“What is that?”

Far ahead of them, Annja thought she could make out something dark. It looked like it was growing.

Godwin pressed on the gas pedal. His eyes narrowed and he gripped the wheel tighter. “Our turnoff should be coming soon.”

“Not soon enough,” Annja said. “It’s going to be close.”

“What is?” Derek asked. “What is that thing ahead of us? What’s going on?”

Annja looked at him. “Can’t you hear it?”

Derek stopped and sat back in his seat. He closed his eyes and then Annja saw his body stiffen appreciably. His eyes popped open. “Tell me that’s not what I think it is.”

Annja nodded. “It is.”

Godwin pointed up ahead of them. “It’s growing.”

Annja looked and saw it was true. Shooting down the ice road toward them was a giant fissure of blackness.

The ice road was cracking all around them.

Sacred Ground

Rogue Angel™

Alex Archer

www.mirabooks.co.uk

THE LEGEND

…THE ENGLISH COMMANDER TOOK JOAN’S SWORD AND RAISED IT HIGH.

The broadsword, plain and unadorned, gleamed in the firelight. He put the tip against the ground and his foot at the center of the blade. The broadsword shattered, fragments falling into the mud. The crowd surged forward, peasant and soldier, and snatched the shards from the trampled mud. The commander tossed

the hilt deep into the crowd.

Smoke almost obscured Joan, but she continued praying till the end, until finally the flames climbed her body and she sagged against the restraints.

Joan of Arc died that fateful day in France,

but her legend and sword are reborn….

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

1

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada

“It’s been my experience,” Annja Creed said, “that the motives of private industry and those of the public don’t usually make for good bedfellows.” She reclined a bit farther back into the deep chocolate leather of her armchair and waited for the man sitting across from her to respond.

“That’s a pretty narrow way to look at things.” Derek Wainman took a sip from a steaming mug of coffee before setting it on the frosted-glass table. “After all, it’s in our best interests to work with the public to make sure they don’t feel slighted. These are, after all, potential customers.”

Annja considered the map in front of her. This time of year, most of the Northwest Territories of Canada was frozen. The arctic tundra was a mass of brittle green amid the snows and winds. She shivered just thinking about how cold it was out there.

But it couldn’t be worse than Antarctica, could it? She smiled at the memories of that adventure and then noticed Derek watching.

“You okay?”

“The cold weather makes me reminisce about the other times I’ve been in the thick of it,” she said.

Derek took another sip of his coffee. “That’s been quite often, hasn’t it?”

Annja looked at him. He smirked and waved his hand.

“Don’t be so concerned. We take great pains to find out all we can about people we might be interested in working with. And there’s never been anything that the right amount of money can’t purchase. Information especially.”

Annja smiled. She was one hundred percent positive there was at least one small nugget of intelligence that their money hadn’t been able to procure—the presence of the sword that she always carried with her.

“That’s a curious grin,” Derek said.

Annja made her face expressionless. This guy didn’t miss a thing. She’d have to remember that.

“How successful has the mining operation been at Ekati?”

“By all accounts, incredibly so,” Derek said. “It’s expected to yield five hundred million Canadian dollars a year for the next twenty-five years. Who would have thought that the earth could have such a repository of untapped wealth?”

“I might have,” Annja said. “But then, I dig for a living. That kind of knowledge is my thing.”

“You like getting dirty,” Derek said.

Annja watched his face for any signs that he was already tossing innuendo around. But to his credit, he kept his expression firm and unyielding. No sign of mirth tinged it.

“Getting dirty comes with the territory,” she said. “It can’t be helped. And it’s only when you’re truly down in the thick of it that you find the most precious treasures. So yes, I like getting dirty.”

“Where were you before this?”

Annja raised an eyebrow at him. “Now, why would you ask me such a question? After all, I thought you had a complete workup on my recent activities?”

“We do.”

“So, what, you want to see if I lie about my whereabouts?”

Derek held up his hand. “Calm down. It was just a friendly question.”

Annja looked at the map again. Frozen lakes, frozen rivers, frozen everything. It would be a damned cold jaunt; she knew that.

“Why now?” she asked.

“Excuse me?”

Annja glanced up. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to start something like this in the spring?”

Derek smiled. “We’re hoping that by the time you get to the site and extricate everything that needs extricating, it will be spring and just in time for us to start our real work.”

“Ah, the real work.”

Derek leaned forward. “Annja, please make no mistake—while we’re committed to helping the Inuit preserve whatever sacred ground they have in this location, our primary emphasis is on profit. We’re a private corporation and as such, driven by the ever-present bottom line.”

“Hence my original statement about private and public interests not intersecting.”

Derek leaned back. “We can help each other.”

“How so?”

“By you agreeing to come on board and assist the Inuit elders with their research, we gain a certain degree of sympathy for our corporation. Our public image looks better than if we simply steamrolled in and took what we wanted from the land with little regard to its history.”

“Even though that’s exactly what you want to do anyway?”

“You don’t strike me as being naive, Annja.”

“I’m not.”

“So you understand the function of our meeting and your employment with us on this matter.”

“I’m coming in as a contractor.”

“But you work for us.”

Annja smiled. “I gathered as much.”

“For which you’ll be paid quite handsomely. Far more than you make hosting that little show on television.”

“Actually, Chasing History’s Monsters does pretty well in the ratings.”

Derek grinned. “Only when your cohost manages to have a well-timed wardrobe malfunction.”

“Granted.”

“I don’t think we’d see such a thing from you, now, would we?”

Annja shot him a look. “I wouldn’t hold out any hope.”

“Noted.”

Annja folded up the map. “How long has this land belonged to this tribe of Inuit?”

“Almost one thousand years.”

“You were able to trace it back that far?”

Derek sighed. “It was part of what we had to do in order to make sure that the government was satisfied we did as much as possible to benefit the tribe instead of our own rather money-oriented motives.”

“And what have you paid the Inuit?”

“Far more than the land is worth. But I’m not exactly at liberty to disclose the exact number we eventually settled upon.”

“Still,” Annja said. “You’ll inevitably extract far more than that if your estimates are correct, right?”

“Of course. It wouldn’t have been a good investment otherwise. And we most certainly are not in the business of throwing money away.”

Annja nodded. “This dig site was a condition of the purchase?”

“The elders insisted on it. They claim a portion of the land—which happens to be exactly where our scientists tell us that the richest veins of kimberlite lie—is an ancient burial site. It has to be moved to a new area that has been consecrated through a variety of rituals and sacred events.”

“Kimberlite indicates the presence of diamonds, right?”

Derek grinned. “Yes. It’s a type of potassic volcanic rock. It occurs naturally in ‘pipes,’ or long vertical structures that have the potential to contain diamonds. Our scientists tell me that kimberlite is formed deep within the Earth’s mantle, probably between ninety and three hundred miles deep.”

“Journey to the Center of the Earth.”

“All for a girl’s best friend, yes.”

“So, why bring me in?”

“We need you to confirm when the land is free of relics and assorted Inuit history. If we didn’t have you in there, the Inuit could hold things up indefinitely and claim there was still any number of items that had to be extracted or moved. It could delay our operations for years. And we are definitely in the realm of time is money.”

“I see.”

“Your job is to get in there, get friendly with the Inuit elders and help them do what they need to do. Move their burial site. Make sure there aren’t any relics that need to be dug up and preserved. Do whatever it takes, but within four weeks we want that land free of any Inuit association. Because at the first sign of a thaw—as much as we get up in these parts—we’re coming in with the drills.”

“And at that point there won’t be any second chance for the Inuit.”

“None. Once you give us the word or if the four weeks expire first, we’re coming in. I don’t think anyone could argue we haven’t been more than patient.”

“I’m sure someone could.”

Derek sighed. “True. People are always able to complain when they’re not spending one billion dollars of their own money.”

“This is a billion-dollar operation?”

Derek smiled. “I never said that if anyone asks.”

“All right, then.”

Derek finished his coffee and set the empty mug back down on the table. “Do you have any other questions?”

“My payment?”

He nodded. “We wired the first installment directly into your bank account this morning, prior to this meeting.”

Annja smiled. “You’re awfully confident that I’d take the assignment.”

Derek shrugged. “We make a habit of knowing as much as possible about who we deal with ahead of time. I’ve read all of your files and information. I’ve watched you for a while on television even. I know you can’t resist the pull of a new dig. It’s too deeply ingrained in your spirit.”

“You calling me an addict?”

Derek smiled. “Are you?”

Annja took a deep breath. “Sure feels that way sometimes.”

“You say that with a degree of…sadness?”

Annja shook her head. “Not really. I tend to live a lot of my life locked in the past. Memories of what I’ve done overlapped with the memories I dig through on an almost daily basis. Sometimes it’s impossible to see the future.”

“Well,” Derek said, “I guess I can understand that to some extent.”

“Only some?”

“I’ve never been on an archaeological excursion.”

“Make some time,” Annja said. “Come and join me on this one.”

“I hate the cold,” Derek said.

Annja smiled. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish. It’s the one part of this job that I struggle with on a constant basis. If there was any way to do this from the warm beaches of Fiji, I’d be a much happier man.”

“I guess not, though, huh?”

“No.”

“The rest of my payment will be transferred in four weeks?”

“Or upon completion of the job, whichever comes first. If you finish in two weeks, you get a fifty percent bonus.”

Annja leaned back. “Mighty generous of you.”

“Not my decision, actually, but I’ll pass it on. Remember what I told you, that we’re in the time-is-money realm. My bosses want this thing to move ahead quickly. I hope we can count on you.”

“If you had any doubts, I wouldn’t be here, would I?’

“Nope.”

Annja stood. “All right. I’m in.”

“Excellent.”

“I’ll need a week to get my stuff together and gather up what I’ll need to make sure I’ve got the necessary tools—”

“We leave right now.”

“Excuse me?”

Derek smiled. “Whatever you need, we can pick up on the way. Inuvik has a number of good locations to pick up supplies.”

“I wasn’t planning on this happening so quickly.”

“But I know for a fact that you always manage to land on your feet, even in the most surprising situations.”

Annja frowned. “I don’t like working this way.”

“Consider it a show of good faith. You indulge us in this little matter and we’ll make sure you have whatever it is that you need.”

“Okay, but if I don’t have my supplies, I walk away and keep the advance.”

“Done.”

Annja looked at him for a long moment and then nodded. “All right.”

Derek held out his hand. “Welcome aboard.”

Annja hesitated and then shook his hand. “I hope I meet your expectations accordingly.”

“I know you will.”

He guided her out of the hotel lobby and toward the front door. Outside, amid the swirling snow, Annja could just make out the blackened windows of a big SUV. Exhaust issued from the tailpipe.

“Been waiting long?”

Derek shrugged. “Things tend to freeze a lot faster up here. We keep engines going when we can.”

“How very environmentally friendly of you.”

Derek let the barb roll off his back. “Look, Annja, I know you said you tend to live in the past.”

“But—?”

