The Morning Star Part 16

A cold wind swept across the field as the undead soldiers seemed to become more animated. "Defend your true tsar, Alexander Alexandrovich! Protect the wolves!" I cried across the field. I hoped they would stand up to the flaming swords better than Alix and her sisters. Grim-faced, the Order of St. Lazarus cl.u.s.tered together and formed a long line of defense, then marched toward the Grigori.

The bogatyr was out on the battlefield now as well, circling Konstantin. The lich tsar might have had command of the supernatural Grigori, but the Morning Star did not give him the same supernatural strength that the bogatyr possessed. The bogatyr could still overpower him with sheer might. But Konstantin had black necromancy on his side as well. With a wave of his hand, the Morning Star began to glow with snakelike tendrils of cold light. The bogatyr had to take care not to get too close.

I used my talisman to focus my own cold light powers. I cast shadows around the Grigori, hoping to slow them down, but they were immune. And so were the undead Lazarus soldiers, who kept marching steadfastly, despite being ripped to shreds by the ruthless Grigori.

My shadows did help Militza and her vampires, though. I blanketed them with darkness that hid them from Konstantin's blood drinkers. They began to gain the edge, and the boost spurred them on in their bloodl.u.s.t.

The empress still remained within the palace, but I could feel her fae magic raining down upon us. The same s.h.i.+mmering that I felt when she stared at me with her Sight wove its way across the battlefield. It was a cool, refres.h.i.+ng s.h.i.+mmer that lifted the soldiers' spirits and gave them courage. Their cold lights dimmed and their resolve to triumph dug in.

Miechen was creating glamours: images of frightening imps and sprites that flashed in front of the Grigori. Unable to tell which target was real and which was an illusion, they wasted a lot of their strength chasing the dark faerie's images. The Koldun stood close to his wife, keeping the protective wards around her in place.

Papus and the other mages from the Inner Circle concentrated on protecting the soldiers of the Order of St. John. Papus caught my eye and gave me a grim smile as he cast wards around the tsarevitch. Perhaps George had already spoken to him about his dying wish. I choked back tears. This was not the time to mourn.

I worried most for the bogatyr. Konstantin could not destroy his cold light as utterly as he had done with George's in the Graylands. This was the land of the living. But he could still manipulate cold light. Just as I could.

I had no idea if I was strong enough to affect the cold light of the lich tsar, who was really not a lich anymore but the flesh-and-blood false tsar in the crown prince's body. If only Danilo's cold light still existed, I might be able to unravel it from Konstantin's and surprise him in his weakened state. Perhaps that would be enough of a distraction to allow the bogatyr to get the upper hand.

I touched the talisman around my neck and felt my cold light growing more powerful. I pulled the light in tightly until I could feel it sizzling up and down my spine. Standing in the midst of the blood and bodies on the battlefield, I unleashed the cold light and sent it to Konstantin. It stunned him, but only momentarily. As I attacked the strands of his cold light, searching mentally for any that might still belong to Danilo, I focused on my bond with the crown prince. "Danilo, are you still in there at all?"

There was a mental tug in my mind. It was feeble, but I felt it all the same. "You must fight Konstantin," I thought. "I know you are strong enough."

Several strands of cold light began to s.h.i.+ft and separate from the rest of the light surrounding Konstantin. "That's it, Danilo! Fight against him!" My own strands snaked toward his, tentatively reaching out like helping hands. The cold light that belonged to the crown prince looped around with my own and held fast. I closed my eyes and concentrated on pulling as hard as I could.

Konstantin stumbled back, his balance upset by the disturbance. I sent another strand of cold light out like a whip, knocked the sword loose from his hand, and made a mad dash toward the fallen sword. Konstantin scowled and threw a blast of cold light that slammed into me and dropped me to the ground. I was too stunned to pick myself up.

From high above the palace, a large gray owl swooped down with an angry shriek. I held my breath as the creature dove at Konstantin. The striga. Angrily, he swatted at the bird, but she darted away, out of his reach. On her second pa.s.s, she drew blood from his arm. She was fast, and again and again she dove at him, striking with her talons and beak as many times as she could.

I realized she was trying to distract him, so I dragged myself toward the sword while I had the chance. Konstantin glanced at me and snarled. With another blast of cold light, he hit the striga, and she fell to the earth with a cry.

"Maman!" I shouted helplessly. I was so focused on her I did not see the bogatyr swing his sword down and cut off one of the lich tsar's hands. Konstantin roared in pain as he tried to grab the Morning Star before I could.

Blinded by angry tears, I had just enough time to scoop up the sword and roll out of the way before Konstantin sent another burst of his cold light hurtling toward me. It struck the dirt mere inches away, shaking the ground. I slowly picked myself up, clutching the sword tightly.

