Almost as if the gods were listening, a tinge of blood tickled his nose. Kirill froze, his gaze darting about the silent forest. His vision sharpened, his hunger drawing him toward the source of the blood. A faint heartbeat danced on the wind, echoing in his ears. Someone was injured. And they were close.
A body lay in the snow. At first glance, Kirill couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. The thick cloak wrapped around the form hid all detail. He reached down and turned the body over, absentmindedly noting the rise and fall of the person’s chest. The cloak fell away from the face as the body turned and Kirill found himself staring down at the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
Her black hair seemed to draw the light out of the air around her, pulling it into its inky darkness. Her skin nearly blended with the snow around her, a paleness that would have convinced him she was dead, or undead, if he wasn’t so certain he could hear her heartbeat and see her chest rising and falling with each breath. Lips the color of the blood he could hear pounding in her veins drew his attention. It was strange, but for the briefest of moments, he felt drawn to kiss her…
Kirill shook himself and the feeling passed. He contemplated the fallen woman for a moment before exhaling in resignation. Feeding on her when she was already weak would be tempting fate. The last thing he needed was to convince the humans of
Dacia
that their rulers had lost control of their bloodlust. He bent his knees and scooped the unconscious woman up into his arms, cradling her to his chest. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked around. Without knowing who she was, he couldn’t return her to her home. And he certainly wasn’t going to bring her back to his castle, not when he was in the middle of a search for the illusive Serafina’s home. Where could he take her?
The dwarves.
Kirill took off at a brisk pace, trying not to jostle the woman more than necessary. Some of the dwarves who worked the royal diamond mines lived nearby. He would leave the woman with them and make other arrangements after he’d found Serafina.
The dwarves’ home was a rather modest cottage built into the side of a giant oak nearly as big around as the cottage itself. The straw-covered roof was fresh and filled the air with a clean, earthy scent. Kirill strode up to the door, swinging the woman over his shoulder so he could pound on the thick wood.
“Wake up!”
He stepped back as the door swung open and a bleary-eyed dwarf stared at him around the end of the sleeping cap that dangled between his eyes. He was only about three feet tall with a grey beard and rumpled grey hair.
“
Your
Highness?”
Kirill pushed past the dwarf into the house. He spied a couch across the cluttered living space and made his way over to it. On the way, he almost tripped over
something,
more than a little disturbed to find it was a pickax. It seemed cleanliness was not high on a dwarf’s list of priorities. The dwarf scuttled up behind him, deftly avoiding the hazardous terrain as he did so. Kirill laid the woman out on the thin cushions.
“Your Highness?” the dwarf asked again, his tone confused.
“I found her in the woods. She’s alive, but bleeding…from somewhere.” He leaned over her and scented the air. “There’s a cut on her leg. Take care of her until I can make other arrangements.”
“Um…yes,
Your
Highness.”
Kirill left the dwarf to twiddle his thumbs beside the couch and marched out the door.
Three weeks later…
Irina stared around her at the cottage, her intense stare taking in every nook and cranny. The dishes were clean and put away, the laundry washed and folded neatly, and every surface in the place shone with the glow of tender, loving care.
“There has got to be something else I can do here,” Irina muttered. “
Everything
can’t be clean.”
“You could come over here and talk to me.”
Irina whirled around as a shadow fell over the room. A giant feathered body blocked nearly the entire window, wicked black claws clinging to the sill. Irina smiled.
“Akilina!
What a wonderful surprise.”
The sirin tilted her head as she shuffled to the side and settled her feathers, allowing the fading sunlight into the room enough for Irina to see her. The human face peering out from the giant bird-like body was beautiful, all graceful lines, high cheekbones, and dark, penetrating eyes. Despite the terror the creature inspired in humans, Irina had always found Akilina to be welcome company.
“I didn’t realize you’d finally fled from that monster you call a stepmother,” Akilina said pointedly. She shifted her claws, settling down a little farther on the windowsill. “I would be cross with you if I wasn’t getting so much pleasure out of watching Serafina storm around the castle, screaming for her little minions to find you.”
The image the sirin’s words inspired made Irina’s flesh crawl and she rubbed her arms, trying to get rid of the sensation. Straightening her spine, she tried to summon the careless bravado that she’d always used to defend herself against Serafina. “She’s looking for me?”
“Oh my, yes.” The sirin nodded. “And she’s none too pleased with the huntsman either. The poor man is in hiding just like you now, buried in the forest with a tribe of
leshiis
.”