“Keep the future in mind. Four weeks, to be exact. That’s the maximum amount of time I can allot you in this assignment. Anything more and we come in. And then all of that history—whatever happens to be left—gets ground up under our drill bits.”

2

The ride to Inuvik was spent with Annja praying that the heavy tires on the SUV didn’t blow out as they drove over portions of highway, sections of hard gravel and even dirt road. She thanked the inventor of shock absorbers many times during the ride, but even still, when she finally arrived at the Inuvik Welcome Center, Annja found herself massaging her buttocks.

Derek didn’t look as if he’d fared much better. “The last time I rode up here, it wasn’t that bad,” he said.

“Maybe you guys could chip in for a highway reconstruction project. Throw a few million at them to pave the entire expanse for the sake of butts everywhere.”

Derek laughed. “I’ll talk to my superiors about it.”

Annja glanced around. Thick snow coated every exterior surface. Her breath seemed to stain the air in front of her face and then drop to the ground already frozen. “Just how cold is it?”

“Right now?”

“Yeah.”

“About thirty below.”

Annja sighed. Back in the deep freeze. She had visions of her expedition to Antarctica. But that had been to dispute the existence of an alien race. This was far simpler. Her job was to get in and help the local tribe relocate their sacred relics out of the mining company’s drill site.

There couldn’t be much danger in that, could there?

She grinned in spite of the cold, feeling her skin almost crack as she did so.

Derek noticed the expression on her face and nodded. “Maybe we should get inside.”

“Good idea.” She glanced back at their driver, who seemed to be paying more attention to the vehicle than to them. She turned and followed Derek inside the welcome center.

She passed a display showing a map of the area. She stopped Derek. “Will we be working out of the town here?”

He shook his head. “Nope. This is just our waypoint. We’ve got a temporary camp set up closer to the drill site. I mean the future drill site.”

“Right now, it’s still sacred Inuit land.”

“Araktak, to be accurate. They’ve been around these parts for—”

“A thousand years, you told me.” Annja nodded. “I’m sure they’ve got an incredible history.”

Derek frowned. “I wouldn’t know. They’re not one of the larger tribes in the area. They’ve remained incredibly independent despite the efforts to unify the smaller tribes into a larger one for the purposes of government help and education. I don’t think there’s a lot known about them.”

“Interesting.”

“It might be another coup for you.”

Annja frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Derek smiled. “I know you’ve had a number of interesting discoveries in your time. Things you’ve had the good fortune to stumble across before anyone else. Perhaps the Araktak can be another jewel in your crown of accomplishments.”

“Maybe,” Annja said. “I wouldn’t be looking at it as a way of one-upping my peers, though.”

“Of course not,” Derek said. “It would just be another one of those nice things that some people have happen.”

Annja frowned as she watched him walk away. What was his deal? She’d noticed he didn’t wear a wedding ring and although he seemed young, she could see the first streaks of gray hair marking their invasion at his temple. She estimated he was probably around forty. He seemed in good shape, and despite his avowed hatred of the cold, it hadn’t seemed to bother him too much when they’d been outside.

Maybe he’s used to it by now, she thought.

The display told Annja that Inuvik was small, only about three thousand people in total. It hadn’t been much of anything before 1979, but now it functioned as something of a gateway to the Mackenzie River and beyond into the Beaufort Delta, which bordered the Arctic Ocean.

Derek reappeared behind her. “The main function of the town is to act as a staging area for truckers to haul loads up to the refinery projects on the delta. Once the river freezes, they actually drive across the frozen water to reach their destinations.”

Annja frowned. “You’re not serious.”

“I absolutely am.”

Annja shook her head. “You’d never get me driving over ice like that. One wrong move, if it’s not thick enough and you could go right through and never be seen again.”

“Very true. Many truckers have lost their lives to it, but then again, up here, it’s the only way to get things done.”

“I hope you’re not going to tell me that the drill site is located anywhere near this frozen river.”

Derek smiled. “Would you want to back out if it was?”

“Very possibly.”

“And what about all that money?”

“Money’s nice. Living is nicer.”

Derek grinned. “Well, don’t worry about it too much. The drill site lies inland, lucky for you.”

Annja heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank God for small favors.”

Derek eyed her. “You don’t strike me as someone afraid of much, especially a little frozen river.”

“The frozen river doesn’t scare me,” Annja said. “But falling through the ice and drowning does.”

Derek waved his hand. “I wouldn’t worry about drowning. The moment you hit the ice water, you’d probably go into cardiac arrest anyway.”

“Lovely. Thanks for making me feel better.”

“My pleasure.” He gestured to the room. “Anything else you want to see here?”

“You’re finished with whatever we came in for?”

“I simply wanted to introduce you to the town. Figured it would be a nice way to ease you into things.”

“Ease me into things.” Annja pursed her lips. “You’re just full of contradictions, aren’t you?”

“How do you figure that?”

“Because you basically kidnapped me earlier at our meeting. And now you’re talking about slowing down.”

“Well,” Derek said. “I was sort of under orders not to let you back out of the arrangement. Not to give you an opportunity to say no. That kind of thing.”

“I see.”

“But now that you’re here in town, well, it’s different, isn’t it?”

“If you say so.”

Derek checked his watch. “We’re not going any farther today anyway.”

“So, we’ll stay here tonight?”

“Yup. Got us set up with reservations at the town inn. It’s just down the street.”

“And what time will we be on the road tomorrow.”

“Early as we can.”

Annja nodded. “All right. Let’s go.”

Outside the welcome center, the wind had picked up, making Annja’s face instantly feel as if it was baked leather. “I’m going to make a moisturizer company rich off of me,” she muttered.

Derek smiled. “Believe it or not, you do get used to it.”

“If you say so.”

They slid back into the vehicle and the driver gunned the engine before shooting down the road. As they drove through the town, Annja spotted a number of kids out walking with their parents.

“It amazes me what human beings can put up with,” she said.

“It’s just one of those things, right?” Derek said. “If you don’t have the option to move elsewhere, you simply adapt. I think it’s our greatest strength. It’s what will someday enable us to colonize another planet.”

“And hopefully treat it better than we’ve done with this one.”

“Ouch.”

Annja glanced at him. “Don’t worry, I won’t get preachy with you.”

“Thanks.” He shrugged. “It’s not like I don’t care for the planet. It’s just that I’ve had to reconcile my work with my beliefs.”

“And the bank account won, huh?”

“Sure did.”

“I’m sure you must sleep easy at night.”

“I sleep well knowing I’ve taken care of my children.”

Annja looked back from the window. “You have kids?”

“Two of them. A boy and a girl. Eight and ten. Great kids. They live in California with their mother.” He shrugged again. “We’re divorced. She didn’t approve of my line of work.”

“What does she do?”

“She’s an advocate for Greenpeace,” he said, laughing.

“Wow, how the hell did you two even get together in the first place?”

Derek smiled. “I wasn’t always a corporate lackey. Before I sold my soul I was a lobbyist for the environment on Capitol Hill. We met at a luncheon or a dinner or something in Washington. We were young. Idealistic. We had plans at one point to start a utopian community in the Canadian wilderness.”

“So, what happened?”

“I came north to scout a location and somehow fell in with the mining corporation. They appreciated my zeal for causes near and dear to my heart. I thought Canada would be the best place to raise our children. The government at the time in the U.S. was something of a joke.”

“Your wife didn’t want to move to Canada?”

“Nope. Turns out she was still a bit of a patriot. She insisted that we raise the kids in the States.”

“And around that time, the corporation got their hooks into you—is that about right?”

“Yes. They offered me a public-relations job helping them get government approval for a project that didn’t pan out. I figured they’d let me go once it became obvious that we were digging in the wrong location. But that didn’t happen. Instead, they recognized what I’d been able to do for them and they promoted me.”

“They must have seen something they liked,” Annja said. “One of those lucky breaks in life, huh?”

“Well, it came with a big pay raise and now I get to spend lavishly on my kids, much to the dismay of their mother. But I don’t get a lot of time with them, so it’s my prerogative to do what I choose with my money. And, like I said, it helps me sleep at night. If anything happens to me, they’re set for life.”

“I suppose that’s what it’s all about, huh?”

“Anything for my kids,” Derek said. “Absolutely.”

Annja nodded and went back to looking out the window. “I wouldn’t know about that yet.”

“Kids?”

“Yeah. Maybe someday.”

“You’re attractive. I don’t think you’ll have a problem finding a husband if that’s what you want.”

She glanced at him. “Did your files tell you about my personal life, as well?”

Derek grinned. “Our information tends to be very complete. We need an accurate picture if we’re going to commit serious money to working with a certain person.”

“I’m not sure I’m all that crazy about how much you seem to know about my life.”

“It’s nothing personal, Annja. We take this approach with everyone we work with. The corporation is very concerned about the people it lets in on its secrets. News of this drill site isn’t even something that most people know about. At least not yet. Once we strike pay dirt, it will make headlines.”

“There’s that much riding on this?”

““Even more,” Derek said. “If our figures turn out to be correct, and there’s every indication they will, then this mine will make Ekati look like a lemonade stand.”

“Colorful.”

“We think we could double their annual yield,” Derek said. “If not triple it.”

“A billion dollars a year.” Annja whistled. “That would be impressive.”

“With a substantial bonus for everyone involved.”

“Even a contractor like me?” Annja asked.

Derek shrugged. “Just do your job and get us the clearance we need from the Araktak elders. At that point, anything’s possible. Even for a contractor like you.”

Annja nodded. “I’ll remember that.”

“Please do. But just as certainly remember that you’ve only got four weeks. After that, no one wins. Least of all you.”

3

The SUV came to a stop in front of a long, squat building with a wooden sign twisting about in the stiff wind. Annja could just make out the name of the inn as The Breton. “This is where we’re staying?”

Derek nodded. “I imagine it will seem quite luxurious, especially once you see the dig site.”

Annja frowned. “I’ve stayed in worse.”

“I’ll bet the Philippines jungle was terrible by contrast.”

“You know about that, too, huh?” Annja shook her head. “Just know that for all your information, I’ve still got more than enough secrets to keep myself warm at night.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Derek said. “But we aren’t looking to pry all of your secrets out of you. If that was the case, we’d be using something a lot more painful on you.” He smiled. “Just joking.”

“I’ll bet.”

Derek opened the door and a brisk gust of wind greeted them as they stepped out of the vehicle. He nodded at their driver. “Godwin will see to our bags. Let’s get inside.”

Annja glanced at the driver. Godwin? It was an unusual name. She hadn’t actually been introduced to the man. But she shrugged and followed Derek inside.

He pushed through the heavy door and a wall of heat met them, scaring off the thunderous cold wind. Derek took a deep breath. “Toasty in here.”

The man behind the counter smiled. “Welcome, folks.”

Derek smiled. “You’ve got some reservations for us, I believe. They should be under the name Mr. Smith.”

Annja cocked an eyebrow. Derek waved her off and then turned back to the man. “Should be three rooms in total.”

