Ashes of the Firebird (The Firebird Fairytales Book 2)

by Kuivalainen, Amy

  “I knew you would force your power onto her if I didn’t do something.”

  “She tastes a little like you. Was that a part of the elvianth you put on her?’

  “No, that happened of its own accord. I don’t know how.”

  “You are a bigger fool than I remember,” Søren growled. “How stupid of you to do that to her. The council didn’t know she was one of Yanka’s line and they aren’t going to be happy about it. I know that I’m not.”

  “Is there a point to you being here?” questioned Aramis.

  “I have been sent to invite you to council to discuss what you have done. The girl is to come with you.”

  “No.”

  “Don’t be an idiot, Aramis. You can either come willingly, or I take the girl and you can come to fetch her. They really are being very good about this so far. If it were up to me, I would have killed her. Slowly and with extreme pleasure.”

  “It is a good thing that it is not up to you.”

  “You have a day to be on a plane,” Søren said coldly. “If I have to come back to get you, I will not be gentle with her.”

  “If the council can guarantee her safety, then we will go. I will not have her harmed for something she knows nothing about. I didn’t even mean to do it. I have never been able to put an elvianth on a human and I have tried.”

  “We know you tried with Yanka, so it will amuse them greatly that you managed it without meaning to on her descendent.”

  “She is an Álfr friend now as a part of the law of elvianth. It will be a crime to harm her for no reason,” argued Aramis.

  “The council will not harm her. They are curious only. Come home or they will not be so friendly.” Søren turned on his heel and walked off into the darkness, leaving Aramis alone and troubled.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight- Song of Solomon

  Aramis was gone and Anya was trying desperately not to have a break down. “Look, we don’t know how long he is going to be so how about we go back to your room where you can relax,” suggested Fox. “We will order some room service and wait for the cavalry to arrive.”

  “I’m hungry,” said Anya.

  “That’s a good sign. Let’s go.”

  Anya and Fox closed the door to Aramis’s room, and after a careful look around, they hurried down the hall. Before Anya could reach for her key, the door was yanked open and there was Mychal in fearsome glory.

  “Mychal!” Anya jumped, “I didn’t expect you.”

  “Mychal…” Fox breathed, her eyes wide.

  “I’m so happy you’re here,” Anya smiled at him as she pushed past. “Where is Aleksandra?”

  “In her room,” said Mychal as he acknowledged Fox with a brief nod. “She collapsed and muttered your name so I went to find you.” Anya hurried to Aleksandra’s bedroom. She was sitting on her bed, wiping blood from her nose.

  “Holy shit, Aleki,” Anya rushed to her side, “I’m so sorry.”

  “What did you do?” Aleksandra asked in a shaky voice.

  “Aramis kissed her,” said Fox.

  “What?” Aleksandra said astonished. “He kissed you and that happened?”

  “It didn’t hurt you, did it?” Anya asked, concerned she had done serious damage.

  “No, it only knocked the air out of me.”

  “She’s lying. It did hurt her.” Mychal was standing in the doorway with his arms folded. He looked furious.

  “Shut up, Mychal,” hissed Aleksandra. “Anya couldn’t have known.” The damage was done and Anya did the most irrational and unhelpful thing by starting to cry.

  “Perfect,” said Aleksandra sarcastically, glaring at Mychal.

  “I’m not sorry for telling the truth. You were attacked by a demon tonight and now this. I’m allowed to be pissed off,” said Mychal.

  “You were attacked by a demon?” said Anya and then noticed the cuts and bruising on Aleksandra’s shoulder.

  “Yes,” said Aleksandra, “but Mychal was there and stopped it.” Anya saw Aleksandra’s eyes flicker to Mychal and Anya was surprised he didn’t melt under the heat in them. Both seemed completely oblivious. Fox wasn’t. She was looking from one to the other grinning. The quiet moment was interrupted with the loud roar of motorcycles followed by a V8 engine. “The cavalry is here,” said Fox. “I will go let them in.”

