10. Beware of Silent Dogs and Still Waters
10
BEWARE OF SILENT DOGS AND STILL WATERS
The next morning dawned bright and crisply cold, but in their tiger bodies the twins barely felt the chill. Sleeping next to one another kept them warm, and the fur covering them felt as luxurious as any fur cloak. Even better, because not an inch of them was exposed to the cold. They woke and stretched, prepared for the painful pull of torn skin or bruised ribs only to discover there was no pain.
Veru nudged Stacia in the ribs where she’d been torn the night before. Unable to twist her head well enough to see the damage, Stacia cocked her head at her sister as if in question. In reply, Veru lifted the paw that had also been damaged and then proceeded to pace back and forth, showing her sister that the injury she had received had mysteriously healed as well.
The cats rose, relishing the feeling of every strong muscle moving beneath their coats, then raked their sharp claws down the trunk of a tree, and watched in fascination as the bark peeled away in shreds. Whatever strange magic had made them cats also granted them relief from pain and injury, a gift they desperately needed if they were to navigate the strange new world of animal life. They also needed to learn to work together if they were going to learn how to catch prey.
They shook their heads and yawned widely, scraping their tongues over their new sharp teeth, and letting the natural gruff noise of a big cat huff out of heavy lungs and lift into the air, a warning to any other nearby predators who might be interested in the remains of their kill. They padded over to the dead animal, noticing the smell wasn’t nearly as appetizing as it had been the night before, and played with it a bit, trying to find something interesting.
Veru laid down and began gnawing on a leg, cracking through bone, and making a happy sound when she discovered the delicious marrow inside. Stacia held the carcass down with her claws and ripped chunks of meat from the ribs, swallowing them whole, then found a nice piece she could set aside for Nik to roast later.
When she licked the bone, she realized the coarseness of her new tiger tongue nearly scraped it clean for her. It was a beneficial trick and one she thought she might like to carry over when she was a human again, assuming she ever managed to change back. The ability to swallow meat whole, forgo chewing, and carve it with just her tongue would save her not only time but from many a toothache in the future. Not to mention the fact that there wouldn’t be a man alive who would dare risk a “tongue-lashing” from her. She huffed softly, laughing at her own thoughts.
Content with their morning meal, the twins flicked their tongues over their crusty jaws and then proceeded to help one another clean their faces. Stacia realized then that though their tongues were indeed rough, they could control the pressure, so they didn’t tear each other’s faces off. Once they were clean—or at least, clean enough—they stood panting, both needing water.
Grateful she would not be needing to solicit Nik’s help in stitching her wound, nor would she need to tolerate a censure from her sestra’s lovestruck sycophant, Stacia picked up the large chunk of meat meant for Nik in her jaws, and the two tigers began the journey back, easily following their own trail.
When they arrived at the tree where they’d left the young man, the fire was cold, as was the scent of any food he’d eaten. He’d been missing for several hours and was likely out searching for the two of them. Though it wouldn’t be impossible for them to find the young man, it would be more difficult than it should be under normal circumstances. The moment he donned the tunic and boots, his scent and his trail disappeared. Even as tigers the only way to track him was to keep him close, to listen for his footsteps. Sometimes, even with their enhanced hearing, they couldn’t see or hear him until he removed his boots or tunic. They often depended on the scent of his food or the sound of his voice to point them in the right direction. With those boots, he didn’t even leave tracks.
Prior to the awful week of their mother’s death, Stacia had no idea that Nik was anything other than the bumbling young man he showed the world. As for Veru, she had always known there was more to Nik than met the eye. She was aware that there was a part of his life he hid from her, but she’d always assumed that he’d share that with her someday. He had a difficult time with trust, but then so did she. When he arrived at the palace with the dangerous monk in tow, to say they were shocked would have been an understatement.
When the twins had demanded that Nik explain where and how he’d met the man just after their mother’s funeral, he’d been truthful, but they both knew he wasn’t telling them everything. The doctor had informed them that the mysterious man remained nearby, and it worried them.
