The Second Archon War: Comoedia Glacialis 12 (Patreon)

Comoedia Glacialis 12: The Hero arrives, Stage Left

Checking her bags one more time, Anastasia smiled giddily. At last, she would be reunited with Tolney! It had been nearly three months since she’d last seen him, and despite near daily phone calls and texting, she still missed him. It was by far the longest they’d been apart their entire lives. She hadn’t missed him constantly, but that was only because she’d found someone else to be her strong protector. 

“All these in the car?” Thoma asked, picking up two of Anastasia’s bags.

 She laughed and nodded. “Yes, but you don’t need to show off. You can have one of the servants do it.”

“And deprive myself of the opportunity to serve you, my lady? Perish the thought,” Tolney chuckled as Anastasia rested her arm on his shoulder. He moved his face close to her’s and whispered, “Soon. We’ll talk with Anatoly and-”

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. 

They broke apart and looked up the stairs to see a determined-looking Kollei, gamely heaving an oversized trunk down the stairs, her face red as she strained to keep it from crashing down the flight. 

Thoma dropped the suitcases he was carrying and dashed over, grabbing the bottom of the trunk and grunting. “What did you put in here, Kollei? Rocks?”

“No, books,” she grunted, still straining mightily. “And food.”

“Did you pack every book you own?” Thoma chuckled, guiding the chest down the rest of the stairs. 

“No, I left the Early Reader books because I don’t need them anymore,” Kollei said reasonably as they lowered the trunk to the bottom of the stairs. “I can already sound out the really simple words.”

Anastasia and Thoma shared a look and a smile. “We don’t need to bring everything with us on this trip, Kollei. It will still be here in Saint Petersburg when we come back,” Anastasia explained. 

“Well, then why did you bring three bags?” Kollei said stubbornly, folding her arms over her chest. “I only brought one.”

“I think your one has more in it than Miss Nastya’s,” Thoma said with a sigh. He pried open then lid, then raised an eyebrow. “And you brought food for the journey, I see.” 

There were a dozen cans of food, as just as many MRE packets in the trunk, besides about thirty different books that varied in thickness from small easy readers to hefty dense tomes. There were also two pistols with a box of ammo, three knives, a hatchet, a mess kit, and an extra pair of boots. Shoved at the bottom were two spare changes of clothes, though there were four sets of socks.

“Kollei,” Anastasia groaned, rubbing her forehead. She smiled at Thoma. “Will you tell them we shall be departing a bit late?”

“It’s a private jet, they await your pleasure,” Thoma assured her. “I’ll let Anatoly know we’ll be delayed.”

Taking Kollei’s hand, Anastasia led her back up stairs, where she very firmly selected ten outfits for Kollei to wear, with appropriate shoes and jackets as it was still chilly in early spring. Then she helped Kollei pack the toiletries she would need, from toothbrush to cosmetics and sanitary pads. 

“I could just use a rag,” Kollei complained. 

“No, we’ll get more if we need them, but we’re going to be with a bunch of men on what amounts to a military expedition, so you can bet none of them brought any. You’re a lady now, and that means being prepared, even if there isn’t much in the way of help there,” Anastasia said firmly. 

After that, Thoma helped Kollei select no more than ten books, and only three MREs and one can of food. “There will be plenty of food on the plane, and at the camp. You can bring some for emergencies, but you don’t need enough for the entire trip. And ten books is plenty for a two week trip.”

“Well, I’m not leaving my weapons,” Kollei said, sticking her chin out willfully.

“Neither am I,” Anastasia said, and showed Kollei the pistol she had concealed in her coat. “Though you do not need an entire box of ammo.”

“Put one knife in your boot, like this,” Thoma advised. “Then one in the small of your back, and the last on your hip. There, that’s better.”

With Kollei repacked, they loaded everything into a car. Anastasia noted that Thoma had only two bags himself, and wondered if she should have overseen his packing as well. He was a grown man, but he didn’t have Anatoly’s sense of style and taste for good clothing. She giggled, thinking of dressing Thoma in more flattering suits. That did sound like fun. 

