Forge and Fire (The Replacement Book 1)

by Ripley Proserpina

  “Korolevstvo,” Grisha replied. “You’re a new creature. It doesn’t know you. And you’re made of materials not found here in years.”

  “Rocks and sticks?” she asked. “There’s plenty of rocks.” She kicked one, and it ricocheted off the corner of a building. As it rolled, the ground beneath her feet shook.

  “Stupid,” Fedir said. “So stupid.”

  Tatiana struggled to keep her balance. She held tight to Grisha, wrapping her free hand around his arm.

  A short distance away, the cement cracked and a wave of dust burst into the air. Somewhere above them, glass shattered at the same time the ground exploded. The force of it threw her backward, and her hand was ripped away from Grisha. Tatiana shut her eyes, expecting to hit the ground hard, but two arms banded around her middle and caught her.

  Fedir’s face was covered with dust, but his golden eyes were clear. And angry. From the corner of her eye, she could see his beautiful wings, gray with dirt, but she couldn’t look away from his eyes. As they stared at each other, Fedir’s expression changed, and his gaze began to roam her face. He studied her forehead, along her nose, and down to her lips where it paused. She watched him take her in and waited to see his disgust.

  But it never came.

  “Korolevstvo is alive,” he whispered, and his breath tickled her cheeks. She reached up and swiped her hand across his dust-covered skin. Her fingers made a clean trail along his cheekbones and across his forehead. It made his angles harsher, more warrior than angel. “It sees and hears. It feels.”

  “It’s alive?” How could a place be alive? If they’d arrived in a forest, she might have believed him. But a place like this? It looked stripped, like everything that may have been beautiful was gutted and then replaced with monstrosities that accentuated the scars instead of hiding them.

  Fedir had flown them above the road, and she looked down. Grisha was there, hand braced against a building as he stared up at them. She glanced away from him to study the world. There was something familiar about Korolevstvo, too. The river in the distance, the mountain, bare except for a few lone trees, all of which were dead.

  Factories. Smokestacks.

  “I thought you said metal was poison.”

  Fedir began to lower them to the ground. His wings caught the air as they gently fell, and her stomach twisted, making her giggle. “Loop-de-loops,” she explained.

  He nodded. Tatiana twisted her head to search below them for Grisha. He was still staring, but as they got closer, he reached his hands up.

  “I’m going to drop you,” Fedir said, and let her go.

  8

  Grisha/Cherny

  Cherny’s heart pounded as he watched Fedir lift Tatiana into the air. At first, he’d been grateful. She’d been ripped away from him as Korolevstvo let them know it’d been insulted.

  It would have hurt her; he could feel it, seeking to put her in her place. It wanted to teach her a lesson.

  But Fedir caught her in time and Korolevstvo let him fly her away. It could have stopped them as they ascended toward the sky. All the place needed to do was tip a stone and glass structure and it would have crushed them.

  But it was feeling merciful today, a rarity, but one Cherny appreciated. “Thank you,” he whispered under his breath to the world that created him and kept him alive. He thanked it now for keeping Tatiana alive.

  And that frightened him.

  He’d never felt this: the worry and fear for another creature. She looked so small in the sky, her dark hair gleaming blue-black in the moonlight. If Fedir dropped her…

  The world had stopped heaving, so why hadn’t they landed? Instead, Fedir held her, his wings beating only enough to keep them in the air. As Cherny watched, Fedir tucked his wings close, and they dropped before he pushed them out and caught them.

  Tatiana’s laugh drifted to him like the snowflakes that had fallen outside her window, and his throat closed. He wanted her back on the ground and her hand in his so he could anchor her. Fedir let them fall again, and Cherny silently hurried him.

  The other feia wasn’t scanning the air, watching the buildings. Anything could happen to them when he was distracted.

  Cherny glanced around. From high in one of the buildings, he thought he saw something at one of the windows. He stared hard, waiting for a sign of movement, but there was nothing.

