Cry of the Firebird (The Firebird Fairytales Book 1)

by Amy Kuivalainen

  “What?” Anya questioned trying to look at all of them at once. “What happened then?”

  “Ilya was murdered,” Trajan said, “Not before he had charged me with hiding his son Ahti and his mother. Ahti was sixteen so Ilya had a chance to teach him some things in secret, the gates magic especially. When he was old enough he returned to the farm.”

  “Then many, many years later you were born,” Izrayl’s voice rumbled. “Eikki knew about Ilya’s prophecy and even as a young child you looked like her. Naturally he grew worried and crossed over to tell us about you.”

  “He never had copies of Ilya’s prophecies so he was never certain of the vision but he was cautious of it. He was frustrated with your parents for not believing him but your father was magically dead so he never understood,” continued Trajan. “He insisted on keeping you as far away from as Eikki as possible. It wasn’t until you were nearly six years old that they decided to visit the old man.”

  “Eikki had many enemies. He was incredibly good at guarding the gates and many creatures wanted to hurt him in some way.”

  “He tried to warn my parents,” Anya said coldly remembering the accident.

  “He fought with them about you. He tried to tell them about Yanka and the visions Ilya had. It wasn’t Yanka in the visions at all. He thought you were the woman. When your parents were killed he blamed himself completely. He decided then he wouldn’t let the same thing happen to you. I believe guilt stopped him from teaching you.”

  “He came to me about it and asked if there was a way to repress the magic from surfacing. That was when I made the decision to come and see you for myself,” said Trajan. “Your grandfather was concerned about your lack of fear of me. Not only were you not afraid but you took an instant liking to me. I tried to tell him he must teach you because Vasilli and the men he worked with needed to be stopped. He has caused havoc for far too long now. If he got hold of the firebird’s magic or yours, he and the Darkness would tear both worlds apart.”

  “Who the hell is the Darkness?”

  “The Darkness is an organisation, currently headed by a man named Ladislav. The Illumination is their opposite, they are like a supernatural police force if you will, the Darkness is the other side of their coin. Dark to their Light, evil to their good. They are currently not at war and a very tentative treaty holds. Their last war nearly destroyed the real world. Majority of both the worlds supernatural beings have an allegiance to either party. Those that do not are called neutrals.”

  “If that were true how come I know nothing about some supernatural war?”

  “What do you think the last two world wars were really about?” Izrayl said. “The supernatural war was behind the real one. Humans were puppets or cannon fodder.” Anya’s hand started to tremble and Trajan placed his hand over it. Anya was grateful for the gesture though Yvan frowned.

  “So what you’re all trying to say is because of some vision my ancestor had hundreds of years ago you think I am going to be able to stop Vasilli? I’m not trained to act normal let alone be able to act magical and Vasilli knows who I am.”

  “If he were really sure he would have grabbed you when you first met. He mustn’t have thought you a big enough threat to worry about. He will realise soon enough though,” said Izrayl grimly. “He is smart and vicious. He will figure it out and then you will be hunted more fiercely than Yvan and the firebird ever were.”

  “I knew something like this was going to happen,” Anya muttered, “I knew as soon as I had that crazy dream when I first came to Skazki.”

  “What dream?” all three men asked at once.

  “The one I was having when you woke me because I was sending out a signal or something,” Anya reminded Yvan. “I was dreaming about Yanka. It must have been her.”

  “How could you have let such a thing slide past your attention,” Trajan reprimanded Yvan.

  “She never told me! We were in Baba Yaga’s forest and she was sending a beacon in every direction. All I could think of was getting her out of there as quickly as possible.”

  “Don’t blame Yvan. We were running for our lives.”

  “Tell us what the dream was about,” Trajan asked, his tone warm for her. “It’s important.”

