Chapter 4
The village and the church steeple from the mirror's vision lay ahead, but their group kept to the edge of Keramzin. Tamar pulled out the mirror and Zoya the crystal, and they put them together again. Again, the objects glowed and the mirror's surface showed them the small, secluded hut, but this time the aura gathered at the tip of the crystal and wafted slightly off to the side, like a compass needle. They exchanged piqued looks before turning to head that direction.
The crystal steered them into the surrounding woodland, and after a several-minute walk, they came upon the hut from the vision. And there was the girl from it as well, outside gardening.
"Hello," Tolya called out in greeting.
She stood slowly, posture guarded as she eyed the twins' weapons.
Tolya held up his hands non-threateningly. "Sorry, we didn't mean to startle you. This might sound strange, but we're looking for the Sun Summoner and were led here. Do you know anything about it?"
The young woman's back visibly stiffened and her gaze turned shifty. "No."
"Alina?" another voice called as a young man emerged from the hut. He also tensed at the visitors. "Who are you?"
Zoya stepped forward. "My name's Zoya. This is Tolya and Tamar, and this is Nikolai."
The peasants arched confused brows when she gestured to the fox.
"Nikolai and I are under a curse," she explained. "One that can only be broken by an eclipse summoned by magic. We've retrieved the first two enchanted objects and now need the Sun Summoner. The first two led us here."
She held up the crystal, and Tamar brought the mirror up to it again. The two lit up with the radiant aura, and the crystal's tip pointed directly ahead, but the mirror didn't reveal the third object.
The young man shifted protectively toward the girl. "We don't know anything about magic," he said curtly.
Tamar couldn't blame them for the reception; magic wasn't exactly looked upon charitably.
"Please," Zoya pressed. "Can we just look around? The objects led us here, and we've come too far to give up now."
"No," the boy said. "Leave."
The girl put a hand on his arm. "It's fine, go ahead," she said, ignoring her friend's sharp look.
Tamar and Zoya walked around the perimeter of the hut with the crystal and mirror, trying to get the objects to reveal the third. But no vision appeared in the glass, and the crystal's compass just kept veering them back to the center.
Tamar cast repeated glances at the girl and boy, who were locked in an exchange of tense, hushed whispers. They were hiding something. But without the crystal and mirror showing them exactly what they were looking for, they had nothing concrete to go on.
Zoya went back over to Nikolai and knelt down next to him. "I had actually gotten my hopes up," she said defeatedly. The fox pressed his head into her hand.
Tolya placed a hand on her shoulder. "We won't give up," he vowed. "Even if we have to wait for a naturally occurring eclipse. We can find records from astronomers; I've heard there are predictions based on past cycles."
Zoya nodded and took a steadying breath.
"What kind of curse?" the girl, Alina, spoke up curiously.
"Nikolai's brother is jealous of their love," Tamar answered. "And so to keep them apart, Nikolai spends the day as a fox, and Zoya becomes a tiger at night."
Alina's brows rose dubiously. She flicked a hesitant look at her friend, then back at Zoya and Nikolai. "Why don't you come inside. We don't have much, but if you're hungry, we have food to share. I'm Alina, and this is Mal."
Mal was glowering at her unhappily.
"Thank you, that's very kind," Tolya replied. "We've been traveling nonstop for a long time."
Alina gestured for them to follow her into the hut. It was small and there wasn't much room, and Tamar and Tolya ended up having to sit shoulder-to-shoulder on a small bench. Zoya sat on the floor with Nikolai. Alina brought over a basket of harvest from their garden, while Mal remained in the doorway, arms crossed and looking surly.
Tamar took an apple and flexed her fingers around it, imagining the familiar grip of her battle axes. These two weren't telling them everything, but as much as they needed the Sun Summoner, Tamar knew they couldn't allow themselves to become villains in order to obtain it.
"Why don't you live in the village?" Tamar asked.
Alina glanced at Mal. "The only prospects for orphans is the military, and we…don't want to be conscripted."
Tamar furrowed her brows at that; service was an honor where she and Tolya were from, but she checked herself before passing judgment. Ravka was a historically war-torn country—and thus full of orphans with no choice but to continue the cycle.
In that sense, these two were nothing special. So why did the crystal and mirror indicate that the Sun Summoner was here? Could it be buried in the vicinity like the first had been in the Shadow Forest? Tamar could just imagine making that request: "Please may we dig up your garden and under your home."
But they couldn't just give up and leave yet either. Tamar wasn't ready to, at least. So what could they do?
"The sun is setting," Zoya announced and stood up to go outside. Nikolai followed, and both of them went to find cover on opposite sides of the hut.
Tolya carried out Nikolai's clothes for him and then came back. Mal continued to cast them suspicious looks, while Alina seemed curious. A moment later, the white tiger emerged and gave its thick coat a vigorous shake.
