by Valia Lind
My majyk is breaking though the curse of this land already. I can feel us moving in the right direction and soon, I'll be there to save Jemma. A part of me has no idea what will happen after. Another part wants to burn the whole land to the ground and start over. It's that particular urge that I have to watch a little more closely, because it keeps creeping up any chance it gets.
Turning my attention to where I left the guys, I tune my ears toward them, but they're either very good at whispering, or they really are sleeping. I doubt it, but I hope they at least rest. Tomorrow is another day, and the closer we get to the heart of the Shadowlands, the more danger we are in. We must be our best if we're to survive.
"Does it even seem like we're getting closer?" Maxwell asks from behind me. We've been walking in silence for good half of the day, trying to stay attuned to the forest around us. But the drain of majyk in this part of our world is making it difficult to recognize the regular sounds. The creatures we've known since birth don't move the same here. Not that there's a lot of them left.
"I think we are," I reply, because the buzzing underneath my skin has been getting more intense in the last few minutes. I can't exactly share that information with my companions, so I need to come up with an explanation that's not going to sound farfetched. Brendan is already looking at me questionably.
"I just think the attacks wouldn't be as frequent, if we weren't getting close," I say, shrugging a bit. Maxwell nods, but Brendan is still watching me. The feel of his gaze is like a physical weight, so I speed up just a bit, to put some distance between us.
"At least Mr. William is no longer a drag on our little party," Maxwell comments, amusement in his voice. Suppressing a smile, I glance over at my friend and he's already rolling his eyes at me. None of us are William's fans, least of all me. The moment Jemma was taken, he put in his two cents on how she's a lost cause, so we sent him on his way, before Brendan or I did some real violence on that pretty face. Not that William is any kind of a warrior anyway. He's sleazy and proud, and he's going to have to fall in line as my husband. The position will give him a statue of respect, but he's still not the one in control. He answers to me and I'm not about to let him forget it.
"I'm sure the queen is unhappy with the fact that William came back, but I didn't," I say, keeping my voice light. But the more I think about the monarchs, the less pleasant I feel on the inside. There are so many secrets buried in me, I don't know if I'll ever be able to excavate them all.
"The queen will understand," Maxwell replies and I want to hug him for how naive he is. The queen will only tolerate me until she gets her hands back on the orb. I found out the hard way just how twisted the royalty is in Skazka and exactly how they stay in power for this long.
"The queen would've sent her soldiers after us already, if we weren't this deep in the Shadowlands," Brendan speaks up for the first time and I twist around to look at him in shock. He's not typically one to speak ill of the Royal Ones, but here he is. The first to point out what we've all been thinking.
"I don't think—" I begin, but Brendan interrupts me.
"Don't underestimate my intelligence, Calista," he says, without meeting my eye. "You're not the only one who keeps her observations to herself." With that, he pushes past me, getting ahead of both Maxwell and I in a blink of his majyk. Freezing in my tracks, I allow him to move even farther. We both need the space, but I hate that it's there.
"You really should talk it out," Maxwell says, coming up beside me. I throw a glare his way but he isn't to be deterred. Besides Brendan, Maxwell is my oldest friend and he knows me better than anyone. He knows both of us better than anyone.
"You can glare at me all you want, Cali, but you know that both of you are struggling right now. Both of you are hurting."
"Max—"
"I know that whatever you have remembered, whatever happened with the relic, it's eating you up inside. When you're ready, you know we'll be here to help you through it. But in the meantime, you're hurting yourself and him by staying quiet."
"We said all we needed to say back at your place. We both know where we stand."
"You both know that you...care...about each other deeply and it hurts to be next to someone you cannot have," I glance at him sharply, surprised by his words, but he's not done. "But right now, you need each other more than ever before. And keeping your distance will only put all of us in greater danger. You know this, Cali."
"Why are you always so wise?" I ask after a second, trying to lighten the situation with my words, but he sees through me.
"I read a lot. But I've also known you two my whole life. I don't need a book to tell me what I can see for myself." He squeezes my shoulder, then moves past me, following in Brendan's footsteps.
I stand frozen in place for another second, before I force my feet to move. It's not like Maxwell isn't correct. But it doesn't make any of this easier. How I feel about Brendan will always be there, will always be part of my life. However, there is nothing that I can do about the choices I had to make, or the ones still to come. Talking to him now will make this more difficult in the long run. Wouldn't it?
Second guessing myself has apparently become my favorite pastime. As a trained warrior, as the Protector, I was raised to be assertive in my actions and decisions. Yet, here I am again, questioning everything. Will the cycle never end?
Frustration heightens my senses, but I stay in control as I move to follow the guys. However, the moment I take a step, the awareness of danger flashes in my mind like a neon sign. Spinning in a three-sixty circle, I scan the immediate area, but see nothing. Yet, the feeling doesn't dissipate. Quickly, I reach for the nearest branch, pulling myself up into the tree. Leaping branch to branch, I continue to study my surroundings as I move toward the guys.
