Chapter Seven: In Nodvragoda, part II

Deep in the volcano, far from any trace of civilization, she was still trapped. The memory of that fight still lived deep in her mind. For more than a thousand years she has been trying to escape, but neither the fire of her feathers could undo her chains. She kept trying everything. She used to fly inside her cage trying to find a way out, although it wasn't going to give in easily. Inside her head all the doubts still echoed. She was still wondering how everything would be now if all would have happened in a different way. She had not stopped thinking about her sister since that fatal day.
Sometimes she considered that she had done the right thing, other times instead she felt that she had been too harsh and incomprehensible with her.
She could not fall asleep when she tried to imagine under what cruel circumstances Dubhe would find herself in that very moment , in what horrible form she would be incarnated, wandering the world and what atrocities she would be committing under the spell of Alchnost'. She only wanted to mend the bond, erase the bad memories and that everything returns to be like the old days, when the firmament was home to both of them.
The pain remained latent, it was almost an integral part of her being, but her hope was not entirely lost. She knew that someone had probably searched for her without results and she still had the faith that someone was going to find her and free her from that prison of stones, fire and ice.
It was known that only the innocent ones without corruption in their soul were able to reach her. It may sound impossible, since most people are convinced that such individuals are inexistent, but she still believed that among the darkness is possible to find a ray of light, no matter how small it is.She was still waiting for the chosen ones to appear. She was sure they existed. If her flames were not yet extinguished, it was thanks to what remained of her faith.

