“Tatiana,” she said, looking back at the girl who would take her place. “You’re Tatiana now.”
She shrugged. “I guess I am.”
A weight settled in Tatiana’s chest at the girl’s acceptance. Right. That made it final. Things were back the way they were supposed to be, and even though she knew it would be hard, both for the human and for her family, it was the way it had to be.
Taras dropped her hand but touched her cheek with his fingers. “Don’t linger. Make a clean break.”
“Okay.”
A huge hand touched her lower back, and she turned to see Shubin. “Be careful. Be fast. Understand?”
“I do,” she said.
“When you get back, we’ll decide what to do next. Your home will be Korolevstvo. I think all of us have a lot to discuss.”
His dark eyes were warm, though the whites had taken on a yellowish tinge. He jerked his head to the side suddenly, coughing into his shoulder.
“Let’s go.” Tatiana reached for Fedir. They couldn’t wait any longer. They were all suffering, and she couldn’t stand another minute of it.
Fedir was there in an instant. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air. He flew so fast the cold stung her skin and made her eyes water. She stared down at her town, at the Christmas star above Main Street and then at the familiar white house strung with garish Christmas lights.
Fedir landed in her backyard at the same time someone started their car. It backfired, startling both of them. The wind blew hard, making the lights tinkle and wafting car exhaust across their faces.
Tatiana looked up at the boarded window. Just last night. Her parents and brother were asleep. Her babusya was probably in her coffin, arms crossed, ready to sleep the day away like the other vampires.
“What are you smiling about?” Fedir asked, one side of his lips turned up as he studied her face.
“I was just thinking about my babusya. The real Tatiana will have her work cut out.” Or maybe not. Maybe Babusya would take one look at the girl and know all was right with the world.
There was a crunch of leaves as Grisha and the other Tatiana arrived. The girl stopped next to her and stared at the house. Tatiana watched her, wondering what she thought. No change in expression passed over her face, and when she said, “This is it,” her voice was even. Toneless.
“Yes,” she answered quickly and then went on in a rush. “You call your parents Mom and Dad. Your brother’s name is Pavel, but everyone calls him Pasha. And your grandmother is sleeping over. She’s called Babusya.”
“Babusya.” She said the word a little strangely, and then again, this time with the right inflection and emphasis. “Babusya. Got it.”
“My—your—bedroom is at the top of the stairs to the right.”
Without another word, the real Tatiana walked to the back door and opened it.
“Wait!” Tatiana ran to her. She’d given her the basics, but it felt woefully inadequate. There was no way to prepare her for the world she’d been born to, but then again… “They will love you. And you’ll be happy. I know you will.” She wrapped her arms around the other girl, ignoring the way she went stiff in her arms. “Have a good life.”
The girl brought her hands to her back, squeezing once before she dropped them to her sides again, so Tatiana released her.
“Thank you.”
Tatiana nodded, lifting her gaze to the upper floors again. She stared at her mother’s window and shut her eyes. Goodbye. I love you. She pictured her father and brother. I love you.
And that was it.
It had to be enough.
Grisha took her hand. “Ready?”
The door shut behind the girl, and Tatiana buried her face against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. Fedir touched the back of her hair, threading his fingers between the strands before cupping her neck. “This is the right thing to do.”
It was. She knew it.
“Okay.” She blew out a breath and leaned back to gaze at Grisha’s face. “I’m ready.”
30
Tatiana
It seemed Grisha and Fedir had worked out a turn-taking system without saying a word. Grisha swept her up into his arms, and then they flew over her town.
As hard as it was not to look behind her, Tatiana kept her gaze forward.
I did the right thing. If she said it enough, she’d start to believe it. Not only was it the right thing for her family, but it was the right thing for the real Tatiana, too.
The bogatyr had thrown her in a dungeon for fuck’s sake. She couldn’t stay in Korolevstvo the same way Tatiana couldn’t stay in the human world.
They flew over the stacks, making a wide circle around the cone shapes before landing. Tatiana looked for the gate back into Korolevstvo, but honestly, she had no idea what she was doing.
“Do you have to have some kind of feia radar to find the gate?” she asked Grisha and Fedir as they appeared next to her.
Grisha chuckled. “You don’t feel it?”
“No,” she answered. “I just feel awful. Nauseated and headachy.”
Fedir took her elbow, leading her along the edge of the old factory. “You’ll know you’ve found it when you get to a spot where you feel less bad.”
“Close your eyes,” Grisha suggested.
She did. With Fedir’s hand on her arm, she was safe. He wouldn’t let her smack into a loading dock, or wander off into the river.
“It isn’t working,” she said.
“Keep trying,” Grisha said.
Tatiana sighed and walked. She wanted to find the others. Her stomach was a jumble of nerves and butterflies and roiling and… wait. For just a second, the feeling lessened. She stopped, and took a step back. There it was again. Everything was still tired and achy, but instead of the burning sense of bile at the back of her throat, it sort of went back down her esophagus. Back where it belonged.
“Here?” she asked and opened her eyes. She stood in front of a brick wall. “Shit.”
“You got it,” Fedir told her, and she glanced up at him in surprise.
