Ignis (Book 2, Pure Series)

by Mesick, Catherine

  For his part, the hybrid that had attained the roof of the keep was standing over a hapless vampire, hacking at his neck with an axe. The hybrid shrieked in triumph.

  I turned away.

  A moment later, I cried out when someone grabbed me by the arm and hauled me to my feet.

  It was William.

  "I'm getting you out of here," he said. "Now. No arguments this time."

  William dragged me through the trapdoor, and we ran down the spiral staircase in the darkness.

  William pulled me out of the keep, and then picked me up. He ran toward the front of the keep, and then down the hill. We were heading toward the ring of pale trees at the end of the clearing.

  As William ran, I squeezed my eyes shut against the sight of several headless hybrids that continued to struggle toward the keep.

  William stopped suddenly, and I opened my eyes. We had just reached the trees at the edge of the clearing, and someone had stepped into our path.

  It was Timofei Mstislav.

  It struck me once again that he was much as he had been in life—he was still sleek and superficially handsome. There were changes in him, of course, which I had glimpsed elsewhere in these same woods—his eyes now burned with an unholy flame, his skin now had the intense pallor of death, and there was something else—an added sheen to him, an unhealthy glamour that all of the hybrids had. They were both beautiful and terrible.

  With angular smoke swirling off him, black where it touched the white trees, Timofei stared at me now, his eyes burning with hatred. William set me down and interposed his body between Timofei and me.

  Timofei was lost to my sight.

  William had slung his crossbow over his back earlier, and he now brought it forward and raised it.

  He fired several times in rapid succession—it seemed that the crossbow had the capacity to hold more than one disc at a time. And then when he was out of ammunition, he reached into the armor that he wore. It turned out that the leather garment wasn't armor after all—it was really a place to store the lethal discs.

  William reloaded the crossbow with lightning speed and prepared to fire again.

  A large, dark figure suddenly hit William from the side, knocking him to the ground. The figure then wrenched the crossbow away from him. By the light of the trees, I could see that the attacker was one of the still-intact hybrids.

  With William's body out of the way, I could see Timofei Mstislav once again. He smiled malevolently and started toward me.

  William jumped to his feet and grabbed me by the hand.

  "Run!" he cried.

  We flew through the woods with William leading the way, and we moved so fast that the trees become a white blur. We ran on and on, and I realized that we must be close to the edge of the Pure Woods. We would soon be out in the Wasteland.

  I began to believe that we could make it.

  Then something snaked around my ankle and held it fast, and my hand was pulled out of William's grasp.

  I fell to the ground heavily, and suddenly I found myself being dragged backward along the forest floor with terrifying speed.

  I tried to grab onto something, anything that would stop the dragging, but I couldn't find any purchase on the frozen ground.

  There was a sound of splintering wood, as William rushed after me, and I felt a jolt as my backward progress came to an abrupt halt. I was jerked suddenly to my feet and held in an iron grip.

  I knew without looking around that Timofei Mstislav was the one who held me.

  "Stop!" cried a harsh voice right next to my ear. "Stop or she will die."

  Icy fingers wrapped around my neck, and William skidded to a halt just in front of me. He stared me for a moment, and then took a step forward.

  "Stop!" Timofei cried again, and he gave me a shake. "Or I break her neck."

  William froze.

  "Move back," Timofei ordered.

  William took a step back.

  "Let her go," he said. His voice was full of cold fury. "Let her go, or I will tear you apart."

  "You threaten me?" Timofei asked. His voice in death had a strange metallic quality to it. "I am no dumb brute. I am not to be ordered around like an ordinary kost. And you killed me once before, remember? You can see how effective that was."

  "Let her go," William said furiously.

  "I have captured the girl they all want," Timofei said triumphantly. He gave me another shake. "The girl who helped you to kill my father. The two of you are responsible for his death and mine. And for that I will have my revenge on you both. You, I will kill tonight. The girl will be killed later. But you will both die. And you, William Sursur, will come with me now. You will walk just ahead of us. You will stay where I can see you."

