Ice Baron (Ice Chronicles, Book One (science fiction romance)) Read Online Free Page B

Bogd, Onred’s main
city.
    After locking the restroom door,
Anya quickly set to work. She pulled off her jacket and slipped on an
ultra-light, specialty vest, and then she slipped knives, a laser gun, and back
up solar charges into the loops in her belt. Next tucked in were matches, a solar
light, rations, and a cup-sized water purifier, complete with instant heater,
to melt snow into a hot drink. The minimum needed, should she lose her bag. She
pulled her parka back on, and adjusted the top pouch of the underlying vest.
Last of all, she tied the bag to her arm with thin black rope, which matched
the color of her parka.
    Done. Although her heart beat
rapidly and nerves twisted through the pit of her stomach, Anya left the restroom
with a bored expression on her face. She wandered to the window and looked down
at the barren wasteland far below, which was bordered by the craggy Tien Shan mountains. She searched for the dip, indicating the pass through the towering
mountain peaks. There it was, to the south—the Dzungarian Gate. Her second
destination.
    Her first destination, however,
was this white, barren, no-man’s land; but at a point as close as possible to
the Dzungarian Gate. She glanced at her watch. Previous calculations told her
that only two minutes remained. Heart beating harder, she swallowed and stared
outside. From this vantage point, it was impossible to tell that lakes lay
beneath the unending sheet of snow. Snow drifts had claimed frozen Lake Zaysan to the east, and to the west, Lake Balkhash. This wasteland, with temperatures
which reached as low as -42° C in February, was far too desolate for human
habitation, but she would survive well enough. Her hard, militaristic father had
trained both of his oldest daughters in the basic elements of survival. He had
wanted them to be prepared for everything.
    Anya was glad for that now. But
she hoped she would meet no snow leopards. The animals, which used to prowl the
higher mountains, now hunted the warmer, lower elevations in search of food.
Her laser would protect her, of course—provided she saw the animal before it
sprang upon her.
    Beneath her lashes, Anya glanced
sideways at the cabin. One of Onred’s men watched her, but the others had
closed their eyes, intent on a nap between here and Onred’s home city of Bogd, more than an hour distant.
    She wandered toward the pilot
area. No one followed her. This was going to be easy. Anya actually felt disappointed.
She found she was itching for a fight. Was it because she was sick of feeling
impotent, with her entire life dictated by others…duty, the Old Barons’ Law....
Ultimately, of course, by Joshua. The gray door to the cockpit was at hand. She
pulled the laser from her belt, yanked open the door and barged into the small
space.
    “Hey!”
    “Get out,” barked the pilot.
    “You don’t belong…” The sight of
Anya’s laser shut up all three crew members.
    Slowly and distinctly, she said, “Open
the emergency door.”  As trained by her father, she knew that the cabin, at
these low altitudes, was not pressurized. Opening the door would harm none of
the cockpit crew, who were seatbelted, in any event.
    One man’s hand crept across the
dashboard. Anya whipped her laser toward the emergency door handle and fired.
Green lights flickered in the cockpit, and something sizzled. An acrid smell
drifted to her nose. Everyone froze, staring at the madwoman who had invaded
their cockpit. Anya shoved the laser into her belt, ran for the door, and
rammed a shoulder into the emergency release bar. The door jerked right, and air
blasted into the cockpit. A hard lunge, and she was through, falling into
empty, cold air, hurtling toward the earth.
    Soft snowflakes brushed her skin
as she yanked and jerked at the vest under her jacket collar, searching for the
ripcord. Where was it?
    Below, the flat snow pack and a
few huge drifts rushed closer. Her fingers finally brushed the knotted cord and
yanked. With force, the