After a short drive to the airport, they met Elana waiting for them on the plane. “You’re late. What were you up to?” She asked, sounding suspicious.

“They wouldn’t let me bring my books,” Kollei complained, which caused both Anastasia and Thoma to roll their eyes. 

“She had a trunk of books and food and only two wrinkled outfits. I helped her pick something more suitable,” Anastasia explained as they boarded the plane. 

Kollei ended up sitting with Thoma and insisting on another reading lesson, while Anastasia sat with Elena and enjoyed some refreshments. 

“Nastya…have you told Tolyan what is happening?” Elena asked quietly, glancing over at Thoma and Kollei meaningfully. 

“Oh yes, though he’s not terribly interested in how well Kollei is doing with her studies. The Tsaritsa has been very interested though, and is glad to hear that we’ve been seeing to her education,” Anastasia assured Elena. 

“That’s…not what I meant. Anastasia…you haven’t been as discrete as you think you have,” Elena said, her eyes darting over to Thoma. 

Her breath hitched in her throat, and Anastasia felt herself flush. She forced herself to take a deep breath and smiled. “As much as part of me wishes there was something to tell …there isn’t.”

“Nastya, we’ve known each other for years. And for most of that time, you’ve had a crush on Thoma. And this is the first time Tolyan has been gone for an extended period. You can’t just say nothing happened. I’ve seen the way you look at one another, and your brother will too,” Elena hissed. 

Now Anastasia was growing irritated, partly out of guilt, and party because nothing really had happened, despite her best efforts. “We are both adults. Thoma is my brother’s most trusted Lieutenant. And he’s strong and reliable. So what if I am fond of him? Besides, I’ll speak to Tolyan about it when we arrive.” 

“Well, I hope it’s not too late,” Elena said, turning away.

Anastasia was about to say something hot and scathing when the plane suddenly shuddered, then she screamed as a red-cloaked man rose up from the floor of the plane between the two sets of chairs. Thoma lept up immediately, a red barrier forming about himself and Kollei. 

“Do not resist, and you will not come to harm,” the man, who could only be the Red Ghost said. 

“What is the meaning of this, Ruvim?” Thoma demanded, his voice muffled through his barrier as he tried to move closer to Anastasia and Elena. Ruvim forestalled him by drawing a pair of daggers and pointing them at the two women. 

“You know perfectly well what this is, Red Shield. The Red Gauntlet finds itself in need of hostages. These three girls will do nicely. Don’t make me kill you in the process of obtaining them,” Ruvim said flatly. 

Thoma opened his mouth, but Kollei suddenly dropped her pistol and raised her hand. “Fine. You can take me.”

“Kollei, don’t-” Thoma began, but she shook her head. 

“It’s alright. You know what my mother will do when she finds out someone has taken me,” Kollei said calmly. 

“Perhaps, or perhaps she will be reasonable,” Ruvim said with a shrug as Thoma reluctantly lowered his barrier. “Come here, girl.”

Kollei stepped forward, with Ruvim pointing one of his daggers towards Thoma. He sheathed the other, putting a hand on Kollei. “Now, I will-”

In a flash, Kollei drew one of her knives and plunged it into Ruvim’s side. He grunted in shock, taking a swipe at Kollei, but Thoma’s barrier sprang back to life around her. Ruvim went transparent, and dropped through the floor, leaving behind a blood spatter. 

“Now you’ve done it,” Thoma groaned, grabbing Kollei and then wrapping one arm around Anastasia. “Elena, grab hold of me, quickly!” 

Elena sprang onto Thoma’s back, and a red sphere wrapped themselves around them as Anastasia clung tightly to Thoma. “Hold on tightly, Nastya. This is going to be-”

The starboard wing of the plane was suddenly ripped away, as the Crow floated up to them, trailing her shadowy bird. She didn’t speak, only shaking her head in mock disappointment. 

“What can we do?” Anastasia asked, feeling panic rising within her. It would be fine. Thoma was here. He would protect them. 

“There isn’t much I can do in the middle of the sky,” Thoma said, his voice calm, but strained. “My power is not purely defensive, but it is best suited to defense. Unfortunately, in this situation, there is little I can try.”