  Timofei gave my neck a painful wrench, and I was forced to walk forward. William, his eyes bright with anger, turned and walked ahead of us.

  The cold from Timofei's fingers spread down my neck and ran through my body. I couldn't fight off an involuntary trembling as Timofei forced us to walk on.

  Timofei pushed the pace so hard that I stumbled and fell. He pulled me to my feet with such force that I cried out, and William started back toward us.

  "Stop!" Timofei cried, squeezing my throat. "Stop! Or I'll kill her right now."

  William stopped.

  "Turn around and walk," Timofei commanded.

  William obeyed.

  "Fall once more," Timofei said to me in a harsh whisper, "and you will die."

  The three of us marched grimly onward.

  I soon realized that we were headed back toward the keep, and I felt the fear that filled me escalating. Timofei wanted us to be surrounded by hybrids. He wanted to ensure that there would be no escape.

  William and I were trapped.

  After an eternity of walking, my body slowly freezing from contact with Timofei's icy skin, we reached the keep, where the fight between the hybrids and the vampires raged on. But instead of leading us toward the hybrids, Timofei forced us to walk along the edge of the sheer drop that fell away from the back of the keep. I glanced over the edge of the drop. All I could see was darkness.

  "Keep moving," Timofei commanded.

  I tried to control my trembling, but between the cold from Timofei's grasp, and our proximity to the edge of a dangerous drop, I shook even harder.

  I feared I would stumble.

  And if I stumbled, either Timofei or the fall would kill me.

  Then the unthinkable happened. William stumbled, falling over the lip of the drop.

  "William!" I screamed.

  "Get back here, William Sursur!" Timofei shouted furiously.

  Timofei dragged me over the lip of the drop, and I saw with a faint measure of relief that there was actually a broad ledge near the edge. William was lying face up on the ledge. Beyond the ledge, the ground fell away sharply into the deep, black valley.

  "Get up!" Timofei shouted.

  But William did not move.

  Timofei pulled me toward William's motionless body.

  "Get up!" Timofei shouted furiously. "Get up now!"

  With blinding speed, William launched himself at Timofei, somehow missing me completely and knocking Timofei to the ground.

  "Run!" William screamed at me. "Run!"

  I stumbled backward a few paces, but I was unable to leave William.

  I couldn't just run and leave him to die.

  William held Timofei pinned to the platform of the ledge for a few moments, then Timofei, his eyes burning with hatred, threw William against the wall of the drop. Timofei lurched to his feet, grabbed William, and sent him flying back over the top of the drop. William was propelled into a tree, hitting it with such force that the tree cracked and began to rock on its roots.

  Timofei started toward me then, and I scrambled back quickly, stumbling hard against the wall of the drop.

  William jumped back onto the ledge and lunged for Timofei, the two of them falling heavily onto the solid surface of the ledge. They strugg
led briefly, and Timofei came out the winner. He lifted William up off the ground and wrapped him in a grotesque embrace. He seemed to be trying to break William's ribs.

  William let out a terrible cry of pain.

  I looked around desperately and spotted a big, heavy, broken tree branch. I caught it up and began to pound on Timofei's broad back.

  Timofei dropped William and turned toward me, wrenching the tree branch out of my hands. He caught me by the neck once again, and then lifted me up.

  He threw me, and I felt myself soaring first, and then falling through the air into the deep valley below.

  I knew I would never survive the fall.

  There was a terrible crash.

  Then everything went black.

  Chapter 25.

  I was aware of light on my face first. Then I could feel warmth. I moved my arms and legs experimentally, and they seemed to be working.

  I wondered—why wouldn't they be working? Why had I thought of that?

  My mind was cloudy.

  I opened my eyes.

  I was lying in a bed in an all-white room. Sunlight streamed in through a window nearby.

