by Unknown
It was one hell of a bluff, but Billi remembered the mural Koshchey had shown her back at the Ministry, and his tales about how the Bogatyrs of old had fought Baba Yaga before and driven her into the forests. If there was any fear in that black heart, maybe the memory of the Bogatyrs would reach it.
But if the old woman felt any trepidation, she did not show it. She swayed, her white hair trailing back and forth, and the twigs and bones knotted into the strands rattled and clattered together. She idly tapped her staff as she held Vasilisa.
"Man iZz a DEStroyer." She tugged a small bone in her wiry hair, a curiously childish action. "BuT so Izz Nature." Baba Yaga looked at Billi, and there was a gentleness, a pity in her stony eyes. "I gave BirtH to Maan, I DELivereD hIM to the World, OUT of his Fear and OUT of the DARKnez." She glanced at Ivan. "Hlzz time iz OVER, Billi SANgreal. It is the way of THINGZZ."
"You can't just wipe out mankind," said Ivan. "It's not for you to decide the fate of an entire species."
"Is that not what you do? How many species, races, too, have become extinct because of you?" snapped Olga. "Mankind is a plague. Look at you. You rape and pillage, you suck the Earth dry and kill all your kindred. What species has prospered under man's dominion? Not one. This Earth is not yours. Its bounty was to be shared by all, not devoured by one species who claimed it as their god-given right." She spat at his feet. "Dominion over land and sea. You sought to enslave nature. You have poisoned the very air you breathe."
"So your answer is annihilation?" said Billi.
"Nature always wins," said Olga. "With the blight of man gone, nature will reassert itself. The Earth will be reborn. It always has and always will."
"The Law, Great Mother. What of the Law?" Red stepped closer to Baba Yaga. She pointed again to Billi and Ivan, more desperately this time. "She is a wolf-killer, and the Law demands her life."
"The Law, YEzzz." Baba Yaga pointed at Billi. "She IZZ Like yoU, SvetLANA. No Wonder yOU Hate hem" She looked Billi up and down, with no more interest than she'd look at a strange insect—curious for a moment. "YeZZ, Kill ZembOtH."
Billi gasped. She backed away, knowing it was useless. Ivan scraped up his crutch. Heart banging away, Billi turned slowly, her fists ready. The Polenitsy blocked the only exit.
"Great Mother, I ask a boon!" Olga's plea stopped the Polenitsy in their tracks.
The old witch raised her head, the noise of her teeth grinding echoed within the limestone chamber and it made the hairs rise up on the back of Billi's neck.
Olga lowered her gaze respectfully. "She has been blessed by the bite of Silver Paws. The change is upon her. She will be one of the Polenitsy by tomorrow."
Baba Yaga pointed her claw at Ivan. "AnD ze Man-ChilD, wHatt of him?"
"He is Tsarevich Ivan Alexeivich Romanov."
"RoMannoFF?"
Ivan gulped as the witch stepped up to him, so close they were almost nose to nose. Her throat rattled with a laugh.
"WEIcomme, romaNOFF." The old crone's eyes sparkled with amusement. "The blood of MaNy princeZZ and kingzz run in the veinZZ of the PoLenitsee. He wOULD make a FINE consort, do you not tHiNk, SVetlana?"
Svetlana hissed. "I think we should kill them now." The old crone glided next to Billi. She took hold of her chin and turned her face toward hers.
"The BEASt Callzz, DOes it NOT?"
Baba Yaga grinned grotesquely. "Join Uzz, BILLi sanGREAL. Join your Siisterzz."
Billi glared up at Baba Yaga. "I am not an animal."
Baba Yaga laughed.
"Have you told them of Fimbulwinter?" Billi asked. "That the wolves will die beside mankind?"
Olga started. She shot a look at the old witch.
"I HONor MY PoliNNItZzee," The witch drew a fingernail along her chin. "YoU Humanzz aRe full of LYzz."
"Then tell us how you can eliminate mankind while keeping the Polenitsy safe." Billi crossed her arms; it was the only way she could stop herself from trembling. Any second now the old witch was going to kill her, but she had to first make the Polenitsy understand that Baba Yaga was deceiving them.
Olga stepped forward, her head low and humble. "Great Mother. How will we remove the curse of mankind and still save the others who worship and honor you?"
