Page 31 of Cry of the Firebird

Anya turned on Trajan. "What does he mean watching over me?"

"Oh, hasn't the thanatos told you about that?"

"No, idiot. I was building up to it," Trajan hissed, his eyes flashing red. Izrayl only shrugged, completely unafraid.

"If we waited for you to tell anyone anything, we would die of old age."

"What's a thanatos? Is it like a demon?" Anya asked, getting more confused by the second. Izrayl laughed, and Trajan's glare intensified.

"You can tell her this one. I'm going to get some clothes on," he said, walking away like he hadn't just dropped two massive bombshells.

Anya turned back to Trajan and went for the more troubling question. "Have you really been watching over me?"

"It's a long story, but the short answer is yes. Since Eikki died, I have been watching over you," he admitted.

Anya crossed her arms. "Considering a god gave me a firebird egg and then my house got blown up, you did a pretty shit job."

"I had no idea you had met with Tuoni. I saw you run from the village, but that night I couldn't find a trace of what had upset you. I thought I could leave you alone for a few days. I was wrong," Trajan replied. "When I returned, the farm was in ashes, and there was no trace of you. I came back to Skazki to reach out to friends to join me here and help me find you, and then you and Yvan suddenly arrive at my door."

Anya sat down in one of the armchairs. She had felt something watching her that day after Tuoni's visit, but she had thought it was her imagination. Not once since Eikki's death had Trajan knocked on the door to give his condolences. If he had been watching over her that entire time, he had left Anya to grieve on her own.

"I'm going to need the longer version," Anya said finally.

"Yvan should be here for it. It relates to him too."

"Okay, then what the fuck is a thanatos? Tell me that, at least."

Trajan walked over to a drinks cabinet and poured two vodkas, handing one to Anya before he sat down.

"A thanatos is a part of Greek legend. In the stories, we are Death. In reality, we merely provide the service of taking the dead's souls to Elysium or the Underworld. It's why humans get nervous around us. They can feel death."

Anya sipped her drink before she asked, "Why aren't you doing that now?"

"Ilya helped me break the bond that my old mistress, Eris, held me with. Now, I can take a human form if I can maintain it."

"Your human form," Anya said slowly.

"Yes, I don't naturally look like this. I have to feed to have the power to hold it."

"Feed on what exactly?"Please don't say blood. Please don't say blood.

"Death," Trajan answered. Anya didn't know if that was better or worse. "When someone dies, their body releases all their life's essence. Thanatos feed on that energy. When the soul is released from the body, we ferry it to where it needs to go."

Anya took a steadying breath. If she could deal with a shape-shifting firebird prince, she could deal with this. "So Ilya saved you from having to ferry souls?"

"Basically, yes. I escaped servitude with his help."

"So how do you feed now?" Anya asked.

"Hospitals are always good places. When I'm here in Skazki, I can usually find a village where someone is dying."

"What happens if you don't feed?"

Trajan shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I start to revert to my true form. Something I have no intention of doing again. You have nothing to fear from me, Anya. I would never hurt you. I promise."

"I'm not scared of you," she replied honestly. She didn't have all her memories back yet, but she knew she would find Trajan in them. He felt like a friend, and she needed those right now. No matter how strange their true natures were.

"Oh, Trajan, please tell me you haven't developed a taste for damsels in distress," a silken voice said from the other side of the room. "You know how tedious they can be."

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