Mother of Chaos Read online

  “Was there a battle?” Ruxandra asked.

  “No,” Kade said. “I found Belosselsky and gutted him like an animal in front of his troops. I told them if they left immediately, Anna would not be able to chase them. They listened.”

  “And Khilkoff?”

  “Anna’s army surrounded hers, offered her men a pardon, and offered the princess the choice between killing herself or spending the remainder of her days as a whore, beginning with a week of nonstop service to the Imperial Army. The princess shot herself.”

  Ruxandra took a moment to pity the woman, but only a moment.

  “The Metropolitan witnessed your battle against Ishtar,” Kade said. “He saw her dragged to hell. He has declared Moscow free of the taint of supernatural evil and ordered all true Christians to follow Anna faithfully.”

  “And so she wins.” Ruxandra did not know how to feel about that.

  “And Alexi her secret policeman still lives and protects her. And both have made it quite clear that, despite our service to Russia, we should not stay here longer than necessary.”

  “After all that?” Ruxandra shook her head. “How ungrateful.”

  “One should never count on the gratitude of princes,” Kade said. “It tends to be fleeting. So once you are healed, we shall leave.”

  It took two weeks for her legs and arms to return to full size, another for her hands and feet. Kade kept her supplied with a steady stream of the mortally injured, the deathly ill, and the old. Ruxandra drank far more than usual, but by the end of it, she was whole again.

  She spent three nights hunting, testing her strength and her speed. And she spent three days in Kade’s bed, letting pleasure fill in the spaces made by loss.

  And when those days ended, she shouldered a bag holding her boots, two dresses, two suits of men’s clothes, and underwear for both, and walked out the gate.

  Kade walked with her, his own bag on his shoulder.

  “It will be good to go back to Europe,” Kade said. “I think France would be an excellent place for us to start over. The French court is most intriguing.”

  “For you,” Ruxandra said. “Not for me. I’m not going back to Europe.”

  “No?” Kade’s face fell. “I had hoped . . .”

  “China.” Ruxandra turned to the east. “The Alchemist said that she always wanted to go to China. She even said she would take me with her.”

  “And now you’ll go in her place?”

  “It’s new.” Ruxandra remembered how the Alchemist, half-asleep in her arms, had spoken of getting away. “And since she can’t go, yes, I’ll go in her stead.”

  “And us?” Kade asked softly. “Will we be together again?”

  For a reply Ruxandra turned back and kissed him long and hard on the mouth. Kade held her tight, one hand pressing against her backside, the other crushing her body to his. Their tongues played and danced in each other’s mouths.

  When they finally broke apart, Kade smiled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “I don’t know when,” Ruxandra said, “but yes, we will see each other again.”

  “Send me a letter when you’ve found a place to stay,” Kade said. “Send it to the Cathédrale de Notre-Dame, addressed to Father Le Loup. I will ensure that they know to expect them.”

  “It might be years,” Ruxandra said. “I have no idea how well the post works from China.”

  Kade shrugged. “We have years.”

  “Yes.” Ruxandra looked east and smiled. “We do.”

  And then she ran, without looking back, into the darkness.

  * * *

  Yinchuan, China, 1824

  Ruxandra spun, the blade in her hand whistling as it cut through the air. The courtyard was empty, save for herself and the woman who watched her. Ruxandra twisted and turned through the steps of the form, from mountain to horse, from bow and arrow to girl, and with one final spin and cut she sat cross-legged on the ground, the sword straight in front of her.

  “Very good!” Mai Chu called, clapping her hands together in excitement. “You have learned so much!”

  “Does that mean I get a reward?” Ruxandra asked, looking at the other woman through lowered lashes.

  “Yes!” Chu Mai held out a letter. “You got this! From South America!”

  Ruxandra jumped to her feet and took the letter. Its postmark was a year old, the paper stained. But it was addressed to her.

  She opened it and began reading.

  Dear Ruxandra,

  I hope all is well with you and that the years have been kind. I am surprised to say that I have run into a very old acquaintance of ours in Spain, and she and I have embarked on a new adventure together. We have moved to Brazil, to make our home in the great city that is growing up here near the jungle.

  I know you have been fascinated with the Orient and that it still holds great pleasure for you, but I do hope you might think of joining us. Elizabeth misses you and asks after you. Even Dorotyas mentions you from time to time.

  So if you grow tired of the East, come join us in the West. There are new adventures to be had and new opportunities for us all.

  With deepest respect,

  Kade

  Ruxandra stared at it, shaking her head.

  Of all the people to end up with, he’s back with Elizabeth.

  She put the letter back in its envelope and went inside the house.

  “Well,” Mai asked, “who was it from?”

  “An old friend.” Ruxandra put the sword into its rack. She walked through the house, admiring again the bright colors of the interior, so different from the gray stone outside.

  “And?”

  “And he wants me to go with him,” Ruxandra said. “To South America.”

  “South America?” Mei shook her head. “That’s too far away! It would take years.”

  “It would,” Ruxandra said. “If I were going.”

  She put the letter on the brazier in her room, watching it catch fire and blaze into ashes. Then she turned and, with a quick move, caught Mei in her arms.

  “What do you think you are doing, foreign devil?” Mei asked, though her eyes glowed and her heart sped up with anticipation.

  “Corrupting a pure and virtuous Chinese woman.” Ruxandra picked her up and carried her to the bed.

  “I don’t know,” Mei teased her. “I think maybe you should answer your friend’s letter first.”

  “I’ll answer him later.” Ruxandra undid the sash on Mei’s robe. “We have all the time in the world.”