"Saints," Alina breathed.
Nikolai appeared after that, having dressed. "Hi," he said with his usual charm. "I'm Nikolai."
"Hi," Alina echoed, still looking stunned.
Mal, however, suddenly looked more hostile than previously. "I recognize you. You're a Lantsov."
Alina blanched in fear.
"Nikolai Lantsov, yes," he replied with a sigh. "But you have nothing to fear from me. I'm not in charge of military conscripts."
The attempt at dry humor fell flat.
"Your brother cursed you," Mal went on. "Meaning Prince Vasily, current regent of Ravka."
Nikolai gave a slow nod. "Yes."
"You need to leave, now."
"Mal," Alina interjected.
He whirled toward her and hissed, "The only one capable of curses who works for the Crown is the Darkling. If they lead him here…"
"So you do know about the Sun Summoner," Tamar accused. "Why else would you be worried?"
Mal shot her a dark look. "Everyone knows to fear the Darkling."
"Please," Nikolai put in. "Tell us what you know. The sooner we find the Sun Summoner, the sooner we'll leave and the Darkling won't come here."
"It's not that simple," Alina hedged.
"We don't have a Sun Summoner to give you," Mal snapped.
Tamar clenched her fists, fighting the urge to resort to other tactics.
Nikolai, more of a diplomat, raised his hands as though backing off. "I'm sorry for bringing this to your door. You're right; my brother is hunting us—and the Darkling is with him. Kirigan wants the three enchanted objects. I don't know for what. We only want to break the curse so we can leave Ravka and be free."
"Then leave," Mal said.
Alina put a hand on his chest. "Mal." She turned to Nikolai. "I don't know if we can help you, but…give me the night to think on it. There might be something… But you need daylight, anyway, right?"
"We think so," Nikolai replied. "Though in truth we don't know for certain."
Alina nodded. "We don't have much room, but you can stay here. Erm," she glanced past Nikolai at the large tiger.
"Thank you," Nikolai said. "Zoya's used to sleeping outside. She'll be fine."
The tiger chuffed in agreement.
Tamar shared a look with her brother. What were Alina and Mal holding back, and why?
Tolya reached out to give her a comforting pat on the shoulder; he no doubt knew how difficult it was for her to hold her patience and not more forcefully demand what they sought. But they weren't being sent away yet, so perhaps there was still hope for progress tomorrow…
Mal pulled Alina away from their guests and into the woods.
"This is dangerous," he hissed.
"They're not here out of malice," she insisted.
"That doesn't matter if they bring the Darkling here."
Alina pursed her mouth. "Maybe I can find a way to help them…"
Mal grabbed her arms. "It's not worth the risk."
"What if that was us?" she challenged, reaching up to clasp his arms in return. "To be trapped like that, never able to be with each other… I want to try to help them."
"How?" he pressed.
"I don't know, I'll figure something out." She squeezed his arms. "Don't worry so much."
Mal still looked disgruntled as they returned to the hut. The white tiger's gaze followed them to the door, and it was unnerving having such a large predator on their doorstep.
Their three house guests cast them a mix of piercing looks and small smiles, but no one said anything as they bedded down for the night. Alina didn't sleep for a long while, too busy running the situation over and over in her mind, debating what to do. She heard the floor creak and lifted her head to see Nikolai slip outside to sit beside Zoya. By the light of a single candle, he busied himself with a piece of charcoal and sketchbook. Alina was curious but didn't risk waking Mal to get up and go see what he was doing. Besides, the moment felt private, probably one of the few ones he and Zoya were able to get.
The next morning, Zoya was back and Nikolai was gone, the fox the one sitting on their doorstep now. Alina couldn't imagine being forced to live like this for the rest of their lives. So she dug out a locket from her few possessions. It was empty—she never knew her parents and therefore it was just a trinket of an orphan child pretending she had someone treasured inside. But it was the only "old" thing she had that she could attempt to pass off as the third enchanted object.
Mal was giving her a very displeased look. "Don't do this."
"I have to."
He shook his head in frustration and grabbed his hunting bow off the wall, then stormed out.
Alina followed, wanting to call him back but not wanting to draw attention to their disagreement. So she let him go and brought the locket over to the group to present to them.
"That's the Sun Summoner?" Tamar said dubiously.
"I mean, I don't know for certain," Alina hedged. "It's something I found one day, and it kind of…glowed like the sun a few times. I don't know. It's worth a try though, isn't it?"
The fox gave a yip of agreement, and Zoya and Tamar brought out the crystal and mirror and placed them together.
