"And yet here she stands," Innokenti said mildly.
"How do you know all of this?" William demanded. "How much do you know about the Sdh and what they want?"
"I have had no communication with the Sdh directly," Innokenti said. "I am not working with them against you, if that is what concerns you. But I am the first minister of this community, and as such, it falls to me to watch, to observe-to discern patterns and antic.i.p.ate developments. And there have been whispers out in the Pure Woods. I hear a little here and there, and I extrapolate. I knew of your relationship with Katie, and I knew the Sdh would work to separate you from the girl. The Sdh will not allow their Little Sun to fall in love with a vampire."
"And what does this have to do with the hybrids?" William asked. "Are the Sdh behind that, too?"
"No, the Sdh are not behind the hybrids," Innokenti said. "In fact, the hybrids are a threat to them as well as to us. The problem the Sdh have with you is connected to a larger issue."
Innokenti"s tone became discouraging. "It"s all very complex. You are out of your depth here, William."
"Explain it to me," William said. "I think I can handle it."
"William-"
"Answer him," the king commanded.
Innokenti bowed his head. "As you wish, your majesty."
Innokenti began, and I had an uneasy feeling that I knew where his story was headed.
"Long ago, when the world was young," Innokenti said, "a young man who lived in Russia crossed the Black Sea, looking for great power. He found it, but it changed him fundamentally, and a great darkness was born in his heart-the young man had become a vampire. He sailed back across the Black Sea and returned to Russia. He converted his entire family, and then he and his family converted others. He became the father of all vampires in Russia. That young man is known as the Werdulac."
I felt a chill spread through my body. Suddenly, I didn"t want to know what was going on. I didn"t want to know that Odette had been right. I didn"t want to be stalked by ancient vampires, or the Sdh, or anyone else.
The desire to run was strong in me. But I stayed where I was.
And I listened.
Innokenti went on. "The Werdulac became the ruler of his own kingdom of the night, and for a time it was sufficient. But then the great l.u.s.t for power that had led him to cross the sea seized his heart once again. He wanted to conquer the world of the light also. He looked then to the Sdh, who at the time still walked the earth. The Sdh were-are-ancient spirits of great beauty-some even believed them to be G.o.ds. They existed both in this world and the next, and had physical bodies in this world. The Werdulac knew that made them vulnerable."
Innokenti"s eyes flicked to me. "After all, anything with a body can die."
Innokenti watched me for a moment. If he was disappointed in my reaction, he didn"t show it. Instead he simply continued.
"The Sdh were immortal, unless they suffered an injury great enough to cause the death of the body. They could not be touched by age or disease, but a sword through the heart or through the throat would end their earthly existence. The Werdulac raised an army of vampires to attack the Sdh-he knew the Sdh were already threatened by the rising tide of upstart humans, and he wanted to strike at them while he believed them to be vulnerable. The Werdulac recruited vampires from all over the earth. The host he mustered was terrible."
William released his grip on my hand and slipped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into an embrace. I leaned against him gratefully. I knew that the end of Innokenti"s story had to lead back to us-to William and to me. And I knew that once we knew, there would be no going back. We would be a part of this ancient conflict whether we wanted to be or not.
We were going to be trapped.
"The Werdulac and his vampire army marched on the Sdh, but the Werdulac had overestimated his own strength. After much bloodshed on both sides, the vampires were defeated decisively-entirely crushed. The Werdulac himself was beheaded and burned to ash, and the ashes were then entombed in ice-buried so deep, the Sdh said, that he would never be found again.
"The Sdh did allow some of the vampires to live and forced them swear fealty to the Sdh. That"s why vampires dislike mirrors so much-the Sdh defeated us once, and we don"t want to glimpse our enemies. That"s also why the Little Sun has no particular supernatural power over vampires-because the local ones, at least, have already ceded it to her. Though they do not like to discuss it, the vampires of Krov are honor-bound not to harm the Little Sun."
