Winter 2007 12

Helmine's coat hem stuck out from behind a statue -- where she had hung it. She had a fairly good idea of where everyone was, although that short nuisance was still as slippery as... well, ice. The half-elf was squatting behind a boxlike large stone planter that lay some ten metres farther from the statue and kept busy squeezing snow into yet another projectile. She had one on the ground next to her already. No, this was a simple case of an ambush. She had bounded long steps away from the statue that the tracks led to, but it was as good a playground ambush as she could come up with.

All this running was really not proper for a lady, anyway, so why not just wait for them to come for you?

"Hey, Weft! Would you like some help?" Nico called stepping around the edge of a hedge, snowball in hand. There was snow clinging to the fur of her coat, but she was cheerful as usual - and ready to dodge should either of them throw something at her.

Weft looked round at Nico. "There's snipers in the undergrowth," he said.

"Are there?" asked Suitov.

"Did you get your mark? I got mine," Weft said to Nico. After half a second's pause he struck a tough-guy pose, complete with smirk and dagg-- well, snowball.

Suitov only looked indulgent.

"That matter is settled," she answered, grinning. "So I guess we can pick new targets."

She feigned a throw at Weft, instead in the last moment switching targets to Suitov. With precise timing, Daaren stepped out of his cover, and threw a snowball aimed at Weft.

With a whisk of silk, Weft was safely behind the mage before both the others' shots hit Suitov.

"Oh, a fine bodyguard!" the mage said, shielding his face with one arm while chucking at Daaren.

"Maze," Weft said in Offwhite City's principal language.

"Wouldn't we be cor--?"

"Do as I tell you." Weft knew there were three exits on this side. He threw right for Nico's face before following the mage as they made for the boxwood.

Daaren ducked and quickly formed another snowball. He was a bit to slow and hit the hedge after Weft disappeared behind it.

At that moment Nico, who had dodged Weft's missile, was already running after the two of them.

Helmine peeked from behind the planter and narrowed her eyes as she scanned the situation. Ah. There we are, she thought, straightened and did something that was tactically a bad decision.

She stood up so that she could put more strength into the throw and launched a projectile of compact snow right at Nico. The snowball clutched in her left hand quickly ended in the right one; the left hand again ducked to grab enough snow for the third one. Having done this, she ran for the hills, figuratively. Accurately said, she made to run toward the the outline of the maze, which she intended to follow.

It was an interesting exercise, really.

The snowball hit Nico in the shoulder just in the right moment to throw her off balance. While she got up and armed herself again - not without a look at the maze entry where Suitov and Weft had disappeared - Daaren with a few long steps brought himself in a better position, and threw a rather less compact snowball at Helmine's back.