Violins and Vampires by Christina Bauer

Author:Christina Bauer [BEE, CEE]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781956114409
Publisher: Monster House Books

4

PRINCESS ALEXA

ELEVEN YEARS OLD

Rus Lands, 1000 AD

* * *

The snowy paths of Siniy Mountain are a maze that’s built to madden the mind and dull the senses.

How perfect. I do love a good puzzle.

I march through an old forest of evergreens. Ice hangs from the pine needles. The rocky ground hides every footprint. All the trees look identical. That’s by design. Somewhere in these woods, there’s an entrance to an upper trail that winds to the mountaintop. And there lies the cave of Zhenshchina Vody, the Gray Woman.

My younger sister, Sash, trudges beside me. She’s tiny with golden hair and a nature to match. In terms of age, I’m pretty sure Sash is eight while I’m eleven, although it’s hard to know for certain. We’ve been meandering the countryside for years. At first, we were running from Norse kidnappers. Now, we search out the Gray Woman.

Why seek Zhenshchina Vody? Sash and I are bloodkin. I fear my sister is sick with the bloodkin plague. Once I find the Gray Woman, she’ll heal my sister in no time.

Speaking of Sash, she marches along beside me, smiling while she tells one of her fairy tales. “My favorite story is Queen Belobog and King Chernobog,” says Sash. “Once upon a time, they were a regular human king and queen. She was all things light and sunshine, he was darkness and death.”

While Sash rattles on, I pull out the pendant I stole from a Saxon nightling. It looks like a wooden disc that’s covered with the carving of an intricate triangle. In reality, it’s a map to finding the Gray Woman atop Siniy Mountain. I run my finger across the pattern and contemplate our next turn.

“But then, everything changes,” continues Sash. “Belobog and Chernobog see marks on each other’s necks—the image of an entwined sun and moon. They fall in love and magic transforms them into the first bloodkin vampires. That makes Belobog and Chernobog the original fated mates of our people.”

“That’s fine, Sash.”

“Fated mates are rare along bloodkin, but I think you and I have them.”

“Sure.”

Sash is so sweet. She belongs back in the palace with my stepmother, reading stories and playing with dolls. I don’t have the heart to tell her that the tale of Belobog and Chernobog isn’t true.

Memories appear. I picture the onion dome of our palace as it crackles with fire against the night sky. Servants’ bodies blaze as they jump from the windows. I weep while dragging Sash across a smoke-covered field. Shivers move up my spine.

Focus, Lexa. Leave the palace behind. You must help Sash.

Shaking my head, I force myself to refocus on the moment. “Where’s Anya?” She’s an adult human that I talked into helping us. Sash and I look more believable—and less easy to attack—with a grown-up along.

Plus, everyone wants to kidnap vampire royalty. Anya’s a human. She helps hide the fact that Sash and I are bloodkin.

Anya steps out from behind a tree. “Do you see this?” Anya’s tall and lovely with dark hair and pale skin.

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