  “Why did Aramis kiss you?” Aleksandra asked.

  “Because his brother could have killed me,” Anya said miserably. “Søren is after me because of something Aramis did.” She quickly recapped what had happened and about the contents of Silvian’s letter.

  “What is it with you two attracting trouble?” Mychal muttered.

  “I think you attract more than the both of us put together,” Anya retorted. Mychal gave her a little smile and didn’t deny it. Mama Lya, Harley and Abélard strode into the room. All looked worried and angry.

  “What did you do, girl?” Mama Lya demanded. “I felt that rattle my bones.”

  “Blame Aramis!” Anya shouted. Fox quickly intervened and told them what happened. Anya was glad about that because she didn’t feel like repeating her story. They listened patiently.

  “Well, I guess it wasn’t entirely your fault,” Mama Lya said before turning to Mychal. “Who are you?” Mychal gave her one of his wry smiles.

  “I’m Mychal.”

  “I thought you weren’t here.”

  “Surprise.” Abélard cleared his throat and touched Mama Lya’s arm.

  “You’ll have to excuse her bad manners. She doesn’t like someone else’s power jumping up in her business,” he said gently. “Aleksandra has told me a lot about you. I’m glad you reconsidered and came to New Orleans.” Mychal gave Aleksandra a curious look as she smiled innocently.

  “I am too. I think.”

  It didn’t take long for the whole room to be packed with concerned people and Anya felt like she was going to be crushed under their questions and accusations. Trajan had watched on and Anya saw he was twitching to say something but didn’t have the opportunity. The only person she wanted to see but wasn’t there was Yvan.

  “Where is Yvan?” she questioned Harley finally.

  “He said, “She will talk to me when she’s ready.” I think he might have gone to bed.”

  “A good idea for all of us,” said Cerise. “We can annoy Anya tomorrow.” Anya gave her a grateful look.

  “Make sure you come and visit me soon, Miss Aleksandra,” Abélard said, “and bring your surly gentleman friend too.” He gave her a wink before he offered his arm for Mama Lya.

  When they had left, Anya slipped out of the room and knocked on Yvan’s door. He opened it looking very sleepy and bedraggled.

  “I’m sorry to wake you. I wanted to make sure that you were both okay.” The firebird looked at her and flexed its wings. Yvan waved her in and shut the door behind her.

  “I didn’t want to crowd you,” he said. “I knew they would.”

  “You were right. Mychal has turned up.”

  “Good. Do you want to stay here and give them some space?” Anya felt the stupid irrational tears build up again.

  “There is nothing I want more,” she said as she wiped them away.

  “I will find you something to wear.”

  Her shower was scalding and brief before she slipped on the dark blue t-shirt that he loaned her. She hesitated only for a moment before she crawled into bed next to him. He didn’t voice any objections so she buried into the covers and let the warm smell of him and the firebird envelope her.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Yvan asked gently.

  “I know I’m supposed to be some powerful Shamanitsa, but I really don’t know what I am doing. After tonight, I’m going to be too frightened to drink because I couldn’t control the power that was riding me. I have never been so scared in my life.” Yvan’s warm arm wrapped over her and she huddled close to him.

  “Tell me what happened,” Yvan said. So she did. She told him everything, even about the fiasco with S
ilvian. She thought he would have something strong to say about that but he only listened.

  “So Aramis has gone out to find Søren and see if he means to kill me or not,” she finished. Yvan was so quiet she thought he might have gone to sleep.

  “I can’t believe he kissed you,” he said finally.

  “Out of all that I told you that is what you’re most concerned about?” Anya pinched him. Yvan yelped as he laughed.

  “Well, you always seem to have death or lovers hanging over you. Or both in Trajan’s case.”

  “That’s not helpful, Yvan. You remember after we first met you slept in that uncomfortable chair in Skazki all night because you were too afraid to sleep next to me? Now look at us. This is progress.”

