Rise of the Firebird (40 page)

“It feels…sacred,” Mychal said. “Can none of you feel it?” They all looked at him blankly.

“I know that it’s a lovely forest. It feels safe to me.” Anya looked around with a smile, “I thought it might have been some
Groenn Skaer
stigmata that makes me feel this way.”

“The firebird says there is a lot of magic in this place. It’s loved by something very powerful,” Yvan said, his eyes flickering gold and red before settling.

“Then let’s hope we don’t piss it off in our passing,” Eldon murmured, his eyes scanning the trees. “Let’s keep moving.”

They walked steadily for another hour. Anya went quiet again and no one dared bother her. Yvan turned every now and again to give her a small smile and check that she hadn’t fallen too far behind. He hadn’t asked her anything when they woke up that morning, buried deep in the pine bowers.

Anya had curled right into him and for the first time she heard two heartbeats. Yvan’s was a loud steady booming but underneath that sound, there was another more rapid thrumming of the firebird. Every time she thought she could understand about how their bodies were joined, something new would surprise her.

“You are watching him very closely today like you expect something to happen,” Mychal said quietly. “Is this something I need to be concerned about?”

“No, I’ve only realised that I’m not the special one here. Whatever happens, whatever victory we get in the future will be because of Yvan and the firebird.”

“Your visions revealed this?”

“In a few different ways. Baba Yaga and everyone else thought that if they controlled me, then somehow I would be a great pawn to use against their enemies, but I’m not important. He is.”

“It will take you and Aramis as well as Yvan to get enough power to disable Yanka. You are important, Anya. We wouldn’t be here with you otherwise.”

“Don’t lie to me, Mychal,” Anya smiled. “You’re here to protect Aleki and she wants to be here, so you came too.”

“You don’t think I could’ve stopped her from coming if I wanted to?” Mychal asked, a disbelieving smile on his face. It was always strange to see him smile but it was worth catching.

“Fine, you win. You say that there’s the three of us that are important but really, there is four. We won’t be able to do it without you, Mychal. You are the Servant of Heaven, remember?”

“We are all servants of Heaven, Anya. We don’t always know it, and those of us who do, don’t always like it. Vadim used to tell me that what I do is a gift. To me, it’s always felt like a duty because how could being a killer be a gift. It wasn’t until I met Aleksandra that someone could convince me I was more.”

“You’re a warrior, not a killer. The difference is your motivation. It’s the lives you save and you’ve saved many. It’s a very small part of who you are, Mychal. I would be happy to go to battle with you.”

“I’m sure if we live long enough, we will get the chance, Anya,” he said, “and thank you for your kind words.”

At noon, they stopped by a stream to refill water bottles. Anya washed her face in the cold water and tried to clear her head. She was starting to understand Cerise’s objection to travelling in the Otherworlds, because in that moment, Anya would’ve done anything for one of Harley’s
cafe au lait.

Something red and brown dashed about in the corner of her eye. She turned and saw a squirrel watching her from the low hanging branches of a spruce tree. Unexpectedly, it threw a small red berry at her and chittered with laughter. Anya turned back to where the rest of the group were busily talking or eating before looking back at the squirrel. It started gesticulating impatiently at her before dropping nimbly to the ground. It chittered again, waving its tiny paws at her before taking off into the forest, stopping a few metres away to see if she was following.

“Okay, I’m coming,” she whispered and pushed the branches of the spruce out of the way. The squirrel leapt up a tree and danced along the branches before leaping to the next tree, like the world’s smallest acrobat. Anya followed it for only a short while before the creature scrambled down the tree and stopped. As she tried to see what had caught its attention, she slipped on some moss and fell in an inelegant heap.

“
Hyvää iltapäivää
,” a deep voice addressed her, “may I be of assistance?”

Anya lay frozen on the ground looking at the wet leaves clinging to the bare feet in front of her. She didn’t dare look any higher.

“There’s no need to be frightened. I don’t mean you any harm,” the voice assured and a long hand reached down to her. Trembling, Anya placed her hand in his and he lifted her to her feet.