Guilt bit Irina and she covered her face with her hands.
“Oh, no.”
“Oh, don’t be like that,” the sirin chastised her. “The
leshiis
are treating him ever so much better than that miserable sorceress ever did. He’ll live like a king, I dare say.”
“But he shouldn’t have had to run and hide. Not him. It’s me she wants.”
“Well I wouldn’t turn yourself in, if that’s what you’re thinking. It took her long enough to get around to it, but for whatever reason, Serafina has finally decided that you’re worth just as much dead as alive.”
“What does she want with me?” Irina moaned, dropping her hands to her sides. “Why can’t she just forget me, live her miserable power-hungry life alone?”
“Well, obviously, she thinks you’re a threat to her power. For pity’s sake, Irina, even in hiding you cause nothing but trouble. I heard from my sister the other day that you’d been to visit the
rusalki
, trying to convince them to stand up for their independence and declare themselves a separate kingdom from
Dacia
.” The sirin frowned. “Your stepmother will be the least of your worries if you keep that up. Don’t think that just because Prince Kirill carried your unconscious body to this little hovel that he’ll turn a blind eye to that sort of treasonous—”
“Prince Kirill brought me here?” Irina interrupted, leaning closer to the sirin.
Akilina canted her head. “You didn’t know?”
“No. When I woke up here and asked how I got here, the dwarves just told me that I was safe and welcome to stay as long as I liked.”
“Yes, well, that’s exactly what the prince told them. Typical royalty for you there, thinking that just because someone works your diamond mines for you, it means you can heap any chore you like on them.” She paused. “Not that I consider you a chore, you understand. You’re quite pleasant, and I dare say I would think so even if we didn’t share an ancestor.”
“Diamond mines?” Irina’s ears perked up.
“That’s what you got out of that?” Akilina narrowed her eyes. “I didn’t have you pegged as the greedy type, Irina.”
Irina frowned and waved her hand.
“No, not for me.
It’s just, when I spoke to a
vila
the other day, she mentioned that the humans of the village would never stand up and demand independence because they relied too much on the royal family to provide for them. The rulers of the surrounding territories are richer than dragons, but the smaller villages are quite poor. If they could just get some money…”
“You’re going to steal from the royal diamond mine, aren’t you?” The sirin shook her head. “I’ll be sure to sing a lovely song at your funeral.”
“Oh, he won’t miss a few specks. I would be shocked if he ever even saw the diamonds before they’d been polished and presented by the dwarves, and I know they won’t say anything.”
“They won’t have to. You underestimate the prince. He is sharper than even his father gives him credit for.”
“You warn me about the prince instead of the king. Why?”
“Oh, look out for the king too, yes, definitely. It’s just I don’t foresee the king being quite so important to your lifeline.”
Without meaning to, Irina shot out a hand and gripped the sirin’s wing. Akilina’s eyes deadened, the sudden stillness of her form sending a trickle of unease down Irina’s spine.
“You’re touching me,” she said quietly. “Why?”
Irina dropped her hand, but kept staring into the sirin’s eyes. “What do you mean important for my lifeline? What does the prince have to do with my lifeline?”
“He won’t have to have anything to do with your lifeline if you stay away from him,” the sirin told her. “And I do urge you to stay away from him. You have the voice of your rusalka grandmother, but don’t think for a moment a pretty tune will have any effect on Kirill. He may find it pleasant, but it won’t be nearly enough to stop him from killing you if you get in his way.”
Raising her wings, the sirin turned, preparing to fly away.
“Akilina, please.
Tell me what you saw between me and the prince,” Irina insisted. Her mind hovered in a sort of limbo, not certain what emotion to settle on. Dread? Hope? What sort of effect would the prince have on her life? Considering her politics, she didn’t think he would be all that thrilled to meet her…
Akilina paused. For several long moments, silence dragged out, unbroken by even a rustling feather. The sirin sat in the window, facing the trees beyond the cottage, not a single syllable falling from her beautiful lips. Just when Irina had given up hope for an answer, the sirin drew a deep breath.
“I see you in a coffin with the vampire prince beside you. Please, Irina, stay away from Prince Kirill. His attentions will only bring you harm.”
Before Irina could beg her for anymore information, Akilina leapt off the windowsill and sailed into the forest. She propped her elbows on the windowsill and stared into the woods without really seeing anything. It was a mild day and she’d opened the window to air out the cottage while she could. She hadn’t meant to leave it open for so long, but a roaring fire would soon take the chill away. She sighed and straightened up, preparing to close the window.
