Ice Baron (Ice Chronicles, Book One (science fiction romance)) (27 page)

The swiftly rushing river grew
larger and larger. White capped rivulets foamed, devouring boulders like rabid
dogs. It couldn’t be a nice, soft pond upon which they were about to land. Oh,
no. Instead, white river rapids with boulders the size of warships.

“Five, four…”

Anya’s life flashed before her
eyes. Her family, her parents…and Joshua. Always Joshua. Even when he made her
mad enough to spit, she loved him. She would always love him. Now, as he
wrestled with the ship, his hair glowed tawny in the sunlight streaming through
the windshield, his face drawn into grim lines of pure determination. If she had
to die, it would be looking at the man she loved.

God, please forgive me for my
sins. Take us to be with you…

“Got it!” Michael said in triumph.
Power surged through the bird and Joshua pulled up the bird’s nose as it shot
forward. Its belly skated the swift flowing skin of the river. Boulders, like
an obstacle course, hurtled toward them.

The ship rose, but not nearly fast
enough. How could they ever…

With swift dexterity, Joshua
steered the ship through the maze of boulders. All the while, the bird climbed,
bit by bit, until suddenly, just as they faced the largest boulder of all, they
skimmed clear and soared skyward.

“Thank God,” said the doctor.

“Amen,” Joshua agreed.

Michael went back on his heels. “We’re
good for another ten kilometers. I need to give this ship an overhaul before we
head back.”

“We’re not heading back,” Joshua
said. “We’ll milk this flight to a hundred kilometers, if we can. Then you’ll
fix the bird while I go to Gorno.”

Michael’s sable brows rose. “Whatever
you say.”

Anya cleared her throat, still
amazed and grateful that they were alive. “Just so it’s clear,” she said. “I’m
going with you, Joshua.”

Dark eyes met hers. “Yes, you are.
Because I can’t trust you to stay where you belong.”

His words evaporated her relief at
being alive as effectively as cold water slapped in her face. “We need to have
a discussion,” she returned coolly. “Before we go to Gorno.”

Michael made an “Uh oh” sound
under his breath.

Joshua’s gaze lingered on her for
another moment, and then returned to the controls. “Ten minutes to Gorno.”

Anya spent those ten minutes
rehearsing exactly what she would say to her dictatorial protector.

*  *  *  *  *

When they were twenty-five
kilometers shy of Gorno, Joshua drove the airbird down below the tree line in
order to try to camouflage their position from the satellites. As he whipped
between pine trees, Anya remembered how difficult it had been for her to
navigate through a forest. Of course, she had utterly failed. Success required
fierce concentration and flawless reflexes. Michael seemed content to let
Joshua steer his ship, and she now understood why Joshua had been given top
honors as a pilot. He possessed nerves of steel and faultless technical skill.
He also appeared to possess the fearless edge of a daredevil.

The ship glided to rest in a dark
glen overshadowed by thick trees. Meters distant, the mountain steeply sloped
downhill. Gorno was five kilometers distant, and just before they landed, she
had glimpsed its silver, flat dome beyond the trees.

“It’s just after twelve,” Joshua
said. “We attack at dusk. If we’re not back by twenty one hundred hours, fly
back to Zyra.”

“Nope,” Michael said. “Won’t think
like that. When you’re ready to escape, hit your transponder’s emergency
button. It’ll transmit your location. I can be there in minutes.”

The doctor spoke. “Damon could die
if we wait too long.”

Both Joshua and Michael turned to
Anya.

It was up to her. If she said the
word, Michael would return to the safety of Zyra. But that course of action would
jeopardize the lives of her other siblings. She touched her brother’s cool
skin.  “Damon would want us to rescue the others. He’d never abandon a fight.”

Joshua’s smile almost softened her
heart toward him. Almost. “I agree,” he said. “Michael, if you haven’t heard
from us by dawn, head home.”

Michael grinned, but did not
answer.

