Page 33 of Call of the Ride
To me, her betrayal was a splinter left to fester under my skin, but to Ace, it probably felt as sharp as a blade. We were two motherless sons who’d found our own ways to deal with our losses—even if these outlets were less than productive. But now, we had each other.
And we don’t belong to her anymore.
Mokosh gazed at Ace with far more sympathy than she’d shown me, although there was still an air of detachment that rubbed me the wrong way. “Yes, I could see how it would appear that way to you,” she finally spoke. “However, what’s happening out there not only affects me, but all living things. If Vasilisa’s Riders had not been reborn and reawakened by this time in history, The Devouring would soon have reached the point of no return.”
Ace cut in again. “Wait. What do you mean,reborn and reawakened?Like, past lives?”
The goddess sighed, as if we should have somehow known all of this by osmosis or something. “Vasilisa saw the Riders when she was a girl, no? Or, I should say, she saw their spirits waiting for her on the edge of destiny. But it wasn’t yet time, so when Vasi buried her mother’s doll, her connection to the original Riders disappeared. It wasn’t until your witch rose from the ashes—returning from the Nav as Yaga herself—that the Riders stirred. But they still needed earthly forms. Marena shared some of her research on the old legends with me, and I suddenly saw what I needed to do to save my earth. I tried to convince Veles to help me create Vasilisa’s Riders, but he refused.” She lifted her chin defiantly. “So, I took fate into my own hands before it was too late. And now, we must all put our differences aside and work together to stop The Devouring.”
As much as I wanted to continue arguing, I knew she was right. I also knew how important this was to Vasi. Yaga or not, my witch cared deeply about her forest, and that was a good enough reason for me to do whatever it took to save it.
So yeah, I guess I can play nice-ish.
“All right, mom,” I snarled, apparently struggling with this nice thing. “What is it you need us to do, as your personal army of warm bodies ready to die on the battlefield for the greater good?”
She threw her head back and laughed, determined to irritate me. “Who said anything aboutdying?You’redemigods—there is very little out there that can kill you!” She paused, her expression almost concerned. “Of course, Matthew and his cronies seem determined to figure out a way to accomplish just that…” Thoughtfully tapping her lower lip, she walked toward a mural depicting three men on horses, evenly spaced around a dark-haired woman walking through the woods below.
Stomping after her, my furious gaze swept over the mural, stopping me in my tracks when I realized what I was looking at. Just as Ace had described from his last visit here, the scene showed the three of us surrounding Vasi, looking like knights charging into battle with full armor and weapons.
Finding the Rider in black, I suddenly felt pretty fucking small in the face of my own destiny. I’d been forced to examine a lot about myself while trapped inside the darkness, but seeing this—an actualprophecythat includedme—really put things into a humbling perspective. Not for the first time, I wished I felt more prepared. While I liked to think I would’ve known more about my legacy had Mokosh stuck around through my childhood, I doubted she would’ve felt the need to enlighten me any more than she did Ace.
But she’s gonna start talking now.
“How did you meet my father?” I demanded, more desperate to know the answer than I cared to admit. “I only recently learned he was into all this witchy shit, so clearly I don’t have a fucking clue how he ended up reproducing with an actual goddess.”
Ace joined me at my side as Mokosh turned to address us. “Very well. When I left the Nav, I was determined to save my precious earth, no matter what it took. The logical place to start was with the few humans who still ascribed to the old ways, as they often knew the legends better than the gods themselves did. The northern village of Temnota, where you grew up, Nox, was a known sanctuary for my priestesses. By the time I arrived, there were only a handful left, including the woman you would later know as your grandmother.”
I bit my tongue to stop the scathing blame I was dying to throw at her. If it wasn’t for her—for any of this—mybabawould still be alive. Even now, I missed my grandmother with a bone-deep ache that had never fully healed. It wasn’t until I met Vasi that I thought it ever could be.
Mokosh was patiently watching me, as if she could tell where my thoughts had gone, and for all I knew, she’d actually read my fucking mind. But I didn’t care. Let her see just how much care I’d received from someoneelseas a child. Then maybe she’d finally appreciate the gift of time she’d had with Ace.
She slowly nodded, her gaze briefly flickering to Asa in understanding, before returning her focus to me. When she spoke again, her voice was decidedly softer, humbler. “Your father had been dabbling in occultism for at least a decade by the time we crossed paths in Temnota. For some reason, he believed his destiny was to be one of Vasilisa’s Riders…no,allof her Riders, in a single man. Of course, I knew this was impossible, but I ignored his ramblings as just another religious fanatic. His knowledge of the old legends was impressive and, in the end, he was a fine enough specimen to father my child…”
“You actually thought he would be a good fucking father?!” I shouted, no longer able to hold back my rage. “Do you have any idea what he put me through, growing up in the Facility like I did? Or who I might have been had he not gotten his hands on me?”
You took everything away from me!
Instead of replying, the goddess turned her gaze to the mural again, running a finger over the Rider in black, her nail loudly scratching the stone once she reached the tip of a curling horn that matched my own.
“This is always who you were meant to be, Nox.” She fixed her pale blue eyes on me, and I was shocked to find genuine tears welling up inside them. “We don’t always get to choose our paths, even as gods, but the destination is still important to reach—no matter how much we must suffer to get there.”
My anger bled out of me as I recognized the truth of what she was saying. If I hadn’t died on mybaba’stable and been brought back from the Nav thanks to her sacrifice, I never would’ve ended up at the Facility. The environment there may have been harsh, but it gave me my brothers and the insider knowledge that would hopefully help us defeat my father in Vasi’s name.
And thanks to the lingering memory of mybaba’slove, I hadn’t completely become the man my father was, despite his best efforts. Although my time with her was short, she’d left me with a strong enough foundation that I knew I could withstand whatever fate threw my way. It may not have always been pleasant, but maybe everything had happened exactly the way it was supposed to. Thiswasmy destiny, and if it included Vasi and the others, I couldn’t be too mad about it.
“All right,mother,”I spoke the word with far less bite than previously. “We’re in this together, for the greater good. So what do we do now? What’s next?”
Mokosh smiled proudly, and I found myself annoyingly warmed by her approval. “The stone in the necklace Vasi has, which you’ve seen me wear before, suge,” she smiled at Ace. “It came from a ritual site not far from where you left your witch—from a heel stone, called so because of the legends surrounding it. That location is where Vasilisa and her Riders will ascend to their greatest power, to later command an invincible army at your back. But you must achieve this union before the days shorten, or risk missing your window of time...” She paused, her gaze distant before snapping to focus on us again. “That is all I can see from where I stand.”
Ace furrowed his brow. “Why must you all speak in riddles?“
Mokosh’s only reply was to slyly smile. “Fine,” I growled. “Can you at least tell us how to get out of here and back to Vasi?”
Since we sure as shit don’t own any ruby slippers.
Her smile turned devilish as she pointed to the river behind us. My heart sank, remembering how we’d found Ace, half-drowned in the Nav. “I think you know the way, my son,” she chuckled. “Just hold your breath and dive in.”
Chapter 26