“Irina!”
Irina paused and leaned toward the sound of the voice, smiling when she saw the dwarves trudging along the path to the cottage. Ivan was rushing ahead of the others, his face its usual stormy fury.
“What are you doing talking to a sirin?” he shouted. He bolted up to the cottage to stand in front of the window. Irina tried to wipe the smile from her face as he stood there frowning at her with his arms crossed. “Don’t you know anything about sirins? She’ll sing you a right good tune and then before you know it you’ll be dead!”
“He’s loud, but he’s right,” Sasha admitted, shuffling up behind Ivan. “Sirins are bad news for humans.”
“They’re not good news for anybody,” Ivan growled.
Irina leaned out the window and planted a kiss on top of Ivan’s head. The dwarf nearly fell over in shock before staring up at her.
“
Wh
—
I—y—what was that for?” he sputtered.
“For being so concerned about my welfare,” Irina said, amusement lifting her spirits in the wake of the sirin’s cryptic prophecy. “I’ve only known you a few weeks and already you take better care of me than any family I’ve ever had.”
Ivan’s face turned beet red and he dropped his gaze to the ground, kicking a clump of dirt. “It’s no bother,” he mumbled. “You’ve been good to us too, cooking and cleaning.” He straightened his spine and met her eyes. “It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t look out for you.”
“Well, I adore you for it, all of you.” Irina peered out the window as the rest of the dwarves arrived, dragging their sacks of diamonds behind them and in the door. They looked so tired, each and every one of them. Irina pursed her lips. She wasn’t educated enough in the art of diamond cutting to be of any real help. However, she did know something about assessing the color and quality of the final product. Serafina, in the beginning, had spent a great deal of time trying to turn Irina into a “proper lady of the court.” Perhaps Irina could lend an eye.
Ivan and Sasha plodded along behind their brothers into the house. Irina turned and watched their faces light up when they came in to find a hot dinner waiting for them in a cauldron over the fire.
“Irina!” Sasha gasped.
Joy filled Irina’s heart as they scurried to the table, their bags of raw diamonds abandoned on the floor. She went to the stove and started filling bowls with the thick stew. One at a time, the dwarves came up and got their dinner before taking it back to the table.
“I may have gone a little overboard,” she admitted. “I used three times the meat I usually do, but you’ve all just been so tired lately, I thought you could use a bit of extra protein.”
Ivan looked up at her, his mouth so full his little cheeks bulged. He mumbled something around the food, but Irina couldn’t for the life of her figure out what it was. She just smiled and turned to their bags, gathering them up and carrying them over to the massive cylindrical bin that took up one wall. One by one she emptied the sacks into the bin, wrinkling her nose at the scent of the strange potion that splashed around inside. When the last of the rough diamonds had plopped into the mixture, she sealed it tight and hooked it up to the latch on the windmill. Creaking and grinding filled the air as the bin began to turn, slowly, rolling the diamonds around in the potion. In a few days, the diamonds would be clean and ready to shape.
“You don’t have to do that, Irina,” Sasha objected.
“Oh, I don’t mind. In fact, if you’ll permit me, I’d like to help a little more. I have somewhat of an eye for color. I’d be more than happy to go through the finished diamonds and sort them for you.”
“Sorting diamonds for the royal family is no laughing matter,” Ivan spoke up between bites. He shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to put you in the king’s sights if you were to make a mistake.”
“Well I’m sure if he finds one that’s not to his liking, the people in the village would be more than happy with his castaways.”
There was a sudden cacophony as all the dwarves dropped their silverware and turned to stare at her with open mouths and wide eyes.
“Irina, do not even joke about that,” Ivan said hoarsely.
“The diamond mine belongs to the royal family. If they were to even suspect that you had thoughts about giving their diamonds away…”
Irina crossed her arms. “And who exactly decided that the diamond mine was theirs? It runs under the entire kingdom! Just because they had that portal set up so that the mine can only be accessed from the cave in the side of the castle, doesn’t mean they own the entire system.”
“Oh, but it does!” Sasha insisted. He put a hand to his stomach as if he would be ill. “Irina, you are too young to remember, but this particular royal family did not get to where they are now just by being born into power. The king started that way, true. He was a human king once, just the next son in a long line of entitled monarchs. There were people back then who thought the same way you do. They started to wonder what made the king better than them, what entitled him to have so much more than they. Those people organized themselves and rose up against the lords of their territories. They stormed the castle, dragged the royal family into the woods and—”