Joshua’s eyes rolled skyward. “Insubordination
everywhere I look.”

“If we’re in danger, we’ll move.
Otherwise, I’ll stick close for as long as I can. I won’t leave you alone in
that devil’s city.”

Joshua gripped his brother’s
shoulder. “You turned out all right.”

“Maybe I had a good example.”

Joshua glanced at Anya. “Ready?”

At her nod, he slung a pack on his
back and the door slid open. He jumped down into the deep, powdery snow, and
his gloved hand steadied her as she jumped out, too. The door slid shut.

They were alone in the silent
forest.

“Come on.” Joshua headed at a fast
clip down the slope. Pine trees dotted the pristine white landscape.

“We need a sled,” Anya said. “It
would be a lot quicker.”

He glanced at his handheld
computer. Sunlight revealed the raw, black burn mark slicing down the left side
of his face. It still looked awful, although she knew it had been treated in
Zyra. Hopefully, it would be better soon. “Satellite shows a cliff a kilometer
east. Sledding is not a good idea.” After checking more images, he shoved it
into his coat pocket.

Although Joshua had done a
remarkable job piloting the bird, she couldn’t help but ask, “How is your eye?”

“Pretty clear. But colors are
faded in the left one.”

“That’s good.” Improving. She was
glad.

They walked in silence. It didn’t
feel like a friendly silence, however. Unresolved issues festered between them.
Better to discuss them now, Anya reasoned, so they could focus on their mission
later. Hopefully, their “discussion” wouldn’t deteriorate matters still
further.

She followed behind him, walking
in his deep footprints. They hugged the tree line of the pines as much as
possible. Although it would be difficult to carry on an argument with the back
of Joshua’s parka, she said, “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Their feet swished and clumped
through deep snow.

Shortly, Joshua said, “You don’t
want to know.”

“You’re mad I planned to surrender
to Yegor.”

“I’m angry you won’t follow
orders.”

“Onred released Damon in good
faith. We killed Yegor. We ended negotiations before they could begin.”

“
Negotiations
would not
have saved your family.”

“So you say. I think differently.”

“As a soldier, you follow orders.
You don’t
think.
”

Anya gasped. “I am not a soldier.”

“That’s clear.”

She snapped, “I’m not brain dead,
either. Birn’s plan seemed stupid. To him, my family was expendable. He was
wrong. You’re both wrong.”

Joshua abruptly stopped and faced
her. She staggered to a stop, just shy of plowing into him.

His hand on her elbow steadied
her. “You’d be dead now if you had surrendered to Yegor.” Fire gleamed in the
topaz gaze.

“So you say,” she scoffed.

“So I
know.
” His grip
tightened. “I know those men. Yegor loved to torture prisoners.” At her small
gasp, he smiled thinly. “Didn’t know that? Yes, Anya. I might, as a
soldier
and
baron, know a few things you don’t.”

“I want to protect my family. I
would do anything…”

“And Onred knows that. He’s
playing you. He dangles hope like a carrot, knowing you’ll bite. You let your
heart rule you.”

Anya wrenched her arm free. “Well,
that’s better than being cold and analytical, like you.”

“I am not…”

“You are! You’re supposed to be
our protector. But you think my brother and sisters are expendable, don’t you?”

“No.”

“
Yes.
”

“No!” Through his teeth, he said, “I
hate this just as much as you do.”

“And yet you ordered the attack on
Yegor!” Her voice rose. “You knew full well that would enrage Onred. He’s already
threatened to…” She drew a gasping breath, unable to say aloud what Onred had
threatened to do to Marli. In a thin, furious voice, she pressed on, “But that
didn’t stop you! Not for one second. Because you’ve got a heart of
ice.
You’re rigid and inflexible and have a conniption fit whenever I disobey you.
You know why? Because you’re a control freak.
Joshua Van Heisman,”
she
mocked. “The mighty baron of Donetsk. Heaven help
anyone
who steps on
your…”

“Shut up,” he ground out. His
fingers bit into her shoulder. It hurt. Even through the snow gear.

