Ignis (Book 2, Pure Series) (69 page)

           
Timofei started toward me then, and I scrambled back quickly, stumbling hard against the wall of the drop.

           
William jumped back onto the ledge and lunged for Timofei, the two of them falling heavily onto the solid surface of the ledge.
 
They struggled briefly, and Timofei came out the winner.
 
He lifted William up off the ground and wrapped him in a grotesque embrace.
 
He seemed to be trying to break William's ribs.

           
William let out a terrible cry of pain.

           
I looked around desperately and spotted a big, heavy, broken tree branch.
 
I caught it up and began to pound on Timofei's broad back.

           
Timofei dropped William and turned toward me, wrenching the tree branch out of my hands.
 
He caught me by the neck once again, and then lifted me up.

           
He threw me, and I felt myself soaring first, and then falling through the air into the deep valley below.

           
I knew I would never survive the fall.

           
There was a terrible crash.

           
Then everything went black.

Chapter 25.

I was aware of light on my face first.
 
Then I could feel warmth.
 
I moved my arms and legs experimentally, and they seemed to be working.

           
I wondered—why wouldn't they be working?
 
Why had I thought of that?

           
My mind was cloudy.

           
I opened my eyes.

           
I was lying in a bed in an all-white room.
 
Sunlight streamed in through a window nearby.

           
GM was sitting by my bedside.
 
When she saw that my eyes were open she started forward.

           
"I am here, Solnyshko.
 
I am here.
 
You are safe now.
 
I am taking care of everything."

           
"Where am I?" I asked.

           
"You're in the hospital," GM said, taking my hand.
 
Her grasp was reassuringly warm.

           
"Are we still in Krov?" I asked.

           
"We are still in Krov."

           
I frowned.
 
I felt the stirrings of memory.
 
I remembered moving through the air in the dark—

           
"How did I—"

           
I stopped when Maksim Mstislav walked into the room.
 
I felt a flash of panic, and I sat up in bed.
 
I remembered that I had reason to be suspicious of him—but then I had decided to trust him—hadn't I?

           
Maksim smiled when he saw me.
 
"How's our girl?
 
It's good to see you awake at last."

           
"I'm not entirely sure what happened," I said.
 
"But I think I'm okay."

           
Maksim came to stand beside GM, and I found that I was pleased to see him, despite my misgivings.

           
"Your doctor told us you would be fine," Maksim said.
 
"But it's a relief to see it's true."

           
GM smiled first up at him, and then at me.
 
Seeing the two of them together, looking at me with concern and relief in their eyes, I felt for a moment like I actually had a mother and a father.
 
It was a good feeling.

           
"We should call the doctor back now," GM said.
 
"He'll want to see her.
 
I'm sure there are some tests he would like to run."

           
"Maybe we should wait a little while, Anna," Maksim replied.
 
"Let's give Katie some time to enjoy being fully conscious again."

           
"Fully conscious?" I said.
 
"How long have I been out?"

           
"Do not be distressed," GM said quickly.
 
"You were brought unconscious to the hospital about twelve hours ago.
 
But the doctor says you just received a small bump on the head—he was quite sure that you would be all right."

           
GM frowned.
 
"All the same, you do appear to have quite a few bad scrapes and bruises.
 
What a terrible time you must have had."

           
I put a hand up to my forehead and shifted into a more comfortable position in the bed.
 
I really did feel fine, though a fog still sat over my memories.
 
I realized that I hadn't expected to be okay—why hadn't I expected that?

           
"You said I was out for twelve hours?" I asked.
 
"So it's Christmas Eve?"

           
"Yes, it's late afternoon on your American Christmas Eve," Maksim said in a gently teasing tone.
 
"Though, as I told you, the real Russian celebration isn't until New Year's."

           
GM touched a pendant around her neck, and I realized she was wearing the necklace I had bought her along with her usual cross.

           
"I hope you don't mind, Solnyshko.
 
I opened your present to me early.
 
I was worried—even though they told us everything would be all right—I had feared—"

           
She broke off and wrapped her fingers around both the cross and the primitive female figure.

           
"I just wanted to open your gift as soon as possible," GM said.
 
"I thought that opening it might somehow bring luck for both of us."

           
"Luck?" I said with a little smile.
 
"That doesn't sound like you."

           
"When there is nothing you can do, but you wish you could influence events—"
 
GM shrugged.
 
"Sometimes you cannot help but look to luck."

