by K. M. Shea
Alexsei had been surprised when his mother insisted they visit Tsona after his father left for the summit called by Prince Severin and Princess Elle of Loire. However, Empress Sonya didn’t often make requests, and with Emperor Yevgeniy out of the country and Empress Sonya serving as the sole monarch in his absence, much of the royal court packed up and journeyed to Tsona with them.
Alexsei tugged the sleeves of his waistcoat—another Loire style—which upset the various medals pinned to his chest.
I hope all goes well at the summit. We will need aid if we are to succeed in dislodging sorcerer Rothbart from Kozlovka.
He started to walk the perimeter of the garden.
An evil sorcerer…these are troubling and dangerous times.
Strolling past a grotto of trees, he paused when he heard a crack. He glanced up in time to see a thick tree branch hurtling towards him. Though Alexsei raised his arms, the thing hit him with enough force to send him sprawling.
He groaned as he sat up. “What was that?” When a girl flung herself from the tree, landing in a crouch on the stone path, he leaped to his feet.
She was a mixture of fascination and beauty, for she had dark blonde hair with ends that were as light as corn silk—almost as if frost crawled up the lengths of her locks. Her features—from her slightly crooked nose to her round chin—were playful and almost roughish, though that might have been the half-smirk she wore.
As pretty as she was, she was an odd sight, for she wore black trousers and black boots. Her shirt was a costly, longer version of the traditional white shirt worn by Kozlovkan men—it hung almost as low as her thighs. Fine embroidery decorated the cuffs and hem of the silk shirt, as well as the collar, which fastened at the side of the neck instead of the center. A leather belt wrapped around her waist and held the shirt in place.
She leaned closer to Alexsei and peered at his chest—letting him get a good look at her hazel eyes—blue flecked with green. She reached out and prodded the silver medal shaped into a snarling wolf—the royal insignia.
“Ah, I thought so.” She stood up and smiled down at him, tapping a dagger he had previously failed to notice against her thigh. “Hello, Your Imperial Highness.”
When the princeling had ventured outside, Odette could hardly believe her good luck. He was a prince—she didn’t know which one, but with all the ribbons and medals pinned to his chest, he had to be the offspring of the Emperor and Empress. He had his father’s indecisive brownish-blond shade of hair and eyes that were golden-brown—like the fur of a tiger.
This is going splendidly. The guards were a breeze to slip past, and now my quarry has dropped in my lap. I’ll be able to wrap this up and be home in time to meet with that merchant from Baris.
Odette smiled down at the prince and tapped her dagger against her thigh. “I’m here to deliver a message.”
The prince opened his mouth.
Odette sprang forward and slapped her hand over his mouth. “Ah-ah. No calling out for help. I don’t wish to be arrested, after all.”
His eyes flickered to Odette’s dagger. She smiled. “Don’t worry. I mean you no harm, so long as you follow my advice. Stop hunting swans. Swan Lake has become a sanctuary for swans. No one dares to hunt them in this area; they are protected. If you shoot at one again, prince or not, there will be consequences.”
She braced herself for some kind of complaint, but surprisingly, his eyes crinkled with unexpected kindness. His lips brushed Odette’s palm as he spoke a muffled, “Oh, you mean my older brother, Yakov.”
She frowned, a little irked her luck hadn’t been as good as she thought. Right family, wrong man. Oh, well, close enough. “I don’t know which of you has tried to slay the Swan Lake swans. I only know it was a royal.”
“Yakov is the hunter. I am Alexsei, the younger brother. I don’t often hunt; I prefer archery tournaments.”
A muscle in Odette’s cheek twitched with irritation. “I don’t care which of you hunts. Just know that shooting at the swans must stop.”
“I’ll tell Yakov.”
Odette felt the prince’s lips and cheeks move into a smile that was still hidden by her hand. Great gog—he’s one of those people: happy, charming, and irritating! “Thank you,” she said. She glanced at her dagger and considered hitting the prince with the hilt so she could run before he called out for guards. Though he appeared to be in fine spirits, there was no telling what he would do when she backed off. Besides, if I knock him out, I could sniff out his brother and warn him directly.
