Grandfather?
I’d hate to surrender easily to his manipulations.
Is that fair on Flavia?
I don’t know. She’s pretty cool. I can’t get past her public mind.
Have you tried?
Ethics are involved, Lar.
In love and war, all `s fair, isn’t it?
This is neither love nor war sister dear. Speaking of which, how come Kincaid dano got posted to Clarf?
As to that, I couldn’t get on with that wretched Clarissia.
She was even worse than Stierlman and proved `Diniphobic to the point of acute embarrassment for the Tower. I can’t keep breaking up Yoshuk and Nesrun They are a pairing, then?
Far’s I know.
How’s Kincaid working out?
As well as could be expected with someone as mentally fatigued as he is. But he’s improving.
Laria had been skimming quite low and had set the sled’s speed at almost a walking pace so that Flavia could enjoy the landscape. She was ascending a shrub-covered hill when all of a sudden a large flock of avians sprang up in front of the sled. In an effort to avoid unnecessary slaughter, Laria hauled the sled sideways but, in doing so, unbalanced her passengers so they slid to the portside. What with the sled’s slow forward speed and the proximity of the hill, the imbalance tilted the sled out of control. The humans grabbed at the lighter `Dinis to keep them from tumbling overboard but they were, in turn, overbalanced and fell over the side. Laria caught Tip’s arm, saw that Kincaid had fell, and had to leave Thian and Flavia to manage his `Dinis. They all `ported safely away as the sled ploughed its nose into the hillside.
Setting Tip down on its feet, Laria regarded the sled, its motor still running, with stunned surprise.
`I didn’t think I was that out of practice,’ she said, shaking her head. `After all, I do a great deal of sledding about on Clarf and Vanteer prefers me to drive him.’ The motor cut suddenly, with a loud discharge from its exhaust tubes which blew back a noxious smell.
`Hoooo,’ and Thian waved the reek off `Everyone’s OK?’ Laria asked, looking about her.
`I must say you lay on unusual entertainments for guests, Kincaid said.
Laria flushed. `I probably did overcompensate for the flock but they make such a mess if they get sucked into the intake.
Kincaid laughed. `Don’t get me wrong, Laria. I’m not objecting.
A relief to know that emergency reflexes are in working order.’ Thian, followed by his `Dinis, walked over to the tilted sled, peering at the underside.
`How bad’s the damage, Thi?’ Laria asked, not quite sure of Kincaid’s jest.
`You did a lot worse when you were learning to fly `thian Lyon, I never put a single Thian laughed and suddenly the sled backed out of the trench it had dug in the shrubs and soil and settled on as even a keel as the rough ground permitted. Flavia and Kincaid joined him so that Laria broke out of her outraged pose and sprinted the few metres to join them.
`Shouldn’t’ve overbalanced like that,’ Thian said.
`No, this model isn’t supposed to, is it?’ Kincaid said
her mother generally kept them in, beside the tool
and opened the access panel.
`D’you think it’ll restart?’ Laria asked.
`Probably,’ Kincaid said, `but I think there’s something wrong with the d lines or there wouldn’t have been that backfire.’ `I’ll check the intakes,’ Thian said and levered himself down for a good look at the hooded opening on the starboard side of the sled.
`Good heavens, Thian, why not just “look”?’ Flavia asked.
`More fun to tinker when I have the chance,’ Thian said, his voice muffled by his position. `Yeah, flight pinions clogging this one.
Check the other, will you?
Laria? Flavia?’ Flavia made a sound of disgust, totally out of character to her elegant exterior. She deposited a bloodied clump beside the mess Thian had extracted.
`Couldn’t we just `port back to the Tower?’ she asked.
`What?’ Laria asked, `and admit that we came a cropper?’ `Any tools on board?’ Kincaid asked, holding up a very greasy-looking object.
`I doubt it,’ Laria said. `This sled’s only used for short hops.