Yaga's Blood (Root and Myth Book 1) by Katya Kolmakov

Author:Katya Kolmakov [Kolmakov, Katya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wren+Raven Publishing
Published: 2020-09-15T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6. Yana

Bessemer pointed at her, then the ground under her feet, then at himself, and then at the window of the warehouse. She grabbed his sleeve and gave it a decisive jerk. Seriously, she wasn’t going to let him barge in there and leave her behind!

Bessemer looked inside again, and then started backing up. His hand firmly wrapped around hers, he pulled her after him. They jogged to hide behind the next warehouse. He stopped and started rummaging inside his bag.

“There’s definitely a Magpie there,” he whispered quickly. “I can sense it move. And something else. They’d leave a foot soldier as well. I can take it out, but you’ll have to at least distract the Magpie.”

So, he wasn’t leaving her behind. And apparently, she was supposed to distract an illusion-creating spirit of sorts, while he’d be fighting a ‘foot soldier.’ Is this the code for a monster? Most likely.

“What sort of a ‘foot soldier?’” she asked frantically. “Another shishiga?”

“No, shishigas are only corporeal at night, and only the strongest of them. I suspect a vourdalak.”

“A bit of clarification would be nice,” Mira hissed at him.

He finally found what he was looking for - and Mira gawked at the pouch and two long wooden stakes he held in his hands.

“The pouch will disarm the Magpie. It moves fast, but the most dangerous thing is that in a dim light, it can almost take the shape of a person you know. And it’s spent enough time with your Mom, it might look very convincing. Once you go in, you have to be sure what you’re looking at. Open your hand.”

Mira obeyed, and he shook a pinch of some herb on it.

“Is this oregano?!” she asked in disbelief.

“It is Origanum Vulgare, harvested among the stonehedges in Cornwall,” he answered sarcastically, pouring some on his hand as well. “And yes, it’s oregano. Also known as dushica, ‘the mother’s grass.’”

He exhaled forcefully and met her eyes.

“If you don't see the Magpie, it’s moving in the shadows. As soon as you catch anything from the corner of your eye, throw the oregano at it. It’ll just run back to its master.” He then lifted a stake in front of her face. “This is for a vourdalak. It’s basically a dead person, pumped with magic. It walks, it fights. It’s strong and fast. Think of it as half-zombie, half-vampire. You have no chance to kill it, so don’t engage it.”

Mira gritted her teeth, struggling to keep her nausea under control, and nodded jerkily. She took the stake. It had a long sharp end, and Cyrillic letters carved into it.

“Your Mom is on a mattress by the wall, to the left, about two hundred feet in. We come in, and I take care of the vourdalak. You need to get to your Mom. The Magpie won’t fight you. You might hear voices, some people you know. Don’t listen, get to your Mom, and get her out. And remember, make sure it’s your Mom you’re looking at.”

“Alright...”

He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder.

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