“Are you sure?” I ask. “What if –” “If the snow is deep, the landing gear will dig in and cause drag, and it could rip off pieces of the ship.” “Fine, Mr. Know-it-all.” “I did get us safely through the atmosphere,” he says, “so it wasn’t just all ego.” “And now you’re gloating about it,” I snap. “I’ll have more to gloat about after I execute this sled landing.” I bite my lip and watch through the window. We passed the mountains already, and I can only see the sea on one side now. We’re very close to the ground, and the ship has no engine that can power it in the atmosphere. We have one shot at landing, and if Ramses overshoots the target, there will be no second chance. When the white snow comes right up under us, I hold my breath. I want to hold Ramses’s hand, or his arm – or embrace his whole fucking body – but I also don’t want him to botch the landing, so I settle for holding on extra tightly to my harness straps.
