Page 70 of Fate Unchained

The two moons shone through a high window. Frost tinged the air outside and turned all the windows of the library opaque. Open fireplaces weren’t allowed in the library, and the stove outside her office rattled as it pumped out heat to battle the chill as the evening wore on. If she ever got a bit of extra allowance from the Exchequer, she’d invest in magic-infused heating with forced hot air through baseboards.

“Whenever I’ve seen Morana, she’s surrounded by palace guards,” Kyril said. “It’s impossible to get close. And Boris,” he growled, “we haven’t seen that asshole anywhere.”

Lilah shifted in her seat. At first, not running into Boris was strange since they knew he was in Coromesto somewhere, but as the days wore on, instead of being relieved, a layer of tension blanketed them all, a bit heavier each day.

Over the past weeks, Kyril mainly remained at her side, protecting her in case Boris decided to check the library to see if she’d returned with his grimoire. Finn and Zann patrolled her aunt’s estate nightly, just in case the leshak or Boris appeared there, instead. There had been no sign of either. Considering she’d stolen something so valuable, it was strange that he hadn’t shown up at the library or at her aunt’s estate.

Zann scratched his chin. “We could get a vulk into the guards.” He glanced at Kyril. “Since we have a vulk who can take human form. But that still may take too long.”

“I think I know where Boris is,” Lilah said. The room went silent. Even for a library. “Well, I think I know where he will be tomorrow.”

Kyril leaned in his chair, moving closer to her. “Where?”

“Let me start at the beginning.” Things needed to be told in the proper order. “Kyril told me a little bit about chort and about how they prey on the vices of humans to get their strength, but when I researched them,” she waved vaguely toward her office where heaps of books about Peklo sat on her desk, “it mentioned one particular chort lord known for taking part of a human’s essence—the texts call it shuwt—by making them lose a bet.”

Kyril nodded. “Shuwt.” He glanced at Zann. “We learned about shuwt last month.”

“Why does he want it?” Lilah asked. Based on what she read, she couldn’t tell if it was a source of food or something else.

Hazel tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “It’s a really potent source of power, especially if it’s freely given, but it’s dark. Not many can absorb it. Or want to.” She gestured toward Kyril and Finn. “Last month, the three of us destroyed a necromancer who was using Herskala’s grimoire to learn how to access it.”

Over the past couple of weeks, Hazel had stopped by three times to check in and to report she could no longer scry for Boris. He’d become blurry, exactly like what happened when they searched for Morana.

Lilah cleared her throat. “I researched it, and the chort lord’s name is Borislav. Sound familiar?”

Zann leaned forward. “So he’s a powerful lord who feeds off humans. All the more reason we need to get rid of him. How do you know where he’s going to be?”

“Let her finish,” Hazel snapped.

The two glared at each other, and Lilah rushed to continue, “You’ve been thinking like vulk. You need to think like a human. Boris isn’t going to go into a sewer to hide. He doesn’t need to. If he’s partners with Morana, they’re both protected by the king, and they can roam around with guards whenever they want. Like you’ve said, you can’t attack him because you’ll start another war. He knows that.”

Kyril growled, “I think we should charge in and be done with it. Who cares what the king does? We need to find out what Boris is after. Why did he send Lilah to trap me? And why hasn’t he moved again to either find her or find us?”

Zann and Finn both nodded. “It’s time we attack,” Zann said.

Lilah sighed. “There is a much easier way, and it won’t set the king’s guards on us.” She glanced at the spellcaster. “I’ve been working with Hazel on a plan. Like I said, I think I know where he will be tomorrow.” She sat up straighter. “On Saturdays, there is a secret gambling den where people get together to bet on the king’s horse races. If Boris needs betting to fuel his power, he’ll be there. It’s the only gambling in Coromesto.”

Kyril raised a brow. “How do you know about a gambling ring?”

She sat back. “Here’s the funny thing. The gambling takes place in the back room of a private restaurant. On Saturdays, the shop does a decadent afternoon tea, and you must be a member to attend. It’s a whole thing,” she waved her hand, “and it can take years and years to be added to the club list. My aunt was a member, and her membership extends to me, even after her death. She hated that gambling was going on, but she loved afternoon tea.” She turned to Kyril. “Hazel has a spell to cast on Boris, which will remove any of the magic keeping him hidden. Then we can scry for him properly. All we need to do is get close to him. I can bring her as my guest, she can go make a bet, let it loose, and we leave.”

He growled. “Not a chance. I don’t want you anywhere near Boris.”

She persisted. “I’m the only one with a membership. I’ll stay in the front room, so he won’t see me. We don’t have much time left to free the rune before he keeps its power for himself permanently.” She pictured the leshak and shivered.

Kyril pushed back from the table and stood. “No. This is a bad idea. We flush him out of there another way.”

Zann leaned back in his chair, twisting slightly to face Kyril. “I agree. The three of us will go in and take Boris out. The two of you don’t need to be involved.”

“No,” Hazel said. Every face turned to her. “You’re thinking about killing Boris, not about the bigger picture. We need him to lead us to Morana. If you kill him right away, that chance is gone.”

Kyril snarled. “I don’t want Lilah near Boris again. Especially if he’s some chort lord.”

She stood and walked to Kyril. “We’re running out of time. And if you kill Boris, how will we find the rune?”

Zann asked Hazel, “With Boris dead, won’t the rune go away?”

Over the past weeks, Lilah had slowly filled Hazel in on her runic abilities and told her what she’d discovered at Baba Yaga’s.

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