Every last one of the Grigori stopped fighting and looked across the field toward me. "She holds the Morning Star!" someone shouted. "What is thy command, lady?" It was the elder Grigori who had accompanied me and Danilo and Mala in Egypt.

"Defend the true tsar!" I shouted the words so loudly I thought my throat would bleed. "All hail Alexander the Third!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the striga shake her feathers and fly off the field. I breathed a quick sigh of relief. She'd only been stunned by Konstantin's blow.

Only a few vampires loyal to Konstantin Pavlovich remained. They were soon surrounded by the forces loyal to the bogatyr. Militza descended upon them viciously. She was not about to let any of the traitors survive.

The bogatyr forgotten in his rage toward me, Konstantin had regained his footing and was storming across the field. "You have interfered with my plans for the last time, necromancer!" he roared. I was frightened, but I pulled in my cold light powers once more and prayed for strength.

Raising his remaining hand, Konstantin shot out a burst of cold energy that would have knocked me senseless if the empress's s.h.i.+mmering light had not intercepted it.

I did not have time to thank her. Konstantin raised his hand again and I took my chance. Reaching out with my cold light to meet him, I sank the Morning Star into his belly and then shouted the incantation from A Necromancer's Companion that would carry both of us into the Graylands, away from the b.l.o.o.d.y battlefield. "Open the path, thou doorkeepers of the dead!" I shouted, my voice almost completely gone. "Open the path for she who walks between both worlds!"

The battlefield fell away with a loud rus.h.i.+ng sound, like the flapping of a million bird wings. The two of us were in the Graylands once again, surrounded by the familiar gray mist. I hated that I was getting used to the feeling of walking between the two worlds. I did not want this place to feel familiar at all.

Konstantin was temporarily bound by my cold light, but I knew it would not hold him for long. I had to recite the ritual of the second death to keep him from coming back.

"You...," he gasped. "You have the blackest soul of any human I've ever met."

I did feel very black and very cold at that moment. He'd killed George. And I wanted him to pay for that. Every fiber of my being wanted him banished to oblivion. I wanted every last bloodthirsty Egyptian G.o.d of the dead to come and eat his heart.

But it wasn't the lich tsar I saw when I raised my sword. It was the crown prince, whose body the lich tsar possessed. I was angry on behalf of Danilo too. Angry at his mother and his sister and Princess Cantacuzene for d.a.m.ning him with their plots and schemes. For all of his own faults, he never deserved this.

But I had to protect the tsar from Konstantin Pavlovich. In order to make sure all of Russia was safe, the lich tsar had to die the second death. I raised the Morning Star above his head, ready to deliver the final blow.

And I knew it would not bring George back.

If I killed Konstantin, I would be no better than he. I would have a heart blacker than the crown prince's eyes, and my soul would be lost. I lowered the sword and wiped tears of frustration from my eyes.

I saw a spiral-shaped light wavering a little ways off from us. It was the tendrils of the crown prince's cold light that I had dragged with me when I brought Konstantin back to the Graylands.

"Katerina, I am free. Protect the tsar and give Konstantin his second death. His heart will be judged much harsher than yours. Your heart has been judged and it is true."

It was Danilo's voice in my head.

"If I destroy Konstantin, will you be able to return?"

"While there is life, there is always hope," he replied.

"But where there is death," I thought painfully, "there is no hope." I did not want to destroy Danilo's chances of returning. But I had to believe I was doing the right thing.

Numbly, I raised the sword and recited the words of the ritual of the second death. "No sun shall rise over your grave. No birds will sing for you. Nothing but eternal rest waits for you, Konstantin Pavlovich." The talisman around my neck felt warm. An icy chill slid down my spine, my cold light giving me strength as I swung the blade at Konstantin's neck. His head tumbled to the floor, bloodless and eyes closed.

I saw Danilo's cold light slowly fade away. "No!" I whispered. I felt like a monster. I let the sword fall from my hands, and it clattered to the floor. I had held some hope that even if I couldn't save George, I would be able to save Militza's brother. But he had disappeared as well, and now I had more sorrowful news to bring back from the Graylands. It made me not want to return to the land of the living at all.

Both Konstantin's body and his head dissolved into bright cold light and then faded into the mist. There was nothing left of him or the crown prince. The lich tsar was gone; it was all over.

I picked up the Morning Star and stood slowly. What if I did not return to the land of the living? I did not belong with my family and friends anymore. George would not be there. And I could not stand the thought of facing his parents again. The look of grief on their faces had been too much for me to bear. I'd broken Nicholas's heart. I did not want to see that I'd broken Xenia's as well.