William made a derisive sound, and Innokenti glanced at him sharply.
"You think vampires have no honor?" Innokenti asked. "You may discover someday that you are wrong."
After a long look at William, Innokenti went on. "Though the Sdh were victorious, they had suffered losses and were weary. The humans saw their chance and attacked. A tribe known as the Milesians launched an a.s.sault on the Sdh. The Sdh, were surprised by their strength-and pushed to a degree that frightened even them. Rather than prolong the fighting, the Sdh agreed to a treaty-they would divide the world in half with the Milesians. But the Sdh underestimated the craftiness of the humans, for when the Milesians chose their half of the world-they chose the upper half. The Sdh were bound by the force of their own word to take the lower half. They were forced to retreat underground. The Sdh vanished from the face of the earth.
"In addition, the treaty established the authority of the Little Sun. There are, in fact, a number of Little Suns in the world. Each region has one. As you well know, the Little Sun wields the clear fire to control evil spirits. The Sdh were forced to send one of their number every so many generations to protect the humans in each region of the world from the dark spirits and creatures that threaten them. Creatures that humans cannot handle, but the Sdh can."
Innokenti"s eyes flicked to me again, and once more he continued without comment.
"And so the Sdh remain in their hills underground to this day, harboring great hatred for the vampires. They were defeated by the human Milesians, yes, but they believe that they would have defeated the humans easily, if it hadn"t been for the vampires. The Sdh view the humans with some indulgence-sort of like precocious children, but they resent the vampires bitterly."
"So it"s over then," William said.
Innokenti spread out his hands resignedly. "That should have been an end to it-the Werdulac consigned to his icy tomb, the Sdh trapped under their hills, and the humans masters of the surface. But over the long centuries, the Werdulac, through sheer force of will, began to knit his body back together, to reconst.i.tute himself. The Werdulac cannot yet leave his prison, but he exerts his will over vampires and humans alike."
William hugged me closer. "What does the Werdulac want?"
"He wants revenge. He wants war with the Sdh."
"That"s impossible," William said. "He can"t get to the Sdh-you said yourself they were banished."
"Unfortunately, it"s entirely possible. The Werdulac grows stronger every day, and more people and more creatures fall under his influence. He is, as you know, creating an army of vampire-kost hybrids. They have the strengths of both and few of the weaknesses. And they have one further advantage-the kost cannot enter Zamochit Village-they cannot pa.s.s the supernatural barrier. But the hybrid with its vampire blood can pa.s.s the barrier. Eventually, they will grow to sufficient numbers and they will attack us here."
Innokenti glanced at me then. "Little one, you should tell your grandmother to be wary of her old friends. Some of them may have allegiances she knows nothing about."
Fear seized me as he said the words. "Do you mean Maksim Neverov?"
Innokenti smiled.
"That doesn"t answer my question," William interjected sharply. "They can attack us if they want-and we are already working to be ready for them. How does the Werdulac propose to get to the Sdh?"
Innokenti nodded his head in my direction. "Through her. The Sdh are not dead, as you well know. But they are shackled, restrained. But they are still bound to honor their treaty-they must send one of their number to create the Little Sun. And if the Little Sun is killed by their ancient enemy, the vampire-they can be unleashed in full force to combat the vampire. That"s why there is a price on young Katie"s head. That"s why the vampires have been after her. The Werdulac wants her killed-and he wants her killed by a vampire."
Innokenti suddenly moved with blinding speed to stand directly in front of William.
"William, when I came to you and Katie in your charming New World town," he said angrily. "I told you there were two groups that were after her. One group, the Sdh, wants to protect her from all vampires, including you-they will never allow the two of you to be together."
Innokenti leaned close. "And the other group-the Werdulac and his followers-they want to end her life."
Chapter 22.
Innokenti stopped abruptly, as if he had said more than he had intended to say.
