Page 107 of Queen’s Gambit

The roar shook the forest. It was feral, threatening, but my heart remained steady, waiting for my judgment. Vjesci, whose voice prophesied death, came forth, and worked his mouth as if he searched for words.

‘We. Accept.’ A quiet sob escaped me as new hope flooded through me and left me weak. My beast nudged me, and I grasped his antlers, leaping onto his back.

‘I am proud of you. Go with my blessing and purge the corruption of this land. Be mindful of what you do with such power, Little Vila. And don’t forget the water is also your ally,’ he said before leaning forward and whispering into the bies’ ear.

The beast roared and shot forth, leaving me clinging to his back for dear life. Behind us, the forest shifted as the monsters followed my lead.

Day bled into night as we ran. The moon was high when we arrived at the smoking ruin of the fishing village where I’d stayed after escaping Tivala’s dungeon. The bies lay down near the ruined warehouse, and I curled up against his shaggy fur. Despite a warm day, the night was colder than normal, and the wind brought a chill from the sea. Another body joined us, then another. The creatures approached, curling around me until I no longer felt cold.

A commotion woke me before dawn. Hissing, angry cries surrounded me. As I stood, a wave of dizziness swept over me. I closed my eyes, letting my senses test our locale. The Aether was turbulent and jagged. Something unknown surged in the distance, but it was too far away for me to determine the cause.

‘Tova, you fool,’ I whispered, pressing my hand to my chest. That was the possible explanation. He’d tried engineering the Gate while waiting for me. ‘I shouldn’t have enchanted the key.’

My gaze drifted to the snarling creatures. It would take five days to reach Tova, and a day to reach the Tivalaran Castle.

‘I have to trust him. Tova might be reckless, but he’s not stupid.’ I whispered it like a prayer whilst dread built in my chest. Whatever choice I made, I was going to regret it. Still, it didn’t matter what I thought. Without magic, without a portal, I couldn’t get there in time. Tova’s fate was out of reach, and I could only pray to Svarog for my friend’s life.

‘Get up. We need to go.’ I nudged Shaggy, hoping my lover and dragon were still alive.

We ran all day, but as the sun set, we stumbled upon a large, empty field trampled by thousands of feet. The tents’ remains were still there, together with orange rags and a charred corpse tied to a stake. I’d happened upon one of Tangra’s war camps.

The crunching of bones made me wince. Strigae didn’t care about the dignity of death, and the burnt man surely had no opinion on which predator gnawed on his bones. I directed the bies to the centre of the camp, where the holes in the ground were largest. The beast sneezed, hackles rising, then backed away from the silver traces on the ground. I dismounted and approached, rubbing the powder between my fingers.

It burned. I wiped the residue onto the grass, which blackened instantly. Powdered srebrec mixed with something else. My fingers were still tingling, so I grabbed a waterskin to rinse off the residue.

‘No!’ a high-pitched voice shouted from the trees. Startled, I dropped the bladder, and when the water hit the residue, the world disappeared in a blinding light.

The bies shielded me with his body, but the ringing in my ears wouldn’t subside.

‘Find her. Bring her to me. Unharmed,’ I ordered a striga.

A shrill scream rolled over the campsite, and a few moments later, the creature was back with a squirming girl over its shoulder.

‘Who are you?’ I asked. The girl looked young, maybe thirteen, but her expression held none of the naivety I’d expect to see.

‘I work for Amala. Tell it to let me go. I stayed here to warn you.’ She struggled until I gestured to the striga. The monster put her down and withdrew to join the others.

‘Amala?’ I couldn’t believe my former servant would send someone to warn me. The last time I saw her, she’d wished me dead. ‘What did she tell you to do?’

‘To wait for you. We have people on every road. In case you turned up. She said we needed to believe. That you won’t let Tangra take us.’ She looked around the camp. ‘They left for Tivalaran this morning, but you can be faster. Your creatures will follow you everywhere, yes?’

I came closer and pinched the girl’s chin, tilting her head up. ‘I have no time to play games. My friends will go where I go, but if you betray me, you’ll be their evening meal. Do you understand?’

‘Yes, my lady. I’m no liar. Amala said the Songstress will return. She’ll come to bring vengeance, and if we help, then she’ll, I mean you’ll, sing for us, for our dead… we lost so many.’ Tears pooled in her eyes, and when they spilled down her cheeks, I wiped them away with the pads of my thumbs.

‘Show me the way, child, and stop talking nonsense.’ I gestured for the bies to lower himself, then placed the girl on his back and mounted behind her.

‘Take the path to the left. It will take you to the salt marsh near Tivala’s castle. It’s dangerous to go through, but I know the way. My father, he smuggled stuff. Taught me all he knew.’ She pointed to a barely visible road in the forest at the edge of the camp.

‘He was a Mule?’ I searched the girl’s temple for the Brotherhood markings.

‘No, my lady, but he did stuff for them sometimes.’

We rode for a couple of hours, and I thanked the gods for the creatures’ night vision as any horse would have broken its legs on the uneven path. We were close. I could feel it. Cinared’s presence in my soul strengthened with each passing step. The vague sense of his thoughts grew bolder until I could decipher his feelings. Worry and dread morphed into surprise and elation as a roar exploded in my mind.

Sanika! The sky ahead erupted with fire. My heart, you’re safe!

I am, and I came with help. What’s going on? Tell me, I demanded, not allowing myself to enjoy the moment. Not when the sound of clashing swords and the screams of the dying rolled over the stagnant water of the salt marsh.