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Although it was summer, patches of snow glittered in every direction, sparkled to diamond intensity by the Alaskan sun. The botanist trudged over the tundra, searching for the fabled Arctic gentian. If he found it, it would make his career.

He had a good 20 hours of daylight in which to search. Neither dogsled nor three-wheeler could help him now, although the natives in the village six miles away had offered both. The blue flowers grew close to the ground, in protected areas, and he couldn't risk running past them, or over them. A pity none of the villagers cared enough about flowers to remember if they'd seen any.

A lock of sky-blue hair fell over his eyes and he was suddenly grateful for their lack of curiosity. People didn't pry too much in the Greatland. They let each other alone.

Strange rock formations on the horizon drew his attention. They turned out to be caves of packed snow, eerily blue-green within, dirty grey without. The sun, even this far north, would surely have melted any natural formation this far into the summer. If wind and weather hadn't made this, then who?

A jingling noise came from behind him and he froze. Casually reaching for the sharp trowel in his belt, he turned around slowly.

He saw her driving a dogsled. Sheila, the city girl, driving a dogsled.

"You scared the crap out of me, Sheila! And where did you learn how to do that?"

She snorted a ladylike snort as she got off the sled. "I can do lots of things you don't know about. Did you find your flower yet?"

"No." Something told him he never would, not with her around. "I found this - whatever it is." He gestured to the cave walls, glowing blue-green. "Maybe someone built it for a shelter. It feels warmer in here. Do you want to go in?"

At the back of the cave was a small door, carved out of some strange substance. It was apparently blue through the soot on it. Lee rubbed off some of the soot.

"It's carved out of ice!" said Lee. "Who carves doors out of ice? And then builds fires by them?"

"Polar bears," said Sheila. "Eskimo artists. Who cares?"

Lee knocked on the door with his trowel, just to be polite, but no one answered. He pulled off his glove to try the knob. "Sheila, this is warm ice! I don't believe it. Maybe this is where we - " But she was getting impatient, and he opened the door a crack. Something forced its way out and flew into the cave wall.

It was a giant blue dragonfly, about the size of a chicken. It lay stunned for a few seconds, then flew drunkenly around the cave. Lee opened the door wider. Rolling golden hills lay under a warm blue sky.

They looked at each other. She was the first to speak. "This is YOUR trip. YOU wanted to come here and dig up your precious plant. What's it going to be?"

He thought for a moment. "We've got 20 hours of daylight left. It won't hurt to explore this place for an hour or two. Let's go."

"It's amazing! I'm going to leave my backpack wedged in the door...just in case it shuts," said Lee.

"Worrywart," she teased.

They wandered through the countryside, always keeping the way back in mind. There were plenty of exotic birds and bugs in the skies and small furry wildlife in the undergrowth, but nothing larger than themselves. The natural colors were too wild to be part of Earth, and Lee dug up several plant samples and carefully stowed them away. He suggested Sheila take a few bugs as samples, but she didn't seem to like that idea.

"You think this is maybe where we came from?" he asked. "Or our ancestors? I wouldn't be surprised at all to see blue or pink haired-people here." Sheila elbowed him in the side. "What?! I was just wondering -" She elbowed him harder.

A rider, mounted on a winged beast, was spiraling down towards them, aiming to land a few yards away. The beast flapped heavily and the rider listed to one side, evidently injured. He was waving to them and Sheila took off running towards him. Someone else was running toward the rider as well.

"Oh...NO," groaned Lee, and scanned the skies for more - what more, he did not know.

Lee cursed under his breath. He was already running, ready to help the injured but he did not want to get into whatever problems this man would bring.

Lee sent Sheila for fresh water, while he examined the man. He was a botanist, damn it, not a doctor, but he was familiar enough with first aid. Most of the trouble seemed to come from gashes on the left side that had pierced the man's leather riding costume. There were symbols on the collar - a crown, a star and a horse head - that he figured were military symbols.

He had forgotten the person that had been running toward the crash site as well. It was a rabbit...cat...two-legged creature, but its body language was so humble and expression so anxious that he did not reach for a weapon.

"What news did this one bring?" it whispered. Just then Sheila came back with the water.

"Can you help us? Is there somewhere this man can get blood, a blood transfusion?"

The rabbit-person cringed. "Blood? Vampires?"

"No," said Lee, exasperated. "Is there a doctor near, a hospital? A place of healing?"

It gestured around vaguely. "All you see is a place of healing."

"I don't mean a mental health retreat!" snapped Lee. "This man needs medical attention, he's lost a lot of blood and he might die. He needs medicine, not meditation."

"All around grow healing herbs," it said patiently. "I will show you."

They found enough medical herbs to treat the wounded man as best they could. Lee learned that his guide was a male rabbikin, part of a colony nearby that lived both in tunnels and aboveground caves, and that there was a war going on between several factions of the ruling class which threatened to draw in neighboring nations. (I knew it, groaned Lee.)

The wounded man was Lord Oji, the youngest son of one of the princes, and he had returned from a spy mission to report to Queen Bezeln, whose meadow they were in. The rabbikin knew this because his people heard many things in their underground tunnels which ran under the city. He added respectfully,
"But I do not know who you are, Lord. Blue hair is the mark of the warrior princes, yet I do not know who and your lady are."

Surprised, he said, "I'm no lord...you'd have to ask Sheila to get her answer. There she is now."

They had left her with Lord Oji, and she was apparently speaking to him.

"What did he say?" asked Lee.