Chapter 22 #2
Nikolai didn’t know what to expect, but apparently everyone else did.
The osculation session stopped, and they all gripped a bar overhead.
Not thinking to do the same, Nik fell awkwardly into the lap of his seat partner when the carriage suddenly lurched sideways, and then they took to the air.
He apologized and sat up, but the girl didn’t even respond.
Out the small window, he could see the driver clearing the tops of the trees and then the man lifted a knout, cracking the whip in the air above the heads of the strange birds, who had spread out and were flying in two long lines, pulling the carriage behind them.
He looked out the window and saw they’d climbed high and far.
A wide, ice-clogged river ran snakelike through the forest and up toward some glacial peaks.
Far out on the blue water, he could just make out a narrow, wooden fishing boat, struggling to haul in a catch.
Sometimes he felt like that fisherman—caught between summer and winter, toiling in an in-between place, waiting for one season or the other to take hold just so he could move on with life.
Imagining he was that fisherman, Nik thought about just how easy it would be to simply kick one leg and then the other over the side of the boat and slip into those icy waters.
There were days when it seemed to him that the effort was just too hard.
Were fish even worth that much work? Did anyone care if he came back with a catch at all? Who was he doing all this for, anyway?
The carriage lurched again, and Nik caught himself staring directly into Pasha’s eyes.
The man shook his head with a too-knowing expression and pointed to his own back, mouthing, “The sorrow.” Nik ignored him and turned back to the window.
If there was a giant sorrow weighing him down, it certainly would sink him down in that river quickly enough.
He wondered again if Veru would even miss him, assuming she was still alive, and if she was, she probably blamed him for all that had happened.
He certainly blamed himself. Nik hadn’t been smart trying to run after her.
If he had stayed where he was, at least he’d be with the others.
Fat lot of good his special gifts had done for him.
If Veru was dead, that was on him too. It would serve him right to lose the only person left the world who meant anything to him.
The seat groaned as he sank in it further.
He did feel it that time. His boots might work now.
Maybe he could run. Go looking for her again.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. “I’ve got one too, by the way.”
“Wh-what?” Nik asked, distracted from his thoughts.
“A sorrow. Pasha says mine’s small, but it’s still there. Yours is big enough even I can see it. Sorry.”
“Oh. I can’t. See yours or mine, I mean.”
“Yeah. They say when they get that big, they cloud your vision. Make you blind to reality. Makes sense now.”
“I guess. So you’re . . . Pushka, right?”
“Da. Fun name, isn’t it? My sestra teases me about being pushy. I’m not though.”
“I wouldn’t have assumed you were,” Nik said. “Or that you had a sorrow. Is there a way to get rid of them?”
“It’s hard to do. There’s something about finding your inner peace or making peace with who you are. I don’t know. Theories abound on the subject.”
“Pasha said I have to experience ultimate joy.”
“Yeah. He told me the same thing. Then he also said most people carry around a little sorrow. It’s like the common cold. Everyone gets it at some point. The trick is not letting it defeat you. Or building up an immunity to it or something.”
“I guess. The thing is, I don’t think I ever have.”
“Ever have what?”
“Experienced ultimate joy. I mean, I don’t know what it would feel like.”
“You mean you’ve never been happy?”
“Well, I’ve had moments, I suppose. But true bliss? No. You?”
“I’m not sure, I guess.”
“Of course you haven’t,” Pasha declared, interrupting.
“You two are babies still sucking at the teats of the world. Does a baby feel bliss? No. A baby is content, or a baby is upset. Bliss can only be achieved by those who are enlightened enough to understand the hardships of the world. How can you know the difference between joy and pain, between sadness and happiness, if you don’t have enough life experience to compare the two?
What you need to do is to stop wallowing in your tiny little life puddles and go for a swim in the big people’s pool.
There’s an entire ocean of experiences waiting out there for you.
Put a few decades beneath your boots, and then I’ll listen to you talk about sorrow.
Right now, at your age, there’s too much life ahead of both of you to give in to that beast.”
“But you don’t know what I’ve—”
“Been through? Son, don’t forget who I am.
” Pasha leaned forward. “I’m the Bringer of Misery, remember?