  “I didn’t think it appropriate at the time.”

  “And now you do?”

  “Now, I know you better. Inappropriate is your middle name. Besides you don’t have someone to comfort you now when you’re in distress and I would rather you come to me than go to Aramis.”

  “You really don’t like him do you?”

  “I like him. I don’t like how much he likes you. Now he has gone and put some strange Álfr stigma on you and you have an assassin after you.”

  “He didn’t do it on purpose, Yvan.”

  “Didn’t he?” To which Anya had no reply.

  ***

  Abélard drove Mama Lya home. When she got there, she felt the strange magical presence that had to have been left by Søren.

  “I got a bad feeling in my bones about this,” she said as she made coffee. It was already very late and she knew that neither one of them would be getting much sleep.

  “He’s the one you know,” Abélard said. He lit a cigar with shaking fingers.

  “How do you know?”

  “Look at this.” Abélard lifted up his suit jacket and burnt into his shirt was an odd twisting symbol. He unbuttoned the shirt and showed her the white brand on his black skin.

  “It started burning again as soon as I saw him,” he said. Mama Lya let out a low whistle.

  “How the hell did you get that?”

  “When I first had the dream about the angels,” he said and sipped his coffee. “In the dream one touched me.”

  “An angel put that on you?”

  “I suppose so. It burnt tonight when I saw him.”

  “Abe, this is…”

  “A lot to process, I know. There are no coincidences, Lya. Maybe I’m the one that is meant to tell him. Aleksandra’s involved too you know. That is why they are so connected. They are so wrapped around each other’s souls. They got no idea why they can’t be without each other, I do.”

  Mama Lya got up, opened one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out a silver cigarette case.

  “I thought you had given that up forty years ago,” he chuckled.

  “I lied,” she said as she lit one, “besides this is an emergency.”

  “Did you happen to notice how banged up Aleksandra was? I know Mychal would never have done that to her. She was attacked tonight and everyone was so worried about Anya that they didn’t even notice. She’s demon marked you know.”

  “Demons, Álfr, witches! What the hell is going on in this world at the moment! They are gonna try to get Yanka free and that’s a fool’s errand. I heard tell that she was a right royal bitch before they got her and I doubt time is gonna have improved her.”

  “They may have locked her up for a good reason. I’m not worried about that so much as Mychal. If he is back, then something really bad is about to happen and if I don’t tell him soon then he might not be able to fulfil his purpose.”

  “And you say Aleksandra is a part of it?”

  “Yeah, she is. Oh, God, those poor kids, the not knowing who they are must have them in agony.”

  ***

  Everyone had left and Aleksandra was alone with Mychal again. He had sat on one of the lounge chairs watching her until she mumbled something about needing a shower and hurried from the room.

  After doing an awkward half-turning dance in front of the bathroom mirror, she managed to inspect the damage on her back. She would be black and blue in the morning. She tied her long hair up before stepping into the shower. The hot water helped unknot the pain in her shoulders. She hoped she wasn’t undoing Mychal’s careful first aid. Her need for a shower ruled out her misgivings.

  How are you, Aleki? Katya tentatively touched her mind. They hadn’t managed to get a spare second to talk privately when they had all turned up at once.

  Shook up. I will be okay soon.

  Mychal is back I see.

  Turned up like a bad penny.

  He must have missed you.

  Who knows?

  I’m glad he is here. I’m not blind, Aleki. I know you feel for him deeply. Give it a chance. I did and even though Izrayl drives me mental, I am so glad I did.

  I don’t think he is interested in that way.

  I don’t think anyone would fly across the world for someone they weren’t interested in. Think about it.

  I will. The link broke leaving Aleksandra feeling even more edgy. Why did anything to do with him make her so uneasy? She was the clear headed, non-impulsive one who always knew the most sensible course of action. Aleksandra climbed out of the shower, towelled down and slipped on her nightgown. Her hand hesitated on the door handle. What if he had disappeared again? Steadying herself, she opened the door and walked confidently out into her bedroom.

