Page 44 of A Witch Out of Time
“Did you manage to get any useful information out of the Yagawecaptured and delivered?” Nox asked, arms crossed over his chest as he glowered at Veles down the table. “Or does she continue to outsmart you?”
Veles’ nostrils flared at the implication. “There was nothing further to uncover aside from what she’d already told you. After a while, I gave up on the interrogation and switched to torture instead.” Striding to where Nox was sitting, the god leaned over until the two massive men were almost nose-to-nose before wickedly smiling. “It’s one of my favorite pastimes, breaking someone beyond repair.”
Marena sighed at the dramatics before turning to me. “We quickly realized the Yaga wasn’t going to tell us where she buried Koschei’s death—not with how delusional she was in her quest for power. However...” she hesitated before continuing. “There may be someone else who could locate it,ifwe can strike a deal with them.”
Furrowing my brow, I called upon my distant knowledge of the old gods, trying to guess which would possess the power—or desire—to help us. Knowing Veles’ volatile history with Perun, I was doubtful the god of the sky would get involved. And if there were “rules” to be followed when dealing with powerful beings like...
“Out with it, Rena,” Tan called from where he and Asa had been picking at a lavish spread of food since we arrived. “The suspense is killing me!”
The goddess grimaced, not at all sharing in Tan’s playfulness as she warily looked at each of us in turn. “The only creature who could help us find Koschei’s death at this point…is Koschei.”
Chapter 36
Vasilisa
Finding out we were expected to negotiate with Koschei did not go over well with my men.
Marena tried to say more, but everyone was already loudly talking at once, and absolutely no one was listening. Veles removed himself from the conversation completely, collapsing into his chair with an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Meanwhile, I was staring at the woodgrain of the table, breathing evenly. I needed to recenter myself. To find a distraction from the fact I’d soon be interacting with the very creature who’d brutally assaulted me. It had been hundreds of years since it happened, but the thought of that devastating experience still resulted in an almost paralyzing terror.
I can’t do this.
“Yes, you can, Vasi.” Rena was suddenly crouched at my side, her calm voice cutting through the noise as everyone turned to look at me. “And I will be with you the entire time.”
“What?!” Veles abruptly stood, eyes blazing.“You’renot going anywhere near Koschei, Rena. I won’t allow it!”
Marena slowly stood, eyes practically blazing with a fire to match his own. “I will go where I please, Veles. Especially from realms where I am considered no longeruseful.”
The two stared at each other in charged silence before Veles spun on his heel and wordlessly stalked from the room. Their drama distracted me from my own concerns and I marveled at the level of complex emotion and deep care that clearly existed between the two gods.
Even if some find themselves unable to show it.
“He’s a father figure to you,” I observed, and Rena stiffened. Not wanting the goddess to feel pressured to confirm, I shrugged. “My father wasn’t around much, especially after my mother died. He put food on the table and most likely married my stepmother under the false assumption she would love and care for me as if I were her own.”
Rena quietly surveyed me, no doubt psychically gathering information on how horrid my time with my stepfamily was. She abruptly stood to curtly address my men. “Go ready the horses. We’ll follow the Water of Life to reach Koschei’s lair by tomorrow. None of this is up for debate.”
My Riders looked as surprised as I was by Rena’s suddenly brusque manner, but they wisely obeyed, leaving me alone in the hall with the goddess.
She stared at the floor for a moment, and I feared I’d crossed a line before she haltingly spoke. “Mokosh has been consort of both Veles and Perun over the millennia, which has caused most of their embarrassingly public battles.” Rena rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she gestured for me to rise. “When my twin brother, Jarilo, and I were born, the fight over our parentage almost tore the world apart. Perun won that claim and while my brother was more than happy to be the son of the highest god, I never felt at home in the heavens. The last time Mokosh returned to the Nav, I came with her and have remained here ever since...even after she disappeared.”
“How long ago did she vanish?” I asked, following her as we walked through the palace’s twisting hallways toward the courtyard and stables.
“A few decades ago, in human years,” Rena murmured. “She and Veles had a major disagreement one night, which I believe was the final straw. Mokosh had been watching what The Devouring was doing to the earth and the supernatural creatures most connected to it. Like any mother, she felt their pain like it was her own, and begged Veles to help her investigate. With the underworld being his domain, Vel wasn’t overly concerned with the destruction on the surface, although he has since changed his tune in an effort to win Mokosh back. At the time, however, he refused to assist her, so she left him. She leftus.”
Although I didn’t share a bond with Rena like I did with my men, her pain was palpable. Thirty years was a drop in the bucket compared to the goddess’ existence, but I knew that sort of loss slowly gnawed at you until you were a shell of your former self, no matter how much time had passed.
“She left to combat The Devouringon her own?” I ventured, shielding my eyes against the harsh light of the Nav’s orange sun. My Riders were in the courtyard waiting for us with the horses, their expressions grim as they no doubt attempted to control the emotions raging through them.
“It would be safe to assume,” Rena sadly smiled, allowing Tan to help her climb onto his horse while Nox lifted me to sit in front of Asa. “The last sighting we had of her was in Northern Russia, on the coast, near the village of Temnota…”
Nox sharply glanced at the goddess from atop his enormous Andalusian. “That’s where my grandmother lived.”
“Yes,” she carefully replied, staring straight ahead at the landscape before us as we left the palace grounds. “It’s also a major access point to the Nav, as you learned when the Yaga’s hut brought you there to meet me.” Nox narrowed his dark brown eyes in suspicion, and for once, I had to agree.
What aren’t you telling us, Marena?
Asa had been quiet since we started our journey, but he spoke up, muscular arms tightening around me possessively. “How do we ensure Koschei won’t simply spirit Vasi away when we see him?” A small part of me scowled at the implication that I couldn’t defend myself. However, I ignored it in favor of basking in the intense love I felt radiating through our bond.
