“And that includes attacking strangers?” asked Katya.
“They didn’t attack us. It was more of a warning.”
“Some warning.”
“Mychal did more damage to them than they did to you and they don’t even know what Yvan is,” Izrayl defended. “We should camp with them tonight as a sign of good faith. Zakhar has offered hospitality. We aren’t in any danger from the pack.”
“Did someone tell Yana that?” The tall albino girl was glaring viciously at Katya from across the square.
“Yana knows. She will uphold it. Even though she is their shamanki, she still comes under Zakhar’s authority.”
“So, she is their witch as well. Great.”
“It’s one night, Katya. Don’t pick a fight and we’ll all be fine.”
“If I pick a fight with anyone it’s going to be you,” she muttered as they watched him walk back to sit with Zakhar.
Anya watched the scar on Katya’s cheek twitch more aggressively as the night wore on, the only thing about her that betrayed how angry and irritated she was. The volk krovi had cleared out some of the houses and into them the older wolves, the pups and the pregnant women went.
“I can’t believe they have such youngsters with them,” Anya whispered, not wanting to offend the two hundred wolves that lounged about the broken town.
“The pack always stays together,” said Eldon from across their small fire. “The pregnant women and whelps are protected greater than any royals.”
“Why?”
“Pups are rare,” Yvan answered beside her, “so rare that they are protected like treasure to ensure the fortune of the pack.”
“That’s why they went to you when Vasilli was taking pups?” Anya’s eyes went wide with realisation.
“They would’ve been desperate to go to an outsider,” said Eldon.
“They were. Although I didn’t know it was Vasilli straight away. That came later. It was a long time ago.” Yvan shifted uncomfortably, poking the fire with the stick he was holding.
“We will stop them, Vanya,” Anya promised. He nodded but didn’t reply. She slipped her cold hand into his dry warm one and was relieved when his fingers folded over hers. Despite the shock of feeling the firebird’s magic that day, Yvan, her Yvan, was still the same. Aramis sat on the other side of her, their magic only lightly brushing as it always did. Aramis was uncharacteristically quiet, a sure sign that his mind was in overdrive.
“Stop it, hjarta bróđr,” Anya elbowed him.
“Stop what, Anyanka?”
“Thinking so loud.”
“I can’t help it. This burnt place troubles me. I can feel ghosts lingering about. I feel the evil that has touched this place. I feel…”
“Yanka.”
“Yes,” his mouth hardened.
“I can feel her magic too. Do you think she was the one that woke these old ones?”
“It seems very likely.”
“This town, the attack, it was part of that game I saw her playing with Baba Yaga. I saw it again when I touched the house. The game - ow!” Anya jumped as something hit her on the forehead. Eldon Blaise had flicked a hazelnut at her with deadly accuracy.
“Shut up about the damn game,” he hissed, “or I’m going to do more than warn you with hazelnuts. I said later and I meant it.”
“Fine! I was only saying…”
“Refrain from doing so.”
Aramis’s hard countenance had softened when Anya turned back to him.
“I’m sure he has his reasons,” he said as he lightly rubbed the sore spot on her forehead. “Don’t worry. I believe you saw her and that she is behind all of this.”
“They both are,” grumbled the Bard. “They are stupid children playing conqueror, no matter what the cost.”
Katya watched Aleksandra curl under Mychal’s arm and against his warmth. His eyes were shut but the hunter in Katya knew he wasn’t sleeping. He was doing it to make Aleksandra comfortable in the way he did a lot of things. He still awed and frightened Katya, but she never worried for her sister’s safety anymore.
Even though Izrayl had assured them that the volk krovi weren’t a threat, Katya felt threatened. They weren’t prisoners, but they definitely had a guard around them, and the few times Katya had tried to go and find Izrayl, wolves had been there blocking her path. Everywhere she looked, Yana’s blue eyes were there. Katya knew when a monster was stalking her and she was doing her best not to start a fight of her own.
