The Unfailing Light (The Katerina Trilogy 2)

by Robin Bridges

  “But we have to warn the others—”

  Sucre’s eyes flashed a deep, dark sapphire blue, dark as midnight. “Not a word. I will take care of this without your assistance, Mademoiselle.”

  Too frightened and too angry to say anything more, I merely nodded and heard his low, soft laughter behind me as I hurried back to my room. How dare he laugh at a time like this? The faerie was heartless.

  Aurora was curled up in her bed, studying her German grammar book with extreme studiousness. Elena had pressed herself up against the tiny window and was staring out into the darkness.

  “What is it?” I asked, immediately feeling the prickling on the back of my neck again.

  Elena shook her head slowly. “We don’t know. There was a noise outside like someone crying. Alix thought it was a student.”

  “And she went to find out? How foolish!” I was filled with dread. Dread that the ghost could appear outside of the school. If that was possible, she was more powerful than I’d imagined.

  Elena grinned and turned away from the window. “Alix didn’t say anything. We were both looking out the window, and I couldn’t see anything, and then all of a sudden she left. She did the strangest thing, though. She pulled the box out from under her bed, unrolled the red ribbon, and took it with her.”

  I grabbed my woolen cloak. “Are you coming?”

  “We don’t know who or what is out there,” Elena said. “It’s far too dangerous.” She shrugged and plopped back down on her cot, picking up her book. “Besides, I’m sure Alix will be back soon,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “Unfortunately.”

  I rolled my eyes and left, regretting that their sugar-coated truce hadn’t lasted very long. I crept down the stairs as quietly as possible, wondering if Alix had been bold enough to leave the building.

  She hadn’t. I found her just inside the front door. She looked at me. “There is a great evil outside, Katerina Alexandrovna,” she whispered.

  “In the courtyard?” I could feel the panic rising up inside. Nothing should have been able to get past the empress’s spell. Had the spell failed?

  Alix shook her head. “I think it’s in the woods just past the courtyard. I don’t think you should go out there.”

  “Can you see it?” My mind was racing. If it wasn’t the ghost, could it be that Konstantin had found me? I wished that George could hear me. If the lich tsar was out there, Tsar Alexander needed to be warned. “What did he look like?”

  “He?” Alix frowned. “I did not get a good look, but it sounded to me as if the thing was female.”

  “Thing? Female?” I brushed past her and opened wide the front door.

  “Katerina, don’t! Stay inside!” Alix whispered, her fingers digging into my arm.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  “Katerina Alexandrovna!” Alix whispered. “Have you gone mad? It’s too risky to go out there!”

  I turned on her. “And what were you going to do? Why are you here, Your Highness?”

  Her jaw dropped a little, and she looked as if she were about to say something, but changed her mind.

  “Alix, whatever special powers you normally have, I don’t think they will work right now the way you want them to.”

  “What do you know of special powers?” she whispered, her blue eyes suddenly large and bright in the light of the full moon.

  I took a deep breath. “Your red ribbon. What is it for?”

  She frowned, and I could have sworn I heard her growl. “It would be dangerous for you to know, Duchess.”

  My smile was grim. “I know lots of dangerous things.”

  We both were startled by a moan just outside of the courtyard. Princess Alix was right. It sounded female. And hungry. And sad.

  I took a step out into the snow-covered yard. “Hello?” I whispered.

  “Mistressss.” The voice was vaguely familiar. And definitely female.

  “Mon Dieu.” I felt the blood drain from my face, and grew sick to my stomach. This could not be happening. Not again. “Oh no,” I whispered.

  “Merde,” Alix agreed, nodding. But she followed me to edge of the courtyard, to the edge of the empress’s invisible barrier. “Who is it?” the princess asked.

  The figure stepped out from the shadows into the moonlight and moaned softly.

  I sighed unhappily. “That is Madame Metcherskey, a former teacher here at Smolny.”