“We could shoot her,” Kollei suggested, producing her second pistol. 

“For that to happen, I would have to drop my barrier. And I do not think that wise at this moment,” Thoma said with a quick shake of his head, even as the plane began to nose dive. The Crow smirked at them, then the plane suddenly righted. Anastasia felt a surge of hope, then her heart sank to her shoes as she spied the massive, oddly shaped craft that was coming alongside them, scooping up the wreckage of the plane and Thoma’s protective barrier. It was clearly one of the Red Gauntlet’s custom jobs, with alien looking engines and odd contours. 

“Can you stop the craft from kidnapping us?” Elena asked, her voice tense.

Thoma nodded, but grimaced. “I could expand my barrier to a size that might damage it, but that seems unwise. If it stops flying, we start falling. And my barrier wouldn’t save us from hitting the ground at terminal velocity.”

Anastasia closed her eyes, burying her face in Thoma’s chest as her heart thundered in her ears. Why? Why was she so powerless in a world of gods and monsters? Not even her knight could protect her now.

There was a deafening explosion, and Thoma’s barrier shuddered, and Anastasia’s eyes snapped open. She saw the Crow, flinging her projectiles wildly at some unseen foe as the Gauntlet craft fell away, smoking and burning. Joy filled her heart, and she grinned fiercely. It must be her brother, or the Tsaritsa! The Crow was blasted away by fireball, and she frowned. Wait, no, that wasn’t-

Then a figure cloaked in green with a steel grey mask was standing beside them. The wreckage of the plane had come to a stop, floating in midair as one of the most terrifying men in the world alighted beside them. A moment later, a door appeared, and that odd American woman, Contessa, stepped out onto the same platform. 

“Hello!” Contessa said cheerily, waving merrily. She rapped her knuckles against the barrier, though it didn’t make much of a sound. “Mind opening up?”

Thoma swallowed, then said in a low whisper, “If we would have struggled against the Ghost and Crow, I cannot hope to fight Eidolon and his companion. I am sorry. I have failed you.”

“It’s alright,” Anastasia said, feeling light-headed. “I don’t suppose many could. Lower the barrier.”

Thoma nodded, and the red shield vanished. Anastasia looked around, seeing they were on what seemed like a floating cloud. She could see though the mist to the ground many kilometers below, and it gave her a sense of severe vertigo. Forcing down bile, she looked up, trying to meet the glowing green eyes of the legendary American cape. “Well. Are you here to rescue us, or are we simply to switch captors?”

“Consider this a favor,” Eidolon growled in perfect Russian. “Someone decided to get on an Archon’s good side for once.”

“By someone, he means me!” Contessa said brightly. She held up a small sphere with pastic eyes glued to it. “Eighty told me what would happen today, so I grabbed Eidolon and came to foil the Gauntlet’s dastardly scheme! Neat, huh?”

“A simple phone call warning us of the  ambush would have sufficed. I assume you could have located my number,” Anastasia said primly. 

“Eh, I only figured it out about seven minutes and thirty eight seconds ago, so we didn’t really have time to chat. You’re just lucky I asked the right question today,” Contessa laughed. “So, we didn’t really do much besides drive off the Gauntlet, and they’ll be back. And we didn’t really come to pick a fight, sooooo…who wants to skip to the part where we agree to take you to Mordovia and drop you off?”

Eidolon turned his head slightly, his voice distorted through the mask. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

“Huh? Why- Oh. Oh shit,” Contessa went rather pale, and clutched her hat to her head. “Should we, uh…”

“Let’s get down to ground level and make it clear we were here to rescue them,” Eidolon said grimly, and the cloud they were on began to swiftly lower itself towards the ground. 

“What’s happening?” Anastasia asked, clutching tightly to Thoma as they were rapidly lowered. Kollei let out a squeal of glee of all things and crouched at the edge of the cloud, a delighted look on her face. 

“Someone noticed the attack. And she’s pissed,” Eidolon replied over the roar of the wind in their ears. 

