Page 92 of Fate and Fury

Fire trembled at the tips of Ana’s fingers, and, alarmed, Katerina stepped from behind her friend. “It’s one thing to insult me,” she said. “It’s quite another to impugn Ana’s good name. She and Alexei are loyal and honorable. They fight for you—for all of us. Now stand aside and let us pass.”

“I don’t think I will,” Konstantin mused, gripping the shovel more tightly. “You know, Katerina, once I dreamed you might be my wife. I escaped that fate, thank the Saints for small mercies. But before Kniaz Sergey claims you as his own, I can’t help but want a little taste.” His tongue darted out, licking his lips, and his olive skin flushed. “You won’t hurt me. After all, your reputation can’t stand much more damage.”

He took one threatening step toward Katerina, then another, the shovel cocked over his shoulder and a smug smile on his face. Katerina braced, readying herself for a fight. There was no way she was going to let Konstantin touch her. And certainly no way she was going to let him prevent her from doing what must be done tonight. But he was right on one count; she didn’t want to bludgeon him or light him aflame. That would send his companions running for help, and then her scheme would go right out the window. Her tongue, though, was as good a weapon as any other. It had stood her in good stead against Andrei, all those weeks ago.

“My reputation may be ruined, true,” she said, tossing her head. “But that only means it can’t get any worse. Of the two of us, you’re the one with something to lose. I belong to the Kniaz now, and I hardly think he would tolerate laying a hand on what’s his. Not to mention,” she said, deliberately closing the space between them with small, stalking steps, “my magic’s unpredictable right now. Surely you know that; it’s been the talk of Kalach. It would be unwise for me to damage you on purpose. But antagonize me enough, and…” She extended a finger, running the point of her nail down his cheek. “Someone might…get…hurt.”

Konstantin’s black eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”

Katerina summoned the smallest gust of wind, praying it didn’t turn into a tornado. She used it to push Konstantin back, one step at a time, until he stood in front of the men who’dfollowed him out of the woods. “Go,” she said, her voice soft. “And trouble me no more.”

Konstantin glared at her. “Kniaz Sergey wants you for your power,” he said. “To protect him, along with his precious Druzhina. But I see you for what you truly are. Evil. You will bring shame upon his house, just as you’ve brought it on Kalach.”

Flames flared in Ana’s hands again, and the burly man next to Konstantin shifted uneasily at the sight. “Come, now, Konstantin. You’ve said your piece. It’s treason to speak against the Kniaz, and the witch isn’t worth it. Let us go.”

Konstantin shook his head. He tried to move forward again, to get to her, but Katerina’s magic held him still. His black eyes burned with indignation, and his knuckles went white on the shovel, as if he’d like nothing more than to beat her to death with it. But finally, blessedly, he turned without another word and disappeared into the trees. The other men followed, until at last, Katerina and Ana were alone again.

Ana drew a shuddering breath. “I’m glad you didn’t marry that one, Katerina, Niko or no. He’s dangerous. A man who would speak to you that way is a man who would beat his wife.”

“A man who would speak to me that way is a man who would lie about what happened between us,” Katerina said. “Who would be threatened that, even compromised, I got the best of him. He’ll be telling everyone that I threatened him unprovoked, and next thing I know, there’ll be a mob on my heels. I have to go, and quickly.”

Nodding in resignation, Ana threw her arms around her friend. Her embrace was tight and fierce. “Be brave,” she whispered in Katerina’s ear. “Know that I stand with you always, in the Light.”

She dropped her arms, and Katerina fled.

Fifteen minutes later,the embroidered gown concealed beneath a pile of leaves, she stood at the foot of the abandoned chapel, girding her courage. No matter how much she wanted—needed—to do this, she was still terrified. She touched the blades in her thigh sheaths to make sure they were still there, then the charm in her pocket.Sant Antoniya,she prayed,watch over me. Keep me safe.

She peered through the thicket, toward the clearing where Niko’s grave lay. If she succeeded, what would happen to his body? Would he rise from the grave, spirit and shell reunited once more? Or…

Katerina didn’t want to think about it. It was too disturbing, and at any rate, she didn’t have time. Any moment now, Kniaz Sergey could arrive in Kalach, with her potential Shadow in tow. Konstantin could send people after her, determined to enact revenge for his humiliation. Or Baba Petrova could wrap up the meeting with the Elders and come to look for Katerina, as she’d promised. She had to go.

Pulling the charm from her pocket, she braced herself against the unnaturally cold weight of it in her palm. And then she said the words that Sammael had given her, before she’d banished him from her circle.

“Show me the path to the deep and Dark, the underbelly where the fallen thrive. Show me the door through the veil and beyond, forbidden to those who are alive. I call not on the Saints but the demons below, hungering in the gloam and the Grey. With this charm I possess, I call on a Watcher, and command him to open the Way.”

She fell silent, the charm clutched in her fist, and waited. At first nothing happened, and her heart skipped a beat, fearing that the demon had tricked her. That Grigori would come boiling out of the woods, prepared to drag her away. But then she saw a shimmering in the air, at the base of an oak that overhung the ruined chapel. It looked…stained, flecked with wavering bits of Darkness.

Gathering every bit of courage she possessed, she walked toward it and stepped through, onto the Shadow Path.

54

KATERINA

It was dim on the other side of the portal, the earthen ceiling of the tunnel low. Roots dangled from it, brushing Katerina’s face with eerie caresses. She slid the stone back into her pocket, where it rested, heavy as a warning.

“Lux,”she whispered, afraid to speak too loudly lest she summon who-knew-what. Her voice echoed off the walls of the tunnel, resounding back to her as a hiss:Luxxxxx luxxxxx luxxxxx.And though the light came, hovering over the palm of her hand, it was with an effort, as if the roots that drooped from the ceiling had found their way inside her and were holding her magic fast.

Well, she’d known her gift would be affected. As disturbing as the feeling was, it was no excuse to turn back.

Sammael had told her that as long as she possessed his charm, the tunnel would lead her to his realm. It would fork and turn, but she would always know which way to go. The tiny light cupped in her hand, she crept through the narrow passage, which grew colder and damper as it descended into the earth. The light in her hand flickered, though there was no wind, andKaterina suppressed a shudder. What would she do if it went out entirely, leaving her alone in the dark?

The ground was uneven beneath her feet, the small roots trembling with an energy that threatened to break through the soil. Her back throbbed from the hunched position the low ceiling forced her to maintain. More than once, she felt a small, wicked hand caress her feet, but when she looked down, nothing stirred.

Her magic shifted restlessly, and Katerina reached for it, seeking to soothe. But it slipped through her grasp, seeping away. Shivering, she glanced at the light above her palm. Was it her imagination, or had it grown weaker? She drew a deep breath, trying to steady herself, but it didn’t help: the air was dank, redolent of rot.

The stone in her pocket flared cold, and she blinked at the dim corridor. A fork lay ahead, as the demon had told her. She prowled into the left-hand tunnel, and the stone flared colder still, as if in confirmation of her choice. Excellent; one step closer to escaping this dismal place.

This tunnel was larger, the ceiling higher. Katerina straightened, but before she could take another step, a whisper echoed in her ears.

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