  Madame Metcherskey, or what used to be her, stumbled toward us, clutching her burial shroud. She turned her dull, lifeless eyes toward me and reached out with pale, blue hands. “Mistressss,” she hissed. “What have you done to me?”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  “Katerina Alexandrovna!” Alix cried out hoarsely. “What have you done? This is an abomination!”

  I grabbed her. “You must swear not to tell another soul about this.”

  She tried to back away from me, pale and shaking her head. “You are a wicked person! I would expect something like this from Elena, but not you.”

  “I have not done this on purpose. Please, Alix. Please believe me.”

  “Mistressss …” Madame Metcherskey stumbled toward us, but was kept out by the magic barrier. “You must release me.” Her face and lips were completely colorless. My heart hurt to look at her. And I feared that the noise she was making would wake the headmistress. There was a malice in her eyes that I’d never seen when she was alive. I knew she had never liked me when she lived, and now she’d never forgive me for doing this to her.

  Alix shook her head. “No, not even Elena could do something so evil. You must fix it, Katerina.”

  “I can’t. But I have to get her somewhere safe.” I took a step forward. “Madame Metcherskey, you need to go see someone who may be able to help you. He has helped me before.”

  Alix’s eyes grew even larger. “You’ve done this before? Katerina Alexandrovna, your soul must belong with the damned!”

  “Mistresss, release me from your bidding. I have unfinished work to complete.”

  Madame Metcherskey did not behave the same way Count Chermenensky had. I wasn’t sure if what had happened to her was the same thing that had happened to him. How could I raise the dead without realizing how I was doing it? I still did not know much about revenants and ghouls, but I was too afraid to let her roam the streets of St. Petersburg on her own. I took a deep breath. “No, Madame. You must do as I tell you. Go to the office of the Tibetan doctor, Pyotr Badmaev, on Nevski Prospekt. He will be able to keep you safe.”

  Madame Metcherskey’s dark eyes narrowed and she growled. It did not sound human. Alix shrank back behind me and started to cry. But I was almost certain Madame could not harm me. I took my cloak and tossed it to her. I wished I could help her cover up, but I could not touch her through the empress’s barrier. The image of the frozen shawl in the garden flashed before me. It must have been hers, I thought with a shudder. How long had it been since she’d risen from her grave?

  I spoke as firmly as I could, even though I was shaking with fear and shivering with cold. “Go and speak with Dr. Badmaev. Use the servant entrance. Tell him I sent you.”

  I hoped he would not be too angry. I hoped the doctor would be able to calm her down. Count Chermenensky had usually been docile as long as he did not feel threatened.

  Madame closed her eyes, as if she were fighting with herself. “As you wish, Mistressss,” she hissed, and slowly shuffled toward the front gates.

  Alix and I both held our breaths as we watched her disappear into the darkness, and then we hurried back inside. We closed the front door and leaned against the inside, sighing with relief.

  Princess Alix turned to me, a chilling look in her eye. “I promise you, Katerina Alexandrovna, you will be punished for your wicked deeds. And if you are consorting with the devil, I swear on my mother’s grave, I will kill you myself.”

  Stunned, I only stared at her as she walked quickly and silently back up the staircase to our room. I did not know what I could say to explain or defend m
yself to her. Necromancy was a wicked art. And I abhorred the thought of what I’d done to Madame Metcherskey. Even if it hadn’t been on purpose. I had never been quite sure how I had brought Count Chermenensky back from the grave either. Did I simply have to wish them back to life? I did not know. And I couldn’t let it happen again.

  I rubbed my temples. I was cold and tired, but I was not sure if I could trust Alix anymore. Our room was dark when I returned. Both Elena and Aurora appeared to be sleeping in their cots. I did not think Alix was asleep, though. I sat down and huddled under my blanket, thankful at last for the warmth, but too worried to rest myself. After a long time, Alix’s breathing slowed as she fell into a deep sleep. Elena was restless, tossing and turning, and even whimpering at times while she dreamt. It was a long, black night as I watched all of them and wondered if Madame Metcherskey had made it to Dr. Badmaev’s safely.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  “Katerina! Katerina Alexandrovna!” Elena was shaking me awake.

