Chapter 60

That night Anya gathered them together and told them all of her vision of Vasilli, Ladislav, and Ilya. Ladislav had said that the gates would break within a month, so she wanted to get back to the farm to try the magic that she had seen Ilya do.

"If the Darkness takes over the gates, they will let whatever they like from Skazki in," Honaw said, rubbing his chin. "They are idiots to think they will be able to claim both worlds completely without any resistance. They might be able to recruit more members in Skazki, but even then, they will have a war on their hands."

"You would think the Illumination would already be moving to prevent it," Anya replied. "I thought they were meant to stop the Darkness from doing this kind of thing."

Katya let out a harsh bark of laughter. "Those assholes are clueless."

"Perhaps we should tip them off?" Cerise suggested.

"Why? So they can capture Anya as soon as they see her?" Isabelle demanded.

"They should be the ones to deal with the Darkness, not a small group of Neutrals and an untrained shamanitsa," Cerise replied.

"We need to stop arguing first," Chayton said before turning to Anya. "If they are successful in Russia, the idea will spread, and soon we"ll have the slaying of Gate Keepers the world over. Gate Keepers are mostly Neutrals, but they"ll be forced to take sides."

"So we head to Russia and kick their asses." Hamish nodded his head in approval. "Easy to remember plans are the best plans."

Yvan smiled wryly. "Only if Vasilli doesn"t find us first. They would know that V?lundr failed and will send another team for us."

"You"re cheerful as ever," Izrayl complained.

"Realistic. The sooner we can get Anya to the gates, the better."

For the next few days,Anya rose early and reluctantly left her warm bed. Isabelle had begun training her hard, and though she felt clumsy, she appreciated the lessons. She would have loved to explore the city with Trajan holding her hand, but after her kidnapping and Trajan"s subsequent torture, she refused to leave the safety of the mansion.

Passports with fake names were being forged for all of them, and they had to assume the Darkness would have ties with border security and Interpol. Security within the mansion had been improved with a brand-new high-tech system. They were on a rotating roster to keep guard at all times. They all had emergency backpacks ready to go if they had to leave in a hurry.

Anya was still on farm hours, otherwise, she suspected her 6:30 am training sessions with Isabelle would have been torture. Her days were taken up with alternating self-defense sessions with Isabelle and magic lessons with Chayton and Honaw. They taught her how to use her power instinctively and control her surroundings if she fell into another lucid dream. She couldn"t stop thinking of her vision and what she remembered Eikki saying when she was captured.

It lives in your blood with all our ancestors, ready to help you when you need it. It had been enough to release her magic; maybe it could help when she reached the gates.

"Do you think the way Ilya closed the gates in the dream will work for me?" Anya asked that afternoon.

"It makes sense that blood is the key to it. Your ancestors have been bound to the gates as its keeper for centuries, and that bond is stronger than you can imagine. I have heard some gatekeepers saying how their gates call to them like it"s a living entity," Chayton said.

"There"s only one way to find out, and that"s to go to the farm and see what you can feel. You"ve been to Skazki, had memories removed, and you know now how to feel and sense magic in yourself and others. It might be that you have to do some trial and error on how to find what way is going to work for you," Honaw added. He bought out his drum and looked at Anya. "You ready to try and feel the boundaries of the Land of Dreaming again? Sensing ephemeral boundaries will help you find the ones on your farm."

Anya lay back on the floor, her head on a pillow, and closed her eyes. "I"m ready."

Chayton positioned himself beside her, ready to go in with her to help pull her back out if she went too deep.

Honaw started to beat on the drum in a steady rhythm. Anya"s ears vibrated as she tried to focus on the sound until her limbs grew heavy, and she began to disconnect with her body.

Chayton appeared beside her on the edge of a forest. Anya"s lucid dreams always began with a forest, and she figured it was because the forest had marked the boundaries to the farm and physical world her entire life.

"Good, Anya. You have enough control this time not to plunge straight in," Chayton said as he took her hand. "Tell me what you see."

Anya walked to the forest"s edge and placed her hand over the tree line. Her skin trembled as magic swirled impatiently under her skin. The forest cleared a little, and she saw a signpost.

"There"s a crossroads, but instead of four possible paths leading from it, there are eight," Anya said. "There is something written on the sign, but I can"t quite make it out." She stepped in a little too far, and instantly the crossroads started to drag her towards it. Chayton grabbed her shoulders, shouted a word that she couldn"t make out, and suddenly, she slammed back into her body. Anya sat up, gasping for air, Chayton groaning from beside her.

"What happened this time?" Honaw demanded.

"She stepped over the boundary."

"I only leaned a little to see what the sign said," Anya argued, her skin too cold. "It grabbed me and sucked me in."

Honaw ran an irritated hand over his face before pushing the drum at Chayton. "Okay, it"s my turn."

Anya drained her water bottle and tried to get comfortable again. It was going to be a long day.

In Moscow,Vasilli lit a thin cigar and poured himself another shot of icy vodka. He sat in front of a laptop, waiting for his team of mercenaries to get in contact with him. Ladislav had sent people to check on V?lundr and found his whole operation in ashes and Anya missing.

It took all of Vasilli"s self-control not to rub it in the old prick"s face. Vasilli was two steps ahead of him, his own people ready to raid the mansion. Beside him, his phone rang, and he put his drink down to answer it.

"Serge, are you in place?" he asked. The screen in front of him flickered to life as a camera was turned on in Paris. A group of men in black gear were assembling on a roof across from a mansion.

"Yes, sir, your directives still the same?" the mercenary asked. "Get the girl and the firebird; kill anyone that gets in the way?"

"Yes, but if Yvan and Anya try and fight, shoot to maim. Their power is unpredictable, but a well-placed bullet will slow them down," Vasilli replied. "You know where to take them. I"ll join you after it"s done."

"Enjoy the show, sir," Serge replied and hung up.

Vasilli picked up his vodka and swirled the ice around his glass. Ladislav had invaded his dreams the previous evening, showing off as he usually did when he wanted to press his authority. They had looked at the gates, but Vasilli knew that the Darkness had a team already stationed at the village and keeping an eye on it. There was nothing magical about the information Ladislav gave him. It was probably picked up from a report, and he wanted Vasilli to be awed by his abilities.

"Idiot," Vasilli muttered, downing the vodka and pouring another. If the night"s raid was successful, he wouldn"t have to put up with his bullshit any longer. He would have so much power that no one could stand in his way for taking the Darkness for himself. There might be some in fighting, but Vasilli was looking forward to spilling the blood of those who were loyal to Ladislav. His weak rule couldn"t come to an end soon enough.

Vasilli leaned back in his chair and smoked, watching as his mercenaries moved in on the mansion.