“Thank you,” she managed to find her tongue. He was very tall and lithe, his skin the colour of amber honey. He was wearing a pair of low-slung leather pants that seemed to change in shades of dark green and mahogany. Cascading golden hair fell to the small of his back and was graced with a crown of green, purple and yellow leaves and red berries. Gold and emerald eyes studied her warmly.

“What are you?” Anya blurted. Her hand was still in his and she had no desire to move it.

“Don’t you know?” he smiled, and as he did, power cascaded over her. It tasted like honey, sunshine, the crisp beginnings of autumn, fresh pine, warm fires…Anya shook her head trying to clear it.

“Anya! Look out!” Katya shouted from through the trees, bow in her hand.

“No! Stop!” Anya threw herself in front of him and caught the arrow mid-flight with her power, tossing it aside. “He isn’t an enemy, Yakaterina!” She turned from Katya’s startled face back to the man behind her, “I’m sorry. She didn’t mean to…she doesn’t…”

He rested a gentle hand on her cheek. “All is well,
Metsä Prinsessa
.”

“What’s going on?” Katya stumbled out of the trees with the rest of them arriving, drawn by the shouts. Anya stood protectively in front of him, though she knew he had enough power to make the earth swallow them all whole.

“
Duw da
,” Eldon exclaimed and stopped short. “Only you could go for a walk in a forest and find a god, Anya. My lord.” Eldon bowed politely.

He looked at Eldon curiously. “You’ve a touch of old forest about you.”

“I do, my lord.”

“I desire very much to speak with you.”

“I would be honoured.” Eldon bowed again more deeply.

“Who are you?” Aramis asked as he studied him.

“He’s…”Anya looked back at him, the taste of his power still lingering on her skin, “He’s Tapio.”

“I am,” he confirmed, “and you, human girl, are not all that you seem. You have the taste of a strange forest about you. Something here.” He placed his fingers over her heart. Anya lifted up her shirt so he could see the brand. “I see now. You were marked and what else?”

Anya took his hand and whispered, “This happened…” She let her mind open like a flower to him and the memories of the
Groenn Skaer
, the forest inhabiting her and bringing on the early spring flowed from her and into him. It would have only been a moment but Anya was swamped in images and magic.

“Will you show them to me?” Tapio asked. Anya pulled out the small velvet bag and tipped the three glowing seeds into his out stretched palm. “They’re so beautiful,” he gasped. “Children like this haven’t been born in millennia. Guard them.”

“With my life,” Anya assured. He blew softly on the seeds, whispering to them in a lilting language that sounded like the wind through the trees. Then slowly and carefully, he passed them back to her. His eyes looked over the group and settled on Yvan. He smiled, tilting his head to one side, looking at something only he could glimpse at.

“Kokko Lintu,” Tapio laughed, “what have you done to get trapped in a human body?” Yvan shuddered all over before he quickly pulled his shirt off and morphed into the firebird. It flew brightly and landed on Tapio’s outstretched forearm. It was chirping and cooing softly, rubbing and curling its fiery head along Tapio’s neck affectionately.

“Oh boy, Yvan is going to be embarrassed when he wakes up,” Izrayl sniggered.

“Please come, you’ll be my guests this evening,” Tapio said warmly as he stroked the firebird’s feathers. “This way.”

He took Anya’s hand like it was the most natural gesture and she didn’t object. Their power ran over each other and she got flashes of feeling and sensation with every step.

“Take your boots off, Anya,” he instructed. “Your feet will not get injured, I promise.” Anya’s boots were off and tied to her pack before she even had a chance to question it. The mossy forest floor was warm and alive. With every step, Anya felt the pulse of the trees and animals around them. Tapio pointed at the small squirrel in the trees above them. “Orava likes you. He says you are not as dumb as other humans.”

“You can talk with animals?” Anya asked, as Orava climbed down a low hanging branch and flopped onto Tapio’s other shoulder.

“Of course I can. So can you.”

“I would’ve noticed if I could talk to animals. I lived on a farm and it would have made life so much easier.”

“You haven’t lived on a farm since you’ve had the power of the Green Stag inside of you. You can connect with the forest around you. You’re doing it through your feet right now. You do it every time you brush against a tree. If you like, I will show you how to listen to tree speak, and how to understand what the animals are saying. It’s very useful, especially if you are travelling through unknown lands.”

