Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 758
smile, "the Winds trust you. So does Choronzon, who has
considerable pull with the Archipelago now that 3340’s been
defeated."
"What are you getting at?"
She sighed. "Axel, I’d love to take the Ventus posting.
But I’d love to spend some time on Earth more. And I just
can’t think of anyone from my Institute who’s got the
experience or... streetwise nature, to take the post here."
"Are you offering me a job?" he asked incredulously.
"Me?" She pointed at herself. "Gods no, I don’t have the
authority. No, the Winds have asked for you. The diplomats
are turning blue in the face over this, but they want to make the
Winds happy..."
The ship shook slightly with takeoff. They had come to a
lounge, and Axel found he needed to sit down.
Until this moment he had believed he would never set
foot on Ventus again. He stared at Marya, stunned. "Well," he
managed at last, "I guess it was a good idea to save you from
the swans after all."
She laughed. "Then you accept?"
He rose and went to a viewscreen that was tuned to an
outside view.
Ventus lay below, a vessel of light. Axel gazed down at
the amber, green and white of Iapysian desert as it became one
with the curve of the planet.
Calandria was gone; so, it seemed, was the rest of his
past.
"I accept," he said.
The White Wind squinted at the glare and noise as the
starship rose and vanished behind the clouds. Well, the
moment had passed, and she had not shown herself to Axel.