Read Stitching Snow for Free Online

I couldn’t tell Petey that. Or that Dane’s mad plan to unite Garam against Windsong made something jitter inside me, and the only way to quiet it was to help him. “Nothing, but he can’t stay. You know that. The more I help, the sooner he’ll be gone. Where is he, anyway?”
    “Said he was returnin’ to his ship, would see yeh in the mornin’.”
    I shook my head. “He doesn’t know the way.”
    “Said he did. And it looked like Dimwit went with him.”
    “Great. They’ll both get lost. Here, that’s it.” Petey looked over my order and nodded. “Should be able to get that piped up from the Bands in a day or two. Yeh be careful out there. The men’s frustration with yeh can only be pushed so far, y’know.”
    “Aye, I know.”
    “And bundle up. It’s a cold one.”
    35

    S T I T C H I N G S N O W
    I resisted the urge to trudge out to the shuttle and check that Dane had made it there safely. If he’d gotten lost, it was his fault.
    Or mine for leaving him on his own, but I tried not to think that. Instead, I sat at my computer and cracked into networks I wasn’t supposed to reach, searching for more information on the Garamite shuttle design.
    It was a puzzle, no doubt, and different from any I’d encoun-tered in the settlement. Sheer novelty was half the reason I’d agreed to help. But I couldn’t deny that the mechanical systems were beyond me, so I downloaded what I found to the drones, adding to the knowledge base Ticktock had started. I couldn’t keep the same drone back from the mine every day—the men would notice and make a fuss. Each drone had skills that’d be useful in repairing the shuttle, though. I’d make it work.
    By morning, Dimwit was in its spot, recharging with the others, so Dane was probably fi ne. My assumption was confi rmed an hour later when I arrived at the shuttle, Dimwit and Clank in tow. I banged on the hatch, and Dane opened it.
    One problem I’d spotted in the schematics right away: Garamite shuttles weren’t designed to be repaired by Thandan mining drones. Making the prettiest exterior meant the guts of the thing were awkward enough for me to get to, let alone the drones’ bulky metal bodies.
    “Where did Ticktock want us to start, Clank?” I asked.
    “Repair coolant system to bring engine online,” it said.
    “Right, then. Pull up Ticktock’s instructions and tell me what to do.”
    Dane’s eyes stayed on me as I removed my coat and slid under a junction, watching how I moved, likely checking how hurt I was. Good thing I’d indulged in a rejuvenator patch for 36

    R.C. ll E WI S
    that nasty bruise. It still ached, especially when I stretched, but not so much that I couldn’t keep Dane from noticing.
    “You broadcast your punches,” he said. “Anyone with eyes can see them coming.”
    “Well, I guess my opponents’ eyes are occupied elsewhere most of the time, since I have a winning record. Thank you so much for the advice.” The spark of a welder lit off to one side.
    “Dimwit, stop that.”
    “Tell me about the ‘great miscalculation’ you mentioned.” I sighed and forced myself not to wince. Clearly, Dane was set on making conversation rather than letting me work in peace.
    “How much do you know about merinium?”
    “Just that it’s a versatile bio-mineral with lots of uses, which makes it valuable.”
    “And do you know where the ‘bio’ part comes in?”
    “Something about a reaction with organic waste.” That was extremely understated, but most offworlders didn’t know much more. “One of the few native animal species here is called the harri-harra. It’s a giant worm that burrows in the bed-rock and—Dimwit, I said stop! If you weld your feet together, I’m not fi xing it. Anyway, the harri-harra leaves a trail of secretions and excrement in its wake that seeps into the stone, undergoes a chemical reaction and, after enough time, you have merinium.” I felt Dane’s footsteps approach through the metal deck but