  “I dreamt that I watched her or rather I was her,” Anya explained. “She was predicting the outcome of a battle for a Tsar who had kidnapped her. She told him the army would win but she didn’t say she foresaw his death. He let her go and then I was on a hill with Tuoni and I told him to ‘Kill him, as painfully as possible. Let him be alive enough to feel the crows pluck out his eyes.’ And then Yvan woke me up. I don’t know who the Tsar was.”

  “I do. I had only guessed until now though,” Trajan said “It was Yvan’s great-grandfather.”

  “What?” Yvan said sharply.

  “When we went to find traces of Yanka I did some research while I was still in Skazki. She was a daughter of a king. Her sister was sent to marry your great-grandfather as part of a peace treaty. The Tsar had wanted Yanka but her father refused to give her up because of her magical gifts. When the Tsar went warmongering once more he must have captured Yanka and forced her to predict the battles for him. I am only guessing though, there is no way to know now for certain.”

  “He raped her,” Anya added quietly. “That’s why she hated him so much.” Yvan’s black brows were drawn together in thought. She wanted to take his hand but she stopped herself.

  “Did she fall pregnant from it?” Yvan asked quietly.

  “There is no way to know,” said Trajan calmly. “I am sure if she had fallen pregnant she would have aborted it.” Yvan looked like he had been kicked. Anya was exhausted, emotional and wanted to be alone. Her head was fit to bursting.

  “I think that is all the revelations I can handle tonight,” she said as she rose from her seat. “I’m sorry but I am a mere human and I need time to process it all. Yvan? Don’t forget you need sleep too.” He nodded slowly but couldn’t manage to look at her. She leant over and kissed his cheek before leaving them to talk and argue the night away.

  Hours later Anya was still awake. She had long given up on sleep and let her mind play over and over on what she had learned that night. She should go and talk to Yvan. She had gotten used his snoring and now she couldn’t go to sleep without it. She climbed out of bed, opened the door to her room and crept out. Tip-toeing she made her way down the polished stairs. She had only taken two steps before she slipped, falling forwards into the blackness. As she opened her mouth to scream strong arms caught her.

  “You really should be more careful,” a voice mocked in her ear. “That’s why there are banisters.”

  “Trajan?” Anya whispered, glowing red with embarrassment. He was holding her very tight, his body warm against hers.

  “At your service,” he answered and carried her lightly down the rest of the stairs before placing her back on her feet.

  “I’m sorry I was sneaking about,” Anya mumbled, completely caught out as she followed him to his large sitting room. She sat down next to the fire to warm her freezing feet.

  “I could hear you pacing but I did not wish to intrude”

  “Don’t you ever sleep?”

  “I do I just don’t need much,” he finally answered.

  “Since there is nothing to hide any more why don’t you tell me what you are? Why did Izrayl call you a demon?” Anya said quickly. It had been running in her mind all night.

  “He likes to say that to people just for the reaction he gets. I am not a demon so you can stop being so worried. I am a Thanatos.”

  “I don’t know what that is. You are going to have to get very specific. I’m exhausted so aim for small sentences.” Trajan walked over to a drinks cabinet and poured two vodkas, handing one to Anya before he sat down.

  “A Thanatos is a part of Greek legend. In the stories we are Death. In reality we merely provide the service of taking the souls of the dead to Heaven or the Underworld.”

  Anya
took a long drink before she asked, “Why aren’t you doing that now?”

  “Ilya helped me break the bond that my old mistress, Eris, held me by. Now I can stay in my human form.”

  “Your human form,” Anya said slowly.

  “Yes, I don’t naturally look like this. I have to feed in order to have the power to hold it.”

  “Feed on what exactly?” Please don’t say blood, please don’t say blood, she whispered in her mind.

  “Death,” Trajan answered. Anya didn’t know if that was better or worse. “When people die their body releases all their life’s essence in one go. Thanatos feed on that energy. When the soul is released from the body we ferry it to where it needs to go.”

  “So Ilya saved you from having to ferry souls.”

  “Basically yes. I escaped servitude with his help.”

  “But then how do you feed now?”

  “Hospitals are always good places. When I am in Skazki I can usually find a village where there is someone dying.”

