Page 54 of Crown of Wings and Whispers

Another ski dog was gassed up and available under the porch. They suggested staying to the road at all times, and only if it was visible. For emergencies, there was a handheld, battery- powered ham radio on top of the pantry shelves, extra batteries in the box along with batteries for the lantern, which could also be recharged with a little crank. Griffon promised he was familiar with using one and that he’d show me how to use it in case something happened to him.

Every topic came down to survival. And by the time the Ahonens were finished with their instructions, I had the impression they would have put our chances of surviving the first week at less than fifty percent, especially after Timo bent down to start the fire and Griffon told him not to bother, that he would do it.

“I just want to be sure you’ll survive the first night, sir.”

Griffon laughed and claimed he’d spent dozens of winters in Lapland and most of them alone.

Timo looked doubtful, but he brushed off his hands and headed for the door. “See you in a week. Call on the radio. Late is all right, if it’s an emergency.” They left us with the goggles and face masks in case we’d brought neither with us.

The storm blew past them through the door as they left, and I shivered from a lot of cold and a little bit of fear. I rubbed my mittens against the arms of my coat and snuggled into Griffon. “Why didn’t you want him starting the fire?”

He pushed me away from him and grinned. “Because you’re going to. Just like you wished those vines would burn up, you’re going to wish our fire to start.”

“That was different. I was fleeing for my life.”

“And now you’re going to freeze to death if you don’t get that fire started. I might freeze to death,” he lied. “Is that motivation enough?”

The lights from the departing snowmobiles flashed through the circular window and left us in the weak light of the lantern once more. I looked at the pile of logs and kindling, and paper and willed them to catch on fire.

“I don’t think it’s listening.”

“Come now, Lennon. Don’t make me toss out the matches.”

I gasped. “You wouldn’t!”

“I would. And if that didn’t work, I guess I’d have to try to fly us home…in minus forty degrees Fahrenheit.”

“That’s not funny.”

“Light it, Lennon. You know you can. You’re dying to play with fire again, aren’t you? With no one watching?”

“You’re watching,” I said, like a petulant child.

“Fine.” He turned his back. “Don’t make me wait outside, love. And the sooner you light it, the sooner we can remove our coats and I can kiss you again without our lips freezing togeth—”

Yellow light lit the walls and drenched the room, all from the fire that engulfed the carefully laid wood and filled the confines of the firepit.

I laughed, then turned to laugh at the expression on Griffon’s face—impressed, but not amused. I tried to fix that.

“You did promise to kiss me…”

He nodded and shuffled forward, never taking his eyes off the fire. “From now on, we experiment outside.”

19

Testing 1, 2, 3

It took an hour and two fat logs to chase the cold out of the cabin so I could stand to take off my coat. The first big flare ate up the small stuff quickly, while I was collecting my well-deserved kiss, but Griffon added more wood before the coals had a chance to cool.

“Survival first,” he’d said, when I tried to collect a second kiss. But the tortured look on his face satisfied me nearly as much as that kiss would have. All I wanted to do was crawl under those heavy blankets together, but he was already talking about going back outside.

He finished with, “We won’t have to be so careful surrounded by snow.”

“Haven’t I played with fire enough for one day?”

He sat on the futon and patted the space beside him. “We can just talk for a bit. It’s time you told me about Hank.”

I sat beside him and reached into my bra. There really was no sense explaining when I could simply show him. I was careful to keep the handkerchief around him, no longer trusting the plastic coating to stay in place.

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