Kindness warms more than any fire.

-Granny Terry Tension and cramped quarters began to take its toll on Kaelan's family. No one slept enough. No one ate enough. Even tiny Hestra sensed the uneasiness, becoming restless at all hours. "I don't know how much more of this I can take," complained Jewel after a cycle of the infant's fussiness. "Every time one of us drifts off, there she goes. The fire chips are running low, too. How are we going to keep warm when they're gone?"

"Things will warm in a cycle or so." Kaelan refreshed her tea and pulled her cloak a little tighter. There was little they could do about the present situation, so why worry? "Spring is coming." Her eyes turned to the bickering children. "Then the clan will arrive and things will be back to normal."

"Normal?" Jewel dabbed spit from the baby's chin then placed her against her shoulder, prompting a shrill complaint. "They'll find us with not one but seven, seven children, four of them Autlach. You call that normal?"

Kaelan almost laughed out loud. Their lives were anything but typical and though she should have been miserable, vexed by the uncertainties, she was unreasonably, deliriously happy. She stretched now, wishing for a swig of wine to ease the stiffness and boredom that came with confinement. Then, with a smile to Jewel and a pat Hestra returned with a burp, she turned to the livestock cavern.

"Gotta give Archell a break, my dears. Try not to get into too much mischief while I'm away."

"Take some jerky with you. It'll keep you occupied." Jewel thrust the meat sack toward her. "We'll try not to run over each other."

"Set the little ones to clearing the stones they've scattered while playing. My toes are sore from stepping on them, and it should keep them occupied for a while."

"Until they begin chucking them at one another."

"Make a game of tossing them into a basket." Kaelan shoved a fistful of meat strips into her pocket. "Have Rankil rest until her shift. Her headaches have made her exceptionally ill-tempered as of late."

Jewel sighed and looked about, her tone the closest to a whine Kaelan could remember. "It's this confounded cave. It's getting to us all. I still don't understand your sudden notion to post watch. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Nothing of the sort." Kaelan hoped Jewel wouldn't initiate a picking phase as the truth would finish unraveling her frazzled nerves. "I'm being cautious in case Sharillia tries to reclaim her children. She's no right to them."

"That's an understatement." But Jewel sensed there was more going on than Kaelan would admit. She was certain Rankil and Archell were involved as well but why involve them and not her?

Kaelan retreated to the livestock cavern, putting distance between herself and Jewel's probing mind.

Not fair. You did that on purpose!

Did what?

For shame. Jewel's phase dulled away.

"No shame," whispered Kaelan with a pat to the milker, "simply love for you."

"Hello, Kaelan." Archell yawned. "The time goes fast when you sing to yourself."

"Anything worth repeating?" Kaelan tossed him some jerky. "Jewel could use an upbeat melody to take her mind off the closing walls."

"Archell's sure to sing a song. Jewel still thinks you're doing wrong?"

"Yeah, I can't keep things from her forever." Then Kaelan realized the maturity Archell was beginning to possess. He wasn't the child Jewel still referred to him as. Archell was very much a man, young, but wise. Forced to grow quickly like Rankil, he was observant, able to sense his elders' unspoken exchanges as well as any Taelach youth. "I'm probably being overcautious, but I can't take the chance."

"I suppose we cannot." Archell's Autlach accent still slurred his Taelach speech. "Patience and forethought a certain peace makes-Soothes the soul when so much is at stake."

"Hope you've written it down." Kaelan turned him toward the family cavern. "If you haven't, do so before you lay down. That was quite insightful."

"Archell will before he retires." The hum of one of his infectious tunes lingered for Kaelan to continue. If nothing else, Archell's Taelach family offered the encouragement necessary to cultivate his rare talent.

"Recca will like his verse." Kaelan shivered in the morning chill then crept to the cavern entrance to observe the world outside. "Spring had best hurry, otherwise, we'll all be cavern-crazed when the clan arrives. Next break in the weather, threat or no threat, we'll have to emerge. Our sanity seems to hinge on it."

"Sun's out!" Rankil bounded around the corner into the family cavern. "Archie, Kaelan wants you and Myrla to help me gather fresh wood while it shines. And the little ones can play outside as long as they stay close to the cavern mouth."