“It’s a brick wall.”
When he’d brought her to Korolevstvo before, something had happened. There was a witchy kind of swirly thing.
“Come on.” He stepped toward it, gently guiding her forward and it happened. Swirling, spinning, like she’d ridden the tilt-a-whirl and she was back in the tunnel.
Back in Korolevstvo and feeling much better.
“I found it.”
“You did,” Grisha said. “Now let’s find the others. It looks like they listened and went back down the tunnel.”
“Thank God,” she said.
Grisha led the way, but Tatiana hesitated. He turned around, frowning when she didn’t move. “What is it?” he asked.
“Tatiana?” Fedir moved to stand in front of her, blocking her view of Grisha. “What is it?”
“I left my family,” she said. She’d done it. She’d really done it. “And I’ll never see them again.”
Fedir’s face changed, becoming softer than she’d seen it before. “I know. But they are alive, and they’re well.”
“You will live your life knowing you gave them their daughter back,” Grisha said. “And your time with them was a gift. You’ll always carry their love.”
She would. They were right.
“Are you ready?” Grisha asked, quietly. Neither one of them pushed her, but waited patiently for her to make her decision and get herself together.
She let out a breath. “I am.”
Grisha took her hand, and even though it meant that he had to walk a little bit in front of her, he held onto it. Every so often, Fedir would touch her back, reassuring her he was still there.
It was exactly what she needed.
With each step away from the gate, she felt better. Not about missing her family. She missed them like they were a part of her body, but she could feel Korolevstvo healing whatever the human world had d
one to her. Her lungs ceased burning, and she didn’t have to stop and catch her breath.
“Tatiana!” Shubin’s voice echoed down the tunnel. Grisha squeezed her hand and let go so she could go to him.
Taras was slightly shorter than Shubin, and he used his size to sidle past the man and get to her first. He threw his arms around her and lifted her up. “We weren’t sure you’d come back.”
“We’re here,” she said, breathlessly. He let her down, and she stepped back, smiling at him and Shubin. With Grisha and Fedir at her back, she was surrounded by people she cared about. “So, what now?”
“I thought we could go to my home,” Fedir said.
Shubin smiled broadly, dimples appearing in his cheeks, and he cast a quick glance at Taras before nodding. “Your house.”
“My home,” Fedir said. His wings seemed to twitch, and he glanced down as if he wasn’t sure what reception his words would get.
“For how long?” Grisha asked seriously. “You know I have no home. And Taras needs to be near water. Are you staying with us, Taras?”
“Would you want me to?” he asked, staring at Tatiana.
“Of course,” she answered quickly. “I don’t know what to do here. I don’t know where to go—”
“You live with me,” Fedir said, interrupting. “That’s what you do.”
“And the rest of us?” Taras asked.
“I wasn’t offering for only Tatiana. There is more space than I could ever fill.” Fedir crossed his arms like he was readying himself to be rejected.
“I would love to stay with you,” Tatiana said. “Thank you.”
“I will come,” Taras said. “Are you near a river? It doesn’t matter. If there is water of some kind, I’ll be fine.”
Fedir laughed. “There is. It is small, but deep.”
“I have a home,” Shubin said. “But I’d like to—” He started again. “I’d like to stay with Tatiana. And all of you.”
That left Grisha. “I’ve roamed all over Korolevstvo and the human world. It would be good to have somewhere to rest. Thank you, Fedir.”
Tatiana linked her fingers together to stop herself from clapping, but she couldn’t help rolling up onto her toes. “This is wonderful! Fedir!” She grabbed him and spun him around. He let her, holding her around her waist and then pulled her into his arms. “Thank you.”
“It feels right,” Fedir said, shrugging. “So why fight it?”
“How long will it take us?” she asked. Would it be more days of journeying where anything could happen? She was really getting good at insulting this place, but if there was some way to avoid that, she was all for it.
“Not long, if we fly.” Fedir glanced over at Grisha and then at Shubin. “If you can carry the other two?”
Grisha nodded. “I think so. If I need to stop, I’ll tell you.”
“l could run,” Shubin said. “For as long as possible.”
“It’s settled then.” Taras grinned, showing sharp teeth. “We’re going home. Together.”
31
Kopala
Kopala ran through the tunnels as fast as he could, but he was too late. He emerged above ground just as Fedir and Grisha took flight. Grisha carried the miner and the vodyanyy, while Fedir had his arms wrapped around Tatiana.
Her face was beaming as he lifted them into the sky, but then they were gone. It wasn’t difficult to follow them; he was just as fast.
And he was alone. He didn’t have to worry about getting tired or carrying anyone to safety.
He tracked them with his gaze as he ran behind. It was impossible to ignore the camaraderie between the feia and the exchanged girl who seemed to bind them all together.
He was confused. The five of them hadn’t been together long enough to have formed that tight of a bond. Inevitably, his thoughts went to his twin brother. Kopala had been with Kviria since their conception, but they didn’t have the ease or affection these five did.
Even the bird was smiling.
Kopala stayed hidden, dodging behind buildings and boulders, staying far enough behind them that they wouldn’t see him.