  “What happens if you don’t feed then?”

  “I start to revert to my real form.” Trajan shifted uncomfortably.

  “Oh.” Anya drank more of her vodka, butterflies in her stomach. “Ilya saved you and to return the favour you helped him find Yvan’s egg.”

  “Yes, I also promised to help keep a watch on his family.”

  “That is a big ask.”

  “It was a hard thing he did for me. I am to keep watch and help protect when I can. Nothing will hurt you in this house.”

  “Not even Izrayl? He doesn’t seem to like me much.” Anya didn’t quite understand why he was so short tempered towards her.

  “Izrayl doesn’t really warm to people for a while. He is likeable but is tired from running the forests for weeks. Give him a few days and some good meals and he will be right again.”

  “Does he live here all the time with you?”

  “When I am here he does. I cross over and live in the real world when I get sick of Skazki and vice versa. The worlds run on very different versions of time. I can’t really explain it but it runs much, much slower than the real world. Stories have a tendency to leak through especially if the world walkers tell people in the real world tales they have heard while living in Skazki. You and Yvan were lucky to catch me here. I was living in Russia and keeping my eye on you like I promised Eikki. When I saw the ruins of the farm I knew it wasn’t an accident. I came back to Skazki hoping I could find Izrayl to help me track you but you found me instead.”

  “We had no choice really with Vasilli hunting us. If Yvan hadn’t shown up I would probably be dead from Vasilli or alcohol poisoning by now.”

  “I wouldn’t have let your addiction go that far. I promised I wouldn’t interfere unless you were in real danger. People deal with their grief in different ways. I knew eventually you would slow down.”

  “You should have made yourself known to me. I needed a friend who had some answers so I didn’t think I was losing my mind.”

  “I would have brought attention to you,” Trajan replied bluntly. “The creatures that killed your grandfather have been watching you. They didn’t kill you because they didn’t see you as a threat. If I had come to you they would have known and would have found a way to kill you.”

  “How did they not see you watching over me?”

  “Thanatos have a special talent of being able to fade. We become invisible to the point that even magical beings won’t be able to pick up on us.”

  “That would work,” she said at last. “Just don’t fade now I have finally met you again. I need some friends right now.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you,” Trajan promised. “Not just because I gave my word to Eikki.”

  “Because you believe I can defeat Vasilli, right?” Anya gave a disbelieving grunt. “I can’t even walk down a set of stairs without falling.”

  “That is true,” Trajan smiled. “But you defeating Vasilli really has nothing to do with it. You are unique, even for one of the members of your family.”

  “So what happens now?” Anya asked while trying to hide her blush.

  “We protect you and try to keep you away from Vasilli and the Darkness,” Trajan said firmly. “Izrayl will come with us. I couldn’t let you head off with Yvan again unprotected.”

  “We’ve done okay so far,” Anya defended. Without Yvan she would have been dead long ago.

  “Yes, but that is a miracle,” stated Trajan his brows creasing.

  “Are you saying I can’t take care of myself?”

  “That’s not it. I think someone or something is watching your back. Vasilli should have made some kind of move by now.”

  “I thought we might have been too lucky,” Anya sighed. “My luck has never been that good.”

  “I won’t let Vasilli get to you or Yvan and his firebird,” Trajan promised again. He suddenly stiffened and became alert, eyes flickering uncertainly.

  “Oh Trajan please tell me you haven’t developed a taste for damsels in distress,” a silken voice said from the other side of the room. “You know how tedious they can be.”

  Chapter Twelve - Cerise

  Anya turned in alarm and saw a figure standing in the doorway. She had beautiful rich, cherry coloured hair which matched her lipstick.

  “This is Cerise,” Trajan introduced as the woman walked slowly into the room. “She is a friend of mine. I contacted her a few days ago when I thought you were missing.”

  “Come now Trajan, don’t look so pissy that I interrupted,” Cerise laughed, a husky chuckle which rolled down Anya’s spine. “So this is the girl who is causing all the trouble.”