"Gladly!" Myrla dumped Olitti from her lap.

"Gracious Mother, Myrla. Don't toss the children around like that." Jewel shushed the excited whoops of the boys then smiled, melancholy lessened by Hestra's continued peaceful sleep.

"Outside," she said, "the lot of you. Another moment of your woebegone little faces is one too many." Three little forms rushed past her. "Wraps and foot lacings before you set out. We've no wish for more frostbite, do we?" This stopped the youngsters long enough to put on protective gear, then they scrambled out the cavern, all but knocking Kaelan over in their haste.

"Here now, slow down. The snow will still be there, I am certain." She corrected their broken Taelach apologies and waved them outside. "There's your moment's peace, Jewel."

"Well, almost." Jewel turned to the older youths, who were wrapping themselves against the cold. "Myrla, would you mind taking Hestra with you? She's dry, fed and sleeping. The air should do her good. It is above freezing, isn't it, Kae?"

"It is."

"Good. Take her with you." Jewel strapped Hestra's sling across Myrla's shoulder and slid the sleeping child inside. "Here's a bottle. She shouldn't need it, but one never knows with an infant." Jewel turned back to the fire and began assembling the midday meal.

"Oh, no." Kaelan jerked the stir stick from her hand. "You need some sun, too."

"But ... no ... I ... Kaelan!" She gasped as Kaelan carried her outside, and tossed her into a snow bank. "Mother but that's cold!" She laughed even louder as Kaelan collapsed beside her.

"It's invigorating." Kaelan rethought the comment when a snowball broke against her ear. "No fair, Myrla. I can't retaliate with you holding Hestra!"

"I know!" Myrla disappeared over a high drift behind Rankil and Archell, singing as they volleyed more snowballs into the ground before them.

"Be mindful of Hestra and be back before dusk!" Kaelan pulled Jewel close. "Know why I dropped you in the drift?"

"In hopes of warming me again?" Eyes sparkling with mischief, Jewel shoved the tip of an icicle down the front of Kaelan's tunic, giggling at the contortions her lover went to shake it free.

"Know why I did that?"

Kaelan chuckled and tossed the remaining ice toward her. "So you can warm me up?"

"Nope, to see you dance!"

"Very funny."

"Indeed it was."

Kaelan sank to her knees to press a mitt full of snow against Jewel's lips. Her kiss dissolved the crystals.

"Good to see you brightening up." Kaelan's hands wrapped her slender shoulders. "I was beginning to worry over you."

"I haven't been myself." Jewel nodded to alert her of the Autlach children's observant eyes. "We're not alone."

"So?" Kaelan scattered the giggling threesome with snowballs, gave them a mental suggestion to concentrate on their play, then pulled Jewel just inside the cave mouth.

Kaelan! Jewel shuddered at the intensity of want expressed in her lover's phase.

Kaelan pressed her against the cavern wall. Finally, a moment to ourselves. She extended a leg around Jewel's knees to draw her hips closer. I've missed your touch these last couple of moons.

Has it been that long? Jewel's eyes opened to the renewed fascination with which Kaelan regarded her.

An infinitely, despairingly, desperate amount of time, Jewel of mine. Kaelan fumbled with her belt.

Your hands are ice. Take off your mitts.

Better? Kaelan raised both their tops, drawing skin against skin. I'm sorry I've been so distant. Forgive me. Then, against her better judgment and self-promises, she opened to Jewel, flooding their phase with her concern. I've been positively awful, keeping clear of you like I have. It was unconscionable. There should be no secrets between us.

Jewel gasped as renewed want dominated the angst, and the tension between them dissolved in the nuances of lovemaking. They freed their bodies of some of their winter layers, and Kaelan lifted her from the ground so Jewel's legs could circle her hips to brace against the wall behind. Now pressed together, the mental soon gave way to the physical, Kaelan's face buried in Jewel's hair, Jewel gasping against Kaelan's neck as they rocked and clutched for what they longed to give and feel.