  And then Tatiana was a handbreadth away. He reached for her and at the same moment, met Fedir’s eyes. He nodded, and Cherny nodded back.

  Tatiana landed in his arms with a small, breathy gasp. “I’m sorry!” she said. “I didn’t know the place was alive.”

  “I figured,” he said, allowing himself to hold her for a little longer than necessary before he put her back on her feet. “Things are different here.”

  “And yet not,” she said. “It reminds me of home.”

  Fedir landed next to them. “That’s because it is. Korolevstvo mirrors your home.”

  “But it looks—” She cut herself off, slapping her hand over her mouth. Her bright blue eyes were wide. Frightened.

  How did it look to her? For Cherny, Korolevstvo was the same as it’d always been. The river roared. The city was bathed in gray and black. The buildings covered in dust or rotting away. But had it always been like this? He couldn’t remember. Like Fedir had said, time moved differently here.

  He couldn’t even be sure how long it had been since he’d been to the human world. Things seemed the same. It stunk. The lights were too bright. It was noisy.

  But if he really thought about it, things seemed to be moving faster there. The people. The cars. Everything was flashing, zooming, chattering.

  Disorienting.

  Which brought him back—had Korolevstvo always been like this? He studied the buildings, the concrete and cement and stone and glass. He couldn’t remember when they appeared, but he couldn’t remember when they weren’t there, either.

  The ground rumbled again, like the world was warning them to be polite. Tatiana jumped, and he grabbed her. “Got you.”

  The look she gave him squeezed his heart, but it also made him step back. She drew her eyebrows together, confused, and stepped closer to him. But he stepped back again.

  “We should get moving,” he said. Push and pull. He wasn’t being fair to her, but his mind was a mess. His instincts told him not to trust her. All feia were tricksters and liars. But then he reminded himself, she wasn’t really feia.

  Cherny couldn’t look at her as he took her hand. Or when he squeezed it in apology and hoped she understood.

  9

  Tatiana

  Tatiana’s feet touched the ground as Grisha released her hand and grasped her hips. “You flew.”

  “I flew,” she agreed, grinning so wide her face hurt. Something came over her and she called to Fedir. “You should give Grisha a ride someday.”

  “He couldn’t lift me.” Grisha laughed.

  “I could lift you,” Fedir replied. “You’re more fat than muscle.”

  “Hey!” Tatiana chided. “Don’t be a jerk.”

  Fedir gave an angry flap and took off. Tatiana glanced nervously at Grisha, worried his feelings had been hurt, but he smiled at her. In the background, Fedir’s wings made a soft whoosh against air. They should follow him, but she was held in place when Grisha didn’t move. “What?” she asked when she caught him staring at her.

  “You defended me.”

  “Yeah,” she answered. “You’re my friend.”

  The tall man frowned. “Friends.” He gave a decisive nod of his head and took her hand. “Hurry up. We want to get to the river before daylight.”

  “It’s so loud, we must be close,” she said, allowing him to tug her along.

  “Not so close,” he replied. “It’s wide and moves fast.”

  “I wonder what the real Tatiana will say when we meet her. The rusalka are her family.”

  “We don’t have family like you do,” Grisha said. “Many of us aren’t born, but create
d. Take Fedir. He was hatched and then left.”

  “Hatched.” She imagined a fluffy owlet. “Oh! Adorable!”

  “We are weaned on blood and bones,” Fedir called. “You would not find it adorable when I pecked your veins until you bled to death in my nest.”

  “You’re joking,” she replied.

  Fedir lifted himself into the air and flew toward her. “Do I look like I’m joking?”

  She studied him, tilting her head as she’d seen him do. “I don’t know if I could tell when you’re joking, Fedir, but for some reason I think you are.”

  Next to her, Grisha chuckled and squeezed her hand. “She has the make of you, friend.”

  “I’m not your friend,” Fedir spat out and spun, flying so far ahead she was afraid they’d lose him.

  Grisha sighed. “Can you run?”

