Ashes of the Firebird (The Firebird Fairytales Book 2) Read online

  Aleksandra breathed a sigh of relief as Mychal retrieved his sword. As he did, a black shadow covered her vision. A hideous voice screeched through the blackness at her. Aleksandra covered her face as something burning hot was thrown at her. The link broke off and she was in Baba Zosia’s caravan screaming and burning.

  “Get up! Get out into the snow!” The old woman dragged her outside and Aleksandra collapsed in the cold fresh ice. She plunged her burning hands deeply into it, resting the right side of her face on the surface. Aleksandra started sobbing as Baba Zosia knelt beside her.

  “It’s alright, child. You’re alive,” she tried to soothe but the tremor in her voice showed her fear.

  “I’m sorry, Baba. I should never have gone looking for him,” Aleksandra’s hands were going numb and the pain eased a little.

  “We will have to move camp. We are no longer safe here. And we are no longer safe from you.” Baba Zosia helped her sit and pull her hands from the snow. They were hideously burned, the skin completely melted. She would be scarred and deformed for the rest of her life. It would have been her face if she hadn’t thrown her hands up. Baba Zosia took some snow and held it onto the small patch of skin at the top of her temple and into her hairline. “You have to go.”

  “What?” Aleksandra said through her tears and pain.

  “We have to leave this place and you have to get away from the tribe or it will kill us all. If those demons find you here, we are all dead. You are demon marked now too.”

  “Where am I supposed to go?”

  “Go to Budapest. Go to Katya. You cannot stay here.” Baba Zosia helped her to her feet. “You have to leave. Tonight.”

  Katya was in the warm fuzzy part of sleep when Aleksandra crashed into her mind in a panicked mess.

  Yakaterina! Help me! Aleksandra was crying hysterically.

  Aleki? What’s happened? Where are you? Katya climbed out of bed quickly and switched on the lamp. Aleksandra shot her a flash of her ruined hands and distressed state, running through the woods as fast as she could.

  I am coming to Budapest. Meet me in the forest outside of the city where we came in last year. Don’t be late Katya, please God don’t be late. The connection shattered leaving Katya dizzy. She snapped into action, pulled on some clothes and grabbed her weapons.

  “Katya what’s going on?” Izrayl woke in the commotion.

  “Aleksandra is in trouble. She is crossing over tonight in the forest near the edge of the city. I need to go.”

  “You’re not going alone.” He got out of bed and pulled on his crumpled jeans. “If she is in trouble you will need back up.”

  “I need a first aid kit as well, she is hurt,” she choked a little before swallowing her emotion and clearing her head.

  “If she is that badly hurt, we take Cerise.”

  Within half an hour, the three of them were in Izrayl’s car speeding through the slushy streets. Cerise had a massive medical kit with her and some thick blankets. Aleksandra was a Gate Chooser, a highly prized talent of being able to pick each gate so she could use the closest to where she needed to go. Katya knew she wouldn’t be far away.

  “Did she say anything about what is chasing her?” Izrayl asked.

  “No idea. I have never heard her so afraid. I know she comes across as very soft but not a lot fazes her. It must be something huge for her to leave the tribe. They must be at risk.”

  “So now we will be?” Cerise asked.

  “Probably.” They were silent as they sped down the Huvösvölgyi Way towards the Budai Tájvédelmi Körzet. As soon as they pulled up, Katya was out of the car and trudging her way in to the thick forest. She couldn’t remember exactly where they came through but she could feel Aleksandra’s troubled mind heading for them. Katya pulled out her guns. If something followed Aleksandra through then they would be ready for it.

  “Never a dull moment, is there?” Izrayl commented. “First Anya and now this, although Aleksandra would be the last person I would pick to have trouble after her. Isn’t that usually your area?” Katya was too wired to bite. A flash of red caught her eye as it moved through the heavy trees and her sister fell through it.

  “Cover me!” Katya shouted and raced to help her. Aleksandra collapsed into her arms breathing heavily and sobbing.

  “It’s going to be okay, Aleki. I have you.”

