Page 14 of Cry of the Firebird

"And then you married Helena and lived happily ever after, right?" Anya asked.

"Hardly," Yvan muttered. "Yes, I married Helena, and for a time, I thought we were happy. One night, about two winterslater, I couldn't sleep. I got up and walked about to clear my head. I found Vasilli and two of his minion shapeshifters, Vischtan and Vischto, sneaking into the palace. Vasilli released the firebird from its cage and started to perform a spell that would enable him to steal the bird's magic. While I was fighting Vischtan, Vasilli killed Helena because a human sacrifice was required to make his spell permanent. I tried to stop him, but as I grabbed the firebird, it exploded, and we were both reduced to ashes."

Yvan pushed his hands through his hair. "Now we are stuck together, and I think it has to do with that moment of resurrection. When a firebird dies, its ashes are carried on the winds to a sacred temple. The priests make a new egg, and when the time is right, the bird hatches once more. My guess is that my ashes were carried on the winds as well."

"And you and the firebird were made into a new egg," Anya finished in awe. "That's why you keep changing."

Yvan nodded. "Yes, and the bird is argumentative as ever."

"Wait, this is a fairytale," Anya realized suddenly. She looked Yvan over. "Howoldare you?"

"I don't know," Yvan admitted.

"If you knew Ilya, then that's at least a hundred years," Anya guessed. "After all this time, Vasilli still wants the firebird's magic. No wonder he's so impatient. It would be a long time to wait to get revenge on the one person who had foiled your plans."

Anya looked at Yvan's pain-filled face and felt guilty for making him relive it all. To have died and come back to life twice would be rough on any person. The light trickled through the trees outside, and she yawned.

"Thanks for telling me. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one confused about the last few days," she said.

"It was your magic that sparked the egg to hatch, Anya. We can't dismiss that as mere coincidence," he replied.

"Tuoni said the egg was my destiny. But you know what? Destiny can wait, and we can figure it out tomorrow. Go to sleep, Yvan. I'll take the couch," Anya said gently.

"You should sleep too." Yvan got up and stumbled over to the small camp bed. "We'll have another long night ahead of us tomorrow."

"I can't wait," Anya said grimly.

Anya stoked the fire high again before curling up underneath her warm coat. She traced the small Sami figures of animals and trees that had been stitched into the outside like she had when she was little. Eikki rarely wore the coat, but it was her favorite.

"Anya?" Yvan murmured sleepily. "Do you trust me now?"

"Maybe a little. Not enough to go to sleep before you."

Yvan let out a sound that may have been a laugh. "Smarter than you look."

Anya tucked her hand under the coat and rubbed at her palm, where Tuoni had shocked her. She could still feel the burn under her skin, the itch of it getting stronger. The vodka had numbed it, but now she was sobering up, and it was coming back with a vengeance.

Anya glanced across at Yvan on the bed. It had taken him minutes to fall asleep, and he was now shaking violently as nightmares claimed him.What horrors are you dreaming about, prince?

Hesitantly, Anya got up, picked up the faded blanket off the end of the camp bed, and folded it over him. Her fingertips brushed against him, and images flooded her mind—Helena covered in blood, a palace burning to the ground, and Vasilli's dark eyes following her everywhere. Anya stumbled backward, shaking so forcefully she thought she would collapse. Yvan had stopped shivering and settled into sleep.

"What trouble are you going to get me into next, Yvan Tsarevich?" Anya whispered.

CHAPTER TEN

Anya woke mid-afternoon with the sun streaming through the cabin's dirty windows. She pulled on her coat and boots and stepped outside into the fresh air. Her mouth tasted weird again, like ashes and tears and blood when Tuoni had grabbed her. Maybe Yvan would know what he did to her? Except the shapeshifting prince was nowhere to be seen.

"Yvan?" she called. Her stomach clenched, wondering if he had left without her.Why do you even care? He's the one who brought Vasilli to your farm.

Despite that, Yvan was growing on her, and it was a rare thing for her to like anyone. Suffering made people interesting, and after his story last night, there was no doubt that Yvan had suffered.

Destiny or not, your abandonment issues are next level to worry about a man you barely know.

Now that Anya was outside, the blood and ash taste grew in her mouth again as lost childhood memories of the cabin hit her hard. Eikki had taught her to glean in the forest for berries and mushrooms and track foxes and rabbits. Grief pierced her low in the gut, and she wished he was there with her, if only for a moment.

Anya followed an overgrown path down to a small, clean stream and drank handfuls of water to rinse the taste of ash from her mouth. She washed her face and tried her best to re-braid her hair without a comb or a mirror. As she wandered back to the cabin, she spotted Yvan coming through the trees with freshly caught trout dangling in one hand and fishing gear in the other.

"I thought you might have left for Skazki without me," Anya said, trying to disguise the relief in her voice.

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