was young then, but I remember being terrified of her. You never knew what she was going to do from one moment to the next.”
“That… does have a familiar ring to it,” admitted Jorge. “Sorry, this is just… a lot to take in.”
Anatoly let out one of his gravelly coughs. “I don’t know why you’re traveling with this human, Lisitsa. He isn’t even Izmorozian. How could he possibly understand?”
“But he is Izmorozian,” protested Sonya.
“With that brown skin and black hair?” asked Andre.
“It is true I am from Raíz, sir,” said Jorge.
“Yeah, but he lives in Izmoroz,” said Sonya. “He calls it his home so that makes him Izmorozian.”
“Nonsense!” said Anatoly. “An Izmorozian has to be from this land. He has to have it embedded in his bones and steeped in his blood.”
“But—” began Sonya.
“What is it you seek, little fox?” interrupted Tatiana. “Andre said you plan to ask foreigners for help?”
“Yeah, I’m going to cut a deal with the Uaine to help me get the empire out of Izmoroz.”
“Necromancers?” asked Anatoly. “As a servant to the Goddess of Death you want to ally yourself with those who defile death? That’s blasphemy! It’s heretical! It’s—”
He broke into a long, painful-sounding coughing fit. They all sat and waited, but once he was done, he merely gulped down some water and scowled at her.
“So then what’s your idea?” Sonya asked.
“My idea? About what?” he asked.
“Liberating Izmoroz, of course.”
He pulled his blanket more tightly around him. “There is no liberating Izmoroz. The sooner you accept that, the better.”
“What…” She couldn’t believe she was hearing this from a Ranger. “What do you mean?”
“We serve the Goddess of Death,” said Andre. “Our responsibility is to facilitate death and change, to make way for something new. Not just the death of people, but the death of countries and cultures. The Lady Marzanna has made it clear that it is time for Izmoroz to die.”
“No…” Sonya shook her head. “No, that can’t be right. Why do you think she brought me back? She wants me to save our people!”
“None can truly know the will of the Lady Marzanna,” Tatiana said. “And you should not speak so loudly with so many sensitive ears, little fox. You are our guest, and it is not seemly.” She looked reproachfully at Anatoly, then at Andre. “And you two should not crush the idealism of youth so callously. You were both young yourselves, once, though you may pretend not to remember. It is late, we are all tired. Now that our bellies are full, we should rest.”
Jorge touched Sonya’s hand. “I’m very tired, my friend. Let’s call it a night.”
Sonya took a slow breath, then nodded. She turned to the older Rangers. “I apologize for my outburst. I’m sure that once I’ve had some sleep, I’ll be in a much more respectful frame of mind.”
Little else was said as the candles and fire were extinguished and everyone stretched out on the thick fur rugs and fell asleep.
Sonya was up before anyone else. She quietly woke Jorge and indicated that it was time to go. He looked confused, but nodded. They collected their packs, then climbed up the tunnel and back to the surface.
The first pink rays of dawn stained the horizon as they continued their trek west across the tundra.
“I’m sorry that didn’t go well for you,” Jorge said after they had been walking for some time. “You were so excited to meet other Rangers at first.”
“Those aren’t Rangers,” she said quietly. “They’re cowardly ghosts haunting the tundra.”
32
Sebastian trained with General Zaniolo for hours a day. To avoid the ogling of the men, they practiced in Zaniolo’s spacious quarters. Sebastian was grateful for that, because after five days, he was only marginally better at executing the sweeping steps of the popular dances of Izmorozian society. Sebastian didn’t blame the general, of course. He had always been clumsy, a failing that his sister had never passed up an opportunity to ridicule when they were children.
Now he recalled some of those embarrassing childhood memories as he sat next to Commander Vittorio in the carriage that conveyed them to the engagement ball. Amid the ebb and flow of his anxiety, he was able to appreciate the fact that at least his sister wouldn’t be there to laugh at him.
That thought reminded him of something he’d been meaning to ask the commander. “Sir, has there been any news of my sister?”
The commander gave him a somber look. “I suppose it is natural on this momentous day for