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  The man seemed dazzled by her smile, and Rackon quickly filled in the silence. “Hahvi, this is Baron Thakeri, leader of the council of Bormaic city.”

  Hahvi extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Baron.”

  “Please call me Worren.” He gripped her hand, and she felt a peculiar surge up her arm.

  She tugged her hand free with a slight jerk and smiled. “I think Baron Thakeri will be best.”

  He looked at her with a stunned expression, and Rackon offered her his arm while the Baron appeared to be at a loss for words.

  “Hahvi, we have a meal ready and the plans for the diversion are available.” Rackon’s voice had a smug tone that she was going to question him about later.

  She took his arm, and he led her through the sparsely populated streets to a council hall that had a certain graceful charm. It looked as if it had grown out of the stone itself, jetting columns had turned into pillars and cooled in an instant. “This looks familiar.”

  He chuckled. “There is a reason for that. Come along. Time to get you some tea and something to eat.”

  Hahvi knew that something was going on that he wasn’t telling her, but after her body had rejected the forced seduction of the baron, she wasn’t sure that Bormaic was a safe place to let her guard down.

  Chapter Six

  The food fought her, but Hahvi broke it down while she sipped at her tea. The schematic was hovering above her at head height, and she knew clearly what they needed her to do.

  “How long do I have to keep the diversion up?” That was a little bit of information that no one had bothered to tell her.

  The baron had recovered from her rejection and was seated with the other councillors. He raised his head. “Two days. We can be ready to begin the move six hours from now, but you will have to hold the diversion for two days while we lift and move the city.”

  Hahvi looked at the image of the city lifting off and slowly cruising over the lava fields before it moved up the side of a mountain to lodge on a plateau. It was a lovely image, but there was something wrong with it.

  “Why did you pick that plateau?” Hahvi was on her feet and pointing at the model before she knew what she was doing.

  The baron frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “It is an inactive volcano.”

  He nodded. “We are aware. In fact, it is why we selected it. Less chance of our being in the path of a lava flow any time soon.”

  She frowned. “Is there an actual real-time image from this week of your landing site?”

  The councillors’ faces went from jovial to confused.

  Hahvi could feel the fire around them. The coursing pulse of the world itself was registering in her senses.

  The baron got to his feet and beckoned her. “Come with me.”

  She followed him, and Rackon followed her. They walked out of the bright council chamber and into the lower levels of the building. Finally, they stood in front of a physical model of the city and its surrounding area.

  The baron scowled, “Now, explain what you are talking about.”

  Hahvi pointed at the lava flow that she was to divert. “Now, this is the diversion. It will run around the city, through these valleys here and course right past the base of your plateau.”

  “And?”

  “And the lava will break through the crust, mix with the magma under the surface and create a gaseous explosion that will blow the plateau to bits. It is already heaving as the pressure mounts from the diversion you have put into place with your shielding.”

  Baron Thakeri grimaced. “I need to discuss this with the geological experts.”

  Hahvi sat on the edge of the table holding the model, and she smiled. “I will wait.”

  He disappeared into another office, and Rackon looked at her with a concerned expression. “Is this accurate?”

  “It is.” She scrubbed her hands through her hair and kicked her feet.

  “Do you have an alternative idea?”

  She grinned, “Of course I do. There is no sense in telling people that they have messed up if you don’t have a better plan. My plan will mean that I am here for a few days more, but if your generators can handle it, I would definitely suggest putting the city here.” She pointed to a position lower, but near a mountain range.

  “Would that work?”

  “There is no magma under the surface, it has ample fresh water. With a little effort, you could even get plants and animals going in the valley below.”

  “It isn’t flat.”

  “I am fairly sure that I can fix that. If I am left to use my talent, I am positive that I can create a flat surface large enough to support your city.” She kicked her legs idly.

  “How?”

  “I will melt the surface of the stone until it is flat, shiny and an ideal landing site.” Hahvi smiled, “Now, I have a question for you.”

  “Yes?”

  “Did you really dream of me?”

  His skin darkened across his cheeks and forehead. “Aliora, I presume?”

  “Of course.”

  “Yes, I did. I was asked to meditate on the problem, and the next thing I knew, I was in the dome with you, and you were dreaming of summer fields and a laughing child.”

  Her voice was quiet. “My niece. I haven’t seen her since she was a baby.”

  “Why not?”

  “I was in prison, Rackon. My sister was terrified of being contaminated by exposure to me. I have no idea what her husband’s take on it was, I just know she wouldn’t bring Amlie to see me.”

  He sighed and stood next to her, leaning against the table that she sat on. “That explains your dreams.”

  She cocked her head and looked at their hands, an inch from each other on the table’s edge. “Do you visit all my dreams?”

  “Whether I wish to or not. You begin to dream, and I see what is in your thoughts. I initially thought that the dream sharing would end when we met, but it only became more vivid when you were in medical.”

  She inhaled and exhaled slowly. “So, they actually did have to forcibly remove the suit?”

