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of the closed borders, it had inevitably
surrendered to the harsh realities of time.
Attendance might have been down, either
from the indifference of the people or the
fact that their spiritual leader was
disinclined to believe in the social
advantages of soap and water. Whatever
the reason, only two people emerged from
the midnight devotions, an old woman and
Brother Grigor himself. The woman talked
with him at length, received a last blessing,
and waddled off to her home.
I waited only long enough for her to fade
from sight, then loomed up behind him, a
portion of darkness come to purposeful
life.
He put up quite a fight and would have
raised an alarm if I hadn't slapped a hand
over his mouth. Bodily lifting him, I
hauled him into the church and kicked the
door shut to afford us some privacy. The
little entry was poorly lit, making it
necessary to go into the chapel where the
scented candles still burned. I shuddered,
feeling the tepid power of the place, and
tried to ignore the ghastly sickness that
was beginning to manifest itself in my
belly; there was only so much that I could
expect from the protective spell I'd
summoned, after all.
When I turned him around to face me, his
surprise was such as to deprive him of the
ability to fight for a few instants. By the
time he'd recovered and thought to grab at
his holy symbol to wave in my face, I'd
secured both his hands with one of mine
and had him braced against a wall, high
enough for his sandal-shod feet to dangle
over the floor.
"Blasphemer!" he gasped, his eyes wild
and wide with righteous anger.
"No doubt," I said and wasted no more
time. When he saw what was to come, his
struggles turned frantic, but he could no
more stop me from taking his blood than I
could stop the sun from rising. My
exchange with Tatyana had left me weak,
but I was yet capable of dealing with the
likes of Grigor. When I'd finished, I was
much revived, and he was in a state of
mind considerably more tractable than
before. I led him over to a bench and made
him sit, then knelt on one knee in order to
be at eye level. I must have looked like a
penitent sinner asking for help from his
priest.
"Grigor, I want you to listen to me very
carefully& "
With him dazed from blood loss, it took
little effort on my part to bring him under
complete control. I spoke, and he listened
and accepted everything. My instructions
had to be tailored to his own strongest
drives, else he might be able to shake off
my influence, but it wasn't difficult to
think of something appropriate.
"Beginning this very hour, you will start a
pilgrimage to the Shrine of the White Sun
in Krezk on the western border. Take what
supplies you need and go immediately. Do
you understand?"
"Yes," he replied faintly.
Excellent.
Again, it was out of respect for Ilona's
memory that I did not simply kill the man.
He was inconvenient, but no real threat to
me. The thought of her inspired one more
addition to his quest.
"And Grigor.
"Yes?"
"On your journey, in the name of your god
and for the greater glory of all the gods,
you will bathe every day. In fact, you will
bathe yourself every day for the rest of
your life."
It was the least I could do for his
congregation.
*****
When I awoke, my guardians for the day
were restless and whining. The horses,
though used to their presence, were
naturally upset by this activity and pulled
unhappily at their tethers. I dismissed the
wolves, freeing them to go about their
normal business, and wished them luck.
They vanished into the forest and began
howling, working themselves up for their
next hunt. By the time I had the horses
hitched, the night air quivered with many
voices, making a savage and sweet
wedding song to welcome my bride to her
new life.
Mounting the lead animal, I guided them
toward the village, stopping the coach on a
hill just a few hundred yards above the
burgomaster's house. As on all the other
nights, no lights showed on this side, but I
chose to maintain my usual caution and
glided down on silent wings, making a
broad circle of the place before landing by
Tatyana's window.
I sensed her strongly on the other side. She
was only just now stirring. Waking late
and languorous&
The sudden rush of terror and agony
crashed upon me like a physical blow. I
thought it must be a blow, for I staggered
and fell like a tree into the mud of the yard,
helpless. My chest, my heart& Fire&
Worse than fire& my hands scrabbled and
encountered nothing, yet the pain was
paralyzingly real. I was no stranger to a
sword thrust, and that was what it felt like,
only a thousand times worse.
Tatyana was screaming.
Shrieking.
And desperately calling on that silent link
between us.
Calling on me.
Then&
Nothing.
The last echoes rose in the frost-still air
and were lost in the dark.
I groaned and cursed and tried to get up.
My limbs wouldn't respond. I blinked and
stared at the harsh, bright stars as the iron
weight of dread returned to my heart once
more. Its chill burden settled on me,
heavier than a mountain, crushing, but
alas, not killing me.
Oh, to die, to no longer have to feel&
She was gone. Damnation to the gods, she
was gone.
All the tears I'd not shed before in my life
filled my eyes now. Far, far above me, the
stars glittered and danced, mocking my
grief. As I lay weeping, drained and in
shock, Ulrich quietly approached. I didn't
notice him for a long time, not until he
spoke.
"Grigor said you were the one," he
whispered.
Her blood our blood had splashed all
down the front of his clothes. His hands
were coated with it; one of them still
convulsively clutched a great wooden
mallet, its red stains smoking in the cold.
"How could you do such a thing?" he
asked. "How can you take a young girl and
corrupt her with your filth?"
My tears ceased. Thoughts of dying
abruptly fled from my brain.
"But no more. She's safe from you. Better
that she die this way with her soul purged
and ready for the gods than walk the earth
under your curse. She's safe and free."
I seemed to see his muscled form outlined
in scarlet. He knelt by me.
"And you, may you forever rot for "
He had another stake& and raised it high.
I caught his arm as it came down. He tried
to pull away, failed, then brought his
mallet around to crush my head, but I
grabbed that with my other hand and we
rolled in the mud, screeching and
bellowing. I was still in near thrall to the
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