Page 44 of Fate and Fury

Normally, this would have been cause to rejoice. But anyplace that yielded to him would yield, as well, to the Darkness. It was only a matter of time until what happened at Drezna took place again. And what if it took place here, in Kalach? What if it took the talented Dimi with it?

He couldn’t afford to wait. He needed her for his own—to leash her abilities, to bend her strength to his will before the Darkness destroyed them all.

His soldiers quickened their pace, and Gadreel gave a warning growl, holding them back. The assault on the village had been carefully plotted, every detail accounted for. It would not do for the greed and haste of his fellow Grigori to ruin it.

Grigori were not known for their obedience, nor for their patience. But they understood power and coveted it. What Gadreel demanded, they would fulfill, until it suited them to do otherwise. They fell in behind him, blurring the edges of their borrowed shapes until they blended with the trees and the dark.

Gadreel paused at the treeline, taking in the silent village. The fires burned high, reeking of the rowan smoke that scorched his lungs even in this form. They could not tarry here for long.

But even getting this close without being recognized by the wards was unheard of. The world was folding, breaking. Either he would slip through the cracks and back again, taking the Dimi with him, or everything would crumble and they would all be doomed.

The Dimi’s Light called to him. Burning. Beckoning. And suddenly, Gadreel found that he had run out of patience, himself.

“Now,” he said to Azazel, his second in command, and crossed the line that separated the village from the forest, without waiting to see if his company followed.

23

KATERINA

When the alarm sounded, Katerina was asleep, curled beneath her quilt. The cottage was otherwise empty; Niko was out on patrol with Alexei, pacing Kalach’s borders.

She hadn’t wanted to let him go. The forest had felt strange to her recently, its energies off-balance—as if when she drew power through her, something was drawing it back again. The more they flouted the prophecy, the more she feared the return of the Darkness. But Niko had only kissed her, his lips feather-light, and slipped out the door.

The gong sounded again, its ominous cries reverberating throughout the village, and Niko’s amulet flared to life, pulsing against her skin. His voice came, agitated, inside her mind:Wake up, Katerina. I need you.It was the form of communication they used when they fought side by side, when he took the form of his guardian dog. Never had she known him to use it otherwise. She hadn’t thought he could.

It was bad, then.

She shot to her feet, braiding back her long hair and yanking on the leather garb she wore for battle. The hide was no protection against the bite of a Grigori, but it was flexible and easy to move in. She shoved two syringes filled with antivenin into her pocket and laced on her boots just as Niko’s voice came again.Katerina!

I’m here, she told him, touching the rowan cross that hung beside the mantel for luck and flinging the door open.

He was there, eyes wild, shirt and breeches splashed with someone else’s blood.Stay by me, he said, though his lips didn’t move.

Always, she said, and meant it.

Together, they ran toward the sound of carnage, feet pounding down the stone paths that led to the center of Kalach. The place was in tumult, families pouring from their houses to be met by a paired Shadow and Dimi, each of whom was assigned to guard a quadrant of the village. Katerina caught glimpses of the little ones’ wide eyes and pale faces as she and Niko hurtled past them. She winged a prayer to the Saints that they would be safe. As the strongest Dimi in Kalach, her role was on the front lines. She couldn’t stay behind to protect them.

“How many?” she asked Niko as they ran. “As many as on the road to Drezna?”

“No. But at least twenty. Maybe more. And there’s something in their midst... Not the Darkness we encountered in Drezna, but a power unlike anything I’ve felt before.” His voice was hard. “They stabbed Alexei. Took his father’s form and sank a blade into him before I could stop it. I outran them, coming for you. He…” Niko’s throat moved as he swallowed. “He’s likely gone.”

Katerina’s heart ached for Alexei and Ana, but there was no time to reflect on what they might have lost. Surrounded by shops and gardens, the square was deserted, save for a demon in the shape of one of the schoolteachers, dragging a little Vilagirl—Dominika—onto a path that led to the forest. Rage boiled beneath Katerina’s skin as Niko seized a knife from his belt and threw it. The blade pierced the demon through the eye and it fell, writhing as it lost control of its form. Blue blood flowed from the wound, the scent sickly-sweet.

“Come,” Niko said roughly, taking the little girl’s hand. She clung to him, face streaked with dirt, as he spun, looking for the Shadow and Dimi sent to guard the other Vila.

“Give her to me.” It was Elena’s voice, breathless but determined.

She stood in the middle of the square, yellow hair tousled from sleep, clad in her shift. Her hands were steady as she reached for Dominika.

“Run,” Katerina told her, pushing the little girl into her arms.

Elena held Dominika tight. “Saints be with you both. Bring him back to me.” With a terrified glance at the writhing demon, she and Dominika fled toward the Shadow who stood at the outskirts of the square, waiting to see them to safety.

Clouds scudded across the waning moon, obscuring its light, as Katerina and Niko raced through the woods, heading for the source of the screams.

24

GADREEL

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