  He nodded. “It was not pleasant to witness.”

  She shuddered. “I can imagine. Being on the feeling end, numbed as it was by you, it was still rather intense.”

  “It was worse watching it, though I have to admire Reset and Fixer’s dedication to not leaving any part of you exposed for any extensive period of time.”

  He shuddered slightly, and Hahvi was selfishly relieved that she didn’t have to carry the memory of her suit being surgically removed. She reached out and gave his hand a light touch. She wasn’t sure how it would be received, but when he turned his hand to grasp hers, she sighed in relief.

  Light contact was how the folk of the dome got through their days. They were unable to consummate any kind of relationship, so casual touching was all that was left to keep them sane and connected to the world around them. Hahvi was tremendously relieved that he didn’t rebuff her touch. With so much around her being completely unbelievable, she needed a physical anchor to the world around her.

  When Baron Thakeri returned with two very concerned men who had the air of geologists, instead of dropping her hand, Rackon held it even more tightly.

  “How did you know?” The baron was amazed.

  “I know how lava moves, where fire will flow. It is what I am.” She remained calm and kept her voice even.

  The two men behind the baron muttered to themselves, but the baron challenged her. “Do you have any idea how long this planning has taken?”

  She twisted her lips in a grimace. “Not my department, not my problem. I have an alternate if you have an extra two days with the repulsion fields.”

  The geologists went on point, staring at her eagerly. One asked, “Where?”

  Reluctantly, she released Rackon’s hand and pointed out the small foothill on the model.

  “I can flatten it to make it a suitable environment for your city. It has water, and the nearby val
ley can support life as soon as the volcanic upheaval is over. It will run its course in five years if you were wondering.”

  The geologists were excited and began to pelt her with questions. Some she could answer, some not, but she tried.

  Rackon watched over her as she explained the route that the city would need to take and where she needed a flier to be parked so that she could return to help the city move. He didn’t say a word, merely watched her with a small smile around his lips.

  Expert after expert trickled into the planning area, and Hahvi had to explain it all again. The geologists ran simulations that confirmed her findings, and five hours later, she was ready for bed, but they had a plan in place.

  At dawn the next morning, she was going to go and flatten a mountain. Amlie would be so proud.

  Chapter Seven

  The more she tried to keep her dreams tepid, the more she looked around to see if Rackon was noticing her efforts. When a hand gripped her shoulder and shook her awake, she sat up quickly, the edge of sleep far away.

  “I am not going to look in on your dreams, Hahvi. It is something that happens whether either of us will it.” He looked as tired as she felt.

  She moved aside and patted the edge of the bed. “Stay close to me. If I dream of you, it won’t make me feel so embarrassed.”

  He blinked for a moment before he took the spot on the bed next to her, curling around her body and giving her comfort as his breath slowly took on the even pattern of sleep.

  Smiling, Hahvi nodded off into a dream where she and Rackon sat side by side on the edge of a cliff, laughing and talking about nothing in particular. It was a good dream, a bright dream, and when she woke up six hours later, she felt rested and calm.

  Rackon sat up and smiled, “That is the best night’s sleep that I have had in the last six months.”

  “Good. I am afraid that tonight is going to be a bit different, but at least you were able to get some restful sleep. You looked like hell.”

  He chuckled. “Be that as it may, I will go to get some breakfast for you, and you can grab a shower.”

  Smiling, she sat up for a moment before realizing that she was naked. “Oh damn.”

  He calmly turned his back. “Trigger the Masuo back into place.”

  In a second, she did as he suggested, and she was decently covered again. “I had no idea that it would do that while I slept.”

  “No, I don’t suppose you did. They are intuitive creatures.” He didn’t say anything else as he left the room.

  Shaking her head in embarrassment, she walked into the lav and took a shower, her suit disappearing into a wide cuff on her leg while she showered body parts she thought she would never touch again. The whole idea of sealing the Resicor talents in suits was a solid one. You couldn’t have a family, didn’t have sex and formed no alliances based on seduction.

  Hahvi still hadn’t discussed the baron’s talent with Rackon, but she had the idea that he was not only aware of it, he disapproved of it.

  She scrubbed her hair and grinned as it stood up again. It seemed that something had changed in her life and body, and the green shock of hair was a symptom.

  It didn’t seem to affect Rackon’s opinion of her, which was a relief. For some reason that she didn’t want to admit to herself quite yet, she valued what he thought of her.

  She towelled off, made faces at herself in the mirror, laughed and snapped the Masuo back into place.

  The suit was identical to her original in every way except one. It came off.

  She looked at the wide silver bands that ran from ankle to hip, both front and back, and then small bands that wrapped around to connect them. Her torso wore a version of the same, as did her arms.

  She had worn swimsuits that covered more, but she supposed that the banding had been necessary to confine her talent in her original suit. In this new suit, the bands worked to even out the heat exposure, not that she needed it.

