Cry of the Firebird (The Firebird Fairytales Book 1)

by Amy Kuivalainen

  “What? I didn’t do anything,” she said defensively.

  Yvan strode angrily across the room and snatched the stone off the table. “You stupid girl,” he hissed as he looked at the bowl. “These are rune stones! You do not drop these against a surface unless you are casting them.”

  “How the hell was I supposed to know? I’m not a shaman am I?” Anya snapped back and stormed from the sauna.

  Yvan cursed himself for reacting so harshly. How could he not? The girl was a liability. She’d probably given away their location all the way into Skazki. He put the runes into a leather bag lying on the table. He picked up the stone she had been playing with and looked at the symbol scratched into it. The rune Raidho; the symbol for journeys. He laughed grimly at the accuracy of her choice. She was cynical and bitter but her furious power would be a force to be reckoned with if trained. Perhaps she wasn’t such a liability after all.

  Find someone who can train her. She may be the one to stop Vasilli once and for all, the firebird said in his mind. It hadn’t tried to force its way out of him today for which Yvan was grateful. It felt like his very bones were shrinking and melting when it happened.

  Yvan made his way back to the cabin and found Anya cleaning her guns. “They won’t work once we get to Skazki,” he said as he watched her. “You will have to leave them here.”

  “How can I protect myself then?” Anya asked before adding snidely, “Magic?”

  “You still don’t believe? You will see when you cross the borders tonight. Where did you get those guns anyway?”

  “They were my father’s. He was in the army when he was young.”

  “There is honour in serving your country.”

  “He didn’t serve after he met my mother,” Anya said and loudly banged the piece she was cleaning on the table. She picked up the barrel and began polishing it.

  Yvan put more wood on the fire, “How did he meet your mother?”

  “Why all the questions?”

  “We are going to be spending a lot of time together. I want to know a little about you. Besides, I told you about me.”

  Anya put down the barrel and leant back in her chair. “They met at a dance hall. I remember him telling me she looked exactly like Veronica Lake.” Yvan gave her a puzzled expression. “Never mind, she was beautiful,” Anya said not wanting to describe film to Yvan. “They met and fell in love and all that rubbish.”

  “Wait,” Yvan interrupted. “What do you mean by all that rubbish? Have you never been in love?”

  “No,” Anya answered without hesitation, “I know that desire can be mistaken for love. You tend to realise your mistake pretty quickly though.”

  “That sounds like experience talking.”

  “It is.”

  “What happened?”

  “I ran away from Eikki. Took off for Moscow and didn’t look back. I needed to be free for once. I met someone and pretended to be someone else. It didn’t work. One night I was drunk and sleeping in a park. I heard a fight break out close by. Then warm arms were picking me up and I felt safe for the first time since I left the farm. I don’t remember much but when I woke up I was back home with Eikki. I never ran away again.”

  “This is the reason you don’t believe in love? Then it is because you have never felt it. That is why you think it does not exist.”

  “I don’t know. I have never been very emotional,” Anya admitted. “None of the good emotions anyway.”

  “That’s so tragic,” Yvan said quietly. “One day you will feel it. And when you do it will shake you to the very core of your being.”

  “I’m not a hundred percent sure I have a core either,” Anya laughed darkly.

  “I think there is more to you than meets even your own eyes. You will realise your full potential soon. I believe you feel like you’re half a person. That is not surprising considering you have suppressed a huge part of your soul. The magic sings in your blood, but you just need to hear it.” Anya played with the hem of her sleeve and didn’t look at him.

  “I brought these for you,” Yvan handed her the leather bag with Eikki’s rune stones in it. “They are extremely valuable. I was never of a magical persuasion but ever since the firebird and I hatched I feel power strongly. These are giving off an aura even here in Mir. I hope they won’t give off an even bigger aura once we get to Skazki because it will act like a beacon for Vasilli.”

  “Why don’t we leave them here?” Anya pushed. “It would save us any additional trouble.”

