Honeymoon: 2/?
by Linda Garrick and Nancy Smith
II
The day passed blissfully. Alan and Lyn settled themselves in their room, had dinner and champagne brought in, and enjoyed each other's company. Lyn was still full of surprises, Alan had discovered in the past two days, as well as he'd thought he knew her. She slept with a teddy bear, snuggled against her, breathing softly -- almost undetectably. Her eyes when they first opened in the morning were the color of storm clouds -- not hazel-brown as they appeared in daylight. Her hair, like his own, was unmanageably curly.
The went down to breakfast the following morning at 0900. The little dining room was crowded now, and all the booths were taken. Alan and Lyn seated themselves at a small table -- one of the four in the center of the room. The Procyons who had accompanied them on the shuttle yesterday were seated at the table beside them. The two males glanced across at them, their dark eyes expressionless. The female never turned her head. She was clad, Alan noticed without surprise, in the dark furred cloak of the nobility. The feathers on her head were tied into a topknot and bound with silk ribbons. One of the uppermost elite, he assumed. Procyons could be a haughty lot. He preferred Arcturians as a species. They were more like Terrans in their mental processes. He glanced around. There was Mr. Grouch who had also been on the shuttle yesterday. He was alone in a corner booth, drinking coffee, a surprisingly lavish breakfast laid out before him. He didn't appear to have eaten much of it.
"There he is," Lyn said quietly. "I wonder what he's doing here. He doesn't look like a skier, does he?"
"A hunter, maybe."
"I'll bet. He looks mean enough to kill anything."
"That's for sure."
Lyn giggled. "There's our fellow honeymooners."
Alan had already noticed them. The young couple occupied a window booth. They were holding hands across the table and smiling at each other. "They seem very much in love."
"She's pregnant," Lyn said.
"Oh, is she?" Alan hadn't picked it up, but now that Lyn mentioned it, his clairvoyance detected the quiver of another life within the girl. "Oh, yes. Now I see it. A boy, I think."
Lyn smiled at him. "You were always better at detecting the sex than me. I'd have had to touch her, I think."
"I wonder if she knows." Alan started to extend a probe toward the girl's mind, and then stopped as Lyn squeezed his knee.
"Watch it dear. Arcturians behind you."
Alan quickly put up his shields. Arcturians were generally a friendly species, and most of them were sympathetic to their fellows among the lower species, probably because their own race was among the most persecuted by the Jilectans. But they did possess the unique ability to detect unshielded Terran psychics. Some were very sensitive to psychic energy, others less so. Most of them needed to be within touching distance of an unshielded psychic to pick up the aura, but a few individuals were more sensitive. Probably these Arcturians were friendly, but he didn't want to take any chances. His control was excellent, and it was doubtful the Ceregon natives would detect him, even with his shields down, but it would be silly to take risks. Lyn would have to be more careful. Her control was less precise than his own.
The waitress arrived with a smile and menus. They both ordered the specials - bacon and French toast. The coffee was wonderful. Through the huge bay windows they could see the sun shining brightly on the snow.
"What'll we do first?" Lyn asked.
"We could hike around and check out the scenery," Alan suggested. "And we could look at the ski slopes. I'd like to go snowmobiling, while we're here. I haven't been since we vacationed at my grandma's farm when I was twelve."
"It sounds like fun. Do you suppose they have snowmobiles for rent?"
The waitress had returned with their meals, and caught Lyn's words. "Sure, we have snowmobiles, and power skis and toboggans," she informed them as she set their food deftly before them. "We have just about any kind of winter equipment you could want. Just ask in the office. It's on the far side of the lobby." She efficiently replaced the selection of four different kinds of syrup on the condiment tray and set a small dish of butter and jam packets in the center of the table. "Do you need anything else?"
"I think that will do it. Thank you." Alan picked up his fork and began to eat. The food was excellent. "This is great."