  The sensors within the Masuo would send reports back to the Alliance, and the Sector Guard and Citadel would each learn how her talent worked as she used it. It was strange to think that her suit was watching everything that she did, but if they could gain something from the data, they were welcome to it.

  She fluffed her hair out again and returned to the bedroom where Rackon and Aliora were setting up a small table with things that smelled enticing.

  “That smells wonderful.”

  Aliora whirled and smiled. “It is the least we could do. I will pilot you out to the site today, and Rackon will take over in the evening.”

  Rackon pulled out a chair for her, and she took her seat while they loaded her plate.

  “While you are both here and we are relatively alone, what the heck is Baron Thakeri’s talent? It felt like a cross between seduction and a hammer.”

  Aliora blinked, “He tried to use his talent on you?”

  “Apparently, but what is his talent?”

  Rackon growled, “He can seduce anyone. Man, woman, no one is safe from the compulsion he generates.”

  “Ah. Well, that explains it.”

  Aliora blushed, “How is it that you escaped his attentions?”

  She shrugged and lifted her fork. “Perhaps it doesn’t work on women or men of Resicor.”

  Rackon took a seat and scowled. “But you felt it. How did you fend it off?”

  Hahvi thought back, “Basically, I was thinking how dare he try anything with me.”

  Aliora raised her brows, “That was it?”

  “That was it. I am here to do a job, and him crawling into my bed is unacceptable.” She rubbed her forehead. The thought of unwanted attentions was making her angry all over again.

  “Hahvi, are you all right?” Rackon leaned forward.

  She shook her head. “No. I am far more irritated than I should be. I am sure that I will work it out.”

  With her mind unsettled, she worked on her breakfast, eventually working her mood back to its normal, optimistic outlook.

  She was going to need all the perky mood she could get, she had to go out and melt a mountain.

  There was a formal send off for her that made her blush. Baron Thakeri made a speech that thanked her for the effort she was about to expend and mentioned the gratitude of the Bormaic nation.

  She smiled and inclined her head at the thanks, and when she was asked to speak, she sighed. She mounted the dais and faced the crowd gathered in the early morning light, the eerie glow from the lava fields in the distance.

  “Ladies and gentlemen of Bormaic, thank you for your hospitality. I would have more words for you, but I am about to go do something very stupid and dangerous, so I would far rather speak to you again when the move is complete and your city is safe.” She winced at the roar of approval from the crowd.

  She raised her hands, and they quieted. “Go about your day and be confident that by the end of the day you will be able to view the cooling plateau that will house the city. Good bye.”

  She stepped down from the dais and jerked her head at Aliora. She put the words in her mind so Aliora could read her surface thought. Let’s get going before they start singing or something.

  Aliora nodded and they made a beeline for the flier launch area. With a few systems checks, they were up in the air again, and they flew along the path that Hahvi had outlined.

  “How is the stability of the flier?”

  Aliora smiled, “We have installed compensators and coolers to enable us to get around the landscape.”

  “Good. So you know the drill?”

  “Yup. I drop you off and then move to the safe zone that you outlined. I wait there until you give me the sign to pick you up again.”

  “Excellent. I may be too hot to be close to, and if that is the case, I will make an effort to cool down before I summon you. With luck, I should have this done today, and we can sleep in the city tonight.”

  Aliora furrowed her brow. “Why did you tell the council two days?”

  “So that the zone
can rest and so can I. I haven’t actually gotten to do anything like this before. I know I can, but I don’t know how tired I will be. A day of rest between flattening a mountain and diverting a molten rock river isn’t too much to ask, is it?”

  Aliora laughed. “You are quite right.”

  It took them another hour to get to the target mountaintop. Aliora held the flier close to the tip of the mountain so that Hahvi could dismount and find her position.

  When Aliora and the flier were perched safely half a kilometre away, Hahvi took a deep breath and called fire.

  * * * *

  Aliora set the recorder up on the edge of the flier and watched as her new friend began to glow white hot.

  Hahvi extended her arms and moved slowly from side to side, evenly distributing the heat until the stone began to melt. It was a strange dance, but she had lowered the top of the mountain by twenty feet within two hours. She paced in circles, leapt, twisted and shivered, visible waves of heat coming from her skin.

  As Aliora recorded the creation of their city’s base for the history archive, she had to admit that while the city elders respected Rackon as a sleep master, his skills as a dream master had never been tested. This was not only a test, but he had passed with flying colours. He had found the one woman in billions who could give the Bormaic a chance at remaining on their world.

  Hahvi’s fire dance was hypnotic, and she glowed brighter than the sun. Aliora had no idea where the woman was getting all that energy, but she was glad that the stranger could tap into it.

  The stone coursed down the mountainside, widening the melted platform in half the time Aliora had expected. Step by step, inch by inch, Hahvi gave them what they needed to continue their way of life, and it was amazing to watch.

  Chapter Eight

  The stone was steaming, smoking in the waning light. It was still glowing, but so was she.

  Hahvi bent over and caught her breath. Her skin was still white hot, but it was gradually losing its heat as the stone under her gave up its heat.