  It was automatic for her to shake her head, except… she thought she could. Her body was humming with energy and the walk and excitement hadn’t sapped it away. “I can.”

  And with that, she went. Her lungs burned, sucking in air, but it didn’t hurt. It was a good burn that made her heart pump harder and her breath come quicker. She tried to remember a time she’d run like this but couldn’t. Not from the time she was a child until the doctor had delivered his pronouncement about the end of her life.

  Laughing, Tatiana swung her arms harder. Next to her, Grisha’s boots pounded on the pavement. “What are we laughing about?” he asked breathlessly.

  “Let’s catch him,” she said and redoubled her efforts. She was pushing her body, but it seemed up to the challenge. Fedir turned, lifting his eyebrows when he saw them barreling toward him. “I’m going to tag him,” she said.

  “Tag him?”

  “Touch him and make him it!” When she was within reach, she jumped. Fedir squawked. He flapped his wings hard, trying to gain altitude. But he wasn’t quick enough. Her fingers grazed his foot. “You’re it.”

  She landed, bending her knees to absorb the impact. Fedir landed in a similar fashion. “What does that mean? What is it?”

  “You have to tag me next.” Grisha bounced on his feet. He got the game.

  Fedir let out a breath. “This is a ridiculous game.” But then he darted forward and pushed Grisha in the chest so hard the man stumbled back a few steps. “You’re it.”

  And with that, he flew himself out of reach. Grisha glanced at her, eyes wide with surprise before he laughed.

  And disappeared.

  A gust of wind so strong it whipped her hair around her face, rushed past her. It swept the dust into dirty tornados, and whistled over the faces of the buildings.

  She ran after Fedir, knowing Grisha would catch him. Nothing was faster than the wind. He appeared in the air, a bright spot of light in the dark sky, barreling into Fedir. “You’re it!” he yelled and disappeared again.

  Fedir stopped short, and they locked eyes. One side of his mouth tipped up in a smile. Tatiana yelped. She wouldn’t be able to outrun him, so she’d have to outsmart him.

  She sprinted toward a side street. Korolevstvo wasn’t set up like a city block, despite its towering buildings. It didn’t seem to be laid out in parallel lines, but in concentric circles shot through with roads. The side street she’d chosen was more like a footpath.

  “Wait!” Fedir called out, but she didn’t listen.

  The buildings seemed to lean toward each other, the way so narrow if she spread her arms out, she could touch each structure. Fedir wouldn’t be able to follow, at least not in the air, but she wasn’t really trying to lose him. Just slow him down. She wasn’t dumb enough to get lost in a place she didn’t know.

  One edge of the building jutted out, and she slid behind it, covering her mouth with her hand so no one could hear her.

  Footfalls, heavy and even, echoed from the direction she’d come, and she stifled a laugh along with the urge to peek. Ooo. She had a feeling she’d made him mad, but it was worth it to get him playing.

  She liked that half a smile he’d given her. It had lightened his whole face and made her want to give him a reason to smile again.

  Unless he was going to be a butt to Grisha. Then they’d have an issue.

  Lost in her thoughts she didn’t notice anything until two fingers tapped her shoulder. “Found you.”

  “AH!” She clutched her chest as she jumped and spun.

  Fedir’s wings were scrunched as tightly as they could get to his body and the feathered ends dragged on the ground. “Gross.” He lifted his wings to examine the dirt and grime along the bottom. “This game needs boundaries.” He held out his hand, palm up, and without hesitation, she took it. “Grisha will agree.”

  Turning sideways, he edged down the lane, away from where they’d been. Tatiana looked up at the sky, but it was hidden by gangplanks and boards slung between the buildings. It seemed lighter though, like daylight was on the horizon. “I’m not tired at all.”

  “Good,” Fedir answered, “because we’re still a long way off from the river. I doubt we’ll get there with all the teasing and game playing.”

  It was easy to forget her purpose when she felt so good. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  The two of them emerged from the small lane to find Grisha waiting for them. He was scanning the street and when he saw them, jogged over. “You found her.”

