Pure (Book 1, Pure Series) (37 page)

           
"I don't think it's such a terrible idea," Aleksandr said.
 
"The police will likely not believe her story at first, but they probably will remember it.
 
Then if something does go wrong – and I'm not saying it will – but if something does go wrong, the police will already have the idea planted in their minds that it could be Gleb.
 
Even as an ordinary man he was quite a terror in these parts.
 
Besides, your grandmother's mission gives us a chance to talk without fear of censure.
 
I believe you had a few more questions for me?"

           
"Yes, I did."

           
We started to walk back toward the house.

           
"What I'm most worried about is Galina," I said.

           
"That's a good place to begin," Aleksandr replied, "especially since it's likely she tried to turn you over to Gleb and/or his people this morning."

           
"What I mean is, if I can't trust Galina, can I believe anything she has told me?
 
About my background, about the clear fire, about the legend of the Little Sun?
 
I find it far more believable that I'm just an ordinary high school student."

           
Aleksandr smiled wryly.
 
"I'm afraid it's all true.
 
You are everything Galina said.
 
And the clear fire is real.
 
I am very old, and the Pure Woods has been my home for a long time.
 
I saw your mother and Galina working out there when they were children, and as they grew older, I actually introduced myself to them.
 
I have personally seen your mother with the clear fire."

           
"Do you know where it is?" I asked hopefully.

           
"I believe it is in the stone ring in the Pure Woods," he replied.
 
"But it's in a place I can't see.
 
My powers are limited."

           
"I don't suppose it's simply buried in the ground?"

           
"Not a chance.
 
Wherever it is within the ring, it can only be accessed through supernatural means."

           
"Could Galina help me to find it as she claims?"

           
"As our unlucky stars would have it, yes.
 
Galina can genuinely help you to sharpen your powers, and if you went back to her, she would probably give you a story that would make her sound innocent.
 
And then she would start to work with you again.
 
But in the end she would betray you.
 
She would give you up for Aleksandr.
 
She loves her son as much as she despises me."

           
"She does seem to dislike you, doesn't she?" I said.

           
Aleksandr grinned.
 
"Indeed she does.
 
I actually find it very amusing."

           
"Why does she go along with the impersonation then?"

           
"I was the one who came up with the idea," Aleksandr said.
 
"I wanted to keep an eye on her, and she wanted to keep the disappearance secret – she feared any interference from the police might cause Gleb to harm Aleksandr.
 
He always was rather shy with authority figures."

           
"Can't you transform yourself into an elephant and just knock down the walls of the Mstislav mansion and get Aleksandr back?"

           
We were walking up to the house now, and we paused on the doorstep.

           
Aleksandr shook his head mournfully.
 
"First of all, I don't know where Aleksandr is.
 
I have searched the Mstislav mansion.
 
He isn't there.
 
And second, as I said, my powers are limited.
 
I have the ability to disguise myself – I can make myself appear as an elephant – but I don't actually have the elephant's power.
 
I only have the strength I have in my real form.
 
I am no stronger than an average mortal man.
 
And I can be bound.
 
If someone sprinkles me with ashes formed from burning the petrified wood from my forest, then I will freeze up completely – like a statue.
 
Burning petrified wood is not an easy task, mind you.
 
It's basically stone.
 
Such a thing must be done through supernatural methods."

           
We went into the house, and Aleksandr set GM's purchases down in the kitchen.
 
I quickly put everything away.

           
"As a matter of fact, Katie," Aleksandr said, "since we are talking about my abilities, or in some cases, lack thereof, there is something I've been meaning to show you in the interests of full disclosure.
 
Keep an eye out for Odette."

           
I glanced around quickly.
 
Odette didn't appear to be on the first floor.
 
I looked back at Aleksander.

           
He vanished.

           
I looked around, startled.

           
Suddenly, Aleksandr reappeared.
 
"That's one of the ways I was able to follow you.
 
I can make myself invisible.
 
Here's the other way – the only problem is I have trouble getting the eye color just right.
 
It's usually a little too bright."

           
As I watched, Aleksandr turned into a teenaged boy in a plain white T-shirt.
 
I remembered seeing him at school one day when I'd been looking for Annamaria and Bryony – I realized now that Aleksandr, or rather the Leshi, was the one who had given me the addresses for Irina's parents' homes.
 
Then he turned into the businessman in the gray suit that I had seen several times on the plane.
 
Finally he was the little boy who had thrown the chunk of metal at GM and me from the side of the road.

           
"You flattened our tire!" I said.

           
The little boy turned back into Aleksandr.
 
He grinned mischievously.
 
"Yes – it was regrettable but necessary."

           
"And the woman with you?"

           
"Was Galina.
 
A kerchief makes a better disguise than you might think.
 
Also, I have a little ability – a very little ability – to disguise the things around me.
 
I was able to change the color of my car and tweak Galina's features just a bit."

           
"Then you and Odette didn't find us by accident."