  All confidence melted when she saw Mychal leaning on the balcony’s iron railing watching the traffic go by. He had used Anya’s shower and was now only in clean jeans. Even in the dim light, she saw the deep gouges down his back. His wet hair clung to his neck though he seemed oblivious to the water that dripped on his skin.

  “It’s lovely, isn’t it?” she said as she joined him. The lights of the city glowed and the heady tropical scent of the air made her feel warm.

  “I have never thought about leaving Budapest.”

  “I’m happy you did.”

  “Really?”

  “Life was a bit boring without you.”

  “It’s certainly not boring now. Between Anya and yourself, you cause a world of drama. You didn’t need my help.”

  “You shouldn’t have told Anya that I was hurt. She was so upset already.”

  “I won’t lie to spare someone’s feelings. I know it wasn’t her fault but she acted reckless tonight and that has consequences. She needs to know that her actions affect others. I am little sensitive when it comes to your wellbeing.”

  “Anya is very young in her powers and she is doing the best she can. Don’t be too harsh on her. I’m still in one piece, aren’t I?” Mychal looked her up and down. She folded her hands out of sight automatically. He reached behind her and unfolded them.

  “If I can show mine you can show yours. And don’t even try to say that they are worse.”

  “I’m a woman, and I think being insecure is built into our genetic makeup.”

  “You’re still beautiful so why worry.”

  “You think I’m beautiful?”

  “I said you are.” He said everything so bluntly that it drove her crazy at times. She focused on the traffic below and tried not to look sideways at him. Her skin was jumping from being so close to him but she didn’t move away. As the last few days had shown her, not having him near hurt more.

  Mychal reached over and took her face in his hands, lifting it so she would look nowhere but his black eyes. She was shaking a little now, not knowing what he was going to do. She feared that he would realise he had gone too far and that he would walk away as he usually did. He stroked her cheeks gently, the tips of his fingers exploring her face and brushing over her lips.

  “Behold, you are beautiful, my love;

  Behold, you are beautiful;

  You have captivated my heart with

  One glance of your eyes,

  Your lips are like a scarlet thread

  and your mouth is lovely.


  You are altogether beautiful my love;

  There is no flaw in you.”

  He leaned down and pressed his lips on her hers, once and then once again. Aleksandra placed her hands on his chest as she stood on tiptoes to kiss him back. She had often wondered about the angry kiss in Saint Matthias, and about how it would feel if he kissed her without the anger. Now she knew.

  He kissed her like a dying man and that her kiss would save him. He kissed her as if she was the rarest of wines to be tasted and savoured. Joy, deep and powerful, flowed out of her and into him and back again. It was so strong that her hands slipped. He caught her and held her up, his lips never faltering. He kissed her once and then once again. He kissed a stray tear that had escaped from the corner of her eye.

  “Why are you crying?” his tone uncharacteristically gentle.

  “Because that is why my pulse quickens when you’re near me,” she whispered.

  “Mine too,” he admitted and tucked a dark curl behind her ear.

  “Really? Since when?”

  “Since I heard your voice in the dark. I was trying to find you but you found me instead.”

  “How come you have never said anything?”

  “You may not have noticed but words aren’t exactly my forte.”

  “Is that why you put roses in my room?”

  “It took you long enough to figure that out.”

  “Then why did you leave Budapest?”

  “I thought you would be better off. I thought the demons would let you go if I had nothing to do with you. I came to find you because I knew not so deep down that they wouldn’t and that if I didn’t find you I couldn’t live with myself. Did you miss me?” He cracked a smile and she couldn’t help returning it.

  “Ask Anya if I missed you. I was getting ready to pack my bags and go back to Budapest. It was irrationally painful to not have you around.”

  “Irrationally painful…that makes me happy. Lucky, otherwise, I would have made a complete ass of myself.”