The fires were burning low and a hush had settled over the pack as they slept. Katya spared Aleksandra’s sleeping face another glance. One of Mychal’s eyes was open and watching back. She gave him a slow nod that he returned. No, Mychal wasn’t sleeping. He felt the threat as Katya did.
Anya was asleep in between the protective guard of Yvan and Aramis, her arms hugging Yvan’s hand to her. He watched her sleep, eyes half closed with a gaze loaded with love and concern. Aramis was awake on the other side of her, his face turned to the sky, studying the strange ever-changing constellations of Skazki.
Eldon was hunched in his coat, bright eyes watching the coals, deep in meditation. Only Anya and Aleksandra were sleeping peacefully that night. Katya’s back was aching in spite of Aleksandra’s first aid and the painkillers she had taken. She wouldn’t risk taking another. Her hands drifted over the hilts of the long knife that was strapped to her thigh.
She couldn’t help but hear her father’s angry voice in her head, chastising her for lying down with monsters. She pushed the voice away as best as she could but she couldn’t help but think of him. He’d been a good hunter, except for his fierce prejudice against the volk krovi who he blamed for her mother’s death. Katya could barely remember the woman that had looked so much like Aleksandra. Her mother, according to Aleksandra’s version of the tale, had been sought to save the pack leader’s mate after a difficult whelping. She’d done everything she could to heal the woman with her healing herbs and her magic but hadn’t been able to save her. Weeks later, she didn’t return from collecting water and her body washed up a day later, deep gashes scoring her body. Katya couldn’t remember that day clearly except for her father’s cries of rage and despair. He’d taken his anger out on Katya who’d done her best to keep him from hurting Aleksandra, the painful mirror of her mother. Four weeks after Katya was nearly beaten to death, the tribe intervened, forcing them to go and live with Baba Zosia.
Katya shook the memories off and got to her feet. She started to walk carefully through the sleeping wolves. She needed air and space before the screaming inside became screaming on the outside.
Anya woke as Katya disappeared around a dark corner. Yvan was asleep beside her, his hand still impossibly warm and wrapped around hers. He looked younger when he was asleep, the lines of worry relaxed. She’d known that the firebird was a magical creature that Baba Yaga and Vasilli had hunted for magic, but she had no idea of the power it had until she had touched him that day. Yvan lived with that energy coursing through him every day. She was surprised he didn’t explode.
Baba Yaga’s words about two creatures sharing the one body came unwelcome to the forefront of her mind. The thought of the firebird trying to escape him permanently filled her with panic. If it wanted out, there would be no stopping it and she doubted there would be anything left of Yvan. Anya’s panic mixed with fear at the thought of having to watch him die. She had watched Trajan die and it nearly destroyed her. If something happened to Yvan, she would be lost forever. She would let the forest have her. His dark hair was growing back quickly, and as she studied his face, she realised she knew it almost better than her own.
“I’m never going to let anything happen to you,” she murmured. “I swear.” Unexpectedly, she had an overwhelming urge to kiss him. She was so surprised by it that she jerked away from him.
“What’s wrong, Anya?” he whispered sleepily as he opened his eyes a little.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t lie.”
“Just…thinking.”
“Tell me.”
“Baba Yaga once said to me that the firebird would grow frustrated with sharing your body and one day it would try to break free.”
“Baba Yaga can never be trusted. You know that better than anyone so why believe her about this?” he asked. She watched the realisation dawn on him. “You are worried because of today.”
“I’ve never seen you go like that. It looked like the firebird was trying to take a man form or as close as it could get it.”
“I was still there, even though it might not have appeared so. I know it concerned you, but it’s our way of making the best of both worlds.”
“What do you mean?”
