The Dashkova Memoirs 06 The Queen of Dreams by Thomas K. Carpenter

Author:Thomas K. Carpenter
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: historical fantasy
Publisher: Black Moon Books
Published: 2015-12-02T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

I had to explain how the Library of the Dead actually worked a few times before the others understood. William was disgusted, Brassy wide-eyed with curiosity, and Nasrine indifferent to the idea. Only Morwen wasn't surprised.

Ben took the news of his infection stoically. Even as I explained that the red mist from the Archivist had gone into him while we slept, his mouth shifted with thought. Ever the strategist, he was constantly moving pieces across the board, even when he was the piece in question.

"I'll have to leave the hut," he said, tugging his vest into place. "I cannot be counted on in times of danger. The Keepers might still try to get back at us, especially since they know how valuable Katerina is."

"It was a mistake to offer knowledge of the Jinn-Se-San. I should have suggested something less important," I said.

Santiago took a handkerchief out of an inside pocket and wiped the blood from his blade on it before slipping the weapon back into its scabbard. He folded the bloody fabric into a neat square and then tucked it back into the pocket. "They wouldn't have parted with the information we needed for anything less, I think."

"That doesn't matter now," said Ben. "I still must go."

"We're going to need everyone once we get to Russia. We can't leave you behind," I said.

"Absolutely not," he replied. "I'm a danger now. What if that stuff gets into Santiago? Or Morwen?"

The short snort of air coming out of Morwen's nostrils illuminated us on her opinion of that suggestion. A few wary glances went in Santiago's direction instead. The look on her face worried me.

"Can you expel this thing from Ben? Or destroy it?" I asked.

"This red mist is unknown to me. I wouldn't know how to affect it," she said. "The Archivists have always kept their secrets well. Even I didn't know how they stored their information in the library. It's possible one of my sisters knew, but I've generally stayed away from Inverness unless absolutely necessary."

"One sister knew," I said, matching her gaze. "What was her name?"

It was a practiced shrug, one threaded with a lie. "Names are tools. She had many, just as I have, just as the others have."

I let the lie go. The relationships between the different versions of Baba Yaga were built on an agreement I didn't understand.

But she was right, the name didn't matter. I was just curious. I thought of her as Jaguar Woman. Maybe someday I would learn her taken name.

"You didn't know about the red mist, Santiago?" I asked.

"When I visited the library a long time ago, I remembered the presence of the Uthlaylaa, but nothing else. Once it entered the room, I remembered nothing until the exchange was finished," he said.

"Kat, I appreciate that you want me here, but until I can be rid of it, I'm too dangerous to keep around," Ben said.

"There's one rather large problem with that," said Morwen. "Where will you go? I cannot take you back, and there are no realms near here that are safe enough.

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