When I'm only a few steps away, I stop. A glimpse of a house can be seen through the trees, the structure old and wooden, covered by years of decay. I know for a fact that it wasn't there just a few seconds ago. Without taking my eyes off the house, I whistle twice, short and sharp, and in a span of a second, Brendan and Maxwell are beneath the tree, eyes on me, and sword in hand.
"A house, straight north. Showed up out of nowhere."
The boys turn as one, eyes zeroing in on the structure. Maxwell sucks in a deep breath the moment his eyes land on it and I tear my own away and glance down at him.
"Maxwell?" I prompt, when he doesn't speak.
"Baba Yaga," he whispers, all of his focus on the building. My blood runs cold at the name, the knowledge of the evil creature something I still possess, even with all my missing memories.
"Why here?" Brendan asks, gripping his sword more tightly. I don't know who he's talking to, because all of my attention is back on the house. As I watch, it shifts, swaying from left to right. That's when I realize it's shifting its legs, from one side to the other, as if it's planting it more firmly into the ground, before it starts to run.
"We should check," I find myself saying, not sure where the impulse comes from. I see the boys jerk their heads up to me, but I can't seem to take my eyes off the house. Neither one contradicts my words, and I don't know if it's because they hear them as a command, or they're just as curious as I am.
Without another thought, we move as one. I stay in the trees, keeping my eyes on the house as much as possible, while the guys take to flank it on both sides. We're almost there, when the house suddenly shudders, as if waking itself up, twists around and takes off running. We don't hesitate, moving swiftly after it, but after a few seconds, it's gone from sight.
Coming to a halt, I spin around, trying to pinpoint a location, but I get nothing. Brendan and Maxwell come to rest beside me, looking around as well. After a full minute, we give up the search.
"Well, that wasn't weird at all," Maxwell finally comments, surprise written all over his face. Brendan wears the same expression, and I couldn't agree more.
Except that at this point, should I really be surprised at anything?
3
“Should we be worried that the house of one of the most evil creatures in this land is suddenly spying on us, or are we cool with it?" Maxwell comments, when we get back to our path. Brendan has fallen quiet again, and I really have no way of explaining what just happened. Long minutes go by, but neither one of us offers an explanation.
"We should be worried," Brendan speaks up, finally. "But we shouldn't be surprised. Glava has control of this land and I'm sure they've employed quite a few of their favorite bad guys. We'll just have to stay on alert. At all times."
Meaning, no more long talks when we're separated. Maxwell and I exchange a look, but we know staying together is our best bet at this point. The journey isn't getting any easier, even if I feel like we're getting closer. Although, are we really? The evil I sensed was coming from the house. That may have nothing to do with Glava, once again.
"Maybe it was a coincidence. Isn't the house supposed to move all around on its own anyway? That's how she stays hidden, right?" I ask, but I already know the answer. No one here believes in coincidences. The guys don't reply and we walk half a mile before Brendan stops.
"I'm sorry," he says, turning to face me. I freeze in my tracks, my eyes flying up to his and I see that he means it. But then again, Brendan doesn't say things he doesn't mean.
"I think I'm the one who should be apologizing," I reply, and we both know that's true.
"No, I promised to stand beside you, no matter what. I shouldn't take my bad mood out on you. Which puts all of us in danger."
Ah, of course. My Brendan does feel responsible for every little thing that happens to us and the hut finding us is just another thing he's adding to his list.
"Please don't do that," I say, taking a step towards him. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Maxwell has moved a few feet ahead to give us some privacy, but with his majyk hearing, he'll hear everything anyway. "You can't keep putting blame on yourself. Cornelius knows we're here, he's planned all of this long before we'd arrived, and now, he's just playing with us to torture us. Don't add to his plan by torturing yourself over nothing."
"I want to be strong enough to protect you," Brendan whispers after a full minute of silence. "At the same time, I know you are way stronger than me and you can do the job so much better."
"But," I grab his hand before he can turn this into something big, "I can't do it without you. We're a team, remember? You told me that my whole life. I know that you know that I'm keeping things from you," his hand twitches under my own, but he doesn't let go. Just grips it tighter. "But you also know that it's important that I do. For us to win this, you have to trust me. When you trust me, there's nothing I can't do."
His eyes meet mine then, and I know he finds unshed tears gleaming there. We are two chess pieces, moving across the board, never quite intercepting. That's been us since the moment he became something other than my best friend. While this is the hardest thing I'll ever have to do, finding the balance between keeping him at a distance and keeping his close is necessary. For both of us.
These pesky emotions are starting to become a real nuisance, but I'm not sure we will ever have a time when they aren't an issue. Maybe that's what makes us real...and not entirely evil, when it comes to me.
"I trust you, zaichik. You know I always have." Brendan whispers, tugging me even closer. I still haven't told him that I know what that nickname means, that I remember him giving it to me, by accident when I was sixteen. We were sparring in the field, when one of the forest creatures came by our meadow. Bunnies have always gravitated towards me and that day was no different. I picked one up as it came up to me and Brendan started laughing. I asked him why and he said I was like that bunny. Cute and cuddly, but vicious when need be. We all knew how vicious they could be when it came to protecting their territory. I slugged him for calling me cute and cuddly, but inside I was pleased. Ever since then, he'd call me zaichik, just to drive me insane. I can never tell him just how much I loved him for seeing the sweet side of me, above all others.