The Arcturians finished their breakfast and departed. A minute or two after they had disappeared, three more people entered the dining room. They were two little girls and a woman. The woman appeared to be in her early forties -- short, dumpy and plain, with her brown hair pulled back into an unimaginative bun, a broad, square face and tiny eyes set close together. The girls were a sharp contrast to their companion. They were probably approaching their teens -- the taller one showing unmistakable signs of impending womanhood -- and both had exactly the same shade of auburn red hair. They were small and slim, with pretty round faces, wide set dark blue eyes and flawless alabaster complexions. Their clothing was simple and stylish -- the attire of well-to-do Terran children on vacation -- brightly colored, snug bodysuits, cuffed with dark fur at the wrists and throat. Both were smiling and their shrill, lighthearted chatter reached Alan and Lyn across the murmur of voices. The hostess led them to the Arcturians' vacated table, which was rapidly being cleared. Alan grinned faintly at the exuberance of the two kids and allowed his mind shields to relax.
Instantly he sensed the aura. Psychics! Lyn's eyes met his across the table. She, too, had picked up the sensation.
Alan scanned quickly, one eye on the room's exit. There was no sign of the Arcturians.
The girls were psychics, all right, unshielded, untrained, and blissfully unaware of their abilities. Their auras were quite remarkable, and it occurred to him that the Arcturians could not have failed to notice them.
He scanned their minds quickly. They were, not surprisingly, sisters. The elder, Margaret (called Maggie) was nearing fifteen. The younger, Megan, was thirteen. They were the only children of a wealthy Terran executive named Bernard Hawke. Their mother, Estelle Hawke, was the center of her social circle, and spent a good deal of her time at parties and social gatherings. Alan saw a vague picture of both parents in the girls' minds. The girls resembled their father more than their mother in coloring -- not that that meant anything. Psychic abilities were like any other dominant genetic trait. Kids could look exactly like one parent physically, but carry the other's blood type.
The woman with them, Alan saw from the mind of young Maggie, was their governess, one Miss Eunice Pick. She was a stiff old broad, from the young lady's bigoted point of view -- not a bit interesting and maddeningly hard to put anything over on. Alan found that interesting. Psychic kids were the most intuitive and ingenious of beings. He turned his attention to the governess.
And experienced a shock. Shielding! The governess was tightly and expertly shielded from psychic probes. Carefully he felt for those invisible barriers, trying not to alert the woman of what he was doing. Shielded individuals could usually detect a psychic probe attempt. No, the shielding wasn't natural. Someone had taught this lady -- someone who knew something about shields. That was disquieting. Could she be a Jil plant? But if so, why hadn't she turned the girls in? According to Maggie's mind, she'd been with them for nearly a year.
Unless maybe she wasn't sure yet, and was still watching the young ladies to be absolutely certain before she did anything....
Lyn's mind nudged his and her voice spoke in his thoughts. *Lighten up, Alan! We're on our honeymoon, remember? Pleasure has to come before business sometimes!*
He grinned. *Sorry.*
She smiled back at him, and again her voice spoke within his mind. *I admit, it's hard to get out of the habit, but there's probably some perfectly logical explanation.*
*Probably.* Alan deliberately turned his mind from the psychic presences beside him. After all, from what he had seen in the girl's mind, both they and the Arcturians had been here for several days. If the Ceregon natives had any plans of reporting the girls, surely they would have done so by now. And Miss Pick didn't look like a Jil plant to him. Of course, that didn't really mean anything, either.
They finished breakfast, paid the bill, and stood up to depart. Maggie and Megan were watching them with interest, and Alan gave them his best smile. "Hello."
Their faces relaxed into beautiful smiles in return. "Hello!" Maggie said. "Are you the newlyweds?"
He nodded. "I guess it's obvious, isn't it?"
"Maggie," the governess said warningly.
Maggie ignored the woman's remonstrance. "I'm Maggie Hawke and this is my sister, Megan. What are your names?"
"Alan Woodruff," Alan said, his shields carefully up to keep her from sensing the lie. "And this is my wife, Lyn."
"Glad to meet you." The little girls' smiles lit up their faces. "Have you been here before? We have!"
"It's our first time," Alan told Maggie. "We're going to go skiing."
"Us, too! And everything else. We...."
The governess broke in. "That's enough, Maggie. I'm sure these two have other things to do besides listen to you all day."
