Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Arkon was feeling a little hypnotized by the warm light of the restaurant and the liquid winter of Zarya’s eyes.

I could show you how to do it right. His brain and dick were still processing that comment. He reached for his wine and grabbed his water instead. He needed to clear his head and focus on what Zarya was saying.

Arkon could feel the current of magic around her like another pulse under his skin. He was going to get permission to play in that magic, and it exhilarated him.

"Do you know that Kyiv was founded by the Vikings?" she asked, and Arkon shook his head. "The Russian Chronicle says it was founded by a Viking called Oleg around 879 C.E. There’s old magic in the earth there. The old gods walk in the north."

A light chill swept down Arkon’s spine. "Literally? Because at this point nothing would surprise me."

"I might," Zarya replied, her red mouth twitching in the corner. "My point in telling you this is so you understand that even though there is a strong Orthodox Christian community, there is also old Norse gods worship happening. Arkadi’s father, Vladimir, was a devotee of Odin. He was obsessed with the All-Father and was quite the talented mage himself. It was his obsession that drove him to seek out my mother where she lives near Kirkenes. It’s a small place that is technically Norway, but it sits on top of Finland and is near the Russian border."

Arkon rested his chin in his palm. "Quite the distance from Kyiv. It explains why your accent is different. Why did he seek your mother out?"

"She’s a priestess of Freya, a völva, and a powerful practitioner of seidr. She’s incredible at trance work. Vladimir wanted her to give him a message from Odin. You have to admire his audacity to want to ask the All-Father for anything." Zarya stopped her story as Maria came in with an entrée. Arkon could sense the wariness behind Zarya’s smile at the other woman. She had to keep her secrets for so long, Arkon felt a twinge of pity for her. He had friends around him like Zahir that he could talk with, and she’d had no one except an emperor who betrayed her.

"Did Odin deign to reply to Vladimir?" Arkon prompted when they were alone again.

"Of course, he didn’t. My mother—she liked Vladimir and decided to do a rune reading for him anyway. She told him that the fearful cub would eat the bear before trying to take the queen. He didn’t know what to make of it. That is until Arkadi killed him, and he decided he wanted to do the old Viking dream of taking Constantinople as his own. She is the queen of cities, and in Arkadi’s mind, the ultimate jewel in the crown of his empire. He’s obsessed with the old tales of the Varangian guard and haunted by what could have been. It is why he called the empire Varangia after all."

Arkon took a long, thoughtful pause, sorting through what he knew of Arkadi and what he didn’t. "I heard the old emperor died in a hunting accident," he said, stroking his chin with the back of his hand.

"It’s what Arkadi wanted everyone to believe. Arkadi is afraid of magic. He hates it because it drove him mad. He witnessed a ritual when he was a child, and his young mind couldn’t make sense of it. He had a mental snap and wasn’t the same after," Zarya said. She had a few mouthfuls of pasta, reminding Arkon that his was getting cold and that he really shouldn’t stare at the cream on her lips. "Arkadi was sent to recover at a monastery in the mountains, and after it, he became deeply orthodox. It comforted him in his time of need, which is why he’s so anti-magic now."

"If he hates it that much, why did he accept you? I’ve never really understood it, saint or not."

Zarya dabbed at her lips with her napkin, removing the traces of cream that Arkon had been trying not to fixate on.

"My mother again. She saw that the only way to stop the war was if I went to Kyiv. The rest you know. Arkadi knew that our parents had been friends and that her visions came true. He wanted me to join him. Until then he had a hard time counteracting you. He saw me as a sign from God." Zarya poked at her pasta again. "I don’t know what pushed him to hire Vladek, the mage in your dungeons. I don’t know why he thought bone magic was a good idea when he’s so afraid of magic. He’s not a fool and neither are the men we are going after. Igor Zaytsev, could have sold Arkadi the idea of having some kind of magical backup in case something happened to me."

"Vladek seems to think that the bone mages were created in case you ever needed to be taken down. Someone was getting afraid of your influence with the people and got into Arkadi’s ear about it," Arkon replied.

It made sense. Zarya was a force of nature. He could imagine how much awe she would be capable of inspiring when she was motivated to.