  “Protect me, Katya, please,” she begged. Cerise appeared beside them and scooped Aleksandra up in her arms.

  “She is in shock and she is bleeding. I’m taking her ahead to the car. I will meet you there.” She ran through the night and Izrayl took Katya’s hand.

  “Come on, she needs you. Nothing followed her through.” They hurried back to where they had parked. Cerise had taken off Aleksandra’s soaked jacket and wrapped her in the thick blankets, injecting her with morphine to help numb the pain.

  “What’s happened to her?” Katya asked. Cerise lifted up the corner of the blanket to reveal her sister’s hands wrapped in dirty, blood soaked bandages.

  “I don’t know. We need to get her home. These burns will get infected if we don’t hurry.”

  Back at Silvian’s Katya helped her sister out of the car and upstairs into one of the guest rooms. Izrayl bowed out when Cerise and Katya began to take Aleksandra’s clothes off.

  “I will be close by,” he assured and kissed Katya on the forehead, “She needs you.”

  “I need you,” she said. He smiled and kissed her again.

  “I’m not going far. I will go make her a warm drink.”

  “Bring me vodka or tequila, or both mixed together.”

  Once he had left, they helped Aleksandra into the warm bath and Cerise went to fetch her medical gear.

  “Tell me what happened, Aleki,” Katya said softly. She brushed her sister’s hair back to reveal a burn on her face.

  “Jesus Christ,” Katya muttered before taking a washcloth and slowly cleaning around it.

  “I started having visions of Mychal a few months ago,” Aleksandra whispered and so the whole story tumbled out. Katya listened quietly and patiently until she finished. “Baba Zosia banished me out of the tribe and they would have moved on by now.”

  “What happened to you? You used to be so sensible,” Katya tried to joke but her heart wasn’t in it. Cerise tapped lightly on the door and they got Aleksandra out of the bath and into the thick warm robe.

  “I’m going to take these bandages off and clean up your wounds. Then you can go to sleep for as long as you like,” Cerise said gently once she was seated comfortably at a table. Aleksandra looked away as Cerise unwrapped the soiled bandages. They had to soak the last part to get it off the blackened skin.

  “You’re tough, sweetie, I’ll give you that,” said Cerise, “Whoever wrapped these up deserves a good kick.”

  “Baba Zosia was in a hurry,” Aleksandra mumbled. The burns were so bad that Katya had to look away. She wanted to scream and rage but Aleksandra didn’t need that. Instead, she got a hairbrush and worked at getting the snares out of Aleksandra’s long curly hair. She got a hairpin and pulled the section of hair back near the burn so that Cerise could bandage it.

  “It is lucky that you have such beautiful hair to cover this while it’s healing,” Cerise commented as she secured a patch over it.

  “It will be a scar forever though,” Aleksandra said sadly.

  “You know what though? Sometimes scars can make you even more beautiful. They are your badges of honour. Not many people can say that they faced a demon and walked away from it,” said Katya.

  “That’s right,” Izrayl appeared with a tray laden with drinks, “Your sister is covered in scars and she is sexy as hell. I didn’t know what you all would want so I got one of everything.”

  “Please tell me there is vodka in one of those cups,” Aleksandra said. Izrayl hesitated before handing it over.

  “It must run in the family. Here I was thinking you were the well behaved one,” he said. Aleksandra shrugged.


  “I just hide my vices better.” Izrayl had the forethought to bring Aleksandra a straw. Her hands were only lightly bandaged over her burns dressing but they didn’t want her using them at all.

  “How about you two go get some sleep and I will watch Aleksandra for a while,” Cerise suggested.

  “Have you seen very much of Mychal?” Aleksandra asked once Katya and Izrayl left. She didn’t even want to point out the irony that her fierce hunter sister had ended up romantically involved with a volk krovi, considering their family’s complicated past with them.

  “Apart from him jumping through the window and saving Anya we haven’t seen him at all. He was very dashing and heroic from what I heard. Why do you ask?” Cerise answered and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. Aleksandra must have looked desperate because Cerise offered her one.