A tiny sound that might have been a breathy laugh drew my attention to the king and queen. The queen was sitting forward on her throne, her eyes bright, her full red lips curved into a voluptuous smile. The king, though less open in his reaction, was also riveted. They were both enjoying Innokenti"s anger-and William"s.
"This is what you didn"t think I needed to know," William said furiously, "that the Werdulac intends to kill Katie?"
"No, William, you do not need to know," Innokenti replied angrily. "The Werdulac does not intend to kill Katie right away-he only intends to capture her and hold her. He will not kill her until he is fully whole and free again. And Katie is not the main issue here-she is just one human girl. The main issue is the Werdulac himself. The main issue is the fact that he grows stronger every hour and will eventually break free of his icy prison. The main issue is that he will start a war between the Sdh and the vampires. The main issue is that this community is in danger."
"So that"s what you"re worried about," William said. "You"re worried that the Sdh will attack Zamochit Village."
"No, William. You"re not paying attention. I said that one of the advantages of the hybrids is that the hybrids can get past the barrier. The Werdulac intends to attack us-not the Sdh."
"Why would the Werdulac attack vampires?" William asked.
"Because he knows that we protect the people of Krov. He knows that we are honor-bound not to oppose the Sdh-that was the price the vampires paid for their survival. He knows that we will fight with the Sdh-not against them."
"You will fight against the Werdulac?"
"Yes, William. We will."
"How could the Werdulac know what you will or won"t do?"
"His life force is powerful-he has survived the destruction of his body. He is even now breaking the bonds of his imprisonment. And the Werdulac has unprecedented abilities-powers that are awe-inspiring even by the standards of vampires. It is said that his senses alone would make him a wonder-he can see what is invisible even to eyes as keen as ours, and he can hear what is being said over thousands of miles. And, of course, he has spies everywhere. The Werdulac knows what the vampires of Krov have become, and by all reports, he is not pleased."
"So what do we do against such a powerful enemy?" William said.
"You, William, will go back to your work. You will build us new and better weapons. The leaders of Krov-his majesty, the king, her majesty, the queen, and to a lesser extent, their humble servant Innokenti," Innokenti paused to bow, "will take care of the important decisions. We need you to work. We do not need you to meddle in our affairs."
Perhaps Innokenti did not want interference from William or from me, but I suddenly remembered that I had information I needed to give him.
"I have a message for you," I said. "From a vampire named Odette. She said that the hybrid army will attack the human village at the Firebird Festival."
Once again, everyone in the room seemed to be surprised that I had spoken.
Innokenti broke into a smile that displayed his gleaming teeth. "Ah, yes, Odette. The most winsome and charming of double agents."
Something in Innokenti"s tone rankled. "What do you mean?" I asked sharply.
Innokenti spread out his hands. "Odette appears to be friendly with all sides lately. She has been here with us in Zamochit Village, and she has also been seen in the company of vampires who are known servants of the Werdulac. It is true that Odette has given us information that has been useful, but I do have to wonder-has Odette also given information to the Werdulac"s camp that has been useful to them? You, of all people, little one, should have cause to be suspicious of Odette"s motives. As I recall, she is the one who turned you over to Gleb and Timofei Mstislav. Surely, she must have known that taking you to them could not be good for your health. Her presence in Krov was even an argument that William here advanced against your return."
What Innokenti said was true, but I was still oddly offended. "Odette did turn me over to the Mstislavs. But she later changed her mind and helped me escape."
Innokenti raised an eyebrow. "She changed her mind, did she? That was gracious of her."
"Odette is my cousin," I said angrily.
"Tragically, being betrayed by one"s own flesh and blood is not so uncommon."
"But Odette helped me again last night when I was in the Pure Woods," I said. "I was in a trance-I thought I"d seen the Werdulac. And then I thought I was falling. I was actually running right into some kind of ritual. I saw Timofei Mstislav-he was being revived. They turned him into a hybrid. Odette stopped me before I ran into the middle of the whole thing."
William looked at me, stunned. "Did you say Timofei Mstislav?"
