Page 5 of A Witch Out of Time
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I awoke again, only this time I was cold and alone, lying with my back pressed against the rough stone wall of Koschei’s lair. At least, I assumed that’s where I was. There’d been no sign of the creature since he snatched me into the sky, and even then, I hadn’t been able to get a good look at him.
My chest ached—the foreign object shoved under the surface of my skin throbbing with a beat of its own. It was more egg-shaped than the Russian nesting doll we’d extracted from Misha, but the incision was so neat I would need a knife to open it. While the thought of a piece of Koschei—hisdeath—existing inside my body made me ill, I also worried about what removing it might do to me.
Seething with frustration, I swiped the back of my hand over my eye, feeling the dampness left over from my vivid dream. The only time I ever cried was in my sleep, and it was usually Tan who wordlessly dried my tears for me. Unbidden, I once again saw the terrifying vision of Veles coating the earth with Tan’s blood, and my chest tightened painfully, breaths becoming labored as I fought off a panic attack.
He can’t be dead.
True to form, even as angry as he’d been, Tan had sacrificed himself to save me. Ihadto believe he was alive, that I hadn’t lost him forever to the Nav. There was so much left unsaid between us—so muchIneeded to say that I should’ve said a long time ago. I’d been so caught up in my grief at my mother’s death, I’d cut myself off from the one remaining person who loved me unconditionally. Even though I would dig my way to the underworld by hand to get him back, my efforts would never match all he’d done for me. Not for the first time, I realized Tan deserved much better than me, much better in general.
“You deserve it too, you know.”
Vasi’s words echoed in my head as I slowly stood, closing my eyes and waiting for the dizziness of hunger to pass before I chose which direction to explore. A bare minimum of food and water appeared every day, only enough to keep me alive and always materializing out of thin air at the moment my attention was elsewhere. This mysterious ritual reminded me of the ghostly hands lighting Vasi’s fence posts, but memories of my witch hurt almost as much as thinking about Tan. Taking a breath, I forced myself to focus on something else.
Like how to get the hell out of here.
I was determined to find my way out before Vasi and Nox got the foolish idea to attempt a rescue mission. As I’d been left alone, I assumed I was being kept as bait, but I refused to give Koschei any opportunity to get his hands on Vasi again. The long hours between feedings gave me time to methodically test the boundaries of my prison, looking for an escape route. Occasionally, I heard the screams of women echoing from somewhere within this labyrinth of tunnels. However, no matter how hard I tried to reach my fellow prisoners, I could never find my way to them.
How many people are being held captive here?
It was deathly quiet now, and based on my crude calculations, my daily rations weren’t due to arrive for at least a few hours. An unexpected breeze suddenly brushed against my damp face, bringing with it the scent of fresh air. I did my best to discern where it was coming from, although an odd sense of “knowing” deep in my gut seemed to lead my steps more than anything else. As I entered a previously unexplored tunnel, I could hear the distant sound of running water far ahead.
“There was a river…”
A vague memory floated to the surface of an enticingly sleepy witch returning from her own nightmares, recalling how she’d escaped this place. Ignoring the dull ache in my chest—and the sharper pain in my heart—I squared my shoulders and headed in the direction of what would hopefully be my freedom.
Chapter 5
Vasilisa
Nox’s father was responsible for the death of Asa’s mother. After this jarring revelation, Matthew had dismissed us from his office, instructing his personal guard to escort the two of us to our shared quarters. Any relief I felt to learn I would not be stuck in a cage somewhere was sharply overshadowed by an almost uncontrollable urge to spill this man’s blood.
He will pay. He will pay. He will pay.
“Easy,” Nox laid a hand on my forearm, his thumb accidentally caressing my tattoo. “Just wait.”
Although I was reluctant to admit it, the feel of Nox’s skin immediately calmed me. Or, at least, the casual contact forced my claws to retract until they were no longer a danger to anyone around me. Nox kept his grip on my arm as we continued walking, as if he inherently understood how close I was to imploding. Finally, after about ten more minutes, we entered a narrow hallway with numerous doors, no daylight, and the pervasive smell of human sweat.
“We’ll be back at 18:00,” one guard mumbled. “You’ll be locked in until then. Boss’s orders.”
Nox simply nodded in reply. The guard tapped a white card against a strange glass panel before ushering us inside, slamming the door shut behind us. Looking around, I was surprised to find we werenotin a prison cell but a cramped living space with two beds and what appeared to be a small bathroom. Even stranger still, the room seemed to already be occupied, as men’s clothing and other personal items were haphazardly tossed over every available surface.
“Why did they bring us…” I began before Nox abruptly placed two fingers over my lips, effectively silencing me. It was then I realized the human scents filling the room belonged to my Riders—all three of them.
“Wait,” he repeated before striding over to a bureau and opening the middle drawer. Digging around for a moment, he removed a small drawstring bag, which he casually placed on a table beneath a camera I now noticed perched in the corner. An almost inaudible chirp came from the bag, and Nox’s shoulders sank in relief, as if the nonchalance he’d been projecting was escaping him like air from a balloon.
“Ok, Vasi,” he turned to face me again, running a hand down his face and through his thick beard. “I’ve just jammed the signal, so all security will see is their own feed on a constant loop with no audio. Now, let’s talk about…”
Whatever Nox was trying to say to me was lost, as I had already crossed the room and thrown myself face down on the opposite bed. Tan’s exotic spiciness was layered with Asa’s dark sweetness, and I inhaled their scents like it was the air I needed to breathe. Until that moment, I hadn’t allowed myself to fully feel the pain of their loss. I had no way of knowing if my men were alive or gravely injured and how long it might be until we were reunited, if ever. I’d experienced so much physical pain in my life, but this frantic helplessness I was feeling buried itself in my chest like a knife to the heart.
The thin mattress sank further into the creaking coils as Nox sat beside me. I was then shocked to feel his large hand tangle in my hair in an awkward attempt to soothe. This simple touch smoothed over my broken pieces—perhaps not fixing me completely, but holding me together for now at least.
“I know, Vashka, I want to find them too...” he rumbled before clearing his throat and refocusing. “Listen. We have to play my father’s games for now, but wewillescape—withAnthia—even if we have to fight our way out of here.”
Sniffling, I rolled to my side and gazed up at him. “I can’tfeelthem anymore, Nox,” I rasped. “And I can’t feel my powers either.”
He stilled. “What do you mean?”
