Into the Flame (42 page)
The flames parted as she walked, then closed in behind her. The walls crumpled behind her, yet she strode steadily toward the place where the front door had been, disappearing when the inferno flared high, appearing again when it died back.
‘‘Is it Firebird?’’ Zorana asked in a trembling voice.
‘‘Impossible,’’ Rurik said.
‘‘Not impossible. We all see her.’’ Doug started toward the house, toward her.
Adrik grabbed him. ‘‘It’s a trick of the devil.’’
Doug turned his head and looked into Adrik’s eyes. ‘‘If it were your love, wouldn’t you go to her?’’
Adrik’s grip loosened.
Doug walked forward, pacing toward the illusion— if she was an illusion—as she walked out of one fire-storm in the house and into another on the porch.
Zorana tried to follow, but Konstantine held her back. ‘‘Leave him. It’s right that he take the chance, and if it is . . . if it is our Firebird, it’s right that he be there first.’’
Zorana curled her fingers into the lapel of Konstantine’s robe. ‘‘Yes. You’re right.’’ But she trembled with the need to go to her daughter, to her grandson, and in a quiet voice, she recited the end of the vision. ‘‘ ‘The beloved of the family will be broken by treachery . . . and leap into the fire.’ ’’ She looked up at Konstantine. ‘‘It is
Douglas
’s treachery of which the prophecy speaks.’’
Douglas
’s treachery of which the prophecy speaks.’’
‘‘Then it’s up to him to make it right,’’ Konstantine said.
The heat from the fire had blackened the winter-blighted lawn. Doug felt the crunch as the blades fractured beneath his feet. He heard the fire as it greedily licked the wooden structure. He advanced on the figure in the flames, moving on the fire as if it weren’t hot, weren’t cruel, weren’t deadly.
The figure held up her hand to halt him.
He stopped, held in place by her wishes.
And Firebird stepped off the porch and into the world.
Flames still engulfed her.
He rushed toward her, ready to put them out.
Again she gestured, and it was as if he’d slammed into a wall.
Moving with extreme deliberation, she flicked the flames off one hand. Then the other.
They fell into the grass, sizzled, and vanished.
She brushed the flames off one shoulder; then, with great care, she lifted the blanket and shook the fire away. She wiped her face, her hair. . . . Gradually, Firebird emerged from the flames, whole and clean, glorious and beautiful. She walked toward him.
The bundle on her shoulder stirred, tossed aside the blanket, lifted his head. . . .
Doug couldn’t stand still anymore. He ran forward, grabbed them in his arms, held them as hard as he could. They didn’t vanish, and he shook as he hugged them. ‘‘Are you real? Because if you’re not, I don’t care. I thought you were dead, and I can’t stand to live in a world without you.’’
She pushed away and frowned at him. ‘‘Of course I’m real.’’ She looked him over. ‘‘You look a little worse for wear. What did they do to you?’’
He brushed off her concern. ‘‘Are you really real?’’
‘‘Did you get hit on the head? Because you’re being weird.’’
Okay. She
sounded
real. She
sounded
exasperated.
sounded
real. She
sounded
exasperated.
He took a deep, relieved breath and felt the heavy, horrible burden of fear and anguish lift from his soul.
Firebird was alive. She had walked through a fire so intense and hungry no mere human could survive. Yes, it was impossible, but even now, he could feel the power humming through Firebird, exerting a force field that kept them safe.
The little boy had had enough of being ignored. ‘‘Are you my daddy?’’ he demanded.
‘‘Yes. I am your daddy.’’ Doug picked them both up, held them in his arms. ‘‘And I’m taking you away.’’
‘‘Daddy.’’ Aleksandr pointed at the Wilders, still standing clustered together. ‘‘Aleksandr go there!’’
‘‘Right.’’ Doug walked toward them. Toward the women, wiping tears off their cheeks, toward the men, straining as if they could barely bear to stand and wait.
He reached the fence, walked through the gate— and it was as if the essence that had been holding the house together dissolved. The structure disintegrated with a roar, a mighty conflagration making its last report.
