Vika panicked instantly and rushed to inform Zhanna.
"What do they want?" Shura asked Kazmir.
"They're soldiers from Koldunova. They're looking for a runaway princess and her maid," Kazmir said. For some reason, Shura immediately thought of Zayne and his sister, but he brushed it off, there were many reasons to doubt that idea.
Once Zhanna heard the news, she assured Vika that as long as they kept up their act, they wouldn't blow their cover and everything would be fine. But inwardly, she panicked. Vika tried not to show her uneasiness and fear as she went about her cleaning duties but oh no... Kazmir just had to notice. He was the same man who had earlier shunned her when she first came to the tent to spend the night.
"You look shaken up, Zayne's sister," Kazmir said. He loved teasing her until she lost it.
"There's nothing wrong with me, Kazmir. And I've got a name...it's Vee," Vika replied, hoping he'd leave her alone.
"Okay, Vee. I think you must have heard about the soldiers. It wouldn't hurt to learn a few fighting tricks," Kazmir suggested.
"I'm already learning from my brother. And even if the soldiers come, it has nothing to do with me," Vika said.
"I never said it did. But you look like you're hiding something... a big secret. Is it about your brother?" Kazmir asked, noticing the panicked look on Vee's face. He had said it casually, but she tensed up. Maybe she was actually hiding something.
"How I am has nothing to do with my brother. And I am not hiding anything," Vika said with a shaky voice. Oh, how bad she was at lying.
"The soldiers said they were looking for a princess and her maid. You and your brother have been in the woods long enough, did you see them, or maybe know where they went?" Kazmir continued, and he could feel Vika trembling.
"No! No! We've neither seen a princess nor her maid," Vika replied, trying to leave, but Kazmir blocked her path.
"I know you saw them. Where are they now? Do you know them?" he asked seriously.
Vika's heart was pounding so hard. She hated keeping secrets so she let it all out.
"I don't know them and about my brother, he's not my brother… she's a girl!" Vika gasped, then slapped a hand over her mouth. Horror flashed in her eyes, too late. She turned and ran, tears stinging her face. Why couldn't she just shut up?
***
In Koldunova, Boris and Ulyana got married. Boris hadn't seen his wife's face until the ceremony, and was very disappointed it was not the woman he had expected. He had wanted to marry the original bride, the one with blue eyes, because the black magician told him that marrying her would grant him access to the throne. Now married to someone else, Boris had to know his fate. So, he decided to visit the black magician.
***
Back in the forest, Kazmir watched as Shura talked and laughed with Zayne. He still found it hard to believe Zayne was actually female Zayne had good fighting skills and, although his voice sounded quite feminine, that wasn't unusual among the men. To be sure, Kazmir needed to check physically. He walked over and shook Zayne's hand and boy, was it soft. That was all the confirmation Kazmir needed.
Shura cleared his throat to remind Kazmir to let go; Kazmir had been holding Zayne's hand for quite a while. Kazmir finally let go and almost asked if Shura was jealous but held back, because a brilliant idea struck him. Everyone wanted Shura to get married, but he always refused to get close to any female... little did he know that Zayne was one. Watching the way Shura and Zayne interacted, Kazmir came up with an idea. He had to inform the king first.
***
Ulyana sighed silently throughout the ride to who-knows-where. She hoped in her heart that Zhanna would be found. It hadn't even been an hour since the marriage, and she was already fed up. The wedding was short, just two hours, and none of Boris's family had attended. It felt more like a transaction than a union.
Eventually, they arrived at a magician's place. Ulyana stared in shock at the shack...it looked worse than the poorest house in all of Koldunova. And inside was far worse.
"Aye, aye. What brings you here?" the magician asked.
"Aren't you supposed to know why we're here? You're a magician," Ulyana snapped, clearly annoyed.
"That's not how magic works," the magician replied.
"I want to know my fate," Boris said.
The magician brought out two glowing rocks and handed them to the couple.
"I didn't..." Ulyana began to protest, wanting nothing to do with this nonsense.
"With these stones, you'll get all the answers you deserve and desire. Just close your eyes and let the stone take you on a journey to understand your inner self," the magician explained.
Boris immediately nodded and closed his eyes. Ulyana huffed and considered dropping the stone but curiosity got the best of her.
***
[Ulyana's vision]
When Ulyana opened her eyes, she was standing in the middle of a town. Cries rang out, and thick smoke rose into the sky. She walked swiftly toward the screams, desperate to know what was happening. People were being dragged into a fire...burned alive.
Ulyana tried to ask someone what was going on, but no one could see or hear her.
"There's still one out there!" a man shouted. He looked like a younger version of the magician. Guards marched around the crowd, searching for something.
Then Ulyana saw her mother standing beside King Aries, her useless stepfather. She rushed toward her, and the guards did the same.
In the next second, Ulyana saw her mother whisper words into her palm and blow a powder into the King's face. His eye color changed from brown to purple.
"She's the witch!" a guard shouted, pointing at her mother.
"How dare you accuse my love! She is not a witch! Whosoever among you tries to take her shall have his hand cut off!" King Aries declared.
The guards backed off. Ulyana stood frozen in awe. Her mother was a witch! She had just used a forever-love spell on the king to protect herself from execution.
'My mother did the right thing,' Ulyana thought.
She was then transported back to the real world. A growing pride bloomed inside her. If her mother was a witch, then so was she. Suddenly, she felt superior to the two men around her and looked at them with disgust.
"Did you get the answers to all your questions?" the magician asked, collecting the gemstone from her.
"It's none of your business," Ulyana replied sharply, with an air of pride and authority.
She looked at Boris, who was smiling faintly, then his smile grew. He was still holding the gemstone, eyes shut.
'What was he seeing?' Ulyana wondered.