Chapter 15

Anya"s lungs burned as she struggled to keep up with Yvan"s long strides. They hadn"t stopped running since Baba Yaga had dismissed them, and the only thing that kept Anya going was the fear of meeting the Black Rider.

"I can"t believe she didn"t strike you down for being so disrespectful to her," Yvan said, slowing their pace. "This is so much worse than I thought."

"Why? She seemed helpful enough when we offered her something she wanted," Anya replied.

Yvan shook his head. "You don"t understand. That was too easy, Anya. She offered to teach you, which means she wants you."

"If she"s so powerful, why didn"t she just take me?"

"Because she wants you to join her of your own volition. It means something is coming that she will want allies for, and with Yanka as a matriarch of your bloodline, she knows what your potential could be. Fuck, I forgot all about Yanka. Ilya had a falling-out with her but never said why." Yvan pushed his hands through his hair with a hiss of frustration. "I"ve been asleep too long. I don"t know what"s happening in the worlds."

"Okay, so we find out. Let"s worry about it when we get to safety," Anya said, hurrying him along. She didn"t need him freaking out because he was the only one of them who knew how to navigate Skazki. Now that they were away from her, the meeting with Baba Yaga seemed almost surreal. How many shocks could somebody take in one week?

Anya silently followed Yvan until he paused in the middle of a dirt road.

"Look there. We are close," he said, pointing at the village in the distance.

Anya laughed a little in relief, refusing to turn back to look at the dark, watchful forest behind her. "Let"s hope they have hot water."

The village was quiet as they approached a tavern and stepped inside. It was filled with drinkers who reminded Anya of the old men from home. They were rough farmers and tradesmen, their overalls and heavy woolen jackets stained with dirt. The room had a smoky air of filthiness created by the small clay pipes they smoked.

"We need a room," Yvan told a man behind the bar. "We also need hot food if there"s any left."

"Where are you coming from?" he asked suspiciously.

"Through the forest. We"ve had a rough few nights. Please, a room."

The barman looked like he would argue, then he saw the look in Yvan"s eyes and thought better of it. He grunted, "Up the stairs, first door on the right. There"s a washhouse if your woman needs it."

Anya made a little snort of disgust at the "your woman" comment before disguising it as a cough. The barman yelled at a thin woman who hurried them upstairs and let them into a small room with one bed, a pine chair, and a fireplace.

"I"ll bring food up shortly," she said, handing Anya a towel. She curtsied to Yvan before hurrying from the room.

"I wonder if there"s a seamstress in town," Yvan said, sinking down on the edge of the bed. "We are going to need clothes and some supplies. This close to Baba Yaga"s forest might mean it"s better supplied than most places because travelers and merchants would stay here on their way to petition her."

"I"m going for a bath. I need to think some of this through alone." Anya needed some space. Her head was filled with snarls, and she hadn"t been able to think straight since her dream in the forest. A dream that had left her shoulders feeling bruised from Tuoni pushing her.

How could anyone do that in a dream?Unless it wasn"t just a dream, which was the most frightening thought.

"Be careful, and watch your back if you are alone," Yvan warned as she walked from the room. "Have you got your knife?"

Anya patted her pocket. "Always." She found the small washroom downstairs and scrubbed herself raw. When she daydreamed about traveling in the past months, she thought of new, warm countries with sandy beaches, not fairytale worlds. Her mind and body hadn"t caught up with the reality of where she was. If she let it, it would send her hiding under the nearest bed.

God, I need a drink. When she was finally clean and dry, she went to the bar.

The men in the room stared at her, but Anya had been graced with plenty of disapproving glances in the past. She ignored them and sat down at the bar.

"Vodka," Anya said to the barman.

"I don"t think your husband—" he began.

"What my husband thinks is no concern of yours," Anya said sharply. "Vodka."

With a shrug, the barman handed her a large cup and left her be. The vodka was almost as strong as the stuff she brewed herself, and the warm mist soon began to roll in. It calmed the incessant tingling under her skin that she had felt since coming into Skazki, and it was like she could breathe again.

It didn"t take long for a man with a bushy beard to sit beside her. No matter what world you"re in, men are still the same.

"What makes you think you can drink in this place, woman?"

"Because there"s nowhere else," Anya said calmly. She gave the barman a meaningful look, and he refilled her drink without an argument.

"It"s going to be cold tonight," the drunk mused. "How about I keep you warm?" He reached out a grubby hand to touch her shoulder. Anya grabbed it and crushed his fingers tightly.

"Back the fuck off," Anya snapped. Heat rushed through her hand, and the drunk yelped in surprise, pulling away from her. He flexed his fingers and stared at her, wide-eyed. Bright burns marked them where she had grabbed him.

Did she do that? Anya gaped at her hands. What the hell was happening to her?

"Witch," the drunk hissed, making another clumsy grab for her.

Anya aimed a kick between his legs, and her boot caught the edge of the seat instead, unbalancing the man and sending him backward with a crash. A roar of laughter rose from the other drinkers, and the man, red-faced and angry, struggled to his feet.

"You"re going to regret that," he spat, raising a hand to hit her.

Someone grabbed his arm from behind, and as he turned, Yvan punched him hard in the face.

"You don"t hit women, especially not mine," Yvan said coldly as the man slumped to the floor, blood pouring out of his mouth and staining the floor red.

The bar was silent as Yvan grabbed Anya around her waist to steady her, picked up her bag, and walked her back to their room.

"Yvan…I… I think I burned him," she mumbled, and he helped her sit down at the end of the bed. She leaned down and made a feeble attempt to pull her boots off.

"Whatever you think you did to him was nothing compared to the damage he could"ve done to you. You could"ve been hurt, Anya. Why don"t you ever think?" he said, untying her boots.

Anya scowled. "He started it."

"Doesn"t matter. You can"t draw attention to yourself in these places. The people that live here are only mortal and are subject to the will of the Powers. Do you want Vasilli to find you? He"ll hear whispers of the two strangers who came to town and caused trouble when he comes after us." Yvan clenched his hands into fists, and Anya placed her hand over them.

"I"m sorry, Yvan. I was upset, and I wanted a drink and…"

"I know. Maybe try and rest for a while." Yvan moved his hand from under hers and leaned back into his chair. "I know with all of the confusion of my hatching and Vasilli turning up, I haven"t made the best impression. But I promise I will protect you, Anya, until this is all over. No matter what."

"Thank you, Yvan," she whispered because she finally believed him.

Anya curled onto her side and fought the urge to cry. She was in a whole new world without knowing how to navigate it. Without Yvan, she would have probably been eaten in the forest by wild animals or by Baba Yaga. How would she ever learn her magic when she couldn"t even look after herself?