So I decided I would stay in the Graylands. The tsar did not need Katerina Alexandrovna anymore.

I wandered the halls of the Graylands for what seemed like hours, wary of the soft wisps of cold light that followed me down the dark corridors. I kept my own cold light reined in tightly and was careful not to touch the wisps. I did not want to interfere with any other beings anymore. The mist seemed to ebb and flow around me, but I never came across anyone else. None of the tsar's mages came looking for me, nor did Militza.

I still had my mortal body in an immortal land, and I was growing tired. I would have to find a room to settle in, much like Ankh-al-Sekhem the Egyptian had. I shuddered, hoping I would not run into him here. But if he had survived the attack of the resurrected mummies, then he was still in his pyramid in Giza. He would not wish to return to the Graylands any time soon.

I discovered a beautiful, cozy chamber with golden mosaic tiles embellis.h.i.+ng the door and its frames. The room was full of bookcases loaded with heavy books. A table was set with a bronze tea service and plates of sweet cakes. I suddenly realized I was famished, but I was reluctant to eat anything here.

There had been spells in A Necromancer's Companion that requested nourishment for the dead. I'd seen hieroglyphics on the walls of the temple in Abydos that portrayed priests bearing gifts of food and drink and leaving it for the souls trapped in the afterlife. And the sweet cakes with their cardamom and vanilla did smell heavenly. It was as if they were waiting just for me.

A gold-embroidered satin cus.h.i.+on that was larger than the door itself stood up against one of the bookshelves. I placed it on the floor. Curling up with the Morning Star in my arms, I fell asleep for the first time in days. I slept a deep, dreamless sleep and felt at peace at last.

I awoke some time later. I had no idea how long I'd slept, but I felt much restored. I puttered around the chamber, looking at books and nibbling on some of the sweet cakes. I knew someone would be returning soon to these quarters, and whoever lived here was not likely to take kindly to a young girl invading their home in the land of the dead.

Reluctantly, I put the book of poetry that I'd found back on its shelf and tidied up. I was curious to know what kind of person this s.p.a.ce belonged to. Male or female? Young or old? What had they done to earn this sort of cozy existence in the afterlife?

The heavy stone door began to slide open. I gripped my sword in alarm but hastily hid the Morning Star behind my back.

A brilliant glow of cold light preceded the person entering the chamber. I could barely make out the silhouette of a young man behind it. As the door shut, the glow dimmed, and I was able to see him more clearly. My heart stopped beating when he looked at me.

"Katiya?"

"George?"

No wonder I felt as if I'd come home.

George did not rush to take me into his arms. He actually looked unhappy to see me. "Katiya? What have you done?"

"What do you mean? You don't know how happy I am to find you! I hadn't even dared to look. I thought you were dead." I reached for him and was hurt when he flinched.

"Katiya, I am dead. And if you are here in this Hall of the Fallen, you must be dead too."

I shook my head. "I defeated Konstantin. I dragged him back to the Graylands and gave him the second death. And I realized I couldn't face your parents again. I did not want to return to St. Petersburg without you."

He reached up and touched my hair gently. "You are ridiculous. You chose to stay here? Alone?"

I nodded. "Can I stay here with you?"

He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. My dead husband did not feel very dead at all. He felt very much alive. And his kisses lit my soul on fire.

Gently, George lowered me to the floor cus.h.i.+on. His lips never left mine as his fingers traced the curls in my hair and slid down my arms and around my waist. I stretched my arms around his neck, yearning for him.

"Katiya, are you sure you want to remain here?" His kisses trailed down my jaw and his hand played with my b.u.t.tons.

"Where else would we go?" I asked. I did not want him to stop kissing me. My heart was pounding. My body s.h.i.+vered with fright and excitement.

He raised his head and looked at me. "You could take me home."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

He searched my face uncertainly. "Katiya, you do realize that you have the ability to bring me back."

"But I saw your cold light disappear!" The thought that I might be able to bring him back to the land of the living filled me with hope. And a little fear. "I can't bring you back as one of the undead, George. That would not be any kind of life for you. And it would break your mother's heart."

He was trying not to laugh. "Love, why is it that I have learned more about your necromancer powers than you have?" His fingers were tracing the collar of my regimental jacket, making it extremely difficult for me to pay attention to what he was saying.

"I was too busy trying to study medicine," I said. "I didn't want to know how to be a necromancer." But I knew George had studied many schools of magic when he was in Paris. And he would have had a certain interest in learning about my powers.

"Katiya, if you want to go to medical school, I will still support you. We can live wherever we need to-Paris, Zurich, London. We'll go to America if that's what it takes."

