Rise of the Firebird

by Amy K Kuivalainen

  “Where is it then?” Anya questioned. As far as she could see, Mir and Skazki ruled all the options out.

  “It isn’t a matter of where, but who.”

  “But the message said it is with the forest,” Yvan said quietly.

  “Yes, it is with the forest,” Ruthann was looking expectantly at Anya.

  “You don’t mean…” Aramis stammered. He was staring at her pointedly.

  “He did take an unusual interest in Anya,” Søren pointed out. Anya touched her side where the antler was scorched.

  “The Groenn Skær,” she whispered.

  “Are you serious?” Cerise asked as she tapped her scarlet nails on the arm of her chair. “The actual Lord of the Forest.”

  “I can’t believe that you’re all looking at me like I’m insane. Of all the things you have seen, the things that you are, the idea of a Forest God is suddenly unfathomable to you,” Anya said as she looked around at the confused faces.

  “Gods are…rare,” Isabelle managed.

  “Are you trying to say that the actual Lord of the Forest, Cernunnos himself, is lurking in the wilds of Alaska?” Harley asked.

  “Wonder if he knows Big Foot,” Fox said.

  “He isn’t Cernunnos,” Ruthann came to Anya’s defence. “Cernunnos is still in Britain. You are thinking of the Lord of the Forest as a single entity like the Christian God, but it’s not the case. The Groenn Skær, Green Stag, is an Elemental. They are there to protect and nurture the land.”

  “I met him the last time I was here, so believe me, he exists.” Anya lifted her shirt and showed them the brand over her ribs.

  “I thought his interest in you peculiar,” Aramis said as he looked at the brand. “It’s not often that he will reveal himself in so close a human form.”

  “He had antlers!”

  “Yes, but he usually reveals himself as a full stag. He made the effort to make himself known to you.”

  “Perhaps the Groenn Skær will get a chance to rise the spring in you, after all,” Søren said, as Anya burned red.

  “How romantic,” Cerise laughed, loud and bawdy. Anya was relieved to hear it even if it was at her expense.

  “But why hide the prophecy with him at all?” Aleksandra asked quietly from beside Mychal. “If he’s an Elemental and all he cares about is the forest, what is a piece of paper really going to mean to him? He wouldn’t see the value in such a thing.”

  “She makes a good point,” said Izrayl. “I met a leshii in Skazki and he wasn’t concerned about anything but the life and magic around him.”

  “I’m inclined to agree with you, but I was under instructions to give the message to him. Instructions from Ilya,” Ruthann replied.

  “Of course,” Anya muttered. “If he had all of this knowledge on how to kill Yanka, why didn’t he do it himself?”

  “He had major mummy issues I reckon,” said Hamish. “To have to plan her down fall so far into the future.”

  “Our dear Professor Freud would’ve had a field day with him,” Cerise added.

  “I’ll ask the Groenn Skær for the prophecy,” Anya decided out loud.

  “Steady, Anya,” Aramis took her hand and their power linked. She felt how concerned he was before he shut off his emotions. “You need to go with an escort of some kind. Elemental beings can be unpredictable.”

  “He wouldn’t hurt me.”

  “I know that but…”

  “You’re worried he will rape her,” Yvan said quietly. Anya looked up at him in shock. That wasn’t something that even occurred to her. Yvan’s face was dark with anger.

  “He wouldn’t rape me either!” she protested. “His power touched mine and I felt no evil in him.”

  “There’s a lot of mythology relating to fertility forest gods and human women,” Fox said from her chair.

  “You seem to be forgetting that Ilya gave it to him for a reason and I very much doubt that the reason was rape,” Anya snapped. Aramis’s hand moved to the centre of her upper back, where her shoulders were hunching with anger.

  “Easy, Anya, it’s not that I don’t trust Ilya’s judgement,” he said softly. “Be cautious about it, that’s all I ask.”

