Forge and Fire (The Replacement Book 1)

by Ripley Proserpina

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “As a heart attack.” She panted but took another step and another. She could do this. Korolevstvo made her stronger, and if it took her all night, she would bring Taras to the water.

  “Do you know what sort of thing you’re saving?”

  Was he just going to dog her? She had her own voice of doubt. She didn’t need another one, no matter how handsome the face it came out of.

  “Doesn’t. Matter.” She happened to glance up. Fedir floated above her, wings outstretched and so wide as he floated in circles above them.

  “He wasn’t helping you when he pulled you from the river, he was playing with you. If he hadn’t seen Shubin or the roamer, he’d have held you under the water until you drowned.”

  Not helpful. Effortful step after effortful step, she dragged Taras toward the river. A quick peek over her shoulder kept her going in the right direction.

  Taras’ fingers clutched hers, and he squeezed. She wouldn’t let him down. He had saved her. And he’d saved Fedir. The prince was lying.

  “Lying liar who lies.” She gritted her teeth together, the breath hissing between them as she planted her heels and leaned back again. “That’s your name.”

  A golden skinned arm gripped her arm, forcing her to stop. Growling, she glared into the eyes of the unwelcome man. “He is vodyanyy. He lives in swamps, rivers, marshes. A servant to the rusalka. Those fangs he’s flashing me now, he uses them to tear the flesh from his victims.”

  Taras let out a harsh breath, one that burned her lungs in sympathy.

  “Don’t touch me.” She jerked away from him and kept dragging. Oh, she wished the others could help her. From the way Shubin kept stepping toward her and away, they wanted to. But this guy was stopping them. Controlling them.

  “Liar,” she said again.

  Eyes narrowing, the man’s skin darkened from gold to bronze. “Tell her.” His blue eyes turned black. “Tell her, Vodyanyy.” The same commanding tone as the one he’d used to keep her friends from her was evident in his voice.

  Taras opened his mouth to speak but Tatiana spoke over him. “Doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter.” And then she started humming along with each yank and step toward the river. She hummed so loud she couldn’t hear Taras, though his voice rumbled through his body into her chest.

  The prince stood, threw his hands in the air and let them slap against his thighs. “Shut up.”

  She wouldn’t. As long as Taras spoke, she’d hum. If he wanted to tell her what he was, fine. But what he was and what he’d done were two entirely different things. So what if she was supposed to be his lunch? Apparently, he’d taken a look at her and decided to save her rather than eat her.

  That was what mattered. That was what she’d focus on. Later on, after he stopped making the horrible whispering wheeze, he could tell her all about his snack habits. Until then? His secrets were his own.

  Sweat dripped down her temples and along her neck. The collar and back of her shirt stuck to her skin, and she swore she felt that same bead of sweat drip past the waist of her underwear.

  Gross.

  The water was louder now and the air different. There was a constant wind, like the rushing water made its own weather, and it chilled her overheated body.

  “Almost. There.” Taras held onto her tighter.

  “He’ll take you in with him.”

  No, he won’t. She didn’t have the breath to fight with him anymore.

  “Fuck it. I’ll prove it to you.” And with that, Prince grabbed her. Had he been playing with her the whole time? Waiting for her to get so close to saving Taras before he stopped her.

  Tatiana fought him. She scratched and kicked and bit. The guys yelled. Shubin’s deep bellow made the earth shake and the wind that was Grisha whipped around him, but the man’s grip was unyielding.

  Even Taras yelled. His voice, barely above a whisper, caught on the wind and landed in her ears right before the man flung her into the water.

  She hit hard, harder than she had when she’d dropped in to find Fedir. The water slapped the breath right out of her, knocking her silly.

  Kicking her feet, she fought against the strong current to the surface. In the back of her mind came a memory of swimming lessons long past, something about pointing her toes downriver. But God help her if she knew which way was which.

  Someone grabbed her, their hand gripping her upper arm tight before she was yanked against their chest. She spun in the water, and her eyes opened in shock. Taras’ bright blue gaze stared at her through the murky water.

