Page 133 of Cry of the Firebird

Aramis shook his head "Cars are too complex, and it would be dangerous to try. Just because they can't see us doesn't mean they can't hear us. Is a thirty-minute walk through the forest with me such a trial?"

Anya didn't know if he was teasing her or not. "I have to keep a close eye on you in case you try to kidnap me, remember? That's exhausting."

Aramis's smile slipped as he asked, "Have you thought about coming to the Illumination for training and guidance?"

"Sorry, Aramis, it sounds too much like school to me. That, and imprisonment. They would want the debt repaid in some way, and the price will always be too high."

Aramis grunted. "For someone who knows nothing about us, you are extremely perceptive."

"I might not know everything about the supernatural world and its politics, but I know how the human world works. Nothing is free. No one is going to have that kind of power over me," Anya replied.

"That's true in many ways, but you could do with more training, and the Twins can only be with you for so long. You are Yanka's granddaughter. The sky's the limit for what you are capable of. She was one of the greatest Powers the world has ever seen."

"You say that like you knew her," Anya commented. Aramis hesitated and quickly covered it up. Anya grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back. "Youdidknow her, didn't you?"

"Anya, please lower your voice. Remember, they can hear us still."

"But you knew her."

"Yes. Now can we go?" Aramis asked.

"Will you tell me about her?" Anya pressed. Why didn't he tell her about Yanka, to begin with?

"I will if you really want to know, but let's focus on the task at hand first." He looked like he was a world away, lost in his memories, and none of them were pleasant.

"Will you at least tell me if she was terrifying? When I dream walked and saw her, she was kind of scarier than I imagined she would be. She made good blackberry vodka though. I could taste it for days," Anya said, stopping as Aramis took her arm.

"You dream walked and saw Yanka?" he demanded.

"I told you I did. I'm sure of it."

Aramis let her go, his face paling even more. "No, you said you had a dream about Yanka. Not that you dreamwalkedwith Yanka."

"It's the same thing," Anya began and cut herself off. The Twins had taught her better than to assume that.

"It doesn't matter. Yanka is dead. I saw her body." Aramis ran a hand over his face. "Let's keep going before that potion wears off in you."

Anya bit her tongue down on all the new questions she had and followed him.

They walked to the edge of the forest and surveyed the open field stretching out before them. The black charcoal skeleton of the house and barn marred the otherwise perfect land. Anya's chest grew tight at the familiar sight.Home.

"I can't see anyone," she whispered.

"They are there. Look along the forest line, just beyond the house."

Anya squinted but couldn't see anything. "I don't have supernatural eyes, remember?" she said. He dug around in his pockets and handed her a rifle scope. She took it and rescanned the tree line. Men were walking about, and a few were definitely not human by the speed and grace when they moved.

"Can they see us?" Anya asked and handed him back the scope.

"No, but they might be able to sense us if we take too long."

Aramis drew a knife from the inside of his coat and kept it low. Its blade was thin and as long as Anya's arm with a silver edge engraved in elegant swirling designs. "Are you going to need that?"

"You never know," he said.

Anya took a deep breath and stepped out into the open. There were no cries of alarm, so she strode across the familiar fields and toward the black rubble of the house.

"I'll give you a minute," Aramis said gently.

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