“I would be honoured, although we don’t have a lot of time. We need to find Kullervo’s sword.”

“I saw. It will not take a lot to teach you, Anya. Come and rest in my house tonight. You journeyed through Tuonela and even though you survived, it leaves darkness in your mind. Let your mind be restored before you journey onward.
Tervetula
Tapiola,” their host said happily and pointed.

The birch wood opened up into a small glade and built between a huge oak and pine was a house unlike anything Anya had ever seen. It was built snugly into the trees, and made entirely of wood and stone like it had grown organically from the land around it. Red berries and climbing flowers decorated the triangle arches to the entrances and along the sloping roof gutters. Flowers grew all around them, the bright yellow of meadowsweet circling the stone well.

“It’s like a fairy tale hall,” Aleksandra whispered.

Tapiola was carved like Tuoni’s hall but there was life in them. Bear and wolf motifs decorated the fence posts and the pillars of the house. There were delicate birds, trees, flowers, and spiralling symbols that thrummed with an aura of power.

Tapio opened the doors to the main hall where a long wooden table with bench seats was arranged. Tapio clapped his hands and the shutters to the windows opened and the soft gold and green light of the forest filled the place. Standards bearing an insignia of a bear, wolf, and tree hung on the walls as well as tapestries depicting forest scenes.

“Come, I’ll show you to your rooms,” Tapio said and pulled one the standards aside to reveal a hallway.

There were woven mats on the wooden floors and beds made from uncut fallen wood. Windows of coloured glass cut into square and diamond panes let light into the rooms. There were furs and patchwork blankets on the beds and small stone fireplaces to keep the chill away. Their bags were placed in the rooms and the tour continued.

At the back of the house was a large wooden deck. There were flower boxes everywhere with steps leading down to a small stone path. Beehives made of clay peeked out of the forest and a small stream ran behind the house with a bathhouse and sauna built beside it.

“I may never leave,” Katya joked as she eyed it up.

“It’s lovely,” Aramis agreed, “but I must ask, why are you helping us?”

Tapio looked him up and down. “You think there’s something malicious in my invitation?”

“No, not all,” Aramis said quickly. “We haven’t met many friends recently.”

“I have offered you sanctuary because I don’t want the war in Skazki to spread into Karelia and I believe Anya can stop it from happening.”

“If it does, you can take it up with Tuoni. He was the one that allied himself with Baba Yaga,” Izrayl pointed out.

“I cannot control what Tuoni does, and from what I’ve seen from Anya’s memories, they are not allies anymore. I offer you a safe place to spend the night and give Anya guidance. Anya loves the forest. Otherwise, I would’ve been reluctant to get involved. I can feel that love; the forest can feel it, and anyone who loves a place that much will want to protect it. Is this answer acceptable to you, Álfr?” Tapio asked looking down at Aramis.

Aramis bowed, “Yes, my lord. I thank you for your help.”

“I haven’t encountered one of your people for a millennia and I’m very pleased to see you. What a fine gathering we will have tonight!” Tapio was happy once more and they all broke into smiles. “Please, my guests, bathe, sauna, and refresh yourselves. I’ll see that preparations for the evening are made.” They watched him walk away, the firebird still cooing at him on his broad shoulder.

“That is one strangely wonderful being,” Eldon commented.

“I thought Tapio was meant to be old with a beard made of lichen,” said Katya.

“He has enough power to manifest in any form he wishes.”

“Looks like golden, Nordic, rock star, hippie won out. It’s such a hard look to pull off,” Izrayl added.

“And yet he does,” Anya said with a grin. “Definitely more acceptable than an old man with a lichen beard. He feels so different to the
Groenn Skaer
. His power is different.”

“He is far, far older that’s why,” Aramis frowned. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m great, why?”

“Because your last encounter with a Forest Elemental ended badly.”

“I’m going to get the sauna going,” Izrayl said loudly and obviously. They all made excuses and seemed to scatter.

“I am fine, Aramis,” Anya rolled her eyes at him. “Really.”

“I’m allowed to be concerned. You went into a trance with Eldon and have barely been present ever since. Now another Forest Lord has found you and I don’t want it to end like it did last time. Especially not now that you have something happening with Yvan.”