Morgan and Serena caught up with me and all heads in the room turned to look at us as we climbed over the wall on to the terrace. Greg waved with enthusiasm. I opened the door and we went inside.
“Tori!” Claire said. “How lovely!”
“You’re just in time, we haven’t started yet,” said Archie, beaming at us all. “What a wonderful surprise. Serena, too – welcome. Let me take your jackets.”
Claire passed Toby to Paul to hold and gave me a hug, then surprisingly hugged Morgan too. Nina eyed us and said not to worry that we weren’t dressed for the occasion. Greg came up and told me he’d swept the snow out of my flat after the blizzard. I thanked him and asked after Rosie. He told me she was fine, and had learned to come when he called her, nearly every time.
Gemma was wearing glittery wings and a dress with pointy layers of white, pink and blue tulle over woolly tights.
“Hi Gems, can I have a wish now you’re a fairy?”
She put on her grown-up face. “I’m not a real fairy, Tori, so I can’t give wishes. You’re not wearing your knife.”
“No …” Morgan had collected my knife, and I’m pretty sure he washed every trace of blood off it too – I doubt Randall did. It was now at the bottom of my backpack, my feelings about it being mixed. “I decided if I do come across any potatoes, someone else will have to peel them.”
I thought of something and dug out the christening gift I’d chosen for Toby; the small gold medieval chalice studded with semi-precious stones. I gave it to Claire and everyone gasped and craned to look. “From Morgan and me.”
“Wow! Tori, you have such style. It’s gorgeous. Thank you both.”
A little later Archie handed out hymnbooks and Holy Baptism booklets. “We’re going to start with a hymn, For All the Saints – a nice cheerful tune, Ralph Vaughan Williams. Tori, your responses are here.”
Baptism services are rather long, and I had to say I believed in a lot of things of which I’m not quite certain. Archie (as godfather) answered his own questions (as priest) with aplomb. Toby behaved very well, even after he woke up and began to take an interest in what was happening. So did Morgan, in spite of being non denominational and a bit scathing by nature. I liked the part where Archie lit a candle for Toby and said, “You have received the light of Christ; walk in this light all the days of your life.”
Afterwards we had a buffet lunch prepared by Nina. I caused another sensation by producing the two loaves of bread I’d spent half of Ginger’s greenies on, which led to me and Serena telling them all about Strata. Archie said he’d visit them, and I could see Charlie was seriously interested in moving there. When Mike’s name came up, Morgan interrupted and broke the news about his death to save my doing it. He didn’t mention Hong. Nina was clearly shocked and regarded Morgan suspiciously, as if he was lying about Randall being the perpetrator; but for once she said very little and I let it pass.
After lunch Morgan and I went to check out the Polaris. It was still there with our trailer, some of our things strewn around it just the way we’d last seen it. This was a relief. We took it to Bézier where I had a nostalgic look around my flat; it was strange to see everything much the same, apart from the soot and cracked or missing glass. I wandered around, looking at my things I’d left behind and wouldn’t be taking. Morgan said we’d pack and leave the next morning. I had a sudden pang. I wrapped my arms around him.
“Couldn’t we stay here for a bit? We’ve got all my stores, we could move them to another flat and make it really nice. Now we’ve got the sleds, we could forage further afield.”
“Then what?”
I imagined waking one night, Morgan asleep beside me, to the magical sound of rain; looking out of the window the next morning to see the snow beginning to dissolve and sink, the temperature rising until it was all gone like a bad dream. I thought of the sun shining, the streets reappearing, the trees emerging from their year beneath the snow and ice. They’d almost certainly be dead, but their seeds wouldn’t; seeds are designed to survive; they have a hard outer shell and low moisture content and can live in icy conditions for years. Conkers, acorns, winged sycamore seeds would sprout into life. Plants are indomitable, and when the plants came back, so would the birds and insects. London would be greener than before with hardly any people and cars; I visualized the places I loved reborn with wild flowers, trailing ivy, grass sprouting between paving stones …
“Maybe the climate will change again.”
“And maybe it won’t.” Morgan injected a dose of realism. “There’s nothing to gain by waiting. The days are getting longer – in a month they’ll be getting shorter again. D’you want to spend another winter here in the dark? The food will run out in the end even if it lasts ten or twenty years. Now’s the time, Tori, while we’re young and fit. Wait, and one of us might get ill or have an accident. The sleds might break and we’d die here.”
