him.”
“You are wrong,” hissed Ivan. “He was trapped, betrayed. I was told so.”
The woman shrugged. “He was, as you say, betrayed, but not by the Polenitsy.”
“What do you mean?”
The paisley woman glanced down at Ivan’s gun, then spoke. “People have been disappearing, Tsarevich. Your father knew. We had information regarding who was behind these disappearances. We had agreed to meet. He would allow us to live in the cities, provided we did not hunt humans, and we would tell him who was responsible for the missing people. I’m sure it will come as no shock to you to know who this man is.”
“Koshchey,” Ivan croaked.
Paisley nodded. “Your father trusted him. That was a mistake. He told Koshchey of the meeting, and Koshchey followed secretly. We discovered this and thought your father had planned a double-cross, so he was killed. Just what Koshchey wanted.” She shrugged. “Only too late did we discover we had been used. We regret your father’s death. He was a noble man.”
Ivan stared dumbly at them. But it all made sense. He closed his eyes, and Billi watched the rage build in him. He pressed his fists against his head, teeth clenched together as he held in the anger, letting it swell.
“
“Who knew?” asked Ivan.
“Many of the Bogatyrs. We have watched how Koshchey has built his army of loyal followers. Once he controlled your father’s wealth, he bought all the men he needed. Many have become rich with your father’s demise.”
“What is the message you’ve brought?” Billi snapped.
“Go home, Templar. The Spring Child is where she should be. Olga warns you to come no farther: she would be honor-bound to fight you, and that is something she does not wish.”
“And what of Fimbulwinter?” Billi asked. “Wolves freeze as well as men.”
“Fimbulwinter?” repeated Ivan, looking at her, confused. She’d kept this from him, and now Billi realized she’d made a mistake; she should have trusted him. She had a lot of explaining to do.
The woman scowled. “That is a lie. The goddess has promised usa great spring. She would not betray the wolves, who have served her loyally since the earliest times.”
“It is not like the gods to care for mortals,” said Billi. She’d seen enough horror from Michael, and knew that lesser beings were always sacrificed to the ambitions of the divine. “Fimbulwinter is coming, and Baba Yaga won’t care if the packs starve. The Spring Child learned this directly from your goddess.”
“She is mistaken, and afraid. Her death will be a glorious sacrifice-far better than what Koshchey has planned for her.”
“What do you mean?” asked Ivan. “If what you say is true, why is Koshchey even helping the Knights Templar find the Spring Child? Saving her serves no purpose. There is no profit in it for him.”
“You are wrong. There is profit.” The woman turned away. “We can show you what he has planned for the Spring Child.”
25
“F OLLOW US,” SAID PAISLEY
The man with the big beard let Dimitri get to his feet, and tucked away his knife.
The Polenitsy got into their own car, a nondescript white Volvo. Paisley motioned to them to follow as they started the engine.
“And what else have you been hiding?” snapped Ivan the moment he sat down.
“Please, Ivan, we need their help.”
Ivan crossed his arms. “Tell me. Everything.”
“I will. But let’s go.” The Polenitsy car rolled away into the light traffic.
Ivan gave a single curt nod to Dimitri, and the car started up.
“What is Fimbulwinter?” He sank his head in his hands. He looked shattered. The news of Koshchey’s betrayal threatened to overwhelm him. That, and how the Bogatyrs had become so swiftly corrupted. His father’s legacy, everything he was striving for, was in tatters.
So, as they trailed behind the Polenitsy, Billi explained. She told Ivan how they’d found Vasilisa, how they’d discovered she wasn’t just a psychically gifted child but an avatar, a being with the power to control nature. Ivan listened, not moving, his eyes barely blinking. Eventually Billi finished. They sat silently for a minute. Ivan had a lot to take in.
“You really think Vasilisa can cause such a huge cataclysm?” said Ivan.
“She felt the eruption of Vesuvius and was able to damp it down, so she’s certainly got a psychic link with volcanoes. Beyond that we don’t truly know. But we have to assume the worst case, that Vasilisa has the power to cause a super-volcanic eruption.”
“And why didn’t you tell me this?”
“Ivan, I’ve made mistakes before, trusting someone because I cared about them too much, trusting them too early.” Billi touched the scar on her neck. “I was betrayed and a lot of people died. I couldn’t make that mistake again.”
“Who was this person?”
“Michael. Your Michael.”
Ivan gasped. “So it is true. Michael was cast down.”
“Believe me, he deserved it.” Billi took his hand. “My not telling you sooner should change nothing between us. I trust you, Ivan. I need your help.”
Ivan slowly nodded. But he still pulled back his hand. “Nothing that I thought I knew aboutmy fatheror even this situation is as I imagined it. You are not the only one who needs some time to trust now, Billi.”
They drove for an hour, not speaking much, before the Volvo stopped and Paisley got out. Dimitri drew their own car up beside the Volvo. As soon as they’d stopped, Ivan got out and confronted Paisley.
“Come and see,” she said.
They’d parked beneath a massive, rumbling bridge. Cars roared overhead and graffiti covered the concrete supports. Three large semitrailers sat gathering rust, and the shell of a burned-out car lay among the weeds and piles of rubbish. A tall wire fence lined the far side, isolating this derelict area from another equally derelict zone.
“Have you ever wondered why the vampires no longer hunt in Moscow?” asked the woman.
“Koshchey has driven most of them out,” said Ivan.
“No. Koshchey made a
The chain and lock holding the doors shut were brand new.
One of the Polenitsy hauled a large pair of steel cutters from the backseat of their car, and after a few grunts of effort, snapped the shiny chrome chain, then tossed it into the undergrowth.
Paisley stepped back, indicating for Billi and Ivan to go before her.
“I’m not here to play games,” Billi said.
“This is not a game. Look inside.”
Ivan looked at the door, testing the handle. He nodded at Billi. He wanted to know how far Koshchey had gone.
Together, Billi and Ivan heaved the door lever up. The smell warned her before her eyes were able to penetrate the darkness within. She’d smelled the putrid odor of death enough times to recognize it without being sickened. But this time she covered her mouth as she looked into the dark chamber.
Naked, emaciated bodies lay piled within. Billi’s head swam with nausea as she saw broken teeth sprinkled across the steel floor. She saw the hands of one man who lay closer than the others. The flesh on the fingers had