           
I was really happy to see GM wearing the charm—I hoped it would do more than give her luck.
 
I hoped it would protect her.

           
"Do you like it?" I asked.

           
"I love it, Solnyshko."
 
GM clutched her necklaces tighter and shook her head.
 
"I am sorry—I am so sorry that I lost track of you last night at the Firebird Festival.
 
Otherwise, I'm sure you would not have fallen."

           
Fallen—I
had
fallen—because I had been thrown.
 
I had been in the forest—Timofei and the hybrids had attacked—

           
The fog over my memories suddenly shifted, and I saw in part.
 
A few images from the night came back to me hazily.

           
"What happened at the keep?" I asked.
 
"What happened with the hybrids?"

           
GM blinked at me in surprise.
 
"I don't know what you mean by 'hybrids,' but how did you know about the keep?"

           
"Do you mean the keep in the Pure Woods?" Maksim asked me.

           
"Yes," I said.
 
"That's exactly the one I mean."

           
"Perhaps Katie overhead some of the doctors and nurses talking," Maksim said, turning to GM.
 
"Maybe she processed the news subconsciously."

           
"In that case," GM replied firmly, "Katie does not need to know anything about it.
 
It will only upset her."

           
"Keeping Katie in the dark could upset her too," Maksim said gently.
 
"Her imagination could run riot.
 
Sometimes it is best to face upsetting facts."

           
GM sighed.
 
"Very well.
 
I suppose the news is all over town anyway."

           
GM turned to me.
 
"Some of the bodies that were stolen from their graves were found this morning.
 
They were found at the old castle keep in the Pure Woods.
 
All of the bodies had been decapitated and mutilated.
 
One of the bodies that was found was that of Timofei Mstislav."

           
Panic ran through me—the hybrids had been found—as had Timofei Mstislav.
 
And their bodies had not been burned to ash.
 
Did that mean that they were they still alive?
 
The whole terrible night in the woods suddenly came flooding back to me.

           
And what about—

           
"William," I said frantically.
 
"Where is William?
 
Is he okay?"

           
GM sighed again.
 
"Always back to the boy.
 
Just when I think we've seen the last of him."

           
"Oh, Anna," Maksim said.
 
"How can you be so hard-hearted?
 
William did bring Katie to the hospital.
 
I think we can be grateful to him for that."

           
"William brought me here?" I said.
 
"So he's okay?"

           
Maksim smiled.
 
"Yes, of course, William is okay.
 
You're the one who fell—not William."

           
"Where is he?" I asked, sitting up straighter.
 
"Is he here?"

           
"I imagine he's in the lobby," Maksim replied.

           
"In the lobby?" GM said sharply.
 
"I told him to leave."

           
"I doubt he listened, Anna."

           
"I have to see him," I said.
 
I threw off my covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

           
Maksim held up a restraining hand.
 
"There is no need for you to get up.
 
I will go and fetch him."

           
He turned and bowed to GM.
 
"With your permission, of course, Anna."

           
GM waved a hand.
 
"Yes, yes.
 
Go ahead.
 
If he is indeed still here, you may bring the boy in.
 
I can see that Katie will not be at peace until she sees him."

           
Maksim bowed again and left the room.

           
I sank back gratefully against my pillows—my sudden exertion had left me feeling dizzy.

           
Part of that dizziness was physical weakness, but part of it was born of sheer relief.
 
I now knew that William was all right—somehow he had survived our encounter with Timofei Mstislav.
 
I wiped at my eyes—I realized that they were brimming with tears.

           
I looked toward GM.
 
I was glad to have a moment alone with her—I wanted to find out exactly what had happened.
 
It seemed as if what I'd done last night had actually helped to spare everyone at the Firebird Festival.

           
And somehow I had survived the whole thing too.

           
"So, what happened last night?" I asked.
 
"Did anything unusual happen at the festival?"

           
"Apart from your nearly scaring the life out of me?" GM asked.
 
"Why is it that every time we come to Russia you end up in the hospital?
 
I hope this is a habit that we can break."

           
"Tell me everything you remember," I said.
 
"I want to know exactly what happened."

           
GM sat down in the chair by my bed.

           
"I suppose your memory might be a little fuzzy," she said.
 
"That would certainly be understandable.
 
Well, there isn't actually a lot to tell you.
 
Last night Maksim and I had been talking, and I suppose the two of us got separated from you in the crowd.
 
We heard the firecrackers go off, and then the main procession with the Firebird statue and the dancers came through.
 
And then—"