The counterman nodded. “Yep, got ’em right here.” He winked. “Not like we’d be full up or nothin’. Don’t exactly get ourselves a bumper crop of tourists this time of year.”

“We’ll just be here for the night,” Derek said.

“Pushing on in the morning, are you? Fair enough. Just sign in. It’s cash only, mind you, so if you’ve got anything plastic, there’s a bank machine down the road at Terry’s Trading Post.”

Derek pulled out his wallet and fished out several bills. “Cash is fine.”

The man took the money and laid three keys down on the counter. “Right, you’re all next to each other. Hope you don’t mind. It’s easier this way to know where you’re all at.”

Derek handed one of the keys to Annja and turned back to the man. “What’s good around here for a meal?”

“We don’t have anything fancy.”

“I don’t care about fancy. Just good.”

“Well, then, you can’t do any better than the steak house across the street. They do a great porterhouse. Keep a couple of beers on tap, as well. It’s a fine meal. Finish it off with a single malt and you’ll be back in time for a toasty night here in your bed.”

Derek nodded. “Sounds good. Thanks.”

“Where’s your third party?” the man asked.

The door to the inn banged open and Godwin came through the door carrying an assortment of traveling bags. He looked even taller and more imposing in the close confines of the inn’s reception area. And he didn’t seem to smile all that much.

“I’ll need some clothes,” Annja said to Derek. “If you recall, we didn’t stop like you promised.”

Godwin set down a bag near Annja. “You’ll find everything you need in there, Miss Creed.”

Annja looked at the bag and then back at Godwin. “My clothes?”

Godwin shrugged. “All new. With the equipment you might need for your work. If there’s anything else you require, please let me know and I’ll see that you get it as soon as possible.”

Annja glanced at Derek. “Is this more of your paid-for information at work?”

He shrugged. “Discerning your size isn’t much of a challenge. And we did enough research to know what you’d need. You’ll find it all there.”

“You must have been incredibly confident that I would agree to work with you.”

“I was.”

“Are you ever wrong?”

Derek smiled. “Only about my ex-wife.”

Annja allowed herself a small grin. “I’m hungry.”

Derek nodded. “Let’s get changed and meet back here in what—twenty minutes?”

“Sure.”

Derek handed the final key to Godwin. “You’ve secured the vehicle?”

“Yes, sir.”

“All right, let’s see to our rooms.”

They walked down the corridor and one by one they each entered a room.

Annja took a moment to examine her surroundings. The room was small but functional. A single lamp on the bedside table gave off a warm glow of light. The bed was a double, big enough for one but not much more. Annja smiled to herself. As if she’d be getting lucky in a town like this.

She threw her bag on the bed and unzipped it. She pulled out three heavy sweaters, thermal underwear, fleece pants, lined jeans, turtlenecks and then a heavy parka, gloves and a thick woolen hat. Godwin had thoughtfully removed all the tags and stickers that would have marked the clothing as new. Annja couldn’t even see where he might have purchased the clothes from, but judging by the feel of them, they were expensive and perfectly suited to the environment she’d be operating in.

Annja stripped off her clothes and dressed in the thermal underwear, turtleneck, jeans and sweater before sliding into the parka. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided that the road hadn’t made her look like a total mess, although the cold was already working on her face. She’d need to remedy that before bed tonight.

She sat on the edge of the bed and took out her cell phone and punched in a number back in New York. The phone buzzed three times and then her voice mail at her place in Brooklyn picked up. Annja punched her code in and recorded a message she’d recorded a thousand times before.

“Hi, you’ve reached Annja Creed. I’m out digging in the dirt somewhere. Leave me a message and I’ll call you back once I get home.”

She disconnected and checked her watch. Time to go.

Back in the lobby, Godwin was already there, watching the satellite TV in the corner of the room. He looked up as Annja entered and nodded as if confirming something in his mind.

Annja did a quick pirouette as she entered. “You like?”

He almost smiled. “Everything fits you properly. That’s good. It means I did my job well.”

“Thank you,” Annja said. “I was a bit worried when I suddenly found myself employed earlier this afternoon.”

“Mr. Wainman was quite explicit in his instructions. I would be upset if something didn’t fit you properly. Up here in these parts, proper fit isn’t a matter of fashion—it’s a matter of survival. If your body heat isn’t adequately managed, you’ll die from exposure.”

“You sound like you know your way around these parts.”

“I do. My ancestors have lived in this area for generations. Longer than that even.”

“Araktak?”

He nodded. “I’m half. My father married outside the family. It didn’t go over so well, but then again, the course of true love never did run smooth. Isn’t that what they say?”

“Some of them.”

“Well, I’ve never really belonged to the family. My mother was an outsider, so her blood in mine makes me the same.”

“They won’t take you in as one of their own?”

“Not the Araktak. They’re far too proud to admit a half-breed.”

Annja frowned. “Their loss, then. From what I can see, they’d do well to accept you as family. You don’t look like you’d accept such discrimination easily.”

“I don’t.”

Derek came into the reception area. “I see your clothes fit you well.” He nodded at Godwin. “Excellent job.”

Godwin nodded. “Thanks.”

“Everyone hungry, then?” Derek asked. “Dinner’s on me.”

Annja glanced at the counterman, but he was engrossed in the television behind the counter. “Not on the company?” she asked.

Derek frowned. “We think it’s best if we don’t advertise the fact that we’re interested in this particular area.”

“But isn’t the deal at least somewhat known?”

“Only by those who need to know,” Derek said. “And at this point, it’s probably better that we don’t let anyone else in on our work. People in these parts are naturally suspicious of outsiders.”

Annja glanced at Godwin. “Is that true?”

He actually smiled. “Don’t know. I’m an outsider myself.”

When they left the inn the wind showed no signs of losing strength, and they walked quickly across the street to the steak house.

Another burst of heat greeted them inside. Annja took stock and while the restaurant was really not much more than a glorified bar, the tables and chairs looked comfortable enough.

A burly waitress ushered them into a booth and handed them each a menu. Derek glanced at his.

“I’d like your porterhouse cooked medium rare and a beer.”

Annja ordered the same thing and Godwin asked if there was any fish on the menu. When the waitress informed him there wasn’t, he settled for the sirloin.

Annja watched her walk away and then glanced at Godwin. “She didn’t exactly seem friendly.”

“Maybe she can see my mixed heritage. A lot of folks up here don’t trust the Inuit. And if she can figure out I’m Araktak, then she’ll have even more reason to be suspicious.”

“Why so?”

Derek cleared his throat. “Like I mentioned earlier, the Araktak are secretive. They’ve kept to themselves for hundreds of years. No one knows this land like they do, but they don’t often grant an audience to outsiders.”

“So how did your company ever get inroads with them?”

“Perseverance,” Derek said. “And Godwin.”

Annja looked at him. “I thought you said they wouldn’t accept you as one of their own.”

“They don’t. But since I carry my father’s name, they had to at least hear me out of respect for his lineage. I acted as the official go-between and got things settled for the company.”

“And it’s one of the reasons why he’ll be your constant companion on this venture,” Derek said. “The company wants one of its own on the inside while you work. It’s not that we don’t trust you. It’s that we don’t fully trust the Araktak.”

“Why not?”

“There have been some power shifts in the tribe. Some of the Araktak want to do away with the old traditions and embrace the new millennium. Others want nothing to do with the modern world and wish to retreat back into even more secrecy.”

“And how does everyone feel about the agreement with the company?”

“There’s been some…unpleasantness,” Derek said.

“What kind of unpleasantness?” Annja asked.

“The last representative we sent had a tough time gaining any type of relationship with the Araktak. They sent him back with a broken arm.”

Annja frowned. “And here I thought this wouldn’t be dangerous.”

Derek shrugged. “It’s yet another reason we wanted to work with you, Annja. Our information tells us that you are more than capable of holding your own in the event of…unpleasantness.”

“I suppose you could say that,” Annja said. “Although I would much prefer avoiding conflict if possible.”

“As would we. But given the tenuous nature of the situation, it would be wise if you were well prepared for any eventuality.”

Annja glanced at Godwin. “Is that another reason why you’re along on this?”

“Godwin is here to protect the interests of the company. And in this case, you are most definitely an ‘interest.’”

“How nice,” Annja said. “I hope you won’t have to do anything to protect me.”

Godwin shrugged. “It’s my job to be ready just in case.”

“What if you need protecting?”

He smirked. “That seems unlikely.”

“Been known to happen, though.”

Godwin shrugged. “If it happens, then I’ll deal with it. But I am much more interested in making sure nothing happens to you. Or the company’s position. It’s vital that this go through.”

Annja watched him for another minute before turning her attention to the beer the waitress had just set down in front of her. She took a sip and as she brought the glass down, something tickled her subconscious. Across from them, she could see two men at the bar taking more than a passing interest in their table.

Godwin might just get a chance to show his skills sooner than he’d thought. Annja smiled and took a sip of her beer. At least some action would get her blood moving.

4

Annja took another sip of her beer. The two men at the bar were growing impatient judging by the way they jostled against the counter. Annja glanced at Godwin. “I think we might be attracting some interest.”

Godwin’s dark eyes flashed over to the bar and he nodded once. “Sure seem to be.”

“Friends of yours?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Nope. But it doesn’t matter. They apparently think they know me or know of me. Either way, it could get messy in here.”

Derek struggled to hear them over the din. “What are you two babbling about over there?”

Annja smiled. “It seems as though some of Godwin’s friends might be looking to join us.”

“Friends?”

“It’s a loose term.” Annja shrugged. “Really depends on how you feel about people who want to break your bones.”

Godwin glanced at Derek. “Mr. Wainman, there’s a chance we might have some trouble here very shortly. Whether we want it or not.”

Derek frowned. “We haven’t even eaten dinner yet.”

Annja grinned some more. “I’ve found these types rarely have a good sense of timing.”

Derek looked at Godwin. “Can you handle it?”

“Most certainly.”

Annja stretched her arms overhead. “Well, I’m not missing out on the fun.”

Godwin shook his head. “It’s not your fight.”

“It is my prerogative, however,” Annja said. “And I need a bit of activity to keep my muscles in shape.”

The bigger of the two men came off the bar then, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Godwin. Annja figured he must have weighed over two hundred pounds, given that even the thick shirt he wore couldn’t disguise the mass underneath. He had his huge hands tightly squeezed into fists.

Behind him, the smaller man followed, but he was by no means the lesser of the two threats. Annja saw that he kept his right hand tucked in his back pocket. She frowned. A knife. It had to be a knife of some sort.

Great.

The big man managed ten steps before he stopped and pointed a finger at Godwin. “You there. You’re Araktak, ain’cha?”

Godwin shrugged. “Part.”

“Part? You mean you’re a bastard, too? What was it, your mother or your father that couldn’t stand to be with his own people?”

“What business is it of yours?”

The big man growled. “I don’t like Araktak.”

“I’m sure the feeling is mutual.”

The big man edged closer. “I don’t like them because they stole my land from my family.”

Godwin shrugged. “The Araktak have been in this area for the better part of a thousand years. How long has your family been here?”

