The Unfailing Light (23 page)

The scent was heavenly, but it could not make me forget what I saw. A cold, pale body. The girl’s black eyes glassy and vacant like a doll’s.

The others, however, were easily fooled. I watched them dig into the bread hungrily. They were soon smiling and whistling as they returned to work.

I glared at the cook. “What are you going to do about her?”

“I will move her when the others leave.”

“What happened exactly? Can a ghost actually kill someone? Now will you try to get rid of her?”

“You would be wise to tell no one what you’ve seen here, Duchess.” Sucre smiled a little, baring his tiny, sharp, pointy teeth. Sucre was too tall, too slender to be completely human. I wondered why no one else had ever noticed this. Even hidden behind a large flour- and sugar-dusted apron. His raven-black hair was long and pulled back in a queue like some wild Romantic poet’s.

“But we have to warn the others—”

Sucre’s eyes flashed a deep, dark sapphire blue, dark as midnight. “Not a word. I will take care of this without your assistance, Mademoiselle.”

Too frightened and too angry to say anything more, I merely nodded and heard his low, soft laughter behind me as I hurried back to my room. How dare he laugh at a time like this? The faerie was heartless.

Aurora was curled up in her bed, studying her German grammar book with extreme studiousness. Elena had pressed herself up against the tiny window and was staring out into the darkness.

“What is it?” I asked, immediately feeling the prickling on the back of my neck again.

Elena shook her head slowly. “We don’t know. There was a noise outside like someone crying. Alix thought it was a student.”

“And she went to find out? How foolish!” I was filled with dread. Dread that the ghost could appear outside of the school. If that was possible, she was more powerful than I’d imagined.

Elena grinned and turned away from the window. “Alix
didn’t say anything. We were both looking out the window, and I couldn’t see anything, and then all of a sudden she left. She did the strangest thing, though. She pulled the box out from under her bed, unrolled the red ribbon, and took it with her.”

I grabbed my woolen cloak. “Are you coming?”

“We don’t know who or what is out there,” Elena said. “It’s far too dangerous.” She shrugged and plopped back down on her cot, picking up her book. “Besides, I’m sure Alix will be back soon,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “Unfortunately.”

I rolled my eyes and left, regretting that their sugar-coated truce hadn’t lasted very long. I crept down the stairs as quietly as possible, wondering if Alix had been bold enough to leave the building.

She hadn’t. I found her just inside the front door. She looked at me. “There is a great evil outside, Katerina Alexandrovna,” she whispered.

“In the courtyard?” I could feel the panic rising up inside. Nothing should have been able to get past the empress’s spell. Had the spell failed?

Alix shook her head. “I think it’s in the woods just past the courtyard. I don’t think you should go out there.”

“Can you see it?” My mind was racing. If it wasn’t the ghost, could it be that Konstantin had found me? I wished that George could hear me. If the lich tsar was out there, Tsar Alexander needed to be warned. “What did he look like?”

“He?” Alix frowned. “I did not get a good look, but it sounded to me as if the thing was female.”

“Thing? Female?” I brushed past her and opened wide the front door.

“Katerina, don’t! Stay inside!” Alix whispered, her fingers digging into my arm.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
 

“K
aterina Alexandrovna!” Alix whispered. “Have you gone mad? It’s too risky to go out there!”

I turned on her. “And what were
you
going to do? Why are you here, Your Highness?”

Her jaw dropped a little, and she looked as if she were about to say something, but changed her mind.

“Alix, whatever special powers you normally have, I don’t think they will work right now the way you want them to.”

“What do you know of special powers?” she whispered, her blue eyes suddenly large and bright in the light of the full moon.

I took a deep breath. “Your red ribbon. What is it for?”

She frowned, and I could have sworn I heard her growl. “It would be dangerous for you to know, Duchess.”

My smile was grim. “I know lots of dangerous things.”

We both were startled by a moan just outside of the courtyard.
Princess Alix was right. It sounded female. And hungry. And sad.

I took a step out into the snow-covered yard. “Hello?” I whispered.

“Mistressss.” The voice was vaguely familiar. And definitely female.

“Mon Dieu.”
I felt the blood drain from my face, and grew sick to my stomach. This could not be happening. Not again. “Oh no,” I whispered.

“Merde,”
Alix agreed, nodding. But she followed me to edge of the courtyard, to the edge of the empress’s invisible barrier. “Who is it?” the princess asked.

The figure stepped out from the shadows into the moonlight and moaned softly.

I sighed unhappily. “That is Madame Metcherskey, a former teacher here at Smolny.”

Madame Metcherskey, or what used to be her, stumbled toward us, clutching her burial shroud. She turned her dull, lifeless eyes toward me and reached out with pale, blue hands. “Mistressss,” she hissed. “What have you done to me?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
 

“K
aterina Alexandrovna!” Alix cried out hoarsely. “What
have
you done? This is an abomination!”

