Page 65 of Magic and Medicine

My heart ached. What had I done to that proud, haughty male? I stepped toward him, and this time, it was me reaching out, his breath hitching as my fingers tangled in his beard to pull him down to my lips. He was cold, but I wasn’t sure if the shiver that ran through him was from the chill or in reaction to my touch. Leszek pulled back, and I swallowed hard, looking at his face. Hope flashed in his eyes, and then his lips crashed into mine again, his kiss ravenous, consuming me.

I was swaying as he paused, his voice full of yearning as he spoke. ‘Sara, I can give up my power, money, and responsibility. I’d even let the Nether burn as long as you stay beside me. If I could erase this day, I would. I fucked everything up…’ Leszek whispered, forehead pressed to mine.

I kissed him to stop his recriminations. ‘Stop it. I’m angry, worried, and… I feel guilty because, simply by existing, I’ve brought Rostov here and painted a target on my friends’ backs. I shouldn’t have run, but I had no choice when you tried to force my hand with your magic.’

I saw his shoulder drop, and he closed his eyes, mouthing, ‘I’m sorry.’ He moved to pull away, but I didn’t let him; this new dynamic empowering me to express my feelings.

‘I love you, and I hope you love me, too. Me, not my power or my usefulness, but me. I don’t want to be a fling or the magical conduit that connects you with your powers. I want to be your partner. I may never be your equal, but I want to be someone whose opinion you value. I won’t leave you. I can’t. You, with your bloody coffee, cinnamon rolls, and antlers, made me fall in love with you so hard it would break me if I’m nothing but a pawn in your game.’

I blushed at revealing everything I felt, while he was mostly silent, but when our eyes met, the glimmer of hope I’d seen earlier blossomed, lighting his face with happiness, the scent of oak and elder washing over me as Leszek seemed to grow, the weight on his shoulders disappearing. A mischievous smile ghosted over his lips, his finger stroking across my lips, teasing sparks of desire from my body.

‘You are everything to me. I will never again make the mistake of underestimating or trying to control you. Your power is… sought over by the gods and men, but if it was only about your power, I would lock you away and use you whenever I choose.’ I couldn’t help but shiver at that thought, my breathing suddenly unsteady. ‘You are beautiful, little Firefly, but if you think a pretty face can turn my head, you underestimate me. Your spirit shines so brightly that it blinds the unwary with its magnificence. The generous heart that cried over the wolf you knew for so short a time, the courage as you stood before millennia-old gods and defied them and the passion that burns away my control. That is what I love, Sara, not your power, you. My Firefly, who makes every day a new dawn.’ As he finished, I was unsure if it was my legs or Leszek holding me up, but I couldn’t help teasing him as I mouthed Lothario at the end of his speech. Still, his words made this dreadful day a little better.

‘So you have a basement with chains, interesting. I’ll have to remember this. Once Nina is safe, I may want to visit it.’ I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose. ‘Do you think she is safe? I want to search for her, but I don’t know where, and it makes me feel so helpless.’

‘She will be. Rostov wants you, and the only way he can make you cooperate is to threaten her life. He won’t harm his bargaining chip, especially knowing your talents. He shot Jarek to send the message, but he will keep Nina safe and sound because that gives him power over you, and he knows powerful emotion can trigger a seer’s abilities.’ His words calmed me down a little before I had another question.

‘Why Forefathers Day? I know it is the time spirits roam freely, but why meet then?’

‘It’s no coincidence he chose that time. Humans have chosen this day to celebrate their ancestors’ spirits for a reason. During Forefathers’ day, from midnight till dawn, even the old gods may safely roam the earth, and old Hel had a temple for Czernobog and Jurata. I think he wants to use you to anchor his god in the mortal plane.’ He said, stroking my hair, and I felt like drifting into sleep.

‘I need the dagger.’ I said, and he chuckled in my hair.

‘My bloodthirsty seer, I love you so much, and I promise we will find Nina even if we have to tear Tricity apart to do it.’