Alina took a breath as she brought the locket forward to touch them. It was delicate, trying to summon sunlight while making it look like the mundane object was the thing with magic, not her. But she managed. However, though the three objects glowed in unison, nothing else happened. They all craned their heads back to look at the sky, but there was no eclipse.
Alina drew back. "I'm sorry."
Zoya dropped her gaze to Nikolai, the heartache palpable.
"Thank you for trying anyway," Tolya spoke. "May we take the locket? Perhaps we can find another way to make them work."
Alina's lips thinned; she felt bad for deceiving them but handed it over. What else could she say? It wasn't like she knew much about her power. The moment she'd discovered it as a child, she'd had to hide it for fear people would turn on her for having magic. Only Mal knew, and he was just as devoted to keeping her secret safe—keeping her safe. Maybe she could practice summoning…but what would she tell them to make them stay? And if she still failed, how much more cruel would it be to get their hopes up?
"Yes, thank you," Zoya added mournfully.
"Stay a bit longer," Alina blurted. "Maybe it depends on the position of the sun? We could try again."
Zoya shook her head. "We won't endanger you by staying. Vasily won't stop until he's found me, and the Darkling will be with him. We should go. Thank you for your hospitality."
Alina fidgeted, not knowing what to do.
An arrow suddenly came zinging out of nowhere and struck the fox in the chest, bringing him down with a pained yelp.
"Nikolai!" Zoya screamed.
For a split second, Alina's stunned mind thought Mal had just done that…but then soldiers were charging into the area. Tamar and Tolya drew their weapons and met them head-on, but living shadows burst forth, turning into towering monsters that rose up and knocked the twin warriors to the ground.
Alina stared in horror at the man wreathed in darkness who strode into view. The Darkling. Everyone in Ravka knew of him, even peasant orphans in the rural countryside. Beside him was another man not dressed as a soldier, though he was holding a crossbow. And he was grinning gleefully at the fox lying on the ground.
"I take it you've found the Sun Summoner," the Darkling said. "Hand it over."
Alina's blood ran cold; Mal was right, this had put her in grave danger.
None of the trio responded. The Darkling's eyes narrowed, and he sent shadows plunging into Tolya's and Tamar's mouths and down their throats. They doubled over choking on the noxious brume.
"Stop it!" Zoya yelled from where she knelt on the ground next to Nikolai.
The Darkling withdrew his shadows. "The Sun Summoner," he repeated. "And the crystal and mirror."
Before any of them could surrender or resist, the other man with the crossbow strode over to Zoya and grabbed her arm, attempting to pull her away from Nikolai. She slapped at him furiously, which earned her a backhand that sent her to the ground.
"I should have killed my brother from the start," the man snarled and dropped to one knee next to the fox. He grabbed the arrow sticking out of the poor animal's chest and twisted it. Nikolai squealed in agony.
"No!" Zoya scrambled upright, but remaining soldiers seized her and held her fast.
The prince's eyes were mad with delight as he prepared to twist the arrow further.
"Stop!" Alina blurted. Sunlight spilled from her fingertips on impulse, but she rode the wave of power and pushed the energy at the Prince Regent. It slammed into Vasily and flung him away from the fox.
Now it was the Darkling's eyes that gleamed with hunger. "So it's you."
"Leave them alone," she demanded with false bravery.
"They are of no concern to me if they simply hand over the crystal and mirror."
Alina was keenly aware of the unspoken "and you."
"No," she declared and summoned more light.
The Darkling responded with shadows, and the two opposing forces met with a thunderous clash mid-air. Alina staggered backward from the intensity of it. She was no match for him, and they both knew it. Alina focused on summoning the largest, brightest ball of light she had ever mustered. It blazed in the small clearing, whiting out the edges.
"Run!" she yelled at the others before thrusting it outward into a blinding nova. She could just make out Tolya's fleeing bulk and turned to follow.
They barreled through the woods, the peripheral of Alina's vision still spotted with an aura. But the twins and Zoya had escaped, and Tamar had the wounded fox in her arms as they ran. Alina led them to a cave she was familiar with where they could hide, though she didn't know for how long. Her life was shattered now that her secret was out.
"You lied to us," Tamar accused, setting Nikolai down.
"I tried to help you!" Alina rejoined sharply.
"This isn't enchanted at all, is it?" the intimidating woman retorted, lifting the locket and throwing it to the ground.
Alina couldn't help but flinch, the pitiful locket holding so much empty promise in its vacant slots. "Look, the truth is I don't know how to summon an eclipse. I don't know how to do much of anything with this sun summoning."
"You were pretty capable back there," Tamar said.
"That was instinct. I've been in hiding ever since I found out what I could do. And for good reason in case you missed it!"
Tolya put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "We understand," he said far more kindly. "Thank you for helping us. We're sorry we led the Darkling to you. That wasn't our intention."
