to hot herbal tea.

  “I hope Stan comes soon,” she said. “We really need to get back to McMurdo.”

  Chapter 11

  In the aftermath of the recent attack on the village, the people of the valley were twitchy and nervous for some time. It was common to see someone come out and, without thinking, glance up at the sky, fearing another airborne threat. The pterosaurs did not come again, however, and as time passed, crops ripened, fowls fattened, and Ne Tarveg’s injuries healed, the Anai started feeling more and more sanguine.

  “We have scared them off,” Omrek said. “If these beasts are really as clever as Annette Geels claims, they know that coming here means trouble for them. Maybe it is over. Maybe they will not come again.”

  Scott did not share the degree of his brother-in-law’s optimism, but there was no denying life must go on, and this meant, among other things, storing up supplies for the winter and more hunting trips to the bay. This was just the right season for whaling, and shortly after the attack, Omrek and Rayven gathered another party of hunters. They would carry lightweight boats, ropes and harpoons, and the elder Ri Koer made an elaborate ritual dance, flailing his arms and evoking the blessing of the Spirits for a profitable hunt. He now carried the long, straight, finely polished whale ivory staff that used to belong to Ne Riorag, and Scott felt a jolt of pain when he saw the old artefact in someone else’s hands. I will get used to this in time, but Ne Riorag is hard to replace.

  Ne Tarveg’s injuries, while not serious, meant he was excluded from the hunting party – a verdict of the healers that elicited much grumbling and ill humor on his part.

  “You will get a large share of the meat and skins, if we have any, Tarveg,” Omrek assured him. “More so than any of those who go to hunt. You deserve it.”

  Ne Tarveg scowled. “I don’t care about that. I live alone, and have enough supplies to last me a while. I just detest being incapable.”

  “You will get better soon, the healers say, and then you can join the next hunting trip. We will have to make a fair few before the beginning of the dark season, to make up for what we didn’t do earlier this year.”

  Since the hunting party was large, and left the village short on guard duty – which, despite the period of calm, was still deemed necessary – Scott opted to remain behind as well. He was glad to be able to do so without losing face, and without looking as though he didn’t pull his weight. A few hours after the hunters departed, he and Ne Tarveg, the latter limping but determined, made a circuit of the settlement together. Ne Tarveg’s truculence did not bother Scott nearly as much as it had done before. He was a faithful comrade, someone to trust should anything go wrong.

  They had gone all the way to the edge of the settled area, and despite Ne Tarveg’s injury, Scott was out of breath trying to keep up with him. The big Anai warrior had remarkable stamina – and excellent eyesight. He squinted into the distance.

  “Someone is coming,” he said.

  Scott peered in the same direction, but didn’t see anything for a while. Then he realized what Ne Tarveg meant – someone was coming down the trail that led from AN-85, making a great deal of noise. Moments later, he discerned the orange parka, bright on the background of the dark rock. The figure was short, thin, and solitary, and could be no one else but Annette Geels.

  “Don’t run off, Ne Tarveg,” Scott said, seeing how the warrior meant to turn around and skulk away. “I’ll just greet Annette, and then we can go back together.”

  Ne Tarveg pulled a face. “If you wish. Waste of time, if you ask me.”

  “We’re not in any hurry.”

  By this time, Annette spotted them too and approached, looking somewhat self-conscious. “Hello, Scott. Good, er, day, Ne Tarveg. How are you feeling?”

  He shrugged. “Up on my feet. Good enough.”

  “I hope there was no lasting, um, damage done.”

  Wordlessly, Ne Tarveg turned to Scott, his eyebrows raised. Scott translated.

  “No damage. Hope monster is damage.”

  He evidently meant to goad Annette, but she decided to let it pass. She turned to Scott, her face shining like a newly minted penny.

  “Guess what, Scott! We scanned the eggs, and there is definitely progress in their develop
ment! If all goes the way it has so far, we should have some hatchlings soon. The hatching process is remarkably short, taking into account the species’ size and complexity. This is probably an evolutionary adaptation meant to serve as –“

  “And did you come here just to tell me about this, Annette?” Scott asked. “And alone, too? Where are Chris and Adam?”

  “Supervising the eggs around the clock, of course. We do three shifts these days, so that they are never unattended.”

