by Valia Lind
"Yes," I look him straight in the eye. "Thank you."
He acknowledges that with a nod. Baba Yaga has been waiting impatiently and now that seems to be the end of her rope.
"Can we please get there before one of you dies of old age?"
She doesn't wait for a response, but turns and starts walking. She's frustrated and I can understand that. Walking is our only option if we are to get in undetected and it's not exactly a small trek. It took us half the day last time, and Skazka days are much longer than usual. After a visual assessment of Devra and Rus, who haven't asked any questions I expected from them, we set off after Baba Yaga, with Kot Bayun now bringing up the rear and staying closer to me.
"I filled them in," Maxwell says when he falls into step beside me too.
"I'm sure that was a fun conversation." He just shrugs, waiting for me to divulge what I saw in my memory. Quickly, I go over what I saw, without keeping anything back.
"Wow," he breathes out when I'm done, "You are something."
"Incredible."
That comes from Brendan, who's a few feet in front of us and I blush at his soft word.
"Well, I can't use that word, or you'll punch me," Maxwell shrugs, bringing a smile to my face. Forever and always, these are my boys. They make me feel lighter than I am. With all the darkness I carry inside of me, I can use all the light I can get.
All three of us fall silent, mulling over this newfound information, but it isn’t something we can discuss right now. I don’t know if it makes any different at this point, besides proving to everyone that I’m willing to do whatever it takes.
"Do you have any idea what to expect when we get back to the castle?" Maxwell asks, breaking the silence.
"No."
I have absolutely no idea.
23
What we find is a city in ruin.
We've been gone for only two days and it feels like everything has changed. Time is so unique in Skazka and Vasilisa has been using it to her advantage. We have come back to a broken city and I'm not sure that anything I do will ever be enough to put it back together again.
"What happened here?" Maxwell breathes out, barely containing the pain in his voice. Everything around us is burning, there are no people in the streets, just ash. The smell of burn flesh is in the air, hanging heavy as a curtain.
"This is what happens when two terrible forces come face to face and the land is purged."
"What does that mean?" Devra asks, addressing Baba Yaga directly for the first time.
"It means that we're running out of time," I whisper, unable to tear my gaze away from the carnage in front of me.
"Yes," Baba Yaga agrees, glancing over at me. "Glava is here. They are clearly using the opportunity that presented itself. They may have been lying in wait for a while. With Calista's return, Vasilisa got spooked. She acted, and started a war."
"You make it sound so simple." Devra comments, shifting her sword from one hand to the other, as if she needs something to do.
"Those thirsty for power are simple, dearest," she replies, "Their motivation is their own rise to the next level. They don't care who or what stands in their way."
We continue to make our way through the city, staying as invisible as possible. Kot Bayun is close by, on the outskirts of the city, hidden by the forest. It's not as if we can sneak him through the streets without anyone seeing us coming.
Every now and again we come across people still fighting and the closer we get to the castle, the more sounds reach our ears. We chose to come through the city because it's the more risky choice. No one would be expecting us to use such a mundane way in. But now I wonder if Baba Yaga chose the path on purpose to fuel my rage. It's all I can do not to charge into the closes array of swords and destroy everyone in my way.
But something doesn't feel right. I know we're moving through a ruined city, but still. Something is nagging at the back of my mind and I can't put it into words. It's as if something is rippling in the air, a shred of danger visible through a thin line. We're already on alert and I don't know if I can explain what exactly I'm feeling, but I hope it's just my body reacting to this place.
Koschei's majyk is bubbling up inside of me, ready to be unleashed. My whole body buzzes with adrenaline, my resolve firm.
We're rounding the corner when it happens. A group of creatures drops from the nearby building, blocking our path. Their decent is quick, as they swipe their swords at us in the same motion.