The girl scowled slightly, but shut up. The governess spoke to Alan apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mr. Woodruff. I'm afraid sometimes Maggie is too exuberant for her own good."
"That's okay, Miss Pick," Lyn said uncomfortably. Alan gave his wife a mental poke. The governess had not yet been introduced.
But the woman gave no sign that she'd noticed anything amiss. "I see other people have been talking, since you know my name."
"Oh," said Lyn, her voice deliberately casual, "I heard someone mention you. Actually I think the conversation was about something else entirely and your names just came up."
"I see," the governess said dubiously.
Alan cleared his throat. "Well, we'll be going. I'm sure we'll see you around. Bye Maggie. Bye Megan."
"Bye," Megan answered. Maggie didn't reply, her expression sulky.
They went out. Lyn's hand squeezed his briefly and her voice spoke in his mind. *I'm sorry. That was stupid.*
*I've done it, myself, and under much worse circumstances. Don't worry about it.*
*I know, but this lady's shielded. I don't like that.*
Alan sighed. *Maybe she's an Undergrounder.*
*With a pair of unshielded psychic children and Arcturians hanging around?*
*Hmm...I guess not, huh?*
*The psychics would have to be Undergrounders, too. And they aren't -- unless they have selective shielding. And what would be the point?*
*I don't know. Some setup of the Underground to find informers, maybe? Still, you'd think one of them would have given us a recognition signal.^
*Maybe they were waiting for us to give it.*
Alan sighed. *Next time we see them we'll try it. Right now, let's have some fun. We're on our honeymoon, remember?*
Lyn laughed and hooked her arm through his. Together they strolled into the office and spoke to the young woman behind the desk. Five minutes later, skiing equipment in hand, they headed for the slopes.
The skiing was wonderful. Alan had never seen such beautiful powdery slopes. The cold air bit into his nostrils and stung his cheeks. Lyn was like a little snow fairy beside him, her bright yellow ski cap making her brown eyes glow amber. They chased each other down the steep inclines, twisting and turning expertly, the snow spraying beneath their skis. After an hour they were joined by the psychic sisters, who proved nearly as skillful as they. Alan skidded to a halt at the base of the final slope, and young Maggie arrived beside him. She had apparently forgotten to sulk, for her cheeks were flushed, her eyes shining with enjoyment. Her sister arrived beside her an instant later in a swirl of snow.
"Hey!" she shouted at Alan. "You're good, Mr. Woodruff!"
"Thanks!" Alan grinned at her, then lifted a hand to rub his nose with the base of his thumb, touched both eyebrows briefly with his first and third fingers, then blinked twice, making up the recognition signal.
The girls noticed nothing. Megan nudged her sister from the rear, trying to knock her off balance. Lyn came skidding over beside Alan. "Hi, girls!"
"Hi, Mrs. Woodruff!"
"Where's Miss Pick?"
Maggie made a face. "Inside. And I hope she stays there!"
"Is she pretty hard on you girls?" Lyn moved closer and also gave the recognition signal.
And again it was utterly ignored. Megan grinned impishly. "She tries to order us around, but she can't! She's too slow and stupid!"
"She's a bitch!" Maggie put in. "I liked our last governess better."
Alan gave the recognition signal one last time. Megan looked at her sister. "I'll race you!"
"Okay!"
The two girls sped away toward the ski lift. Lyn glanced at Alan.
"Well, I guess that settles it."
"I guess so." Alan shrugged. "Come on! One more trip down, then we'll have something hot to drink."
After their final trip they were hot and panting. Alan shed his skis and grinned at his pretty wife. "I'm hungry!"
"Me too!" She glanced around as the Arcturians arrived within seconds of each other at the base of the slope. Alan put his shields up quickly.
"Hi there!" he said.
Both beings surveyed him with glowing yellow eyes. They were very similar in appearance, being tall, muscular and sporting large, slightly ruffled crests. One's muzzle, however, was noticeably longer than that of his companion. Both wore colorful, incredibly light ski clothing and the Arcturian equivalent of Terran skis. Neither of them appeared to be suffering at all from the cold, in spite of their inadequate clothing, but then, of course, they wouldn't. Due to the environment of their home world, Arcturians were very adaptable creatures and cared little for extremes in weather. They loved Terran sports and were among Terra's main competitors for the gold medal in null-grav polo, football and baseball. Alan often thought that it hardly seemed fair. Terrans had invented the sports, and then got regularly beaten at them by the Arcturians.