Then after it was announced that a new king and his son were arriving from a place neither of them had ever heard of before and at such an inauspicious time, they prepared for the worst. They recalled their top advisors and surrounded the palace with guards. When the king and his son got through all the checkpoints with their trusted men unable to answer the most basic of questions about them, the twins knew something was very, very wrong.
The odd thing was, there were no signs of revolution. There was no army accompanying the so-called king’s entourage. He flew no banners of any kind. Nothing added up. They had never seen anything like it before. After consulting with their mother’s closest advisor, they decided to allow the man and his son entry, knowing the two of them and their guard could handle themselves well enough.
Their parents had taught them that in matters of diplomacy, trust was never given outright. Not to anyone. Betrayal was the expectation. You prepared for it. You planned for it. And if it didn’t happen, you counted yourself lucky. Despite this fact, a royal was never allowed to show distrust outright. Instead, royals needed to become skillful at hiding their true thoughts and feelings. They were taught to play a dangerous game in which they appeared on the surface to trust everyone and take them at their word.
Comparing it to the sea, their parents taught them that a skilled mariner considers everything—the dangers above and the possible threats below the water. They must plan for every contingency they see in the sky above, which might come from storm clouds or thundering waves, as well as those they don’t see, such as icebergs or deadly sea creatures.
It doesn’t matter how much a person loves the sea or even how expertly they navigate its waves. The moment they are wrapped up in its beauty or lulled by its calm waters is the moment it will reach up and destroy you. The same is true when working in politics. Every negotiation, every meeting, every discussion and interaction were like those ocean waves. Always be on alert. Remain focused. Take your eyes away or allow yourself to trust and lean upon others and you will find yourself sinking in the depths with no one to save you.
Both of the tsarevnas were thinking of this when they entered the room and sat before the king and his son. They had been prepared for a shock, but what neither of them had expected was to see Nik. Still, they schooled their expressions and allowed them to pitch their proposal.
The two sisters watched Nik closely for signs of betrayal, listening as the man began weaving his lies. They could both tell that none of it was Nik’s doing. It was easy to see the naked fear on his face and his distrust of the man. It pained him to be there, and he was obviously uncomfortable in the clothing he wore. Nik was no prince. That much was obvious.
What they didn’t know was why. Why did Nik go along with the man’s plans? Why didn’t he come to them in the first place? What power did the man have over him? More than anything, they wished they could talk to him, especially seeing as how there was much more going on with Nik than they ever suspected.
Maybe it was the magic that tied him to the other man . But it was certain that Nikolai possessed a magic all his own. If they hadn’t seen his reaction to them when they’d turned into tigers, they might have thought it had been him who had cursed them to their current form. The fact that he was more frightened of them than anyone else assured them that he hadn’t. Nor did they believe it had been the stranger impersonating Nik’s father. He seemed almost as shocked by their transformation as Nikolai.
Truthfully, they didn’t know what to make of it. If it hadn’t been for that hussar, the older soldier with Evenki heritage, they wouldn’t have been able to form a plan of any kind. He seemed to think it was some sort of spirit possession or animal protection. Perhaps he was right. Whatever it was, the twins were trapped. And now Nikolai was gone. And with no scent of food or tracks, they had no idea where to go other than the direction they’d been headed—the great mountains.
Stacia dropped the hunk of meat, wishing, above all else, she could talk to her sister. How ironic. They’d fought each other most of their lives, and now that they couldn’t communicate, what wouldn’t she give just to share a few words with her twin? She growled softly into the air, hoping that if Nik was somewhere nearby, he’d hear. Trying again, a bit louder, she stopped, listening, but heard nothing in reply.
Verusha had certainly thought she’d like to talk with her sister as well since their transformation, but at the moment she was circling the tree, searching for some sign or signal left behind by her friend. At last she found it. Letting out a snort, she pawed the tree and huffed until her sister joined her. Carved into the bark was a small arrow pointing east.
