Read Online Wintermoon Ice (2010) by Suzanne Francis - Free Book Online
Authors: Suzanne Francis
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you was going to marry? You don't wear no ring."
She sighed. "He broke our engagement, after I told him of my disregard for the Soli. I don't know where he is now."
Calaan stared at the faint tracings of the Soli on his sleeve, which matched the one tattooed on his skin. "Why do you think we have these things, if it isn't so that we may know our place?"
"I don't know, Calaan. But I believe that every man and woman should be able to find their own way in the world, no matter what Soli they belong to."
"What, like Rats being politicians and Spears being bakers?" Calaan chuckled at this topsy-turvy arrangement. "But, you know what? If it ever came true, then I would like to be a teacher. You reckon they would let a Snake do something like that?"
Suvi shrugged. "I hope so."
Calaan shook his head, and his voice deepened, just for a moment. "It is a fine thing, what you are trying to do here, but it won't change anything. Not in the long run."
They heard a thump that raised another cloud of dust. Suvi could see only a pair of legs, dressed in blue dungarees, cross the floor in front of the knee hole.
The man spoke briskly as he started on the hinges. "Shouldn't be too long now."
With much shouting and encouragement from the other side, her rescuer loosened the door from its frame and pushed it outwards. Light flooded in, leaving dust motes glimmering in broad vertical shafts.
Goodman Dietr knelt before the desk. "I think we will be able to shift this beam. But you had better stay under there for the time being, in case we dislodge any bricks."
He had three men with him, who set to work at once with saws. The other man, who had climbed though the window, waited in the open doorway. He spoke quietly. "I don't think you should do that."
"What?" Dietr had to bellow over the racket of the saws.
The man, who was tall, with curiously cropped blond hair, stepped back into the room. "I said I don't think you should do that. That beam is a load bearer. If you remove it you could bring the whole top floor down." He pointed to the ceiling above their heads. "See, there? That bracket shows where it was joined to the outer brick wall."
Dietr, a retired trolley driver too old for active duty in the army, frowned. "Look young fella. I know a little bit about building. We need to get Miss Suvi out from under her desk, and moving that beam is the only way to go about it."
Suvi spoke up quickly. "We are fine in here. Don't jeopardize the safety of the building, for goodness sake."
The newcomer squatted before their shelter. "Hello. Are you Suvi Markku? My name is Thommats Finn. My friends call me Tom."
Suvi extended her fingers through the debris. His handshake was warm and quite firm. "Pleased to meet you, Tom. Are you looking for shelter?"
He gave her an engaging grin. "Actually, I was looking for you. I was told to deliver a motapede here, but I had a deuce of a time finding this place. Then, just as I knocked on the door, the sirens started. Definitely not my day."
Tom stood, brushing the dust from his knees. "We need to get a rope under this beam, and then we can haul it up again." Dietr and the others bustled about, following his instructions. Suvi, who could see only the bottom half of the action, waited impatiently as the workers raised and bolted the beam back into place.
Finally, she and Calaan were able to leave their cramped refuge.
Suvi did a slow turn in the middle of the floor, looking at the damage. Broken bricks and concrete dust lay thick on the floor and bed. She gave a sudden cry of alarm. "Did anyone see Chelah?"
Calaan lifted the green blanket that covered the bed, and found Suvi's pet cowering beneath it. She skittered out and then ran straight up Tom Finn's leg and onto the top of his head.
He scrabbled wildly trying to dislodge her. "What the devil? Get it off me, right now."
Suvi pulled the degum away, wondering at Tom's obvious fright. Degums were common all over Severnessa. Many had been pets, left
She sighed. "He broke our engagement, after I told him of my disregard for the Soli. I don't know where he is now."
Calaan stared at the faint tracings of the Soli on his sleeve, which matched the one tattooed on his skin. "Why do you think we have these things, if it isn't so that we may know our place?"
"I don't know, Calaan. But I believe that every man and woman should be able to find their own way in the world, no matter what Soli they belong to."
"What, like Rats being politicians and Spears being bakers?" Calaan chuckled at this topsy-turvy arrangement. "But, you know what? If it ever came true, then I would like to be a teacher. You reckon they would let a Snake do something like that?"
Suvi shrugged. "I hope so."
Calaan shook his head, and his voice deepened, just for a moment. "It is a fine thing, what you are trying to do here, but it won't change anything. Not in the long run."
They heard a thump that raised another cloud of dust. Suvi could see only a pair of legs, dressed in blue dungarees, cross the floor in front of the knee hole.
The man spoke briskly as he started on the hinges. "Shouldn't be too long now."
With much shouting and encouragement from the other side, her rescuer loosened the door from its frame and pushed it outwards. Light flooded in, leaving dust motes glimmering in broad vertical shafts.
Goodman Dietr knelt before the desk. "I think we will be able to shift this beam. But you had better stay under there for the time being, in case we dislodge any bricks."
He had three men with him, who set to work at once with saws. The other man, who had climbed though the window, waited in the open doorway. He spoke quietly. "I don't think you should do that."
"What?" Dietr had to bellow over the racket of the saws.
The man, who was tall, with curiously cropped blond hair, stepped back into the room. "I said I don't think you should do that. That beam is a load bearer. If you remove it you could bring the whole top floor down." He pointed to the ceiling above their heads. "See, there? That bracket shows where it was joined to the outer brick wall."
Dietr, a retired trolley driver too old for active duty in the army, frowned. "Look young fella. I know a little bit about building. We need to get Miss Suvi out from under her desk, and moving that beam is the only way to go about it."
Suvi spoke up quickly. "We are fine in here. Don't jeopardize the safety of the building, for goodness sake."
The newcomer squatted before their shelter. "Hello. Are you Suvi Markku? My name is Thommats Finn. My friends call me Tom."
Suvi extended her fingers through the debris. His handshake was warm and quite firm. "Pleased to meet you, Tom. Are you looking for shelter?"
He gave her an engaging grin. "Actually, I was looking for you. I was told to deliver a motapede here, but I had a deuce of a time finding this place. Then, just as I knocked on the door, the sirens started. Definitely not my day."
Tom stood, brushing the dust from his knees. "We need to get a rope under this beam, and then we can haul it up again." Dietr and the others bustled about, following his instructions. Suvi, who could see only the bottom half of the action, waited impatiently as the workers raised and bolted the beam back into place.
Finally, she and Calaan were able to leave their cramped refuge.
Suvi did a slow turn in the middle of the floor, looking at the damage. Broken bricks and concrete dust lay thick on the floor and bed. She gave a sudden cry of alarm. "Did anyone see Chelah?"
Calaan lifted the green blanket that covered the bed, and found Suvi's pet cowering beneath it. She skittered out and then ran straight up Tom Finn's leg and onto the top of his head.
He scrabbled wildly trying to dislodge her. "What the devil? Get it off me, right now."
Suvi pulled the degum away, wondering at Tom's obvious fright. Degums were common all over Severnessa. Many had been pets, left
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