The Ranger of Marzanna (The Goddess War #1) - Jon Skovron Page 0,154
tense moment as Masha looked upon him with an indecipherable expression.
“Please come in out of the cold, Captain. I will see if she is available.”
Sebastian heaved an audible sigh of relief, only then realizing he’d been holding his breath. “Thank you, Masha. You are most kind.”
He stepped into the foyer and closed the door behind him as Masha went to find Galina. He stamped his feet a few times on the thick rug to warm them and looked around at this place, which had once seemed so strange and opulent to him, but now was more familiar to him than his own home. It was, he realized, the seat of all his happiness. Certainly, it was more welcoming than the garrison. While Vittorio seemed to have settled down somewhat, Sebastian still felt he could not let his guard down around the commander. And while he appreciated Zaniolo’s continued support and advice, he couldn’t help feeling that the sly general had his own agenda, of which Sebastian was only a small part. No, this place, Roskosh Manor, was the only place he still felt he could truly be himself.
“Sebastian.”
Galina’s voice was quiet, but he felt his heart would have heard her say his name even if it had been a whisper on the other side of the manor.
He turned and saw her standing at the foot of the stairs looking as radiant as the dawn.
“Galina, my love.” He hurried over and dropped to his knees in front of her. “I am so sorry. Will you forgive me?”
Her eyes were wide as she looked down at him. “I should forgive you?”
“I know I don’t deserve your clemency after suggesting that your love might waver because of something so banal as appearances.”
“Oh. That.”
She leaned forward, took his hands, then drew him up so that he stood once again.
“You do not need my forgiveness, Sebastian, for in that regard, there is nothing to forgive. Yes, your concern was shortsighted and inadvertently insulting, but it clearly sprang from a place of love, and I should not have treated you as harshly as I did.”
“Oh, my Galechka, you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.” He felt tears of relief sting his eyes, and he didn’t try to deny them. “If I had gone into battle thinking that you no longer loved me, I’m not sure what I would have done.”
“Is the battle nearly upon us, then?” she asked.
“Yes, my beloved. We had thought the Uaine and their terrible army of the undead would attempt to breach the western wall of the city, but instead they have veered north. We now believe they intend to attack the garrison directly by way of the Sestra River.”
“And there you will meet them in battle?” she asked solemnly.
He kissed her ink-stained hands, finding her knuckles at once sharp and soft on his lips.
“Don’t worry, my Galechka. The filthy Uaine will never see the inside of Gogoleth. I will defeat them at the Sestra River so that at last the empire will be able to bring peace to our fair land. I swear to you we will marry in a time when there will be no more need of battles and magic, and we will be free to fill our days with poetry and words of affection.”
Her smile was sad. Perhaps she worried for him, despite his assurance, but didn’t want him to think she didn’t have full confidence in his abilities. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.
“‘Our hearts beg us hold fast to love with a grip that never ceases,’” Galina quoted from Konstantin Zhukov’s Hopeless, Victorious. “‘But if we do, we may shatter our dreams. When we fall, it is in pieces.’”
He looked at her a moment, unsure why she had chosen that particular couplet. But it didn’t seem as though she planned to elaborate, so he only kissed her hands again.
“I must return to the garrison, my beloved, and prepare.”
“Good luck, my sweet volshebnik,” she told him. “May we find this peace you dream of.”
“It will be here before you know it!” he told her. “I swear!”
Her smile remained sad as she nodded. She stood in the foyer, her hands clasped in front of her as she watched him bow and leave.
He understood her sorrow, of course. Who would not feel bittersweet pride when seeing a loved one off to battle? But now, with her love restored to him, he was certain that nothing could prevent his victory.