"Then we work together. We stay close. Always." I say, and he takes it for what it is. A promise and a command.
When we finally settle for the night, Maxwell volunteers to take first shift. Before either one of us can protest, he's up in the trees, moving away to find a better vantage point. I glance over at Brendan, but he's busing himself with building a fire. We've been walking around each other as if on eggshells again and I hate it. I don't understand how we always seem to end up here, but I want to break that cycle. I just don't know how.
Once the fire is lit, Brendan sits on the other side of it, across from me. We don't bother camouflaging our location. We're done hiding now. But even as my body relaxes in the evening cool, with the fire's warmth tugging at me, I don't drop my guard. Instead of lying down, however, I pull my knees close to my chest, and wrap my arms around my legs. And I still don't take my eyes off Brendan.
"Like what you see?" He finally asks, sighing at the fact that he had to break the silence.
"Yes, actually," I reply, and his eyes instantly snap to mine. I'm walking a dangerous line here, but that's what I do now. I don't back away from his imploring gaze and when I think my insides are going to burst from the intensity, he's the first to look away. I breathe easier for a second, before I speak up. I'm making everything worse again, but I can't seem to help it.
"Tell me a story."
"What?" That gets his attention. I don't remember the last time I asked. Maybe when we were still in the human realm, which feels like a lifetime ago. But I'm asking now. Not just to hear his voice, but because I really do need the comfort. It's the comfort only he can provide. Like a special salve for my blistered heart.
He watches me, his eyes running over every part of my skin and the fire feels hotter than it was before. He's trying to come up with a decision that isn't going to set us both ablaze, but he's not about to turn away my request. I can see it in his eyes a split second before he begins to speak.
"Do you know the story of the Golden Mountain?" I shake my head, afraid to break the silence and ruin the atmosphere. "It used to be one of your favorites." I smile at that, but still don't say a word. Instead, I lay my head on the top of my knees, gazing over at Brendan as he watches me through the flames.
"There lived a merchant's son, wealthy and spontaneous. Not a good combination. A day came when the merchant's son has spent all he had, with nothing left to eat or drink. Instead of falling into despair, he remembered his father's old teachings, got himself a shovel and went to the marketplace to look for a job.
While he was there, a rich and proud merchant came along, looking for workers. However, the moment he got out of his glittery carriage, all the other workers went to hide, leaving alone the merchant's son with a shovel. The man came up to the merchant's son and asked if he would let him be hired. The young merchant's son said yes, for a hundred rubles a day.
'Why so much?"
"If it's too much, go look for another worker. But you won't find one."
The merchant realized the young man is his only choice and agreed. They decide to meet in the morning, so the young merchant's son arrived early to the docks and the merchant was already waiting. They set sail on the merchant's ship and when they were still afar off, the young merchant's son looked at the horizon and saw an island full of mountains and what looked to be a fire on the beach.
"That's no fire," said the proud merchant. "That's my golden palace."
The merchant and the young man came ashore and were greeted by the merchant's wife and his pretty young daughter. Together, all four went into the golden palace and spent their day and night eating and drinking and being merry. The pretty young daughter fell instantly in like with the young man and pulled him aside when the night has fallen. She gave him a touchstone and a flint and said to keep it, for he will find it useful.
The next day, the rich merchant and the young man woke up early and went to the high golden mountain. The young man studied the mountain a
nd saw right away that there is no way to climb it. The rich merchant seemed unconcerned and said,
"Let's have a drink for courage." And he gave the young man a sleeping drink. The young man fell instantly asleep and the rich merchant went and killed an old horse, cut her open, and stuffed the young man and a shovel inside, then sewed the skin together. Leaving the horse in the midst of a meadow, the rich merchant hid in the bushes. At once, black crows with iron beaks swarmed down and dragged the horse's carcass to the top of the mountain. There, they began to feast on the flesh and when the young man came awake, he stumbled out before the crows could get to him.
The rich merchant bellowed up the mountain to the young man,
"You're on top of the golden mountain. Take the shovel and dig for gold and I will tell you how to come down."
The young man took up his shovel and dug for gold, throwing it down to the rich merchant. Finally, the rich merchant, who loaded up a number of carts, yelled up to the young man.
"Enough. And farewell!'
"Wait," the young man shouted, "how shall I get down?"
"As thou pleaseth," answered the rich merchant, "for nine and ninety have already perished and you will be the hundredth." With that, the rich merchant left.
The young man didn't know what to do. The black crows continued to circle on top, as if waiting for him to die of cold and starvation. That's when the young man remembered the flint and the touchstone. He took the two out and when he struck one against the others two fellows popped up in front of him.
"What is thy wish?" They asked.
"Take me from this mountain and to the dock," the young man said at once. The fellows grabbed the young man and took him down to the seashore. As the young man walked on the beach, a vessel came by.
"Take me with you!" The young man yelled, but they answered they couldn't. However, the winds would not let up, so they had to return and get the young man and take him with them after all.