  Her lungs ached, burning for air, but he didn’t bring her to the surface. He jerked her to his face. There was a flash of fangs and then his lips were on hers, and life giving air poured into her lungs.

  Tatiana wasn’t a science major but this shouldn’t work. Except it did. It was as if she’d taken a breath herself. Shocked, she pulled away and met Taras’ gaze.

  The skin on his face appeared green, but her hand, when she reached for him, was the same color so it must have been the water.

  The current continued to push them, but he held onto her. She gripped his arms, and her fingers slid along his scales. With a powerful kick, he propelled them to the surface. Tatiana gasped. They’d traveled pretty far. It was daylight, that same gray, muted light as the day before, so she could see the form of the prince and the dark smudge in the sky that was Fedir.

  “Thank you,” she got out.

  Taras didn’t answer. He reached for her, and she let him take her. It was hard to keep herself above water. It moved fast, and the waves hit her in the face so she was simultaneously choking and coughing. Like he had under the water, he held her against his chest.

  Cutting through the rapids like it was nothing, he brought her to the shore. It was rocky, the crags between the stones filled with chunks of concrete and glass. “Careful,” Taras said, giving her a boost.

  She grasped one of the rocks and dragged herself onto it. The shore was narrow, the bank abutting high concrete walls. It was like someone had just paved over every single natural feature in Korolevstvo.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “That guy…”

  Taras narrowed his eyes and smiled. He disappeared under the water suddenly, leaving her alone. She waited for him to reappear, but he didn’t. Finally, she turned and eyed the wall, looking for handholds.

  Behind her there was a loud splash and gasp and she spun around. The prince gagged, water streaming down his face as Taras held him tightly in his grasp. He had his arm slung around the prince’s neck, squeezing.

  They disappeared a second later before reappearing again. Taras’ dark hair fell into his face, and his eyes glowed. The prince clawed at his arm, but the water must have given him strength, because his blows had no effect.

  “Tell me.” Taras’ voice drifted to her. Tatiana couldn’t be sure she’d made him out correctly because the water was so loud.

  Taras dunked him again, and they were gone so long she thought they wouldn’t come up.

  But they did. One gold head, one dark popped up from under the water. “Tell me.”

  The arm Taras had around the prince’s neck gave way, just a little. Enough for him to take a breath and say something.

  “Louder,” Taras ordered.

  The wind rushed around her body, and she shivered, but a moment later, Grisha formed at her side and wrapped his arms around her. Dust rained down around them before Shubin slid down the wall. As he stood, he reached for her. “Give her here. I’ll warm her.”

  Grisha hesitated only a second before passing her over. She burrowed against Shubin, drawn to him by the heat he put off. “Better?” he whispered.

  Her teeth began to chatter, and rather than answer, she nodded.

  A shadow appeared over the river, hovering above Taras and the prince’s head. “I couldn’t hear him,” Fedir said as he slowly stroked his wings against the air.

  Taras went under before th
e prince could draw breath. As they emerged, the prince cried out, “Kopala!”

  Shubin let out a whoosh of air, and Grisha visibly relaxed.

  Fedir reached down, plucking the prince from the water before flinging him toward the opposite shore. He lay there, coughing and choking. Taras swam to the shore, pulling himself out while Fedir landed next to him.

  All of them stared silently across the river at the prince. Slowly, shoulders heaving, he pushed himself onto his hands and knees. The water streamed off his body, pooling beneath him. He didn’t look at them. His head remained lowered. He may have spoken, but Tatiana couldn’t hear him. All she could see were his shoulders lifting and body twitching as he retched mouthfuls of river water.

  “Is he going to be okay?” she couldn’t help asking.

  “Unfortunately,” Fedir answered.

  “What was that thing he said?” she asked and glanced down at Taras.

  His pale face seemed even paler, but when he spoke, his voice was strong. “His name. Kopala is his true name.”