Chapter thirty-two

The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. It felt like every soul in the Tricity underworld was trying to teach me whatever skills they considered essential for my survival. I spent most of the day learning how to disrupt temporal magic, counterspells, protection spells and defend myself from someone invading my mind. Leszek went as far as teaching me about the Dark Arcana, and although I saw how much it cost him, I now understood why the carnage in the hospital allowed me to manipulate time.

I was mentally battered, bruised, and on the verge of complete exhaustion. If I’d considered Veronica a harsh taskmaster before, it was nothing compared to now. She stopped only when my nose bled or I passed out, but she sneered as soon as my head lifted from the table.

Again! She would shout, and the torturous lessons resumed. Veronica forced me to repeat each spell until it burned into my memory, and I could perform them without conscious thought. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that if I failed, Nina would pay the price.

When I was not being beaten into submission by Veronica’s lessons, Adam trained me in hand-to-hand combat, teaching me evasion tactics and dirty tricks, as my opponents would all be experienced fighters. I still felt pride when he complimented me on my skills, my Krav Maga training, or, as Nina called it, my weird fight club, coming out as I channelled my frustrations and fears into the kicks, punches and bites. I used it all on the vampire, trying my dirtiest techniques, earning his silent approval. Little did he know that, after Kosovo, my reason for training wasn’t exercise, grades, or competition but fear of suffering through what those poor women endured.

On the last night before the deadline, I collapsed in bed sometime past midnight. I felt Leszek’s hands sliding gently over my body, and the intoxicating scent of the forest soothed my tense muscles. ‘Let me help you,’ he murmured in my ear. Tingles of magic stroked over my body, further relaxing my sore tendons, and my mind drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, only to be awakened three hours later for the next training session.

Whatever Leszek did to help me sleep had worked wonders, and I greeted Michal’s pancakes with a smile of gratitude, wolfing them down with gusto. After that, it was off to Veronica’s, with my Wolfie again teaching me the topography of old Hel.

‘Is this really needed? You will be there, yes?’ I asked, rubbing my temples.

‘Yes, in fact, I intend to have a small army accompany you, but as we saw at Gradowa, sometimes circumstances can disrupt our plans, so I want you to know the land and where to find support if we’re separated.’ Leszek gripped the steering wheel, and I watched him swallow his worry.

‘It will be alright. I know not to create distortion, and Veronica’s beaten the knowledge of how to break them into my thick skull. I promise not to take any unnecessary risks, but we both know I need to be there, if only as a distraction for your attack.’

Leszek’s eyes darkened before he took a deep breath and spoke. ‘I’m not worried about your abilities, love. I’m terrified because, despite our pretence of enlightenment, the gods, myself included, are selfish, powerful beasts that destroy more than they ever create. Make no mistake, Sara, nothing will survive my fury if anything were to happen to you. I have found respect for humanity since you became my tether to the mortal realm, but I am still an old god.’

I didn’t have a response to this confession, but I understood his feelings, their weight a heavy burden. I placed my hand on his thigh as he drove through the slowly wakening city, its people blissfully unaware of the dangers that stalked their streets. When we stopped, I tried to lighten the mood.

‘See you later, Wolfie. Please don’t worry, I’m a tough cookie, but after we sort out this mess, I demand a few days off. Just you, me… no clothes, maybe you show me your dungeon, I mean basement.’ I said, kissing his cheek, enjoying that flash of hunger that, for a moment, replaced the worry. Leszek waited until I entered a heavily warded building before he drove off, and I started another gruelling session with the Mistress of the Coven.

By the end of training, I was covered with sweat, my head was pounding, and I felt utterly depleted. Maybe that’s why Veronica’s question took me by surprise.

‘What will you do when you meet with the Dark God?’

‘What? I don’t intend to. The entire plan is to prevent him from crossing into this realm.’ I looked at her, shocked by her words. Veronica sighed, and a gust of wind scattered my notes everywhere.

‘It could still happen. You are confronting a madman near the flooded gate to the Nether at midnight on Forefather’s night in his desecrated grove. While he may be a madman, Rostov has also been planning this for a long time, and you only learned of your powers recently. Sara, I won’t lie to you; even if you trained for years, you’d be unlikely to survive a confrontation with Czernobog. Not on his land when he is at his strongest. It’s not like you could kill a god.’

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