Page 49 of Dark Ink

“Penelope will know something’s wrong.” Tanya picks on the skin around her nails.

“From what you’ve said, she’ll have much bigger trouble with Lavender and whatever Sophie’s doing.”

“Why are you helping me? What about your neutrality?”

I shake my head and close the distance between us, putting my palm on her cheek. “My neutrality has never extended to you, Firebird. You’ve always been the exception.”

She leans into my touch for a moment, then her eyes snap open.

“No. My darkness will get you. You saw what happened today. It could be you next.”

I blink at her words. Is that a threat? What is she not saying that makes her so sure I’m in danger? Whatever it is, I don’t know it and I shouldn’t know it. It will cross a line between us.

She needs time. Valerie’s death, my place in her life, and Sophie and Damien, she needs the space to process it all.

“Go to my car. It’s parked farther down from Valerie’s, behind a bush. I have a spare hoodie there. Take off all your clothes, put on the hoodie, and wait inside. I’ll deal with this body and then I’ll burn all the evidence. You don’t have to worry about anything.” I pull her into a hug although she struggles against me.

“I-I…” She’s close to tears again.

“Let me do this one thing for you,” I say. “And then you’ll be free to decide how to deal with the darkness inside you.”

I savor the embrace because it’s our last one for a while. Tomorrow, there will be no more bartending and no more cranberry vodka shots. I will go back to the Arcana, report what I know to the Empress while keeping Tanya’s secret, and wait for her to come back to me.

Chapter 26

Present day

The ceiling is higher than yesterday. I can’t hear the children, which means I probably woke up too late. I turn to my side, my body leaden and slow. Still halfway in a dream, I savor the taste of the fantastical world in my imagination.

My eyelids are so heavy, I let them fall over my eyes again. Blurry images of people in bright clothes and animals in cars flutter in my mind’s eye, making me smile in wonder.

“I know you are awake, child.” Koschei’s voice cuts through my visions like a blade.

I jerk my body upright, my mind barely catching up with the movement. Swaying on my feet, I shake my head to shoo the dream away.

“How was your trip to the outside world?” he asks, the loose skin around his chin shaking with his words.

My eyes go wide and my mouth hangs open as all the memories of Tanya, Ben, and the world come crashing in my head, vivid and real.

“You found me,” I whisper.

“Of course. You’re my Malaya Zhritsa, Evgenya. I was never going to abandon you. And I will never abandon Tatiana. If I had known she was alive, I would have brought her back to our village a long time ago.” Koschei shakes his head, his face betraying loss like I’ve never seen before. “She was meant to be this village’s next protector. Now, she’s probably tainted. But she deserves a second chance, doesn’t she?”

My hands and feet tingle with fear, or love. I’m home again, but something feels different. It’s like an invisible thread connecting me to the outside world, pulling me back gently. I remain quiet because despite my recent discoveries, I remember the pain after talking when I’m not supposed to.

And while Koschei’s last words were shaped like a question, I know it’s a test. An invitation for the darkness inside me to show itself.

“It is fate that you met her. You are the catalyst that would bring her back to us.” He comes closer to me and puts a hand on my cheek. His distinct smell hits my nostrils and I fight against myself not to make a face. A cane I’ve never seen before is in his other hand. It’s smooth metal, ending in a ball. It will hurt so much.

“Should we go and pick her up right now? She is very close.” He pats my cheek, reminding me of a thousand painful memories that started this way. I do my best not to flinch, but my heart picks up pace. I’m holding my breath, afraid that even the slightest movement will reveal how much new darkness is within me already.

“You’re so quiet,” Koschei continues. “Do you not care about the future of our village? After we do the immortality ritual with Tatiana and you, we will thrive again.”

“I-I care.” My voice comes out hoarse, like I’ve forgotten how to speak.

As we start walking out of the room, I take it in for the first time. I was lying on a strange low bed made of fabric and metal spikes. My pillow was an item of clothing from the outside world, balled up in a lump. There is a chair where Koschei was sitting and nothing more. The feeling of the tiny room is oppressive, like something dangerous is lurking inside the bare walls.

When we step outside, and the sunlight hits my face, I feel instantly better. Its warmth on my cheeks envelops me in safety. Maybe the whole thing—the darkness and the fire, meeting Tanya, Koschei finding me, was all for the purpose of rebuilding and thriving. Perhaps it was a large-scale cleansing ritual, leading us all to a better and brighter future.

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