“Thank you. I like your hair. It reminds me of a fox’s pelt.” I blushed, realizing that she might not find it as much a compliment as I hoped. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

She laughed. “That’s a new one, but thank you. Yours is nice, too. It’s so dark and sleek. Mine is a nightmare to brush in the damp seasons. It puffs up like a fox’s schväst then, too.”

Vanya returned to us and put a few coins on the counter. “Gershka wants another round, Annushka. Anyway, he says those men were looking for a way to Eyry.”

“Eyry?” I asked.

“A city just past the border with the Kosa interior,” Annushka said.

Vanya nodded. “They asked if he had a wagon. Obviously, he doesn’t, but they were carrying enough money that I imagine they didn’t have any trouble finding a ride.”

Where would they have gotten money? I frowned, recalling the dirigible wreck and the bogatyr’s corpse, his coat disturbed and tendons severed. After the two soldiers had mutilated him in an attempt to prevent resurrection, they must have searched him for valuables.

“Detskaya is the closest depot that services the Kosa mainland,” Vanya added, mulling it over. “There’s a train to Eyry that passes through there.”

My legs weakened. “So, it’s already too late then?”

“Not necessarily. See, the thing is that before those Otzvuk soldiers showed up here, they were probably in Detskaya. Two weeks ago, the Fraktsiya regained control of the city. From what I’ve heard, the battle damaged the railway tracks, so all trains out of Detskaya have been delayed until they’re repaired.” A thin smile touched his lips. “And you know how bad the roads are here, especially during the rainy season? Add in an old dray-mare and a farmer’s wagon, and it’ll take a good four days to get to Detskaya.”

“We don’t even have a wagon!”

“No, but for that lovely little bribe your friend offered me, you’d easily be able to get your hands on a pair of horses. If you take the old logging routes through the eastern mountains, with a bit of luck and some determination, you might even be able to reach Detskaya before them.”

14

Night crept over Kupalo’s gabled rooftops and domed temples. After the three of us had reinforced the windows and broken door downstairs, Vanya had banished Mikhail and me to the sitting room while he cooked and cleaned, refusing to let us in until everything was complete. Entering the kitchen, I was immediately overwhelmed by the delicious fragrances of roasted meat and vegetables.

Mikhail and I sat at the table while Vanya carved the small pheasant. Ever since I had told Mikhail about the train to Eyry, he had seemed in a daze. I could tell that he didn’t want to return to the Kosa mainland, even if he wouldn’t say it aloud.

“Are you all right?” I asked as Mikhail traced the whorls in the oak table with the pad of his thumb.