  ***

  “Excuse me, my lady, there’s a telephone call for you.” A slender girl held out a silver box. Yanka recognised it as one of the machines Vasilli had been teaching her how to use.

  Yanka took the phone and held it carefully to her ear, “Hello?”

  “Tsarina,” a voice purred down the line, “I have located friends of Anyanka’s here in New Orleans. The majority of the group are still missing, but I will keep watch for their return.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No, Tsarina, General Ladislav is here too.”

  “Has he seen you?”

  “No, Tsarina, I haven’t made contact with any of the Darkness here in America. I wished to work unhindered.”

  “Have you been spying on our own people, Veruschka?”

  “Not intentionally, but the General is making his presence known. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he’s trying to rally supporters. He has been to see the Conseil Neutres. I have seen some ex-members of the Darkness with him. He is gathering an army of Rogues.”

  “Need I ask about how you feel about this?”

  “You’re the only who has ever held my loyalty, Tsarina. That will not change. Shall I bring him to you? Alive, if you should wish it.”

  “Thank you, but no. Let him play his little game and plan his coup d’état. It will be a good way to separate those loyal, from those who are not.”

  “As you wish. I’ll keep watch on him while I wait for the girl.”

  “Thank you, Veruschka, your loyalty will be rewarded.” Yanka pressed the black button on the phone and ended the conversation.

  “What has happened?” Vasilli was watching her.

  “That piece of der’mo Ladislav is trying to raise supporters against me.”

  “You should’ve let me kill him,” Vasilli laughed. “What a fool. I hope you will make an example of him.”

  “I will, but for now, we wait and let him come to us.”

  Chapter Seven - Early Spring

  It started with the drums as a deep thrumming that grew in Anya’s ears until she woke. She fumbled for the glass of water beside her bed as she sat up. She’d only gotten to sleep two hours beforehand and her head pounded.

  Ruthann had been trying to contact the Groenn Skær on her behalf. He had told her how vast the forests of the north were, but Anya was impatient. That had been three days ago.

  Anya had kept herself busy with Aramis, trying to learn more about her magic or frođleikr as he was increasingly referring to it as. He’d missed being a part of the Álfr, even though it was a self-inflicted exile, and Anya could see the small changes in him as he gathered his strength. He’d been visiting friends and studying with the Álfr healers on how to use his new hand and how to channel his magic into it. She hadn’t seen him as regularly and felt his absence. It continued to surprise her how selfish she could be about time with the people in her life, but Aramis wasn’t dead and she longed for Trajan most of all.

  “I miss him too,” Cerise had said hours before when Anya had curled up next to her on a couch. Cerise had placed an arm around her shoulder and pretended not to see the tears. The delivery company had called her to say that Trajan’s items were ready to be collected at the depot in Anchorage. She didn’t know how she would react to seeing his clothes without him in them.

  Anya had been dreaming of Trajan’s voice before the drums had over powered it. Where were they coming from? Anya got to her feet and wrapped a dressing gown around her night slip. She walked from her room and into the courtyard to breathe in the night air. It wasn’t as cold as it had been and when she looked up, she could see the stars burning. The drums were coming from the forest. The ground was warm as Anya stepped out on the grass and followed the beating.

  ***

  Yvan had been walk
ing through the long halls of the mansion when the firebird started to push itself against him.

  “What is it? Stop!” Yvan clutched at his chest.

  Something is wrong, foolish boy! Move!

  Yvan ran back the way he had come and toward Anya’s chambers. “Anya?” Her bed was empty and she wasn’t in any of the rooms. The doors leading outside were open and her nightgown had been dropped to the grass.

  “What on earth is going on?” Yvan felt the warmth still trapped in the fabric in his hands. She must have only lost it. “Anya!” Her laughter broke through the night’s silence. He ran toward the sound, heedless of the gardens he trampled through.

  She’s going into the forest, the firebird said, its voice holding a note of panic that Yvan had never heard before. Dark trees loomed ahead as Yvan saw a pale white figure moving in front of him. Anya had already stepped into the trees, her hair a shimmering like scales in the moon light.