Doug didn’t worry, didn’t run.
But the house’s collapse broke the family’s will. They rushed forward to surround
Douglas
, Firebird, and Aleksandr.
Douglas
, Firebird, and Aleksandr.
‘‘Hurry!’’ Jasha herded them away from the danger.
‘‘You’re safe.’’ Zorana took Firebird’s hand, stroked Aleksandr’s head, and cried happily, ‘‘You’re safe.’’
‘‘H-how?’’ Adrik stammered. ‘‘Little sister, how did you do that?’’
Adrik didn’t seem the kind of guy who stammered.
‘‘I don’t know how I did it.’’ Firebird kissed her son’s head.
Konstantine held Zorana’s other hand and led her, led them all, down the road.
‘‘You have to tell us more than that.’’ Zorana’s voice was ragged with emotion and hoarse with smoke.
‘‘I was panicked.’’ Firebird shrugged. ‘‘Of course. I was sure Aleksandr and I were going to die. I thought about jumping out the window—I thought we might survive, and if not, it would be a better way to go.’’
Doug tightened his arms around her, his chest tight with delayed fear and anguish.
For a moment, only a moment, Firebird leaned her head against his chest. Then she straightened. ‘‘I was holding Aleksandr when I fell through the floor. Actually, the boards sort of tilted me like a teeter-totter, and I landed very softly right in the middle of the fire. The flames were burning everything except around
me
. So I told Aleksandr we were going to get out of there. I thought we were dead, that we didn’t have a chance, but as we moved, a cocoon of fire moved with us. It was warm, but it didn’t burn. Aleksandr kept talking to me from under the blanket, so I knew he was all right. And I kept walking.’’ She fell silent as if, even now, she wasn’t quite of this world.
me
. So I told Aleksandr we were going to get out of there. I thought we were dead, that we didn’t have a chance, but as we moved, a cocoon of fire moved with us. It was warm, but it didn’t burn. Aleksandr kept talking to me from under the blanket, so I knew he was all right. And I kept walking.’’ She fell silent as if, even now, she wasn’t quite of this world.
Doug couldn’t help himself. He shook her a little, as if reminding her that he was there.
She glanced up, focused on his face, and smiled as if the sight of him brought her back to earth.
‘‘Go on,’’ Konstantine encouraged.
‘‘Yes, Papa. I wouldn’t want to leave my brothers frustrated because they didn’t know the whole story.’’ She drolly looked from brother to brother.
‘‘Then hurry up,’’ Jasha said.
She took a few quick breaths, as if still surprised that she could. ‘‘The fire seemed to be doing what I wanted, holding the house together until I could leave. I kept walking. Out of my bedroom, into the hall, down the stairs . . . I wasn’t afraid. The flames caressed me. The fire was . . . is . . . my friend. It would never hurt me.’’
‘‘The fire protected you from something worse,’’ Doug said abruptly.
‘‘That’s right,’’ she said in surprise. ‘‘How did you know?’
‘‘It kept you alive and out of the hands of the devil.’’ Doug stared uneasily toward the woods. He remembered that man with the blue-glowing eyes, and hoped the guy ran far away, because . . . because Doug wanted never to see him again. He didn’t even want to know for sure who he was.
As they rounded the curve that would hide the valley from their eyes, she tried to turn and look. ‘‘No,
ruyshka
. Let us not watch the end. Let us look to the future, instead.’’
ruyshka
. Let us not watch the end. Let us look to the future, instead.’’
She put her head against his chest and let him lead her.
The old man was wise. No one looked back. No one wanted to stay and watch the house turn to cinders, look out over the ruined vines, see the bodies of the dead Varinskis and the remains of the Romany soldiers killed in battle.
When they had rounded the corner and the valley was out of sight, they stopped.
Rurik put Tasya down on a log and seated himself beside her, holding her as she leaned on him. ‘‘The Rom are sending an ambulance,’’ he told her.
She nodded, her mouth tightening with pain.
‘‘Is Ann all right?’’ Karen asked.