  “What is she saying?” Ne Tarveg asked. Scott translated to the best of his ability, and the big man guffawed, rather unpleasantly.

  “Ask her why she doesn’t sit on them herself, as any good mother would.”

  Unwillingly, Scott translated. Annette shook her head, but forbore. “You should come to McMurdo and see the eggs hatch, Scott. This is an opportunity of a lifetime.”

  “I will try to make it. There is still time, I gather, otherwise you wouldn’t go away.”

  “No, of course not. But I’m only off on a short detour today. The helicopter is waiting for me up at the pad. I just had a fancy of going to the Old Lairs once more, or perhaps…” she hesitated, “perhaps your elders would grant me permission to enter the cave you told me about – Cave of the Spirits?”

  “She talks of Spirits?” Ne Tarveg frowned, catching this one word. Scott translated.

  “You could give her permission to enter the Cave of the Spirits, Ne Tarveg. You are Ne Riorag’s son.”

  “Her, go into the Cave of the Spirits?” Ne Tarveg scowled. “I would say no, never, but the decision isn’t mine. Ri Koer will make his input, and your wife will have the final word.”

  “… The Cave of the Spirits?” Tahan looked uncertain. “I… I’m not sure. Hope you are not offended, Annette,” she said in a friendly manner. “Not even Anders had entered the Cave, though he is our oldest friend. Scott was the first foreigner to go within, and I only took him there because I saw that he was… becoming one of us, in a way. And to give his spirit rest at that time of trouble. The Cave of the Spirits is a sacred place. Curiosity is not reason enough to go there.”

  “I promise to do my best to honor your customs,” Annette said. “I just want to inspect the wall paintings – I think it will help me in my research of the Antarctosaurus.”

  “You mean the monsters?” Tahan frowned.

  “I would not call them that.”

  “Truly? You would not? Not even after one nearly killed you?”

  Annette did not rise to the challenge. “Will you let me in there?”

  Tahan looked at Ne Tarveg, who stood slightly to the side, his arms crossed and his expression taciturn. “Ne Tarveg, will you take Annette Geels to the Cave of the Spirits?” she asked in Anai.

  Ne Tarveg looked startled. “Who, me? Why me? Why not you?”

  “I cannot leave the baby behind, and you know small children are not allowed in the cave. Omrek is busy, Ri Koer has sprained his ankle and would have trouble walking.”

  “Your husband can take her. I have better things to occupy me,” Ne Tarveg said.

  “Scott knows the Anai letters well, but not as well as you do. I know your father has taught you diligently, Ne Tarveg. If this woman is to read the story of the First Anai, and the battle against the monsters, let her do it the right way.”

  “Alright,” Ne Tarveg agreed with some reluctance. “But you come too anyway,” he turned to Scott. “I do not speak the tongue of the foreigners well enough to explain some things.”

  “Does this fellow have to come with us?” Annette asked in a low voice as they set out, staring at the back of Ne Tarveg’s head. The big burly man insisted on walking ahead of them, even though he was still limping.

  “Yep. Don’t ask too many questions, though. Just look around and take notes. Trust me, there is plenty to see.”

  There were many paths – fissures in rock, actually – branching off the main valley, and one of them descended rather steeply downwards. Scott remembered this path well. He first walked it with Tahan when he was not yet Anai, and he came another time, alone, before they were joined and he left his old life behind forever. Then, when their union was blessed with the expectation of a child to be born, he and Tahan came together once more, to offer thankfulness to the Greater Being the Anai referred to as the Spirit, or Spirits, depending on the context.

  “Wow,” Annette said as she stared at the vast dark opening. “This is a pretty big cave.”

  Scott suppressed a smile. “Wait until you see it from inside.”

  “Wow,” Annette said again in quite a different voice, soft and awed, as they stepped into the huge cavernous space and she ran her flashlight over the smooth rounded walls.

  “Tell her to turn that blinding light off,” Ne Tarveg told Scott. “Only whale oil is good enough to burn in the presence of the Spirits.”

  Scott doubted this was an actual custom, but decided not to argue. Once Annette turned off the flashlight, for the first few moments the darkness seemed complete. Then their eyes began to adjust to the weak light of Ne Tarveg’s oil lamp. Long shadows danced over the walls. They approached, and Annette stared up at the wall paintings, mesmerized, forgetting all about the notes she was going to take on her iPad.