  “Rune stones of this power are rare, useful and important. They could help us greatly in Skazki.”

  “Only if we can hide them.”

  “It’s worth the risk,” said Yvan. “Trust me on-” He cut out mid-sentence, choking on his words. The firebird began to squirm and push its way through him. His bones began to crack and he screamed.

  Anya leapt off her chair and grabbed him by his shoulders, pushing him out of the cabin before he lit the building on fire. He collapsed on the ground as his arms started to transform into wings and flames lit up along his back reducing his clothes to ashes.

  The last transformation had been quick but this seemed to go on and on. Yvan was groaning and bucking under the pain. His body was refusing to settle in one form as firebird and man fought for domination.

  Anya rushed back inside and grabbed a bucket of drinking water. She poured it over him, dousing the flames. Yvan groaned, collapsing face down and naked in mud and ash. Anya dropped the bucket and sank to her knees beside him.

  “Yvan?” she said and gently touched his shoulder. As soon as she touched him she felt a bolt of static like the one she had when she had touched him while he had been dreaming. In her mind she saw the firebird squirming, wanting to be released.

  “Leave him be,” Anya told it coldly.

  I want to see the world. I want to be free, a voice touched her mind. It sounded old and metallic.

  “You need to compromise you stupid bird.”

  Done, said the firebird. Yvan started to seize and Anya quickly rolled him onto his side to keep his airways clear. Colours danced along his skin, flashing back and forth. Finally with a cry that sounded like it had been ripped from his throat, the colours settled.

  Tattooed on his entire torso was a stylised firebird. Its wings stretched up over his shoulders and cascaded down his back. The tattoo was bright oranges, reds and yellows. The firebird’s head was to the right and to Anya’s horror its eye winked at her. Yvan groaned and coughed.

  “Are you all right?”

  “No, I don’t think I am,” he said hoarsely. “What happened?”

  “The bird tried to get free of you,” said Anya. “And I yelled at it to leave you alone.”

  “It listened to you?”

  “It wanted to see so that’s why,” she gestured at his fresh tattoo.

  “Well…I…hmm,” he mumbled in shock and touched it. “It feels so different.” He took her hand before she could protest and ran her fingers along the wings on his arms and down his chest. It felt extremely soft, like one continuous feather. Anya suddenly became aware of how naked Yvan was. She reddened and pulled her hand away.

  “You really should go down to the wash house,” she said as she quickly got to her feet. “I’ll find you a towel, or blanket or something.” Anya went back into the cabin and searched the cupboards until she found some old towels. She glanced out of the window as she walked past it and saw Yvan get unsteadily to his feet. He turned and Anya quickly averted her eyes.

  “Shit,” she cursed, more embarrassed than before. Yvan walked to the steps and with her eyes shut tight she held out the towel for him. He took it from her but her eyes stayed shut.

  “You can open your eyes,” said Yvan.

  “Are you covered?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Yes.” There was a rustle of fabric.

  “Covered.” Anya risked a glance as Yvan finished tucking the towel about his waist.

  “Thank you
for putting out the flames,” he said as he caught her eye. His own eyes had changed from the burning reds of the firebird to a vibrant blue. The firebird could now see for itself.

  “Sure, anytime, no problem,” Anya said shakily. Yvan’s eyes sparkled with amusement. Anya felt herself blush again and desperately hoped he couldn’t read her mind.

  “I better go get cleaned up,” he said with a grin before he turned and headed down the path. Anya watched him walk away, his tattoo shimmering and she realised she was now in even more trouble.

  She pulled herself together and went to look for some clothes. Buried in an old chest she found a pair of overalls and a long nightshirt that might fit him. Eikki had been a short man and Yvan was very tall and broad.

  Anya grabbed some clean clothes for herself and headed down the path. She discreetly knocked on the door and waited for Yvan to reply.

  “Come in,” he said. Anya took a deep breath and walked into a cloud of steam.

