The Snow Queen

“Yes, Inspector! I’m capable.” He nodded, still looking straight ahead. She watched more words struggle in his throat; he swallowed hard, like an angry child. The craft began to nose slowly back and around, edging toward the city.

“What did Starbuck say just before the Queen sent us away?” She kept the tone impersonal. She could recognize some of the Kharemoughis’ ideo graphic writing — the operating instructions on most of their exported equipment — but she had never bothered to learn spoken Sandhi. The force used the speech of the place where they were stationed as a linguistic common ground.

Gundhalinu cleared his throat, swallowed again. “Begging your pardon, ma’am, the bastard said… “If you’re what the Hegemony sends to represent itself, it must be short on balls these days.”“

“Is that all?” Jerusha made a sound that was almost a laugh. “Hell, that’s a compliment… I’m surprised the Queen thought it was fu

“Besides,” Gundhalinu mumbled viciously, “she’s got his.”

She did laugh this time. “Yeah. And welcome to them. So Star buck is from Kharemough.”

Another nod.

“What did he say to you?”

He shook his head.

“There’s nothing you could possibly say that I haven’t heard by now,

BZ.”

“I know, Inspector.” He looked back at her finally, away again with his freckles reddening. “That is, I can’t tell you. It wouldn’t mean anything, unless you’d been raised on Kharemough. A matter of Honor.”

“I see.” She had heard him speak of Honor before, heard the capital H, the peculiar emphasis.

“I — thank you for taking my part against Starbuck. I could not have responded on my own to his insults without further losing face.” The ceremony of the words and the sudden gratitude in his voice caught her by surprise.

She looked out at the nobility and servants gaping back at them through the shattered windshield as they drifted past the mansions of the upper city. “There’s no honor lost in being insulted by a man who never knew the meaning of the word.”

“Thank you.” He swerved upward to avoid a child floating golden hoops in their path. “But I brought it on myself; I know that. And I caused trouble for you, and embarrassment to the force. If you want to dismiss me as your assistant, I’ll understand.”

She leaned back in the padded concavity of the seat, flexed the hand that Starbuck had bruised. “Maybe it would be just as well if you didn’t go with me to pay any more calls on the Queen, BZ. Not because I really disapprove of what you did. Simply because Star buck has a weapon he can use against you now; and that will only make it hard on you, and harder on me by association, and harder to keep them from dragging the Hedge’s good name in the mud. Other than that — frankly, I like you, BZ, and I’d be damned disappointed if you were that eager to get away from me.” Though you probably wouldn’t be the first.

A feeble smile of relief stirred on his face. “No, ma’am. I’m content . more than content. As for staying behind when you visit the Queen — that’s just cream.” The smile spread, infectious.

She nodded. “If I could get away with sending you instead of going myself, don’t think I wouldn’t do it.” She gri

Gundhalinu glanced back, not smiling now. “Why don’t you get a transfer?”

“Do you have any idea how long it takes to get a transfer?” She shook her head, resting the helmet across her knees as she loosened the high collar of her uniform jacket. She sighed. “Besides, I’ve tried. No luck. They ‘need me here.”“ The bitterness in her voice burned like acid.

“Why don’t you quit?”

“Why don’t you shut up?”

Gundhalinu looked back at the controls dutifully. They were in the Maze now, moving more slowly along the congested street. Evening stained the sky beyond the storm walls already. Jerusha watched the tatterdemalion alleyways, the garish hells along the street front, pass by like a mockery of her own dreams and ambitions… And would she really give anything to be doing a better job? Would she take the risk of losing the rank she knew LiouxSked had given to her simply to make her a respectable offering to the Queen? She pulled an auburn-black curl over her left ear. After all, in another five years it would all change anyway. The Hegemony would be leaving Tiamat, and it would send her somewhere better-anywhere was better. Patience, patience was all she needed. The gods knew it was hard enough for a woman to survive in a career as a Blue at all, even now — let alone rise to a position of any authority.

She glanced down another alley as they passed its entrance. This one was predominantly blue-violet — painted walls, lights, ba

Half-glimpsed movement set off an alarm in her unconscious. “BZ, back up! Hit the flasher, I saw something down that alley.” She clapped on her helmet, jerking the strap under her chin as she hit the door open.

“Follow me down.” She was out, ru

Her lamp flooded the next break in the wall, deeper than the others. It pi

“Blues!” A confusion of movement, like insects dazzled in the light; one movement that struck her wrong.

She fired, saw a weapon fly free as the man went down. “I said freeze! Get up, you with the blade; switch it off and throw it out here. Now!” She felt Gundhalinu stop beside her, stu

Gundhalinu went forward quickly; she watched while he crouched down by one and then another and checked them for weapons. While she waited, her gaze wandered to their victim lying helpless to one side; she frowned, moved closer to look down at his face. “Uh oh…” She caught a blurred image of youth and red hair in the harsh light; saw the terror whitening his eyes and heard the raw noise of his crippled breathing. She dropped to her knees beside him. Gundhalinu was searching the last of the slavers. “BZ, find the key for the cuffs they put on this boy. He took a bad jolt, I think he needs some antifreeze.” She snapped open the aid kit at her belt, removed a pre filled syringe of stimulant. “I don’t know if you can see my face, boy, but picture a big smile. It’s going to be all right.” Smiling, she pulled open the boy’s shirt and injected the medication directly into the muscles of his chest. He gave a small grunt of pain or protest. She lifted his head, let it rest on her knees as Gundhalinu moved in with jingling keys to take the handcuffs off him. The boy’s hands dropped limply at his sides.