“For thousands of years the firebird has been hunted for its magic. It has never really been able to use that magic for itself without having someone like a shamanitsa wield it. It shares my body and for the first time, it can use its power for itself. I was born in Skazki. Maybe because of this, my body doesn’t explode. It can contain the firebird and its power without burning away. It’s never happened this way before so we must explore it. We can help people this way. We can fight back and be able to meet magical opponents.”
“You’ve always been able to help, Yvan. I don’t know if I like the idea of you using the firebird’s power to take on Vasilli or anyone else.”
“You think I feel any differently about you? You don’t think I would like to hide you away somewhere in the back lines and not have you in the fighting. I’ve never wanted you involved in any of this, shalosť. It’s why I tried to leave for Skazki before Vasilli or anyone else found me. You would’ve been safer.”
“I doubt it. If you’d done that, I wouldn’t have known you at all, except as the naked man I found in front of my fire. I don’t think I could’ve forgotten that in a hurry,” she grinned.
“Not my best moment, I admit.”
“Oh, I don’t know.”
“Are you flirting with me?” Yvan frowned. “Here, surrounded by dubious allies, in a destroyed town, you choose now to flirt with me? Strannaya devushka!” He shook his head.
“You’ve always known I am strange. And I don’t think that counts as flirting.”
“For you it does. Can I go back to sleep now?” he sighed and shut his eyes dramatically.
“Yvan?”
“Yes, Anya.”
“You would…you would tell me if there was something wrong with you, wouldn’t you? You wouldn’t not tell me because you think I’d worry.”
“Clearly, you’re going to worry anyway,” Yvan said. Anya reached over and put a hand on his cheek, making him open his eyes.
“I’m serious, Vanya. You would tell me?”
“What’s wrong? Why are you so worried about this?”
“I couldn’t watch…”
“Couldn’t watch me die,” he finished. Anya nodded, hating that her hands were trembling. Yvan placed an arm over her, cocooning her in his warmth, “Listen to me very carefully, Anyanka. You have to let this fear go. What happened to Trajan was horrific, but you can’t let the fear of it happening again override all of your reason. You’re in a war and you don’t have the luxury.”
“If you are trying to make me feel better, it isn’t working.”
“I know.” She moved closer to him and he tightened his embrace. “It’s going to be okay, shalosť.”
“Lyublyu tebya,” she whispered into his chest as her eyes closed.
“Love you too. Now go to sleep.”
***
“Best not wander off, little huntress. There are monsters about,” a snide voice said from behind her. Katya turned slowly and spotted Yana lounging on top of a broken wall. She was wearing a loose shirt tucked into a slim fitting pair of the old-fashioned trousers men wore in Skazki. The blood had been washed from her hair and body and she almost glowed in the dim light.
“I’m not afraid of the big bad wolf,” Katya shrugged, “or you for that matter.”
“You should be.”
“What’s your problem? Whatever did I do to you? You can’t blame me for what my father has done. I’m not him.”
“So Izrayl keeps saying,” growled Yana, “but I still don’t trust you. Izrayl may be blinded but I’m not.”
“Izrayl isn’t the one who’s blinded here. You can’t even see past your own prejudices.”
“What is it that you have that you can convince him to side with you over the safety of the pack, his family and blood?”
“I like to think it’s my winning personality. I haven’t convinced him of anything, especially when it comes to the pack. From what I understand, he hadn’t been a part of any pack for a long time before he met me.”
“Times are different. Now we are at war and the pack must stay together despite all differences. Izrayl is a good warrior. We need him. You and your shamanitsa do not.”
“Goes to show how much you know.”
“You won’t be able to make him happy, huntress,” Yana said pityingly. “He needs to be with one of his own. Someone who can give him pups and that understands our ways. You may have been born in Skazki but you’re only human.”
“Wow, you really are a fucking bitch, aren’t you?”
“I only speak the truth to save you from the inevitable pain when he leaves you. Let him go so you can both be free.”
“It’s Izrayl’s choice not mine. I’m not about to force him to do anything.”
