Page 20 of A Song of Saints and Swans
You could have cut the tension between us with a knife, but the random human in our midst seemed almost ecstatic over the drama.
“Hey,lisichka,”he loudly whispered, beaming down at the Rusalka warily peering around his broad form. “Didn’t the Gamayun tell us to wait here untilthreestrangers arrived? That they’d be able to help us with our little… problem?”
“Gamayun?” Jarilo barked, tearing his attention away from me to glare at the human. “Why would Veles send his mangy messenger bird—”
“He didn’t,” Rena quietly interrupted. “I sent the messenger, after receiving a vision…” she trailed off, a wrinkle forming between her brows as if she was struggling to remember more.“To help those who deserve a second chance.”
What about when nothing but ash remains?
“Thank you, goddess!” the Rusalka—Margo—exclaimed, gathering her courage to emerge and cautiously approach Marena. “I cannot express how much you’ve already helped us. You brought Konstantin back to me after I foolishly chose the depths of the Volga River over my human life with him. And while I have no right to ask for anything more, I can’t bear the thought of watching him age…”
An involuntary sob caused her to choke on her words, cutting her plea short. Konstantin immediately pulled her against him, smiling down at the monster like she hung the moon and stars.
“What’s the matter,Margosha?You don’t think I’m going to look all sexy and distinguished with gray hair?” His tone was light, but the sadness and regret in his eyes told me the reality of their situation weighed heavily on both of them.
Konstantin looked to be in his early thirties, while Margo was a handful of years younger. Regardless of their actual age gap, she would remain as she was the day she died, while her human would continue to grow old before eventually joining his ancestors in the Nav.
Leaving her behind.
The troubles of humans rarely interested me, but there was something endearing about this star-crossed pair that had me invested.
My romance books are probably to blame...
Bolstered by her lover’s touch, Margo rallied, bravely continuing to address Marena. “I will do whatever it takes to atone for my sins, goddess. I’ll give anything to not suffer an eternity without him. Please…”
Rena’s pale skin had grown even paler, her gaze flickering to the nearbyVardoas she cleared her throat.“Very well. We… require lodging for the night before continuing our journey north. Please prepare beds for us while I”—her green eyes darted to the lake—“scry on your behalf for answers from the unknown.”
Is she… nervous?
The Rusalka eagerly nodded before zipping away at inhuman speed to ready theVardofor the night. Konstantin didn’t immediately follow—instead, squaring his shoulders and facing Marena with a surprising amount of intelligence in his gaze.
“It’s my fault she jumped.” He spoke evenly, although the pain behind his eyes was apparent. “Margo would argue otherwise, but if anyone deserves eternal damnation, it’s me. I should have taken the time while she was still alive to better understand her mental health struggles. She drowned in the Volga becausemywillful ignorance and insensitivity triggered the chemical imbalance she had no choice but to be born with. Yet,I’mthe one being given a second chance whileshegets cursed with immortality.”
Jarilo sharply inhaled, but before he could address the human confronting his twin, Konstantin’s entire body slumped in defeat.
“Please,” he pleaded, desperation making his voice crack. “I grew up on my grandmother’sskazkisof the supernatural, but I believed in none of it until the woman I loved came back from the dead.Ifthatcan happen—if you truly are gods—surely there’s a way to fix this, right?”
No pressure.
The goddess inclined her head, outwardly calm as ever, although I suspected she was anything but. “I will see what I can do.”
This reply must have satisfied Konstantin, as he nodded once before spinning on his heel and striding to the wagon to assist his undying love.
“What is the idiot human blathering about, dearest?” Jarilo gritted out, clearly unimpressed. “Why would he believeyoucould help him and the one Rusalka on earth who actually remembers her past life—”
“I don’tknow!”Rena hissed, keeping her voice low, presumably so the others wouldn’t overhear. “The vision to assist them randomly arose while I was helping Veles locate Vasi and Nox, the night they rescued Anthia from…”
She trailed off, probably not wanting to mention the Facility in front of me. Oddly, I barely noticed—way too interested in this tragic love story to do anything other than impatiently gesture for her to continue.
Nosey bitch priorities.
Marena slowly blew out a breath. “When Vel disappeared to ensure Vasi’s hut found her in the woods, I used his lapis lazuli to home in on what the stray vision was trying to tell me. All I got was a flash of Konstantin’s face as he ran from the chaos of the Facility, the vague coordinates forthisclearing, and the message about second chances. I felt compelledto help, but knew my absence would be noted, so I sent the Gamayun instead. To be honest, I hadn’t thought of it again until Anthia led us here.”
“Dearest,” Jarilo repeated, his tone now soft and lovingly exasperated. “Just what do you think you’ll be able to do for them? You don't possess any power over life and death, so why offer your assistance at all?”
“Because they havehope,Jar!” she barked—the venom in her tone making me gasp. “I know this is hard for a favored god to understand, but mostdon’thave a silver spoon full of opportunity handed to them at birth. Life for humans ishard,and can be even more difficult for shifters and other supernaturals forced to keep their existence a secret. You’dknowthis if you came down from your princely throne in the Prav to interact with the real world now and then.”
It was Jarilo’s turn to blanch, but Rena mercilessly continued. “You’ve asked me before why I‘bother’spending so much time on earth among such fragile creatures. But this fragility is exactly why I do it. Despite every challenge and obstacle thrown at them, mortals stubbornly dream of better times ahead. Can you imagine still havinghope,even when the icy fingers of death could rip you away from your loved ones at any moment? Of course not. You and I have never—and will never—experience a loss of that magnitude.”