"Watch out!" Devra screams as her sword clashes with the nearby creatures. My own arm swings, matching my opponent. The smell of their stitched up flesh breaks through the stench of the city and I almost gag as it seeps into my pores. I push my whole body into the movement, throwing the creature off balance just enough to slice my sword behind his knees. He drops immediately, howling in pain, but I don't hesitate. I plunge my sword straight into his neck, yanking it back sharply. Blood and bile spews everywhere, and I'm already moving.
Glancing over, I assess the situation with calm measurement. Baba Yaga has retreated from the immediate fight, but I see she is still sending spells towards the creatures around her, making them slow down. Devra rushes through them, slicing their head off effortlessly. Rus is on the other side of her, an unstoppable giant as he slices through the monster’s flesh. Maxwell is beside me, holding his own. Another creature drops from the roof, landing in front of me. I twist in time to block his jab, but my body takes the brunt of the blow, pushing me steps back. I barely manage to stay upright as he swings again. This time I use his movement against him, shifting so I'm in his momentum and then I jab my sword into his stomach with a backwards thrust. Kicking out, I push him away as he falls to the ground.
"Where is Brendan?" I shout, because I can't seem to find him. Panic sets in when no one answers, my chest heavy with dread. "Brendan!" I shout, but hear nothing but the sound of fighting all around me.
The pressure that’s been building up inside of me blinds me for a second, as I frantically scream for Brendan. The panic is pressing down on me from every side, chilling me from the inside out. The majyk thuds against my skin, as if begging me to be used, to be useful. I’m no longer thinking straight, every single rule I’ve set up for myself flies out the window.
"I can't lose him," I mumble, the agony at the thought shatters all of my defenses. And with that, I unfurl my majyk. Reaching deep inside me, to that place where I've kept it as contained as I can, I yank it up and out, commanding all the power that lies inside of me. I don't know what instinct calls to me, but I reach out with that majyk, searching through until I find him. I gasp as I feel his pain, at the blood leaving his body. He’s dying and the pain of it is inside of me, like it’s my own. A scream rips from my body, anger and terror spilling out in waves.
Opening my eyes, I feel the air move around me and when I glance down, I realize my hand is aflame. This is not the majyk of the house of Warriors. This is Koscheii’s blood majyk and I latch onto it. The other hand still holds the sword, but I don't use it. I use the majyk. Twisting around, I send it toward the creatures, engulfing then in flames. They scream in agony, trying to get away, but even as I burn them, I hold them in place. They are frozen in their spot and in a state of pain.
Wind billows around me, as lighting flashes across the sky. I intensify the majyk and suddenly, they burst from inside out. My friends duck, but I don't even feel the blood raining down around me. With another thrust of my hand, I obliterate the rest of the creatures, my skin humming with the power streaming out of me.
It doesn’t drain me. It exhilarates.
The majyk settles, but it doesn't go back into the vault. I keep it just below the surface, allowing it a constant flow through my senses, as I try to catch my breath.
"Cali?" Maxwell's voice is tentative and I twist to look at him, still tense and ready for action. "Are you okay?"
I wonder what I look like to him, but then I laugh. I hope I look like a nightmare. I hope those creatures saw death
in my eyes before they exploded.
"I've never been better," I grin and watch as Maxwell takes a small step back.
"Cali, what happened?" This time it's Devra who asks and I turn on her and Rus, standing to my right.
"She opened herself up to the majyk," Baba Yaga speaks up and a growl sounds at the back of my throat.
“That's right the all annoyingly knowing one," I snap, no longer able to control my disdain. "Now shut up and let's find Brendan."
I don't wait for them to follow. Turning to where I saw him, I rush right into the flames.
The moment I see him my whole world drops out from under me. He's laying against the building, the ground around him darkened by his blood. I drop down to my knees, sliding right next to him, tears already in my eyes.
"Brendan? Brendan, can you hear me?" I hiccup, stumbling over my words, my hands running over his face and torso. He's barely conscious, still holding on to his sword.
"Here! We're here!" I scream with all I've got, because I ran so fast, fueled by my majyk, I lost everyone.