“You’re forcing him to stay with you right now! You just don’t know it.” Yana jumped gracefully from the wall and walked back towards the centre of town, leaving Katya angrier than ever.
***
“What do you look for in the fire?” Mychal asked, pulling Eldon Blaise out of his train of thought. Eldon shivered once and focussed on the dark face gazing across at him. He hadn’t heard or seen Mychal move from his place beside Aleksandra. That was no surprise; a loud hunter was a dead hunter.
“I look for guidance,” he replied carefully, “and for hope.”
“Hope for this battle or future ones?” Mychal placed another log on the fire, a quick glance behind him to check that the noise hadn’t awakened Aleksandra.
“Why do you assume that there will be a future battle?”
“There is always a future battle.” Mychal’s eyes focussed on him. Eldon had only met a few people with eyes like Mychal’s, the kind that had seen too much suffering.
“That’s true, I’ve lived long enough to know.”
“So, what did you see?”
“I don’t need to look in the flames to see your future, Mychal. I already know it.”
“You assume it’s my future that I care about.”
Eldon stretched his long fingers out towards the fire as it caught hold of the extra wood. Mychal’s eyes sheened across the fire, watching him carefully.
“You really have no idea who you are, do you?” Eldon blurted out, louder than he intended.
“I am…” Mychal began and then squeezed his eyes together in frustration. “I don’t know. Sometimes, I feel like I might. It is like it’s on the tip of my mind and then it vanishes like smoke.”
“Don’t push it,” advised Eldon. “If it’s not your time to know, then it’s not time. I know firsthand of what you speak.”
“But…you have lived for centuries. How do you not know?”
“I have a feeling magic was involved.”
“Someone spelled your memory away?”
“I’ve a strong feeling I did it to myself.”
“But why would you do it?” Mychal shook his head.
Eldon shrugged, “The pain must’ve become too great. You perhaps know a little of what I speak. You get to the point that you cannot bear it so you seek to get rid of it.”
“If you can’t remember who you are, and the spell was to make you forget all of the pain, then how come you seek death to be rid of it?”
“I still feel it, but I don’t know what it’s all for.”
�
�Sounds like you wasted your time with that spell then.”
“Not a very good people person, are you?”
“No, but you aren’t either. You wouldn’t even be here if God didn’t force you to be.”
“The same could be said about you, Mychal,” Eldon said as he popped a hazelnut into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “You want to know why I’m not worried about Anya and the seemingly impossible task of stopping a war. Because you’re here, which means whatever is coming next will be far, far worse than Yanka and Baba Yaga’s war mongering.”
“I don’t want to know.” Mychal’s eyes flickered again and Eldon backed down.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell you. I hope I’m dead this time, so I don’t have to live through it again.”
Snow was falling in a light mess when they woke the next morning. Katya still sat by the ashes of the fire, pale and tense. The Volk Krovi had disappeared before dawn, slinking away quietly. Anya’s small group had watched them go, determined not to give them any chance or reason to follow them.
“Let’s get out of here before they come back,” Aramis said after the last wolf was long gone.
“They won’t harm us,” insisted Izrayl.
“You mean they won’t harm you,” Katya muttered as she pushed past him and led the way through the town. Aleksandra and Mychal over took her as their guides as they entered the forest, heading west.
Katya hadn’t slept a wink and she was pent up, burning for a fight. Izrayl had enough sense to avoid her for the first hour. Katya had been walking through a small birch glade when she felt something grab her pack. She turned instinctively and drove her fist into Izrayl’s nose. He staggered backwards but didn’t fall.
“God woman! What was that for?” he demanded, wiping blood on his sleeve.
“Katya? Everything okay back there?” Anya called.
“Keep walking, we’ll catch up,” Izrayl waved her on. “You want to tell me what the hell is the matter with you?”
“You are what is wrong with me.” She started to walk when he grabbed her arm. Katya swung again but he was quick enough to block her.
Rise of the Firebird Page 22