29. A Land Without Tree or Sun
"This is why Death is always depicted as white. We are going to die. Here. Any moment now. I know it."
Even though they had landed less than an hour before, Avocato didn't think this was too hasty a conclusion even though he had long ago convinced himself that he would die in space. Where they stood now seemed just as cold and bleak and dark as vacuum. Still, he was more willing to give this new adventure a chance, even if they did perish. Trying to reassure his tropics-loving friend, Avocato smiled and clapped Nikos on the shoulder, saying,
"Well, that's about how Kedidi and I felt right before we made contact with the Saan River, and look! Still here, still annoying."
"We could get back on the transport and say we missed it."
"No, we can't. Kedi came with us, remember? Besides, it's not leaving until tomorrow."
Nikos groaned.
It had been a mere five days since they had left the Royal Academy, two since leaving the Cato estate in Alfitrix. The transition had been extreme. Summer in all its blazing hot glory had just started in Ventrexia's southern hemisphere, the days were long and humid, and all had been lush and green. And now . . .
Nikos just shook his head in disbelief and despair as he stared across the vast, barren, snow-covered expanse of the Far Reaches spreading out in all directions. The land around the station - an old military base converted to a transport center - was fairly flat and featureless, with snow blowing about like ripples on water. Despite the hour being close to noon, the sun was dipping low on the horizon, casting a dark rainbow against distant mountains. Four of Ventrexia's nine moons were visible as unfamiliar constellations began to appear.
"There are no trees." A little sound of horror and regret escaped the shorter cadet. Clearly this was as close to hell as Nikos could envision, and they were here for a solid month. "Cato, this much cold is terrifying."
The softly spoken admission did not come easily, but Nikos knew he could say it aloud and not meet any criticism. Teasing, yes, but no criticism.
Avocato leaned in close to ask, "Worse than a room full of my cousins?"
That gave him pause. Nikos finally tore himself away from the window to give Avocato a wry look. "I'll get back to you on that."
A quiet laugh escaped Avocato and he gave his friend a little shake. Nikos' anxiety was understandable, though Avocato did not share it to such a high degree. While the amounts here were excessive, he was used to snow (albeit, not in what was for him, the summer), and Alfatrix knew its fair share of winter. He knew Ventrex City's weather pushed the limits of Nikos' exposure to (and tolerance of) the cold. It occurred to him that they were tired and stressed from travel, and their breakfast, taken at some ungodly hour this morning, had been so unappealing that Avocato couldn't even remember what it had been. Perhaps that was just as well. With food and rest, he was sure Nikos' outlook would improve, if only a little.
Moments later, Kedi came striding up from behind and caught both his friends in a hug, crushing them tightly against his sides. He was grinning broadly, and, familiar with the symptoms, was not about to let Nikos work himself into a funk.
"Welcome to my home! What do you think?"
"That is a lot of snow," said Nikos. He pointed out the window accusingly, as if Kedi was somehow responsible for the precipitation.
Kedi scoffed. "Nikos! I thought you liked being surrounded by water!"
"Liquid water, Kotek!"
"- he said dryly," finished Avocato in an aside, and they all laughed, even though Nikos still sounded uneasy.
"Be happy," Kedi said reassuringly. "We will not let so much as one skinny little whisker get frozen."
"Oh, thank the Brightstar!" Avocato exclaimed with feigned dramatics. "I was so worried."
"You have nothing to lose, Little Cato!" Nikos shot back, giving him a playful push. Avocato's lack of whiskers had been a source of amusement for three years.
"What time did the sun rise?" asked Avocato as the horizon was cast into gorgeous shades of purple and orange.
"Less than two hours ago," said Kedi, smiling as Nikos let out a high-pitched squeak of anxiety. "In three days will be the celebration for the first day of no sun. There will be food and dancing, and the next day my brothers and I will show you how to run the ice fields."
"In the dark?" demanded Nikos, all his worst fears confirmed.
Kedi smiled. "Just wait. You'll see."
Nikos frowned. "I don't know how to interpret that."
"How can you tell one day from the next?" asked Avocato.
"There are these things called chronometers," Kedi replied, displaying the one he wore on his wrist. "Perhaps you don't have them in Alfitrix."
Avocato rolled his eyes and let out a grumble. "You are not my friend."
Laughing, Kedi began herding them along. There was a small lounge in the station where they could wait.
"I just spoke to my mother," he said, "and she'll be here in an hour or so. She'll bundle you up against the cold, Nikos, and try to fatten you up as well. You, too, Cato. Come! Let's get a drink and something to tide us over. Nikos, you and I can gang up on Cato in shadow blockers until she gets here."
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They lost three and tied for one game of shadow blockers, and put away a glass of bitter ale and a plate of grilled fish (the only food on the menu today) each by the time Lady Yvinka arrived with her sister, three of Kedi's brothers, and four young cousins. They made for a noisy, boisterous, and colorful group as everyone older than eight tried to hug Kedi at the same time and everyone younger tried to climb up him. Like Kedi, they were sturdily built and gray, with a few streaks of white or dark stripes here and there, and the occasional green eyes. Standing off to the side, Avocato and Nikos enjoyed the mayhem as they all talked at once and the kits asked a torrent of questions.
"I can see why he gets thirty letters at a time," observed Nikos.
"I can see why he thinks we don't talk much," Avocato said. "Don't make eye contact. They might take it as a challenge."
