Chapter 12

Anya ran blindly behind Yvan as they bolted through the forest. She clung to him, putting her other hand before her to knock away branches, hoping they wouldn"t crash straight into a blackberry bush.

Yvan must"ve been able to see in the dark because he never tripped while Anya struggled 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 possible before Vasilli arrives. As for passing into Skazki, I"ll know the crossing when I see it. The main gate is on the farm"s land, but the weak place between the worlds stretches further into the forest.

A wolf"s howl echoed through the trees, and Anya quickened her pace, running close to Yvan.

"Don"t overexert yourself. Vischto has to wait for Vasilli before he can do anything. If Vasilli were close, we would know. If we cross into Skazki tonight, we can get a head start while they are still searching the forest for us."

"That is if he doesn"t catch us first."

"Don"t even joke about that," Yvan said seriously. "We were lucky last time. I doubt it"ll happen again."

"Thanks for reminding me." Anya skidded to a stop in the pine needles as vibrations rolled through the air and static snapped over her skin.

"What was that?" she whispered.

"You can feel the power in the air. This part of the forest is shifting as it connects with Skazki. That"s what you can feel. I"ve never been able to pass through the gates without a gatekeeper"s help. The firebird"s power should change that."

"But I thought only a gatekeeper could open the passages?" Anya asked.

"A proper opening, yes. A strong magic user like Vasilli can sometimes cheat by finding weak spots in crossover pockets. Think of them as backdoors that only the powerful can use. Even then, the pathways can be fickle and refuse them without a gatekeeper," Yvan hurriedly explained as he helped her over a fallen tree. Another howl shook the trees, close enough for Anya"s breath to catch.

"Yebat"! He"s getting closer," Yvan cursed, and they both ran. "Vischto will try to delay us from entering so Vasilli can catch up to us. If he attacks, be ready to fight back."

Anya slowed as she saw a blue shimmer through the trees. "What"s that?"

"That"s our way in." Yvan headed towards the light.

"It looks like an aurora," Anya said when they stopped before it. Her skin was covered in goosebumps, the light pulling something deep inside her.

Vischto jumped through the trees, landing only meters away, and gave a blood-chilling warning growl. Yvan burst into flames as the firebird overtook him and launched through the aurora.

"Thanks for waiting for me!" Anya shouted and tried to follow him through. The wall of blue light held, resisting her. Vischto growled again as he moved in on her, slowly and purposefully.

"Let me in, dammit!" Anya cursed the aurora with all her might. Sharp, fiery energy streaked up through her arm and zapped the wall, burning a hole through it like it was paper. Anya tumbled through the wall of light, and it sealed with a snap behind her. She hung suspended for a heart-stopping second before slamming heavily to the forest floor.

"I thought it wasn"t going to let you through," Yvan said, his face pale as he helped her to her feet and picked the leaves out of her hair.

"It wasn"t. I think I hurt it," Anya replied and brushed off her pants, hissing at the fresh scrapes on her palms. There was no sign of the power that had burned the aurora, only blood and dirt.

"Look," Yvan said. They saw Vischto throw himself against the wall through the sheer blue light, howling in frustration. "We have to keep moving. He"ll report back to Vasilli and know exactly where we crossed over. We need to throw him off our trail as much as possible."

Anya rubbed at her arms, her skin tingling all over like she was covered in ants. Yvan"s hand found hers in the dark.

"Don"t get lost," he said, and Anya saw the flash of his smile through the gloom.

"Don"t lead me into any ditches," she replied. Her fingers tightened around his, and she followed Yvan into the darkness without looking back.

Lookthrough the autumn meadow to where two exhausted travelers sleep. A fox pads silently through the leaf litter towards them. He is curious; humans are rarely seen in this part of the forest.

The fox sniffs the woman cautiously. She smells strongly of Mir. Colors swirl around her brightly. Strong, raw magic is inside her, but it is buried deep.

He sniffs the man and smells a bird. Curious, he sniffs further towards the opening of the man"s shirt. A bird leaps out and pecks the fox"s nose with its sharp beak.

"Gods!" the fox curses as it jumps out of harm"s way.

Be gone, a voice touches the fox"s mind. With his tail standing on end, the fox turns and bolts from the meadow.

He knows who would pay for such a shocking revelation. A firebird has returned to Skazki!

See the old bent crone standing before a bubbling cauldron in a cottage made of rotting bones. She is stirring her soup slowly, humming with pleasure. It had been a long time since a child wandered through to Skazki and across her path. It had been a petulant creature, and she had to cackle that Mir people had stopped telling their children the old stories about her. Hopefully, more unsuspecting children would come, and she would grow fat on their dreams before getting fat on their flesh.

Baba Yaga could never have such fun in Mir; too many rules and people watching her. She had dreamed of fire, the bloodline, the game starting again. She had come home to Skazki from Mir, needing to be where her magic was most potent, to see if she could discover more accurately a time of the war"s beginning and what destiny pushed into her path. The coming battles deserved a celebration and a forbidden meal.

"Hey, Old Iron Teeth!" a voice calls up to her. "I have information for you! Let down your house, and I shall share it with you."

Baba Yaga continues to stir before finally relenting. The cabin wobbles as it lowers its chicken legs and rests on the ground.

The shiny black nose of a fox appears through her door before the rest of it steps tentatively across the wooden floor to where she"s cooking. A pile of children"s clothes lay discarded in the room"s corner. The fox holds back a shudder. There are some things even foxes know better than to eat.

"What is it you wish to tell me?" Baba Yaga asks. "Be warned, little fox, if you lie to me, I shall eat another of your cubs."

"There are Mir visitors in the forest," he says quickly.

"And?"

"There is a woman, and she has power." The fox licks his lips nervously as the old witch stops stirring. "And there"s a man from Skazki with her, and he"s split in two."

"How is he split in two?" she asks and turns to face him.

"He shares his body with a firebird," mumbles the fox. Baba Yaga stares intently at him, and he feels her moving in his mind, searching for the lie in his tale. He thinks of the bird and how it bit his nose.

She laughs hysterically, knowing that her carefully laid plans are coming to fruition. "Finally! He has been reborn and brings the girl to me at last."

"My debt?" asks the fox, hopefully.

"It has been paid," the witch snaps. "Now leave before I change my mind and add you to my stew."

The fox doesn"t need to be asked twice. He bolts through the door as it snaps shut, taking part of his tail.

Baba Yaga shuffles over to her loom and checks through her weave again. Her gnarled hand strokes the lid of a wooden crate, and she feels the game board"s power inside it.

Yes, it was almost time for it to begin again.