“Why do you care about the swans?” the prince asked behind her hand.
Odette stiffened when she heard the steady tramp of boots on gravel. A guard patrol marched towards them.
Forget that; I need to leave. If the guards found the prince unconscious, it would cause mass panic. I’ll have to return on a different day. “Because no one else does,” Odette said. “Remember, tell your brother.” She wiped her palm on her trousers and darted into the trees.
The prince didn’t call for help, but Odette still fled as fast as she could, running through the garden greenery. She reached the garden wall, where Nadia and Misha waited for her.
“How did your little talk go?” Misha whispered.
Odette placed her feet in their cupped hands. They boosted her up, and she swung herself on top of the brick wall. “I spoke to the younger prince.”
“Prince Alexsei?”
“Yeah. He said his older brother is the hunter.”
Nadia backed up to get a running start then ran at Misha, using his cupped hands as a step. She grabbed the top of the wall and climbed up it with ease, in spite of her pinafore.
“Prince Yakov—the Imperial Prince—is said to be a passionate huntsman,” Misha said. He jumped, and Nadia and Odette caught his outstretched hand and helped him climb up and over.
“Prince Alexsei said he would pass on the message.” The trio dropped down on the other side of the wall, then crouched and waited.
They were silent as the patrolling guards passed. The moment they turned a corner and disappeared out of sight, Odette bolted. Nadia and Misha followed. They left the meticulously cultivated palace and entered the fragrant pine forest.
“If Prince Yakov ignores the warning and still shoots at us, what will you do?” Misha asked.
Odette jumped a fallen tree, careful for any unseen branches. It was harder to run in the forests at the dead of night, but after living with the swan curse for four years, she had gotten used to operating in darkness. “Make a deal with a client, or maybe see if there’s something Odile can do.” She fell silent for a few beats and panted to regain her wind. “I might start something now. If they plan to stay at Tsona for all of spring and summer, it’s likely he’ll try again.”
“It’s better to wait,” Nadia said. Odette noted with some jealousy that Nadia didn’t sound at all short of breath. “Prince Yakov may listen to Prince Alexsei.”
“Perhaps Nadia is right. I have heard the princes have a good rapport. If Alexsei believes in your request, he might be able to convince Prince Yakov,” Misha said.
“How do you hear political news?” Odette glanced over her shoulder. “You spend the majority of your time as a bird floating on a lake far from any kind of society.”
Misha’s eyes gleamed in what dim moonlight trickled through the trees. “I listen for things when I fly out on a mission. As smugglers, it is our duty to be aware of the political web spun around our lives.”
Odette grunted. “Both of you may be right about the princes.” A pine branch smacked her side. “But I’m not willing to bet with any of our lives. Once our regular shipment for our dear Farset clients are done, Odile and I will look into matters of defense.”
Misha shrugged. “As you wish.”
No, it’s not, Odette thought grimly. If it was, none of us would be in this mess, and I would be home, with my family.
Chapter 2
Unwanted Intruder
After dusk hit the foll
owing night and the transformation came, Odette sloshed towards shore, intent on reclaiming her boots. All the other smugglers came out of their transformation with shoes. Odette and Zina—the first two to be cursed—were the only exceptions, and as a result had to stash shoes and boots in various spots around the lake.
She shook her feet off one by one when she left the lake. “It’s a payment night. Everyone fall in for your share before you leave.”
Payment nights were special. Most nights Odette and her smugglers had clients to meet, goods to drop off, or payments to pick up. About twice a month, they completed no work, and the profits were divided out. It was something of a holiday.
Odette pulled on her boots, making a face when the water from her trousers got the insides wet. “Misha, grab the lockbox.”
He bowed. “As my queen commands.”
Odette ignored him, retrieved her logbook from the wall, and glanced at the gloomy castle across the lake. “Gleb, any movement from Rothbart?”