“Don’t matter,” the big man said. “They took what didn’t belong to them. And my family lost everything thanks to that no-good government being all concerned for the Inuit scum.”

Godwin nodded. “Well, you have my sympathies, if it makes any difference to you at all.”

“It don’t,” the big man said. “Because to me, the only good Araktak is a dead Araktak.”

Annja sighed. “God should strike down whichever idiot first coined that expression. Only the brainless still use it.”

The big man frowned. “Last I checked, this conversation weren’t about you, little lady.”

Annja laughed. “‘Little lady’?”

The big man nodded. “Just keep yer pretty little mouth shut and you won’t get hurt.”

Annja rose from the table. “And suppose—just suppose—I feel like opening my mouth? What then?”

“Then you get it closed.”

Annja smiled widely. She could feel her blood coursing through her as her heart pumped. She flexed her hands, knowing that her energy was cresting.

She glanced back at Godwin, who had moved closer to the edge of the booth seat. She pointed at the smaller of the two men. “Watch out for the blade that guy has in his right back pocket.”

Godwin nodded. “Got it.”

Annja looked back at the big man. “I’m not going to close my mouth, so I guess you’ll just have to do it for me.”

The big man frowned. “Fine by me, you dumb bitch.”

But as he started forward, Annja jumped, twisting as she did so until her right foot was aimed straight at the big man’s chin. She moved so fast that the man didn’t have a chance to track her and in the next moment, Annja’s foot slammed into the side of his chin with a solid crack.

To his credit, the man didn’t go down. He grunted once and then swatted the air where Annja had been, catching her with a backhand fist on the side of her head.

Annja saw stars, but blinked the pain away as she dropped to the ground and rolled to get some distance. The big man came charging forward.

“You think I won’t kick a girl’s ass? You’re about to find out you’re very mistaken.”

Annja frowned. That kick should have knocked him out. She came up on the balls of her feet and feinted with a jab that the big man fell for. Annja ducked and drove a sharp right hook into his floating ribs.

The thick shirt absorbed most of the impact.

The man brought his hands together and dropped them down on the back of Annja’s back. Annja thought she heard a crack but then the floor rushed to greet her.

Not good, she thought. As long as he’s standing, this contest isn’t going to go well.

She was briefly aware that Godwin had moved to engage the smaller man. The man had a curved knife out in front of him, flashing through the air in vicious swipes.

The big man charged her again. Annja stayed on one knee and as he came in, she pivoted, sweeping her left leg out to attack the back of the big man’s knees.

It worked and he lost his balance, going down hard on his butt.

Annja leaped up and brought her elbow down into his stomach. She heard a rush of air go out of his lungs and the air around her stunk with the smell of liquor. She blanched and rolled away. “Gross.”

But even her elbow strike to his stomach didn’t stop her opponent, and he rolled over and got to his feet with surprising quickness for someone of his size. He brought his hands together and frowned at Annja.

“Now you’ve made me mad.”

Annja grabbed a chair from the closest table and smashed it over his head as he charged again. The wooden frame splintered nicely over his skull and this time, he went down and stayed down.

Annja took a breath and then checked to make sure he was finally unconscious.

Godwin was still working on getting the edge with his attacker. The smaller man was clearly more skilled than his oafish counterpart. The way he handled the knife told Annja that he’d used it many times in the past, probably with great effect.

He cut the air with short, clipped circles, keeping Godwin at bay. But Annja sensed no impatience in Godwin’s body movement. He seemed content to let the smaller man wear himself out.

The man noted that his comrade was down for the count and then made his error. He feinted with a thrust and then jerked it out in a wider arc than he had before. Godwin’s eyes twinkled for just a moment and then he pivoted inside the arc, driving his elbow deep into the smaller man’s solar plexus. His hands clamped down on the arm wielding the knife, and Annja heard a pop as Godwin dislocated the man’s elbow and the knife skittered clear.

The smaller man screamed as Godwin stepped back and let the now-useless limb drop harmlessly to the smaller man’s side.

Godwin stooped and retrieved the knife. He turned it over and frowned. “I haven’t seen one like this in a very long time.”

Annja walked over to him. “What?”

Godwin showed it to her. The knife seemed to curve closer to the tip, but Annja could also see that the blade had an edge on both sides. It seemed perfect for stabbing through multiple layers and then hooking to inflict grievous injury.

“This is an assassin’s weapon,” Godwin said.

“Assassin?”

Godwin nodded. “Certain tribes among the Inuit have secret aspects of their tribes. When the white man started encroaching on their lands, some among the tribes resolved to use their skill and cunning to inflict terror among the new settlers.”

“Did it work?”

“Not really. The settlers kept coming. It was inevitable, I suppose. But the traditions of the assassins have been passed down regardless. It used to be something much more honorable than it apparently has become.”

Godwin looked at the smaller man. “Where did you get this?”

“I won it in a poker game.”

“I don’t believe that,” Annja said. “Judging by how you used it, someone taught you some basics.”

“I don’t believe it, either,” Godwin said. “No assassin would ever let something like this out of his sight. It means too much to them. It’s their badge of acceptance within the ranks. However you came to own this blade, it couldn’t have been respectable.”

The smaller man massaged his arm. “Maybe someone wants you dead, half-breed. Maybe they want you dead bad enough to send a couple of us at you so they can see what sort of target you’d make.”

Godwin glanced at Annja. “What do you think?”

Annja shrugged. “I think you should have knocked him unconscious like I did with his friend. That way, you can just avoid all the useless talk after the fact.”

Godwin raised his eyebrows. “Interesting point.”

He backhanded the smaller man right between the eyes. There was the briefest moment of shock on the smaller man’s face before his eyes rolled back and he dropped to the ground.

Quiet settled in the bar and Godwin looked at Annja. “You’re right. That’s much better.”

From behind the bar, a hulking bear of a man stepped out. Annja spun to meet his advance but he held up his hands. “Excuse me, folks, just need to take the garbage out.”

He reached down and scooped up both men and then ran them out the door of the bar. A round of applause went up from the rest of the patrons as the bartender came back inside clapping his hands.

Annja was concerned. “They’ll be okay out there in the snow?”

The bartender shrugged. “Not my problem anymore. They attacked two patrons. Whatever happens to them next is their own business. Not mine. Far as I’m concerned, you two did what was necessary. The cops are on their way to collect them.”

“Thanks.”

He shook his head. “Didn’t like them anyway. They’ve been hanging around here for the last week looking like they were expecting something to happen at any moment. Put a real drag on the place. Hurt my business. Them getting their asses handed to them was long overdue, I’d expect.”

“Happy to oblige,” Annja said.

The bartender smiled. “I think your dinners’ll be right up, so have a seat and I’ll send them over.”

Annja and Godwin sat down. Derek had worked his way through most of his beer. He hefted his glass at Godwin. “Nicely done.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Derek turned to Annja. “Nice to see that our information checks out on that front, as well.”

Annja frowned. “I hate proving you right.”

Derek smiled. “Well, at least we both know that if something happens, you’ll be able to take care of it. And if you can’t, then Godwin here can be pressed into service, as well.”

Annja took a sip of her beer. She also had her sword. Although part of her wondered if perhaps Derek knew something about that, too. The thought did little to comfort her.

5

After a decent sleep, Annja felt ready to get to the dig site at long last. She showered quickly and dressed in insulating clothes before grabbing a quick cup of coffee and a muffin in the reception area. As usual, Godwin was already there, looking more relaxed than he had the previous night in the wake of the discovery of the assassin’s dagger.

“Sleep well?” she asked.

He nodded. “Actually, very well. You?”

“I didn’t think I’d be able to get warm, but those blankets did the trick. I was out like a light. Probably the postadrenaline dump helped a bit, too.”

Godwin nodded. “Derek was right about you.”

“Meaning?”

“You’ve been in a lot of fights.”

Annja shrugged. “I get mixed up in a lot of stuff. I’m always interested in things that most normal people wouldn’t get into. As a result, knowing how to protect myself is important.”

Godwin watched her. “Well, there seems to be a natural sort of grace to you. It’s like some kind of second skin. Very relaxed. And you can hold your own.”

If only you knew the whole story, Annja thought. Instead, she smiled some more. “Well, thanks.”

Derek entered the reception area. “Good morning. Everyone ready to get going?”

Annja nodded. “Yes. How far is the dig site?”

“Probably shouldn’t take us much more than two hours to reach it,” Derek said. “We’ll follow Hendrick’s Highway east and then get onto the dirt track. Probably won’t be the smoothest sailing at that point, but you’ll get used to it.”

“Great,” Annja said. “More sore-butt syndrome.”

“Excuse me,” a voice called out.

They turned and saw the counterman gesturing to them. “I couldn’t help but overhear. Did you say something about Hendrick’s Highway?”

Derek nodded. “We’ll be driving it today. We need to reach our other party to the east.”

The counterman shook his head. “Well, you won’t be going by Hendrick’s, that’s for sure.”

“Why not?”

“It’s closed. About twenty miles from here. They had a bad truck rollover last night in the storm. Whole highway is blocked and frozen in. They’re saying it could be a couple of days before they get it cleared.”

“A couple of days?” Derek shook his head. “That won’t work for us. We need to get moving today.”

“Where ya heading?”

Derek frowned. “Tokrak.”

The counterman smiled. “Well, that’s no problem. You can just go the other way.”

“What other way?” Annja looked at the counterman. “There’s another way to get there?”

“Sure enough,” the counterman said. “You just take the ice road.”

Annja’s stomach dropped. “You mean the river?”

The man smiled and nodded. “The Mackenzie. She’ll take you there no problem. Just hang a right at the sign for Erop and follow that east. Should hook up with Hendrick’s farther on.”

Annja sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was drive over a frozen river. She’d faced plenty of challenges before, but risking life and limb like this just didn’t feel right.

“Annja?”

Godwin was staring at her. “You okay?”

“I’m not crazy about the ice-road option,” she admitted.

“Only option you’ve got,” the counterman said. “Otherwise, you’ll be waiting here for the next few days. And it doesn’t look like your boss here is content to do that.”

Derek nodded. “He’s right, Annja. We’ve got to get going. Think of it this way—if you don’t get to the site, that’s the number of days less that you have to get the things done you need to do.”

Annja frowned. “Yeah, I know.”

She looked at Godwin. “Ever driven it before?”

“Once or twice.”

“That fills me with so much confidence.”

“Better that than me lying to you.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Lying wouldn’t be such a bad thing in this case.”

The counterman finished writing up the receipt for Derek. “Just remember that when you’re out there, the big rigs have the right of way. You have to pull over and let them pass. Trust me, you don’t want that kind of momentum coming up on your tail, if you get my drift.”

“Can’t they slow down?” Annja asked.

The counterman shrugged. “Not really a question of slowing down as much as it is about staying ahead of the wave.”

“The wave?”

He nodded. “All that weight on the ice creates a wave under the surface that rumbles along under the truck chassis. They have to stay ahead of it as they drive or it can erupt through the ice and you get a trapdoor.”