           
"No.
 
I had been following you and your GM for some time, but I wasn't entirely sure where you were going.
 
I had to make sure you got to us.
 
I thought bringing Odette along would make you less suspicious.
 
She didn't know anything about it.
 
I just wanted you to know all of this, so that you'd know you could trust me.
 
I have tipped my hand to you completely.
 
This town is my home, too.
 
I have no desire to see Gleb destroy it.
 
And I'm going to help you in any way I can."

           
"Thanks, Aleksandr – Leshi."

           
Aleksandr smiled and headed out of the kitchen.
 
"I'd better be on my way."

           
"Where are you going?" I asked, following him.

           
"I'm going to explain to the untrustworthy Galina that she is to stay away from you.
 
I'm sure Gleb and his people will tell her soon that her trap failed."

           
Aleksandr turned toward the door, and I was struck by a thought.

           
"Wait.
 
Back at the monastery, you said not to eat or drink anything Galina gave me."

           
Aleksandr turned back.
 
"Yes, I did say that.
 
You probably don't need to worry about that now.
 
I doubt you'll be seeing her."

           
"I've already had something to drink at her house," I said.
 
"Before we went out to the Woods."

           
Alarm flickered in Aleksandr's eyes.

           
"What's wrong with drinking something at Galina's house?" I asked.

           
"To be honest, I don't know," Aleksandr replied.
 
"It's a warning I was given by the vampires to give to the Little Sun.
 
As I said they suspect her – they suspect her of duplicity in any matter that concerns Aleksandr, and they suspect her of something else, too, but they wouldn't tell me what it was.
 
Vampires can be frustratingly enigmatic."

           
"Is there something I should do then?
 
Some kind of herb I should take?"

           
"I really think you'll be fine," Aleksandr said, "But if you start to feel ill, you can give me a call.
 
Do you have something I can write with?"

           
I quickly found him pen and paper, and he gave me his number.

           
"That's my cell phone," he said.
 
"Galina doesn't know about it."

           
I had to smile.
 
"Who knew that forest spirits had cell phones?"

           
Aleksandr grinned at me and left.

           
I hurried up to my room and closed the door.
 
I was glad that I hadn't run into Odette on the way.
 
I wasn't in the mood to engage in small talk.

           
I sat down on my bed.
 
As far as I could see, things were steadily getting worse.
 
I had only just found out that I had to find the clear fire, and now the one person who could help me find it and use it – Galina – had turned out to be someone I couldn't trust.
 
I thought back to the moment in the tunnels when my candle had gone out, and a shudder ran through me.

           
I reached for my pillow and wrapped my arms around it.
 
I closed my eyes and willed myself to be calm.

           
After a little while, I heard someone come into the house.
 
I figured it was GM, and I hurried down to see her.
 
I was feeling a bit calmer, and I thought maybe she would have some good news.
 
Maybe the police believed her.

           
I found GM in the kitchen, and as it turned out, the police had not believed her.
 
I also found a note from Odette on the refrigerator that I hadn't noticed before.
 
In the note, she said she was going out and would not be back till later.
 
This gave GM an opportunity to rant about the police without having to worry about what Odette would think.
 
Then she made some alosa tea from Odette's box.
 
It turned out the tea in her smashed box was chamomile – she hadn't noticed what she was picking up in her anger.

           
"You should have some tea with me, Solnyshko," GM said.
 
"This has been a trying day for you also."

           
After drinking my tea, I went back up to my room.
 
I was feeling warmed both by the tea and GM.
 
GM was definitely fired up, and that made me feel less alone.
 
I knew that GM was on my side no matter how many monsters might come after me.

           
I was tired, though, and I needed to think.
 
I had to find the clear fire, and Aleksandr had said he believed it was in the stone ring in the Pure Woods.
 
But I had been in the stone ring, and I hadn't seen anything there at all.

           
I decided to close my eyes and let my mind drift.
 
Galina had said that my mother eventually developed the ability to call the clear fire to her at will.
 
I doubted I could do that.
 
But maybe I could still feel something, even if I was not in the stone ring.

           
I sat on my bed and just let my mind flow where it would until lunch.
 
Then I went downstairs and ate with GM.
 
I hadn't come up with anything, but the meditation – if that was the right word – had helped me to feel steadily calmer and more confident.
 
I was beginning to feel that the answer was already there in my own mind – if only I could get to it.

           
After lunch, I returned to my room and continued my search within.
 
At one point, I felt the spark ignite within me that I had felt back in the stone ring – but it was only for a moment, and then it went out again.
 
It wasn't much, but I was encouraged by it.
 
I felt like I was on the right path.

           
I was in a good frame of mind hours later when I came down for dinner.
 
I had thought Odette might be back in time for the evening meal, and I was looking forward to seeing her.
 
GM was, too.
 
She told me she had made the lamb because she knew it was one of Odette's favorites from when she was a girl.
 
But Odette did not show up.