"Yes."
"He"s been reborn as a hybrid?"
"Yes, I saw him wake up myself. And he saw me."
William turned on Innokenti. "Did you know about this?"
"Yes, William, I did. I knew the Werdulac"s people had stolen his body. I knew that they had been successful in reviving him. From what I understand, after an initial, brief period of obedience, he has proved to be rather rebellious. Apparently he imagines himself as the leader, and he tried to kill several of his fellows. They now have him on a tight leash. As far as Odette saving anyone-"
Innokenti"s eyes flicked to me. "Well, her presence was convenient, was it not? She simply happened to be lurking near the ritual and intervened just in time to save you, to earn your trust and-"
I interrupted. "Odette said she"d been watching me since I arrived. That"s how she happened to be there."
"No doubt she claimed she was worried about you," Innokenti said. "But I would counsel you, little one, to consider your cousin"s past behavior when you"re evaluating her motives. Isn"t it possible that Odette is watching you so that she can report back to someone else?"
I wanted to protest, but I had to admit to myself that I couldn"t be sure Innokenti was wrong.
William, however, was not concerned with Odette at the moment.
"So Timofei Mstislav is something else you didn"t think I needed to know about?" he asked Innokenti angrily.
Innokenti gave an elegant shrug. "There was no point in telling you. We aren"t entirely sure we can kill the hybrids yet. Letting you know about him would only make you anxious and distract you from your work."
"Why has Timofei Mstislav been revived?" I asked, though I had a terrible feeling that I already knew the answer. "Has he been brought back because of me?"
"I believe the reasons he was chosen are twofold," Innokenti replied. "The first is practical. It is easier to raise a kost when you have a body that is in good condition. Since Timofei"s death was relatively recent, he was a good candidate for resurrection. Bodies that are in an advanced state of decomposition are harder to raise. However, I know that the Werdulac"s camp is working on raising older and older bodies. If they can marry a kost spirit to a desiccated corpse, then the infusion of vampire blood on top of that will repair the body and give it new strength. Vampires, as you may know, have marvelous abilities to heal their own bodies. The Werdulac"s force is a small one right now. Once the Werdulac"s people can raise old bodies, they will have an army ready to go."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Did you never wonder about the Wasteland?" Innokenti asked. There was an odd gleam in his eye.
"I heard it was the site of a human village centuries ago," I said. "And now this castle and the rest of Zamochit stand on its surface."
"Yes, but what happened to the people of that original village?" Innokenti asked. "More specifically, what happened to their bodies? I know you have seen the tunnels that run under the Wasteland. Do you know what"s in them?"
I suddenly felt cold. "Are you saying that the bodies of those villagers are in the tunnels?"
Innokenti smiled. "Exactly so. The tunnels were built for other reasons, but after the village was destroyed, they became vast catacombs. There are thousands of mummified bodies below us, just waiting to become the Werdulac"s army."
"Stop it." William started forward. "Stop trying to scare her. You"re trying to distract us from the real question-was Timofei Mstislav raised from the dead so he can hunt Katie?"
"William, I can a.s.sure you that the development of the hybrid army is not something I bring up to "distract" you. The danger is very real. And I believe that I said there were two reasons why Timofei Mstislav was revived-I was getting to the second one. In addition to Timofei"s relative "freshness," he was also revived because he will seek Katie out. He will be an excellent tracker."
A sense of dread settled over me. I had confirmation of what I had feared-Timofei had indeed been brought back to hunt me down. The nightmare I had lived through back in October was about to begin again.
Through the haze of horror that enveloped me, there came another fear.
"What about the people of Krov?" I asked. "Is Odette right that the Firebird Festival will be attacked?"
"Yes," Innokenti said. "However, we already knew about that, so her information isn"t actually very helpful."
"Why?" I asked, feeling panic rising within me. "Why are they doing it? If the Werdulac"s force is still small, as you say, why is the army going to attack the Firebird Festival?"