“Gosh this is sounding so fantastic,” Annja said. “What’s a trapdoor?”

“The ice, she opens up and the truck just disappears. Then the ice floe slides back into place like nothing was ever there. Incredible, really.”

“Wonderful,” Annja said. “How long will we be on this ice road?”

The counterman shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe an hour. You can’t burn like you do on normal roads. But you can go at least forty kilometers an hour.”

“That won’t be nearly fast enough,” Annja said.

“I AM SO NOT HAPPY about this,” Annja said. She sat in the front next to Godwin as he drove through Inuvik toward the entrance to the ice road.

“We don’t have the luxury of time,” Derek said. “Better we go through some discomfort and reach our destination. Otherwise, it’s time lost.”

“Discomfort is one thing,” Annja said. “Falling through some trapdoor and plummeting to our icy death is quite another.”

“Relax,” Derek said. “The company has a great life insurance policy.” He frowned. “Well, it does for Godwin and me. Contractors are—”

“Screwed,” Annja said. “Yeah, I gathered that.” She nudged Godwin. “I don’t want to die in this river, okay?”

He smiled. “I’ll do my best.”

“Do better or I’ll kick your butt.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Derek pointed between them. “Is that it?”

Godwin nodded. “Yep, it feels a little weird knowing you’re leaving dry land, but then you kind of forget about it.”

“Doubtful,” Annja said. But she looked out the window as the SUV rolled down the embankment and then the wheels slipped for just a moment before they found purchase on the thick ice. Annja tried to guess how thick it must have been.

“Probably about five feet in some places,” Godwin said suddenly. He glanced at Annja and smiled. “Everyone asks the question eventually. I figured I’d beat you to it.”

“And the heavy trucks drive on this.”

Godwin pointed. “See there? That’s one coming right at us.”

Annja stared through the windshield at the approaching rig. It was a flatbed and seemed to be carrying something square and huge. “What is that thing?”

“Generator by the look of it,” Godwin said. “Probably coming back down from the refinery project on the delta. The government has a few of them up there. I think they’re trying to extract petroleum from ice crystals of some sort. Pretty interesting actually.”

The rig honked its horn and Godwin waved as the massive truck rolled past them. Annja shuddered, praying that the ice would hold. But then the truck passed them and was gone.

Annja breathed again.

Godwin smiled. “If the ice road wasn’t mostly safe, no one would be allowed to drive out here, Annja. Just relax and try to enjoy the scenery.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll do that.” She leaned back in the seat. But there wasn’t much scenery to look at. Frozen carcasses of pine trees poked out of the snowy white landscape. Rolling hills and mountains of white surrounded the river road, and beyond that there seemed little of interest aside from the occasional sign.

She glanced at the dashboard and saw that Godwin had increased their speed to a little past forty kilometers per hour. “Aren’t you going too fast?”

Godwin shook his head. “Smaller truck means we can travel at this clip pretty well. Besides, I know how badly you want to get back onto dry land so I’m doing my best to deliver.”

“Thanks.”

“No bother.”

Derek unfolded a map and pointed out their location to Annja. “We’ve got maybe twenty miles to go. Maybe thirty minutes more on this.”

Annja took a breath. “That’s a relief.”

Godwin nodded. “I’ll get you there in one piece, Annja. I promise you that. Whatever happens from there on out is up to you.”

“You say that like you expect something to happen. Everything all right?”

“I’m concerned.”

“About what?”

“The assassin’s dagger that guy was using. I want to know how he managed to get his hands on something like that.”

Derek cleared his throat. “He said he won it in a poker game. Couldn’t it have been that innocent?”

“Actually, no. The dagger represents everything to the assassin. There’s no way it would have been wagered. And there’s no way it would have been given up without a terrible cost.”

“You think someone dispatched those guys to warn us?” Annja asked.

“Possibly.”

“But about what?”

Godwin shrugged. “Probably the dig site. I’m sure there are quite a few Araktak traditionalists who are not pleased about the prospect of relocating what they consider to be sacred burial grounds, all for the sake of some giant faceless company.” He glanced in the rearview mirror. “No offense, Mr. Wainman.”

“None taken,” Derek said. “This wouldn’t be the first time something like this has happened. Although usually we’re able to resolve the situations without much difficulty.”

Annja glanced in the mirror out of her window. “Holy crap, that’s a big truck.”

Godwin glanced back. Behind them, a large rig was barreling down on them at a high speed.

Godwin frowned. “He’s going way too fast. And with that much weight, he’s going to cause problems.”

Annja’s stomach sunk. “Problems?”

“Just hang on.” Godwin put his foot down on the gas pedal and the smaller truck shot forward across the ice road. But the giant truck didn’t fade into the distance. It kept coming.

“He’s still coming for us,” Annja said. She glanced back at Derek. “Would this possibly fall into the category of ‘situations’?”

“Possibly,” Derek said. He was staring out of the back of the truck. “Can we lose him, Godwin?”

“Doubtful. It’s not like there are any side streets or alleys to duck down around these parts. And he’s coming much too fast for me to lose him even if I tried.”

“He looks overloaded, even from this distance,” Derek said.

Godwin nodded. “He’s got too much load on him. Way too much. I don’t understand it.”

Annja glanced at him. “Unless someone wants that much weight around us.”

“You think?”

“I think,” Annja said, “that we need to find a way to get off of this road and soon. Otherwise that truck is going to steamroll us into oblivion.”

Godwin nodded. “Hang on. I’m going to let him get closer.”

“You’re what?”

“Just wait and see.”

Annja looked out the back window. The truck wasn’t even honking its horn at them. Whoever was behind the wheel didn’t seem to care that they were a few hundred feet from rolling right over the smaller truck.

“Here he comes!” Annja shouted.

6

Godwin gripped the steering wheel with both hands as he tried to coax any last bit of power out of the SUV. The speedometer cranked slowly higher, but it wouldn’t be enough. He glanced at Annja and shook his head. “Any more and we’ll spin out and crash.”

The front grille of the lumbering rig grew ever larger out of the back window. Annja thought the truck looked like a hungry shark bearing down on a wounded prey. She could hear the engine of the truck surging as it burned more gas and chewed up the ice as it sped toward them.

“Can’t we do anything?” Derek asked.

Godwin shrugged. “Like what? It’s not like you’ll find a cop waiting to bag you for speeding. No one drives this fast out here except for us.”

“And him,” Annja said. “Except he’s driving even faster than we are. How is that possible?”

“Bigger engine,” Godwin said. “Plus, he’s got cargo that gives him added weight and therefore force.”

“Great,” Annja said. “And we aren’t big enough to slow down that force by much.”

Godwin shook his head. “I’m trying to keep us ahead of him, but I think we’ve got about two minutes before he runs over us.”

Derek had the map open on his lap, running his finger over the entire area. “There’s got to be something out here we can use.”

“I’m open to suggestions, Mr. Wainman,” Godwin said.

Annja stabbed at the map. “What’s that?”

Derek peered closer. “Looks like a small turnoff, actually. Probably not much more than an uphill slope if these contour lines are accurate.”

Annja nodded. “Should be about a mile from here.” She glanced at Godwin. “Can we make it?”

“Don’t know. I’ll try.” The truck surged ahead again and Annja felt the whole thing slide for a moment before Godwin steered slightly left and regained control. Behind them, the truck continued to loom large.

Through the bright sunlight, Annja could see the snow scattering in the slipstream of the truck as Godwin tried to pour on more speed. Annja stared out of the windshield, trying to spot the turnoff.

Derek shook his head. “He’s gaining on us!”

“We’re not going to make it,” Godwin said. “There’s not enough time.”

“We’ll make it,” Annja said. And then she pointed. “Look!”

A few hundred yards ahead, she could see the turnoff. It was a slope arcing up to the right off the ice road like some sort of higher bank on the frozen river. “Aim for it now, Godwin.”

The distance shrank between the huge rig behind them and the back of the SUV they drove. Godwin grunted as the mighty giant brushed their back bumper and sent them zipping farther ahead.

“Now!”

Godwin jerked the steering wheel and the SUV fishtailed onto the slope, carrying them off the ice road onto the turnoff. He slammed on the brakes and the SUV came to a rest. Behind them, the giant rig let out an angry horn blast and thundered on past them, soon disappearing in the brilliant sunshine.

Godwin took a deep breath and released his hold on the steering wheel. “Well, that was a bit too close for my liking.”

Derek clapped him on the shoulder. “That was a great bit of driving, my friend. I’ll make sure you’re given your due when we get back.”

“Thank you,” Godwin said. He glanced at Annja. “Are you all right?”

Annja nodded. “I’ll be fine as soon as we get the hell off of this ice road and I’m somewhere where I can control my own destiny.” She almost chuckled aloud at that thought. She hadn’t felt in control of her destiny ever since she’d come into possession of Joan of Arc’s mystical sword. But no one else needed to know that.

Derek looked out of the rear window. “The question is, did that big rig leave us or is it waiting somewhere farther down the ice road to ambush us?”

Godwin took the map and studied it. “Well, unfortunately, we’re going to have to get back on the road and follow it until our turnoff. There’s just no other way to reach the dig site.” He glanced at Annja. “I know, I know, I’m not crazy about this, either, but there’s no alternative.”

Annja nodded. “I know it.”

Godwin slid the truck into gear and backed down the turnoff until they were once again on the road. Then he slid the truck into Drive and started off again. “If it makes you feel any better,” he said, “I don’t think we’ll see that guy again.”

“Why not?” Annja said.

Godwin shrugged. “I’m not sure. Just a hunch.”

“Your hunches ever pan out?” Annja asked.

Godwin shrugged. “If they did, I would have won the lottery by now and retired to some place warmer than this.” He eyed her. “What about yours?”

Annja smiled. “Sometimes.”

“And you think that rig is waiting for us?”

Annja looked out of the windshield at the road ahead of them and calmed her breathing. She felt okay. And she thought that perhaps they might get through this part of the journey unscathed now.

“Actually, I think we’re good.”

Derek heaved a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s a twofer, so I’ll accept it as gospel now.”

Godwin smirked and continued to drive. “Maybe that was another warning for us, huh?”

“Do you really think so?” Annja asked.

He shrugged. “First the assassin’s dagger, and then we almost get run over on the ice road. I’d say someone is trying very hard to keep us from reaching our destination, wouldn’t you?”

Annja sighed. “Maybe. But it’s only because I don’t have a better theory at this point.”

“Neither do I,” Derek said. “But who would be behind it?”

“Traditionalists in the Araktak perhaps,” Godwin said. “Maybe they’re less keen on seeing this deal go through than we realized.”

“Even with all they’d gain from it?” Derek asked. “Seems to me that would be rather stupid of them. They’d lose out on all of that money.”

“To them it’s probably not about the money at all,” Godwin said. “They’d see this relocation of the ancient burial grounds as an affront to everything their lineage has taught them to hold dear and respect. All the money in the world wouldn’t convince them of it being a good idea.”

