Page 65 of My Wild Horse King

“And we really should have one.” Aleksandr’s looking at his phone. “Because. . . Can you turn on the television?”

It takes a moment, but we toggle to the news app, and. . .

“We haven’t had an envoy from Russia visit the United States in quite some time, but certainly not since the new leader took power. And lo and behold, he’s about to leave his country, and the one he just seized, and visit America.” The commentator shakes his head. “This man just has no fear.”

“None at all, Ralph. I think the US President is just as shocked as you and I. I mean, look at her face when they handed her the missive.”

The screen cuts to a clip of the President talking, not sure what about, and then she turns as someone walks toward her. He hands her a piece of paper, and as she reads it, her eyebrows draw together, and her mouth compresses hard and fast. She blinks three times in quick succession, and then she turns toward her Vice President.

“It must have been the news about the proposed visit, right? And you can’t really tell the leader of one of the biggest, strongest, and most aggressive nations in the world that they can’t come for a little chat, right? You can’t say no?”

“Even if shecouldhave said no, she didn’t. President Kincaid is set to welcome this Ivanovich maniac to the United States with just under twenty-four hours’ notice.”

Aleksandr turns toward me. “Still worried about your IPO?”

“How rich did you say you were?” I cringe. “Maybe having you buy the shares once they go live would be better than nothing.”

“We have got to find those journals,” Kristiana says. “Unless you have any ideas for how to summon Baba Yaga?” She’s looking at Adriana.

Adriana says, “None at all, sadly. She just showed up.”

Kristiana swivels around to look at Mirdza. “What about you?”

Mirdza shrugs. “I saw her on that train, where she did nothing to help me or that poor woman, and then I saw her at the horse show. She didn’t even warn me that anyone was coming for us.” She shakes her head. “I have no idea how to get her attention, and I’m not sure she’d do anything to help us, even if I did.”

Kristiana growl-screams. “This is so annoying. How can we have these connections, these powers, and know nothing? Baba Yaga, I hate you! Can you hear me? Why are you ruining my life? Why can’t you help us defeat the monsteryoucreated?”

“Actually,” Katerina says. “I was there when Leonid summoned her, and before you ask, I have no idea how he did it. Some recipe from some old journal he kept. But she didn’t give him the powers—he already had lightning and fire at that point.”

“You werethere?” Kristiana asks. “What else are we going to find out? Were you the second gunman on the grassy knoll?”

“Huh?” Katerina asks.

“Never mind. It’s one of the few things they made us learn about American history.”

“It’s one of the few things kids were fascinated enough with to remember,” I say. “The mystery of whether one or two people helped assassinate a beloved US President.”

“Regardless. . .” Katerina looks torn. “There isn’t anything to tell. When she came, she actually told him theonlyway he could get the other powers was to have you all voluntarily offer them. Then she left.”

“Why not?” Adriana asks. “Why can’t she control her own magic?”

“She said she gave Rurik power,” Katerina says, “but then later gave it to the Romanovs and the other families, split up that second time.” She shrugs. “At first I thought Gustav was another Rurikid, but now I think he was part of the second pass.”

“Why do you think that?” Mirdza asks.

Katerina shakes her head. “I don’t really know. I’m just guessing, but Leonid can only access the power when we let him, because we’re already using it. He has to wait for our permission. What if, when she gave the Romanovs and all our families our powers, she had someone else, another person who wasin chargeof us?”

“Like, checks and balances?” I raise one eyebrow. “You’re saying, she appointed a supervisor the second time?”

She shrugs. “I have no idea, but if you’re related to the second round of powers, your abilities won’t work the same way as Leonid’s, so. I think our best bet would be looking for those journals—the ones from your family. At least they might tell us whether you’re Rurikid or something else.”

“The last we heard about them,” Kristiana says, “Dad says they were in the middle of absolutely nowhere.” She taps through her phone, squinting.

“Please tell me you didn’t have Dad text you the information,” I say. “Because texts are so easy to monitor.”

Kris rolls her eyes. “Of course not. He told me, and I entered it into this little note.”

It’s not much better, but at least she’s not flinging the information around. “Alright, where was the last known location?”

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