"Cal, I'm sorry." Brendan's voice pulls me back.
"What are you sorry for? You have nothing to be sorry about." I'm blabbering now, tears blurring my vision. He's been stabbed in the stomach, that much I can tell. But I can't tell if it was from the front or the back. All I see is blood.
"You have to go, Cal. You have to get to the castle. The...the alley was a setup. They were...waiting for us."
"I know, I know, but…I don't understand."
"She must...know something...some majyk." He slumps a little, as if the words taken his energy out of him.
"Brendan, stay awake. Please, stay with me."
"Never...want to leave you."
I can't stop the sobs that shudder my body, as I try to find some way to hold him together. My hand fists in his shirt, my head falling into his shoulder. I'm shaking, or he's shaking. I'm pulling myself so close, I can't tell where I end and he begins. A feather of a touch on my hair pulses over me, calming my racing heart just enough to pull back and look at him.
The hand that was in my hair moves down to my cheek and he looks at me with those fiery eyes of his and I'm breaking all over again.
“You hair…purple again.”
I want to laugh at his words, because it’s so like Brendan to notice a trivial thing like that about me. But he’s not done. He continues hold my cheek, with tenderness that is precisely his alone.
"You have....to...finish," his gulping air and I can feel the life draining out of him as fast the blood. I push my hands over the wounds, willing the blood back into him, but my majyk won't answer me. My emotions are too raw for any sort of control.
"You...can do...anything. You are...brave...beautiful...strong..." he coughs, his body shaking with the effort and I hold on to him that much harder.
"I'm not brave, Brendan. I'm not brave like you. I wasn't brave enough to love you in the open. I wasn't brave enough to fight for us."
My words echo around us, louder than any proclamation I could’ve made shouting from the mountains. It’s the most honest I have ever been with myself, or with him, and it’s taking him dying for me to finally be able to say the words. His handsome face pulls into a smile, as he holds my cheek in the palm of his hand.
"I have... always and... will ...always love...you. You...are my...sun and moon...and...the stars that ...shine..."
His hand goes slack, falling from my cheek and the scream that rips from me blows the buildings back from their foundation. The ground shudders, the rain of debris falling in a circle around us as I cry. I cradle him in my arms, holding him to me with every ounce of my being.
"You can't die. You can't. I can't lose you. Don't go. Don't go. Don't go!"
The majyk inside of me pushes into him and I gasp, my breath no longer in my lungs. Still clutching him, I try and draw air into my lungs, but there's nothing. The only sensation in my body is pain, as if I’m taking on his pain as my own. If I die and he lives, it will be worth it, I think to myself. So I hold on that much tighter, my vision fading in and out. Vaguely, I'm aware of arms on me, trying to pry me from Brendan's still form, but I'm not budging.
He's mine. He's mine to keep. He's mine to protect.
"Let go! Stupid child, let go!" The command penetrates the fog in my brain and I'm being pulled away from him, my soul empty the moment my arms are. Someone is holding me but I can't take my eyes off of Brendan's still form. Air enters my lungs, expanding my chest and I'm choking at the sudden assault.
Baba Yaga kneels beside Brendan, her hands running over his body. She's mumbling something I can't hear, my tears splashing down my chest as I try to reconcile a world in which Brendan isn't. My body moves towards him, but the arms that have been holding me, stop my progress. Twisting and turning, I'm rabid to get to him, but they won't let up. My back is thrust against someone's, arms pinning me around my torso, the other person's legs falling over mine. I realize Maxwell is holding me, and his own tears fall down my back. Devra and Rus are there, holding me down against Maxwell's chest, their eyes on Brendan.
"He's not dead," Baba Yaga snaps at me, when my voice becomes a wail. "Calista!" She screams into my face, slapping me hard with the back of her hand. "He's not dead, but he will be. You pushed your essence into him, slowing down the blood, but you also made him dependent on your majyk."
I'm hearing her words, but I'm not listening to anything past he's not dead. "Calista!" There's that command again, and I try to focus on her.