With a happy sort of chuff, Veru took off at a leap, almost galloping along the creek, only stopping long enough to drink deeply first. Stacia was about to follow but turned to look at the hunk of meat she’d dropped. It was really too big to bring along for any distance and too big to swallow, not to mention that she was still full of her dinner and hasty breakfast. With a small growl at the stupidity of the young man for heading off without them, she hurriedly stuffed the morsel under a raised root and scraped some leaves over it with a paw.
The human part of her knew it was highly unlikely they’d be back before the meat spoiled, but there was a cat instinct that told her to save the meal for later, that she just didn’t know when the next kill was likely to happen. With a quiet growl, she darted off after her sister, easily following her trail, and splashed through the water, cold droplets running down her red coat.
* * *
It took two days for Nik to find them, and during that time he learned something very interesting. Two things, really. First, he’d assumed the twins, as tigers, could track him. It seemed they couldn’t. Even though they were magical creatures, they appeared to be unable to find him when he was wearing his boots and tunic. That was a good thing, he supposed. It meant the Death Draughtsman wouldn’t be able to find him either.
The second thing he discovered was that as he tried to hurry ahead to find Veru, since he’d decided that she must have gone ahead without him, his speed increased and increased, to the point where the things around him became a blur. He also found he didn’t need to stop for rest or food, and within just a day he’d reached the foothills of the mountains, something that should have taken him more than a month.
Turning around, he headed back, careful to listen for the sound of a tiger’s cry. Luckily for him, he heard them from quite a distance off and was able to slow himself in time to find them facing down a lone wolf. Their roars had scared off the poor creature and served as a signal to him. It took only a few minutes to race into the glade where they’d cornered the creature, and he arrived in time to watch him run in the other direction.
Nik realized by then that it was the boots and tunic causing the problem for them and hastily sat on a log, removing the tunic. “There you are,” he cried as he tugged off the boots that showed no signs of wear, despite how far he’d traveled. “I’ve been looking for the two of you. You’ll never guess where I’ve been.”
Quickly the two tigers chuffed and trotted over to him. The golden one pressed her face into his chest, nudging him so hard he fell over the back side of the log. He laughed, but it sounded nervous even to his own ears as he climbed back up and sat again. “All right, Veru. Calm down. I’m here. Sorry I took off like that. I didn’t realize you couldn’t follow me. I’ll be more careful from now on. I’ve got good news though.”
The golden tiger laid down next to him with paws outstretched in his direction while the red tiger merely sat on her haunches, watching him intently.
“I’ve been to the mountains,” he exclaimed. “I know. It sounds crazy, but it’s true. These boots can travel fast. Quicker than horseback or by carriage, or even water. As far as I can tell, I spanned leagues in just a few moments.”
Nik paused. He wasn’t certain why. He knew the sisters couldn’t talk back, and yet he felt like he needed their approval somehow. “The thing is,” he said. “I don’t know if there’s a way to make them work for all three of us. Maybe if I touch you at the same time, or something?”
He rubbed his stomach. “Huh. I wasn’t hungry before, but suddenly I’m starving.” Nik licked his lips. “Thirsty too. I haven’t eaten or drank anything in the last two days. You two wouldn’t happen to know where there’s any food nearby, would you?”
The tigers looked at one another, and both cats rose to their feet. Nik reached into his bag and slipped on a different pair of shoes. “Guess I’ll use these for now, so you’ll know where I am. We’ll try out the other pair after we eat. Da?”
When a rumble came from the red tiger, Nik grunted in reply and slung his bag over his shoulder, wobbling a little when he stood up to follow them. They didn’t walk too far. Nik was grateful for that. He was starting to feel dizzy and very, very weak.
They stopped at what appeared to be a little farm complete with sheep, a few cattle, and some pigs. It was dusk and Nik figured he could probably scare up some milk, eggs, or cheese, or maybe find something saved for the animals in the barn. “You two stay here out of sight. Remember what the soldier said. Farmers are allowed to kill tigers. Poachers, too, I imagine, assuming they can catch me. But they might think twice about it at least. I’ll be back soon.”
