Pure: Ignis Part 52

She broke off and wrapped her fingers around both the cross and the primitive female figure.

"I just wanted to open your gift as soon as possible," GM said. "I thought that opening it might somehow bring luck for both of us."

"Luck?" I said with a little smile. "That doesn't sound like you."

"When there is nothing you can do, but you wish you could influence events-" GM shrugged. "Sometimes you cannot help but look to luck."

I was really happy to see GM wearing the charm-I hoped it would do more than give her luck. I hoped it would protect her.

"Do you like it?" I asked.

"I love it, Solnyshko." GM clutched her necklaces tighter and shook her head. "I am sorry-I am so sorry that I lost track of you last night at the Firebird Festival. Otherwise, I'm sure you would not have fallen."

Fallen-I had fallen-because I had been thrown. I had been in the forest-Timofei and the hybrids had attacked- The fog over my memories suddenly shifted, and I saw in part. A few images from the night came back to me hazily.

"What happened at the keep?" I asked. "What happened with the hybrids?"

GM blinked at me in surprise. "I don't know what you mean by 'hybrids,' but how did you know about the keep?"

"Do you mean the keep in the Pure Woods?" Maksim asked me.

"Yes," I said. "That's exactly the one I mean."

"Perhaps Katie overhead some of the doctors and nurses talking," Maksim said, turning to GM. "Maybe she processed the news subconsciously."

"In that case," GM replied firmly, "Katie does not need to know anything about it. It will only upset her."

"Keeping Katie in the dark could upset her too," Maksim said gently. "Her imagination could run riot. Sometimes it is best to face upsetting facts."

GM sighed. "Very well. I suppose the news is all over town anyway."

GM turned to me. "Some of the bodies that were stolen from their graves were found this morning. They were found at the old castle keep in the Pure Woods. All of the bodies had been decapitated and mutilated. One of the bodies that was found was that of Timofei Mstislav."

Panic ran through me-the hybrids had been found-as had Timofei Mstislav. And their bodies had not been burned to ash. Did that mean that they were they still alive? The whole terrible night in the woods suddenly came flooding back to me.

And what about- "William," I said frantically. "Where is William? Is he okay?"

GM sighed again. "Always back to the boy. Just when I think we've seen the last of him."

"Oh, Anna," Maksim said. "How can you be so hard-hearted? William did bring Katie to the hospital. I think we can be grateful to him for that."

"William brought me here?" I said. "So he's okay?"

Maksim smiled. "Yes, of course, William is okay. You're the one who fell-not William."

"Where is he?" I asked, sitting up straighter. "Is he here?"

"I imagine he's in the lobby," Maksim replied.

"In the lobby?" GM said sharply. "I told him to leave."

"I doubt he listened, Anna."

"I have to see him," I said. I threw off my covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

Maksim held up a restraining hand. "There is no need for you to get up. I will go and fetch him."

He turned and bowed to GM. "With your permission, of course, Anna."

GM waved a hand. "Yes, yes. Go ahead. If he is indeed still here, you may bring the boy in. I can see that Katie will not be at peace until she sees him."

Maksim bowed again and left the room.

I sank back gratefully against my pillows-my sudden exertion had left me feeling dizzy.

Part of that dizziness was physical weakness, but part of it was born of sheer relief. I now knew that William was all right-somehow he had survived our encounter with Timofei Mstislav. I wiped at my eyes-I realized that they were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears.

I looked toward GM. I was glad to have a moment alone with her-I wanted to find out exactly what had happened. It seemed as if what I'd done last night had actually helped to spare everyone at the Firebird Festival.

And somehow I had survived the whole thing too.

"So, what happened last night?" I asked. "Did anything unusual happen at the festival?"

"Apart from your nearly scaring the life out of me?" GM asked. "Why is it that every time we come to Russia you end up in the hospital? I hope this is a habit that we can break."

"Tell me everything you remember," I said. "I want to know exactly what happened."

GM sat down in the chair by my bed.

"I suppose your memory might be a little fuzzy," she said. "That would certainly be understandable. Well, there isn't actually a lot to tell you. Last night Maksim and I had been talking, and I suppose the two of us got separated from you in the crowd. We heard the firecrackers go off, and then the main procession with the Firebird statue and the dancers came through. And then-"

GM stopped and closed her eyes as if the memory were painful.

She continued. "Then Maksim and I looked around and realized we didn't know where you were." GM shook her head. "I can't believe that I lost sight of you. We went in search of you. We found a police officer, and he helped us look. Soon, others joined us and helped to look too.

"None of us could find you." GM's voice began to rise. "Eventually the festival began to wind down, and there was still no sign of you. I began to fear-"

She broke off and took a calming breath.

