"Katerina, wasn't that the Montenegrin crown prince?" the empress asked amid the confusion of the shouting and scuffling as everyone hurried down the stairs. The sounds of swords clashing rang from the field outside. The battle had begun.
"The lich tsar has taken possession of the crown prince's body, Your Imperial Majesty," I said. And I had just let him steal the Morning Star from me. With the Grigori fighting on his side, he would be able to defeat the bogatyr, and it would be my fault. I had to steal the sword back from him. I pushed my way through the crowd and raced down the stairs and outside, searching for the lich tsar without another word to the empress.
Militza's vampires had joined the battle, but there were equal numbers of vampires still loyal to Konstantin. The latter wanted revenge against the vampire who had killed Princess Cantacuzene, and the field was quickly turning into a bloodbath.
The wolf pack I'd seen waiting near Grand Duchess Ella had formed a front on the far side of the lawn and were attacking the Grigori now under Konstantin's control. I hadn't seen the Grigori in battle before, and it was frightening to behold. Fiery wings stretched out from their shoulder blades and they attacked the wolves with flaming swords. I held my breath as one of the silvery-white wolves leapt out of a Grigori's reach just in time.
Members of the Order of St. John, led by my brother and his Preobrajensky Regiment, charged into the fray. I could not see Prince Kotchoubey, but I said a prayer for him, hoping he would return to Dariya safely. My undead soldiers, the members of the Order of St. Lazarus, did not seem to know what to do. They stood silently at attention, the normal blank stare on their faces. "Katerina!" my brother shouted. "They are waiting for your command!"
How stupid of me. Fumbling, I pulled the Talisman of Isis from around my neck and held it up. I pricked my thumb and let a drop touch the stone held by the goddess. "The blood of Isis, the soul of Isis, the power of Isis is mine," I said firmly.
A cold wind swept across the field as the undead soldiers seemed to become more animated. "Defend your true tsar, Alexander Alexandrovich! Protect the wolves!" I cried across the field. I hoped they would stand up to the flaming swords better than Alix and her sisters. Grim-faced, the Order of St. Lazarus clustered together and formed a long line of defense, then marched toward the Grigori.
The bogatyr was out on the battlefield now as well, circling Konstantin. The lich tsar might have had command of the supernatural Grigori, but the Morning Star did not give him the same supernatural strength that the bogatyr possessed. The bogatyr could still overpower him with sheer might. But Konstantin had black necromancy on his side as well. With a wave of his hand, the Morning Star began to glow with snakelike tendrils of cold light. The bogatyr had to take care not to get too close.
I used my talisman to focus my own cold light powers. I cast shadows around the Grigori, hoping to slow them down, but they were immune. And so were the undead Lazarus soldiers, who kept marching steadfastly, despite being ripped to shreds by the ruthless Grigori.
My shadows did help Militza and her vampires, though. I blanketed them with darkness that hid them from Konstantin's blood drinkers. They began to gain the edge, and the boost spurred them on in their bloodlust.
The empress still remained within the palace, but I could feel her fae magic raining down upon us. The same shimmering that I felt when she stared at me with her Sight wove its way across the battlefield. It was a cool, refreshing shimmer that lifted the soldiers' spirits and gave them courage. Their cold lights dimmed and their resolve to triumph dug in.
Miechen was creating glamours: images of frightening imps and sprites that flashed in front of the Grigori. Unable to tell which target was real and which was an illusion, they wasted a lot of their strength chasing the dark faerie's images. The Koldun stood close to his wife, keeping the protective wards around her in place.
Papus and the other mages from the Inner Circle concentrated on protecting the soldiers of the Order of St. John. Papus caught my eye and gave me a grim smile as he cast wards around the tsarevitch. Perhaps George had already spoken to him about his dying wish. I choked back tears. This was not the time to mourn.
I worried most for the bogatyr. Konstantin could not destroy his cold light as utterly as he had done with George's in the Graylands. This was the land of the living. But he could still manipulate cold light. Just as I could.
I had no idea if I was strong enough to affect the cold light of the lich tsar, who was really not a lich anymore but the flesh-and-blood false tsar in the crown prince's body. If only Danilo's cold light still existed, I might be able to unravel it from Konstantin's and surprise him in his weakened state. Perhaps that would be enough of a distraction to allow the bogatyr to get the upper hand.
I touched the talisman around my neck and felt my cold light growing more powerful. I pulled the light in tightly until I could feel it sizzling up and down my spine. Standing in the midst of the blood and bodies on the battlefield, I unleashed the cold light and sent it to Konstantin. It stunned him, but only momentarily. As I attacked the strands of his cold light, searching mentally for any that might still belong to Danilo, I focused on my bond with the crown prince. "Danilo, are you still in there at all?"
There was a mental tug in my mind. It was feeble, but I felt it all the same. "You must fight Konstantin," I thought. "I know you are strong enough."
Several strands of cold light began to shift and separate from the rest of the light surrounding Konstantin. "That's it, Danilo! Fight against him!" My own strands snaked toward his, tentatively reaching out like helping hands. The cold light that belonged to the crown prince looped around with my own and held fast. I closed my eyes and concentrated on pulling as hard as I could.
Konstantin stumbled back, his balance upset by the disturbance. I sent another strand of cold light out like a whip, knocked the sword loose from his hand, and made a mad dash toward the fallen sword. Konstantin scowled and threw a blast of cold light that slammed into me and dropped me to the ground. I was too stunned to pick myself up.