  “I’ve brought you some clothes…oh shit I’m sorry,” she said and quickly turned her back.

  “You have a problem with nakedness don’t you?” Yvan laughed loudly.

  “I don’t have a problem with nakedness, just a problem with you being naked,” she defended.

  “In my time everyone used to bathe and sauna together.”

  “Are you suggesting something?”

  “I wouldn’t dare. Did it sound like I was suggesting something?”

  “Yes,” Anya said bluntly.

  “Why would I?”

  “You haven’t seen a woman, let alone a woman naked, for over a hundred years,” she replied. “If I was stuck in an egg for that long I would not only want to see a man naked I would want a good…” Anya shut her mouth very quickly.

  “Sounds like you are suggesting something now,” Yvan teased.

  “I can’t believe we are having this conversation at a time like this,” she muttered.

  “A time like what?”

  “In a couple of hours I’m going to be crossing into Skazki! Skazki for god’s sake. Oh but it gets better! My grandfather was a whacked out Shaman who never taught me a thing,” Anya exclaimed, slightly hysterical. Yvan was making her terribly nervous and she really hated that. He placed his big hands on her shoulders.

  “It will be fine,” Yvan said next to her ear. “You are stronger than you think.”

  “I have nothing to lose now any way, Yvan,” said Anya. “I never had much to begin with.” He slowly rubbed her shoulders without saying anything. She started to feel tears build in her eyes ready to betray her at any moment. There had been no one to comfort her since Eikki had died. The villagers had treated her with an undisguised resentment. Eikki had been a healer; Anya had nothing to offer them so she had been shunned. Anya’s hand automatically came up and crushed into her chest, trying to ease the raw pain clinging there.

  Yvan felt her shoulders trembling under his hands. She had smaller shoulders than he thought under her oversized clothes. He got such a sense of isolation and vulnerability from her that he flinched. Yvan watched in amazement as his tattoo started to move. The wing tips reached down his arms to his fingertips so it could touch Anya’s shoulders.

  Comfort her you fool, the firebird’s voice touched his mind. She needs human contact. Taking a deep breath Yvan moved forward and put his arms around her. Her whole body stiffened in alarm before a large sob came out of her. Anya’s legs started to buckle and they sank down together on the damp floor.

  “I’ve got you,” he soothed.

  “They killed them,” she whimpered. “They killed them and I could do nothing to stop them. They killed my parents. They killed my grandfather. He was all chewed up and I couldn’t stop it.”

  “How could you have stopped them? You have known nothing about the forces against you and your family.”

  “If I did I could have done something and I wouldn’t be so alone.”

  “You’re not alone now are you?” he said giving her a slight squeeze. “We are both orphans with the world against us.”

  She turned her face to look at him. Her green eyes were filled with tears and her lips red from crying. Her face had been so blank since he met her that to see her walls crumbling down animated her beautifully.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…you know…start crying,” she stumbled and tried to get to her feet. “I had some rough months and I haven’t been sleeping lately.” He held her tightly so she wouldn’t go.

  “I was beginning to wonder when that icy disposition of yours was going to melt.” She laughed deeply for the first time. The transformation was amazing and unnerving.

  “You look very pretty when you laugh,” he blundered.

  “Oh yes, crying and slobbering is a great look. I bet you’re really glad you dropped that line about all of your people bathing together now.”

  “I am actually,” he said as he brushed her tears away with his thumbs. “At least now you have cried some the ice out of your veins.”

  “Hilarious, my sides are splitting,” Anya said with a roll of her eyes. “Let me get up and have my bath before I have to freeze all night in the forest.” She went to move again and to Yvan’s surprise he held on for a fraction longer before he released her. She got to her feet and went to check the brazier. Yvan got off the ground and made sure his towel was firmly attached.

  “I hope you didn’t steal all my hot water,” Anya said as she pulled off the heavy woollen cardigan. Yvan tried not to stare as she turned on the taps and let the steaming water pour into the tub. Hidden underneath the oversized man’s clothes was a curvy figure with fair skin.