  Aleksandra said, “Don’t tell Katya.”

  “I think you’ll find your sister pretty understanding, honey.”

  “It’s not that, I have always been the one to set the example.” Cerise helped her get the cigarette to her lips and lit it for her.

  “Katya is going to do what she wants. She doesn’t look to you to be an example, so don’t worry about it.”

  “You know what? You’re right. The tribe banished me so I have no one to be a role model for.” Cerise burst out laughing and stubbed out the butts of their cigarettes when they were done.

  “I will corrupt you yet, Aleksandra. All I will have to do is get you dressed up and you’ll knock them all dead.”

  “I forgot. I don’t have any clothes. Baba Zosia only let me take my magic things.” Baba Zosia had literally tossed her bleeding and broken into the cold. She bit her lip and tried not to start crying again.

  “Don’t worry about that. If I can sort Anya, the backwards farm girl out, I can sort out a Skazki, gypsy witch. No more ridiculous long skirts for you! For now though you must rest. I will be around to check on you,” Cerise said as she helped her into bed. “Don’t worry about Mychal, just sleep. Or I will drug you.”

  “Thank you for everything, Cerise. If Mychal comes by the house I would like to meet him,” Aleksandra yawned.

  “We’ll see. I will talk to Isabelle and see if she can convince him.”

  “Thank you.”

  Chapter Ten- Comings and Goings

  The house was buzzing the next morning with the arrival of Aleksandra. She hadn’t awakened and Katya was on guard duty to make sure no one bothered her. Isabelle had gone to hunt for breakfast before Cerise found her.

  “Have you heard about Aleksandra turning up?” she asked as Isabelle put on coffee.

  “I heard a rumour, is she doing okay?”

  “No, the tribe kicked her out because of your buddy Mychal,” Cerise said as she poured another cup of coffee.

  “Mychal? That’s not possible.”

  “You want to put money on that?” Cerise said sharply before recounting the night’s adventures.

  “Oh, God, this keeps getting worse!” Isabelle said finally, “What possessed me to get involved back in Paris I will never know.”

  “Tell me about it. I did it because I owed Trajan. Now I’m here because it’s the right thing to do. At least Aleki is here now. It won’t hurt having someone around who can see the future.”

  “Why is she focused on Mychal? That’s what I can’t figure out.”

  “I don’t know either. They are both marked by demons now. Mychal is strong and can fight them off. Aleki is no demon hunter.”

  “If they come looking for her here then what? We’ll all be dead,” Isabelle cursed.

  The new and current problem with Aleksandra and Mychal was going around in Isabelle’s head like a tornado when Harley’s message tone went off loudly. Belle, video conference. Pronto. H. Isabelle pulled out her laptop and tapped into Silvian’s Wi-Fi connection. Soon Harley’s face was looking at her from thousands of miles away.

  “God, it is so good to see you,” Isabelle said, and it was. After the attacks on Harley, Isabelle had been worried for her. Harley hadn’t changed from her cheeky grin to her little pot belly.

  “Yeah, it’s good to see you too. You look a little peaked, everything okay?”

  “It’s a long story and this is your call. Tell me what’s up?”

  “My super brain Fox has found the location of Yanka’s prison. It is in the Alaskan wilderness. She is hunting for some blueprints of the building for you.”

  “That’s great news. I don’t know when we will be flying across. We are having some dramas over here that may take a while to sort out,” Isabelle said tactfully. No way on God’s good earth was she going to risk Harley being exposed to demons.

  “That’s cool, it may take some time for Fox to come up with anything current that will be of use to you,” Harley said. At that moment, Hamish walked into Isabelle’s room. He was only wearing a pair of jeans as usual.

  “Hey, did I leave my pistol in here?” he said as he walked behind her. He stopped when he saw Harley’s face. “Who are you?”

  “Who are you?” Harley grinned.

  “Say hi to Harley,” Isabelle said promptly, “then go away.”

