Free Boundary by Heather Terrell

attention to my unusual knowledge. But if I don’t take this gamble, our only choice will be the bonfires.
    “What in the Gods are you talking about, Archon Eva?” Laurence’s old fury resurfaces. Since I accurately identified the Site, he has been tolerant of me, though hardly respectful, and that’s only because the other Archons voiced their approval. But after three
siniks
without much progress, he can’t help himself.
    “The ship has been frozen into the ice in a near-vertical position. We were able to loosen the ice around the deck, but then we hit a solid mass. That ice is frozen around the frame of a door. A door connecting the deck to a cabin. I suspect that the cabin itself is not ice-locked.” I hold my breath for a moment, hoping the explanation was sufficient to sidestep the unspoken question of how I know the layout of the ship.
    Laurence laughs again as if my idea is preposterous. But the laugh rings hollow, and the grumbling intensifies. The men want any alternative to the bonfires, and he can’t afford to ignore me. “How do you know that? Did the Gods send you a message?”
    I decide to take seriously his last attempt at a demeaning joke. Nobody likes sacrilege, and I might win a few Boundary Climbers or Archons to my side if I play into it. “Maybe, Archon Laurence. The Lex says that the Gods do work in mysterious ways.”
    What can Laurence say to that? Nothing, if he wants to keep the allegiance of his men. Silence hangs heavy in the frigid air, so I fill the void with my proposal. I describe how we might access the door without rendering the Site unsafe, using Madeline’s approach as my secret model, and how wemight divide into four teams to provide Site and Relic support while simultaneously excavating.
    Archons and Boundary alike voice their willingness to try my idea. Laurence has no choice but to sanction my suggestion, though he gives me a cold glare before he begins to form us into teams. When he doesn’t assign Theo to a team immediately—no surprise, as it’s been years since Theo’s excavated a Site, and I’m guessing he’d rather remain a spectator—I pull him to my side. I’ll need an ally in this.
    The gambit works. Laurence places us together on a team with eight others, all Boundary Climbers and workers. We start to suit up for the descent into the Site, when he calls out, “Who will excavate the ice packed around the door?”
    Strange that he is calling for volunteers. Laurence acts more as dictator out here than leader seeking the loyalty and respect and consensus of his team. Perhaps he’s trying to win them back from me. Or perhaps he’s breaking from his usual leadership style because the excavation work around the door is the most dangerous? The most susceptible to an avalanche if the support walls collapse?
    I’m not certain others will volunteer. I should be the one to place myself at risk, given that this dig design is my suggestion. But more important, I have my own reasons for wanting to be first inside the deck cabin. Before anyone else can Claim it, I throw my hand up in the air. “We will,” I call out.
    Theo stares at me, a mixture of terror and anger in his eyes. No doubt he’s furious that I usurped his senior role by volunteering and terrified at the thought of such a risky excavation after all these years, but I have no choice.
    Laurence looks me up and down. His glance holds nomysteries. He’s weighing the delight of placing me in a treacherous position with his wariness over the danger.
    As he deliberates, I hear a whisper of “braggart” among the Archons. They think I’m trying to uncover the best Relic by entering the
Genesis
first, but they didn’t volunteer, did they? Whatever the reason, however I come by it, I need to be the first one through that door.
    Laurence renders his verdict. “Archons Eva and Theo, you may have the honor.”

XVI .
Julius 11
Year 242, A.H .
    Poor Archon Theo. Even with two harnesses strapped together, he