Jasha pulled the phone away from his ear, and the grim-faced warrior became a fond husband. ‘‘She’s fine. No problems, no Varinskis, and she did it! She transferred the funds out of their accounts and into a charitable trust to be administered by . . . her.’’
Firebird told
Douglas
, ‘‘When you meet her, you’ll never believe Ann is our resident computer hacker.’’
Douglas
, ‘‘When you meet her, you’ll never believe Ann is our resident computer hacker.’’
Doug didn’t want to let Firebird go, but the pain of his ribs was growing, his hip was throbbing and bleeding, and for all that he had lost only his little finger, the pain was big. So he let her slide to her feet, and embraced her until he was sure she was steady. ‘‘Are you tired? Do you want me to hold Aleksandr?’’ he asked.
She looked him over, her gaze lingering not on his nakedness, as he would have wished, but on the gunshot wound to his hip. ‘‘I think I’d better keep him.’’
Konstantine said, ‘‘I’ve got clothes for all of us hidden in the woods. Jasha! Adrik! Before the help arrives and questions are asked that we cannot answer.’’
Startled, Doug looked at Firebird.
‘‘It’s true,’’ she said. ‘‘Papa has always preached that we should be prepared for any eventuality. There are more than clothes hidden in those woods.’’
It was less than five minutes later when Konstantine and the two brothers returned, dressed and carrying clothes for Rurik and Doug—clothes Doug discovered fit him very well.
‘‘He is built like a Wilder,’’ Konstantine said with satisfaction.
Karen examined the wounds on Adrik’s face, then made him sit at her feet while she removed splinters of glass. He complained mightily.
Doug looked meaningfully at Konstantine.
Give me a moment with Firebird,
he meant.
Let me propose.
Give me a moment with Firebird,
he meant.
Let me propose.
‘‘Come here, lad.’’ Konstantine collected Aleksandr out of Firebird’s arms.
Aleksandr beamed. ‘‘Grampa is strong.’’
Konstantine beamed back at the little boy cuddled against his chest. ‘‘Yes, my boy, I can finally hold you as God intended.’’
Firebird looked her father over, at his stern face, his broad shoulders, his barrel chest. ‘‘Oh, Papa.’’ She clasped her hands together. ‘‘You’re cured.’’
It was true. The sick man
Douglas
had spied on through the window had vanished, and in his place stood a mighty warrior.
Douglas
had spied on through the window had vanished, and in his place stood a mighty warrior.
‘‘The pact is broken. I will live to the fullness of my years, long enough to see this little one grow and prosper, and maybe enjoy more grandchildren’’— Konstantine looked his children over with a glint in his eye—‘‘and when I die, I pray I have pleased heaven enough to go there to wait for your mother.’’
Firebird, Tasya, and Karen burst into tears.
Zorana covered her mouth to contain her sobs.
Jasha muttered, ‘‘Silly women.’’
‘‘They’re so sentimental,’’ Rurik said.
Adrik coughed. ‘‘Yeah, it’s embarrassing.’’
The brothers turned away and rubbed at their eyes.
For this family, it was as if this miracle among all the others was the greatest.
Doug envied them that—this closeness to their father, this affection with one another. He didn’t have that yet. But in time, he would.
Yet mostly he was frustrated, needing to settle things with Firebird
now
.
now
.
In the distance, a siren sounded. The ambulance? The police? Who knew?
Without a doubt, someone had heard the gunfire.
Doug looked back at Firebird and saw Zorana hugging her. He didn’t have much time before the authorities arrived, yet he didn’t know how to separate a mother and her daughter.
Other books
Dead Secret by Deveney Catherine
Hadrian's Rage by Patricia-Marie Budd
Captured Lies by Maggie Thom
The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson
Kidnap by Tommy Donbavand
B004R9Q09U EBOK by Wright, Alex
Innkeeper's Daughter by G, Dormaine
Glory by Ana Jolene
Dark and Bloody Ground by Darcy O'Brien
Now You See Me by Lesley Glaister