"It’s embarrassing that I didn’t suspect a thing until it was too late, "Zarya said bitterly. "Over the past five years, Arkadi was as close to a confidant as it could get. Him and Asa. Then he killed her. I thought they were sleeping together. I know she was in love with him. It’s what makes it even more horrible. She would’ve done anything he asked."

"Did you tell your mother?" Arkon asked.

"Yes. I went to her first, after the camps. I made sure she moved somewhere that Arkadi would never be able to find her. My other sisters have magic, but not like mine. They couldn’t come with me to face my enemies. I don’t know what I will be once it’s done… I didn’t want my sisters to witness it."

Arkon frowned. "Is that another reason you came to me? Did you have a vision at all?"

"Not in the way you are probably thinking." Zarya’s eyes melted from silver to blue. "When I imagined myself killing the abominations of the bone mages, when I saw my hands covered in the blood of all those that betrayed me, you were always beside me."

Arkon’s breath caught at the confession. She was so open and honest about it. This was a glimpse of her true self, and he knew whatever he said next would matter. He held her piercing gaze.

"We have been constant companions in this war, Zarya. No one else would understand that. They see everything as one side or the other, black and white. Magic belongs in the gray. We know exactly who and what we are. If you see me beside you, it’s because I understand what you need to do without judgement. For what it’s worth, I’m glad none of my assassins ever caught up with you."

"Likewise," she said and shot him a heartbreakingly beautiful smile. "You don’t seem to be concerned that I’m going to drag you into my violence."

"It’s our violence, Zarya. You have a personal stake, but I want the war to end. If I need to be the one wielding the blade, I’ll do it. I’m tired of all of it, and I want it to be done," Arkon replied, and he felt that exhaustion in his bones. "Don’t you?"

"Yes," she whispered. She drank her wine. "When this is over, I’m going to find a cabin in the forest and ignore the world for as long as possible. I’m done with politics and intrigues. I just…"

"Want to do magic," Arkon finished. His pulse was in his mouth, his magic burning in his fingertips longing to reach out and touch hers.

Zarya tilted her head. "You too?"

"Me too. It’s all I’ve wanted really. Gio is my friend. Otherwise, I would have walked away a long time ago."

"Being a spy master and a sorcerer must be exhausting," she said.

"You’ve definitely made it easier coming here and surrendering."

"I haven’t surrendered," Zarya said and looked up from underneath her long lashes. "It would take a lot more than dinner to get me to do that for you."

Arkon went hot, then cold, and hot once more. His mouth wanted to say something, but all his blood was suddenly in his dick, and he couldn’t think straight. He was fighting to keep his magic from clawing its way out and rubbing all over Zarya. The rest of him wasn’t averse to that idea either.

He was saved by Maria bringing their main course, and he didn’t know if he wanted to hug her in relief or toss her into the canal beside them for interrupting.

"She’s checking in on you," Zarya commented with a grin once Maria walked away.

"She’s collecting all the gossip is what she’s doing," Arkon grumbled. He needed to change the conversation, get it back on track before he needed a dip in the canal as well. "Your magic, the strength of the seventh child, how do you wield it? I’ve never felt anything like it apart from my own."

Zarya thought about it and then said, "I’ll show you tomorrow. It’s better if you see it for yourself."

"Excellent, because curiosity is killing me," he replied, cutting into his fish that he couldn’t remember ordering. "I’ve never met another seventh child before. Zahir seems to think that you were born to balance me out."

"It makes sense. We are definitely equal in power. You are probably the only person who could challenge me. It’s really going to panic them in Kyiv when they find out we are working together," she said, the gleam of wolf in her eyes.

"You want them running scared," Arkon replied.

Zarya nodded. "Yes. I want them to run to the Winter Palace. If they stay in Kyiv, there’s too much of a risk that innocent people will get hurt. The Winter Palace will be easier for us to attack, and there are less places where the cockroaches can hide."

"You’ve been thinking about this a lot, I see."

"It’s all I have thought about for eight weeks. Isolate them from the herd and then kill them." Zarya cut into her venison. "I turn into a wolf for a reason."