"Good day," the one with the long muzzle answered. "You are zee newleywedss, I am told. Are you enshoying your honeymoon?"
Alan managed not to blush at the creature's directness. "Yes we are, thank you. I'm Alan Woodruff and this is my wife, Lyn."
Both beings inclined their heads politely. "I am Ginnar," the one with the muzzle informed them, "and ziss iss my brozzer, Gonnar."
"Here for skiing?" Alan asked.
"Yess--azz well azz hunting, tobogganing and for zee marvelouss cuissine, of coursse."
Alan smiled. "It is good, isn't it?"
"Excellent!" Ginnar bared shockingly long canines in appreciation. "Zere iss no better anywhere on Trachum!"
"You've been to other resorts here?" Lyn asked.
"Sseveral." Gonnar regarded the girl without interest. "Come, brozzer."
"I musst go." Ginnar spoke apologetically. "My brozzer cannot get enough of zee ssportss here."
"We're going too," Alan told him hastily. "We're starving. See you around."
The two Arcturians headed for the ski lift. Lyn and Alan followed slowly, carrying their skis.
"They seem nice enough," said Lyn. "Gonnar's a bit abrupt, but what do you expect? We interrupted his skiing."
"Oh, let's quit worrying!" Alan gave her a gentle, telekinetic pat on the rear. "Most Arcturians won't do anything to help the Jils, and these guys aren't poverty stricken if they can afford to stay here. They aren't likely to turn the girls in."
They took the ski lift back to the lodge. The sun was bright on the snow -- almost too bright. Alan glanced toward the horizon from his lofty seat on the ski lift chair and saw the clouds massing to the east. "Uh oh. Looks like we might be in for bad weather."
Lyn followed his glance. "Looks like it," she agreed, snuggling against him. "I love walking in the snow."
The only walk in the snow Alan had ever experienced was a near fatal hike one memorable night on Riskell when he and Mark had rescued Alan's kid sister from the Jilectans. Although the outcome had been good, the actual experience had been most unpleasant. But, warmly clad and with Lyn on his arm, and no Patrol search parties scouting for them, he was quite willing to give it another try. Feeling warm and happy, he pulled her closer and kissed her. The kiss turned into a second kiss, then a third, each more enthusiastic than the one before, and by the time they arrived back at the lodge they were compelled to retire to their room for half an hour.
Then, leisurely, they dressed again and went down to lunch. It was a little past noon, and the clouds had thickened, occasionally blotting out the bright sunlight. A snowflake whirled past the window.
"Big storm coming," the pretty waitress remarked, setting their meals before them. "I heard it on the radio. Blizzard warnings." She smiled. "It's kind of nice to be cut off from the rest of the population for awhile."
"You think it'll be that bad?" Lyn asked.
"Oh yes!" her smile widened. "It's fun! You'll see. We're all alone up here when one of these big ones comes in. It's like there's no one else on Trachum except us." She paused to refill their coffee cups, then lowered her voice. "Be careful, though. Sometimes people get lost when these blizzards hit. It's happened before."
"Recently?" Alan asked.
"Oh, no...well yes, we had a young man lost two years ago, but he was found again. Frostbite and exposure -- but he recovered. But ten... maybe eleven years ago another young man -- a kid, really, got lost and was never found. I wasn't here then, but I heard about it."
"They never found his body?" Lyn asked in surprise.
"No, not even his body. They figure he fell down a canyon somewhere to the north of here -- there's hundreds of them, very deep, with icy streams at the bottom of them. Or it's possible he was lost in one of the Heginthvar caves to the northwest. One of the searchers swore he heard someone calling for help from those caves, and search parties were dispatched, but nothing was ever found. They're huge caverns, hollowed out by water and glacial activity, and actually merge into the Heginthvar canyons. The caves are quite breathtaking, really. If you're back here in the summer you can go on a tour of 'em. Beautiful. Some of the prettiest rock formations you'll see anywhere. Of course, if the kid really did go in there and wandered off the tour path, he'd never be found."