  GM was sitting by my bedside. When she saw that my eyes were open she started forward.

  "I am here, Solnyshko. I am here. You are safe now. I am taking care of everything."

  "Where am I?" I asked.

  "You're in the hospital," GM said, taking my hand. Her grasp was reassuringly warm.

  "Are we still in Krov?" I asked.

  "We are still in Krov."

  I frowned. I felt the stirrings of memory. I remembered moving through the air in the dark—

  "How did I—"

  I stopped when Maksim Mstislav walked into the room. I felt a flash of panic, and I sat up in bed. I remembered that I had reason to be suspicious of him—but then I had decided to trust him—hadn't I?

  Maksim smiled when he saw me. "How's our girl? It's good to see you awake at last."

  "I'm not entirely sure what happened," I said. "But I think I'm okay."

  Maksim came to stand beside GM, and I found that I was pleased to see him, despite my misgivings.

  "Your doctor told us you would be fine," Maksim said. "But it's a relief to see it's true."

  GM smiled first up at him, and then at me. Seeing the two of them together, looking at me with concern and relief in their eyes, I felt for a moment like I actually had a mother and a father. It was a good feeling.

  "We should call the doctor back now," GM said. "He'll want to see her. I'm sure there are some tests he would like to run."

  "Maybe we should wait a little while, Anna," Maksim replied. "Let's give Katie some time to enjoy being fully conscious again."

  "Fully conscious?" I said. "How long have I been out?"

  "Do not be distressed," GM said quickly. "You were brought unconscious to the hospital about twelve hours ago. But the doctor says you just received a small bump on the head—he was quite sure that you would be all right."

  GM frowned. "All the same, you do appear to have quite a few bad scrapes and bruises. What a terrible time you must have had."

  I put a hand up to my forehead and shifted into a more comfortable position in the bed. I really did feel fine, though a fog still sat over my memories. I realized that I hadn't expected to be okay—why hadn't I expected that?

  "You said I was out for twelve hours?" I asked. "So it's Christmas Eve?"

  "Yes, it's late afternoon on your American Christmas Eve," Maksim said in a gently teasing tone. "Though, as I told you, the real Russian celebration isn't until New Year's."

  GM touched a pendant around her neck, and I realized she was wearing the necklace I had bought her along with her usual cross.

  "I hope you don't mind, Solnyshko. I opened your present to me early. I was worried—even though they told us everything would be all right—I had feared—"

  She broke off and wrapped her fingers around both the cross and the primitive female figure.

  "I just wanted to open your gift as soon as possible," GM said. "I thought that opening it might somehow bring luck for both of us."

  "Luck?" I said with a little smile. "That doesn't sound like you."

  "When there is nothing you can do, but you wish you could influence events—" GM shrugged. "Sometimes you cannot help but look to luck."

  I was really happy to see GM wearing the charm—I hoped it would do more than give her luck. I hoped it would protect her.

  "Do you like it?" I asked.

  "I love it, Solnyshko." GM clutched her necklaces tighter and shook her head. "I am sorry—I am so sorry that I lost track of you last night at the Firebird Festival. Otherwise, I'm sure you would not have fallen."

  Fallen—I had fallen—because I had been thrown. I had been in the forest—Timofei and the hybrids had attacked—

  The fog over my memories suddenly shifted, and I saw in part. A few images from the night came back to me hazily.

  "What happened at the keep?" I asked. "What happened with the hybrids?"

  GM blinked at me in surprise. "I don't know what you mean by 'hybrids,' but how did you know about the keep?"

  "Do you mean the keep in the Pure Woods?" Maksim asked me.

  "Yes," I said. "That's exactly the one I mean."

  "Perhaps Katie overhead some of the doctors and nurses talking," Maksim said, turning to GM. "Maybe she processed the news subconsciously."

  "In that case," GM replied firmly, "Katie does not need to know anything about it. It will only upset her."

