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"I believe that was the goddess," Aleksandr said, looking at Zori in a whole new way. "Irina didn't tell me you were a vessel."
"A vessel?" Zori squeaked, becoming more freaked out by the second. She didn't have any warning; she just suddenly had no control over her own body.
Aleksandr gestured with his hand. "You know, an avatar? A human chosen for the goddess to possess at will to be her hands and voice."
"Possess?" Zori touched her throat. "It's just getting worse." She had recognized that voice as the one that had told her to jump from the balcony the night she had escaped. It reallyhadbeen Morana like Vladik had said. He pulled her tighter against his chest as she started to shake.
"Breathe, puppy. You're okay," he whispered in her ear.
"Well, things just got a whole lot more interesting. No wonder Maxim guarded you like a dragon." Aleksandr leaned back in his chair and stared at Zori. "Okay, blossom, you had best start from the beginning."
24
By the time Zori, Vladik, and Aleksandr made it back to Irina's house, the sun was setting, and the snow was falling once more. She had told Aleksandr about what she had found in Maxim's study and his plans for Misha.
Misha himself said he would speak to Aleksandr alone about the things he had gone through. Zori couldn't shake the feeling that Misha wanted to protect Vladik from the details. He was tense enough with Zori's part of the story.
Aleksandr hadn't pushed Misha either, though he was clearly worried about Maxim and his inner circle.
"Irina said that Maxim could track me here using my blood," Zori said, her hand gripping Vladik's tightly as they walked with Aleksandr.
"He's powerful enough to do it, but whether or not he had the balls to try and attack the whole city is another matter," Aleksandr replied. "He and thevolhvgot close enough last time to snatch Alisa and the other women. They have a rough idea where the city is already, but they aren't ready to face us in an all-out assault, or they would have done it already."
"That was before Zori learned the truth and we stole Misha back," Vladik argued. "Maxim isn't going to let it go. It's not in his nature."
"We should take the tower from him," Zori said, thinking out loud. "I'm sure there's information about the othervolhvin there."
Aleksandr smiled viciously. "I like the way you think."
"I don't. There's no way I'm going to let you walk back in there," Vladik growled.
"I'm not talking about me personally. I don't know how to fight. I just can't stop thinking about the other women who are being locked up right now like I was," Zori replied.
"Let's see what Irina has to say," Aleksandr replied, opening the gate to her grandmother's garden. He gestured for her to go first. "I have no doubt this isn't a social dinner, but a scheming one."
"When do I ever scheme, heretic?" Irina demanded, coming out of the small green house with a basket.
"You came out of the womb scheming, woman. It is why you are now high priestess," Aleksandr replied. He gestured to Zori. "Don't call me a heretic in front of the vessel either. I don't want Morana sending a winter storm to destroy my house."
Irina looked the three of them over. "A vessel?"
"Morana spoke through Zoria. I witnessed it myself," Aleksandr said.
Zori leaned into Vladik. "Are you sure we can't just go back to your tub?"
Vladik gave her a heated look and went to open his mouth.
Both Aleksandr and Irina turned on them. "No."
"There is no escaping them, I'm afraid," Vladik said with sigh. He rested a hand on her lower back and nudged her forward. "They will just make a scene if we don't go in."
"Can we meet you inside? I just need to talk to Vladik super quick," Zori said to Irina. She looked about to object when Aleksandr put a hand on her arm.
"I'll talk about what I saw when Morana spoke through Zoria," he said and steered Irina towards the door. "Five minutes, you two."
Vladik waited until they were alone before asking, "What's wrong?"
"You all seem really calm about an actual goddess talking through me. I need to know you aren't freaking out on the inside because I am," she said, pacing the snowy garden path.