  “I’m it.” She shrugged. He leapt away from her, and she laughed. “Not right now. I shouldn’t have started something.”

  “Why not?” Grisha asked. “And why are we hurrying? The rusalka will be there, or they won’t.”

  It struck Tatiana that both Fedir and Grisha had been referring to the rusalka as they. “There’s more than one rusalka?”

  “Yes.” Fedir jumped into the sky, beating his wings. It kicked up the dust, and she put her nose against her shoulder as she coughed.

  “I thought there was only one,” she said when she could speak again.

  “One rusalka?” Grisha asked. “No. There are many of them. When there are human children in Korolevstvo, they are usually found with the rusalka.”

  “Though they aren’t known for taking them,” Fedir said. “That is uncommon.”

  “So a bunch of old ladies live by the river with stolen babies.”

  “They’re not old,” Grisha said. “They’re ageless. Feia don’t age the way humans do, remember?”

  “I do.” Tatiana answered. “Time moves differently. But Fedir called the woman a hag.”

  “I did,” Fedir said from above and in front of them.

  “And the woman who showed up after Babusya threw holy water at me was old… eventually.”

  “It was probably her true form,” Fedir grumbled. “The human world is too poisonous for her to stay beautiful.”

  “Why do I feel like you’re always talking in riddles?” she asked. “They’re ageless but hags. They’re beautiful but that’s not their true form.”

  Fedir chuckled. “Then you are beginning to understand the feia.”

  “Forget your human logic,” Grisha added. “It’s wasted in Korolevstvo.”

  “We’re not going to make it before daybreak,” Fedir said.

  “Where are your homes?” Tatiana asked. “Aren’t you tired?” She wasn’t. And now that she thought about it, she wasn’t hungry either. Not even after all the running and flying and tag. “Do you eat?”

  “In the old days we did.” Grisha’s eyes glazed. “You should have seen the feasts. I swear, I spent decades roaming just hoping to find another.” He held out his hand, and she took it. “I don’t need to eat. And I don’t have a home. Fedir probably does.”

  “I do.” That was all he said.

  As the sky lightened, Tatiana studied everything. Squat concrete buildings covered blocks. Made of light-colored concrete and tiny rectangular windows, they seemed modern. She could imagine them as business offices, or administrative buildings designed during the seventies.

  What function did they serve? The only people she�
��d seen were Grisha and Fedir. As the sun peeked up on the horizon, nothing came to life. There were no people waking up and going about their business. There was a tiny stretch of brown grass, lined by sidewalks and outfitted with a fountain. But there were no birds or squirrels, and the water spewing from the center of the fountain was brown.

  As they passed, Tatiana breathed in and choked. It stunk like sewage, and she had to cover her mouth. “What’s that smell?”

  “Do you really want to know?” Fedir asked.

  “Why is this place so ruined?” she asked and then, remembering what had happened before, quickly added, “I’m not trying to be insulting. But the grime. The dust. The buildings. The grass is dead. I haven’t heard any animals. Seen any people. What’s going on here?”

  10

  Kopala

  The exchanged girl and the two feia had nearly seen him. Kopala watched their progress, unobserved, but then the bird had flown the girl into the sky. He’d followed them, leaping from tower to tower, but when they’d upset Korolevstvo, he’d hurried off the roof. He’d been visible for just a moment, but it was long enough for them to catch his shadow.

  He had to be more careful.

  Kopala rotated his wrist as he edged closer to the window. The girl’s voice was quiet, and he could barely make out what she was asking.

  Why were the two feia taking so long? They should be hurrying to the river, not taking in the sunrise!

  The sun hit the edge of Korolevstvo, reflecting off the glass like a mirror. For just a moment, it looked the way he remembered it—sunny and clean. And then the clouds rolled in and everything was bathed in shades of gray.

  The dust made his eyes itch, so he wiped his arm over them. Get the bird. Or get the changeling.

  Soon enough, he’d have to make a decision.