Page 23 of A Witch Out of Time
“How much longer?” I snapped, staring daggers into the back of Marena’s head and hoping she could feel each one. “Shouldn’t you be able to open a doorway to hell wherever you want?”
The goddess glanced back over her shoulder but didn’t slow her pace. “No, Nox. If access points to the Nav existed everywhere, we’d be unable to monitor whether someone was trying to break in or out. And we have enough problems withthatright about now.” She muttered the last part almost to herself, and I was reminded of when Veles had appeared during Harbison’s séance to drag the former Yaga back to the Nav.
Oh, shit.
In the chaos of escaping the Facility with Anthia, I’d completely forgotten about the occultist. The swan shifter was convinced he’d been taken by the Facility, and I’d bet money searching for him was what got her captured. But, knowing my father, Harbison was probably at the bottom of the Volga River with a pocket full of rocks at this point.
Not that I’m one to talk with how much blood I have on my hands…
I shook my head, dismissing any concern about the random human I’d met once. The only people I cared about on this earth were my brothers and Vasi and anyone they deemed worthy of concern. As soon as we were led to Tan, I could help them find a way out of the Nav and then to wherever Koschei was holding Ace captive. If I just focused on accomplishingthat, I wouldn’t have to think about the deal I’d yet to tell anyone about.
“Ah, here we are!” Marena sang out as if we were arriving at our holiday destination and not the realm of the dead. Turning to face us, she brightly added, “Luckily, since you both have been to the Nav already, I don’t have to kill you first! Now, where is that secret knot? It’s impossible to find…”
Following her gaze, I was surprised to see what appeared to be a tree trunk behind the wall of water on one side of us. The goddess fumbled around for a moment before a sizable chunk of bark swung open like a door, revealing inky darkness beyond that made my hair stand on end.
Vasi took a step toward the tree, but I grabbed her arm, pulling her against me protectively as I addressed Marena. “If we go to the Nav with you—if we help you in whatever way we can—you need to promise me you will let her return to this realm again. Swear on whatever creatures like you actually give a shit about that both her and Tan can leave.” My witch looked up at me in confusion, but my attention was fixed on our guide.
As if she were seeing straight into my soul, the goddess intently observed me before carefully answering. “This is divine destiny we’re talking about here, Nox. Whoever is meant to leave will leave. That is the best I can do for you.”
“It’s all right, my Darkest Midnight,” Vasi purred up at me, stroking her free hand down my chest and making me wonder when I could get her alone. “We’re going to be reunited with Tan. Then we’ll find Asa so we can all be together again, just as we’re fated to be. Now, let’s go.”
Even though my heart felt like it was cracking in two, I smiled down at her and nodded, allowing my witch to lead me into the tree. Unlike the last time I was forcibly ripped to the Nav in a haze of bright light and excruciating pain, we simply continued walking. At first it was so dark I had to blindly trust we weren’t about to plummet into a bottomless pit. Then, a faint, orange glow began to illuminate the tunnel from far ahead. I noticed the surface of the walls had a bark-like texture, but the grooves seemed to pulse and throb, almost like veins pumping blood from a heart…
The Axis Mundi.
“Is this...the World Tree?” Vasi gasped just as I remembered my grandmother’s teachings about the mythological tree connecting the Nav with the realm of the living.
“...with the realm of the living, the Yav,andthe Prav—the realm of the gods,” Marena casually added, even though she clearly just read my fucking thoughts. “But don’t mention the Prav in front of Veles. He’s still upset that Perun banished him all those millennia ago, and he has a bit of a temper about such things.”
Vasi growled in that primal way of hers that made me want to dive between her legs again. “Yes, I noticed how quickly his mood changed when I didn’t immediately obey him at the Batagaika Crater. When he saw it fit tokillone of my Riders.” The unmistakable sound of my witch’s claws unsheathing filled the confined space, and I noticed my body instinctively responding. As if I were nothing but a weapon for her to use against our enemies.
I don’t hate that idea, to be honest.
Seemingly unconcerned with Vasi’s unspoken threat, Marena sighed. “Yes, I already had words with Veles about how hebehavedat the crater. I should have pushed harder to be the one to greet you there. Then you wouldn’t have become separated from your Riders and we could be closer to you fulfilling your legacy.”
Vasi stopped walking so abruptly I almost plowed her over. “You know about my legacy?!”
Marena cleared her throat. “Well, bits and pieces I’ve gathered over the years, and I may have an idea how you can learn more. But first, I need to get you both to Veles before he has another epic freakout.”
The strangeness of an ancient goddess using the phrase “epic freakout” was enough to get me moving again. This time it was me pulling Vasi along. Better to get this meeting over with, rip it off like a band-aid and then make our plan for next steps. Clearly, my father was the enemy, and Koschei was pretty fucking close behind, but Veles was a wildcard. He and I had our own business to sort out, but if he kept his claws off Vasi and my friends, then I was willing to hear him out.
The tunnel ended with us standing in an enormous cavern decked out like a wizard’s lair. A stone altar surrounded by dozens of lit candles, thick oriental rugs on the floor, medieval tapestries on the walls, and a ridiculously large crystal ball. My tension immediately lessened when I spotted Tan’s broad smile from where he was sprawled out on a fur-covered couch in front of a roaring fireplace. But before I could call to him, a shadow appeared in the far doorway.
Not even my father could instill the same level of terror I felt at seeing the creature of my earliest nightmares enter the room. His curling ram’s horns added an extra half a meter to his already impressive height, and the motherfucker was built like a professional wrestler. The perfect symmetry of his dark features made me wonder if it was just a handsome mask hiding who knows what horrors beneath the surface. He turned his gaze on me and it was all I could do to not instinctively shield Vasi from the intensity of their fiery depths.
“Ah, there are my wayward pets,” Veles chuckled, licking his lips as if contemplating having us for dinner. “How nice of you both to finally join us.”
Chapter 19
Taneer
They were here. After not knowing if I would ever see them again, my sweet witch and closest friend were now standing before me. Well, not quite, since Veles had to ruin the reunion by interrupting and blocking my view with his evil villain routine.
Outta the way, you sour fuck.
Shoving past the horned behemoth, I snatched Vasi into my arms to drink down some witchy deliciousness straight from her luscious lips. Her hearty laugh made my blood sing, and I laughed in return when Nox grabbed me from behind for a crushing bear hug.
My guts twisted at the thought of Ace in Koschei’s lair. But as I didn’t want to think about our last conversation, I banished his face from my mind and refocused on the two people in front of me. After Veles had disappeared to “intervene” with their escape, Rena eased my worries by adamantly insisting no harm would come to my friends. Then she graciously showed me where the god of the underworld kept his private stash of exceptionally strong wine.