Eventually one of the cousins – a little girl who wore so many layers of wool and fur that she almost round – noticed them waiting. Her eyes grew huge at the sight of Nikos and Avocato. It was clear that they were far beyond her limited experience or imaginings - Nikos so angular and Avocato so blue. She tugged on her mother's coat, saying something that was lost in the chatter and pointing excitedly.
"Incoming," warned Nikos a moment before everyone turned and zeroed in on their guests.
A moment later, the wave of Kotiks and their subsidiaries descended. Avocato, used to the sedate and subdued pace of the court when noble families met, was taken aback at lords and ladies being so animated in a public setting, even children. Nikos, with his noisy little sisters, was far less affected. Despite that, it was clear they were welcome by all, and that Kedi had been sorely missed, especially by his younger brothers. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and like Kedi, Avocato was relieved to see Nikos' smile was genuine.
Finally, the tide receded enough for introductions to be made. As had been drilled into him since birth, Avocato bowed formally to each person as they were presented, strictly adhering to the proper stance and depth of bow each individual's rank, title, and age dictated. The Kotiks – and a handful of travelers at the station and the station employees – watched with great interest, never having encountered anyone with direct ties to the royal court or such flawless manners. The younger children in particular were fascinated to see how they stacked up against one another in Avocato's estimate. Kedi, who had warned his family ahead of time, just gave his friend free rein, knowing better than to get between Grand Lord Catomar's son and a display of protocol. After so much pomp and ceremony, Nikos skated by with just pleasant smiles and a few words of greeting, which was exactly what Avocato had intended.
That was, until a little kit, his snow boots embroidered with fish and his hat engulfing his head, looked up at Nikos with large, round eyes. In an awed voice he asked,
"Do you really eat bugs?"
Barely suppressing a snort, Avocato had to look away quickly to salvage his composure. If this was what Nikos was known for in the Far Reaches, he could only imagine what claim to fame was attached to his name.
The boy's mother, Lady Yvrose, let out a sharp hum of warning and fixed him with a stern glare which her son did not pick up on at all. The littlest children sparked to the question, instantly invested. Kedi looked down and tried not to bust out laughing, while his brothers and mother froze in horror. This was not the way they wanted to welcome their guests, but young Master Ronco could not be swayed from his latest obsession. Nikos blinked, startled, but the boy's innocent curiosity was genuine, and so he played along.
"Of course," he said, supremely casual as the rest of the little ones drew near to listen. "They're very tasty. Have you ever tried one?"
The kit had to ponder the question, and sighed. "I don't think Mama would like it if I did." He spoke seriously, as if eating bugs was high on his list of things to accomplish, but his life goals had been thwarted by his mother.
Well aware of Yvrose's searing green glare, Nikos tried to head off any potential, random samplings. "Well, you have to know which ones are good to eat, first. Kedi and Avocato can tell you. They both ate dune flies with me."
Four faces turned to Kedi and Avocato.
"You ate bugs?" whispered one of the little girls.
Suddenly elevated to hero status in the eyes of the tiny, the cadets nodded. Avocato gestured with both hands, careful not to exaggerate too much. "They were this long, and had six wings. Nikos caught them all right out of the air with his claws."
Little sounds of oooooh rose up as respect for their cousin and his strange guests skyrocketed. Avocato glanced at Kedi, who was valiantly fighting to contain his mirth. Seeing her chance to head off any more mortifying interrogations, Lady Yvinka quickly cleared her throat and said in that pleasant command voice inherent in mothers,
"Well, why don't we gather your luggage and start heading home? We should be there in time for tea."
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"So is it the ambition of everyone in your family to consume insects?" wondered Nikos as they collected their bags from the lounge.
"Only if you stand at waist level." Kedi chuckled. "I think it's a stage. I hope it's a stage."
"I remember Rinkon decided she was a rivermaid when she was eight or so, and kept trying to catch prawns in her mouth," Nikos said. "She managed it once and almost choked on it."
"My mother told me that when I was two, I cried because she wouldn't let me eat a rock I picked up in the kitchen garden," confessed Avocato. He shrugged. "Of course, I probably ate my weight in rocks when she wasn't looking, but apparently I really wanted that one. She kept it. Still won't let me have it back, though."
"I can only wonder why," Nikos said sarcastically, handing Avocato one of the duffles they had piled up.
Kedi likewise threw himself on the pyre as he slung a few bags over his shoulder. "We have lichens that grow in sheltered areas. They're edible, but I can tell you honestly they taste disgusting. We dare one another to eat them, or make that the penalty for losing a bet."
"When's the last time you had one?" pressed Avocato.
With a snort, Kedi said, "Last time I was home."
"Lost a bet?"
Kedi grumbled and mumbled.
"Still disgusting?"
"Worse than I remembered."
"Now I want to try one."
"Of course you do."
They both looked to Nikos, knowing he was not without sin.
"Fine," he snapped. "When I was nine, I ate an entire jar of kiyon pepper preserves."
"Kiyon pepper?"
"Close cousin to a spark pepper. Dark green. Vicious. Normally you'd use only a tiny amount in sauces and soups."
"What did you eat it with?" exclaimed Avocato.
"A spoon," laughed Nikos. "Picture Graylind with a delayed reaction but without the screaming. I was just as sick, though. I missed a week of school. Rinkon was so jealous that my mother had to lock up the preserves to keep her from eating some, too."
They laughed, as much at themselves as at each other's stories.
"So, maybe eating bugs isn't so bad," concluded Avocato.
Kedi shook his head in mock disgust and gestured for them to follow. "You're a bad influence, Little Cato."
"I know. That's why I'm so good at it."