To the south-east, dark clouds began to gather as the temperature plummeted, even as they dropped out of the sky. They hit the ground, and Eidolon and Contessa backed away slightly. 

“Uh, you will tell her that we, um, we’re the good guys here,” Contessa asked, shaking her Magic Eightball and peering at the answer. 

“Relax. If she turns hostile I can get you away,” Eidolon said confidently, folding his arms over his chest.

Anastasia and the others didn’t bother asking who “she” was, as a massive blizzard enveloped them. A moment later, a glowing figure of pale blue lowered herself to the ground beside them, her face relaxed and calm, but her eyes burning with icy fury. 

“You have exactly one sentence to explain why you have threatened those I love, Fool of Fate. Or I shall flay the flesh from your bones,” the Tsaritsa said with icy cruelty. 

“Mom, it’s OK, they rescued us!” Kollei cried, running over and hugging the Tsaritsa, which startled her enough that the winds slackened around them. 

“It is true, my Queen,” Thoma agreed, hugging Anastasia tightly. Seeing a god in all her fury…it was breathtaking, and terrifying.  “It was the Red Gauntlet that attacked us. If not for Eidolon and Contessa, we would have been captured, though my shield would have held out for some time.”

The Tsaritsa closed her eyes, returning Kollei’s embrace. The winds died down, and the icy storm turned into gentle snowflakes that fluttered to the ground. All around them, the spring mud had been transformed into an icy landscape, with the ground frozen as far as the eye could see in all directions. “I see. And who gave you permission to trespass on my lands?”

“We, uh, we sent you a message, but, um, we decided that, er, you wouldn’t mind if we…helped?” Contessa offered, sounding rather nervous. She hastily dug out a tidily wrapped package, and held it out. “I didn’t bring much of an offering, but, um, I noticed you didn’t like the coffee and donuts… I did some research, and…”

The Tsaritsa took the package and unwrapped it, revealing a bright red glass bottle. Her eyes rose, and she looked up at Contessa, her lips twitching slightly in a smile. “Mountain Dew Code Red?” 

“Uh, the gods loved Ambrosia, and, er, that’s the closest thing we have in America,” Contessa admitted. “I’m addicted, personally.”

“I see.”  The Tsaritsa handed the bottle to Kollei, who examined it with interest. “I will forgive your trespass this time, as you have assured that my daughter and her retainers came to no harm. I would be an ill-mannered host to rebuke those who sought to help me. And who brought such… interesting…offerings.”

Eidolon nodded. “May I ask a boon in return?”

Contessa whirled on him, her eyes wide, but the Tsaritsa let out a peal of laughter. “A bold one, are you not? What do they call you?”

“I am Eidolon, of the Houston Protectorate,” the masked hero replied. 

“You call yourself an enigma. How interesting.” The Tsaritsa touched her chin thoughtfully, then nodded. “Very well, Phantom of the Mask. For the life of my daughter, I shall grant you a boon.”

“I need to become Worthy. To defeat the Endbringers. To save the world from…Destruction. To do this, I need to become stronger,” Eidolon said, extending a hand and then flexing it into a gloved fist. His masked gaze met the Tsaritsa’s cold eyes. “Will you grant me a Vision?”

Contessa began to mutter, turning away from the Conversation and holding her eightball to her ear, her eyes flickering back and forth at invisible images, hunching over as if to protect herself from the unseen threats. 

The Tsaritsa was silent for a long moment, fingering her left hip, as if something had once hung there. At last she asked in a soft voice “Do you know what it is you ask, Phantom of the Mask?”

“I ask for power. For strength. I’m the strongest parahuman alive. Or I was, until you Archons arrived. Now, I have seen those who are stronger than me. I need to surpass what I am to become Worthy. To become the Savior I was meant to be,” Eidolon stated bluntly. 

The Tsaritsa nodded calmly, folding her hands before her. “A noble goal. But are you willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve such ends?” 

“Whatever it takes. I have already given up my life, my honor, my very soul. I’ve sacrificed an ocean of blood, and am prepared to sacrifice more. So long as in the end, I prevail, and my foe lies slain at my feet, no sacrifice is too great,” Eidolon growled. “That is why I was willing to come today. To humble myself before a false god.”

