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“It’ll probably wait until at least tomorrow night,” Ila assured me.
“Can you feel it?” Cora asked, eyes wide as a dog jumped to lick her face.
Ila laughed. “Nah. The weather service announced it. They have some control these days, but it’s best to let nature take its course when it isn’t causing major issues.”
“Come on ladies, meet the dogs before we go. You know Yuka, and that’s Anjij, Aput, Asiaq, Siqiniq, and Kalik.”
There was no way in hell I could keep straight who was who, but their joy and playfulness made me feel so much better. It made me wish I’d been out here every day.
Toklo expertly hitched the dogs up to what looked like a traditional sled with thick slats set across it to sit on. Waterproof blankets piled over it, looking inviting, and an area at the front had two vertical slats about hip-width apart and handles for someone to grab hold of when steering. I estimated he could easily take a family of four for a ride around the ice fields outside the resort.
Toklo told us more about the dogs as he worked.
“My people bred them from wolves,” he explained.
“They’re so playful,” Cora said, surprise written on her face when she looked up from rubbing Yuka’s belly.
Within minutes we were loaded onboard, swathed in blankets, Cora behind me and Toklo driving. He lowered his goggles and asked, “Where to, ladies? The small hill to the right or the circular area to the left?”
“Can we go toward the fjord?” I asked, sudden inspiration hitting. I pointed out where I’d seen something moving that first day we checked in.
The difference in Toklo’s posture and expression when I asked was obvious even through all the layers of gear and protection. “Too far and I don’t want the dogs breaking through the ice.”
“How about the rocky part to the right of it? The one that looks like caves?” I yelled over the wind that had picked up again.
I shivered right through my layers of warmth as he seemed to do some sort of internal debate.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“The dogs don’t like it over there,” he answered. “But I haven’t tried in a week or so, and I guess it wouldn’t hurt to head that way and see if they’ve changed their minds.”
I smiled and gave a double thumbs up as excitement rose in my belly. The dogs had reacted to something. Maybe it was the same something I’d seen with my binoculars.
Cora grabbed hold of me as we lurched forward into a race across the white tundra. The feeling was unlike anything I’d ever experienced, though it reminded me of sledding with Austin to escape the drones. I pushed that thought aside, telling myself this was ten times the feeling, with so much open space to explore and the dogs powering the ride.
The rocky formation grew larger as we drew closer, the clear waters of the fjord reflecting the light of the lowering sun. Pockets of ice floated along the surface, and I appreciated why he wouldn’t want the dogs to try to go on it. I reached for my pack and fished out the binoculars, letting them clasp to my face as I searched the rocks and shadows to the right of the fjord. The dogs weren’t reacting, so I wondered if that meant whatever I’d seen had moved on.
Then the wind picked up again, racing over us from the direction of the resort with an ear-piercing howl. The sled swayed, and the dogs jolted to the left in a cacophony of howls, barks, and whines.
Toklo stumbled to the side but sunk his weight onto one foot. He held tight to the handle as the dogs pulled us in a complete U-turn so fast the sled tipped to the side as well. Cora and I screamed in unison.
Grabbing for anything I could get a hold of, I ended up on my stomach, foot hanging off the sled. I tilted my head as far as I could to look behind us at the rapidly shrinking rocks I’d gotten so close to and noticed a shadow pulling quickly back toward the rocks. It moved like a spider, scurrying, and far too fast to be from the sinking sunlight.
The movement stopped suddenly, and not at all naturally as Toklo regained control of the sled and we slowed to a stop. I scrambled to a sitting position again, staring back out at the too-still area, waiting for something to happen. My eyes burned from keeping them from blinking lest I miss something.
Cora groaned, and I tore my gaze from the search to find her lying on her side, one hand over her head, dark crimson slipping through her fingers.
“She’s bleeding!” I yelled back to Toklo as I leaned over my friend, prying her hand away to take a look at the wound.
It appeared she’d banged her head on the edge of the sled when we were jerked around in the opposite direction. Logically, I knew head wounds bled a lot, but seeing it was a whole different situation.
“We have to get her back to the resort,” Toklo said. “Keep pressure on it and keep her as steady as you can. I’ll call ahead for medical help.”
I crawled around behind Cora and pulled her head and shoulders in my lap just as the sled sprung into motion again. I used a blanket to put pressure on the wound and begged her to stay conscious. Minutes ticked by like hours.
A hovercot waited for us at the entrance to the double set of doors, and Toklo pulled us as close as possible to the building. I watched as two people lifted Cora gently onto the floating stretcher. They held up a hand when I attempted to follow.
“Let us get her inside and stabilized. You can meet us in the medcenter,” said the redheaded doctor I recognized from my short stay after Austin’s fall from the tube.
I nodded numbly and glanced back toward the sled, where Toklo had released the dogs, who ran and jumped as though nothing strange had happened. Shaking my head and hugging myself, I looked back toward the rocks and touched my temple to zoom in with the binoculars I still wore.
A gray blur disappeared in the shadowed alcove of rocks in the farthest corner from the fjord. I could have almost sworn it had been waiting there, watching. Chills raced over me.
What the fuck was that?
