24
When I went down to the dining room for breakfast the next morning, I was wearing the blue walking gown that Mala had brought me. Danilo rose from his seat to kiss my hand. “
“Not a single dream,” I said, sitting in the chair he held out for me. I had been worried my night would be full of nightmares of mummies and blood drinkers and evil fae ballerinas. Instead, I’d had a blissful night of dreamless sleep. I wondered if Mala had put something in my tea after all.
And now I was ravenously hungry. A waiter appeared at my elbow, pouring hot coffee into a cup.
“I’ve already ordered for us,” Danilo said, settling back into his own chair. “They make the most wonderful crepes here.”
“This isn’t your first time in Egypt, then,” I said, thankful for the strong Turkish coffee.
“I came with Militza and her husband on their honeymoon.”
“How cozy.”
He laughed. “Militza only knew that I was searching for Ankh-al-Sekhem. She did not know why.”
“Because she did not know of Konstantin’s hold on you.”
He set his coffee down and looked up at me. This morning, it was truly the combined crown prince and lich tsar, whose oddly colored green eyes stared back at me. “That might have been a mistake, but now it makes no difference,” he said. “If she wishes to keep her hold on the St. Petersburg vampires, she must support me as tsar.”
Then Danilo did not yet know about my mother. The fact that the new striga was actually more powerful than his sister might make my mother appear to be a threat to him as well. I would keep her secret as long as I could to protect her. “Did you speak to Militza that night after the ballet?”
He nodded as the waiter brought our breakfast dishes. The food smelled heavenly and slightly spicy. There was cinnamon in the crepes filling. “Militza told me I needed to see you, Katerina. That as a necromancer, you could help me exorcise Konstantin. But it was already too late. We’ve become one entity. And I’ve found it not displeasing.”
“Militza thought I could help you?” I was shocked. The grand duchess was greatly overestimating my abilities.
“She told me you were the only one with powers close to those of our mother’s. Or Princess Cantacuzene’s. She did not realize I’d already found Ankh-al-Sekhem in the Graylands.”
Of course Danilo knew the ancient Egyptian was far more powerful than I. But we had defeated him, hadn’t we? Danilo and I together. It made me feel strange to realize we had been on the same side. We were definitely not on the same side now.
Mala and the elder Grigori approached our table, and Danilo invited them to join us. Mala leaned close to whisper something in Danilo’s ear. It was not happy news for him. With a scowl he told her, “Take care of it.”
The elder Grigori bowed and followed Mala toward the hotel lobby.
“What has happened?” I asked the crown prince.
“It is nothing. Another band of Grigori has arrived in Cairo. Along with a few of the French wizards. Mala is going to see to it that they are distracted.”
“Do you trust her?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Her loyalties lie with Konstantin because of Princess Cantacuzene, who was your mother’s half sister and mortal enemy. How does Mala feel about your mother?”
“We do not discuss my mother.” Danilo frowned. “Mala has sworn on her life to protect me. I will not doubt her.”
“Of course,” I said. But I remained wary of her. And it was not because I worried about the crown prince. I worried about the stability of Russia.
Danilo sipped his coffee silently while I finished eating. As the waiter cleared our plates away, I asked the crown prince when we would be returning to St. Petersburg.
“Patience, my dear Katerina. We still have business here in Cairo.”
“What sort of business?”
His hand came down on the table suddenly and violently. “We still have not found the sword!”
I jumped, once again startled by the sudden change in his personality. “Is there anyone else who can tell us where it is?” I asked calmly. We would receive no more help from Ankh-al-Sekhem. And the sphinx’s advice had been too cryptic.
A commotion in the hallway drew our attention. Danilo stood up and reached for my arm. “We must go quickly.”
I stared at him, hesitating. As cruel as Papus had been in the carriage, I could not believe he was working with George and the Koldun. Still, I couldn’t help praying for a rescue.
“Quickly!” Danilo repeated as he herded me out of the dining room and into the courtyard. There was a spiral staircase leading to the second-floor balcony. He dragged me up the stairs and into the music room. It was not even midmorning yet, but a trio of Egyptian musicians already sat playing haunting folk songs. The air was smoky from pipes and incense, making it hard to see.
Mala was here as well, dressed in a shockingly low-cut bloodred gown, her long black hair hanging in wild curls. Silver hoops dangled from her ears, and a belt of delicate silver bells hugged her hips. She wore silver on both wrists and one ankle as well. I gasped as I noticed her bare feet turning prettily in time with the music. Her arms were graceful and thin as she wove them upward in circles. She was swaying her hips to the exotic music, moving in a hypnotic rhythm like a cobra.
She had a captive audience. A group of travelers stood just inside the doorway, staring in silent admiration. Several other men sat at tables around the room, all eyes on Mala, the wicked faerie dancer.
Danilo pulled me back behind a large potted palm tree before the travelers could spot us. He stood very close behind me, his lips inches from my ear as he whispered, “Do not make a sound, Duchess.”
I began to feel the old hypnotic pull of the Vladiki prince as his lips barely touched my skin. I could not give in to him. I reminded myself that what I felt for him was not real. I tried to pull away, but he merely laughed.
Finally he let me go. “I think it is safe for us to go back downstairs and find a carriage. We have business in the city this morning.”
“What is Mala doing?” I asked as he dragged me away. I’d seen no signs of the Grigori, and no mages that I recognized. “Won’t she be cold in such a scandalous dress?”
Danilo laughed softly. “Do not worry about her, my dear. But I live for the day I see you dressed like that for me.”
“That will never happen,” I said, blushing fiercely. I hated to admit it to myself, but her dancing did look far more fun than any polonaise.
Danilo laughed again. I blushed even more as I realized he was listening to my thoughts.
He found us a carriage and seemed to relax as we left the hotel. I stared out the window, taking an interest in the loud and colorful streets of Cairo. “Where are we going?” I asked.
“To the museum. They have several artifacts on display that have been recovered from the pyramids over the years.”
“Would the sword be in a museum?” I asked, hoping it would not be that simple.
“No. But the emerald scroll attributed to Ankh-al-Sekhem is in a display case there.”
“And you read hieroglyphics?”
Danilo nodded. “It is one of the many languages I have learned over the years.”
“How extraordinary. Will you be needing my services in the museum?” I asked sarcastically. I was wearing the Talisman of Isis beneath my gown, just in case.
He shook his head. “No, Katerina. Please do not resurrect any mummies while we are at the museum. However, I do not intend to let you out of my sight as long as there is danger in Cairo. And we will not leave before I find the sword.”