"I've put him in a suspended state. Unfortunately, my majyk can't heal these types of wounds."
"I don't...I don't understand. He was stabbed."
"He was stabbed by a weapon that was blessed by an ancient majyk. That's what tore him apart from the inside. I can keep him in stasis, but you have to pull yourself together. Vasilisa did this. She did this and I need you to pull yourself together and make her answer for it. It's the only way to save Brendan."
My gaze shifts to his fallen body, covered in blood and dirt, and it hurts to see how beautiful he is, even so near death. Determination I felt earlier, when I used my full majyk, runs over my skin, pushing at my resolve. Slowly, I shift away from Maxwell and stand.
Back there, I was terrified I lost him. Now, I may as well have. The majyk burns hot, sending my body aflame from the inside out. I can feel myself cracking, a million pieces of me coming undone. But I won't allow Vasilisa to win, so I pull the strings together. I push the pain away and I focus on the hate. Koschei's majyk answers immediately, fueled by my rage.
"Get him to the castle," I say, my voice dangerously low. "I have a queen to dethrone."
24
I don't wait for the rest of them to follow. My majyk, now at full capacity in my body, pushes me forward. I don't hesitate to allow it full control. I embrace it.
With the speed comes the agility and I almost fly towards the castle. Bursting through the doors, the creatures are on me in a second, but I don't hesitate. Fire and air bursts from my hands, pushing them back, before igniting them where they stand. Screams follow me as I walk purposely down the hall and to the grand room. I can feel her in there, just like I can feel the majyk running in her veins. The majyk of millions of people she slaughtered.
The doors are closed and I can hear shouting on the other side. A laugh bubbles up inside of me, as I wave my hand in the air, blasting the doors open.
She's not alone.
"Well, why am I not surprised?" I ask, stepping inside the room. She's at the far end, with creatures surrounding her on everything side, and Cornelius standing on her right. "Corny, fancy meeting you here."
"Calista—"
"Shut up!" I command, and his mouth closes promptly. "Neat trick, huh?" I ask, holding him silent with my power. "I have so many more up my sleeve."
I leave him where he stands, turning my attention to the queen. She hasn't moved a muscle but I can see she's not a cool as she pretends to be. I must look a sight, torn dress, blo
ody skin, purple hair flying around my face as the intensity of my power runs through me.
Staring her right in the face, I focus on the rage inside of me, pushing it toward each and every one of the soldiers in this room. The space around me glows purple and then the majyk burst through the air, obliteration her soldiers where they stand.
"I particularly like that one," I comment, stepping farther into the room. Removing the silence from Cornelius, I begin walking around the perimeter, my eyes on the two people who have betrayed me the most.
"What? No snappy retort?" I lift an eyebrow, watching the queen gasp at the majyk I've displayed. "I told you I don't play by your rules anymore."
"You may be powerful," she finally speaks up, that cool mask falling back into place, "but you are unlearned. So much power, with no guidance. You'll burn yourself out before this is over."
"You think? Did Corny here tell you exactly where that power comes from?" I see her glance at Cornelius, confusion clouding her features for millisecond, but I don’t miss a thing. "Please, enlighten us, Corny. Tell your queen who I am."
"You've embraced him," he says instead, addressing me. The anger snaps like a rubber band and it's a miracle I don't separate his head from his body right then and there.
"I've embraced myself," I snap, staring him dead in the eye. "You think just because you know the stupid prophecy, you know who I am. But let me tell you, I am the worst person for you to have this power. Not even for a second did I consider helping you destroy my home and I'm not about to now."
"What is she talking about, Cornelius?" Vasilisa asks looking between the two of us. I lean back, folding my hands in front of me, waiting for him to speak up. When he doesn't, I prompt him with my majyk. Raising a hand, I watch the flames cover my skin, before looking over at Cornelius with a smile. There's fear in his eyes, finally, and I'm eating it up like a kid with an ice cream cone on a hot summer day.