“False god?” one of the Tsaritsa’s silver eyebrows rose. “And what, pray tell, would you claim is a real one?”

“A being almighty and eternal but subject to eternal natural law. The creator of this world, or another, and one who begans spiritual children to fill it,” Eidolon stated matter of factly.

“Well. I suppose I have yet to create a world,” the Tsaritsa said with a small smile. “But I certainly have begat many children, though I am a maiden in truth and fact. Perhaps your definition is overly narrow. But I did not come to debate theology.”

“You haven’t answered my question,” Eidolon said doggedly. “Will you or will you not grant me a Vision?”

The Tsaritsa was quiet again, extending a hand and allowing a snowflake to drift down to her fingers. It didn’t melt, instead merging with her flesh with a soft glow. “You are close. Your Ambition shines bright, but your mind is not yet perfectly aligned with mine, for there is no Love in your heart. Learn what it is to Love, and I am certain you will gain one from me ere long.” 

“It’s true. It’s true. That’s where they come from,” Contessa muttered, the first fully distinct words she’d said in some time. “Another piece of the puzzle.”

The Tsaritsa snorted. “Any scholar of merit could have told you as much. Alternatively, you could align your thoughts with Beezelbul’s Eternity, Buer’s Wisdom, or that wretch Barbatos’ Freedom. Or perhaps the others when they arrive.”

“Who are the others? How many are you? Who sent you?” Eidolon demanded. 

“I said I would grant you one boon, Phantom of the Mask. When you are ready to stop believing the lies of the Dead God that whispers in your ear, come back to me. Kneel before me, become my Phantom, and I shall grant you all the power and vengeance you desire,” the Tsaritsa offered.

“I don’t want Vengeance. Just Salvation,” Eidolon said flatly. He turned to Contessa. “Let’s go. This was a waste of time.”

“No, so much, so many new Paths open up before us,” Contessa muttered, her hands skittering over her face and tangling into her hair like agitated bugs. She stumbled over to Eidolon, who grabbed her and turned aside.

“Door me,” he said flatly, and a door swung open before him. He turned his back to the Tsaritsa. “I will never bow before a tyrant. Our goal is to free mankind. Not to enslave it to a new master.”

“All mortals must serve one master or another. Now, you serve a dead god’s cycle, despite the lies you tell yourself. When you are ready to become the weapon you seek to be, find me again,” the Tsaritsa cajolled. “Until you surrender your stolen power, you will never become truly Worthy.”

Eidolon grunted, then walked through the portal with Contessa, and vanished. 

Anastasia shuddered, then turned to the Tsaritsa, bowing deeply. “Thank you for rescuing us, your Majesty. From the Americans and from the Red Gauntlet.” 

Thoma and Elena echoed her, with Kollei giving the Tsaritsa another hug. 

“I always look after those I cherish. And you have more than earned my favor, Dancer,” Anastasia said. She nodded to Thoma as well. “You too, Krasnov. You lasted long enough for aid to arrive.”

“Would that I too were stronger,” Thoma said, grimacing. “But I am not arrogant enough to demand a boon of you.”

“But proud enough to hint? Fear not. It seems I will have need of more players to take the stage,” the Tsaritsa said, her eyes flashing wintery pale. “Would you take strength at any cost, Thoma Krasnov, and prove yourself worthy of my Dancer’s hand?”

Thoma looked up, startled. “Y-your Majesty-”

“Do not think I have not noticed your tryst, or that I do not approve. You have my blessing, should you take up the sword I offer you.” The Tsaritsa formed a blade of ice, extending it to Thoma, blade first. “But know that mine is a double-edged sword: It will cut both you, and your foes.”

“For Anastasia, I would cut myself to the bone,” Thoma said, and reached out, grasping the sword. He grimaced as blood welled between his fingers, and Anastasia gasped in horror. Then the blade flashed to mist, flowing into Thoma’s nostrils and mouth as he sucked in a breath. 