“So, they’ll kill instead?” Derek asked.

Godwin nodded. “Some have probably killed for far less than that.”

Annja glanced at Godwin, but his face seemed set as he drove farther on the road. She wondered what gave him such intimate insight into the inner working of the Araktak. After all, hadn’t he said that they refused to claim him as one of their own?

“Did you have a lot of experience with them growing up?” she asked.

He looked at her. “The Araktak? No. Hardly any at all. We moved pretty much as soon as my father was kicked out of the tribe for marrying outside the clan. We headed south to Toronto and I grew up there. It’s a lot warmer. I think it fostered my love of summers.”

“So, why do you seem to know so much about the tribe if they never accepted you as one of them?”

“My father,” Godwin said. “He told me pretty much everything I’d need to know about them. The history, the traditions, that kind of thing. That’s why I was a natural choice for the company to use as its go-between.”

“And what was the reception like when you went there the first time?”

“Like the rest of the landscape. Icy and cold.”

Annja smiled. “And yet you persevered.”

“The Araktak don’t exactly live in luxurious surroundings. The kids need schooling. There needs to be a better standard of living. And if they’re sitting on a land filled with wealth, then they should have the opportunity to tap into that. If not for them, then at least for the generations that follow them. The deal with the company will enable them to have a great life for their children and children’s children. It wasn’t a difficult decision for me to make to come on board and help the company out.”

“You’re helping the Araktak, as well,” Annja said.

“Exactly.” Godwin shrugged. “When I first visited them, I saw a number of children playing in the snow. But they didn’t even have a ball to play with so they were kicking around snowballs. They were amazing kids, but they didn’t even have access to the kind of toys most kids do. I guess it made an impression on me.”

Derek clapped him on the shoulder again. “Good man. And with the deal we structured for them, their kids will have a great life. Most of the families will be millionaires when this is all over.”

“I hope they won’t lose their traditions in the process,” Annja said. “Because as nice as it is to give someone access to wealth and prosperity, it would be a shame to see an entire race of people lose its way over the lure of cash.”

“It’s happened before,” Godwin said. “I know this. But I also hope the elders of the tribe will be able to exert some degree of control of their people.”

“And preserve what they’ve respected for so long,” Annja said. “I guess time will tell for certain, huh?”

“I think it will be fine,” Derek said. “We’re taking pains to ensure that we don’t just come in and destroy their lands. That’s why you’re here, Annja. With your help, we’ll be able to preserve a lot of their memories. And with the company’s money, they’ll be able to build something to house their legacies in. If that’s what they want, of course.”

Annja stared out of the window. She wondered if the Araktak would want to leave this land. While she couldn’t ever imagine living in such a cold environment, she knew that this was home to the Araktak and their kind. They’d lived here for a thousand years and knew the lands better than anyone. It would be hard to convince them to give it all up.

They drove in silence for a while. Annja stared out of the windshield. Suddenly she twisted in her seat to look out of the rear window.

But there were no trucks barreling down on them this time.

Annja closed her eyes and tried to relax.

She heard it then even before she saw it. She opened her eyes and started to roll down her window.

“What the hell are you doing?” Derek asked.

Annja shushed him and stuck her head out of the window. It was even more audible now. But where was it coming from?

Annja leaned back into the truck. Godwin looked at her. “What is it, Annja? What’s the matter?”

“Can’t you hear it?”

“Hear what?”

Annja peered through the windshield. Far ahead of them, she thought she could make out something dark. It looked as if it was growing.

“Oh, my God.”

Derek leaned over from the backseat. “What is that?”

Godwin pressed on the gas. His eyes narrowed and he gripped the wheel tighter. “Our turnoff should be coming soon.”

“Not soon enough,” Annja said. “It’s going to be close.”

“Real close,” Godwin said.

“What is?” Derek asked. “What is that thing ahead of us? What’s going on?”

Annja looked at him. “Can’t you hear it?”

Derek stopped and sat back in his seat. He closed his eyes and then Annja saw his body stiffen appreciably. His eyes popped open. “Tell me that’s not what I think it is.”

Annja nodded. “It is.”

Godwin pointed up ahead of them. “It’s growing larger.”

Annja looked and saw it was true. Shooting down the ice road at them was a giant fissure of blackness.

The ice road was cracking all around them.

7

“How far?” Annja asked.

Derek studied the map again. “Maybe a mile. I’m not sure.”

“Kind of important that we know,” Annja said. She peered through the windshield. The fissure seemed to be shooting right at them, but she could see that it was cracking slowly. The speed of their truck made it seem as if it was happening all the faster.

Godwin frowned. “I don’t think we’ll make it. We’re going to have to get off the ice or we’ll risk going through it.”

“What’s the temperature outside right now, I wonder?” Annja asked. “Can we handle the temperature if we have to leave the truck?”

“Doubt it,” Godwin said. “We need off this road with the truck.”

Annja could see the water sloshing farther ahead as it crept out of the cracks in the ice like some black viscous blood seeping over the ice itself, dragging smaller chunks under.

“Just how good is this truck at four-wheel driving?” she asked.

Godwin grinned. “I think we’re going to find out.”

Annja nodded. “Do it.”

Godwin guided the truck over toward the bank of the ice road, and then Annja felt the tires bite into the frozen tundra and pull them up off the ice. The truck bucked like a wild horse under them as they hit bumps and dips in the landscape.

“Hang on!” Godwin shouted. “It’s going to be rough.”

Derek pointed back at the ice road. It looks like it’s fine about a hundred yards farther on.”

Godwin nodded. “We’ll have to chance it. If we stay on this stuff, we’ll blow the tires and do worse to the engine.”

Annja would have preferred to take her chances with the ground, but she could see Godwin’s point. The truck was taking terrible damage from the undulating countryside. They had to get back onto the ice.

Then she heard the sudden pop.

She looked at Godwin. He shrugged. “Looks like we lost one of the tires. Maybe two.”

Derek pointed. “The ice looks fine up there. Try going back now, Godwin. We can’t take this anymore.”

Well beyond where the fissure had forced them off the road, the ice looked as solid as it had been before. Godwin aimed the truck and Annja felt it lurch and buck again as they took another hard hit on the underside of the chassis.

And then she felt the vehicle almost skid as it suddenly zoomed back out onto the ice. Godwin fought to control it as the popped tire’s rim bit into the ice and cause them to skid wildly. He turned into the skid and then brought the SUV to a halt about a hundred yards farther on.

Annja caught her breath. “This is turning out to be some kind of trip.”

Godwin kept the truck idling. “I need to check us out for damage.”

He slid out and Annja joined him. Derek unfolded himself from the backseat and followed them around to the back of the truck.

Godwin squatted by the right rear tire and looked at the rim. “Doesn’t look like it got bent, fortunately. It should take a new tire from the back okay. The tire’s shredded, though. We can’t use that anymore.”

Annja could see where the rubber of the tire had been cut to ribbons against something out on the landscape. Probably a rock had started the damage, then the punishment the truck took bouncing all over finished off the tire.

The cold wind blew in to greet them. Annja shivered and zipped up her hood. “How long until we can get going again?”

Godwin opened the tailgate and rooted around in the back, finally heaving out the replacement tire. “Maybe twenty minutes.”

Derek nodded. “Good. We’ve got a schedule to keep.”

Godwin rolled the tire over and then went back for the jack. He set about getting it into position and then cranked it up. Ever so slowly, the truck frame lifted off the ice road until Godwin judged he had enough room to do his work.

“Annja, can you get the tools from the back?”

Annja fetched the tool bag and then left Godwin alone while she walked around. It was the best way she knew how to stay warm. As long as she kept moving, she figured she’d keep warm.

Well, somewhat warm.

Derek came up next to her and put his hand over his brow, studying the horizon. “I think our turnoff should be only a mile farther on. We’re almost there, I’d say.”

“So close we could almost walk,” Annja said. “Except if we did that, we’d freeze to death from exposure, huh?”

“Yeah. We need the truck. That’s for sure.”

Annja walked farther up the ice road, studying the ice underneath her feet. It seemed so weird to be standing on the middle of a huge river like the Mackenzie. She could see deep cracks and fissures in the ice, and yet, none of them looked as ferocious as the one had that had forced them off the road.

She wondered what could have caused it. Was it the giant rig from earlier? And if it was, how had it managed to send a fissure rocketing at them like that?

Maybe it was the wave that built up under the ice like the man at the inn had explained to her.

Annja shook her head. If getting there was half the fun, she must have been having the time of her life so far.

She heard Godwin swear and walked back. “You okay?”

He was sucking his thumb. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just been a while since I tried torquing bolts off in the frigid tundra, that’s all.”

“Let me help,” Annja said.

Godwin smiled at her. “You?”

Annja cocked an eyebrow. “Don’t even think about saying anything you might really regret.”

Godwin held up his hands and stepped back. “Hey, be my guest.”

Annja walked over to the shredded tire and picked up the wrench. She clamped it over the closest bolt and then twisted. Godwin was right; the bolt was frozen solid in place on the tire. He joined her and together they were able to loosen the bolt. They worked quickly and removed the remaining bolts from the tire. Then she stepped back and let Godwin take over again. He heaved the tire off and it toppled away. It slid some distance before at last coming to a lopsided stop in the snow.

Derek was still looking at the horizon. Annja approached him. “You all right?”

He nodded. “Thought I heard something.”

Annja frowned. “What now?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. Just thought it sounded vaguely familiar.”

“In a good way or a bad way?”

Derek shrugged and walked back to the SUV. “Maybe I’m imagining it. I don’t know.”

Annja watched him go. She smiled. The trip was getting to Derek as much as it was her. Godwin, despite the moments of intensity, seemed all right, all things considered. But then she figured there must have been something about him that kept him pretty even-keeled. She wondered if his father had something to do with it.

Maybe I’ll ask him later, she thought.

“Got the tire mounted,” Godwin said. “Another five minutes and we’ll be on our way again.”

Annja smiled. The sooner they got off the ice road and back onto dry land, the happier she’d be. Their brief respite on the shore had shown her how impossible it would be to travel over land unless there was a road.

She started to walk back to the SUV.

And then she stopped.

The sound came to her like a low growl somewhere far off in the distance, lurking at the edges of her subconscious like a bad dream. She turned around and stared off down the ice road.

A black speck stared back at her.

“Guys,” she called out. “I think we’re going to have some more company.”

Derek looked back. “So, I wasn’t mistaken.”

“Wish you were,” Annja said. “But it looks like you weren’t.”

Derek rushed to assist Godwin. “Better hurry up with that tire. We’re going to need to be mobile pretty damned soon.”

“If the bolts aren’t tightened down just right, the wheel will come off and we’ll crash.”

Annja stared at the black speck. It was getting larger. Much larger. And she could already tell it was the same giant rig that had nearly run them over before.

She doubted very much that it would let them survive this time.

“How long?” she called out over her shoulder.

“Four minutes,” Godwin said. He grunted under the effort to get the bolts fastened.

“We need some time,” Derek said. “Can you do something?”