  “I did not even know the Anai had a script,” she said with a hint of embarrassment in her voice as she looked at the elegant, intricate, rounded symbols that made the Anai written language.

  “Think we not smart enough?” Ne Tarveg asked, making her jump.

  “Sorry. I – I did not…” she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking flustered.

  “Look here,” Ne Tarveg shifted his oil lamp so that the circle of light now rested on a painting depicting a man with a long spear facing what was unmistakably a giant winged reptile. Annette stood there, speechless, for a few moments.

  “Is that… is that the Antarctosaurus?”

  “Those our beasts our fathers, First Anai, have to fight when they first come to frozen land,” Ne Tarveg told. Scott, who knew these paintings well, walked off a little to the side. An oil lamp was resting on a shelf hewed into the stone, with a pair of firestones next to it. Surreptitiously, Scott pulled out a matchbox out of his backpack and lit the lamp. He proceeded to read some of the text, soaking in the unique literary language of the Old Anai. No matter how many times he had visited the cave, there was always more to learn.

  Annette was still looking at the dinosaur paintings, transfixed by the image of ancient humans battling the giant beasts. In the shifting light, it almost seemed as though the figures were moving. “It is… amazing,” she said. “Thank you for agreeing to bring me here,” she said to Ne Tarveg, with far more humility than she usually displayed.

  Such simple gratitude seemed to take him unawares. “No need to thank,” he said, rather gruffly. “Permission not mine.” But he looked rather pleased all the same.

  There was also a painting of an Antarctosaurus with its young. “We might have some of those soon, if all goes well,” Annette said.

  Ne Tarveg shook his head. “Some people never learn,” he muttered in Anai. Scott didn’t hear him, so intent he was on the sample of text he was studying.

  “What are you so absorbed in, Scott?” Annette asked, tearing herself away from the wall paintings.

  “Just fiddling with a theory,” Scott said vaguely, making some undecipherable notes in a little notebook he had pulled out. “Nothing of significance at the moment, but… interesting. Yes, interesting.”

  He was deep in thought as the three of them made their way back. The theory he came up with – like all theories concerning the Anai language – was a remote possibility, but… why not? It was worth following up. After all, the Anai must have come from somewhere on planet Earth, and brought their language with them. The Anai language has changed remarkably little in the course of history, making it the most ancient living language in existence.

  When he came home, he shared some of these ideas with Tahan, who listened
with interest.

  “Basque?” she repeated, her tongue stumbling slightly at the strange word. “What are those people?”

  “Most researchers consider them to be one of the original ancient people of Europe,” Scott said. He brought out the small globe he used to teach Egan about the world. Tahan could read in English now, and she had her atlas, which she often perused with great curiosity as time allowed. “See here?” Scott pointed to a spot on the globe. “That is the Iberian peninsula. Many of the ancient tribes who had resided there were good seafarers. They knew a lot about navigation, and could possibly sail across great distances. The First Anai could have come from there… I’m not saying that was what happened, I’m just saying it’s possible.”

  Tahan’s index finger slipped all the way to the bottom of the globe, where the continent of Antarctica was depicted in icy-white. “And this is where we are, isn’t it? It is a great distance.”

  “A very great distance. Possibly the longest a single ancient people had ever covered in one stretch. Many circumstances had to coincide to make it possible… winds, currents, luck… and, of course, remarkable bravery of a leader who could take those people so far away from home.”

  Tahan tilted her head. “If the mystery of the First Anai can be solved, it would mean a great deal, a very great deal, to our people. But how can you know for sure?”

  “I cannot. Not right now, anyway. I will have to go to McMurdo, where I have Internet access, and download materials. Use the resources in the library, too. But the only conclusive evidence would have to be genetic.”

  “Ge… genetic? What is that?” she shook her head in embarrassment. “The more I learn, Scott, the more I find out how many things I don’t know.”

  He smiled. “I feel the same way. I always will, I think. There are just so many things to discover in the world. But genetics… it’s difficult to explain in a few words, but it’s about our heredity. How children look a lot like their parents, and their parents’ parents, and all the way back to old times… because they were born of them, as you, after many generations, were born of the First Anai.”