“What is-” Thoma shook Anastasia off, stumbling away. She reached out for him as he threw his head back, his eyes burning a fiery red. He suddenly breathed out a plum of flames from his mouth, his hands catching fire and his clothes igniting. 

“I have no Authority over Pryo…but I did retain some of its energy from when I held the gnosis. With the fragment of slain divinity I had left…simple enough to forge a new Delusion,” the Tsaritsa said with a hint of smugness in her voice. “Your passion is great, Thoma Krasnov. Now, would you prove yourself worthy of a place amongst my Harbingers?”

Thoma sank to his knees again, smoke trailing from his body. “I…I will serve you, Majesty. However you wish.”

“Then rise. It is time for us to depart. I have vengeance to plot,” the Tsaritsa declared. Turning, she waved one hand, and a crystalline sleigh formed from the frost, and four reindeer rose up from the ice. 

“It’s so pretty!” Kollei gasped, and Anastasia had to agree. The creatures had blue eyes and white, glossy coats, with jingling silver bells on their harness, while the sleigh was exquit and graceful in its design, with a cryo sigil on the front. 

They all mounted the sleigh, with Thoma reluctantly taking the reigns and driver’s seat, Anastasia sitting alongside him with the Tsaritsa, Elana, and Kollei sat in the rear. 

“Ah, I do not have much experience driving a sleigh,” Thoma said reluctantly. 

“The beasts know where to go. Merely crack the whip, and they shall carry us home,” the Tsaritsa told him airily. 

Thoma complied, and then they were all pushed back in their seats as the reindeer took off at incredible speed. The sleigh easily ran along the frozen ground for a dozen meters, then the animals lept up into the air, and the sleigh soared into the sky.

“It’s like Grandfather Frost,” Anastasia gasped, her eyes wide as she watched the countryside race by below them, clutching tightly to Thoma’s arms. 

“I’d call him Father Christmas, though I doubt we’re going to be delivering presents to good children,” Thoma chuckled, putting an arm around Anastasia’s shoulders as he held the reigns easily in one hand. 

“I think we’ll be visiting naughty children instead,” Kollei opined. “My mother won’t let them get away with what they did.”

The chuckle the Tsaritsa gave sent shivers down the spines of the mortals. 

Anatoly delivered a savage kick to the ribs of the Red Gauntlet soldier they’d captured, then turned away as the man groaned on the floor. “Dispose of him. He knows nothing.”

The two fatui soldiers in the cell with him stepped forward as the man begged and pleaded, but his cries turned to screams as one drew a sword. Those died quickly as Anatoly stepped out into the hall, murderous rage still in his heart. 

He should have seen this coming. Grigory had always been slime, and Vasili and opportunist. He feared the worst when the Tsaritsa had flown into a murderous rage on the same day that his sister and Elena were to fly to them, even more so when his mistress had grown wings of ice and flown off at top speed. When they’d lost contact with the plane, he’d feared the worst. And the few captives they’d managed to snatch up from the Red Gauntlet members left in the city had proven worthless so far. 

“Lord Harbinger! We have news!”

Anatoly turned as an officer ran up to him, holding a peace of paper and gasping for breath. “Well, what is it?” 

“The Tsaritsa, she sent a message. A bird of frost just delivered this message. Your sister, the others, they’re safe,” the officer gasped, extending the paper.

Anatoly snatched it, and his eyes raced over the parchment. 

The Red Gauntlet has rebelled. They attempted to murder my ward and her retainers. All are well. Prepare for immediate war.

It was signed with a small cryo sigil, and Anatoly felt himself relax. “Very good. Anything else?”

“There is a…very strange aircraft approaching,” the officer said. “We didn’t pick it up on radar, only visual, but-”

“Well, if it’s one of the Gauntlet’s, shoot it down!” Anatoly snapped, the rage returning instantly. 

“No, it’s, er…a sleigh. With flying reindeer,” the man admitted. He cringed slightly. “Or…so the report says.”

“A sleigh,” Anatoly deadpanned, then sighed and scrubbed his face. “I see. It seems the Tsaritsa wishes to make an entrance. Prepare a grand welcome for her in the city square, and summon the other Harbingers. She will want us in attendance.”