Fedir should have known better. And Shubin, Taras, and Grisha knew how dangerous it was in Korolevstvo. They should have made sure no one was following.
If they’d been paying attention, they’d have seen him. They could have stopped him.
The journey wasn’t long, but Kopala didn’t know where they were going until he saw the mountain.
Unbelievable.
Fedir was willingly, voluntarily, bringing the miner, the roamer, the vodyanyy, Tatiana… all of them… here.
How was it that he trusted them enough to share his secret?
Carved into the stony face of the mountain was the bird’s home. If the sun ever shown, it would reflect off of the smooth, polished stone and tall glass windows. And it would look like it was on fire.
Kopala waited until their forms turned into tiny black dots. Then, glancing behind him, he leapt into the air to follow.
32
Tatiana
Fedir lived in a castle. A castle built into a mountain.
He flew over the turrets and arches into a courtyard. That was the right word, a courtyard? Tatiana could identify a double-wide, maybe a Colonial-style house, but her castle vocabulary was sorely lacking.
Her feet touched the stone ground and she spun in a slow circle. “Holy shit, Fedir.”
“This is your home,” Shubin said. “I should have known.”
“I expected something nest-ier,” Tatiana said and grimaced.
That had sounded weird, but Fedir only chuckled. “Though we shift into birds, we don’t have nests. This is where my family has lived for as long as there has been memory. A miner, not unlike you, Shubin, helped them carve it from the stone so it wouldn’t collapse in on itself.”
Shubin nodded, walking to one of the carved archways and stone doors. “It would have taken many, many years.”
“It was old when I was born,” Fedir said.
“I can feel the water,” Taras said. “It’s under us.”
Fedir crossed his arms. “There’s a spring, and an underground brook. I believe it was diverted through the mountain by one of the miners.”
“It is beautiful, Fedir,” Grisha said. “Truly.”
Tatiana shifted her gaze between them. The tension that had been between Fedir and the others was gone. And though he seemed awkward and unsure at times, he wasn’t distant or snobbish anymore. He seemed… happy-ish.
“Come inside,” Fedir said.
Shubin pointed to one of the doors. “This one?”
“Yes,” he answered, and Shubin pushed it open.
Shubin went inside first, and then Taras and Grisha, but Fedir lingered outside with Tatiana. “I feel nervous for some reason,” she admitted.
“Me, too.” He shook his head. “I actually care what you think.”
“I know it will be beautiful,” she said. “It is already the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen in my life. And so different.”
Fedir took her hand, guiding her through the doors and inside.
Tatiana gasped. She thought it would be as beautiful as the outside, but she was wrong.
It was magnificent. All of the walls were stone, but one had huge windows, and the stone… It was blood red, shot through with black. And though the light was dim, it bathed the whole room in a reddish glow, like a perpetual sunset.
“Fedir,” she breathed, walking toward the windows. Stretching in front of her was Korolevstvo, and for the first time, she saw the beauty in its bleakness.
It was as if the mountain sat at the edge of the plains, and then rose above it. She could see where the world curved at the horizon, all of it in shades of gray. “Korolevstvo is beautiful.”
Taras joined her at the window. “I know it wasn’t always gray,” he said. Touching his hands to the glass, he pressed against the window. “I always saw it through the water, but there were other shades of colors. Blu
e. Green.” He turned and rested his back against it as he studied the room. “This is the first color I’ve seen in so long.” He smiled, revealing his sharp fangs. “I agree. It’s beautiful.”
Fedir cleared his throat. “Taras, do you want to see the river?” he asked. “I don’t know how you’re feeling…”
“Yes,” Taras answered immediately. He held up his hands, examining the scales on the back of his hands. “If you don’t mind.”
“The spring is warm enough to bathe in,” Fedir said as he led them toward a staircase.
A bath! Tatiana glanced down at herself. She was dusty and dirty. She touched her face and felt a layer of grit beneath her fingertips. Gross. “That would be wonderful.”
“I think all of us could get clean,” Grisha said. Tatiana honestly hadn’t noticed before, but they all did look a little worse for wear. Fedir’s white feathers were more yellow than white.
“Come on,” Taras said, grabbing her hand. “How far down?” he yelled over his shoulder.
Tatiana laughed, trying to keep up with him.
“You’ll know when you get there!” Fedir called, and then they were scampering down the steps. She could hear the others thundering behind her, but Taras was moving so fast she had to watch where her feet went. The stairs, engraved with shapes and swirls she wanted to examine, were wide, and Grisha passed them.
“I’m diving in first!” he yelled and disappeared.
“Hurry!” Taras said, but she was going as fast as she could. Suddenly, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Jump on.”
“Your back?”
“Hurry!”
Tatiana jumped, and his strong arms wrapped around her upper thighs.
“Hold on,” he said and leapt. He took the steps, three and four at a time, landing lightly and then bunching his muscles to jump again.
Ahead of her, there was a tremendous splash and Grisha’s loud bellow of laughter. The stairs ended and Tatiana giggled. “He said it was a spring.”
“It is a spring!” Fedir said. There was a flash of white as he transformed into an owl and dove into the water.
Forge and Fire: The Replacement Book 1 Page 17