I grabbed her. “You must swear not to tell another soul about this.”

She tried to back away from me, pale and shaking her head. “You are a wicked person! I would expect something like this from Elena, but not you.”

“I have not done this on purpose. Please, Alix. Please believe me.”

“Mistressss …” Madame Metcherskey stumbled toward us, but was kept out by the magic barrier. “You must release me.” Her face and lips were completely colorless. My heart hurt to look at her. And I feared that the noise she was making would wake the headmistress. There was a malice in her eyes that I’d never seen when she was alive. I knew she had never liked me when she lived, and now she’d never forgive me for doing this to her.

Alix shook her head. “No, not even Elena could do something so evil. You must fix it, Katerina.”

“I can’t. But I have to get her somewhere safe.” I took a step forward. “Madame Metcherskey, you need to go see someone who may be able to help you. He has helped me before.”

Alix’s eyes grew even larger. “You’ve done this before? Katerina Alexandrovna, your soul must belong with the damned!”

“Mistresss, release me from your bidding. I have unfinished work to complete.”

Madame Metcherskey did not behave the same way Count Chermenensky had. I wasn’t sure if what had happened to her was the same thing that had happened to him. How could I raise the dead without realizing how I was doing it? I still did not know much about revenants and ghouls, but I was too afraid to let her roam the streets of St. Petersburg on her own. I took a deep breath. “No, Madame. You must do as I tell you. Go to the office of the Tibetan doctor, Pyotr Badmaev, on Nevski Prospekt. He will be able to keep you safe.”

Madame Metcherskey’s dark eyes narrowed and she growled. It did not sound human. Alix shrank back behind me and started to cry. But I was almost certain Madame could not harm me. I took my cloak and tossed it to her. I wished I could help her cover up, but I could not touch her through the empress’s barrier. The image of the frozen shawl in the garden flashed before me. It must have been hers, I thought with a shudder. How long had it been since she’d risen from her grave?

I spoke as firmly as I could, even though I was shaking with fear and shivering with cold. “Go and speak with Dr. Badmaev. Use the servant entrance. Tell him I sent you.”

I hoped he would not be too angry. I hoped the doctor would be able to calm her down. Count Chermenensky had usually been docile as long as he did not feel threatened.

Madame closed her eyes, as if she were fighting with herself. “As you wish, Mistressss,” she hissed, and slowly shuffled toward the front gates.

Alix and I both held our breaths as we watched her disappear into the darkness, and then we hurried back inside. We closed the front door and leaned against the inside, sighing with relief.

Princess Alix turned to me, a chilling look in her eye. “I promise you, Katerina Alexandrovna, you will be punished for your wicked deeds. And if you are consorting with the devil, I swear on my mother’s grave, I will kill you myself.”

Stunned, I only stared at her as she walked quickly and silently back up the staircase to our room. I did not know what I could say to explain or defend myself to her. Necromancy was a wicked art. And I abhorred the thought of what I’d done to Madame Metcherskey. Even if it hadn’t been on purpose. I had never been quite sure how I had brought Count Chermenensky back from the grave either. Did I simply have to wish them back to life? I did not know. And I couldn’t let it happen again.

I rubbed my temples. I was cold and tired, but I was not sure if I could trust Alix anymore. Our room was dark when I returned. Both Elena and Aurora appeared to be sleeping in their cots. I did not think Alix was asleep, though. I sat down and huddled under my blanket, thankful at last for the warmth, but too worried to rest myself. After a long time,
Alix’s breathing slowed as she fell into a deep sleep. Elena was restless, tossing and turning, and even whimpering at times while she dreamt. It was a long, black night as I watched all of them and wondered if Madame Metcherskey had made it to Dr. Badmaev’s safely.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
 

“K
aterina! Katerina Alexandrovna!” Elena was shaking me awake.

I had fallen asleep sitting up in my cot, leaning up against the wall. I tried to rub the soreness out of my neck.

“You will be late for breakfast.” Elena dug through my trunk and threw my white school apron at me. “What happened with you and Alix last night?”

I glanced over at Alix’s empty cot. She must have been in a hurry to leave our room that morning. I sighed, trying to lose the tightness in my chest. There had been no hint of a joke or teasing in her threat the previous night. I would have to be wary of her from now on.

“Katerina?” Elena still stood at my bed, looking at me questioningly.

“Alix heard a noise outside, but we saw nothing. It must have been an animal.” Elena did not need to know about Madame
Metcherskey. How would I be able to keep Alix from telling anyone? How could I convince her that she didn’t see what she thought she saw?

I took a deep breath. “I think she must have had a nightmare. Alix kept tossing and turning, muttering about unholy things. That is why I was sitting up. I was afraid she would harm herself with her thrashing about.”

“Really?” Elena looked extremely interested.

“Maybe the ghost was stirring up trouble again. Did you have strange dreams last night as well?”

Elena shook her head. “I slept peacefully.” She finished putting her hair up and tied on her apron.