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“Leave her,” Sophie shouts. “She’s not dangerous and she won’t get far.”
The girl’s colorful clothes and pink hair sway in the wind as she runs for her life. Who is she? And how is she connected to Comet International?
I shelve the thoughts as Damien waves that the building is clear. I guess we’ll know when we catch her later.
Inside, there are only a couple of rooms—a living room and a bedroom, clearly decorated to be a homely space. Ivo’s team drags the body of the shooter away, a male in his late forties.
“Comet International’s owner and CEO, Alex Aster.” The burly woman leading Team 2 points to the body bag. “We’re assuming it was his daughter who just escaped. Either that or our CEO is super into boy bands.”
I take in the posters on the walls and the little building stops looking cozy. It looks like a decorated jail cell. It’s kitted out with fancy furniture and the latest technology has to offer to the average consumer, but there are three locks on the door and bars on the windows.
I will gladly destroy this place.
Chapter 41
Ieat because I will need my strength. Tanya told me that whatever happens tonight, I should be ready to run. I glance at the two men near the door. Run where? The outside world is as far as it has always been.
While she was changing clothes, she asked me to leave. I did, but when she closed the door and I noticed there was a gap between the frame and the handle, I crouched and looked through. I couldn’t help it.
She took a metal rectangle box out of her undergarments, pressed on it, and the top of a knife came out. It was like nothing I had ever seen—curved and ending in a sharp point, it looked like a weapon rather than a utensil.
The way she pressed the pad of her index finger to it and let a rivulet of blood slide down the blade reminded me of the story of Koschei’s immortality.
His ability to die is hidden in a needle, far away from his body. The needle is inside an egg, which is in a duck, which is in a hare, which is in a brilliant, expensive chest.
The chest is buried under an old oak tree on an island beyond the sea, impossible to reach from any direction.
If a hero manages to find the chest and open it, the hare would run away. But if it’s caught and killed, the duck will emerge and fly away. If the duck is captured, the hero can get the egg. And the egg holds Koschei’s power. Inside it is his soul and his life. The needle. The hero can snap it, ending Koschei.
As I gazed at the sharp point of Tanya’s knife, I knew then what she was going to do tonight. She plans to rip his immortality away from him. After she is done with him, he will no longer be the Deathless one.
Now that we’re here in the dining room, I’m once again faced with the question that’s been haunting me ever since the fire—who do I trust?
Koschei is our protector and our father. Our grandfather and our leader. Tanya is his daughter and my sister. She’s my friend as well, I think, and she is Ben’s soul mate, according to that movie we watched. I don’t think they know it yet, but it’s clear to me. Ben is my protector in the outside world.
Which of these bonds is the strongest? Which of them will last? I’m not ready to be alone. I’ve always had the children and the protection of the village. No matter what happens tonight, I have to make sure I’m protected and not alone.
After Koschei has finished eating, he burps and leans back, a satisfied smile on his face. Usually this expression means he’s content and won’t be doing anything painful to the villagers.
This is not a usual evening. His eyes slide to Tanya, who’s been slowly working her way through the two spoonfuls of Olivier salad she put on her plate shortly after we sat down. She must be so hungry; she didn’t even touch her lunch. Unlike me—I devoured everything.
“The immortality ritual will begin now,” Koschei announces as he slides his chair back. “Do I have to request assistance or will you be obedient?”
“I will comply,” Tanya says in a small voice. She gets up and heads to the bed in the corner. I stare at the hunched shape of her back. What do I do now?
“Good,” Koschei says. “As we need to build the village from the ground up, Jenya will stay and observe. Tomorrow night will be her turn to undertake the immortality ritual. Then you, and so on and so forth until you are both successful.”
Tanya shudders but remains silent. My eyes widen, his words settling in my chest like heavy stones. I don’t want to create unhealthy children. I don’t want him to touch me or look at my naked body anymore. The beatings are hard, but they’re familiar. The memory of my burning flesh when my ink of life first appeared is still fresh in my mind. The inside of my thigh itches, the old discomfort pricking at my skin.
I don’t know what to do, so I will follow Tanya’s lead. She’s obeying Koschei’s wishes for now, but the needle that holds his soul is in her possession. When she takes it out, I will do my best to ensure she’s uninterrupted.
Remaining seated in front of the uneaten food, I follow Tanya’s and Koschei’s movements as they get undressed. He whispers things to her I can’t hear, and in the dim light I can’t see much of their expressions, but I can’t miss Tanya’s rigid movements.
It reminds me of the way I solidify when I’m afraid, of my leaden limbs that won’t respond to my instructions, and my mind that longs to go to my rye field, where it’s safe and nothing can hurt me.
Koschei’s sagging pale skin brings a chill to my senses. I’ve never seen him naked and as I see him now, I’m thankful to Ben that he set the village on fire and spared me the ritual that is about to take place.
Tanya and Koschei are both in their undergarments as he puts his trembling fingers on her shoulder and guides her to the bed. I swallow hard and glance at the men at the door. One of them adjusts the middle of his pants. There’s a bulge there and I recoil from his gaze when our eyes meet. He smiles and gives me a wink; it’s the only expression I’ve ever seen on his stoic face.
