The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges Read Free Book Online Page B

ashamed of it, Katerina Alexandrovna. You have the power to defeat theVladiki. I have long suspected this, even when you were younger. You can stop their quest for dominance and save the lives of many innocents.”
    “How can I save anyone?” I asked softly. I carried a curse and the princess had known all along. There was no salvation to be found in my horrible talent.
    “You alone are the secret weapon against the blood drinkers. The heir of the Vladiki cannot drink blood until his ceremony of ascension, on his eighteenth birthday.” Her fingers were icy as she clutched my left hand and slid the ring onto my finger. “Kill Prince Danilo before his ascension and you will save many, many lives.”
    I gasped. “I could never kill someone, Your Highness.” I was now certain Princess Cantacuzene was thoroughly and utterly mad. She was thin and ancient. The poor woman must be senile. I glanced around for members of her family who would be able to take her home. Married to a long deceased and forgotten Prince Cantacuzene, she had no children of her own, but spoiled all her nieces and nephews. Perhaps one of the latter had escorted her to the Christmas Ball.
    We walked back toward the rotunda. “There is your dear mother,” the princess said. “She has recently been ill, has she not?”
    “Yes, but she is much better.”
    “You must be on guard, Duchess. I have attended many séances with your mother, and she has attracted the attentions of many unhappy spirits. The cold light of the dying surrounds her.”
    Princess Cantacuzene gathered her black skirt as my mother approached us. “We will speak again soon, Katerina Alexandrovna,” she said. “I can tell you much more about the Montenegrins.”
    “Your Highness, it is so good to see you.” My mother curtsied before the princess. “How are you?”
    My mind was reeling. A cold light? The madwoman spoke as if she saw the same things I could see. I stole a glance at Princess Cantacuzene and searched her cold light. It shined brightly, much as any other elderly person’s would. I could see nothing unnatural about her. But then again, the empress and the grand duchess Miechen had cold lights that appeared ordinary to me as well. I was unable to distinguish human from fae, which put me at a disadvantage to the faeries in the ballroom.
    While my mother and the princess chatted, my cousin Alexander Georgevich asked me to dance the cotillion with him. The Gypsy orchestra was playing a lively piece by Rimsky-Korsakov. My cousin was a perfectly elegant dancer, like his late mother, Aunt Therese, who had died when Alexander was only two. Aunt Therese had been one of my father’s sisters, so Alexander was my double cousin. He told me his father planned to announce his engagement to Princess Anastasia of Montenegro after Christmas.
    “I hope she makes a kind stepmother,” I told him. I worried about the disturbing stories Princess Cantacuzene had told me. But I did not want to alarm my cousin. Surely the princess’s tales about the Montenegrins could not be true.
    “Father intends for me to enter the Corps des Pagesnext year, so I will not be around the princess that often.” Alexander smiled. “When Father introduced me to her last month, she was very kind.”
    “Give him my best wishes, then,” I said, smiling politely. He led me back to Maman after the dance ended. It had been the final dance of the night. I said goodbye to my cousin, then followed Maman to make our adieus to the grand duchess Miechen.
    As I curtsied, the grand duchess spotted my ring. “What a beautiful trinket,” she said, seizing my hand. “A family heirloom?”
    Maman did not notice, as she was speaking with the grand duke Vladimir.
    “No, Your Imperial Highness. It was a gift from a family friend.” I knew Maman would insist I return it to Princess Cantacuzene if she saw it. The ring seemed to glow, reflecting the lights of the ballroom chandeliers.
    “You must be careful with such a