Page 74 of Cry of the Firebird

"We know about that tribe. We caught the hunter's image and the others traveling with Anya in Romania. The hunter's apartment was found, but the team we sent after her was wipedout. Unsettling to think Anya has such protectors already, and we have to assume that the thanatos will be trying to join her if he hasn't already," Ladislav said, his eyes narrowing.

A smalldomovoidashed into the room with a chilled decanter of vodka and two cups. He placed it on the table between them and, with a short bow, vanished once more.

"She's just a hunter. Who did you send to get her?" Vasilli poured a glass of the vodka for Ladislav before he took one for himself.

"I sent Völundr."

"Shvedskii gryazi." Vasilli fought the urge to spit on Ladislav's fine carpet.

"Swedish filth he may be, but his loyalty isn't under question at the moment, and yours is."

"How could you say that? The Princess?—"

"The Princess is dead, Vasilli!" Ladislav shouted.

"We don't know that for certain. She's immortal."

"Then where has she been for the past hundreds of years? We must move on, Vasilli. The world has not stopped, and neither will we."

There was a knock at the door, and a pale, colorless man stepped in. In his hand, he held a bleeding crow.

"Völundr, thank you for coming. Is that the survivor?"

"Yes, my lord. Shall I change him for questioning?"

Ladislav nodded, and hot power rolled from Völundr. The bird in his hand struggled futilely as it began to stretch and change. Within seconds, a pale creature was shaped like a man lying on the floor in front of them. It clutched a bleeding fingerless hand to its chest, and from its throat came a series of croaking, mewling sounds of pain.

"So this is why you let this filth contaminate our halls," Vasilli said, looking at the pathetic creature in front of him. "You are letting him makevorona rabov. To what end?"

"Crow slaves make useful servants when properly controlled," Völundr replied on Ladislav's behalf. "Nobody looks twice at a crow flying near them. Besides, they are expendable."

"So are you," Vasilli hissed.

Ladislav ignored their bickering and approached the crow slave on the floor. He knelt down and took its head between his hands. It started to weep as Ladislav forced himself into its mind. When he was finished, blackish blood was oozing from the creature's nose, ears, and eyes.

"Clean this up for me, Völundr." Ladislav waved his hand at the corpse. "And send some more to Paris to find Anyanka."

"As you wish."

Völundr walked over to the corpse and waved his hand over the body of the creature. It dissolved into a fine white ash, and within seconds twodomovoihad cleaned up the rest of its remains, leaving no trace of it ever being there.

"Vasilli, I'm getting Völundr to take over the search for Anya and your brother," Ladislav said. He must have sensed the storm in Vasilli about to break because he quickly added, "Only temporarily. They are in Paris, and Völundr has spent the past few months there. He knows the city, and you have been hunting in and out of Skazki for weeks. Rest. Restore your body and your power, and then, if they haven't been recovered, you can continue the hunt."

Vasilli's mind hazed with red rage as he fought to contain himself. Then, clear as a bell, he heard his mother's voice,Let the sheep bleat and die first, Vas'ka. Hide like a wolf, and when your prey thinks they have won the fight and are safe, you tear their throats out and feast on their bones.

Völundr didn't have the power to take on all of Anya's companions and live through it. Vasilli would let him do the hard work of finding them and wearing them down. At least ifLadislav thought he was having time off, his steely gaze would be focused elsewhere.

Vasilli forced his expression to relax and a charming smile to spread across his lips. "You know, that sounds like wisdom itself. I'm tired of traveling roughly and getting myself free of Baba Yaga's traps. You will let me know if you have any progress, though, won't you?"

Ladislav smiled back, thinking he had won. "Of course, Vasilli. You are my most trusted advisor, a prince in this organization. If Völundr finds Anya and Yvan, you will be the first to be informed."

Vasilli could just about smell the bullshit in the air. Still, he raised his glass of vodka to the old man anyway, all the while making his plans and imagining the ways he was going to kill him.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

They had been back in Paris for two days, and Trajan couldn't put off feeding any longer. Early in the night, Cerise met him in the garage downstairs, dressed in scrubs with a small satchel over her shoulder.

"Are you ready? I want to get this over with quickly," Trajan said, toying with his keys.

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