  I had fallen asleep sitting up in my cot, leaning up against the wall. I tried to rub the soreness out of my neck.

  “You will be late for breakfast.” Elena dug through my trunk and threw my white school apron at me. “What happened with you and Alix last night?”

  I glanced over at Alix’s empty cot. She must have been in a hurry to leave our room that morning. I sighed, trying to lose the tightness in my chest. There had been no hint of a joke or teasing in her threat the previous night. I would have to be wary of her from now on.

  “Katerina?” Elena still stood at my bed, looking at me questioningly.

  “Alix heard a noise outside, but we saw nothing. It must have been an animal.” Elena did not need to know about Madame Metcherskey. How would I be able to keep Alix from telling anyone? How could I convince her that she didn’t see what she thought she saw?

  I took a deep breath. “I think she must have had a nightmare. Alix kept tossing and turning, muttering about unholy things. That is why I was sitting up. I was afraid she would harm herself with her thrashing about.”

  “Really?” Elena looked extremely interested.

  “Maybe the ghost was stirring up trouble again. Did you have strange dreams last night as well?”

  Elena shook her head. “I slept peacefully.” She finished putting her hair up and tied on her apron.

  “Then I don’t know what caused her distress.” I shrugged, and hurried to finish getting dressed. Lying to Elena came so easily, it barely pricked my conscience anymore. What kind of person was I becoming?

  I dashed downstairs with Elena to the dining room. Sucre was placing baskets of hot biscuits on the table. He seemed oblivious of the several students gazing up at him with starry looks in their eyes.

  With the most polite nod, he handed me a biscuit. “Duchess, you seem to find yourself in more and more trouble every time I see you.”

  “Merci, Monsieur.” I placed the biscuit on my plate as I sat down at the end of the table.

  “First it was a ghost, and now you are plagued with the undead as well?” He shook his head, smiling viciously.

  I glanced around in alarm and realized that no one else would hear the faerie speak unless he wished them to. Everyone was enjoying the enchanted breakfast in ignorant bliss. I pushed the biscuit to the side of my plate, and reached for my tea. “How did you know?”

  “Duchess, your creature made enough noise to wake the true dead last night. All of the Dark Court knows there is a newly risen ghoul walking the streets of St. Petersburg.”

  “What about the empress and the Light Court?”

  He nodded. “It is only a matter of time. Yes, your empress will know soon enough.”

  “It’s not my fault,” I said, cringing even as I said the words. “I don’t know how it happened.” The empress was not fond of me already. And now this? She would tell the tsar, and I would be sent to Siberia for certain this time. I looked up at the fae cook, who smelled of cinnamon and honey. “Monsieur Sucre, tell me the truth. To which court do you belong?”

  The cook’s eyes flashed from light blue to cobalt. “I serve whichever court serves me best,” he said softly. “And at this time, it serves me best to belong to Her Imperial Majesty.”

  “You are not only here to protect us from the ghost, are you?” My eyes narrowed. “You were sent here for another purpose.”

  “Be careful, Duchess. It would be safer for you if you were not so inquisitive.”

  I swallowed my tea, and tried to calm my suspicions. I had other things to worry about that were more pressing. “What did you do with the poor kitchen girl?”

  “I told you not to worry about that.” He placed an extra biscuit on Augusta’s plate, which she took happily. “But yes, she was killed by the ghost. And yes, I have sent her body back to the village where she came from. Her family will think she died from influenza.”

  I sighed, wishing we’d been able to stop the ghost before something like this had happened. “Why was she so angry? And why would she have gone after Olga?”

  “Shouldn’t you be more concerned with your own creature?” Sucre asked.

  “Are you going to tell the empress about Madame Metcherskey?”

  “Of course not, Duchess. She will find out long before I have a chance to speak with her.”

