Page 1 of A Song of Saints and Swans
Prologue: Once There Was and Once There Was Not
ANTHIA - FOUR MONTHS EARLIER
“Thia! Thank you for coming to my… what are we calling this again, Tan?” I struggled not to laugh as a slightly flustered witch ushered me into her hut, along with a few autumn leaves.
Vasi and I had celebrated her birthday together hundreds of times—once I got her to actually tell me when it was—but never had it turned into a party like this.
“It’s your va ju-bilation ju-bilee! And henceforth, October 27th will forever be known as such!” Tan crowed, and I snorted, spying the ridiculous Rider at the far end of the table, shirtless and already plastered.
I see the festivities have already begun.
“Happy birthday, Vasi.” I smiled warmly, handing her a wrapped package containing her favorite dark chocolate and tea, along with some ofmyfavorite romance books. She eagerly tore at the paper, and I took advantage of the distraction to slip Nox the gift I’d purchased on his behalf.
Since apparently, the big dumb one and I are friends now.
“Thank you, Anthia… fuck, I hope she likes it,” he whispered, endearingly nervous about the entire thing.
I rolled my eyes. Of course, she’d love it. These men could shit in the woods and Vasi would declare it a blessing on the earth.
While I was thrilled my dearest friend had found her true loves—the fated Riders who helped her fulfill her legacy—they certainly were a handful.
It was nearly impossible to believe it had only been a few months since Vasi saved our world. Matthew was dead, Koschei had been banished to the Nav for Veles to torture, and Mokosh had spent every day since then bringing life back to the forest.
Walking through the woods these days felt so incredible, I could almost forget everything bad that had happened.
Almost.
Having watched Vasi heal from her own trauma, I knew I had a long way to go. Besides the hazy memories of what the men at Matthew’s Facility had done to me, I was still plagued with overwhelming feelings of guilt.Blood taken frommyveins—samples that were still missing—could possibly help Matthew’s remaining colleagues hurt others like me.
Although there aren’t many like me.
After my mother disappeared, I’d accidentally discovered the truth of who I was while cleaning out herVardowagon.I could still remember how my hands shook as I read the incriminating letter, written in flowing script on stationery with a royal seal. I’d burned it on the stove before my father, Gerard, could find it and run into the woods, blinded by tears and heartbroken by the truth.
That was when I’d tumbled into a pitfall trap and broken a wing. The Goddess must have been watching over me, as the newly appointed Baba Yaga—Vasi—stumbled upon me only hours later.
I’d heard she used to be human, so I bitterly refused to talk to the witch, even as she set my wing and nursed me back to health in her hut. It took a few days, a gallon of peppermint tea, and some well-timed humor to finally get me to crack.
We’d been inseparable ever since. Vasi liked to joke she’d been cursed with me since that day, but I knew she cared for me like a sister.
Since clearly, she likes to collect half-breed misfits.
“Do you think I could swing from the rafters by my horns, Acey? You could all play pin the tail on my…”
Luckily, Tan’s train of thought was interrupted by another knock on the door. A blast of impending winter’s chill blew it open, revealing a smiling Marena. Despite her natural cheer, I felt myself automatically tense at the sight of her freckled face.
The goddess and I had formed a surprising friendship these past few months, but her presence sometimes included that twin of hers, Jarilo, and I was in no mood for his idiocy tonight.
“It’s just me, Anthia.” She grinned mischievously, not even needing to access her seer abilities to know who my glare was for. To my annoyance, I didn’t feel as relieved by his absence as I’d hoped.
Stupid god of stupid springtime…
Try as I might, I’d been unable to forget the unexpected kiss Jarilo and I had shared. Even semi-conscious, he’d managed to ruin the moment by wrapping me in errant vegetation. Good friend that she was, Vasi had immediately realized the leafy restraints were triggering me and put a stop to it.
Despite how shaken I’d been at the time, the memory of his vines on my skin had remained with me ever since. As much as I would never admit it—even under threat of death—there was a part of me that had liked how they felt.
I shook my head, angrily banishing all thoughts of golden eyes and annoyingly soft-looking reddish curls and refocusing on my friends.
Nox was laughing uncontrollably as Asa pulled Tan down from his attempt to climb over the table to the rafters. To make matters worse, the drunken Rider had somehow lost his pants along the way.
