Page 30 of Call of the Ride
Nox’s gaze flickered below my waist before landing on my face again, a self-satisfied smirk twitching his lips. “Before you distracted me, I was saying the owner of this place has invited us to dinner at his house. And we should probably get going as he’s waiting for us outside.”
Chapter 23
Vasilisa
Icertainly didn’t care about keeping a human waiting, but what Nox failed to mention was that the innkeeper was hovering just on the other side of the bedroom door. Despite what he no doubt overheard, the man appeared unfazed by our disheveled appearance as we emerged from our “fucknest.” Wishing I still had access to the intimidating mask of the Yaga, I begrudgingly did my best to smile and at leastappearhuman.
“Aye, Moonstone told me I might have to give you kids some space before insisting you join me to dine,” he sang out in a similar brogue to Cassandra’s before gracefully rising from a wicker chair. “But there’s nothing better than siphoning off the freshly squeezed power of the gods, is there? Even if it’s secondhand, twice-removed, and only dusted with a blessing at birth. But beggars can’t be choosers! And being this far from court has made me appreciate what I can get, no matter how bastardized...if you know what I mean.”
Siphoning our power?!
I immediately dropped the facade of friendliness, my vision tunneling as I shrewdly observed the man in front of me. He wasn’t nearly as muscular or imposing as my men, but there was a power to his wiry frame that I knew shouldn’t be underestimated. And the sharpness of his bright green eyes spoke of a wisdom well beyond his years, or at least the age he appeared to be. True, there were humans who knew of the existence of supernaturals, including the gods, but this man reeked of the otherworldly.
“Let’s say the name’s…Ulysses,” he chirped, casually extending a hand to shake, which I eyed suspiciously. “What’s the trouble, my dear? Haven’t you ever encountered Fae before?”
Nox humorlessly chuckled behind me, although I could feel his darkness swirling, ready to attack if needed. “I knew there was something funny about that nut job, Moonstone. Of course she’d be a fucking fairy.”
Ulysses winked at my Rider, apparently not in the least concerned by the threat he no doubt felt pouring off of us. “Oh, Cassandra isn’t Fae. She wasalmostswapped out at birth for a changeling, but the Seelie Court realized she’d be a much more useful contact on the other side, especially with her ability to foresee disaster.” He paused to shoot us a wolfish grin. “Not that the Fae care what befalls humans, but we love having front row seats to a good show. Come! Let us dine.”
He spun on his heel and strode from the room, clearly expecting us to blindly follow. I glanced at my men, strangely unsure how best to proceed. Although I found it hard to believe Cassandra would lead us astray, I also couldn’t help but remember how Tan's mother had mentioned our enemies were many.
I don’t want to lead us into danger!
Tan cupped my face in his hands, soothingly brushing his lips against mine. “Ithinkwe can safely accept the invitation, Vasi. It doesn’t make any sense, but I have afeelingwe can trust him...at least as far as dinner goes, anyway.”
I thought back to our visit with Zehra, and how she’d mentioned experiencing visions since she was young. Likewise, Velez was also skilled in scrying—at least with the help of lapis lazuli—so it made sense that Tan would have inherited some psychic ability from his parents. Even though I registered the truth of my Rider’s words, deep in my bones, I tasted a hint of uncertainty in our bond.
“It sounds to me like you may be tapping into more of your remarkableness, my Bright Dawn,” I warmly smiled up at him, sending back as much encouragement as possible. “And I trust your instincts completely.”
Tan silently gazed back at me. “Thank you, doll,” he gruffly replied before clearing his throat and nodding at the others to follow.
Ulysses was nowhere to be seen when we exited the apartment, and dusk had already fallen, making it difficult to discern which way he’d gone. Before I could call out for him, a flash of light to my left caught my attention. I gasped when I spotted a glowing orb hovering in midair before noticing my men had gone completely still beside me.
“This is bullshit,” Nox growled. “I’m so fucking tired of our lives being manipulated from day one.”
As if sensing my confusion, Asa turned his attention to me, his wary expression softening. “It was a similar dancing light that led the three of us to that tattoo parlor in London we could never find again.”
So the Fae have been involved with our legacy as well…
I absently traced a finger down the glowing reddish designs on Asa’s forearm, noticing how the red in my tattoo flickered in recognition. My other hand dipped into my coat pocket where I’d stashed my mother’s doll, and I gave her a reassuring squeeze. Although, which one of us the gesture was meant for was unclear.
Ulysses had offhandedly mentioned the potency of “blessings at birth,” which reminded me of the deal my mother made with Mokosh, whatever it was. When I’d first journeyed to the Yaga’s hut as a girl, I was cast out for being “too blessed.” It was never explained, but something about my blessing was enough of a threat at the time that she allowed me to live.
Despite any previous misgivings, the Yaga welcomed me back to her hut years later. Of course, I’d since learned she saw me as a bargaining chip to gain power, but my blessing still existed, even if it was buried with my daughter by then. It was surprising my former mentor would allow that loophole to linger, but she was probably so blinded by her own delusions of grandeur, she never dreamed I would challenge her. I smirked triumphantly to recall how wrong she had been.
And no one will ever underestimate me again.
Lifting my chin, I marched after the orb, no longer afraid of my fate. True, many external forces had meddled in the paths of me and my Riders, but I could resent nothing that led me to them.
“Come in, my weary travelers!” Ulysses’ lilting voice rang out. I suddenly spied him, silhouetted in the doorway of a berm house tucked into a hill, surrounded by a ring of mushrooms. “I have bangers and mash for the gents and vegetable stew for the lovely lass.”
I graciously smiled at his thoughtfulness as I entered, my expression instantly changing to awe at what lay inside. From the outside, Ulysses’ home had appeared quaint and cozy, but once we passed the threshold, a palace that rivaled the Tsar’s awaited. Every surface glittered with jewels and precious metals, somehow reflecting abundant light despite us being half-underground at night. A fire was crackling in the hearth and a long banquet table resembling an oak tree cut in half was laden with steaming meats and vegetables.
We took our seats only to have the table suddenly shrink to a much more manageable size. Our host laughed—a sound like the tinkling of bells—before snapping his fingers as if calling for a servant. I looked around for the tiny man who’d directed us to the barn, but three sets of disembodied hands appeared to serve us instead.
“They’re my helpers,” our host beamed, as Asa and I exchanged a shocked look. “And from what I hear, you have a set of them yourself. Did you never wonder where they came from?”
“I…I,” I stuttered, dumbfounded to think I’d been using Fae magic without knowing it. “I was always under the impression I shouldn’t ask—that the answer would shorten my life…”
