Page 39 of A Witch Out of Time
“Vasilisa...” My mentor’s raspy voice whispered through the trees as she entered the clearing carrying the rest of our supplies, including the knife. “It is time.”
Chapter 32
Vasilisa
“Rise up, Vasi! The time has come.” Finding myself once again in the mud dwelling, I lifted my head to find the Yaga crouched beside me. My newly branded back throbbed under the compress and my guts ached, but I used the unpleasant sensations to fuel my rage.
I rose and followed her out of the dwelling and toward the center of the grove, stepping over the seeds with far less care than I had originally. My gaze again wandered over the various elements that covered the altar, but the only item I deemed worthy of note was the knife.
I must stop this from happening!
“The Yaga has protected these lands for countless centuries,” my mentor solemnly intoned, and my skin crawled at her perversion of this legacy. “Ours is a dark lineage passed down through women now shunned by human society. A duty that, once given, can only be escaped through death.”
As before, she offered me the ritual knife, and I had no choice but to accept. Grasping the leather hilt in my hand, I exhaled slowly, readying myself for what I knew I had to do.
Kill the witch before me.
Truly kill her this time.
The brand on my back throbbed, the magic infused in the design humming through my veins. Only this time, it found the powers of my Riders flowing alongside it. I raised the knife to strike, boldly meeting the gaze of the witch before me. With satisfaction, I watched the knowing glint in her eye fade as she finally caught on to what she was up against.
“What?! How is this possible?” she barked incredulously when the knife did not pierce my chest as expected. Her beady eyes desperately flitted around the clearing, as if looking for a weapon or a means of escape. “Vasilisa, what have you done?!”
Smirking, I proclaimed, “I becameyou,dear mentor. You tried this deception on me once before—tried to send me to the close-under-place while you continued your reign of terror. But you failed.”
The Yaga straightened, her panicked expression instantly smoothing to become eerily calm. “Yes, I know,” she flatly intoned as the grove and surrounding forest faded to reveal the nighttime plains of the Nav instead. “And I was hoping you would be as naïve this time, so I could finally take back what is rightfullymine.”
That claim sounds familiar…
“Everything was planned perfectly!” The Yaga narrowed her eyes accusingly. “I only needed to kill you to attain enough dark power to rule over the forest, as queen of all its creatures!”
“Oh fucking hell,” Nox grumbled behind me, and I didn’t need to turn around to know he was rolling his eyes judgmentally.
Unable to hear Nox’s signature commentary, the Yaga continued. “How did you do it, Vasilisa? How did you return from the Nav as Yaga and stealmylegacy from me?”
Although fury was raging through my veins, desperate to spill her blood, I paused to consider. Although I was still human when Marena orchestrated my rebirth after rescuing me from Koschei, something changed with the trajectory of my life. Everything from that moment on had felt like the threads of fate twisting around my neck—like an inescapable noose. Only when I somehow defeated the Yaga and cheated death itself did I finally take my future into my own hands.
“You changed your fate, Vashka.” Nox swept my hair to the side so he could lean down and kiss my neck. The Yaga blinked in surprise, as if only at this moment could she finally see the Rider who accompanied me.
“That’s right,” I lifted my chin defiantly, feeling Nox’s darkness pulsing at my back, readying to strike. “Through sheer force of free will, I managed to not only become the next Yaga, but return from the Nav, stronger than ever. Ready to claim the legacy that was always meant to bemine.And now,myRiders and I will combine our powers to reverse whatever is devouring my forest. Not to rule, but to protect the creatures who depend on it for survival.”
Despite the promise of death surely reflecting in my gaze, my former mentor laughed wickedly. “Oh, you silly girl. The Devouring can never be stopped, because no one knows where the source of it lies. When that idiot bear shifter brought you to my doorstep, I only took you in because I saw an opportunity. Everyone knew you were the great beauty Koschei had stolen and lost, and I assumed he would pay dearly to get you back. Once I finally located him, I promised he could have you in exchange for a tiny piece of his legendary death. That death is now buried somewhere you will never find it and as long as it’s hidden, the earth will continue to die.”
“This bitch,” Nox snarled.
For once, I agree with his use of the word.
After centuries of not knowingwhyI’d been betrayed, I was determined to get as much explanation as possible before I ended her life. “So, your plan was to appear to be the noble hero, swooping in to save everyone from the forest’s destruction. A problem you yourself caused?” When she nodded smugly I continued, “But then why send me to my death when you’d promised me to Koschei?”
The Yaga shrugged, seemingly unconcerned with the thought of angering a powerful supernatural being. “Koschei can navigate the space between life and death—I assumed he’d intervene before you reached the Nav. Meanwhile, I would reap the rewards of a sacrifice in Veles’ name.”
I gasped, finally receiving confirmation the brand on my back was always meant to mark me as an offering to Veles, not to initiate me into the Yaga legacy. While this treachery angered me to my core, I couldn’t help but find amusement in her misguided belief. She honestly thought the god of the underworld would reward her with enough power to rule over the forest.
She’s never met Veles then.
“The god of the Nav has little interest in granting power to lesser beings,” I scoffed at her idiocy. “So you've made a complete mess of things for nothing. Silly Yaga, you know more than most you shouldn’t meddle with the natural order of things.” Smiling slyly, I added, “Unless, of course, you are making things right.”
Then I handed the knife back to her.