Voices rose out of Baba Yaga, troubled and discordant, no longer driven by a single will. They babbled a thousand —a million—things. Baba Yaga glowered, looming over them all.
Billi and Ivan backed away, and even the Polenitsy around them moved nervously, their bare feet scraping on the smooth stone. Many fell facedown, kneeling in terror at the anger of their goddess.
"SILEnZZE!" Baba Yaga leaned close to Olga, her long iron fangs just inches from the old werewolf's face. The witch hissed. "iT Izz NOT YouRR place to QUesTion MEEE!"
Olga bowed low. But unlike many of the other Polenitsy, she did not kneel.
"I meant no disrespect, Great Mother."
"ReMmember who zervezz wHo, Olga. Who zervezz Who." Baba Yaga gazed deep into each of the werewolves' eyes, a gaze full of evil malice and anger. "I Am YouRR godDD and iT is Not fOR morTalzz"—she hissed the last word, spiteful and contemptuous—"to QuesTion the WILL of theirrR godZZ."
She swung around. Svetlana, who had been beside Olga, shot a look of anger at her grandmother, then took hold of Vasilisa. Baba Yaga tapped her way back into the darkness of the caves. "Go Noww."
Only when Baba Yaga had gone did the Polenitsy's silence lift. Billi watched them, perched in the alcoves and ledges above. Some glared down at her, their hatred clear. How dare she question the goddess? Others looked uneasy, whispering and arguing among themselves.
Svetlana met her grandmother as she crossed the pool, pulling Vasilisa behind her.
"Ty dolzhna byla naklonitsa pered boginyey!" said Svetlana.
Olga looked coolly at her granddaughter. "Myzhe Polenitsy, nye ryaby."
Svetlana turned abruptly and stormed out. Billi caught a glimpse of Vasilisa reaching out to her with a free hand as she was dragged away. She wanted to be safe, so she reached for Billi. Hadn't Billi crossed Russia to find her? To save her?
"What did she say?" Billi asked Ivan. Ivan's eyes narrowed as he watched the Polenitsy depart. He whispered, "The red-haired one said she should have got to her knees before the goddess."
Yes, that had been strange. Olga, almost alone among the Polenitsy, had remained on her feet. She had been practically defiant.
"What was Olga's reply?"
"That they were Polenitsy, not slaves."
"Come," said Olga, sounding weary. Three other Polenitsy came down off the ledge and escorted them back out.
Billi's mind churned over the options.
Her dad was coming, but when? He had no idea how many Polenitsy were waiting here in the forest. The Templars would be slaughtered.
There would be no last-minute rescue. She and Ivan were on their own.
The sky was darkening as Billi crawled back out. But already the moon hung over the tree tops, casting its pallid light over her. Sharp pangs shot through her stomach and across her chest. The Beast Within tore at her, trying to break out of her skin.
"I am not a beast." The pain made her drop to her knees.
Ivan bent down beside her and locked his arms around her.
Eyes closed, Billi rocked gently in his embrace. She was not a beast, not yet. She had one thing to do before it was all too late.
"I'm all right," she said. It wasn't true; she was anything but.
Vasilisa.
It hadn't been so long ago that she'd been at home with her family, safe and ignorant of the monsters outside. Through no fault of her own, through a freak of birth, she was now at the heart of the Bataille Ténébreuse.
I'm sorry, Vasilisa.
As the Polenitsy waited impatiently beside her, Billi pressed her fingers into the snow, willing the cold to leech into her blood and freeze her heart. She had to turn whatever pity, whatever compassion she might have, to ice. There was no room for it now.
There was only one way to stop Fimbulwinter.
Billi would kill Vasilisa tonight.
Chapter 35
OLGA WALKED BESIDE BILLI AS THEY EVENTUALLY made their way back to the camp. Ivan had fallen a few paces behind with the other escorts; it wasn't easy getting through the snow with his injured leg.
"I suppose I should thank you. For saving our lives," said Billi. She didn't get it, though. With all that had happened, why had the old woman protected them?
"I was honoring a debt, nothing more."
"A debt? You owe us nothing."
"You saved two lives. Natasha and Maria. You helped them escape the Bogatyrs in Moscow."
"The paisley woman and the young werewolf girl. They were friends of yours?"
