Horde by Ann Aguirre

Author:Ann Aguirre [Aguirre, Ann]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2013-10-29T07:00:00+00:00

Interlude

The moon was a silver crescent brightening the gauzy veil of the midnight sky. With the snow still coming down in lazy flutters, I saw the cold in the smoky whorls of my breath. I gazed up as I followed Fade silently. My feet crunched on the layer of snow, untouched apart from the watchmen who patrolled the town at night. There wasn’t a curfew, but if they caught us wandering at this hour, there would be questions. I didn’t imagine they would look kindly on “we missed sparking” as an answer.

Fade’s hand was warm when he wrapped it around mine. He tugged. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” I asked.

He shushed me with such obvious delight that I didn’t have the heart to ask again. He wanted to surprise me, so I let him. Our destination was a medium-size building with smoke wafting up. That meant there was a fire lit inside, and considering how cold it had become and how much snow had accumulated during the day, I was glad to see it. After jiggling the door just so, he popped it open. Within lay some kind of meeting place, but more comfortable than HQ. Instead of tables there were padded chairs and sofas scattered throughout. Shelving contained a few old books, most in worse condition than The Day Boy and the Night Girl.

“What is this?” I asked, stepping in.

“The officers’ club. It’s where they go in their off hours to drink and avoid their families.”

That sounded odd. “Are you sure nobody will catch us?”

He shook his head. “They’re asleep by now. I’ve come here to think more than once, and nobody bothered me. The enlisted men are afraid of punishment, so they don’t trespass. As long as we don’t turn on any lights or make a ton of noise, none of the watchmen will come in.”

The fire had burned down low, so Fade moved to stir it, churning the glowing orange sparks through the ashes, then he added a length of wood from the pile. With careful management, the blaze caught, then he beckoned me to the sofa nearest the hearth. It was old and worn, like most things in Soldier’s Pond; I could see where the leather had been poorly patched.

It was toasty in here compared with the outdoors. I imagined being in the woods and shivered. Fade pulled me down beside him, probably believing I was cold. I didn’t enlighten him as I settled against his side. Warmth prickled over my skin, both from the cheerful fire and his proximity.

“This is a nice surprise.” I hadn’t known there was anyplace we could escape to, here.

“It’s not the same,” he said.

I knew what he meant. The first night we stayed together, there had been candles and kissing, whispered words and inexpressible sweetness.

“There’s only one way to find out.”

Holding his gaze with mine, I waited until he offered permission in the form of a quick nod. Then I touched his cheek with gentle fingertips, tracing over to his temple.

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