*****

Vladimir arrived at the market and found several of his caravan companions, who seemed to have been buying fruits and other products, being indifferent to the snow that was falling on them. He suggested that they accompany him to his brother's house to drink and eat after the busy journey and they agreed, following the young man's footsteps. He had been thinking of the curious pair of teens he had met on the wagon on his way to town after his escape. Not only did he sense that they were about to face something great, he felt incapable of leaving them alone in that task and also, his intuition told him that there was some strange connection between them and his plan to end the horror that plagued his kingdom, although he didn't know what this was. As they walked down the narrow and muddy street that led to the market square, another crazy idea crossed Vladimir's lively mind: he decided to change his destination, suggesting to his companions to go to where Baba Yanga lived. His real intention was to somehow team up with the children he had met. The others accepted the offer, because, although they were tired after the trip, they needed something to distract themselves and learn more about the city did not seem like a bad idea. With a serious gaze, gray as the cloudy sky and the vibe of the citadel itself, but showing a small smile on his face, he guided them towards their destination. Meanwhile in Baba Yanga's hut, Aliosha was still puzzled but reading the books that the witch had left on the table, which not only cleared up his doubts but also made him wonder more about his past and how it had been the kingdom before Ivar's arrival. Dylara was sitting next to him, staring at the letter and the swords. Megrez watched them both hopefully. She noticed this and headed towards him.
"If you say that the stars are real, what could happen if the darkness expands? " she asked the animal.
" It is difficult to know everything that this could cause, but I know that them would be very horrible and dangerous things, capable of destroying life as we know it. " The tiger answered seriously. " That's why we need you."
"The place where the Firebird is trapped is hostile. It is a volcano deep in the tundra that only the right people can get into. And by " right people " I mean those whose hearts are not stained in grief. No adult has reached it, but you are children " said the witch.
Suddenly, someone was heard knocking on the door. The witch peered cautiously through the lock on the door to see who she was. It was very strange to receive so many visits for her on the same day, because despite being very hospitable, she was always alert to strangers. If some authority of the kingdom discovered that she was a witch, she could pay dearly for it . When she saw Vladimir through keyhole, she opened the door for him and he walked in with his companions. They all stared at the crowd that had clumsily got into the hut next to him, bumping into some of the furniture there. Shirkania watched the scene suspiciously.
"Sorry about all this mess, but don't worry, they are my friends" Vladimir told her "I know they will be of great help to us.
"Hey, you guys are the other stowaways!" Dylara exclaimed with pleasure speaking to the group, extending her hand to one of the men who had just entered, who was short and robust
"Did you already know Baba Yanga?" She makes the best borsch I've had lately."
"Great, now she's going to talk to them about food for hours" Aliosha murmured with a laugh covering his face with both hands. Malaika, who appeared on the scene dressed in a green hood and a sword at her waist, addressed the children and with her hands resting on the table asked them " Do you have any minimal knowledge of how to use a saber? As much as possible without losing a finger in the first attempt." The pair began to hesitate to respond.
"Ehmm... Does using it to scare demon wolves count? " Aliosha answered with a somewhat shy expression.
"Off, the answer is more than obvious, they are supposed to be raw diamonds . What a stupid question" thought the young woman, observing her orange hair, realizing that it didn't do much sense to ask.
Would you mind if my friends join the children's training? " Vladimir asked the lady. He knew that making her plan known so abruptly could have unpleasant reactions, so she had decided to do it as covertly as possible. " They are not very skilled in combat, I suppose it will be useful to them. And I think that whatever they have to do, they could use an extra pair of hands. A long trip is better with company, I guess." He replied
"That would be a very good idea!", "I will finally be able to check if I have any talents", "Are we going to take a trip?", "I wonder what must be happening with those two" was heard as murmurs in the background. Apparently the five men had heard Vladimir's question towards the girl and were happy for the proposal. While the young woman thought and the men in the caravan were distracted and excited imagining themselves as warriors fighting great beasts, Vladimir walked to the other side of the room, took a deep breath and swallowing, approached Megrez. While he didn't want others to abruptly find out about his plan, he felt that Megrez could perhaps be a good confidant who would make things easier.
"What do you need, lass? You have been very quiet since we were inside the cart." the feline asked to the young man who seemed nervous. "As you are seeing me right now, I returned to this cabin with our travel companions ... And the reason is that I was thinking that we could join forces."
The tiger stared at him silently and then replied.
"A mission of this type is normally carried out without intervention, because it is difficult to trust people, you never know what interests they have behind. But I can feel your intentions and theirs, and I haven't found anything that really worries me. You are pure and like the children you have great potential that I hope you can take advantage of. You are welcome on our journey."
" Thank you, I appreciate it very much" the young man affirmed with crossed hands. He went back to his original place.
After thinking for a moment, Malaika finally answered Vladimir:
"Hmm, I don't see why not."
The next day training began for the pair of teens and for the other stowaways. The witch and her granddaughter still had some doubts as to whether they really were the chosen ones but they knew that Megrez was completely sure. It was enough for them to prove it themselves.
At first the group seemed lost like a dog in the mist, however, Malaika's patience and will allowed her to explain again and show what had not been so clear at first and little by little, these explanations seemed to bear fruit. , with the occasional broken object and some laughts in between.
Regarding the children, Dylara seemed to have an easier time making quick movements when defending herself against the attacks of the young redhead, while going at a calmer pace. The beginning of training was proving quite fun for the pair, although Alyosha had a hard time accepting what she was doing at times. He tried to be as prudent as possible, especially when fighting against her friend and Vladimir along with his group of stowaways with whom the two were gradually gaining confidence. Dylara was the most sociable with the group of outlaws and after several conversations in the breaks she and she could be considered one of them. She had found out that Ivan and Sergei were from Tula, while Taras came from Bombailog and Evgen from Rekalikov, cities that she had never visited but she already imagined as very beautiful places. Vladimir was talking to her too, but he still seemed quite shy in comparison. Despite its dull and brooding appearance, the city had a subtle charm that had captivated and intrigued children. They stayed in the cabin while the stowaways housed at Ilya's -Vladimir's brother's - house. They would have loved to stay in the city for longer but as expected, there was no other option but to leave far away to continue practicing for the rest of the trip and reach their destination as soon as possible. After spending about three days in Nodvragoda, it was time to continue with the journey. Although Shirkania could not accompany them due to age, her granddaughter was more than delighted to be part of the adventure. As part of the preparations, in addition to filling a cart with different types of ammunition for the whole group, the witch gave the pair of teenagers some items that could be useful such as a book and a carpet that according to her was magical.

