High Flyer - Michelle Diener Page 0,21
shouldn't call it that. It was called a lander here on Faldine.
“From?” He didn't ask if she was sure.
She turned toward where the sound was coming from, not directly from the city but to the west of it. She pointed, and he shaded his eyes to look.
She saw movement through the haze a moment or so later, and felt Iver tense a little more when he obviously saw it, too.
She started to move, looking for a good place to hide.
Iver's hand gripped her arm. “They've already seen us,” he said. “And we have no reason to assume they're part of this. We could use a lift to Touka.”
That was true.
She gave a nod and they stood side by side, watching. Hana took a step away from Iver, putting a little distance between them. She didn't like how hard it was to do.
He flicked her a look.
“They'll recognize you. Best we keep things uncomplicated.” She didn't know if she said it because it was a good idea, or because it kept what was between them secret a little longer, and after a moment staring into her eyes, Iver gave a tiny nod.
The lander was clearly in view now, and coming straight toward them; a small, open vehicle.
A man and a woman sat in the front seats, both wearing dark eye protectors, so Hana couldn't read their expressions well. The lander rocked and bucked as it hit rocks and small bushes.
“Hello!” The woman, who had been sitting in the passenger seat, half-stood as they came within hailing distance, and swayed alarmingly as she waved. To Hana's surprise, Iver lifted a hand and waved back.
The driver, the man with her, focused on negotiating the rough ground, weaving the vehicle around as many obstacles as he could.
They came to a stop with a creak and a shudder.
Hana would never get used to these wheel-based vehicles. They seemed so clunky and impractical compared to the hovers in every other part of the VSC, but then, Faldine wasn't friendly to VSC tech.
“You're Iver Sugotti.” The woman stood and lifted her eye protectors to peer at them. She turned her head to her companion. “Si, it's Iver Sugotti!” She swung back to look at them. “What are you doing out here?”
“Our runner went down,” Iver said.
The woman turned to look at Hana, but the man kept his eyes on Iver, Hana noted. Even while pretending he wasn't.
“I didn't think the magnetic field was that strong around here.” She looked beyond them, as if looking for the downed runner. “You the pilot?”
“Yes.” Hana tried to smile. “We'd be grateful for a lift to Touka, if you're going that way.”
“Oh, sure!” The woman turned again to the driver, a little too bright and cheerful. “We can definitely give you a lift.”
“Of course.” The driver spoke his first words. “Where is your runner?”
Hana felt the tingle at the back of her neck, the flash of cold down her arms and spine. Her warning system going into full alert mode. It flared and then shut down, reacting to the magnetic field beneath her feet, but it had given her enough before it fizzled. “More than a day's walk away. We'd appreciate a lift. We've come a long way on foot.” She kept her voice light, her face neutral.
Iver must have sensed something in her tone. He sent her a quick, worried look.
“It's lucky you weren't hurt,” the woman said as Hana and Iver walked toward the lander.
Iver reached the back first, and before she understood what he planned to do, he put his hands on Hanna's hips and lifted her up, swinging her into the seat.
She slid over to give him room to climb in himself without looking at him, her heart knocking in her chest.
She liked his hands on her. A lot.
It was a pity they were in the presence of their enemies.
“Luck had nothing to do with our being in one piece,” Iver said as he pulled himself up. “Hana is just that good a pilot.”
“Oh.” The woman twisted in her seat to look at them. “Well, that's good. I'm Vannie. This is Simon. It was such a nice day, we thought we'd come out looking for saspri to use for decoration for the Dancing Lights Festival, but then we saw you and came over to see if you needed help. Not a lot of people this far out of Touka. Not on foot.”
“We're glad you did.” Iver leaned back in his seat, stretching his arm behind Hana's shoulder.
She