  “I found some clothes that may fit you,” Anya said and pointed to the chair where she had put them.

  “When I get to Skazki I will be able to get clothes that fit,” Yvan said. “We both will need to get something to blend in. Fortunately women are not allowed to wear men’s clothes there.”

  “Are you saying there is something wrong with my clothes?” Anya asked with her hands on her hips. “They happen to be extremely comfortable.”

  “They look like der’mo,” Yvan argued honestly. “You could be a man under there and no one would know.”

  “Get out of here,” she said shoving him towards the door. He soon found himself outside, half naked with the door shut firmly behind him.

  Chapter Six- Through the Blue

  The sun had started to set while Yvan had been in the washhouse. He tried not to stare mesmerised at the trees and sky. He hadn’t been fully conscious the whole time he had been in the egg but he remembered flashes of being cramped in the dark, of being afraid. He went back to the cabin and pulled on the clothes Anya had found for him. He hoped when they got to Skazki her abilities would come to her. He would have a rough time trying to protect them both. He was going to have to call on some help.

  They had better be trustworthy. The last thing she will need is to be betrayed by someone she trusts. She’s trusting you, prince, against her better judgement. He felt the firebird moving along his skin and he fought the urge to rub his chest. He did his best to ignore the extra voice in his head.

  Yvan stepped out into the cool evening air to watch the sun dip behind the trees. Movement next to a pine tree caught his eye. A starved wolf watched him. He saw the stick man hidden underneath. Yvan ran to the wash house and burst through the door.

  “What are you doing?” Anya demanded. She had only managed to get one of the buttons of her shirt done up.

  “We need to leave,” Yvan said as she put on her boots. He grabbed her hand, pulled her outside and back up to the cabin.

  “What’s going on?” Anya asked as she shrugged on her heavy coat and picked up her bag. “Is it Vasilli?”

  “I saw Vischto.”

  “Vischto?”

  “You know how you shot at a wolf man? That must have been his brother Vischtan. They are Vasilli’s minions,” explained Yvan. “They are his spies which means he will be coming for us so we need to go
now.”

  Yvan grabbed the bag of runes off the table and put them in his pocket before they hurried from the cabin. The firebird twitched against his skin, moving its feathers away from them. Yvan wasn’t sure where Eikki had got them. Most likely they had been passed down for centuries, growing with power each passing year. Yvan wondered why Eikki had never taught Anya about who she was and what she could do. Her family had always been gatekeepers, so why not her? It would take a very good reason for a shaman to not pass on knowledge to his heir. Something must have scared him and Yvan could only imagine what would be frightening enough to scare a man like Eikki.

  Anya ran blindly behind Yvan. He gripped her hand tightly as they bolted through the darkening forest. She put her other hand out in front of her to knock away branches. She hoped they wouldn’t crash straight into a blackberry bush in their haste. It seemed Yvan could see in the dark because he never tripped at all while she stumbled to keep up. It didn’t help that his legs were twice as long as hers.

  “Where are we going?” she panted.

  “Right now we are getting as far away from the cabin as we can before Vasilli gets here. As for passing over into Skazki; I will know the crossing when I see it. They move sometimes but will always be in the same stretch of forest.” Anya heard a howl in the distance and the sweat froze on the back of her neck. She quickened her pace running close to Yvan.

  “Don’t over exert yourself. He has to wait for Vasilli before he can do anything. If Vasilli was in the area we would know. If we cross into Skazki tonight then hopefully we can get a head start while he is searching the forest for us.”

  “That is if he doesn’t catch us first.”

  “Do not even joke about that,” Yvan said seriously. “We were very lucky last time. I doubt it will happen again. If you were trained we would have more of a chance of survival, but you’re not.”

  “Thank you for reminding me.” Anya stopped as she felt an invisible wave of vibrations roll through the air and over them.