Stacia and Veru crouched in the brush watching and waiting as the setting sun disappeared and the stars filled the sky. When the moon rose over the horizon, filling the little farm with pale rays of limpid light, they heard a dog bark. A second dog echoed the first. Quickly the bark was silenced. Then they heard a shout and a scream. They stood, hackles rising as they caught sight of a man running with a torch toward the barn. Another followed with a long, sharp sickle in hand. They heard a stamping sound nearby, and soon Nik had returned.
“Hurry—this way. They’ll be upon us soon,” he said.
They ran together, but Nik was slow, and the bright moon made hiding difficult. They heard the bark of not one but many dogs, and both Stacia and Veru knew the moment when the pack had caught their scent. The pursuing animals nearly erupted in a frenzy of yips and baying. The shouts of men followed as they crashed through the brush after them.
Continuing to run, the twins keeping slow pace with Nik, they could hear the pack quickly overtaking them. Veru glanced at her sister and with a gruff growl, whipped in a quick circle.
“Veru!” Nik whispered in alarm. “Don’t! You’ll get hurt!” He stumbled then and fell. Stacia stopped and pressed a paw on his chest, peering into his face in the moonlight, trying to convey to him to hide, then she was off, moving like lightning through the brush. Nik scurried backward, hiding himself behind a large rock, and stuffed a large hunk of rye bread in his mouth, chewing quickly, and then pulled the stopper from the leather.
He drank down half the bag—delighted to find it was spiced cider—and tore off another piece of bread when he heard a terrible roar and a scream of pain. Nik dropped his loaf of bread and grabbed his head, rocking back and forth, praying it wasn’t Veru. He didn’t know what he’d do if she was hurt. Tears pricked his eyes when he heard a yelp and a large body hit the ground. Quickly he rose, stuffing the bread in his bag. Putting on his boots, he centered himself, pulling the magic to him, and began moving toward the sound, not quickly but quietly.
When he arrived, he found some of the dogs dead and two people injured. The tigers were circling the remaining humans, two of which carried huge scythes, and they looked like they had the muscles to use them. Even from his hiding place and with the moon now hidden in the clouds, he could see both the tigers were injured with dog bites and long cuts on their shoulders and sides.
They’d need to heal. Could they even travel with injuries that bad? At least most of the dogs looked like they were in worse condition, if not dead. They wouldn’t be chasing them anytime soon. He thought they might be able to outpace the men, at least for a while. Softly, Nik cursed himself. He was a duraki. This was all his fault. Well, then the least he could do was get them to safety.
Racing back to the farm, he started a fire not at the barn but in a pile of hay outside it, near enough for them to be alarmed but far enough away that they’d likely be able to stop it before it spread. Then he shouted, “Pozhar! Fire!” until he was certain the cry had been picked up by others.
Once the men headed back to the farm and the growing blaze, he hurried back to the two tigers who had just dispatched the last snarling dog. Stacia was limping but she froze when he put a hand on her back. He asked, “Can you walk?”
She huffed in response.
“Come with me.”
Walking beside him, his hand still touching her neck, he crouched down next to Veru who was licking her bitten hind leg. She turned abruptly at his touch and snarled, baring her bloody fangs. “It’s me, Veru,” Nik said, backing away but then returning when she closed her mouth. “Can you walk on it for a bit? I want to try walking with my boots on while touching both of you to see if we can go a distance away.”
She returned to licking her back leg and growled when he touched her head but didn’t attack. He waited impatiently for her to finish seeing to her wound, keeping a hand on both tigers. Stacia sat next to him, waiting, and when Veru finally stood and the three of them began to move forward, walking slowly, both Stacia and Veru limping, their gaits moving in strange opposing ways, he wasn’t sure the magic boots were working.