Tears smarted her eyes. “You’re
bigger than me. You’re stronger than me. Is this how you’ll subdue me, Joshua?
By brute strength? Since you don’t want to hear the truth, you’ll strong arm me
into being quiet?”

“No. Would you just…”

“I hate you!” Overcome by the
violence of her emotions, she shoved him, hard. Eyes flaring wide in surprise,
Joshua toppled backward. Unfortunately, since he still had a grip on her
shoulder, she went with him. Anya ate a mouthful of snow, and ice plowed inside
her nostrils. She elbowed up, snorting free of the cold, suffocating powder.
She’d landed half on and half off of Joshua. He was buried so deep he looked
like a sunken snow angel. Shock still registered on his face.

Hot emotion shook through her.
Tears burned, but Anya wouldn’t cry. She hated arguing with Joshua. But he
refused to see her as an adult. He still wanted her to blindly obey him, like a
child. Or a soldier. Whether he liked it or not, she was neither. She had a
mind of her own. And he wasn’t always right. Her planned marriage to Onred was
a case in point.

Anya levered herself completely on
top of him, deciding to take advantage of her brief moment of control over him.
She gazed down into his dark, stormy brown eyes.

“Joshua.” She drew a breath. “I
hate this. I hate arguing with you. But I will never be a soldier. Not ever. I
want to do what’s right. I want to help you. But my family is in danger. They
come first. Before my life. Before your orders. Don’t you see? I love them.”

“I love them, too.” To her
complete surprise, his snowy hand lifted, and then gently cupped her cheek. “But
you…
” He heaved a deep breath.

Her breath caught. “Joshua...”

“Listen,” he said gruffly. “When I
knew you meant to surrender to them, I lost my head. I can’t lose you. I would
do anything to save
you
. Do you understand that?”

“Yes.” Could he possibly…? “Joshua…”

“Shh.” His snow encrusted glove
brushed across her lips. “I’m sorry about your family. I truly am. But Onred
will never release them. That’s a fact. They may still be alive—but not for
much longer. That’s why we’re here now. I’m going to rescue them, if I can.”

Her heart melted a little more.
Joshua loved her family. That’s why he was here. Maybe he wasn’t as hard and
cold as she had declared.

“Listen, Anya. If we hadn’t fired
on Yegor first, the Altai would have destroyed us. I’m certain Onred ordered
them to annihilate us. It’s how he operates. We were lucky to escape with
Damon.”

Anya finally began to understand
Joshua’s point of view. “I see,” she said faintly. Onred did plan to kill her
family, whether she surrendered or not.  “I should have listened to you. But I
was desperate to find a way—any way—to save my family. I didn’t want to
believe… I’m sorry.”

“Will you trust me?”

She had been foolish not to trust
him. If she had truly listened to him from the beginning, her harebrained
surrender plan would never have formed.

“Yes. I will.”

“Good,” he murmured. His hand slid
behind her neck, and he drew her down to him. She surrendered utterly when his
warm, firm lips parted beneath her own. His kiss threatened to steal her soul.

By the time Joshua released her,
Anya felt quite warm, lying in the snow with him. Color washed his good cheekbone.
His lips lifted in a faint smile, “We’d better go, or I might keep you here
until dusk.”

She blushed. “That is not
appropriate talk, Baron.”

He pushed a wisp of hair behind
her ear. “Then get off me. We’ve got a mission to accomplish.”

She gave a tiny gasp. “Like I’m
the one holding us up!” Well, maybe she had been. Anya rolled off and offered
him a helping hand out of the snow bed. Then she swiped snow off his back and
broad shoulders until he tramped forward, leaving her behind.

“Another two hours to Gorno,” he
reported. “Maybe more, depending on the climb down the cliff.”

“How will we get inside?”

“I have a few ideas.”