When the distant laughs of children coaxed them from rapture, they were intertwined, steam rising from the stones they pressed against. Kaelan smiled and brushed straying hairs back under Jewel's scarf. "There's that fire mind I fell in love with so long ago. I've missed her."

"And she's missed your honesty." Jewel's soft fingers sifted through Kaelan's hair, pausing on her lips and chin. "What do we do now? What if Sharillia did share our whereabouts? Do you think Longpass will come after his children?"

"If he cared, he would have before now." Kaelan set Jewel down but continued to hold her about the waist. "The longer things go unchallenged, the better. The clan should be here soon enough. We'll move position and settle into a permanent home. Only a fool would attack then. The Tekkroon are so close."

"I just pray Recca will allow four Auts into the clan." Jewel watched the children roll down a nearby embankment. "We'd better bring them in before they get chilled."

"I suppose." Kaelan recovered Jewel's belt then smoothed her tunic down. "Promise we can finish this tonight?"

"Finish?" Jewel replied. "Kaelan, dearest, we've just begun."

"That so?"

"You'll find out tonight." Jewel burst from Kaelan's grip to herd her dark-skinned children into the safety of the family cavern, leaving a dreadfully distracted Kaelan to fantasize about coming events.

"Careful!" Rankil caught Myrla by the arm, preventing her from sliding back down an embankment. "Let me carry Hestra for a spell. It's slick going for some distance. I'd hate for you to fall."

"You don't mind?" Myrla moved easier without the baby's weight.

"Mind?" Rankil eased the sling over her shoulder, balancing it with the kindling bundle strapping her back. "I was toting younger siblings when I was five and that was while carrying heavier loads than this. It's old habit, isn't it Archie?"

"Sure is, Rankil dankle." Archell warmed himself in the radiant sunlight. He drew in a deep breath, "Fresh air feels good. Better than any wood." He squinted across the small piece of tableland they had climbed onto. "Where are we going?"

"Something I want to show you."

"Yeah?" Myrla knocked the snow from her boot tops then gave Rankil's upper arm a squeeze she returned. "Days are still short. We'd best hurry if we're to return before dark."

"Don't worry, My, we'll be back in plenty." Rankil's hand slid down her forearm, taking hold of her slim wrist. "We're almost there now." Hestra across her chest, Archell by her side, she trudged forward, supporting Myrla when the way became difficult with icy stones. She led them to small earth mound, climbed topside, and pulled the others up beside her.

"Though I know it is your wish." Archell pointed to the hold Rankil and Myrla had on each other. "Kaelan would not approve of this."

"You wouldn't tell, would you?" Rankil kept her arm around Myrla's waist. "Don't be a stickler, Arch. You know I mean no harm."

"But I promised Kaelan and-"

"What about how I feel?" Myrla slipped when she stamped her foot, and she clutched Rankil, struggling to stand as the snow began to shift beneath her. "What are we standing on? A boulder?" She knelt, one hand grasping Rankil's leg for balance as she brushed an area free of debris. The surface below gleamed. "What is this?"

"I found it a while back." Rankil shifted Hestra's sling higher on her chest then stooped beside Myrla. "It's some type of metal. Nothing I've ever seen, but there's much I haven't. Is it Taelach?"

Myrla shook her head. "None I know. Any ideas, Archie?"

He shrugged, jumped from the rise, and began to circle it, pushing aside snow-coated vines to gain a better look. "Mound that rises from the dirt." He thumped the surface. "And hollow by sound. I don't know. Maybe Kaelan should be shown."

Rankil bounded from her perch to face her cousin. "Why does everything come down to Kaelan? Must she know everything I do? This is my discovery, my find. She doesn't have to, doesn't need to know about this." Rankil pulled a handful of vine to the side, revealing a corroded panel. A single red light blinked among the exposed wires and moss.

"Think she'd let us anywhere near this?" She reached in, touched the light and stepped back. With a hiss, a grind and a low swoosh of stale air the mound began to shake and a piece of the surface vanished into the interior. "Or this?"

Archell regarded the find with disbelief, and Myrla pulled tight against Rankil. "It's magic," she whispered into Rankil's tunic. "Magic."

