But he had to share the walkway, and this was presenting a problem, as he wove around obstacles like a slalom racer. He narrowly missed a young couple, then brushed by a man walking a toy poodle that yapped at Austin. He drove a woman on Rollerblades up on the turf and she swore creatively at him. Angry shouts and curses followed the sled as he pushed the dogs to even greater speed.

He tried to figure out how long the team would last, running at full tilt, and decided he didn't have much time. Sled dogs are accus- tomed to running in the cold and snow, and with their thick fur coats they would quickly become overheated in the warm evening tem- peratures. He glanced around to get his bearings. They were mov- ing across the Mall, away from the museum, toward the Castle and the Smithsonian quad. He looked behind him. Umealiq had gained ground, and it would be only a matter of time before he caught up.

“Easy,” he commanded the dogs, and he put pressure on the brake to reinforce his command. They slowed.

“What are you doing?” Therri said.

“Get off!”

“What?”

“Get off and make a run for the lights and people around the Smithsonian. I can't outrun him with you on board. It's me he really wants.”

Therri reluctantly overcame her natural inclination to argue. Comprehending the danger, she rolled off the sled, then got to her feet and started running. Austin shouted at the dogs to get moving. The team took off again in a neck-snapping start. He made a right- angle turn onto another path. The sled felt lighter and more re- sponsive, and he was moving faster than before. He was glad to see Scarface still chasing him. Therri was safe, but pausing to let her on had given Umealiq the chance to gain ground.

Austin's eyes were blurred with the sweat running down his fore- head. He wiped away the moisture with the sleeve of his tux and glanced over his shoulder. Scarface had cut the distance in half. Austin dodged another pedestrian and looked ahead. He could see the white spike of the Washington Monument in the distance. There might be armed security guards around the monument, but he would never make it that far. The dogs were becoming weary. He could feel them slow their pace slightly, and the sled was acting like a car run- ning out of gas. He urged the team on with the kissing sound he had heard the drivers use during the race.