*****

Mikhai arrived riding his horse in the vicinity of the royal palace, after riding through the cold night and dawn through the streets of the capital. Snow fell on the great and picturesque city that had been illuminated by the golden rays of the sun earlier, which was hidden behind the white clouds brought by the cold north wind. Beneath the shadow of his purple hood there was a Machiavellian smile. He was not alone, he was accompanied by his great host of armed and hooded men to which the people who walked down the street made their way, because these were the terror of any soul that crossed before them. Behind the cadets and soldiers, there were several horse-drawn carts.
The heavy metal gates of the Kremlin were opened, allowing the young man and several carts to pass. He took off his hood, got off his horse, and headed for the main gate of the palace. By the door Ivar waits for him with the typical threatening look and sullen expression of him. When he saw the young man approaching, for a second he changed his facial expression to a more relaxed gesture. He was the only one who did not fear the Tsar.
"Your majesty, my great lord! I know that tonight his wishes were not fulfilled but here I bring you something that will definitely be to your liking". the apprentice said as he took off his hat to bow to the emperor, while the other members of the crowd did the same briefly and then left their horses in the stables.
Ivar looked at him with a look of intrigue and then gave a small sideways smile just as vile as that of his protégé.
" Tell me, did you manage to bring me the two sabers?" Asked the monarch whispering in his ear.
"No sir. The best thing is not to look for them. It is attracting them. I brought you something even more effective than those clumsy wolves" the young man answered with confidence.
"Do not offend my beasts, you know this is the first time this happens. I wanna know, who are you bringing me prisoner this time? Who do I have the pleasure of torturing today?" replied the monarch.
"I'm just going to tell you that the best thing you could have done, my Almighty King, is to have appointed me a sergeant of the Dark Army" Mikhai said with sarcastic laughter, placing his hand on the ruler's shoulder with confidence as the two of them went to the door. When the emperor entered the palace, he approached one of the carts that was still tied to his horse and directed it towards the North Tower of the Kremlin.
Ivar walked down the corridor observing with his typical gesture they threaten the servants who were preparing for the celebration that will take place in the palace in a few days, which seems to be the location of almost all the tributes and taxes of the simple mortals of the kingdom and was more than anything, an excuse to appear a clean image of the monarchy in front of other nations. Most of the invited nobles came from the West.
The servants tried to do everything perfectly, because a simple mistake could make them victims of the Tsar's wrath, either ending up behind bars or eating rotten fruit. He was not entirely convinced with Mikhai's strategy to obtain the sabers, he preferred to get to the point of the matter but knew that his protégé had pending personal matters that seemed to matter to him a lot and apparently even more than that of the sabers. In his mind the phrase "I wonder why they weren't exterminated" his mind kept repeating Mikhai's phrase.
He normally did not care about the Kozzakhi by themselves unlike Mikhai, his main objective in each campaign was to expand the empire to quench his tireless thirst for power and wealth as well as being omnipotent before the eyes of all its inhabitants. But this time, he was trying to do everything he could to capture them and destroy the stellar sabers by his own hands. He was willing to try even more wicked methods than using his pack of demons in dog form.
His mind was even more disturbing than it seemed. Paranoia and mistrust ran every corner of his being and were the flame that ignited the use of fear as a means to obtain almost everything. But furthermore, a struggle of wills raged within his mind. A fight between what was left of the saner and more human side of him, and the wildest side of him that was getting bigger every day. Between pretending to be worshiped like a god and being feared like a monster. Between the taste for torturing his prisoners and the desire to eliminate them without preamble. Between his almost assured doom and a part of him that hated to see itself.
He headed back to the mirror chamber as last time.