An hour later, Anatoly stood in his full uniform atop the stage with the Witch and Prince, both of them looking grim and dour. 

“I cannot believe that those fools tried this,” the Prince growled. “I should have killed them when they were here.”

“I told you that Vasili and his goons would betray us, cutie,” Yelizaveta said with a shake of her head. “I warned the Tsaritsa too, but she said to let it play out. I guess she didn’t believe me.”

“I heeded your warning, which is why I begged her to summon my sister here,” Anatoly said, shaking his head. “That those brash fools would strike at them in midair…I should have expected it.”

“At least the Princess is safe,” Ivan said. He made a fist, and a shimmer bubble formed around it. “I look forward to putting those who  would harm the Tsaritsa to sleep.”

“Cute. Because you used to be called the Sleeper. Next you’ll tell me to steal something,” Anatoly said with a roll of his eyes. 

“Be silent. She approaches,” Yelizaveta said, dropping to one knee and bowing her head as sleigh bells jingled in the distance.

Anatoly and Ivan followed suit, and moments later, four white reindeer pulled a silver slay through the sky and snow began to fall on the city. The sleigh landed, gliding to a halt, and all the subjects of the Tsaritsa present offered their obeisance to their savior and queen. 

But Anatoly had only eyes for his sister. And for the treacherous dog with an arm around her shoulders.

When they landed, the Tsaritsa arose, walking past her Harbingers. “Assemble my forces. We shall put down the rabid dogs that dare assault us.”

“Yes, your Majesty,” Anatoly intoned along with the others. They followed after their queen, but Anatoly turned to find Anastasia leaping into his arms. 

“Tolya! I missed you so much! Please, are you well? Did they attack here too?”

“No, they were too cowardly to attack someone who could fight back,” Anatoly said, squeezing his sister tightly. For a moment, he nearly forgave her sins. Then Thoma stepped forward, and Anatoly felt his Vision burn cold. 

“Thoma kept me safe,” Anastasia said, pulling away from Anatoly and stepping into Thoma’s arms. “Kept us safe. He was very heroic.”

“Was he,” Anatoly said softly, meeting the other man’s gaze.

“I did what was needed, Tolyan,” he said. He hesitated, then the traitor spilled his guts. “I… I have grown very fond of Nastya over the past few months. I…would seek your blessing to begin courting her.”

“So informal. Do you see yourself as my equal, now?” Anatoly sneered.

Thoma stiffened, but Anastasia spoke up. “The Tsaritsa gave him a gift, said that Thoma could become a Harbinger as well! Isn’t that wonderful, Tolya?”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Anatoly said frostily. He looked down at Anastasia in disgust. “You would abandon me for my servant?”

“I…what? Tolya, what do you mean?” Anastasia asked, apparently baffled. 

“You are asking like a love sick child.  It was I who protected and raised you all these years. I who took in a foreign cape with a dreadful past and gave him bread and roof over his head. I who built all this, for us! And now, you would cast me aside!?” Anatoly demanded, throwing out one hand dramatically. 

“You’re not speaking sense. She’s your sister, not your daughter, and certainly not your lover,” Thoma said, looking offended now. “And much has changed. I am grateful to you, Anatoly, but we are in love. Surely…surely that is no bad thing? Have I not proven my loyalty to you?”

“You’ve only proven yourself a dog who would sneak into my sister's bed while the master was away,” Anatoly sneered. He held out his arm. “Come, Elena.”

Elena scurried forward, bowing her head and taking Anatoly’s arm. “I…I missed you.”

“Of course.” Anatoly said, leaning down to let her kiss his cheek. “Come. The Tsaritsa will not be kept waiting. But this is not over between you and I.”

He stalked away, seething with indignation. Bad enough the help stole his sister, and his one time comrade betrayed him. Now he was elevated above Anatoly with a gift from the Tsaritsa? This was to be his kingdom! His reward! Now he was being cast aside by all!

Well, war brought opportunity. He knew that well as a merchant of death. Now, it was time to steal back what was his. All of it.