  “Hi Harley! Don’t mind Isabelle here, she is a real Pommy bitch when she wants to be,” Hamish said as he picked his pistol up from the table. “I will let you girls get back to your chat.” He exited the room as quickly as he came. When Isabelle turned back to the screen, Harley’s mouth was hanging wide open.

  “What the hell?! Who is that?” Isabelle felt herself blushing.

  “That was um…Hamish.”

  “Hold up! The Hamish? Shut the front door! We have so much to talk about. Forget the Yanka escape plan. Get over here so I can hear all about this!”

  Isabelle started laughing at her enthusiasm, “A lot has happened in the last few months.”

  “I’ll say! You’re actually getting laid.”

  “Wow, thanks.”

  “I’m not judging. I’m proud. He is hot by the way, got the body.”

  “He is a shape shifter.”

  “Okay, the day for dropping bombs. I swear if you tell me you are pregnant I am going to die.”

  “I am not pregnant!”

  “Whatever, you haven’t told me anything for months.” Harley pouted and Isabelle felt guilty. She hated that Harley could do that to her.

  “I will send you an email. It’s long and complicated.”

  “With you it always is.”

  ***

  “Come on, Katya, we want to see her,” Honaw complained. It was nearly lunchtime and Aleksandra still hadn’t awakened. The Twins had been harassing her for hours.

  “I don’t want to wake her. She was in a bad way last night.” The Twins did identical puppy faces at her and she groaned.

  “Fine! I will see if she is up yet.” Katya crept into the dim room and found Aleksandra weeping softly on her pillows. “How long have you been awake?” Katya asked gently.

  “A little while, I had another dream about Mychal. Then I woke up because my hands were hurting.”

  “Okay, Cerise said she left some morphine around here for you.” Katya found the full syringe on the nightstand. She quickly injected Aleksandra and silently cursed Mychal.

  “Thank you, I feel so useless.”

  “It’s okay to be useless sometimes, Aleki. You will get better soon. The Twins wanted to say hello, but perhaps it would be best if you rested a little while longer.”

  “No, bring them in. It would do me good. Can you help me wash my face and fix my hair? It’s bad enough to be a sick person let alone looking like one.”

  Katya laughed as she went to fetch a washcloth and comb, “You’re so vain.”

  “Not all of us are sleeping with one of the volk krovi.”

  “So… you figured that out,” Katya said awkwardly as she brushed Aleksandra’s hair.

  “It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. I’m proud of you actually. I never thought you would be open minded enough to date one
of the creatures you have been trained to kill.”

  “Who are you and what’ve you done with my sister? I was expecting a lecture about being so reckless.”

  “Who am I to lecture about recklessness? After what I have done, I’m in no position to say anything. If it wasn’t for these damn hands of mine I would be marching over to Mátáyás Templom to beat Mychal senseless.” Katya had never seen Aleksandra so angry. She was actually threatening violence. Katya was impressed.

  “What was the vision about last night?”

  “He was standing at the top of the church tower. He was wearing that coat he always has on. He sat looking at the city for hours.” Katya noticed that Aleksandra’s voice had softened. That worried her even more than the visions.

  “It sounds like you’re a stalker, Aleki. Next thing you’ll be creeping about the church trying to talk to him.”

  “Don’t tempt me. Once my hands are healed enough to fit into gloves I will be down there giving him an earful.” Katya could see through the bravado. Her sister was curious about a man. The scariest man Katya had ever encountered.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Let’s get the Twins in here to cheer you up.”

  Honaw and Chayton hadn’t seen Aleksandra for years. Katya sat back and let them go. All three generally talked at once so it was better to be a spectator. The Twins had found out from Isabelle that Yanka was in America. Loaded with that information, they were going home and would join them again once they flew to New Orleans. Katya had gotten used to having them around so the thought of being without them wasn’t comforting.

  “I can’t believe you’re going to leave when I have only arrived,” Aleksandra protested, “It appears you do not want me around.”

  “It’s not you. We are sick of Europe and want to go home. If you stay with your crazy sister long enough then you will end up in America anyway,” Honaw said. “I’m starting to feel weak after being away from the land for so long.”