Heart Fortune

But D’Ash’s husband and HeartMate exited her offices and joined her, towering over her and laying a huge hand on her shoulder. “The kit will be fine.” T’Ash lifted his chin. “We’ve had troublesome animals here before, but that one. He’ll be fine. Good to meet you, GrandMistrys Licorice. Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again.” With a wave of his hand, the glider door snicked shut and they were off.

“Home, please,” Glyssa said to the Flair-powered vehicle. It picked up speed and exited through the T’Ash spellshields and gates in seconds. The gates clanged behind them.

Her fox turned and sat on her lap, looking up at her. Adventure!

She couldn’t deny the glee in his eyes that matched a surge in her heart. “Yes. And now to name you.”

You are a Licorice of the PublicLibrary Licorices, he said. I asked the T’Ash ResidenceLibrary for Licorice names—He’d done research! Glyssa was thrilled.

—and the Residence gave me some and I chose Lepid.

“Oh, clever fox!”

He licked her on her chin. I am. I am a CLEVER fox. More clever than any old cat, more clever than—

“Let’s not get into that. And my Family lives in a house across from the library. We don’t have any Fams —”

I am the FIRST Licorice Fam!

“Yes, but the PublicLibrary itself has two cats. You must be nice to them.” She looked at the wriggling fox, figured that would tax the kit. “At least until we leave the city. There’s plenty of exploring to be done in our house and the library. Avoid the cats.”

Of course! Lepid said.

Glyssa figured that was a promise easily broken by her new, young Fam. “If you get seriously scratched by the cats, I’m not sure you’ll be able to go with me.”

Not go!

“That’s right. You’ll have to stay here until you are well. But I will have to go, because my trip arrangements will be made by another GreatLord, Laev T’Hawthorn, whom I can’t deny.” She hoped. But Laev had been wanting to poke his nose into the expedition, and was a wealthy entrepreneur, a gambler. Surely he’d be all right with her plans.

Lepid grumbled a little in acknowledgment, then hopped from her lap to look out the window at the city as they left the rich noble estates. I think I like running better than sitting in this glider.

Glyssa didn’t tell him that the trip across the continent would have him cooped up in an airship for septhours. It would be fast as opposed to stridebeast—there weren’t any roads—but confining. Her perscry— personal scry pebble—played the chord she’d assigned to Laev T’Hawthorn, and she slid a thumb across it. “Here,” she said.

He grinned at her, and yes, the man was rubbing his hands. “Camellia told me of your offer, Glyssa. I’m also working on a satellite communications system from the starship here to the Lugh’s Spear encampment. You’ll be taking out some equipment. Everything is ready. I’ll send you the documents—all the financial information regarding your salary and duties, a couple of other people are interested in your reports— Camellia will send you more copies of her ancestor’s journals and maps, and I’ll keep you up to date on my consortium for putting up a communications satellite. You’ll be traveling with equipment,” Laev said in satisfaction, “and will be leaving in two days.”

“Thanks,” Glyssa said faintly. Two days! No time to procrastinate telling her parents.

They’d turned onto the broad city street that the main PublicLibrary fronted.

“Merry meet,” Laev said.

“And merry part,” Glyssa gave the formal response.

“And merry meet again.” The lord’s smile was quick and charming. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening at GreatCircle Temple for a blessing ritual.”

“Right,” Glyssa said. The scry pebble darkened as Laev ended the call. She drew in a large breath as the glider pulled into the drive before her house.

Now all she had to do was tell her parents she was leaving.

EXCAVATION OF LUGH’S SPEAR,

The Next Morning

The camp was abuzz with the news that an unscheduled single-zoom airship had arrived and the pilot had headed straight to headquarters.

It only took seconds for rumors to bound through the encampment. Jace wasn’t close enough to the owners to casually stroll into their pavilion and ask what was going on, and his bump of curiosity wasn’t such that he panted to know. Unlike his friendly rival, Andic Sanicle, who lingered near the main tent.

Jace headed out to look at the excavation.

A couple of years ago, an expedition had been put together by the Elecampanes and they’d legally claimed a great amount of uninhabited land. No one had believed they’d find the lost starship, but after some effort, the location of Lugh’s Spear had been determined. Now the project, also run by the Elecampanes, showed the huge outline of the starship.

The landing on Celta had been hard, the ship had broken with some lives lost, then, a few days later, the ground beneath the massive vehicle had given way and it had fallen and been covered with rockfall.

The colonists had tried to make a community, some had stayed and died out in a few generations—Celta remained hard on her new people—but most had trekked to the city of Druida, where the intelligent starship Nuada’s Sword had landed.

Jace had seen the plays depicting the discovery of Celta and the ensuing journey. Hard not to when GrandLord T’Elecampane was the noted actor Raz Cherry. The man did theater productions even in camp.

A shiver twitched between his shoulder blades as he scented water in the air from Fish Story Lake and the Deep Blue Sea. No, this time he thought that Celtans not Earthans, would stay. The location was great . . . one of the reasons that the Captain had decided to land here. He’d been right about that.

Unfortunately, from what Jace understood, he’d also been right to worry about that landing.

Jace shook off the past and the future and walked toward the hole in the ground where the beam was, stared at it. When he’d fallen, the spellshields had protected him. It had taken a couple of septhours to dig him out, and he’d felt the strain of the lack of air, though he’d fallen into a small air pocket and the spellshields provided minimal air for three septhours.

He’d landed on an actual metal floor, and though he’d been trapped—and one of his hates was being constrained—he’d had time to check out the hole’s dimensions. Beyond a not-too-deep rock slide to his left should be a stretch of corridor. His mind had danced with notions of what might be there.

But though the owners of the project, the Elecampanes, had listened to him, since the accident no one had gone back down. Instead they’d been, once again, scouting out the entrances of the ship, to dig near there.

Frustrating. He yearned to see what wonders the Earthans had left. When the ship had landed so hard and broken, the colonists had only been allowed one large sack of personal items, and that had included the Captain, the immediate former Captain, and his wife. Not many had been permitted back into the ship. Those who had, had brought out things to set up the community.

A lot had been lost when the ship had gone down. All sorts of treasures inside.

“Greetyou,” said a soft voice, and an equally soft arm slipped between his side and his chest, since he had his hands jammed in his trous pockets. Forcing an easy smile on his face, he looked down at Funa Twinevine. He’d stopped having sex with her casually when he’d understood that she was also sleeping with his rival, Andic Sanicle. She was a hard worker, but she also had her eye on the treasures and was a shade more greedy and less honorable than Jace was comfortable with.

Three