Page 129 of Cry of the Firebird

"I've been thinking a lot about your dream about Ilya performing the ritual too. You said he had a knife with a snarling bear handle?" Aramis said as he held her steady while she put her boots back on.

"Yes, why is that important?" Anya asked.

"It could be a ritual knife, specifically used to close the gates. If we can find it, we'll know for sure. Without it, you might not be able to perform the magic properly," Aramis replied. "We should check the house ruins when we get to the farm to see if we can find it."

"Vasilli burned it to the ground, Aramis, I doubt anything would have survived, and I never saw a knife like it lying around."

Aramis smiled. "If it's important, there would be magic protecting it, and the fire wouldn't have damaged it. If we find no knife, it means any will do for the ritual."

"Are you okay, Anya?" Trajan asked as he joined them. He took her in his arms and held her tight. She nodded, determined not to worry him.

"Fine but a little woozy and nauseous. The gate is talking to me," she said, swaying on her feet.

"I know we were planning on staying in Anya's village, but I'm afraid that will be too dangerous if the gates keep screaming at her. It will drive her mad. We'll try the next one over where hopefully the gate won't call to Anya so strongly," Aramis said, brushing the dirt from his clothes.

"Will you let the others know?" Anya asked as she straightened, her nausea passing.

Trajan looked like he would argue but instead gave a nod and walked back to where the cars were parked.

"He doesn't like me being anywhere near you," Aramis commented.

"I think he might be worried you are going to magic me away to join the Illumination," Anya joked lamely. Her hands were burning and filthy from their contact with the earth.

Aramis looked at her, brows drawn together. "Trust me, Anya. If I really wanted to magic you away, there wouldn’t be a thing he, or the Illumination, could do to stop me."

Somehow, that didn't reassure Anya in the slightest.

After a further twelvehours of traveling, they drove into the small town Anya called Otverstie, or Hole, situated on the other side of the forest bordering Anya's farm. They paid for rooms at the town's only tavern, and Roya, one of the barmaids, didn't recognize Anya even though they had gone to school together.

I hate this fucking place, Anya grumbled, staring around her. She missed the farm, but the people and the places around it? Not even a little bit. The farmhouse was no more, and Anya knew she couldn't go back to her old life even if she wanted to.But you are a gatekeeper. You are always going to be tied to this place, whether you hate it or not.It wasn't a cheerful thought.

Aramis had been right about the gate's distress affecting her the closer she got to them. It was taking all of her effort to drown out the sound of drums, the chanting of voices, the taste of blood and magic on her tongue. She was being torn apart by a longingto go to them and wanting to run as fast as she could in the other direction.

Under Aramis's instruction, everyone had gone out to scout the surrounding forest between them and the farm, but Anya had been forced to stay behind because he was worried that the gates would try and connect to her and start feeding off her magic.

"We need to do this properly, Anya, and be prepared for anything. If you connect to the gates without people ready to protect your back, you're going to make yourself vulnerable for the Darkness to attack," Aramis had argued.

It wasn't until Yvan had come to calm her down that she had backed off. He had managed to soothe her temper but not enough for her to stick to her current no alcohol rule.

Anya had tried to keep calm, use her power a little to try and keep the noise of the gates dulled. As soon as Aramis, with the calming influence his magic had on hers, was out of sight, the drums and the chanting had started up to a deafening roar. Anya had all but ran to the bar to drink.

Some shamanitsa you are turning out to be.

Anya sat at a table hidden from view of the other patrons. She didn't want any inconvenient questions from people if they happened to recognize her. A pleasant numbness was starting to creep along her arms when Katya found her.

"Not a big surprise to find you hiding in a bar," she commented, sitting down opposite her.

"Nowhere else to hide. Drink?" Anya offered the half-empty bottle of vodka.

"Don't mind if I do." Katya took a hearty swig and passed it back to her.

"Why aren't you out with the others?"

"I finished scouting the section Aramis gave me, and I came back to make sure you had someone close to protect you. Wecan't have you disappearing. Yvan and Trajan are already having a competition to see which one can stress the most about you."

"You weren't worried I was going to run off, were you?" Anya asked. Despite not knowing if she could shut the gates at all, she was going to try her best.

Katya shook her head. "No. I was worried someone was going to run offwithyou. I know you wouldn't run from your duty to the gates."

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