  I wanted to cry. “I don’t suppose you have any idea what I should do with her.”

  “Sending her to the Tibetan was probably not a wise choice. She will draw much attention to him.”

  The thought frightened me. “Will he be in danger?”

  “It’s too late to worry about that. And now there is a student here that knows what you are. What will you do about her?”

  I almost choked on my tea. I glared at Monsieur Sucre. “Is there any secret at Smolny you do not know?”

  He chuckled as he turned to head back into the kitchen. “I would not want to be in your shoes right now, Duchess.”

  I glanced down our long dining table. As I had suspected, no one had noticed my conversation with Sucre. Not even the headmistress, who seemed to be extremely fascinated with whatever Sister Anna was saying to her. But I spotted Alix, staring straight at me.

  She had seen me speak with Sucre. She could see through his glamour just as well as I could. The Hessian princess had her eyes fixed on me with a mixture of revulsion and sadness. There was nothing I could do but smile sweetly back. As I finished my breakfast, I prayed she had not been serious when she had threatened to kill me.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  That night I had a terrible dream, not about the ghost, or Madame Metcherskey, or Princess Alix, but about George Alexandrovich. He was surrounded by a circle of crimson-robed men who were chanting something in low, deep tones. I couldn’t make out what they were saying. George held a black candle in his hands, and was staring intently into its flame. His sapphire-blue eyes reflected the candlelight. The men’s chanting grew louder before it suddenly stopped. Then George blew the candle out, leaving everyone in total darkness.

  I could smell the burning wick and the smoky air burned the back of my throat. I heard his soft voice. “Isn’t this what you wanted, Katiya?”

  I woke up with a start and was startled to find tears rolling down my cheeks. I glanced across the room in the dim moonlight, and could make out Elena and Alix sleeping soundly in their own cots. I took a deep breath. It was just a ridiculous dream, I told myself, wiping the tears from my face. It didn’t mean anything.

  I tried to go back to sleep but was haunted by George’s face illuminated by the black candle. He had looked thinner, his cheeks sunken and pale. Like a corpse. Why would he think I wanted him to become a black mage? I closed my eyes. Did he believe I wished that he belonged to the Dark Court as I did?

  You are being ridiculous, Katerina Alexandrovna, I told myself. The grand duke was most likely pretending to be a dark wizard in order to spy on them for his father. The tsar had sent him to Paris to discover a way to prevent the return of Konstantin.
George was strong. He would not be tempted by the Order of the Black Lily.

  The walls in our dark room seemed to close in on me, and I had difficulty breathing. It was too stuffy, and I felt like I had to escape. It was the darkness itself pressing in. I scrambled out of bed and fumbled for my robe and slippers. I didn’t know where I was going, but I had to get out of there. I held my breath as Aurora shifted in her sleep, but she did not awaken. Elena and Alix snored softly. Carefully, I tiptoed out of our room and down the hallway.

  I did not even think about where I was going until I ended up at the door to the library. I took a deep breath and pushed the heavy door open. It didn’t make a sound.

  It was colder in the library than it had been in the hallway. I couldn’t help shivering. But I did not see or hear the ghost. Whether she was there watching and waiting for me, I could not tell. “Why won’t you show yourself?” I whispered, scared I would wake the headmistress or one of the students.

  There was no answer. No sense that anything unnatural was present in the tiny room. Other than the chill.

  “Looking for trouble, Duchess? I thought I told you to stay away from the library.”

  I nearly jumped out of my skin, and glared at Sucre, who was leaning in the doorway, smiling at me menacingly.

  I pulled my robe closer around me. “I had a bad dream, and wanted to get a book to distract myself.”

  “You don’t fool anyone, Duchess.” Sucre stood up straighter, and folded his arms across his chest. “I am glad you were not in your room, actually. I came to tell you that you have visitors. At the front gates.”

  “In the middle of the night? Don’t be ridiculous. And what would you have done if I’d been asleep? Surely you would not have entered a room full of sleeping girls.”