"They were Polenitsy."
"But the woman's dead. Koshchey killed her."
Olga nodded. "But Maria lives. For her life I saved yours." She slowed down, pressing her boot tip into the snow. "And you are now one of us. We protect our own."
Billi shook her head savagely. "I'll never join you. Even if I transform, why would I want to be part of this?"
Olga grabbed Billi's arm and swung her around. "Then where will you go? Do you think the Templars will welcome you? You that are Unholy in their eyes? You will join us and live a life you could not have dreamed of. What is better than this freedom?"
"It doesn't mean anything. With Fimbulwinter to be unleashed tomorrow, we'll all be dead soon enough."
"Fimbulwinter so you say. Who told you about Fimbulwinter?"
"Vasilisa. You must know that Baba Yaga has been sharing her mind. Vasilisa learned about Fimbulwinter from the goddess herself."
"No... that cannot be true," said Olga, her voice wavering.
"I don't know who's worse," said Billi to the old woman. "That mad witch, or you, for worshipping her."
If she'd wanted a reaction, she got it. Olga knocked her off her feet with a single swipe. She stood over Billi, flexing her fingers. The nails were normal, human. She didn't need claws to tear Billi apart.
"Get up, Templar," Olga said. "Why do you provoke me?"
Billi got up and dusted the snow off her coat. "Provoke? You don't think kidnapping children and planning the apocalypse is provocation?"
"You should have stayed in London."
"Why? Because it's safer? Baba Yaga wants to use Vasilisa's powers to blow Yellowstone, a supervolcano. When that goes there won't be a place on the planet that's safe." Billi thought about the devastation Vesuvius had caused. That eruption would be a puff of smoke compared to what was going to happen tomorrow unless she found a way to stop it. "Ash and sulphur dioxide will fill the sky and block out the sun. The world will freeze. We'll all starve, human and wolf."
"No. The Great Mother has promised to protect us." Olga shook her head. "She would not unleash such devastation on us. If what you say is true, all the world's population would suffer near extinction. Baba Yaga only wishes to protect the natural world."
"She's lying, Olga." Billi met the old woman's gaze. "She wants to wipe the slate clean and start over. She only needs a few to survive. Even if it takes another thousand years for the world to repopulate, Baba Yaga can wait."
"Baba Yaga has promised us a spring like no other, after the Spring Child's sacrifice."
"Yes. But it's going to be a long hard winter before it arrives, and you won't be around to enjoy it. None of us will."
This was a dangerous game. But she'd seen Olga defy Baba Yaga, so there was some doubt in the old werewolf's mind. If Billi could exploit that, might they not gain an ally and a chance to stop Baba Yaga? Maybe not all the Polenitsy blindly believed in their Dark Goddess. They'd seen the indiscriminate devastation of Vesuvius. There hadn't been any allowances made there—the volcano had wiped out everything.
"How, Olga? How is Baba Yaga going to save the Polenitsy?"
Olga glanced back toward the cave, then at Billi. She shook her head. "It is not my place to question the wisdom of the Great Mother."
"That's convenient. For her."
"Does your god answer your questions?" Olga retorted. "I think not."
"Then we must find our own answers." Billi stopped close to Olga. "Or we are all going to die."
Olga huffed and pointed toward the camp. "Move faster." She didn't want to discuss this anymore.
A guard waited outside the tent. The man, a bulky sword-armed Mongolian, pulled the flap back.
"Make sure they do not leave," Olga ordered before departing.
"What exactly was that all about?" said Ivan.
"It doesn't matter."
Ivan limped up to the fire in the center of the tent. He rubbed his hands and warmed them over the flames. "What are we going to do?" He stared at the fire, and his eyes shone with amber flames.
"If you've got a cunning plan, now would be the time to enlighten me."
"Plan? We're trapped, Billi." He slapped the side of his leg in frustration. "I'm going nowhere with this."
"Just let me think." Billi searched the room. Couple of stools, a bed, and some pots and pans. Not much. She needed to move fast, before she changed her mind.
The stool.
"We need to get out of here now." She smiled at Ivan, picked up the stool, and smashed it on the ground. "Fight me."
"What?" Billi kicked the table over, sending the tray and cups clattering. "Fight!" Ivan grabbed the bed, shouting incoherently, and tossed it into the flames, sending burning embers across the carpet.
