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A sudden silence descended over the rooround and the mountains in the distance, the ruins looked exactly like the view behind Sankt Ilya in the Istorii Sankt’ya The only thingwas the firebird

Nikolai pulled the atlas toward hi ant to see?"

"Maybe," I admitted "But it’s hard to believe it’s a coincidence"

"We’ll send scouts," he suggested

"No," I said "I want to go"

"If you leave now, everything you’ve accoo If Vasily can run off to Caryeva to buy ponies, then no one willtrip"

I shook my head "I have to be the one to kill the firebird"

"We don’t even know it’s there"

"Why are we even discussing it?" asked Mal "We all know it’s going to be me"

Talance

Nikolai cleared his throat "With all due respect, Oretsev, you don’t quite seem at your best"

"I’m fine"

"Have you looked in a h for the both of us," Mal shot back Then he scrubbed a hand over his face, looking ue this I’m the only one who can find the firebird It has to bewith you," I said

"No," he said with surprising force "I’ll hunt it I’ll capture it I’ll bring it back to you But you’re not co with ht it, hoould you get it back here?"

"Get one of your Fabrikators to rig soet the firebird, and I get free of this saintsforsaken place"

"You can’t travel by yourself You--"

"Then give me Tolya or Tamar We’ll travel faster and draw less attention on our own" Mal pushed his chair back and stood "You figure it out Make whatever arrangements you want" He didn’t look at me when he said, "Just tell me when I can leave"

Before I could raise another objection, he was gone

I turned away, fighting to hold back the tears that threatened Behindinstructions to the twins as they departed

I studied the map Poliznaya, where we’d done our un our journey into the Petrazoi Tsibeya, where he’d kissed me for the first time

Nikolai laid his hand on my shoulder I didn’t knohether I wanted to swat it away or turn and fall into his arms What would he do if I did? Pat my back? Kiss hed bitterly "Have you ever noticed people only say that when it isn’t true?"

He dropped his hand "He doesn’t belong here"

He belongs with ht of Mal’s bruised face, of hi blood and beckoning to Eskil forme in his arms as we crossed the True Sea The o," said Nikolai

"Go where? Chasing after some mythical creature that may not even exist? On so with Shu?"

"Alina," Nikolai said softly, "that’s what heroes do"

"I don’t want hie who he is anyGrisha"

It was an echo of what I’d said only hours ago, but I didn’t want to hear it