I remembered the last winter, a descent into primeval night that had matched my grief. Then like a lamp in the darkness, Christmas celebrated with Paul and Claire, who’d tried to make it special for Gemma with presents and carols and a Christmas tree; how she’d said it was her best Christmas ever. Looking back, there had been many happy times. My heart wanted to stay, my head knew the score. “You’re right,” I said. “We have to go.”
“We’ll be okay, you’ll see,” said Morgan, squeezing me.
I leaned back admiring his eyes. I could have stared at him all day, but there was a subject I’d been waiting for an auspicious moment to broach. “I was just wondering … how many people you trusted.”
“I trust myself.” He smiled. “And you. I trust you.”
“Is that it? Perhaps you should branch out a little.”
Ice Diaries ~ Lexi Revellian
Epilogue
A week later …
The five sleds lined up outside Bézier shone in the sun like children’s toys. Morgan had rigorously supervised the contents of each sled’s trailer to make certain everyone had packed essentials for the journey. Greg had been surprisingly okay about parting from his Doctor Who collection, I think because Rosie was allowed to come and we’d all had to limit what we took. He brought the snow globe, to remind him of the snow when we got to warmer climes. As well as Morgan and me, Paul, Serena and Greg would each drive a sled, with Claire, Toby and Gemma as passengers.
Archie stood alone and a little apart. He had come to wish us well and bless us for the journey. “Go forth into the world in peace; be of good courage …”
I realized, listening to his pleasant earnest voice, that the ringing in my ears had totally gone. I broke into a smile. He happened to look at me at that moment and smiled back. Tears blurred my vision. I hated saying goodbye to him forever; the thought of Archie managing on his own cooped up with Nina was a depressing one. But she had refused to come south, saying it was a hazardous journey and she’d prefer to wait for the helicopters; and he wouldn’t leave without her. Most likely they’d end up at Strata. They were thinking about it. Nina might enjoy the greater scope for organizing other people, and it would be good for Archie to have a bigger flock; good for Strata too having such a nice man around. (Morgan said Archie and Nina not coming was for the best. If a sled failed or crashed, we’d still have enough transport for all of us.)
Charlie and Sam had already made the move to Strata – to my surprise, the vetting committee hadn’t been put off when Charlie told them her plans for an ambitious literary crusade and insisted on reading them one of her poems. We’d spent a day shifting their things, including a new copier from Argos so she could start her micro-publishing venture.
The blessing over, Morgan inspected us like an NCO unexpectedly in charge. I followed his eyes. Greg looked happy and responsible and serious, Serena like a child on Christmas morning who’s been given the present she hoped for but didn’t think she’d get. Gemma wore a scarlet backpack with a selection of her favourite toys, and Paul and Claire held hands. We all looked rather cheerful.
Morgan’s eyes went from his ragtag troop to me. “Things I do for you, Tori,” he muttered. He smiled at me under his lashes and turned to the others.
“Let’s go south. Nice and slow.”
We started our engines and headed for the unknown.
www.lexirevellian.com
AUTHOR’S NOTE
If you have enjoyed Ice Diaries, you may like Remix and Replica, also by Lexi Revellian.
Remix US
Remix UK
REMIX: Caz Tallis restores rocking horses in her London workshop. When shabby but charismatic Joe and his dog turn up on her roof terrace, she is reluctantly drawn into investigating a rock star's murder from three years before - an unsolved case the police have closed. Which, as her best friend James says, is rather like poking a furnace with a short stick …
Replica UK
Replica US
REPLICA: Beth Chandler is accidentally replicated in a flawed experiment at the government research institute where she works. When the replica overhears plans to liquidate her she goes on the run. With no official existence, homeless, penniless and pursued by MI5, she has to learn how to survive on icy London streets. Meanwhile the original Beth, unaware of what has happened, becomes romantically involved with Nick Cavanagh, the spec op she believes is there to protect her. In fact, he’s hunting her double.
To be notified when Lexi Revellian publishes a new novel (no spam will be sent, ever) email: [email protected]
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