Heart Fortune

He shifted, but answered, his expression pitying as he shook his head. “It’s been a while. I don’t think so, but I’ll look.” Glancing down, he whispered, “You can sleep with me, you know.”

“I have room,” Glyssa said. “You didn’t have insurance?” She aimed the question at Symphyta, then sent her gaze to Funa.

The crowd made disbelieving noises. Symphyta hugged Glyssa, then stepped away from her as if needing to stand on her own.

Glyssa flushed at the crew’s reaction, lifted her chin. “Well, we can make a pool. Perhaps we can use the new communications system to set up a pool for gilt or provisions in Druida City, have the pilot bring things out with the next trip.”

“That’s an excellent idea for the use of our new system,” Del D’Elecampane said. Her face hardened and she put her hands on her hips. “We will not tolerate these human-made incidents of vandalism and terrorism. When we find the culprit, we will prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law . . . when we get back to Druida City.” Her smile wrinkled the lines at the corners of her eyes, showed teeth. Everyone understood her unstated threat. The Elecampanes were the law here in camp, on the frontier, as it had always been in human society.

A slow and stately Myrtus Stopper proceeded to them. He shook his head. “This was the second explosion, then?”

“Yes, my tent!” Funa snapped.

Myrtus held a bunch of oblong items in his hands.

“What are those?” Glyssa asked.

Another shake of his head. “As the guard said, the other explosion destroyed the crates we got from Lugh’s Spear—”

“The curse!” a woman yelled.

“Damn bad luck,” shouted a man at the same time. “Project is turning rotten.”

“It’s a human villain,” Jace replied loudly. “Just one bad guy. Not a curse. Not bad luck. Not a project turning rotten.”

But grumbles from people drowned him out more than the quieting rain and distant thunder.

“What are you holding?” Glyssa asked Stopper again, hoping the question would distract people from Jace.

“Some of the subsistence sticks from the crates.” His gaze slid to the Elecampanes. “I tried one. Terrible, terrible. And in my expert opinion, if they once had nutritional value, they don’t anymore. My Flair tells me so.” He looked around the gathering. “I found these, I’m sure there are others. If you all bring them to me, I will take care of them.”

“Sounds good,” said Raz T’Elecampane. He raised his actor’s voice. “I suggest we all disperse now to our tents and leave further discussion for the morning.”

Trago stepped forward. “You can stay with me, Symphyta. As a friend. Your own bedsponge.” His voice was almost monotone.

“I have room,” Glyssa repeated.

“And we have some spare tents and equipment for emergencies like this,” Del Elecampane said. She smiled at Symphyta. “Take your pick.”

With a trembling smile to Glyssa and a nod to Trago, Symphyta turned to Del D’Elecampane. “Thanks, I’d like that.”

Raz T’Elecampane moved to put an arm around Symphyta’s shoulder, and his weathershield enveloped her and would slowly dry her slicker, hat, and rain boots. “We can give you a pop-up tent for one. A little small . . .” He began to walk with her toward the Elecampanes’ pavilion, the staff gave way before them.

Symphyta smiled up at him. “I’ve been sharing for so long, that sounds really fine.”

Del and Maxima strode after them and Glyssa turned to Jace. He was gone. People had separated to give him a large path back to his tent, too.

And she couldn’t go after him.

Excitement is over. Lepid sighed. He picked up each paw and his nose wrinkled. This spell doesn’t cover the bottom of my feet. I have nasty can’t-feel-pads-well paws.

“Then you won’t be running all over the camp until the morning, will you?” Irritation welled through Glyssa at Jace’s refusal to let her help him. She could be discreet.

Lepid whined and gave her big eyes. She huffed and picked him up. “Let’s go back to bed.”

Her FoxFam curled up as she drafted a simple announcement and appeal for funds for a Healer who’d lost all her belongings in a fire. She’d show it to the Elecampanes, then her friend Tiana, a priestess at GreatCircle Temple, who’d circulate it for her, or lead the effort. And Tiana’s sister was a Healer at Primary HealingHall, so it could make the rounds there, too.

That, at least, was satisfying.

But she ached for Jace’s emotional hurt and Glyssa thought the camp staff now felt a fear they hadn’t before. The explosions seemed all too personal.

* * *

The next morning . . . the next two mornings, the sullen talk around camp was that no one wanted to go down into the ship due to the curse. Jace ached to do so, but had no illusions that he’d have any partners or backup. The stormy weather had invaded the crew, fear overtaking even greed.

And the person spreading the rumors besmirching his name and smearing the whole project, hung solidly with the rest.

The Elecampanes had tried to casually question the staff, but the community and the owners were always in a delicate balance. The workers needed the gilt—but they could hire out somewhere else if they left, and they might not come back. And the Elecampanes needed hands, now and in the future. Not to mention that none of the Elecampanes were well trained in investigation.

Jace had rarely seen the crew so united.

The Elecampanes were savvy enough to leave the glowering staff alone, focusing more on refining the communications system and using most people as laborers to dig.

All the food sticks that had been recovered from the explosions had been taken to the mess tent and given to Myrtus Stopper who collected them in a large box.

Jace picked up his shovel and trudged to the digging. The calluses that had been under the skin of his palms from past physical labor rose again in ridges. The crew still gave him a wide berth, but he was determined not to hide in the tent with Glyssa and Maxima . . . and Maxima’s crush on him was becoming a little too uncomfortable.

The deep blue sky holding the white sun showed no clouds and the day soon heated. Zem had not come with him. Lepid and the hawkcel had gone to Glyssa’s tent and Jace missed his Fam.

As sweat dripped into his eyes while he labored with other men and some women on the endless digging project, he only hoped that he was repairing his rep, though he still doubted.

* * *

Glyssa was deep in the translation and transcription of Hoku’s journal when she received a sharp mental command from Raz T’Elecampane. Glyssa to the opening of the ship, now!

She jolted, and from Maxima’s jerk of surprise across the table, the girl had heard her father, too.

No time for Glyssa to wonder how a connection had formed with Raz enough for him to speak to her mentally, as she stood up quickly and caught her chair tipping over, looking for Lepid.

He wasn’t in his bed, as he’d been just . . . how long ago? Dammit, she’d gotten caught up in work. Zem slept atop a chair.

She spurted a word back to Raz, Coming! and headed out of the pavilion at a run, followed by Maxima.

People smiled as she ran through the camp, no doubt thinking, as she did, that Lepid had stirred up trouble. Again.

Arriving at the hole in the ground with the girder sticking out, she saw Lepid sitting and looking up at Del and Raz Elecampane. Beside him sat Carolinia, Maxima’s cat.