Page 98 of Polestar
“I understand,” he said, but Magnus knew he didn’t like it.
“When you’re ready, shift into your bear and swim the rest of the way to Bear Island and wait.Just be a bear for a while.A few days if necessary.The local fisherman and environmental research crew won’t bother you.”
“That sounds lame.When do I come back?”
“You don’t.You wait for me or one of my team members to come for you.The GPSA will keep you safe.No matter what, do not come back.”
Magnus stared into his son’s face, recognizing his own prideful stubbornness in his eyes.“Promise me.”
Elias remained silent for an eternity before he finally answered.“Please save Grandfather if you can.”
“I will try.”
Elias suddenly gripped Magnus in a bear-hug, squeezing the air from his lungs.“Be safe, Father.”
“Be safe, Son,” he said, hugging his boy as tight as his boy hugged him.
Elias released him just as suddenly, grabbed Magnus’ pack and ran down the tunnel.The run to the inlet would take many hours through the darkness.
Magnus had to trust his son would be safe.He listened until Elias’ footfalls faded, then made his way along the tunnel back toward the junction that would give him access to the heart of the stronghold.
And to his father.
TWENTY-THREE
Anahatedsnow.Andshe hated snowmobiles.
The one they’d forced her onto whined loudly and set her teeth on edge.Even more so now that it was no longer a source of potential escape, but one of further imprisonment.
She hated snow and cold.She hated the north and longed for her beachside home.The warm California sun, not this waterysort oflight of the high north.Some people thought the high north was beautiful.
Beautiful?
Way up here in the wastelands of snow and ice and rock and nothing else?
They hit another bump, jarring her teeth as her helmeted head hit the guy’s back in front of her.
She still wore the clothes she’d arrived in, the boots and jacket.At least she had that to fend off the cold, but didn’t seem to be enough.
I’ve been cold since we disembarked from that damned seaplane.Where the hell is it, anyway?Had someone stolen it?Or maybe they just let it drift off to sea.
She almost laughed to herself, picturing some arctic wildlife riding the drifting craft around from sea mass to sea mass until it bumped up against an iceberg somewhere.
She thought of Aksel.
Her amusement died.
Would they do the same to her?
I couldn’t bear to be locked inside my head like that.Especially not in a cold sea of icebergs.
Her worst nightmare, after the night terrors of Antony’s accident.
Those had been horrendous.But at least now she understood he’d been trying to reach her.Show her what had happened.
But in the end, here she was.On a damned snowmobile, heading for what?Some sort of negotiation to force Magnus to tell them about some old antique thing before they killed them both?
No, they wouldn’t kill them if they didn’t have to.They’d subdue them and sell them to the highest bidder.
