Page 32 of Rise of the Witch
Nox
Vasi had lied to us. And she was still not telling the whole truth; I could see it in those infuriatingly mesmerizing eyes of hers. We weren’t just some random humans who’d wandered across her path, like that idiot who’d shown up at the hut looking for dating advice. No, she had a particular interest in us—something to do with her powers—and neither Ace or Tan seemed interested in calling her out on it. I wasn’t sure what kind of sorcery she’d done to alter that photo of us, but if she had a connection with Veles, then I was starting to wonder if she didn’t come from the Nav herself.
The constant push and pull between her and I was driving me insane. I’d asked her to ride with me to Zerkalo simply to keep her close in case she was planning on burying us out in the woods. Unfortunately, the only thing that happened was her curvy little body rubbing against mine for hours, making me way too aware of how close my dick was to her ass. I had absolutely no interest in experiencing that ever again.
Especially not after smelling her all over Tan...
Watching as the pussy pirate in question helped boost Vasi onto Asa’s horse, I again debated just leaving thesemudaksout here with her. But then I reminded myself that I did, in fact, care about them, and we were supposedly free to leave whenever we wanted to. I could bide my time until my brothers agreed their fling with the witch was over.
I’d sent my father an email from Harbison’s the first chance I got, vaguely outlining the shitshow we were involved in, although I did leave out anything that sounded too superstitious. Oddly, he’d immediately replied, advising me to continue with my original mission. While I wasn’t surprised he wanted me to focus on my duty, I was slightly pissed he didn’t act more relieved to hear I was alive after weeks of being MIA.
Or offer to airlift us the fuck out of this nightmare.
My main concern was that the longer I stayed, the more at risk I was of joining Tan and Asa in falling under Vasi’s spell. I could already feel her calling to me like a siren song, like that fucking Rusalka who tried to eat me. I was reasonably confident I could keep a leash on my dick, but if this bitch and I were going to coexist until I could get myself—and the guys—back to base, then she had some fucking explaining to do.
No sooner had the door to herizbaclosed behind us when I growled, “Ok, witch, start talking. Now.”
Vasi froze on her way to the kitchen area, sighing in defeat. Instead of immediately answering, she first continued on her original path, filling four mugs with water and bringing them over to the table for us. The others sat—Asa next to her and Tan across from them—but I remained standing with my arms crossed, knowing full well I was looming over her intimidatingly.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been completely honest with you,” she haltingly began, gesturing vaguely. “About...all of this.” I was so surprised by her open admission that I plunked down onto the bench next to Tan to hear her out.
A long moment passed before Ace gently spoke, “Perhaps you could start at the beginning? Tell us who you were before.”
Vasi slowly nodded, fingers toying with the earthenware mug in front of her. “We used to start our stories with ‘once there was, and once there was not,’ and I think that would be appropriate here. A long time ago, I lived in a tiny village on the edge of this forest. My mother died when I was young, and my father eventually remarried so I would have someone to watch over me when he was away. Unfortunately, my stepmother and stepsisters were abusive—I was beaten and starved, treated worse than a servant. Even when I came of age to marry, they scared my suitors off with the excuse that I had to wait until my older stepsisters were married first.”
“This sounds like Cinderella,” Ace smiled at her with so much affection in his eyes I had to look away. As much as it pained me to do so, I had to agree with Tan—something about Vasi’s presence was bringing back the Ace who’d disappeared. The man who took care of the rest of us. The one I thought died along with his mother.
“Yes,” Vasi grimaced in return. “I’ve been told this ‘Cinderella’ was based on my story. Anyway, everyone knew of Baba Yaga—the witch of the woods who stole children away in the night to eat them. One day my stepsisters pretended the light for our fire had gone out. My stepmother insisted I venture into the woods to ask the Yaga for an ember.” She paused before adding, “They sent me out here to die.”
“But you didn’t die,” I offered, suddenly realizing the tale that had fascinated me as a kid supposedlyhappenedto this woman. “You met Baba Yaga and successfully completed each of her tasks. In return, she gave you one of the lit skulls from her fence posts and sent you home. When you arrived, the fiery skull incinerated your stepmother and stepsisters until they were nothing more than a pile of ash.”
“Holy shit,” Tan mumbled around an apple he had snagged from a bowl on the table. “That is the most metal thing I’ve ever heard!”
I laughed. “Well, there’s a reason so many awesome metal bands come from this area. This is our legacy,lan.”
Vasi inhaled sharply at my words. “There’s more to it than that, tomylegacy. When I first entered the woods as a girl to find the Yaga, I came across three men. The first was dressed in white on a white horse. When he appeared, dawn started to light the sky.” She paused to smile at Tan before turning to Asa and continuing, “As the sun finally appeared on the horizon, I saw a man in red on a red horse. And as I arrived at the hut, a man in black on a black horse galloped by, and night fell.” Her gaze fell on me, and I felt ice run down my spine.
Ah, shit.
All this time, I’d assumed the magnetic pull I felt from Vasi was part of whatever evil spell she was weaving to trick the three of us into falling for her. While the bear shifter, and Anthia, had implied we were all “fated” to meet each other, accepting that woo-woo meant excusing Vasi from any responsibility in the situation. Either way, she’d still willfully hidden things from us. At the moment, I was more concerned with her secrecy than with humoring the idea I was a living character in a story I’d previously only known as fiction.
Even if I was raised with enough folklore to—begrudgingly—accept the power of fate.
As if sensing my churning thoughts, Vasi stared at me for a long moment before resuming her story. “I asked the Yaga who these men were. She told me they wereherRiders—her Bright Dawn, her Beautiful Sun, and her Darkest Midnight. It wasn’t until I later returned to the hut as an adult that I suspected they were never truly hers.” Exhaling slowly, she looked down at the new tattoo I’d noticed had somehow appeared on her forearm—eerily similar to ours in design but inked in white with the slightest hint of red. “I think they were always meant to be mine.”
Tan grabbed Vasi’s hands across the table, grinning like this was the best news he’d heard all year. “You mean to say you’ve been waiting for us forhundredsof years? That has got to be the most gloriously romantic thing I’ve ever heard!”
Vasi blushed but quickly buried it beneath a scowl as she replied. “Yes, well, I haven’t had much choice in this situation...just as you haven’t either.” She glanced at me again, the wariness in her expression pulling on that invisible tether I was starting to suspect was real, much to my dismay. “That’s why I wasn’t telling you all who I suspected you were. I...I didn’t want anyone to feel obligated to stay, but I also didn’t want to scare you away. I wasn’t even sure what I wanted...”
Asa responded by cupping her face, pulling her in for an uncharacteristically public kiss. Tan simply watched it happen, dreamily smiling like he was busy composing Turkish love poems about the three of them in his head.
I think I’m going to be sick.
I really didn’t know how to deal with what she was telling us. I’d fucked plenty of women in my time but had never wanted anything resembling a serious relationship. I just didn’t have time for that level of bullshit, not when I had a future with the Facility to look forward to. But what was happening here felt like an arranged marriage reality TV show, and I certainly didn’t remember signing up to be a contestant.
Desperately needing to steer the conversation away from the clusterfuck happening before my eyes, I focused on the part ofVasilisa the Beautifulthat always captivated me, curious if it was real. “Vasi, whatever happened to the magic doll your mother gave you on her deathbed? The one that helped you complete the Yaga’s tasks?”
Vasi spun to face me, the devastation on her face telling me it was the absolute worst question to ask. “I buried it,” she choked out, tears shining in her eyes. “Along with my daughter.”