They continued their slow progress, tracking time by the movement of the moon, and when it had gone halfway across the sky, they finally stopped. Nik didn’t sense a blur or feel as if the boots had created any speed for the three of them, but at least the farm had fallen behind them. When he stopped and pulled off the boots, he crouched down to examine the wounds on the tigers as best as he could in the dim light and was surprised to see they had fully healed during their walk.
“The boots created another miracle!” he exclaimed. “Your injuries are gone. I don’t know how far we’ve come, but that in and of itself is exceptional! Do you want to continue on, or would you like to rest for a time?”
Stacia stared at him for a moment, blinked, and then headed off to a patch of grass and then slumped down, laying her head on her paws, shutting her eyes almost instantly. Veru blew a hot breath on Nik’s hands and then moved over by her sister, yawning hugely and stretching before she, too, laid down to sleep.
“Okay, sleep it is,” Nik said. He didn’t bother making a fire at all but drank several swallows of the cider, then, using his bag as a pillow, made a bed for himself near the two tigers and fell asleep almost instantly.
* * *
The sun was well above the horizon when Nik woke, and the only reason he did was the unpleasant sensation of his body being saturated with a spray of water. He rose with a start, the hard sleep making his eyes sticky. “Gah!” he said, wiping the damp from his face. “Hey!”
Stacia guffawed and stalked away, her body still wet from her bath. Bending her upper body low to the ground, she lifted her rear in the air, twitching her tail. She relished the feeling of her entire spine stretching out.
Nik, seeing her tiger rear aimed at his face, reddened and looked away, just in time for him to get his face flicked with her red-and-black-striped tail. He rolled to the side and stood. “Keep your tail out of my face, would you?”
The red tiger wrinkled her nose and sneezed.
He pointed his finger at her. “You’d better not be laughing at me, Stacia.” Sitting on a log, he pulled out the magic boots and the crumbling rye bread. Taking a bite and chewing, he studied their surroundings. They’d walked in a southeasterly direction from the farm the night before, and though they hadn’t run, it was obvious they had indeed been moving faster than normal. Not as quickly as he’d been moving on his own, but much quicker than they could walk before.
When Veru walked up to him, he reached out and stroked the golden tiger on the head, not noticing when she pulled away and sat down. “Look, Veru. See those mountains? They’re closer. If we walk the same way or even try to run in tandem, I’ll bet we could make it there in a day or two.”
He looked at her. Even as a tiger she was prettier than her sister. “Are you hungry?” He tore off a piece of bread. “Want some?”
Holding it out on his palm, he smiled in a way he hoped looked charming, but the gold cat just looked at the meager offering and then up at him and turned and walked off. He heard a noise from behind and turned to see the red tiger. “I don’t suppose you want it?”
Growling softly, the red tiger stood and started walking after her sister, who had disappeared in the brush. Stacia then paused and waited patiently for him to follow.
“Where are we going?” he asked, shouldering his bag.
It didn’t take him long to figure out. The tigers led him to a small pool, where he filled up his now empty flagon along with the other skeins he’d brought with him. He also took the time to wash his face in the ice-cold water and wished he could wash his hair, but he knew it was much too cold for that. He’d have to wait until they were back in civilization. Apparently, such concerns didn’t bother Stacia and Veru; the golden tiger hopped into the pool, shook herself, then darted under and grabbed a fish for breakfast.
After they ate and drank, he donned his boots, put one hand on each tiger, and they began their journey again. They started off with a walk, then when he asked if they were ready, he increased the pace and found they could keep up, even when the speed was so fast the world around them grew hazy and distorted.
Nik was so excited by the weeks they were shaving off their journey and the new magic he’d discovered that he didn’t notice immediately when his love, the tsarevna Verusha, disappeared. He’d gotten so used to the feeling of fur beneath his fingers and the play of muscles as they moved together, the three of them as one, that they’d marched in a sort of musical rhythm.
When one player left the song, the music continued, and the march kept going, so he didn’t realize the fur and the tiger were missing. When he did, he grabbed hold of the ruff at Stacia’s neck and cried out, “Stacia! Veru’s gone!”