Alina's mouth pressed into a tight line. She knew that, but she was still angry they had.
"Nikolai," Zoya murmured, drawing their attention to the fox with the arrow embedded in his chest. His small body was heaving with labored breaths.
Tolya and Tamar quickly went to kneel around him. Tolya grabbed the base of the shaft to brace it, then pulled. But the top half snapped off, leaving the arrowhead embedded. The fox jerked and whimpered. Zoya caressed his head and kept whispering soothing nothings over him.
"We have to get the arrowhead out," Tamar said and drew a small knife.
Alina's stomach turned, and she nervously glanced outside the cave. They weren't exactly safe here, but they had nowhere else to go either.
Tolya shifted and placed his large hands over the fox to hold him still while Tamar leaned over and widened the entry wound. The high-pitched squeal and yelps tore at Alina's ears and heart. Tamar reached in with the knife blade and one finger, working to extract the arrowhead. Alina's gorge rose and she had to look away.
A few moments later, Tamar made a sound and, "Got it."
Alina looked back over as Tamar dropped the arrowhead in the dirt and then pressed her palm over the wound. Tolya released the fox and began hastily rifling through one of their packs. He pulled out some linen bandages, which they then carefully wrapped around the fox's body. He was still in bad shape, though.
"Is there anyone in the village with knowledge of medicine?" Zoya asked Alina.
"There's a midwife who people go to for minor things."
"The Darkling is too close," Tolya pointed out.
"Maybe I could lead them away," Tamar suggested.
"No," her brother instantly shot down. "We stick together."
"I have to go," Alina interrupted. "I have to find Mal." And then the two of them needed to run. She didn't know where. They had never left the village they grew up in, thinking isolation was safer. Now it wasn't.
"You should stay with us," Tolya responded.
"Don't you want the Darkling led away?" she snapped back. "It is me he's after. Or you just want your Sun Summoner to break the curse?"
"Both are reasons enough to stick together," Tamar said.
"I don't owe you anything," Alina found herself biting out.
"We're sorry," Zoya put in, her gaze dropping to Nikolai. "We never wanted to drag anyone into this."
Alina's shoulders sagged. She knew that, but it didn't change the outcome. "I have to find Mal." She turned to leave, only to pause and glance back. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you."
"Be careful," Zoya called in parting.
Alina slipped out into the woods, turning her back on the strangers that had destroyed her life.
Mal crouched on the ground, tying the legs of the brace of hares he'd caught. Hunting hadn't worked off all the frustration roiling inside him. After all the care they'd taken to keep Alina's secret safe, she was willing to risk it all now for a bunch of people they didn't even know.
He stood up, considering whether to go back to the hut yet or not. He was still angry, but he decided he shouldn't stay away too long, in case something happened. Alina might not be willing to stand up to their "guests," but he would if necessary. He would not let them threaten the home and life he'd built from scratch.
He was almost there when a pair of soldiers ambushed him out of nowhere, seizing his bow and catch and wrenching his arms behind his back. He struggled, kicking out at one in the shin and eliciting a pained cry. He got clubbed on the back for it, bringing him down to one knee. Rope was lashed around his wrists and tied tightly, cutting off circulation. Mal grunted as he was hauled to his feet again and dragged the rest of the way to the hut where he was thrust in front of two men dressed in fine clothing, one royal and the other all black. He looked around frantically for Alina but didn't see her.
"What is your name?" the man in black asked.
"Mal," he replied, adopting an appropriately nervous tone. "What's going on? Who are you?"
"Prince Vasily," the other said haughtily. "Do you live here?"
"N-no moi tsarevich. I was just hunting in the area." He nodded to the hares the solider was holding.
The prince pursed his mouth. "Hm, how good are you at tracking? There's a fox giving me trouble."
Mal feigned incredulity. "A fox? I don't know, moi tsarevich, I'm just a meager hunter."
"Enough," the man in black said. His very presence felt like a palpable storm cloud, and to Mal's growing horror, shadows began to rise from his fingertips. In the next instant, the Darkling was pushing that brume into Mal's eyes.
Mal's head snapped back from the force, and he writhed in the soldiers' vise-like grips as memories were forcibly replayed in his mind's eye. He didn't know what was happening, couldn't make it stop. Then the shadows whooshed out, and Mal doubled over with a choking gasp and spat up bile.
"The Sun Summoner cares about this boy," the Darkling remarked. "We'll use him to draw her out."
"And my brother," the prince added sharply. "He's the prize here, Kirigan. Remember who you work for."
The Darkling rolled his eyes. "Of course, moi tsarevich."
Vasily harrumphed. "So, how are we going to lure them into a trap anyway?"
The Darkling turned a malicious grin on Mal, and the shadows rose up around him again, blackening out the forest.