Storm of Arranon Fire and Ice Read Free Page B

quests. Zander was quite interested in the
spot.” Cale stared out the open bay doors as the first snowflakes
drifted lazily down. His expression sobered, darkening. The lines
around his eyes and mouth deepened. “I went there after Zander
died. I stood at the water’s edge, remembering my old friend and
our grand adventures. I heard, or thought I heard, a voice and
turned. Whispered words I couldn’t understand drew my attention to
the mountains ringing the lake, specifically the highest crags.” He
shrugged. “Maybe it was just the wind, no voice. But there.” He
pointed out to the scramble pad. “About midway up the treacherous
slope, as the sun came from behind a cloud, a brilliant white light
spiraled into the sky. That’s how I found this place.”
    Erynn’s gaze followed his. “You think it may
have been Zander, showing you?”
    Jaer tensed. “Ghost lights,” he whispered,
running his hand up and down Erynn’s arm. “I have seen a similar
phenomenon inside the ruins of Deanaim. Restless spirits roam the
fortress.”
    Tam stepped closer to Erynn. “You’re giving
me chills. Ghosts? Come on. Really?”
    Snow swirled through the hangar door with an
icy gust. The coming storm responded to the validity of ghosts as
wind moaned across rocky crevices.
    Erynn shook her head. “That’s not what I
saw.”
    Cale frowned. “What did you see?”
    Erynn’s brow drew together. She put one hand
over the other, palms down. “It looked like letters. An A
overlapping an L. But not exactly an A, or L. Like those letters. I
only saw them for a moment. The wind came up, making the surface of
the lake rough. But you’ve seen them. You know what they mean.” She
glanced at Cale.
    Tam faced Cale. “Erynn thinks they’re from
some ancient ruins. Are they?”
    “I’ve never experienced what you did, Erynn.”
Cale shook his head. “I don’t know what they are, or what they
mean.”
    Erynn’s gaze darted between Cale and Tam.
“Let’s go out there tomorrow and check it out. That way, you can
both see for yourselves.”
    Cale held up his hand. “That won’t be
possible.” He glanced outside to the snow beginning to fall in
earnest. “You wouldn’t be able to see the lake, let alone letters
under the water in this storm.”
    Tam shoved her hands in her pockets. “I
couldn’t have gone anyway, Erynn. I have COM duty tonight.”
    Erynn nodded. “Guess I’ll start doing some
research, then.”
     
     
    Erynn returned to her quarters after an early
dinner with Tam. Jaer was on a night exercise with the Anbas and
some new recruits. Not due to return until morning, Jaer wouldn’t
be coming to her quarters to tell her goodnight, as was his
custom.
    She sat curled on her bunk, a thick blanket
wrapped around her, a small computer on her lap. She leaned into
the corner. The uneven stone surface, rendered a pale, soothing
blue, was cold under the heavy white shirt she wore to sleep in.
She shivered and shifted over to the center of her bunk, piling
pillows behind her. On the wall opposite her bed, next to the door,
the DVSL [Dimensional Vid Source Link] allowed her to see and hear
the storm outside. Wind howled and drove icy grains of snow in an
irregular tapping against the panels protecting the powerful
observation lenses. She considered changing the view to the hangar
bay, but she wanted to feel, even if from a distance and safe in
her quarters, what Jaer was experiencing.
    She entered Farglas Lake into the
device and read several entries of dry information regarding its
size, how it had been formed, the exact location, the types of
creatures and plants living in its depths, the chemical makeup of
the water, and the life that existed around the lake. She found no
mention of an ancient city or shrine, even when she requested the
information.
    “Okay, try it from another angle,” she
muttered and entered, A L .
    The computer’s blank screen glowed. Words
finally appeared. In what reference ?
    Erynn considered the