  “Anya stop!” Yvan shouted but she didn’t turn, “Shalosť!”

  Yvan had only taken one step into the forest when a wall of power rose up in front of him and spat him back out through the air. Wings burst from his arms to stop his fall but it was too late. He hit a stone statue hard, bones in his shoulders and back cracking. He lay on the ground winded and powerless to stop the white figure in front of him melting into the trees.

  ***

  Inside the forest, the air was close and warm. The drums that had woken her were growing louder and her body obeyed their call. Power was flowing over her and she knew whom it belonged to.

  There were lights in the forest, the auras of the trees guiding her way. A part of her, the part that was still awake, tried to warn her that she was under a spell but she ignored it. The brand on her skin was starting to burn and the wind was building around her. Anya placed a hand over the brand and touched it with her magic. There was a rustling behind her and a black stag stepped out of the trees. As the creature walked toward her, it reared on its hind legs and began to change. Legs became limbs and fur melted to brown skin until the Lord of the Forest towered over her.

  “I heard the drums,” Anya said softly.

  “They’re beating for you. I have something for you.”

  “Ilya’s message?” His laughter echoed around them and Anya sensed the trees bending and shuddering toward the sound.

  “I have that for you, impatient girl, but first, you must do something for me.”

  Anya lowered herself to one knee, “Ask it, my lord.”

  “I wish to show you the forest tonight. I wish you to experience it through my eyes. Then, if you wish it, I’ll give you the prophet’s message.”

  “I accept.” Anya took the hand that he offered and she rose back to her feet. “What would you have me do, my lord?” Anya looked up his dark, wild face but carefully avoided his eyes.

  “Run with me,” he whispered as his magic closed in around her. “Run with me and I will show you a world only glimpsed at in your dreams.” Anya felt no fear as he gripped her hand. Together, they started moving through the thick trees. “Let go of your fear. Let go of your life!” The Groenn Skaer roared, “Run!” Anya’s hand left his and she broke away from him, her legs moving faster and faster.

  There was stream ahead of her and as she leapt over it, Anya felt power rip through her. As she landed, she looked down to see her hands as they sprouted with white fur and change into paws. She twisted until she could catch her reflection in the stream. A white wolf, speckled lightly with grey, stared back at her with green eyes.

  The Groenn Skaer, now a large black wolf, circled her. He pawed the ground impatiently before he took off through the trees. Anya chased him, a howl of freedom echoing through the night.

  ***

  Yvan had been pounding on Aramis’s door for five minutes before it was finally answered.

  “What’s happened?” Aramis asked as he tied a robe around himself.

  “Anya’s gone!”

  “Calm down. What do you mean gone?”

  Yvan raked his hands through his hair, dislodging dirt and leaves onto the polished floor. “She went into the forest. I tried to stop her, but she couldn’t hear me. She was under some kind of spell.”

  “Then what are you doing here?” Aramis demanded the last remnants of sleep gone from his face. “You should be following her!”

  “You aren’t listening to me! I tried to follow her. The damn forest threw me out!”

  “We must get her back, Yvan. Humans are forbidden to enter the forest during this time. The pig headed girl! Why doesn’t she ever listen to me?”

  “She didn’t know what she was doing, Aramis. I was barely ten feet from her and she couldn’t hear me shouting at her.”

  “The forest is against us, which means so is the Groenn Skaer. The best we can do is go out there and wait for her return.”

  ***

  Anya was running, her senses burning and alive with a joy and freedom she’d never experienced. The darkness of the forest had melted with her new eyes and she could hear the sounds of the trees, animals, and the deep flow of life around her. The forest was vast and she was privy to its secrets with the black wolf at her side. He showed her the hidden places where the forest children still lived; those half fae creatures that Anya had only briefly glanced upon during the council. The few that they encountered bobbed their heads respectfully but did little to hinder them.