  "Keeping Katie in the dark could upset her too," Maksim said gently. "Her imagination could run riot. Sometimes it is best to face upsetting facts."

  GM sighed. "Very well. I suppose the news is all over town anyway."

  GM turned to me. "Some of the bodies that were stolen from their graves were found this morning. They were found at the old castle keep in the Pure Woods. All of the bodies had been decapitated and mutilated. One of the bodies that was found was that of Timofei Mstislav."

  Panic ran through me—the hybrids had been found—as had Timofei Mstislav. And their bodies had not been burned to ash. Did that mean that they were they still alive? The whole terrible night in the woods suddenly came flooding back to me.

  And what about—

  "William," I said frantically. "Where is William? Is he okay?"

  GM sighed again. "Always back to the boy. Just when I think we've seen the last of him."

  "Oh, Anna," Maksim said. "How can you be so hard-hearted? William did bring Katie to the hospital. I think we can be grateful to him for that."

  "William brought me here?" I said. "So he's okay?"

  Maksim smiled. "Yes, of course, William is okay. You're the one who fell—not William."

  "Where is he?" I asked, sitting up straighter. "Is he here?"

  "I imagine he's in the lobby," Maksim replied.

  "In the lobby?" GM said sharply. "I told him to leave."

  "I doubt he listened, Anna."

  "I have to see him," I said. I threw off my covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

  Maksim held up a restraining hand. "There is no need for you to get up. I will go and fetch him."

  He turned and bowed to GM. "With your permission, of course, Anna."

  GM waved a hand. "Yes, yes. Go ahead. If he is indeed still here, you may bring the boy in. I can see that Katie will not be at peace until she sees him."

  Maksim bowed again and left the room.

  I sank back gratefully against my pillows—my sudden exertion had left me feeling dizzy.

  Part of that dizziness was physical weakness, but part of it was born of sheer relief. I now knew that William was all right—somehow he had survived our encounter with Timofei Mstislav. I wiped at my eyes—I realized that they were brimming with tears.

  I looked toward GM. I was glad to have a moment alone with her—I wanted to find out exactly what had happened. It seemed as if what I'd done last night had actually helped to s
pare everyone at the Firebird Festival.

  And somehow I had survived the whole thing too.

  "So, what happened last night?" I asked. "Did anything unusual happen at the festival?"

  "Apart from your nearly scaring the life out of me?" GM asked. "Why is it that every time we come to Russia you end up in the hospital? I hope this is a habit that we can break."

  "Tell me everything you remember," I said. "I want to know exactly what happened."

  GM sat down in the chair by my bed.

  "I suppose your memory might be a little fuzzy," she said. "That would certainly be understandable. Well, there isn't actually a lot to tell you. Last night Maksim and I had been talking, and I suppose the two of us got separated from you in the crowd. We heard the firecrackers go off, and then the main procession with the Firebird statue and the dancers came through. And then—"

  GM stopped and closed her eyes as if the memory were painful.

  She continued. "Then Maksim and I looked around and realized we didn't know where you were." GM shook her head. "I can't believe that I lost sight of you. We went in search of you. We found a police officer, and he helped us look. Soon, others joined us and helped to look too.

  "None of us could find you." GM's voice began to rise. "Eventually the festival began to wind down, and there was still no sign of you. I began to fear—"

  She broke off and took a calming breath.

  "And then that boy of yours showed up. He told us he'd taken you to the hospital—he said you'd fallen. So we hurried here. He came with us. You were unconscious when we arrived. That's basically the whole story."

  I was relieved. GM didn't seem to have seen anything out of the ordinary.

  The hybrids had not attacked. The plan had worked.

  GM frowned and went on.

  "There's a fairly deep depression not far from the Mstislav mansion. It's by the side of that little road that leads toward the newer shops and houses—it's called Mara's Drop. I assumed that you had fallen over there, but now I realize that I don't know where you were or what you were doing. What was going on last night?"