From high above the palace, a large gray owl swooped down with an angry shriek. I held my breath as the creature dove at Konstantin. The striga. Angrily, he swatted at the bird, but she darted away, out of his reach. On her second pass, she drew blood from his arm. She was fast, and again and again she dove at him, striking with her talons and beak as many times as she could.
I realized she was trying to distract him, so I dragged myself toward the sword while I had the chance. Konstantin glanced at me and snarled. With another blast of cold light, he hit the striga, and she fell to the earth with a cry.
"Maman!" I shouted helplessly. I was so focused on her I did not see the bogatyr swing his sword down and cut off one of the lich tsar's hands. Konstantin roared in pain as he tried to grab the Morning Star before I could.
Blinded by angry tears, I had just enough time to scoop up the sword and roll out of the way before Konstantin sent another burst of his cold light hurtling toward me. It struck the dirt mere inches away, shaking the ground. I slowly picked myself up, clutching the sword tightly.
Every last one of the Grigori stopped fighting and looked across the field toward me. "She holds the Morning Star!" someone shouted. "What is thy command, lady?" It was the elder Grigori who had accompanied me and Danilo and Mala in Egypt.
"Defend the true tsar!" I shouted the words so loudly I thought my throat would bleed. "All hail Alexander the Third!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the striga shake her feathers and fly off the field. I breathed a quick sigh of relief. She'd only been stunned by Konstantin's blow.
Only a few vampires loyal to Konstantin Pavlovich remained. They were soon surrounded by the forces loyal to the bogatyr. Militza descended upon them viciously. She was not about to let any of the traitors survive.
The bogatyr forgotten in his rage toward me, Konstantin had regained his footing and was storming across the field. "You have interfered with my plans for the last time, necromancer!" he roared. I was frightened, but I pulled in my cold light powers once more and prayed for strength.
Raising his remaining hand, Konstantin shot out a burst of cold energy that would have knocked me senseless if the empress's shimmering light had not intercepted it.
I did not have time to thank her. Konstantin raised his hand again and I took my chance. Reaching out with my cold light to meet him, I sank the Morning Star into his belly and then shouted the incantation from A Necromancer's Companion that would carry both of us into the Graylands, away from the bloody battlefield. "Open the path, thou doorkeepers of the dead!" I shouted, my voice almost completely gone. "Open the path for she who walks between both worlds!"
The battlefield fell away with a loud rushing sound, like the flapping of a million bird wings. The two of us were in the Graylands once again, surrounded by the familiar gray mist. I hated that I was getting used to the feeling of walking between the two worlds. I did not want this place to feel familiar at all.
Konstantin was temporarily bound by my cold light, but I knew it would not hold him for long. I had to recite the ritual of the second death to keep him from coming back.
"You...," he gasped. "You have the blackest soul of any human I've ever met."
I did feel very black and very cold at that moment. He'd killed George. And I wanted him to pay for that. Every fiber of my being wanted him banished to oblivion. I wanted every last bloodthirsty Egyptian god of the dead to come and eat his heart.
But it wasn't the lich tsar I saw when I raised my sword. It was the crown prince, whose body the lich tsar possessed. I was angry on behalf of Danilo too. Angry at his mother and his sister and Princess Cantacuzene for damning him with their plots and schemes. For all of his own faults, he never deserved this.
But I had to protect the tsar from Konstantin Pavlovich. In order to make sure all of Russia was safe, the lich tsar had to die the second death. I raised the Morning Star above his head, ready to deliver the final blow.
And I knew it would not bring George back.
If I killed Konstantin, I would be no better than he. I would have a heart blacker than the crown prince's eyes, and my soul would be lost. I lowered the sword and wiped tears of frustration from my eyes.
I saw a spiral-shaped light wavering a little ways off from us. It was the tendrils of the crown prince's cold light that I had dragged with me when I brought Konstantin back to the Graylands.
"Katerina, I am free. Protect the tsar and give Konstantin his second death. His heart will be judged much harsher than yours. Your heart has been judged and it is true."
It was Danilo's voice in my head.
"If I destroy Konstantin, will you be able to return?"
"While there is life, there is always hope," he replied.
"But where there is death," I thought painfully, "there is no hope." I did not want to destroy Danilo's chances of returning. But I had to believe I was doing the right thing.
Numbly, I raised the sword and recited the words of the ritual of the second death. "No sun shall rise over your grave. No birds will sing for you. Nothing but eternal rest waits for you, Konstantin Pavlovich." The talisman around my neck felt warm. An icy chill slid down my spine, my cold light giving me strength as I swung the blade at Konstantin's neck. His head tumbled to the floor, bloodless and eyes closed.
I saw Danilo's cold light slowly fade away. "No!" I whispered. I felt like a monster. I let the sword fall from my hands, and it clattered to the floor. I had held some hope that even if I couldn't save George, I would be able to save Militza's brother. But he had disappeared as well, and now I had more sorrowful news to bring back from the Graylands. It made me not want to return to the land of the living at all.
Both Konstantin's body and his head dissolved into bright cold light and then faded into the mist. There was nothing left of him or the crown prince. The lich tsar was gone; it was all over.
I picked up the Morning Star and stood slowly. What if I did not return to the land of the living? I did not belong with my family and friends anymore. George would not be there. And I could not stand the thought of facing his parents again. The look of grief on their faces had been too much for me to bear. I'd broken Nicholas's heart. I did not want to see that I'd broken Xenia's as well.
So I decided I would stay in the Graylands. The tsar did not need Katerina Alexandrovna anymore.