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Zori smiled. "Yeah, but if you do that, you will never know what happened to Misha, and I will never forgive myself."
"You don't even know him, and you're risking your own happiness for him."
"I don't know him, but I knowyou. At least enough to know that this is the right thing to do. I doubt Maxim is treating Misha as well as me. I am…his pet." It hurt Zori to say it, but she knew it was true. She'd had the same thought herself more than once, and yet knowing the truth of it was still a kick in the guts. "You really were right about that. I'm a pretty little doll that he keeps around for his own purposes. I'll be okay playing that role for a while longer."
"You're no one's fucking pet. No matter what happens, you're not staying in his hands."
Zori could hear Vladik getting out of bed, and she wondered how he would look, sleepy and rumpled. Damn fucking fine as usual.
"Sorry for waking you up," she said.
"Don't be. You can message me any time, Zori. My body needs some coffee because I'm not going to get back to sleep," Vladik replied with a yawn. "Tell me about something that you like."
"Art history. Any history really. I'm learning Ancient Greek at the moment. I like how precise the language is and how the letters look," Zori said, a smile creeping into her voice.
Vladik chuckled. "Sounds like an unusual way to have fun."
"You should have seen me in my hieroglyphics phase. I'm still trying to convince Maxim to take me to Egypt," she replied, laughing with him.
"I'll take you if you want to go. I've always wanted to see the Sphinx. There are some gargoyles that believe they were made by Isis like Morana made us," he said, and Zori's smile grew even wider.
"Really? I suppose it's as good a theory as any. The sphinxes do act as protectors too. Could you imagine if there're shapeshifting sphinxes out there? That would be so cool."
Vladik laughed. "Oh boy, you are going to love Aleksandr."
"Who's Aleksandr?"
"He's the leader of the gargoyles. He's the one who gets all excited about there being other creatures like us in different parts of the world. He goes one step deeper into speculating if the myth of Morana isn't real, we were still created bysomethingto be protectors. Massive nerd."
Zori could hear the genuine affection in his voice. "How does my high priestess grandmother take his theories?"
"She calls him a heretic, but in a fond way. She leads the swan wives the way he leads the gargoyles. They aren't together, but they are a team. They look after us all. Kids belong to the clan, not just their parents, so the clan raises them," Vladik explained.
The lump was back in Zori's throat. "It sounds like a nice place to grow up."
"It was. I'm sure the clan is going to make up for the lost time with you. You're proof that the women who were taken by Chernobog's priests weren't just killed straight away. You are…hope," he said, his voice going soft again. "If you lived, maybe there would be traces of the others remaining as well."
Zori got up off the carpet and went to her dresser. "If that's the case, answers will be in Maxim's office. I'm going to get dressed and go and look today. I can't go back to Kitezh with nothing to offer."
"Zori, you don't need to offer anyone anything to have a place there. They are your people, your family," he growled.
"Yeah, you might say that, but I'm not going to believe until I see it. It still doesn't change the fact that we have another week before Maxim comes back. This is our only chance to get in that office. I'm not going to pass it up because my orphan ass has heart eyes over the idea of having a real family," Zori snapped. She flinched, hating just how bitter she sounded. "Um…sorry."
Vladik let out a sigh. "I can't say anything to stop you, so maybe just be careful? I don't want the guards getting suspicious of you."
"I won't. Besides, I might be a shut-in, but I'm a pro at bluffing my way out of situations. I also need something to stop me from freaking out because in less than a week I've not only found out my guardian is a liar, but magic is also real, gargoyles exist, and now I'm growing feathers," Zori said, voice cracking a little. She sounded fucking insane.
"You're doing amazing to take in so much so quickly. Please don't be so hard on yourself," Vladik replied, his tone going soft again. "What you're doing is very brave, Zoria, and any information you do find will be useful."
Zori didn't feel brave. She felt like a dumb kid in over her head. "I'll send you photos of anything I find. And Vladik?"
"Yeah, puppy?"
"Thank you for the chat. It's calmed me down a bit, and I appreciate you picking up the phone," Zori said, her heart skipping.
"Any time. I'll get Irina to message you about the feathers thing. She'll know what to do."
They rang, off and Zori headed for the shower.
