like this.’ She stuffed it into her coat pocket.
‘I could say the same to you.’
Tanya raised her hand and brought the butt of her pistol down on the side of my neck. She wasn’t so fast that I didn’t see it coming, but it was as hard as I had ever been struck and I went down on one knee, pain flashing in my vision. As soon as I was down, Lyudmila knocked the hat from my head and took a fistful of my hair, yanking my head back until I was facing the sky. It was difficult to breathe with my head in that position and my throat stretched, pulling my mouth open. Tanya put the barrel of her pistol between my teeth and pressed it against my tongue.
She stared down at me, the rage clear in those cold blue eyes. I had no idea what she had been through, but if it was anything like my experiences, I could understand why the anger had risen in her. I had felt it too. Sometimes it was difficult to control, always boiling just under the surface. But now I was going to die.
I would never be able to find and protect Marianna and the boys.
‘You people are like poison. You spread death wherever you go.’ It was Lyudmila who spoke to me, and there was hate in her voice. ‘Kill him, Tanya.’
Tanya seemed to hear the contradiction in her friend’s words and she tried to push away the demon that had seized her. She withdrew the pistol, scraping the steel against my teeth. ‘Who
are
you?’ she asked.
‘I didn’t do this,’ I said. ‘This is my home. I promise you.’
Lyudmila tugged harder on my hair, and Tanya shifted as she tightened her grip on the pistol and pointed it at the bridge of my nose. ‘Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just kill you now.’
‘What’s changed?’ I asked. ‘From before. What’s changed? You know I didn’t do this.’
‘Just kill him,’ Lyudmila said. ‘He’s Red – I can smell it – and they’re all the same. All of them.’
‘You’re wrong,’ I told her. ‘We’re not all the same.’
‘Is that your one good reason?’ asked Tanya.
‘You need a reason not to kill me?’
Tanya said nothing.
‘You lost someone?’ I asked. ‘To this Koschei?’
Tanya narrowed her eyes and glanced at Lyudmila.
‘I have lost
everyone
,’ I said. ‘Two sons. Misha is fourteen. And Pavel . . . Pavel is just twelve years old.’
Tanya brought her left hand up to steady the pistol and she touched it to my forehead.
‘And my wife,’ I said, looking her in the eye. ‘She’s missing too. Her name is Marianna.’
Tanya glanced away to the lake and then back at me again.
‘So I have
three
good reasons,’ I said. ‘Not just one. Is that enough for you?’
Tanya took a step back and lowered the pistol a fraction.
‘I want to find them,’ I told her. ‘Just like you want to find whoever it is you’re looking for. That’s why you’re here, right? You’re looking for someone?’
She let her arm drop to her side, the pistol pointing at the ground, and she wiped her other sleeve across her mouth and nose, sniffing hard. ‘Let him go.’
Lyudmila gripped harder, squeezing my hair in her fist and tugging as if she wanted to rip it out of my scalp. ‘But he’s a—’
‘Let him go, Lyuda.’
She hesitated a moment longer, then pushed my head away, throwing it forward.
I rubbed the back of my neck and stayed as I was. ‘Maybe we can help each other.’
‘We don’t need your help,’ Tanya said.
‘Perhaps I need yours.’
‘Then you’ll have to manage without it.’
‘At least help me find the others,’ I said. I had been alone in the forest for many days already, and had grown accustomed to being without company, but there was something about the prospect of heading deeper into the trees alone today that I didn’t want to face. I was afraid of what I might find there.
Tanya looked at the ground and pursed her lips as if she were thinking about it.
‘We don’t know anything about him,’ Lyudmila said. ‘Maybe he even did this.’
Tanya shook
‘I could say the same to you.’
Tanya raised her hand and brought the butt of her pistol down on the side of my neck. She wasn’t so fast that I didn’t see it coming, but it was as hard as I had ever been struck and I went down on one knee, pain flashing in my vision. As soon as I was down, Lyudmila knocked the hat from my head and took a fistful of my hair, yanking my head back until I was facing the sky. It was difficult to breathe with my head in that position and my throat stretched, pulling my mouth open. Tanya put the barrel of her pistol between my teeth and pressed it against my tongue.
She stared down at me, the rage clear in those cold blue eyes. I had no idea what she had been through, but if it was anything like my experiences, I could understand why the anger had risen in her. I had felt it too. Sometimes it was difficult to control, always boiling just under the surface. But now I was going to die.
I would never be able to find and protect Marianna and the boys.
‘You people are like poison. You spread death wherever you go.’ It was Lyudmila who spoke to me, and there was hate in her voice. ‘Kill him, Tanya.’
Tanya seemed to hear the contradiction in her friend’s words and she tried to push away the demon that had seized her. She withdrew the pistol, scraping the steel against my teeth. ‘Who
are
you?’ she asked.
‘I didn’t do this,’ I said. ‘This is my home. I promise you.’
Lyudmila tugged harder on my hair, and Tanya shifted as she tightened her grip on the pistol and pointed it at the bridge of my nose. ‘Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just kill you now.’
‘What’s changed?’ I asked. ‘From before. What’s changed? You know I didn’t do this.’
‘Just kill him,’ Lyudmila said. ‘He’s Red – I can smell it – and they’re all the same. All of them.’
‘You’re wrong,’ I told her. ‘We’re not all the same.’
‘Is that your one good reason?’ asked Tanya.
‘You need a reason not to kill me?’
Tanya said nothing.
‘You lost someone?’ I asked. ‘To this Koschei?’
Tanya narrowed her eyes and glanced at Lyudmila.
‘I have lost
everyone
,’ I said. ‘Two sons. Misha is fourteen. And Pavel . . . Pavel is just twelve years old.’
Tanya brought her left hand up to steady the pistol and she touched it to my forehead.
‘And my wife,’ I said, looking her in the eye. ‘She’s missing too. Her name is Marianna.’
Tanya glanced away to the lake and then back at me again.
‘So I have
three
good reasons,’ I said. ‘Not just one. Is that enough for you?’
Tanya took a step back and lowered the pistol a fraction.
‘I want to find them,’ I told her. ‘Just like you want to find whoever it is you’re looking for. That’s why you’re here, right? You’re looking for someone?’
She let her arm drop to her side, the pistol pointing at the ground, and she wiped her other sleeve across her mouth and nose, sniffing hard. ‘Let him go.’
Lyudmila gripped harder, squeezing my hair in her fist and tugging as if she wanted to rip it out of my scalp. ‘But he’s a—’
‘Let him go, Lyuda.’
She hesitated a moment longer, then pushed my head away, throwing it forward.
I rubbed the back of my neck and stayed as I was. ‘Maybe we can help each other.’
‘We don’t need your help,’ Tanya said.
‘Perhaps I need yours.’
‘Then you’ll have to manage without it.’
‘At least help me find the others,’ I said. I had been alone in the forest for many days already, and had grown accustomed to being without company, but there was something about the prospect of heading deeper into the trees alone today that I didn’t want to face. I was afraid of what I might find there.
Tanya looked at the ground and pursed her lips as if she were thinking about it.
‘We don’t know anything about him,’ Lyudmila said. ‘Maybe he even did this.’
Tanya shook
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