«Who and where I am doesn't concern you.»
«Why, you're a magician!» Delighted to realize he wasn't that far gone into madness, Alexei managed to summon up an echo of his former charm, his former cunning, enough to make him ask urbanely, «But, dear lady, why bother sending your image to me? What could you possibly want from such as myself?»
«An errand.» If the woman was surprised by his sudden courtliness, she didn't show it. «The removal of… a nuisance.»
«Ah.» Alexei's voice was bland. «A living nuisance, I take it?»
«Why, the man has some wit about him after all!» Her smile was humorless. «I shall be blunt. There is a girl somewhere in the forest near you.» Alexai tensed. «The—forest…»
«Yes, of course! You may even have seen her pass.» The lovely eyes had gone quite cold. «I wish her to disappear.»
«But… to go into the forest… I don't dare — "
«What nonsense is this? I didn't think you were a complete fool—ahh, I see what it is! You're trying to bargain with me, aren't you? Very well, man, what do you wish? Come, name your price!»
«You‑don't understand. I can't enter the forest. The— the demon will seize me again.»
He saw a flicker of unease cross her face. She knows, Alexei thought wildly. She knows about the demon! She knows I'm telling the truth! And he wondered nervously if she was simply going to abandon him.
But the woman said sharply, «No demon will touch you, not if you obey me. My magic will shield you. And the girl, Maria Danilovna — "
«Danilovna!» Alexei shot to his feet, grabbing for the woman's shoulders. But of course, his hands merely passed through the wavering image, and fighting fiercely for self‑control, Alexei stepped back. «Maria Danilovna," lies he repeated savagely. «Are you sure?»
«So-o! You have no love for the slut, either!»
«I have no love for the whole damned family!» Too tense to remain still, Alexei began pacing nervously in a tight circle. «To have her in my hands, to start my revenge… And with magic to shield me…» He stopped, looked up. «Your magic will shield me?»
«Why, of course," the woman said smoothly. «You'll do it, then? I have your word on it?»
«Not—not so fast. I—want more. I—I was a boyar once.»
«And you wish a return to power, do you? Why, man! In a few short days, I shall rule a realm! Serve me well now, and you shall have a place of honor at my court.»
To be a boyar again! Oh, no doubt this woman, whomever, whatever she was, would try to trick him, to be rid of him, but he'd outwit her, magic or no, he'd outwit her and survive. And he would triumph!
«Done!» shouted Alexei in savage joy. «Oh, done, done!»
Chapter XXXVlll
Rusalki
Danilo's men had been riding along the forest road in silence for some time, now walking their horses, now trotting, now cantering, covering verst after verst that way. But all around them loomed the trees, dark with shadow, mysterious, dangerous, and at last the men took to singing to keep back the darkness. After a time, though, they had finished all the songs (polite and otherwise) that they knew, and before the ominous, silence could fall again, one of them, young Ivan, said hastily:
«It's been a week. Must be halfway to Kirtesk by now.'' The others weren't in the mood for small talk. «Mm," said one, noncommittally.
«Think the sorcerer has her?» Ivan persisted. «Young mistress Maria, I mean.»
That earned him a scornful glance. «Now, what do you think? Of course he has her!''
Stung, Ivan continued, «And we're going to ride right up to him, yes? And tell him we're from her father? And— and demand the boyarevna back again?» The others glanced at him impatiently. «Of course!»
«We're really going to ride up to a sorcerer, and insist back the woman he probably went through a lot of trouble to get. Fine. But what," asked Ivan simply, «are we going to do if the sorcerer says no?» They were trying not to think about that. A nervous silence fell, broken only by Ivan's worried murmur, «I only pray the young mistress is safe. I truly do.»
«You are not my brother leshy's gift.»
Maria whirled at the voice, stifling a yelp. «I, uh, no," she said warily, realizing that somewhere along the way she must have crossed over into this second leshy's domain. «I don't think I am.»
«Yet you bear his mark of safe passage.»
«Yes.» Maria peered into forest shadow, trying in vain to locate the being. «He was paying a debt.»
«Ah.» It was a sound of perfect comprehension. «But you carry another's sign as well.»
Maria raised a tentative hand to the silver chain about her neck. «Do you mean this? This was a—a gift.»
«From the human‑magician.»
«You know him? Oh, please tell me, is he well? Is he — "
«How should I know that? His realm is city, mine forest.» The being sighed—a soft stirring of leaves. «But he has always been in harmony with the forest way. There is peace between us. You love him?»
The suddenness of the question caught Maria off balance. «Yes!» she gasped. «Please, may I go to him?»
«You may go where you will.» The leshy sounded surprised that she had even thought to ask. «A warning: You have passed safely through my brother leshy's domain, But that domain has been softened by the new, human ways from the west.» Was there a hint of superiority in the wind‑in-leaves voice? «The forest‑magic here is older, stronger. Walk warily.»
«What do you — "
But the leshy was already gone.
«I wish I could move that efficiently," said Maria. She gave a sudden shiver, remembering branches that stirred without wind, trees that moved to slay… «Softened," echoed the young woman. «If that was his idea of 'softened,' then what must his realm be like?»
She would find it out, sooner or later, whether she liked the idea or not.
«But the road, as the saying goes, doesn't get shorter for the waiting.»
And, with a quick touch of the silver chain for luck, Maria started eastward once more.
It had taken time for Alexei to gather enough courage to enter the forest, even with the magician-woman's assurance of protection, even under the goad of his own shame. Maria's trail had nearly grown cold when Alexei had finally mastered himself and plunged in, but now he found that he could still follow it. Somehow, magically, no one, no thing was moving to stop him.
Magically! The woman had been right, she had been telling the truth, her powers were protecting him! Alexei squirmed in delight. Let the forest demons rage as they would; they couldn't touch him, not with that beautiful and most powerful magician as his ally! And as for the girl he was pursuing—she couldn't be travelling too quickly, and soon enough he'd overtake her, and then… Alexei hissed with savage laughter as he tore his hungry way through the underbrush.
So that was Ms brother leshy's gift! The being stared at the ragged creature in distaste, thinking that Brother Leshy had a dubious sense of humor at best. No wonder the foxes were always sneaking out of his domain! The leshy gave a dry wind-whisper of a laugh, remembering the last time Brother Leshy had gamed with him, and lost, and been forced to give up almost all his squirrels from leaf-birth to leaf‑death.
He moved smoothly after the human, chuckling soundlessly in the joke of seeing but unseen. Well now, maybe he was, indeed, bound by the rules of the leshiye games to accept this… gift. But no rule said he had to actually do anything with it! The being hugged himself with delight. There is was! He'd let the creature pass as it would, and maybe it would be eaten by something, or simply make its way right out of his domain. Either way, Brother Leshy's jibe at him would be spoiled!