"No, My." Rankil pulled up her head until their eyes met. "The Mother says there's no such thing besides the energy she has given all things, remember? This is something we don't yet understand. It's safe. I wouldn't have brought you here otherwise." She indicated the passageway before them. "Take a look, Archie. It seems bigger inside-a massive wagon, a transport of some kind?"

"Wagon?" Archell thumped the mound and stuck his head into the opening. The short corridor beyond burst into light and he jerked back, reluctant to go further. "Are you sure?"

"Positive!" With Myrla by the hand, Rankil pushed passed him and into the mound. "Don't be a child."

"Come on, Archie," said Myrla. "I trust her."

Archell raised his brows but followed Rankil's lead, at times very close to his companions. "Kaelan should be told," he mumbled more than once. "She should be told."

"Dammit, Archie." Rankil swore at him over her shoulder. "If I think she needs to know, I'll tell her. It's my call." She led them around a sharp corner to another portal, which opened in the same manner as the first. They stepped through, the lights cut on, and the hatch shut with a frightening screech which startled Hestra awake. Comforted by Rankil's familiar face and voice she soon quieted and gazed at her new surroundings, as did her caregivers. The room was dank with old decay.

Rankil led them to the center of the room and paused, hands resting on a high chair back. "This is what I wanted to show you." She turned the chair then stepped back, waiting for their reactions.

Before them sat the skeleton of a woman, long and lean, blond hair tumbling across the epaulets gracing her shoulders. She sat dignified, in an obvious position of authority, fingers still poised on the armrests. A terrible hole ripped across the front of her uniform, revealing bone where gut had been.

"Who was she?" Myrla asked, drawing back when the woman's hair broke at her touch. "How did she get here?"

Rankil depressed a key and pointed to the dust-covered screen before them. "I found this by accident, but this explains a little of it. It takes a few ... all right, there it is." A pain-riddled face appeared before them, an ancient projection of their discovery speaking of long-ago events in a foreign but strangely familiar tongue.

"Captain Tara Conway reporting. This will be my final log." The woman held up her blood-saturated flight glove. "For obvious reasons, I'll not be making the rendezvous point. I'm sorry, Dr. Reccason. I've left you with a full plate. Take care of the others for me. See they adapt to the new environment. This species, the Autlach as they call themselves, seem a hearty breed, very like us humans in their appearance. Keep detailed notes on your interactions with them." Her brown eyes brimmed with pain she would not allow in her voice.

"I launched the rescue buoys just before I abandoned the control station." She chuckled then shook her head. "Damn fools we were, tunneling into that sorry excuse for solid ground."

She sighed and a certain peace began to warm her expression. "Tell my children I love them. Joanna, too. We should have been married, Jo. I know you asked me a thousand times and I refused them all. Guess it was a game to me. You'd pursue. I'd evade. I never tired of it. Thought it'd last forever. Ah, but it's a little too late for that now, isn't it? Just don't let yourself get lonely. Find a pretty Autlach to snuggle up with. Rescue is at least six years away. That's a long time to sleep alone, and God knows no one else who knows you will want the job. And, Jo, one more thing." The woman collapsed back into her seat. "I think I would have said yes had you asked again." She drifted in and out of consciousness for several seconds, mumbled something unintelligible, then reached up and undid the loose plait running down her back.

"There, Joanna. Remember me like you met me-hair flying in my face as I barked orders." She closed her eyes. "And, yes, I have a final order. You didn't think I'd go quietly, did you? Don't worry, my friends, it's a simple one." Her voice sounded strange even to those who understood little of her command. "Don't count on what hasn't happened. Life is too brief. Conway out." The screen went dark.

"There was Taelach in her words." Archell looked respectfully at the seated form. "But some of them I've never heard."

"She must have been a great leader." Myrla settled into an empty chair. Their lifeless companion looked similar to the Taelach with her slim build and fair skin, but her eyes were almost as dark as Archell's. "I heard her speak of children and the Autlach, but she wasn't Taelach, was she?"

"I don't think so." Rankil reached again to the controls. "She's just the beginning. I've found much more. Watch." She brushed her fingertips across the controls, rotating a wall panel near Archell, causing him to startle.

"Rankil?"