I’ve cursed them young and old, and I’ve seen it all.
The thing is, a curse can be broken, and even a one-eyed demon of disaster can find love.
I’ve seen it. Do you know there are some people in this world who are so determined to be happy that they can find it no matter how difficult their life circumstances?
They are special souls indeed. I call them the ‘cream of the crop, for they rise to the top.’”
“I’ve heard of people like that,” Nik said. “They ‘paint the world in roses,’ or so the expression goes. That means they’re ignorant of reality. Simpleminded.”
“No, boy. Not simpleminded. Not ignorant. They simply have a gift for finding the good. They let the bad fall away from them and hold on to the good no matter how small it may be and learn to find joy in that little thing. That’s why they’re the cream.
Cream rises to the top of the milk jug. It’s all the fat.
All that’s good in the world. You just need to learn to find the joy, boy.
Float on it. Float to the top. Let the rest sink away like dregs. ”
“Find the joy, you say? Float to the top?”
“That’s right.” Pasha leaned back. “And there’s no better place to float than the Novgorod Games. And don’t think of running either. I see it in your expression. A deal’s a deal. Trust me. You don’t want to get on my bad side.”
Nik frowned. “Fine. I’ll stay through the end of the Games.”
“That’s all I ask.”
A faint cheer rose in the air, and Polina clapped her hands. “We’re almost there! Can we place some bets?”
“Of course, my dumpling,” Pasha said. Turning, he called through the window, “Take us straight to the gambling section.”
“Yes, sir!” the driver replied.
Nik glanced out the window and was shocked to see not only huge mountains but many such vehicles in the sky circling the largest of them. There were even what appeared to be dragons flying in the air.
“Incredible!” he mumbled as he leaned out further to take in the sights.
Banners of multiple colors flew from every direction, and as they passed over many arenas, he saw a myriad of creatures gearing up for battle games as well as spectators of all types waving flags, queuing at vendors, buying souvenirs, or heading to tents or coaches or chariots that hovered or were parked at various places all over the mountain.
Smoke rose from multiple cookfires, bringing with it the smells of succulent roasting meats and vegetables or baked goods and sweets.
Suddenly, he found he was anxious to get out and see everything.
“Glad you came, boy?” Pasha said with a too-smug grin on his face.
“I am. Though I’m still holding you to your promise to teach me a bit of magic.”
The man held up his hands. “A bargain’s a bargain.”
They pulled up alongside the main thoroughfare and the door opened.
Pasha got out and helped Polina. Once Nik and Pushka were on the cobblestone path, the birds screeched, and the carriage took to the sky.
Pasha tucked Polina’s arm in his, then tossed Nik a small bag.
“Here. This is for you and Pushka. Show her around a bit. Place a few bets. Get something to eat. We’ll meet you back here in a few hours. ”
Nik hissed. “We’re supposed to stick together, remember?”
“It’s only for a while, boy. You don’t want to watch us do everything, do you?” Pasha said, his eyes wide.
Wincing, Nik said, “I suppose not. Fine. Two hours. No more.”
“Six hours. See you around, boy. Have fun. Find something joyous to do.”
“Right. Joyous.” Nik and Pushka watched them leave, and then Nik offered her an arm and said, “Well, shall we find something joyous and floaty?”
Pushka laughed, and it didn’t make him nervous like when he was with Veru.
She was a bit taller than her sister but still on the short side, which made Nik feel rather tall.
She took hold of her purple veil and tossed it over her head.
She had two eyes like her sister. They were blue.
Not a deep blue, like Veru’s, but they were still nice.
Her jaw was very square, but she had a nice smile.
“Would you like to place some bets or get something to eat?” he asked politely.
“Eat, definitely. But I’m also happy to follow your lead.”
Nik had always served the tsarevnas. He’d never had someone ask him what he’d prefer before. He rather liked it. “Why don’t we look around at the different vendors first and see which looks most interesting, and then we’ll try a few things?”
“Sounds perfect.”
They spent the next couple of hours sampling a variety of foods, some of which they really enjoyed, others they found they had differing opinions on, while others they both loathed entirely.