  19

  Tatiana

  Oh.

  “Names have power,” she whispered.

  Across the river, Kopala got to his feet. He faced them, hands at his side, waiting.

  “Now he can’t force us to do anything against our will,” Grisha said. “Smart thinking, Taras.”

  “Thank you.” There was a huge splash as a giant wave soaked them. Tatiana backed away from the river as Taras pulled himself from the water again. He looked different, and she studied him, shoulders, chest—Shit! He was naked!

  Hands over her eyes, she turned her back on him. “Where are your scales?”

  “They come and go as I please.”

  Okay. “So why are you naked?”

  “Shubin, can I borrow your coat?” Taras’ voice shook as if he was covering a laugh.

  “No, mate. Coat stays on me. Or Tatiana. It’s a two-person coat.” Shubin chuckled. She felt his heat before him, and he wrapped his arm around her.

  “Fine.” Taras’ huffed. “I’m back to scaly again. It would be easier with clothes however, as I’m less likely to die.”

  “Shubin, are you sure you can’t let him borrow your coat?” Tatiana asked.

  Grisha growled, and she was hit by a gust of wind. She stood there, facing the wall leading to the road and began to turn around. “Here.” Grisha’s voice came out of nowhere.

  “Thanks,” Taras replied. “You can turn around Tatiana.”

  She did, and he waved his arms down his body. He was dressed much like Grisha, simply, in pants and a shirt. Boots. He pushed a web-less hand through his hair. Without pausing to think about it, she grabbed his hand and studied it. “Why did you change everything?”

  Gently, Taras took his hand back from her and crossed his arms. “I can breathe through my skin,” he said quietly. “But without my scales, I breathe more like you do. It takes more out of me to be covered by scales when I’m on the land.”

  The tone of his voice jangled her. He wasn’t telling her the whole truth.

  “You’re more comfortable this way?” she asked.

  He looked at her through dark lashes made spiky from the water and nodded. “I am.”

  Then that was that. Though she suspected there was more, she wouldn’t push him. Not yet. Still, she couldn’t resist throwing out, “Don’t change for me.”

  Cheeks flushing, he turned his back on her. In one leap, he cleared the wall and then peeked over. “Need help?”

  “I’ve got this,” Grisha said. With a firm grasp, he took her from Shubin. The world blurred as he brought her away from the river to set her next to Taras. Fedir swept over them, and a moment later, Shubin’s dark hand grasped the edge of the wall as he hefted himself over.

  “Are we leaving the prince?” he asked.

  Tatiana looked over her shoulder. Kopala was still standing on the opposite bank. His arms were crossed and eyes narrowed.

  “Why wouldn’t we leave him?” Fedir asked. “He forced us to follow him. Wanted to kill Taras, and—what are we even talking about? Leaving him? Where are we going? The last thing we were talking about was how Tatiana wanted to go home.”

  “Home?” Taras asked. “You are home. And you will die, which we already discussed.”

  “You don’t understand,” Tatiana said. “Not unless you’ve had something you’ve loved more than yourself.”

  Taras stared back at her and then blinked. “So make me understand.”

  “Tell your story, exchanged girl,” Shubin said kindly.

  “Yes,” Grisha added. “About how you waited for the man with wings when I first offered to bring you here.”

  Uh oh. All of her mistakes hit Tatiana at once. Hurting Grisha’s feelings. Kissing Fedir—no—that wasn’t a mistake. Granted, kissing him in front of everyone may not have been the slickest move, but kissing him? She caught herself before she sighed.

  “I’m a replacement,” she said to Taras.

  “As I said when we first met,” he replied so bluntly she couldn’t be offended.

  “My…” She trailed off. She’d almost called the real Tatiana her sister. Weird. But it was true, sort of. They were both part of the same family. “I was left in place of a baby who was stolen and given to the rusalka. I was dying in the human world.”

  “You are feia.” Taras stepped closer. Over his shoulder and down by the river, Kopala stared at them. Could he hear them? He was so motionless, so focused, she believed he could.

