Page 31 of Call of the Ride
“Correct!” he crowed, punctuating the air with his steak knife before digging into his sausages, apparently having no intention of elaborating.
It’s like attending a mad tea party!
We ate in surprisingly comfortable silence, and I was soon pleasantly full, although strangely tired. I stole another glance around the sumptuous decor, feeling painfully plain in my rumpled—and soiled—day dress.
“You are still a vision, Vasilisa the Beautiful,” Ulysses murmured, eliciting growls from my men, which he staunchly ignored. “Although, I do believe some jewelry would serve to accentuate your brilliance.” He opened his hand to reveal the teal stone necklace that Nox and I had discovered, wrapped around my doll after I defeated the former Yaga.
Asa abruptly stood, but Nox spoke first. “Where the fuck…?!” he barked, slamming his palm on the table. “Did you seriously just pick my fucking pocket?”
“Yes, I did,” the Fae sniffed, unimpressed. “And you shouldn’t leave your pocket so unattended.”
My Beautiful Sun was now eyeing Nox with the same level of suspicion as when he’d discovered his unusual bullets. “I’ve seen that necklace before... How didyouend up with it, Nox?” he asked, his tone sharper than usual.
Ulysses grinned wildly, apparently enjoying the drama he’d caused. “Why don’t you both ask your mother?” And with that, he snapped his fingers, and the two men disappeared.
Chapter 24
Vasilisa
Watching my Riders be snatched away from me again cut as deeply as when the Yaga’s blade had ripped open my chest. I immediately leaped to my feet, hatefully glaring at the Fae as I stalked him around the table, although my movements felt sluggish and dreamlike.
“What have you done with them!” I hissed, my claws lengthening to deadly points, itching for blood and uncaring what the rules of engagement may be in this situation.
Tan grabbed my arm, wordlessly discouraging me from murdering the Fae. “Oh, Vasilisa!” Ulysses gaily laughed. “Lucky for me you haveoneRider left to keep your bloodlust under control. Although,” he tapped his chin thoughtfully, as if I wasn’t imagining his severed head decorating my fence post. “Those two aren’t the only ones with unfinished parental business, now are they?”
Before I could process what he was implying, Ulysses snapped his fingers again, and Tan disappeared as well.
Without my Bright Dawn to hold me back, I called upon every ounce of my fading strength to throw myself at the man in front of me. He gracefully sidestepped my attack, and I clumsily fell to the floor in a useless heap.
What is happening to me?
“You’ve…poisonedme…” I rasped, desperately calling upon my powers, but only able to rally a slight flicker of light from the white mark of my tattoo. Frantic to check on the well-being of my Riders, I yanked on our bond, but felt only the faintest tug in return from Tan alone.
Ulysses crouched until we were eye-level, and I was surprised to find compassion on his face. “I didn’t poison you, my dear. I simply drizzled some blue rose oil over the meal, to prepare the four of you for your journeys tonight. Your men may have been specifically created asyourRiders, but they have their own stories, and it’s difficult to start the next chapter when the last is unfinished.” Ever so gently, he clasped the stolen necklace around my neck—the weight of the stone against my chest somehow tempering my rage.
I slowly nodded, surprised at how profoundly I related to his words. I’d recently undertaken my own spirit journey—forced to relive some of the hardest moments of my human life—but looking back now, the purpose was clear. If I hadn’t tended to my old wounds, I wouldn’t have been able to move forward with my story, or my relationships with my Riders.
Each of my men had reawakened parts of me that had lain dormant and neglected for far too long. Tan had brought laughter and pleasure back into my life with his sunny personality and generous attention. Asa had shared his grief, and allowed me to soothe it in ways that healed me as well. And even Nox had shown me the importance of fiercely defending what I believed in, no matter the cost.
“Just promise me you’ll bring them back,” I whispered, my voice sounding embarrassingly small to my ears. But my Riders were vital to me, not just for my legacy, but my entire existence.
I love them.
The Fae silently observed me for a few minutes, as if he’d heard my confession, and wished to give it the space it deserved before responding.
“Your men will be returned to you before the dawn breaks,” he solemnly intoned. “But in the meantime, you and I have our own journey to undertake.” When I simply stared at him wearily, he shot me an impish grin. “It’s a beautiful night to go water witching, don’t you agree?”
I glowered at Ulysses’ back as he skipped toward the door. Water witching was a pseudoscience that involved pointing a forked divining rod at the ground, and waiting for the stick to twitch.
And the only thing twitching right now are my claws…
It hadn’t occurred to me that one couldn’t simply visit Thames Head spring and draw water from a bucket at an old well. But Ulysses’ comments made it sound as if we’d be searching for an underground wellspring using archaic methods, which did not please me one bit. However, Zehra had implied time was running out, so I was determined to get what I needed tonight, no matter if I had to dig it out of the ground with my hands, or call it down from the heavens myself.
Or use a silly divining rod, as the Fae is suggesting.
To my surprise, when we left Ulysses’ underground lair, it wasmymortar and pestle waiting for us outside. “I have to say, love, I appreciate your dedication to originality,” my host chortled. “Most witches prefer riding on brooms with black cat familiars in their laps, no?”
I shrugged, suddenly self-conscious of my odd inheritance. To be honest, I’d always found it ridiculous that my primary mode of transportation was an oversized kitchen implement, but a broom wouldn’t have been any better. True, I’d cared for my men’s horses since I became Yaga, but it had always felt as though they weren’t mine to ride.