It was a rather fun game. Soon they were both stuffed and declared they couldn’t take another bite.
They sat and watched one of the events, and Pushka seemed happy to listen to Nik describe the various skills in the different contenders.
She suggested that since he seemed to know so much about fighting, he should observe the warriors and then keep a tally so they could place bets using his knowledge and therefore improve their odds of winning.
Pushka volunteered to take notes while he made observations since she couldn’t abide bloodshed.
They purchased a little book with a few pens and had made several entries by the time they met up with Pasha and Polina again.
Nik was actually a bit sad to see his time with Pushka end.
He’d found her a rather interesting companion and easy to talk with.
“Well,” Pasha said. “I see the two of you have been getting on.”
“Yes,” Pushka said. “We were just getting ready to place some bets. Would you like to come with us?”
“What’s this?” Polina asked her sister, taking the book from her gloved hands. She thumbed through the book, and Nik could see how doing so irritated her sister.
Offering his arm again, he said, “Pushka, bring your notes and we’ll place our bets before the evening events begin; then we should get some dinner, don’t you think?”
“Perhaps that little Strike It Rich Cantina we wanted to try?”
“The one where we have to pan for our supper? Sounds interesting.”
“And you never know. You might find a gold nugget along with your side salad,” Pushka said with a laugh as she took Nikolai’s arm.
“You two are welcome to join us, if you like,” Nik said smoothly as he lifted Pushka’s notebook from Polina’s grasp and then turned his date toward the betting booths.
Polina sulked at the treatment, but Pasha grinned. “Look at that, why don’t you?” he said under his breath.
“What?” Polina said, fluffing her hair.
“Boy’s sorrow shrunk at least an inch. Told you your sister would be good for him.”
“As good as I am for you?”
“Now, darlin’,” Pasha said, turning to his date, “nobody is as good as you. And don’t you know it!”
Polina brightened and rubbed noses with Pasha, then wound her arm through his. As they strolled behind the others, she said, “Every man needs a good woman. Those who don’t have one end up being truculent to everyone else around them and a plague to themselves.”
“Don’t I know it,” he agreed.
They approached the betting station where Pushka was checking the notes in her book and Nik was scanning the upcoming events. Suddenly, he turned, his face white.
“Pasha!” he said, taking hold of the shorter man’s coat. “My friends are here! At least one of them. Maybe more!”
“What do you mean?”
“See that?” Nik said, pointing to the headline event happening later in the week.
“Which one?”
“The one that says ‘tigers.’”
“You’re friends with the tiger trainers?” Pushka asked, confused.
“Not the trainers. With the tigers.”
“I don’t think I understand what he’s saying, Pushka,” Polina said.
Frustrated, Nik ran a hand through his hair.
“It says right there on the program—a black, a red, a gold, and an ivory tiger. Those are my friends. They can change into tigers. Those are their tigers’ colors.
Well, not the ivory one. I have no idea who that is.
But the others. That’s Veru, Stacia, and Iriko! ”
“You’re saying those tigers are people?” Pushka asked.
“Yes!” Nik nodded excitedly.
“Is this possible?” Polina asked.
“Stranger things have happened,” Pasha said. “Why don’t you stay here, lad, and let me see if I can find out more.”
The three had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity when Pasha finally pushed his way back through the crowd to their sides.
“Okay. Here’s what I learned about them.
A group of underwater creatures called the vodnik brought the black tiger here.
He was recently sold to a high bidder who has arranged the big match between him and the other three cats for a high-stakes game.
It seems he owns all of them. There’s no word on any of them changing to a human form. Sorry, lad.”
“Can you get me in to see them?” Nik leaned in. “Just tell me where to go. You know I could get in on my own with the tunic and boots.”
Pasha rubbed the back of his neck. “The contenders are very heavily guarded, son. By magic. Magic that could very well see through other magic, if you take my meaning. It’s dangerous. Not even I would risk trying to pull off something like that.”
“You’ve got to, Pasha. Please! They . . . they’re my family.”
“Oh, won’t you help him?” Pushka asked.
“He does seem rather sincere, pumpkin.”
Pasha looked at the three hopeful faces and said, “Very well. I’ll see what I can do.”