I shook my head. "I want to continue learning from Dr. Badmaev. His Tibetan medicine has a better chance of finding a cure for your sickness." And since we were already married, what was the worst thing the tsar could do?

Exile. We could be sent away from Russia. Or the tsar might punish Dr. Badmaev for helping me and have him sent away. I'd have to convince the tsar that I was trying to save his son.

I looked at the grand duke more closely and realized his cold light had returned. It was still bright, betraying his delicate health, but it was there. That meant I could still save him.

I sat up straighter, pus.h.i.+ng George back a little. "Your illness! Is it worse here in the Graylands?" Or had it disappeared? I didn't dare hope.

George shrugged. "It's no better, but I worry that the time spent here will affect it. I might be weaker if I return to the land of the living."

I started to protest, but he knew what I was about to say. He put his fingers to my lips. "No," he said. "I am willing to risk it. This is not a life, Katiya. What I'm doing here in the Graylands is just existing. I don't want to stay here trapped for centuries like your Egyptian friend. I want a life with you. A family."

I couldn't help blus.h.i.+ng as I thought of having a family with him. Of carrying George's babies. I wondered, though, if our travels through the Graylands would alter our ability to have children. Princess Cantacuzene's greatest regret as a vampire had been her inability to give Konstantin an heir. I understood now how she must have felt, and I felt her sorrow as my own.

"You must think me stupid for not coming to look for you immediately," I said. "Will you ever forgive me?"

George shrugged as he smiled. "I was more worried for you, Katiya. I was safe here, away from Konstantin, and able to mend, while you had him engaged in battle. But I hated not knowing what was happening to you. And I hated not being at the battle with my parents."

"You'll hear the stories and legends for years, I'm sure." I sighed. "And your parents will think me very stupid for telling them that you were lost. I never even had a chance to tell them we were married." Which was probably for the best. And I'd had a reasonable excuse.

"Well then," George said as he stood up and held out his hand to me. "Shall we?"

I paused. I couldn't help thinking of Danilo and Mala. Perhaps they would be able to find each other somewhere beyond the Graylands.

I looked up at George and smiled. My beautiful boy. My husband. I gave him my hand. "Let's go home."

George had to teach me the ritual that would bring him back. It was similar to the one I'd used when Grand Duke Vladimir had been in the Graylands, but this time there was no enchanted throne. Instead, George showed me how to use the large mirror hanging at the end of the hallway-the same one Militza and I had used. Only Militza and I had both been alive when we'd traveled through the mirror.

George's cold light had been almost completely severed from his body by Konstantin's spell. But he'd managed a spell that had kept him hidden, even if barely alive, while he healed. He was still too weak, however, to call upon the Grigori to make a portal of his own.

"I can tell you the words to say, but I have no control over the cold light," George said. "A necromancer can touch this light and manipulate it to overcome death. That is why you are able to walk between the two worlds so easily."

I waved my hand in front of the mirror, scattering the mist, and focused on the place we needed to go: Gatchina. His parents would still be there.

The trip back to the land of the living did not hurt quite so much this time. Maybe it was because I was too giddy to pay attention. I was worried about George, though, and focused my cold light energy on making sure he did not drag behind. The ritual took its toll on him anyway. Pale and coughing, George emerged with me in the cold snowy gardens outside the palace. I grabbed him by the arms to support him. He felt warm and solid, but I still couldn't believe he was back home with me.

"You're shaking!" I realized. "Let's get you inside."

The members of the Order of St. John who stood guard at the front of the palace could not believe their eyes when I shouted for them to open the gates quickly.

"Do as she says," George muttered.

I was not sure if they did not want to follow my orders or were just in shock at seeing him.

The doors opened, and one of the footmen sent for the tsar immediately. I helped them carry George inside and up to the bedroom he shared with Nicholas. The empress and the tsar arrived soon after, followed by Nicholas and Xenia.

"Georgi!" The empress rushed to his bedside and grabbed his hand. "Oh, my son!" she sobbed. "My prayers have been answered!"

The tsar took my hand. "I owe you everything, Katerina." He pulled me into his enormous arms and kissed me on the forehead. "I would be honored to call you daughter."

"That's a very good thing," George said happily from the bed. He was already starting to get his color back. "Because we were married in Egypt."

"What is this?" The empress turned around sharply to look at me. I heard Xenia giggle from the doorway. Little Mikhail and Olga were peeking around from behind her skirts.

The tsar released me from his fatherly embrace, as if to distance himself from me. He did not wish to incur the empress's wrath, it seemed.

George tried to push himself up onto his elbow. "Maman, you know I've wanted to marry Katiya for a long time. I did not want to risk losing her again."