Ice Runner Read Free Page A

me to take back to Yola Base.” Knowing that their moment of privacy was over, she pushed away from the table and rinsed out her teacup. She followed him to the greenhouse, and her jaw dropped open as red, ripe fruit was hanging and calling to her.
    He smiled and prepared the sample box. “It worked. They should have twelve hours of optimum freshness after being picked. How long to get these back to Yola?”
    “I had wind pushing me out here, but if I run directly, it should be around three hours. Wrap up your precious fruit, and I will top up my water supply. I will be ready in a few minutes.” She ran her normal checks after filling her water pouch. She checked her kite, made sure the lines were straight and verified that she had three days of ration bars.
    Kescu took the science pack and settled it on top of hers. She checked the weight and pulled the straps tight. “Right. Ready. Open the doors, and call Dr. Senzer. Tell him I want hot soup.” Lorvik stood in front of her, and he said, “Be careful.” To her surprise, he gave her a quick, chaste kiss and walked away.
    She stood in front of the inner door and watched it rise, moving through it out of reflex.
    The monitors were all around her, so she couldn’t touch her lips, but she wanted to.
    In minutes, she was back on the ice and making her way to Yola as fast as her limbs could propel her.
    * * * *
    Lorvik quickly moved to his lab and swabbed his lips. He had an idea of what the Ice Runner was made of, but he didn’t have proof. A genetic scan was not something most men would have wished to carry out after the first kiss, but he was not the ordinary male.
    His time in the Citadel had told him that there were plenty of compatible species for one of his kind, but only one was the woman he was destined for. A peculiar seer had told him that he would find a heart of fire in a world of ice, and Lorvik Wender, Third King of the Hanushivi, believed that he had just met his heart of fire in the Ice Runner.

Chapter Three
    D elivering the fruit to Yola Base exhausted her, but she was only an hour and a half run from home. If Kescu pulled out all the stops, she could have an extra day with her family. That was a sacrifice she was willing to make.
    Dr. Senzer had the hot soup waiting for her, and she gulped it down in a few minutes with several effusive thanks. “Thanks, Doc. I am heading out again. I need to get home and practice my speech.”
    “You are heading out again? That isn’t like you.”
    She chuckled. “Eera has been complaining, so if I am a few hours away, I will make a run for her, even though I wouldn’t do it for you greedy research bases.”
    He snorted. His deep blue skin and white hair were the perfect example of Wanlian naturally born citizens.
    “How did you like meeting Dr. Wender?”
    “He was pleasant enough. How did the fruit hold up?”
    “They are perfect. Lovely. I will put in a courier request for next week if you don’t mind.” She laughed. “Talk to my booking agent. You know the drill.”
    “Your mother hates talking to me.”
    “She loves it. She just hates sending me outside, so keep that in mind and fake concern for me. You might eventually get a date out of it.” She checked her supplies and headed to the door. “Have them let me out. I want to get home.” He nodded and the inner door to the base opened.
    She stepped forward and did the slow march to the exterior of her frozen world. Outside, she let her body heat flare, and she started to slip and slide along the surface until she was running on a thin layer of melted water and metal.
    The skyline was amazing. Mountains of ice glittered and cast shadows. The bright light of the sun made her world a glittering diamond with endless facets and planes. She loved being in the wild of Wanlio 6. She was one of only a handful that could walk the surface without dying and the only one who could manage it without insulating suits and equipment.
    The way home from Yola put her