"How terrible!" Lyn said.
The waitress nodded. "There are lots of stories about those caverns. People say they hear the boy in there sometimes, still calling for help." She shivered comfortably and smiled. "Stories like that attract visitors. There's nothing like a good, old fashioned ghost to bring the tourists in droves."
Alan shivered, too, feeling a chill run up his spine. The girl nodded understandingly. "I know. It isn't really romantic at all when you look at it logically and think about what probably really happened to the poor kid." She smiled again. "Be careful. One story like that is enough for a place like this."
Alan agreed with her. Deliberately he turned his thoughts from that long ago tragedy and attacked with enthusiasm the plate of food the girl had set before him.
By the time they had finished, the snow was coming down more heavily, giving a Christmas card effect to the scene beyond the window. At Lyn's urging, he donned his coat and boots, preparing for their stroll through the snowy countryside.
Miss Pick emerged from the lift, hurried across the lobby and peered for an instant into the coffee shop. Alan remembered seeing her earlier, reading a romance novel in a chair by the lounge fireplace, but something in her attitude now made him pause. The woman hurried across the lounge and peered for a moment into the office.
Alan went over to her and touched her shoulder. "Is something wrong, Miss Pick?"
She turned to look at him, her face flushed with annoyance. "Oh, Mr. Woodruff...it's just the most annoying thing, but...have you seen the two girls?"
"They were skiing out on the west end slopes this morning," Lyn said.
"Yes...yes, I know. I saw them come in around noon and go across to the lifts. I didn't see them come down again, although it's possible they did, but now I can't find them!"
"You've checked out the rec rooms?"
"I've been everywhere I can think of." She made a furious gesture and shook her head. "They're hiding, I suppose. I declare, kids today." She surveyed the two of them for a moment. Then, "Take my advice and wait awhile. Kids make you old before your time."
Alan felt his face flush, and Lyn went pink. The governess sighed. "I suppose I'd better go out and search for them. Dear heaven, but I hate the snow!"
Lyn put a comforting hand on her arm. "Alan and I are going for a stroll. We'll keep an eye out for them."
"Oh, thank you. I'm sure they'll show up...and when they do..."
They left her and went out into the snow. The flakes were large, floating steadily down with no sign of abating. Lyn hooked her arm in Alan's and smiled up at him. Snowflakes gathered on her hood and stuck to her lashes.
They took a trail, which wound up the hillside to the south of the lodge. Huge evergreens towered over them, and bare deciduous trees shook their branches in the wind with a faint rattling sound. Every now and then the wind would gust sharply, swirling the snowflakes around them.
They had gone perhaps two kilometers when Alan became aware of a presence ahead of them at an angle to the east. It was a Terran presence, and for a moment he thought perhaps they had found one of the missing girls. Lyn sensed it, too, a moment after he did, and pulled him to a stop.
No, it wasn't the girls. The presence was that of a young man -- the same young man who had arrived yesterday on the transport with them. Alan glanced at Lyn. "Well, we can ask him if he's seen the kids."
She frowned. "I don't like him."
Alan had, of course, been aware of his wife's feelings. He shrugged. "He's a spoiled kid."
"He likes to hurt things."
"All hunters kill."
"I think he likes the pain he causes - not the excitement of the kill."
Alan raised an eyebrow at her. She tossed her head. "You talk to him. I don't want anything to do with him."
"Okay." Alan started forward again, holding her hand. Their feet were almost silent in the soft snow -- silent enough that a small, dainty, four-footed creature didn't notice them until they were suddenly upon it. The creature leaped sideways at their sudden appearance and bolted into the trees.
Alan felt the flash of warning at the same instant. He threw himself sideways at Lyn, hurling them both to the ground. A fraction of a second later there was the angry hiss of a laser beam striking dampness and a snow-covered branch a little to their left fell, sheered from the limb to which it had been attached. Steam swirled away in the wind, and from somewhere ahead of them came an angry curse.
"He shot at us!" Lyn gasped.
"No, he shot at the animal!" Alan was on his feet and running forward. Past a small copse of evergreen was the boy, his face distorted in rage.