Annja looked at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

But something in Derek’s eyes told her he wasn’t kidding. Not one bit. She frowned. Just how much did he know about her?

Annja looked at the giant rig. It was barreling toward them. It looked as if it had spotted them and seeing them at a complete stop, its front end had zeroed in on their location. It was locked in and nothing could stop it.

Annja walked away from the SUV. She needed some distance from Godwin and Derek if she was going to pull this off without letting everyone know her biggest secret of all.

But would it work?

The giant truck surged closer. Annja could see it looming in front of her. She felt a measure of calm come over her despite the impending doom she faced. If she stayed in position and did nothing, she’d be little more than a smear on the ice road. And soon enough, just a forgotten remnant of the white landscape.

But she had no intention of going so quietly into the night.

She ran away from the SUV, gathering her speed. She could feel the energy from the sword and her connection to it flooding into her body.

Her muscles felt as if they’d been shocked full of juice, as if a huge current of electricity had touched her.

The truck continued to bear down on her position. It looked like a giant seething machine, belching smoke and steam as it tore up the ice road. She could see its tires and the dented red front fender.

I’ll have just one chance, she thought. Only one chance to get this right.

She ran harder, feeling the icy cold bite into her lungs and her face. And yet, somehow, the cold temperature fell away, replaced by the sensation of heat spreading all over her body.

Seen from a distance, Annja looked as if she was going to commit suicide by running right at the mighty truck.

One machine.

One human.

I hope this works, Annja thought.

8

As Annja raced toward the speeding truck, she closed her eyes and saw the sword in her mind’s eye. She reached into the otherwhere for it, felt her hands close around the hilt and then she opened her eyes again.

The sword was in her hands.

She flipped it over quickly, aiming the tip down below her. She could feel her heart thundering inside her chest. The sword’s energy coursed through her entire body, mind and spirit.

She briefly hoped that her action would go unnoticed by Derek and Godwin. Perhaps they wouldn’t be able to see the sword.

With no time to worry about it just then, Annja felt her breathing come in fast spurts. She jumped up as high as she could. And then the ground was rushing up at her fast, almost unnaturally fast. And the truck was still rushing at her.

Annja touched down and drove the very point of her sword into the thick ice beneath her. She exhaled with a loud shout as she drove the metal deep into the ice floe.

From somewhere far beneath her, she heard a deep cracking sound issue up from the ice-cold inky depths and then spread out from her sword blade toward the speeding truck.

Annja twisted the sword blade and almost as if in response, the small fissure gaped before her like a hungry maw, eager to feed on whatever stood before it.

In this case, it was the speeding truck.

Annja watched as more ice broke away into the swirling water of the Mackenzie River. Waves sloshed over the floes. And still the fissure spread toward the truck.

The truck had slammed on its brakes, but all that terrible momentum had no place to go except forward and even as the massive beast shuddered and groaned, straining to halt its progress, the same force that had so threatened Annja and the others now carried the truck toward its final destination.

With a creaking finality, the entire chassis slid right into the water before it, sinking imperceptibly fast. In one blink the truck was on the ice and in the next it simply had vanished.

Annja stood there, watching as the waves quickly returned to their normal ebb and flow. Already, at the edges of the breaks and cracks, the water was freezing back over. She figured in another hour, there’d be nothing to even mark the presence of the truck save for some skid marks on the ice leading to the massive hole that had eventually claimed it.

She took one final look at the water and its darkness. It was almost as if it had its own spirit. Was that even possible? She closed her eyes and quickly replaced the sword back where it rested, waiting to be called forth again.

Annja opened her eyes and turned around to head back toward Derek and Godwin. She hoped Godwin had the tire replaced by now.

Derek was standing closer than she expected. He had a smile on his face and didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed to be standing so close to her.

Annja stopped.

Derek said nothing, but kept smiling and turned to walk back toward the truck. Annja caught up with him.

“You look like you just ate a canary.”

He shrugged. “Better. I just saw something I would never have believed unless I witnessed it with my own two eyes.”

“I could offer to pry them out of your head if it helps you forget what you just saw.”

He chuckled. “I’d hate for that to happen.”

“I’ll bet.”

“That was something quite impressive.”

Annja frowned. “And yet, you don’t seem the slightest bit surprised. Why is that?”

Derek shrugged. “Impressed? Yes. Surprised? Nope. But I thought I already explained to you that our information was good.”

“You did,” Annja said. “I didn’t expect that you’d gotten word about my…talent.”

“Is that what you choose to call it?” Derek smiled. “I’d call it something utterly amazing.”

“Of course you would. Anyone would. Unless they happened to be burdened with the thing.” Annja sighed.

“How does it work?”

“I don’t even know. I’m still working all of its rather unique functions out. Every time I think I know what it’s fully capable of, it has this nagging ability to surprise me.”

“Well, you just used it to save our lives. So I suppose a hearty thank-you is in order.”

“You’re welcome. And you can thank me by not mentioning this to anyone else. And if you have to file a report about me, I’d appreciate you stating that the rumor of its existence is just a silly myth. That you saw nothing out of the ordinary during our entire time together.”

“Why would you want me to do that?”

Annja stopped him. “Because if there’s one thing I definitely do not need, it’s any publicity. I’d much prefer to just live my life and do what I do without being sentenced to a freak-show existence for the remainder of my time on the planet.”

Derek looked at her and then nodded. “I guess I can understand that. I thought you might be one of these people who would want to milk it for everything it had.”

“Not even remotely close.”

Derek smiled. “It’s cool. Your secret is safe.”

“So, who leaked the information to you about it?”

Derek shook his head. “I’m not sure, actually. And before you go accusing me of holding out, I am telling the truth. We gathered our data on you from a variety of sources. Some of it was from reliable outlets, background checks, that type of thing.”

“And others?”

“From less tangible sources. We comb the Internet to compile what we hope is an accurate picture of our subjects. Sometimes the material we turn up is decent. Other times it’s pretty bogus.”

“In this case,” Annja said.

Derek nodded. “We got lucky, all right.”

“I’d be curious to know where that particular nugget came from. Any chance you keep a record of the Web sites you comb on file somewhere?”

“Yeah,” Derek said. “I can hook you up with the information once we’re done up here. Consider it a parting bonus if you want.”

“Thanks.”

“Forget it. Call us even for saving our lives.”

“I will.”

They walked back to the truck just as Godwin was putting away the tools. He looked up as they approached. “We’re all set to go.”

Annja sighed. “Good.”

Godwin looked out around them. “What happened to the truck?”

“Detour,” Annja said. “I don’t think we’ll be seeing it again.”

“Ever,” Derek said.

Annja slid into the front seat and closed the door. Godwin and Derek got in a moment later and Godwin gunned the engine and then slid the vehicle into Drive.

He eased the truck forward. Annja pointed out ahead of them. “I’d steer a little bit over to the right if I was you.”

“Why so?”

From behind her, she heard Derek say, “I’d do as she suggests, Godwin. Trust me.”

Godwin nodded and steered the truck over to the side. But even as they passed the location where the truck had gone through the ice, Annja had trouble seeing where it was exactly. The water had already frozen over and showed little sign that there had been a massive hole there previously.

Annja shuddered. Whatever the case, whoever had been behind the wheel of that truck, they were no longer a threat to them.

And that was fine with her.

Derek had the map open again. He traced his finger along the ice road and then jabbed at a spot on the map. “We should be pretty close, guys.”

“The sooner the better,” Annja said. “I really don’t like traveling this way. Big trucks that want to run us over, cracks in the ice, and this forever-white landscape. It wears on a person.”

“I think it’s kind of beautiful,” Godwin said. “Of course, I’m a bit biased.”

“I thought you hated the cold,” Derek said.

“I do. I meant from inside the warm truck it looks kind of beautiful.” Godwin grinned. “But I’d still rather live in Hawaii any day of the week.”

“We’ll keep that in mind in case we open up a diamond mine in Maui,” Derek said.

Annja smiled. The rush of tension that had plagued them with the giant truck and the ice fissure seemed to have evaporated. They were left with the feeling that they would soon be off the ice road and back on to firm ground. Frozen though it was.

Annja took a deep breath and tried to relax her body. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She felt good. And she marveled at how warm using the sword had made her. Maybe it was a side benefit of it. Still, she wasn’t sure that she’d felt that way when she wielded it back in Antarctica.

Was it possible that the sword was capable of learning?

She frowned. That would mean that it had its own intelligence. And if that was the case, then was Annja ever really in control of it?

Or was she simply being possessed?

That didn’t sound particularly enticing to her. Good or evil, possession meant that she didn’t have any measure of control.

“You okay?”

Annja snapped her eyes open and glanced at Godwin. “Sorry, must have drifted off there for a moment.”

“It happens,” he said. “All this white. Snow blindness. It can make you crazy after a bit.”

Annja sighed. “Yet you don’t seem to be affected by it.”

“My father made sure I knew how to deal with it.”

“Did he, now?”

“Sure. He taught me a lot of stuff.”

“Like how to recognize the assassin’s dagger.”

Godwin glanced at her. “Yes. That, too.”

“Interesting.”

“Is it?”

“I think so.”

“We all have those aspects of ourselves that seem mysterious to everyone else, but aren’t necessarily.” Godwin winked at her. “We all have our secrets.”

Annja glanced back at Derek, but he was still studying the map. Had he said something to Godwin?

She looked back at Godwin but he was already peering out of the windshield again. “We should be just about there.”

Annja followed his gaze. Up ahead she thought she spotted something red amid all the white. “Is that the sign for the turnoff?”

Godwin shrugged. “Could be.”

Derek perked up. “Are we there?”

Annja pointed. “That looks like a sign to me. What do you think?”

Derek leaned forward. “Slow down, Godwin. We don’t want to miss the turnoff and keep driving for hours on end. I don’t think Annja would appreciate that very much, would you?”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

Godwin slowed the truck even more and then they saw the small piece of plywood tacked to a metal pole jutting out of the snow on the side of the ice road.

“Erop,” Annja said. “I guess this is our exit.”

Godwin wheeled the truck around and they turned to the right. Annja noticed that the road gradually climbed higher in elevation. She looked at Derek. “Am I right in thinking that we are no longer driving over frozen water?”

He smiled. “You’re right. We’re on dry ground again. The ice road is a thing of the past.”

Annja glanced back at the frozen Mackenzie River and shuddered. She hoped Derek was right—that it really was a thing of the past.

9

Thirty minutes of hard, bumpy driving brought them into the tiny town of Erop, a collection of a few buildings, a gas station and two restaurants. It looked more like a refueling point than anything else, its identity marked by whatever or whoever moved through the place.

“Let me out,” Derek said. “If I don’t get to a bathroom after all that bladder beating, I’m done for.”

Annja could sympathize. The drive to Erop had been a constant bouncing and sinking over a road that could only just be called that. She headed for one of the restaurants while Derek headed for the other. Godwin drove on to the gas station, saying he would fill up and get a replacement tire for the one they’d lost.