  The deeper they travelled into the forest, the patches of snow and ice melted. Trees grew closer and a tingle of ancient land flowed in through Anya’s paws. The part of her mind that was still her told her that this must be the Groenn Skaer’s sacred place. A cluster of oak and willow trees unwrapped their low hanging limbs to reveal an archway. Anya followed the black wolf, careful to stay as close as possible to him. The branches closed behind them as they walked, weaving into an interlocking wall of wood.

  Moonlight poured through branches, illuminating a small stream. They travelled down it, the air growing warmer with every step they took. The black wolf disappeared through a high crack in a rock face, the scent of musk and heat and animal all around her. Water from the stream trickled against the rocks and the cave opened to a large subterranean lake. Smooth black rocks encircled the shoreline and pale luminescent trees, glowing plants and streaks of moonlight eased the darkness, striking silver on the black water.

  The wolf beside her began to shiver and morph. His power rolled out and Anya’s body stretched and transformed back to her own. Breathless and euphoric, Anya started to laugh loudly, sending echoes off the stone walls and trees around her.

  Now in human form, he held out his arms and lifted her, swinging her gently in circles as she giggled like a child. Then she was kissing him, her hands tangled in his thick black mane of hair. “Thank you, thank you,” she whispered against his smiling lips. He tasted of power, joy, and the cold crispness of the forest. She was overwhelmed by the night and by the hidden world. She was weeping softly, but unlike the past few weeks, these tears were the healing kind.

  “There is a purpose for me sharing this with you,” he said, Anya’s head now resting on his shoulder. “You have great frođleikr in you for a human. You don’t understand the depth of it, but in time, you will. I see in you much mercy and much light, little one, but beware of the darkness too. It will eat your heart away until there is nothing left of whom you are. This Yanka, she will bring pain, fire, and evil. All things in nature come in opposites. They help hold the balance. You must be life to her death.”

  “You know more about the world than I expected.”

  “The wind carries news and the trees speak the truths. If one knows how to listen, the world tells you its secrets.”

  He lowered her slowly back to her feet. Anya looked up at him: a creature so old and enigmatic that there would be no way to protect him or his kind. Anya thought of the Shishiga and the Ovinnik in Paris and the way Völundr had tried to steal their magic. What would the Darkness do if they caught something lik
e the Groenn Skaer?

  “This war does not concern you,” Anya said protectively as she squeezed his hand.

  “War concerns everyone. War will ravage the lands of the human world and the magical realms. What affects one will always affect the other. It’s a part of the balance. I wanted you to see this nature through the wild’s eyes. These trees are not dead wood. Everything in this forest is connected. It speaks to each other and it grows with each other. It is another world that needs people to protect it. It is my hope that in the times to come, you will look upon the other worlds around you because the decisions you make will cause ripples through their very nature.”

  Anya sat on the grass as the Groenn Skaer spoke. An uneasy feeling was rolling through her stomach. He lay down on his long side next to her, the fierceness that had illuminated him had calmed once more. He placed a warm hand over her ankle. It was a touch of reassurance, of closeness. Her magic rose to meet him and she didn’t stop it.

  “Your gift is a strange thing. It wants to touch and take from everything magical around it. It grows and changes from every caress. Your guardian spoke to me of it, how you both find it confusing. It’s your power calling out to be touched. It wants to touch Aramis’s magic because you want to touch him. It wants comfort as you want comfort.”

  “I don’t-” Anya began but stopped herself. The Groenn Skaer looked amused. He hadn’t been trying to accuse her of anything but merely stated the obvious. Now that he had given her explanation about her magic, it seemed so frightfully obvious. “So my power grows every time it touches another person’s magic?” she asked.

  “It connects and it learns.”

  “Could I hurt someone if I touched them too long? Could I drain their power?”

  “It’s possible but it would be a terrible thing to do to another. It is evil. It is blackness that will swallow you if you try.”