"And then that boy of yours showed up. He told us he'd taken you to the hospital-he said you'd fallen. So we hurried here. He came with us. You were unconscious when we arrived. That's basically the whole story."

I was relieved. GM didn't seem to have seen anything out of the ordinary.

The hybrids had not attacked. The plan had worked.

GM frowned and went on.

"There's a fairly deep depression not far from the Mstislav mansion. It's by the side of that little road that leads toward the newer shops and houses-it's called Mara's Drop. I a.s.sumed that you had fallen over there, but now I realize that I don't know where you were or what you were doing. What was going on last night?"

I chose my words carefully. "I went to a place where I knew William was likely to be eventually."

"You didn't arrange to meet him?" GM asked.

"Definitely not. William was surprised to see me-I think it's fair to say he was actually shocked."

GM seemed a bit mollified. "Well, I suppose that's something. So what happened once you saw him?"

"I did fall," I said. "And I blacked out. As I was falling I remember I didn't think things would be okay-I didn't think I would survive-"

My voice faltered.

"Yes, yes, do not think of that," GM said quickly. "You are going to be all right now. The doctor will examine you, and he will p.r.o.nounce you well. I am sure of it."

GM took a deep breath. "Now about this boy-"

"GM, please. His name is William. He had dinner at our house not too long ago."

"About this William," GM said. "Did he follow you here to Krov?"

"No, William was here before we were. As he told you at that same dinner, he used to live in Krov. He was here-visiting."

I finished my last sentence rather weakly.

But GM didn't seem to notice.

"And this William-he did follow you to Elspeth's Grove?"

"Yes, GM, but you knew that. He did move there to be near me. He told you that at dinner too."

"I just want to be sure of my facts," GM said.

"And after we all had dinner together you said you were okay with him-or at least that you would tolerate him."

"That was before he made you unhappy, Solnyshko. You were heart broken-I could see that. Why should I forgive him for breaking your heart?"

"There was a misunderstanding," I said. I would have to try to explain without giving too much away. "William came here to Krov, and I didn't know that. I thought he had left me. And I didn't have any way to contact him, but he didn't know that. He thought I knew how to reach him. We just got all mixed up."

GM sighed. "My dear girl, you will be the death of me."

Maksim came back into the room then.

William was right behind him.

I wanted to run to him, to throw my arms around him, to kiss him.

But I forced myself to sit still. I could feel GM's eyes upon me.

There was also every possibility that I would fall if I tried to stand up.

William rushed to my side, and I thought for one tantalizing moment that I was going to get that kiss. But William suddenly pulled back and stood rather awkwardly by the bed.

"Katie," he said. "Katie-"

He stopped and started again. "It's good to see you looking so-you look perfect. You look beautiful. You look perfectly beautiful."

I was pretty sure I looked terrible. I had only been awake for a little while, and I was aware now that my face was scratched and sore.

But the look on William's face made me want to kiss him even more.

The doctor came in next.

"I hear my patient is up now," he said with an air of pleasant authority. "I'm going to have to ask everyone to leave."

Don't leave, William, I pleaded silently. Don't leave the building.

Maksim and GM left, and William went with them. I felt a sharp pang of loss.

I had a terrible feeling that he might disappear again.

I pa.s.sed the doctor's neurological tests, and after all my cuts and sc.r.a.pes were dressed, I was discharged from the hospital. GM and Maksim took me home.

William had not waited with them.

GM and I spent Christmas Eve together quietly, sitting by the tree that we had decorated with my father's ornaments. The night certainly seemed peaceful, and I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been so worried.

From what I'd learned about the hybrids, it was clear to me that some of them had to have survived-their bodies hadn't been burned. So there was every possibility that they would rise again and attack me or the village. And one of the bodies that had not been burned was Timofei Mstislav's. I wondered-could the vampires still get to the bodies and finish them off? At the very least, it was something I could hope for.

And then there was William. What if he had gone away in order to protect me again?

What if he was gone for good this time?

"You don't look well, Solnyshko," GM said at last. "You don't have a headache, do you?"

"No-no headache."

"Be sure to say something if you do have a headache. The doctor said that was important."

"I'll be sure to say something, GM."

GM and I continued on in this manner for some time. I would worry silently, and periodically she would ask me how I felt. Eventually, I rose to go to bed.

"Good night, Solnyshko," GM said as I left the room.

"Good night," I replied.

I was tired and aching, but sleep was elusive. I continued to worry about the hybrids and the village-I had no idea what was going to happen during the night. Of course, my house was supposed to be supernaturally fortified against invaders, but it was hard to imagine that it could stand against an army of determined hybrids.

I drifted off eventually, and when I woke up, rosy dawn was lighting up my window. I hurried downstairs and was delighted to find that GM was in the kitchen, looking happy and unruffled. I was deeply relieved. Our house had clearly not been attacked in the night.