Ten minutes later, they were back on their way. Derek bought them all sandwiches, which they gratefully demolished and Erop fell behind them, a slightly pleasant memory for the basic human comfort it had offered up and nothing more.

The road twisted through the frozen countryside and then after another thirty minutes, broke out onto Hendrick’s Highway. Godwin gave up a little cheer and steered the truck onto a paved road for the first time that day.

“Hooray,” Annja said. “The mark of civilization.”

“For someone who spends so much of her time in the past,” Derek said, “you sure seem ready to put the past behind you.”

“Bad roads are bad roads,” Annja said. “And there’s nothing of interest to be found on them. Plus, my butt was taking another beating back there.”

“Just so long as you don’t start thinking that where we’re headed is any more civilized, because it’s not.”

“I realize that,” Annja said. “But it doesn’t change my mind about being relieved to be off that road.”

Godwin grinned. “I feel the same way.”

Hendrick’s Highway was a two-lane road, and even though the asphalt had seen better days, the stretch proved to be a welcome change from both the ice road and the roller-coaster ride of the road to Erop. The SUV’s tires all seemed in decent shape and Godwin had managed to procure a spare tire, just in case they should run into another rock jutting out of the landscape.

Annja felt good for the first time all day. An hour of driving would take them to their turnoff and then they could finally get to where they were going. Getting to the dig site was always the hardest part. Annja could put up with a lot of stuff, but she was often impatient when it came to actually reaching the destination. She liked getting there already.

She didn’t kid herself. The events of the morning and the run-in with the giant truck didn’t make her feel especially good about what might be waiting ahead. The incident in the steak house was still fresh in her mind and she turned all these events over in her mind, trying to figure out what could be going on in the frozen tundra that surrounded her.

If people weren’t happy with what was going on with the Araktak, there’d be no telling what they would do to keep the company from completing its deal with the tribe. That meant Annja might have to use the sword again.

And that was something she didn’t really want to do.

Godwin turned the SUV suddenly and looked embarrassed. “Sorry, almost missed the turn.”

“You all right? I can take over driving for a while if you want,” Annja said.

He shook his head. “It’s no problem. I was just yawning, that’s all.”

Annja glanced behind her but Derek was already dozing. She heard a soft snore come from him and turned back. “Is he a decent guy to work for?”

Godwin shrugged. “Yeah, he’s all right. Pretty fair, that sort of thing. It’s not my dream job, of course, but it gives me the money to save and put away for when I figure out what I really want to do with my life.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-eight.” He shrugged. “I know. I ought to have a game plan by now, right?”

Annja smiled. “I wasn’t going to say that.”

He waved his hand. “I’ve heard so much advice from people urging me to find my way and find it fast. But I guess I’m just not in that big a hurry. I know there’s something out there for me, but I haven’t really felt a pull toward anything. Weird, right?”

“Well, at least you’re working.” Annja shrugged. “That’s better than what a lot of people in your situation would do.”

“Seemed like a good fit,” Godwin said. “The company, I mean. And I was intrigued with the idea of going home to my birthplace, so to speak, after being away from it for so long.”

“I’ll bet,” Annja said. “I’m still trying to figure out where it is that I come from. I can appreciate the sentiment.”

Godwin smiled. “Lost lambs, huh?”

“Something like that.” Annja stared through the windshield, remembering as much as she could about her own childhood. She knew what it felt like not to have that sense of belonging, or some place to call your own. To be able to point at something, even in your mind, and call it home, was a feeling she’d never enjoyed as a child.

Maybe even to this day, she thought. After all, her place in Brooklyn seemed at times to be pretty much a flop pad and nothing else. It was as much its own version of Erop as Annja ducked quickly in and out between digs and trips to other parts of the world.

She wondered if her job as an archaeologist had been predetermined by the fact that she was an orphan and had never known what it was to have a real past. Maybe that’s why she spent so much of her own time digging into other people’s pasts. Her quest to uncover the truth about ancient civilizations and people was really a mirror of her quest to find out about herself.

And inheriting the sword certainly hadn’t helped matters, either. Where once she might have thought it would help to illuminate her past, it now seemed only to further blur it under the fog of uncertainty.

Some day, she thought to herself, I’ll figure this all out.

Godwin steered the truck down a smaller road, little better than what they’d driven on to Erop. Annja groaned. “So much for civilization.”

“We won’t be long on this,” he said as he drove around a tree stump jutting out of the road. “The dig site is relatively close.”

“What’s relative?”

“Twenty minutes, no more.”

Annja nodded. Derek was bounced out of his sleep by a sudden dip in the road that caused him to go airborne for a fraction of a second. He sat up and rubbed the top of his head. “Guess we’re almost there, huh?”

“Twenty minutes,” Annja said. She glanced at Godwin. “No more.”

Derek leaned forward with a yawn. “Did you sleep?”

Annja looked at him. “Didn’t seem fair to leave Godwin here the only one awake. I know what it’s like to drive for a long time with no rest.”

“Well, you’ll need your rest if you’re going to impress the Araktak elders as being suitable for their cause.”

“Excuse me?”

Derek smiled. “Think of it as a job interview and you’ll be fine.”

“What are you talking about?”

Derek leaned back and put his hands behind his head. “They wouldn’t accept just anyone for this assignment, you know. They said they would have final say over whomever showed up. I guess they’re not particularly crazy about letting an outsider help them relocate their sacred lands.”

“Nice to hear about this now, when it’s impossible to turn back.”

“Wouldn’t have done any good to tell you about it before now,” Derek said. “The Araktak elders are a notoriously picky bunch. But then I guess that’s been a function of their society for some time now, eh, Godwin?”

He shrugged. “This is something of a homecoming for me, as well.”

“I thought you mentioned you’d been up here before this, to make way for the company’s plans,” Annja said.

Godwin nodded. “I was here. But I dealt with a representative for the elders. This time, they’re all going to be here. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a smoke lodge all set up and everything.”

Annja looked out of the window. She wasn’t used to having people question her credentials and qualifications. She was usually begged to come in and frankly she preferred it that way. The interview with Derek had been the first real one she’d been on in a long time.

She wondered why she’d even agreed to this. It wasn’t as though this was routine for her. She was taking a leave of absence from her job to handle this. She frowned. Maybe I’m just worried about yet another race of people losing everything they hold dear.

Or maybe it was the sword exerting some unnatural control over her and her decision-making.

Was she here because the sword was demanding she be here?

Annja sighed. “Well, I hope they’re not too disappointed.” She glanced at Godwin. “How are women treated in the Araktak?”

“Probably the way they are in any other tribe of Inuit.” He shook his head. “But I’d be lying if I said I know for certain. My own mother was a white woman, so I can’t ever be sure if the way she raised me was the way it works up here.”

“Or if they’re considered second-class citizens,” Annja said.

“We’re here,” Derek said.

Annja stared out of the windshield. The forest suddenly broke away on either side into a clearing. She could see several rough-hewn huts that looked like a combination of log cabin and wigwam. They were large and sturdy and a great number of pine trees had been felled to make the lodges. Smoke issued from small chimneys at each corner. At least it looks warm inside, Annja thought.

Godwin brought the SUV to a halt and then looked at Annja. “I’m still figuring this out for myself as I go. You aren’t alone,” he said.

Derek slid out of the truck and walked over to an older man with a weather-beaten face. Annja could see a hundred years’ worth of hard living etched across the narrow slits of his eyes. He nodded to Derek and then took him aside to speak in low tones.

Annja glanced at Godwin. “He seems comfortable enough.”

Godwin nodded. “That’s our main contact. His name is Wishman.”

“Is he cool?”

“We’ll find out.” Godwin nodded for Annja to follow him over to the old man. Annja walked behind Godwin and waited until Godwin had introduced her to Wishman.

Annja smiled. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

Wishman’s eyes probed hers and he said nothing for a long moment. He clasped her hand and then seemed to stare directly into her soul. His dark endless orbs looked like perfect black marbles of onyx.

Finally, he broke contact and pulled back. He turned to Derek and Godwin. “We will talk of this woman in the lodge. The others are waiting.”

He turned and walked toward the largest of the buildings. Godwin and Derek followed him. Annja started to walk with them, but then Wishman stopped and turned back to Annja.

“You must stay here until you are called.”

Derek shrugged and held up a hand. “Shouldn’t take too long,” he said. “Just hang out and be cool.”

Annja frowned. “Yeah, sure. Whatever.”

She watched them go and then the sudden realization that she was all alone washed over her. The camp seemed lonely and without much cause for celebration. Annja suspected the camp was there to make sure that nothing in these lands would be left behind. Perhaps the Araktak had once used this area for something else other than burying people. If so, there would be relics that would need to be cared for and transported to a new place.

Otherwise, the company would destroy them.

Annja took a stroll around the camp. It was utilitarian and nothing more. She saw the latrine and the firewood pile. Each shelter seemed to have its own cooking fire inside where meals would be prepared. Apart from that, she spotted several long axes for chopping wood and little else.

The forest stretched before her and Annja decided a little exercise might be a good thing. She felt a pull toward a certain section and ducked under the frozen pine boughs.

A bit of snow fell on her head as she walked. She crested a small hill and the trees broke apart into another clearing that sloped down and away from her for some distance.

This must be the place, she thought. Already she could feel the tug of something almost otherworldly. The unbroken snowfield before her looked like one continuous blanket of white.

“Beautiful,” she said aloud.

And then she heard the terrible growl behind her.

Annja turned slowly to see a massive polar bear rearing back to stand up to its full height. It was only ten feet away from her.

And it didn’t look happy.

10

Annja stood motionless as the giant polar bear swayed slightly on its haunches. She could see the sharp teeth in its mouth and the claws of its front legs loomed large in her vision.

How in the world had this bear sneaked up on her? She frowned. She should have known better than to wander around so carelessly.

She stared at the polar bear, willing herself to look right into its eyes. She’d never seen a creature like this up close before. Usually, she saw most of her dangerous animals from behind the safety of iron bars at a zoo. Not having some type of fence between them made Annja’s stomach twist into knots.

The polar bear’s breath stained the air with mist as it stared at Annja. Clearly, she must have been trespassing on its land. But she was curious. Didn’t polar bears usually hunt closer to the water for their diet of fish? Or was this an anomaly of some type?

The bear closed its mouth. Annja wondered if she would need her sword. She could draw it in an instant, but the last thing she wanted to do was kill the bear. Even worse, if the Araktak considered polar bears as sacred animals, she could be committing a grave cultural faux pas. They’d chuck her out of the dig site and all of this would have been for nothing.

And Annja hated wasting time and effort on something only to see it falter.

The polar bear came down off its haunches. Annja relaxed further but kept absolutely still. The bear could easily kill her if she wasn’t careful. She had to play this right.

She could hear the bear inhaling and exhaling all around her as it seemed to sniff her scent.

This close, she could smell the bear. It wasn’t a good smell by any means and it reminded Annja of a wet dog that hadn’t had a bath in weeks. She wrinkled her nose and tried to breathe less.