  “Grisha found me—”

  “The rusalka found you,” the broad-shouldered, kind man interrupted. He smiled and she had to smile back. When Grisha was happy it felt as if her body filled with sunshine. It warmed her from the inside out. “I found the rusalka, and then you.”

  “And then I beat you up.”

  Grisha threw his head back and laughed. “You did! I barely made it back to Korolevstvo. I will have no offspring.”

  Biting her lip, Tatiana giggled. “Sorry.”

  “That’s what happens when you sneak into a woman’s bedroom.” He shrugged. “I had it coming.”

  Shaking her head, she took his hand and linked her fingers with his. “If it wasn’t for you, Grisha, I would be dead. You gave me a chance to make things right. It didn’t work, but I tried.”

  “It didn’t work because you didn’t find the rusalka.” Taras’ gaze went between her and Grisha.

  Fedir stretched one of his wings out before tucking it against his back again.

  “Are you healing?” she asked, unable to stop herself from glaring at Kopala at the same time.

  “Yes,” Fedir answered. “It was not as bad as it could be.”

  Taras sighed and pushed his hands through his hair again. It must be a habit, he did it so often. It made him seem so young and nervous.

  “How old are you?” Tatiana asked.

  Taras side-eyed Fedir. “I am having trouble following the conversation.”

  “You’ll acclimate,” the other man assured him. “I will finish the story since I am tired of the Grisha and Tatiana Theatre. The roamer followed the rusalka. I followed the roamer and offered to bring Tatiana here. We met Grisha at the gate. He was going to help her find the rusalka and the human girl whose place she took. I decided to help. We met Shubin. We met you. Kopala tried to kill us. The rusalka are gone and there’s no reason for Tatiana to remain here, except for, you know, staying alive. And now she wants to leave. Also, you tried to mate her.”

  “What?” Tatiana choked and even Taras sputtered.

  Fedir lifted one side of his lips in a crooked grin. “I jest.”

  Laughter bubbled from her throat and spilled out of her lips. He teased her. Well, she could give it right back. “Don’t forget the part where you kissed me.”

  “I would not forget that,” he told her. The humor left his eyes, replaced with something serious and hot. She couldn’t hold his stare when he looked at her this way.

  “You can’t go back,”
Shubin said. “I know Grisha said he’d take you. But I will stop him. You could have a life here. Your human family loves you, don’t they?”

  “Yes,” she answered immediately.

  “They want you to live.”

  Of course they wanted her to live. “But—”

  “But what?” Shubin asked. He smiled at her, dimples appearing in his cheeks as he waited. He took off his coat, held it out, and shook it before putting it back on.

  She didn’t have an answer for him.

  But nothing. Her family would want her to live. Could she never see her brother again if it meant he lived a happy, healthy life? Yes. Her heart didn’t hesitate in its answer.

  “The rusalka are gone,” Taras said. “But they are not gone forever. We can still find them. Follow the river. If we don’t find them in one direction, we try the other.” His gaze went toward the water. “Do you remember when the river was clear and went off in a thousand directions?”

  “I do,” Fedir answered.

  “Korolevstvo didn’t always look like this?” She knew it. This wasn’t the way the place was supposed to look. And those dust clouds full of poison?

  “No,” Taras said. He drew his brows together as he watched the water. “I don’t know when it all changed. Time gets away from me. One moment, the water is clear and I could drift in the current forever. Now, I choke and sicken. I can’t find the places I once lingered in. It’s all gone.” Turning away from the river, he faced them all but honed in on Shubin. “You know. Under the ground, you’d have seen it, too. You would have seen the changes before they rumbled up to the surface.”

  As if by speaking about it they made it happen, the ground shook. Like it had while tall buildings surrounded them, a split appeared in the pavement, spidering in all directions. It wasn’t as violent as it was the first time, but it still left Tatiana clinging to Grisha.

  “Move!” Shubin yelled, and Grisha yanked her just as someone landed between them.