Gleb, lacking the youthful zeal of the rest of the smugglers and possessing a crooked, stooped gait, usually stayed on the lake. He kept an eye on Rothbart’s activities and movements to and from his gloomy castle.
Gleb raised his thick eyebrows at the castle. “He hasn’t left, but he was howling for Odile like a troll. As howling is often a precursor towards needing to prove his genius, I predict he will venture from his castle soon. If not tonight, then tomorrow.”
Odette opened the ledger. Wonderful. We’ll have to keep an eye out for the princes and Rothbart. “Thank you for the report, Gleb.”
“Of course, Swan Queen.”
Odette ignored the pet name the other smugglers had given her. It was a longstanding tradition. Someone (she couldn’t remember who, or she would have repaid him or her tenfold) had coined the phrase when she first started their smuggling operation. While Odette acknowledged she was their leader, she hated it when they touted her position. If her leadership skills were something to be proud of, she would have been able to keep them from being cursed.
Misha retrieved the lockbox from its hideaway and plunked it down on the wall ruins. “As you ordered.”
“Thank you.” Odette removed a key from her logbook and opened the small, dirt-encrusted chest. “Nadia, could you keep an eye out for the Far Flung Flock? They should arrive any minute. Pyotr, you’re up first.”
The mountain of a man lumbered forward. Dima hung from his grasp like a kitten and clutched a rock head that had previously belonged to one of the statues by the crumbling pavilion.
“I found a head. Can I keep it? I would like to start a collection because I already stole the head off a gargoyle in Rothbart’s castle. Do you think he noticed?” Dima was not at all bothered by space between his feet and the ground.
Odette passed off two small bags of money to Pyotr. “Dima, you get to spend some quality time with Misha, Gleb, and me tonight.”
Pyotr would drop the money off at Dima’s house before returning to his home. Pyotr—prior to being cursed—was married with four children. Dima was one of five children. Pyotr’s wife and eldest daughter were aware of the curse, but he had advised Odette against informing Dima’s family.
Their cursed status was a guarded secret, not only for the sake of their business, but their families. When Odette and Zina were first cursed, Zina’s brother, Osip, learned of their plight. He confronted Rothbart, and the sorcerer cursed him as well, robbing Zina’s parents of their two oldest children.
After that, Odette made every smuggler in her band promise to inform only the most logical and sound members of their family, and to limit exposure as much as possible.
Misha was the sole smuggler who lacked relatives—he had been a wandering traveler when Rothbart caught him. Gleb’s family lived too far away to reach in one night. Usually, one of the other smugglers dropped his portion of the profits off when flying past for a smuggling run.
Odette’s family was close enough, but she hadn’t told any one of them. While she had considered it numerous times, her father was likely to act brashly, and her mother wouldn’t be much calmer—particularly once they learned why Odette had been cursed.
Dima dropped the statue’s head in Odette’s lap, jarring her thoughts. “Misha, you always look mad. Does your stomach hurt? Did you eat something bad? I did two days ago; I ate three bugs and a minnow.” He ran off after Misha, trailing in his wake like the cygnet he was during the day.
Odette watched them go. “Thank you for watching him, Pyotr.”
Besides Gleb, Pyotr and Dima were the only two smugglers who stayed on the lake. Pyotr was handy as his large size often provided great intimidation for prospective clients who were turned away, but he remained behind mostly because he had taken Dima on. Dima was too small and too young to fly and work, so he and Pyotr kept the lake in a livable condition. They set up camps and started fires in winter, searched for fruit and edible plants in summer and spring, and so on.
“Of course,” Pyotr rumbled. “He reminds me of my middle daughter…” He trailed off, and stared down at the bags of money, his craggy face cracking.
Odette patted Pyotr’s shoulder. “I know,” she said, her voice low and soothing. Rothbart has stolen so much from us.
“Swan Queen,” Nadia called.
Odette wanted to roll her eyes at the ridiculous nickname, but it would only encourage them. “What—” She stopped speaking when she swung around and saw that Nadia dragged someone behind her, someone who was not a swan smuggler. “Your Highness,” she growled.