"You scared it!" he shouted. "You scared the fayebuck, you as*!"
Alan grabbed the kid's arm, disregarding the fact that the boy was a head taller than he. "You idiot! There's no hunting allowed in this area! You could have killed us!"
The boy tried to jerk his arm free and swore when he failed. "Let go of me, you little twerp! I hunt where I please!"
"Oh, do you? And what if you'd killed us?"
"Can't see that it would have been much of a loss." The boy laughed nastily, then jerked his head as Lyn appeared, covered with snow. "Ah, you're the newlyweds! I should have known. Your minds are always somewhere else besides where you are." Again he tried to jerk his arm free and cussed when he failed. "Let go, you little slimeball! My father'll have you in jail for this!"
"I think it's more likely you'll be the one in jail," Alan told him. "Firing a hunting rifle on a trail designated for hikers"
"I told you, as* , I hunt where I please! My father...."
"So," Lyn said, "you're allowed to break the law because your father's rich, but if my husband touches you, you'll have him thrown in jail?"
He smiled unpleasantly at her. "You're beautiful when you're angry, sweetheart."
"How old are you?" Alan asked. He didn't need to ask, of course. He'd been scanning the boy for the last two minutes, and his age was foremost in his mind. He was eighteen going on nineteen, but he was thinking he'd better not let this bozo know. If he did, the guy might get violent, and it appeared the guy was stronger than he looked.
"I'm seventeen, so you'd better take your hands off of me, you stupid bozo."
Alan didn't comply. "You endangered both our lives, Teddy, and I intend to report you when I get back to the lodge."
The boy threw him an obscene gesture with his free hand. "Go ahead, bozo. My father owns this lodge."
"Really? Well then, I doubt it will be very good for business if we let it be known the owner of Bathvill Lodge allows his son to shoot laser rifles along the hiking trails."
For a second the boy's glance wavered. "Well, he doesn't exactly own it, but we come here a lot, and...."
"Well, then, I'll talk to your father and the management of the lodge. I'm sure some kind of arrangement will be worked out. Those two little girls are missing, and may be out here somewhere. So don't go firing your rifle at anything that moves."
Again the obscene gesture. Alan caught the other wrist. "Lyn, get the rifle."
Lyn removed it from the boy's grip. Young Teddy cussed, aiming a kick at her. She avoided it easily, slinging the rifle onto her own back and skipping away from the furious boy.
"Give it back to me, you bitch! How dare you! My father...."
"I'll return the rifle to your father," Lyn said. "And I'll tell him he'd better give you some extensive training in firearm safety before giving you another one."
Alan let him go and stepped back. The boy gave an inarticulate curse and leaped at him. Alan sidestepped and jabbed gently at a nerve center. The boy writhed to the snow, huddled into a ball.
"Stay away from my wife and me after this," Alan said. "Come on, Lyn."
"I'll have the law on you!" the boy sputtered. "Striking a minor...."
"Striking?" Alan said. "Why, I never touched you, at least not in a way that will leave any evidence." He presented his arm to Lyn. "Come, my dear."
As they walked away, young Teddy was just getting to his knees.
"Well," Lyn said quietly when they were out of earshot, "that was a pleasant little interlude."
"Charming young man," Alan agreed.
"We never did ask him about the missing girls."
Alan laughed. "I was reading him when I mentioned them. He hadn't seen them." He paused, then shook his head slowly. "He's going to be nineteen in a few months, but he's had an eye on the fifteen-year old. When I mentioned that they might be out here, his only thought was that if he found little Maggie alone he'd try to make it with her."
Lyn was silent a moment, then glanced at him, her eyes twinkling. "You know, you really shouldn't have called him Teddy before he'd introduced himself."
Alan laughed with her. "I know. I caught myself as soon as I did it. Still, I doubt it'll matter. Teddy and his father are regulars here. Anyone on the management could have told us his name."
Alan kept his scans out as they proceeded, but there was nothing of Teddy's presence following them. Perhaps the boy had learned his lesson, although Alan doubted it. People like young Theodore Dupres didn't learn that easily.
**********
tbc