The tent flap swung open as the guard stormed in. Ivan screamed and threw his crutch at Billi, who caught it. She pointed at Ivan as the smoke began to rise.
"He started it!"
The guard glanced at Ivan, and Billi swung the crutch into the back of his legs.
He dropped to his knees. His hand went to his sword, while Billi spun the wooden stick around and whipped herself behind him. With the staff across his throat, she buried her knee into his upper back and pulled.
"Grab his hands! His hands!" Billi ordered.
Ivan lurched forward and did so. The guard hissed and locked his neck muscles as stiff as he could, but Billi had the staff under his Adam's apple, and pulled it toward her while pushing her knee further into his back, steadily strangling him. Ivan held the man's hands out in front of him.
The man coughed, then choked. He turned his head, trying to free himself from the suffocating trap Billi had him in. He twisted, but Ivan wouldn't let go. The struggles diminished in vigor, and after what seemed like a century, his body slumped.
Billi dropped the stick, and the man fell face-first onto the carpet. Ivan tipped a jug of water over the smoking edges of the carpet. He used the discarded blankets to smother the small fire.
"Thanks," she said. "It would help if you told me what you were planning in advance."
"No time." Billi checked the man's pulse. Still alive. "He'll be out for ten minutes. Gag him and tie him to that." She pointed at one of the two central tent supports. The post was about twenty inches thick, solid pine and dug in deep.
Billi unbuckled the man's weapon's belt. The saber was an old Cossack blade, sharply curved with a single edge tapering into a stiff dagger point. It was old and certainly sharp enough to shave a few hairs off a werewolf. As well as the saber, there was a plain stabbing dagger.
Ideal for slipping between the ribs. "I'm going after Vasilisa," she said.
Ivan didn't ask what she was going to do with her: Billi's cold tone was explanation enough.
"And then?" he asked as he tied up the unconscious man. He stood and smiled sadly, then leaned on the support column, worn out.
Billi shook her head. "There won't be any 'then,' Ivan." She could run, but how far would she get? The Polenitsy would be on her before she'd gone a mile. They would not treat her well for having killed the Spring Child. But whatever the werewolves did would be quick; Baba Yaga would want her to suffer a longer, crueler death.
"There has to be another way." Ivan came up to her and pu
t his hands on her arms.
"I'm sorry I got you into this mess." Billi tried to laugh. "I seem to have a fatal effect on boys." But maybe they'd let Ivan live if she did the deed alone. It was a fool's hope, but at this point any hope was foolish.
Hope that Arthur and the Knights Templar would arrive and save the day.
Hope that the Polenitsy would defy Baba Yaga.
Hope that she could save everyone without killing a little girl.
Foolish, foolish, foolish.
Billi looked up at him. There was warmth in what Billi had once thought was a cold and guarded gaze, which matched the emotion behind his sad smile. Billi laced her fingers with his.
I am going to die. The thought hit her like a spear. Billi squeezed her fingers tighter around Ivan's. Once she let go, that was it. She took a deep breath to quell the fear mounting inside. At least she wouldn't have to live with the guilt of murdering Vasilisa. Not for long, anyway.
"Let's think for just a minute," said Ivan desperately. "Maybe your father—"
Billi pulled herself free. Time to get it finished. "We can't wait." She wrapped the belt around her waist, buckling it on the very last hole and checking her weapons again. The scabbard was worn smooth and the sword came free easily.
"Get the guard's coat and hat and stand out here; they'll notice if he's missing." Billi went to the door flap. "Wish me luck, Ivan."
"I wish... " He stopped. The time for wishes had run out. He straightened his clothes; if this was good-bye, he'd do it properly. He started to smooth the creases, but faltered. He touched her face gently before letting his hand fall away.
"Deus vult, Billi SanGreal."
Billi left.
She looked into the darkening sky. To the west the sun's dying light covered the clouds with deep crimson smears, the shades turning to dark purple and black in the east. The moon had vanished behind the dense clouds, giving her some reprieve. She felt the feathery kisses of snowflakes on her cheeks. The icy wind whipped at her tattered red coat, and she pulled up the collar to protect her neck, but the cold air ruffled her hair and stung her ears.
