SECOND DRAFT: Hard Bank Left

32

Graham finished installing the door. It worked wonders for keeping the forward section of the gondola warm. He had his doubts and kept fussing over it. Krys had to reassure him that he'd done a great job repeatedly. He didn't believe her, either that or he did believe her and was fishing for compliments. Either way, she offered the compliments freely, they didn't cost her anything.

The blizzard came the next day. Krys, Graham, and Celeste spent most of the day huddled in Krys's room, with Celeste sitting between them on the bed. Cold didn't bother her much but she produced enough heat to keep the both of them a little bit warmer than they would have been. Celeste claimed to not mind being taken off her normal duties to be put on "personal heating blanket" duty, but Krys knew it bothered her not being able to be productive. Krys understood the feeling.

At that moment she could have been plotting or planning or deciphering, but instead she was trapped in her room, shivering under two shirts, thick pants, wool socks, three blankets, a hat and a shawl. Graham routinely checked her forehead to see if she was running a fever, but each time it turned out she wasn't. Krys's hands and feet felt like ice, stiff and solid. Touching them to anything felt like pressing near a warm fire. Her face prickled with cold, as though she had been hit in the face with a snowball.

Krys didn't feel like asking for anything. This was ridiculous. She'd been through cold winters before, but this was ridiculous. She should have been warm. She should have been sweating given how wrapped up she was.

By midday Graham started assigning Celeste tasks, having her heat up the leftover soup from the night before, or having her bring in radio equipment and the maps. They may have been cooped up, but that didn't mean that they had to be useless. Krys appreciated the gestures. He was having Celeste take care of things so that she didn't have to worry so much. It helped calm Krys's nerves at least. The door constantly opening, however, was not helping in the slightest. In spite of having the double seal of the outer door, the slight drop in a few degrees sent Krys into uncontrollable spasms of chills each time.

"I don't know what to do," Graham said as Krys greedily slurped a bit of stew. "You're not running a fever. You're not sick. Your core temperature seems fine and yet..."

"And yet I'm freezing my ass off," Krys cut in.

"Yeah. My first guess would be that this has something to do with your gift, but you're not igniting, so... I'm at a loss."

Krys couldn't help but dwell on the last time she was like this just two nights earlier.Touching Graham had sent all the chills away immediately. She didn't know why or how it had worked, but it had. She wouldn't ask it of him now, though. Luckily she didn't have to.

Celeste was the one who made the suggestion, "Sir, what if we warmed her? Got under the blankets with her, I mean."

Graham pondered this, his head cocked as he listened to the voice in his ear, before nodding in agreement.

Krys protested, swearing that she was fine and didn't need to be snuggled, that they were being ridiculous, Graham in particular. "Would the both of you stop? I'll manage. I'm fine."

Celeste looked her straight in the eye as she set to work removing the pile of blankets from Krys. "With all due respect, Kryseis, you are not fine."

Krys began shaking intensely, unable to control any part of her body. Her teeth chattered, her body ached from the effort of trying to keep her warm.

"Sir? Her temperature is dropping."

Graham's hands were on Krys's face but she was only barely aware of her surroundings aside from that. Closing her eyes felt right. The world slipped into a darkness lit by the smallest blue flame in the exact center of her mind. The fire flickered, shrunk slightly.