  “Hello,” said Anya cautiously. “You must be another Thanatos.”

  “She is very clued in Trajan dear. I thought you weren’t going to tell her.” Her blue eyes were now sparkling with merriment. “But I am no Thanatos honey. I am a keres. Same sort of job but only for the ladies.”

  “The keres are war spirits,” Trajan explained to Anya, “They hover around battlefields to take the souls of the brave to the Underworld.”

  “Like Valkyries?”

  “Those winged women don’t drink the blood of the dead but my kind do,” Cerise said matter-of-factly.

  “Do you still need to do that?” Anya asked as she drank some more vodka. This night couldn’t get any stranger.

  “Old habits die hard,” Cerise shrugged as she lit a cigarette, “Lucky there are some lovely morgue assistants these days who are happy to oblige a lady. Speaking of obliging a lady, Trajan, I will have a wine and Anya looks like she’s going to need a refill.”

  “It has been a long, confusing, frightening day,” Anya admitted as Trajan took her glass.

  “Well vodka will certainly help with that,” Cerise winked at her. She shed her grey fur coat to reveal a black satin top, leather pants and knee high boots. She looked amazing and Anya had to stop staring at her.

  “Did Ilya help you get free as well?”

  “No, Trajan is the only one who has had extra help,” Cerise replied, “though I don’t hold it against him.” She smiled sweetly at him.

  “Of course you don’t,” he said sarcastically as he handed her a glass of red wine. At least Anya hoped it was red wine.

  “Some of us can work off our servitude which is what I did. Some like the work and decide to stay on another millennia but I had quite enough.”

  “So you two knew each other before you came to the real world?” Anya was starting to feel warm and fuzzy around the edges which made her a little braver.

  “Not exactly. The Underworld isn’t a very social place. Well, the Greek one certainly isn’t,” Cerise said. “I got myself into a little spot of trouble and Trajan rode to my rescue like the darling he is.”

  “Do you want to tell the story?” Trajan asked her indulgently.

  “Of course,” Cerise nodded. “I will give Anya the abbreviated version. The poor thing looks like she’s about to pass out.”

&
nbsp; “It takes a lot more to get me to pass out trust me,” assured Anya.

  “Okay then, I had just been released from my servitude and popped up to the surface. I woke in an alley disoriented and with the worst headache you can imagine. I hadn’t taken on a human form before and I had no idea where to start. I made myself invisible so I wouldn’t scare the life out of anyone and began to search for my perfect form. I hadn’t even gone a block before I saw her. The most beautiful woman in the whole world. It was Ava Gardner on a movie poster for “The Killers” outside of this run down old theatre. She was divine. This form I wear now was an inspired creation of that picture.”

  “I found her a few months later,” Trajan smiled. “I had felt that something from the Underworld had surfaced but by the time I found her she had been caught and charged with murder.”

  “The man was already dead darling, I was just trying to not let a good meal go to waste,” Cerise stressed as she inspected her nails. “Long story short Trajan arrived and saved my hide. He taught me how to do things the less obvious way. We both have a penchant for hospitals and morgues so it all worked out quite well. Now we are going to use what power we have left to save your hide the way he saved mine.”

  “I’m going to need all the help I can get,” Anya said with a massive yawn. “I don’t know what to do next.”

  “The first thing you need to do is get some sleep,” Trajan said firmly.

  “Sounds like an excellent idea,” said Cerise. “I will be in my usual room Trajan.” She got to her feet and disappeared.

  “She has taken your room, Anya. It’s the one she usually stays in. I didn’t expect her for a week yet. Cerise likes to take her time,” said Trajan. “Never mind. You can have my bed. I have slept enough for one night.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Anya protested. “I can sleep on this couch. Lord knows I’ve slept in worst places. Once I fell asleep on the floor of my shower and woke up in my own puke. ”

  Trajan stood and helped her to her feet. “How charming. Come along then.”