Prince Alexsei looked around the shoreline at the nineteen or so smugglers who strolled around, preparing to make the brief trip to their homes. “So,” he said. “Swans, eh?”
Odette groaned and massaged her head. Perhaps if he thinks I warned him off just because we’re smugglers…
“It’s a curse, I assume? I don’t wish to offend you, but I don’t know of anyone who wants to be a swan during the day.” Prince Alexsei’s question dashed all her hopes.
She scowled. “Why are you here?”
“You said Swan Lake has become a bird sanctuary. I didn’t doubt it—you seemed quite passionate that Yakov should stop shooting at swans, which I now understand and absolutely agree with—but it seemed odd. Swan Lake encircles Sorcerer Rothbart’s castle, which my parents declared a dead zone two years ago,” Prince Alexsei said.
I can’t believe this. If I had kept my mouth shut, his curiosity wouldn’t have been raised. Idiot!
Everything was silent, except for the chirps of crickets and the disrupting croak of the occasional bullfrog.
“What are your orders?” Nadia asked. She still held the prince by his wrist.
Alexsei looked about as harmful as a butterfly as he casually stood in Nadia’s grasp, a slight smile cresting his face, but Odette wasn’t fooled. For four years, we kept any outsiders from learning of our curse, but in one night, he happens to outwit us? We have measures in place to keep that from happening.
Odette turned on her heels. “Gala, Iosif, you were tonight’s fly-over, weren’t you?”
The pair of fifteen-year-olds slunk forward. Gala had her shoulders hunched to her ears, but Iosif was puffed with anger.
“We flew over as usual, but we saw nothing!” Iosif said.
Sensing weakness, Odette eyed the pair. “Gala?”
Gala flinched. She met Odette’s gaze and broke. “We cut the route a little short. We haven’t seen anyone near the lake for months and months, so we thought it would be okay.”
“Gala!” Iosif groaned.
“I see. Has this pricey lesson taught you why I insist on detailed fly-overs?” Odette clasped her hands together so she wouldn’t shake the pair.
“Yes,” they chorused.
Odette sighed. “We’ll discuss this in detail after you return tonight.”
“I’m sorry,” Gala said timidly. Iosif had the grace to stare at his feet.
Odette twisted her lips into a pained smile. “So am I.
Go, now. Off with you.” She watched the pair scurry off then called, “Misha.”
Misha and Pyotr strode over to them. Pyotr cracked his knuckles. “You want me to stay behind?”
“No. Misha, Gleb, and I will handle it. Enjoy your night off, Pyotr.”
Pyotr bowed and stormed down the shoreline, calling to the other smugglers, “We’re leaving.”
“Nadia, you can go as well,” Odette said. She watched Misha take charge of Alexsei’s other wrist, and considered sliding the dagger from her thigh bandolier.
Nadia shook her head. “I will stay.”
“Don’t be silly. I know what our free nights mean to you.”
Nadia was married and had, when she was first cursed, a newborn. Free nights were her only chance to see her young child.
Nadia tucked her chin, and although her bangs covered her eyes, Odette was certain they shone with a stubborn light. “I will stay.”
“So, are you going to tell me how this happened?” Alexsei asked.
“Aren’t you concerned we will do something nefarious to you?” Odette asked.
“Not particularly. You are too kind to your subordinates for me to think you capable of murder.”
“They aren’t my subordinates.”
“They called you the Swan Queen—which is quite the moniker given what you are during the day.”
Odette folded her arms across her chest and tapped her fingers on her biceps. “It’s my smuggling nickname. We all have them. And I think you underestimate how protective I am of them. I’m willing to do much to see they are kept safe.”
“Yes, I imagine so,” Prince Alexsei nodded. “You jumped a member of the royal family, after all, to see that you would not be hunted. By the by, Yakov agreed to refrain from shooting down swans.” He finished his sentence with a pleasant smile.
