54

Galina Odoyevtseva Prozorova was, as she had ever been, a great admirer of contradictions. Perhaps it was because she was a woman. After all, what could be more contradictory than the role of women in Izmorozian society? They were revered. Held up as precious beyond measure. Men fought wars for them. And yet, to Galina’s knowledge, no woman had ever asked that a war be fought for her. Men were confused when a woman bristled under their authority because they did not understand that reverence was not the same thing as respect.

Yet as pervasive as the issue of gender inequality was, surprisingly little had been written about it. Perhaps because there were so few women writers. For a long time, Galina had dreamed of being the first writer to truly express the plight of women.

But now she had a different dream. Rather than merely express it, she would change it.

Why not her?

“Are you sure this is where you want to hold the gathering, Mistress?” Masha asked.

The two women stood in the decimated, empty remains of Les.

“I asked you not to call me mistress in private,” said Galina.

“It becomes harder to remember each day,” said Masha. “As it becomes harder to see the sullen girl I once knew within the fierce young woman before me.”

Galina smiled. “A woman I would never have become without your support.”

Masha nodded her head in acknowledgment. Then her brows knit together.

“But truly, miss. Why this place?” She gestured to the collapsed buildings and gaping cracks in the square. “Why gather everyone in this broken, ghost of a city?”

“Ghosts,” said Galina, “are a symbol of past failures that we long to correct.”

“That’s very fine, miss,” said Masha. “Who said it?”

“I did, Masha. Just now.”

The two walked through the desolate city. The Uaine had left few signs of their brief occupation, but Galina supposed that wasn’t so surprising. After all, it was an army that did not eat or drink, that did not leave waste. In some ways they were the perfect army. Or at least they seemed so. Galina hoped that the living passion of brave men and women might overcome the obvious advantages of the undead. Of course, she hoped even more fervently that she wouldn’t need to test that idea. Ideally, the empire would take care of the Uaine, and it would be such a fierce struggle that even the victors would find themselves at a disadvantage against the Izmorozian militia. A militia she planned to begin gathering that day.

A short time later, Andre and Tatiana returned from scouting.

“They come from the west,” Andre rumbled.

“They come from the north and the east,” said Tatiana.

“Excellent,” said Galina. “When will they arrive?”

“The first within an hour or two,” said Tatiana.

Galina nodded. “Well done. I suspect it will be a long night. You should both see to your food now, and rest if you can.”

“I shall see you and Masha fed first, Mistress,” declared Andre.

“I fear I don’t have much of an appetite at present, Medved.” Galina found it gratifying that representatives from every town and village in Izmoroz had agreed to her request to gather at Les. But it also created a deep, tremulous unease in her stomach that only grew stronger now that she knew precisely when they would arrive.

“That’s just nerves, Mistress,” Masha assured her. “Best to have something in your stomach before you make your big speech, even if you don’t feel like it.”

“I suppose,” said Galina. “Very well. Andre, please find something small for me and give it to Masha to clean and cook.”

She had discovered if she didn’t indicate her preference for cooked food, Andre would sometimes return with a raw, unskinned rabbit and look terribly disappointed when she didn’t immediately tear into it with her teeth. By and large, the Rangers had been able to keep their more beastly impulses in check, but they still required gentle reminders on a regular basis. In some ways, they were almost like children, albeit giant, ferocious children capable of instantaneous wide-scale murder.

Andre returned an hour later with a pheasant, which Masha kindly plucked and roasted for her. Galina didn’t find the idea of eating even remotely appealing, but forced it down. Later, as she watched people from Kamen, Otriye, Istoki, Zapad, and elsewhere filter into the square, she felt her stomach churn even more and began to suspect that food of any kind had been a mistake.

She waited inside one of the few buildings still standing, and even the murmuring sounds of the gathered crowds made her queasy.

Andre appeared in the doorway.

“All have arrived, Mistress,” he rumbled. “It is time.”

Galina gazed up into his small black eyes for a moment. Then she turned her head and vomited.

“Mistress!” His hand shot out to steady her. “Are you ill?”

“It’s all right, Medved. Just a touch of nerves, I think.”

He gave her a baffled look. “Nerves, Mistress?”

“I’ve never spoken in front of so many people. Nor has there ever been quite so much at stake for the future of our land.” She took a sip of water from a skin, swished it around in her mouth, then spit it on the ground. “It would be a tremendous comfort if you stood by my side.”

“Of course, Mistress.”

She smiled gratefully and patted his thick arm. She wondered when it was that his coarse, hairy presence had gone from intimidating to reassuring.

“Mistress.” Tatiana stood in the doorway, as unnerving as ever. Galina appreciated the female Ranger, and relied on her for many things, but for whatever reason, she didn’t feel the same warm fondness that she did for Andre. “Masha is doing her best to placate the people, but they grow restless.”

“Then I suppose we had better get started.”

Galina tried to rinse the unpleasant taste of vomit out of her mouth one last time, with middling success. Then she adjusted her porcelain mask, squared her narrow shoulders, and stepped out of the building.

The roar of the crowd was immediate and did little to settle her stomach. But she smiled and nodded as she shakily made her way to the small platform that had been constructed from rubble. Andre helped her up onto the platform as though recalling some distant past in which he’d been a proper gentleman. Neither of the Rangers remembered much about their human lives, so perhaps he had.

She held up her hands until the people quieted down.

“My fellow Izmorozians, thank you for coming. It is gratifying to see so many of you here. We—”

She had to pause as they cheered. She hadn’t really taken audience response into account when she’d written the speech. She smiled and waited patiently until they had settled down again.

“We have a profound decision to make that may well affect the very future of Izmoroz. As you all know, the Uaine and their foul undead have left Izmoroz. For th—”

Again she had to pause while they cheered.

“For the time being, we are safe. But we do not know how long it will last. If the Uaine successfully sack Magna Alto, they will likely cut across Izmoroz again when they haul their spoils back to Uaine, leaving more damage and death in their wake. On—”

She paused as many groaned or shouted angrily.

“On the other hand, if the empire wins, there is currently nothing to stop them from retaking our land for themselves. And we all still vividly recall what life was like under the thumb of the empire.”

More shouts of anger, frustration, and fear.

“We cannot let that happen!”

Cheers.

“We will not be victims to any more conquerors!”

The cheers grew louder, but this time she shouted over them.

“We must grow strong so that we may never toil under unjust rule again!”

She allowed the cheers to peak, and when they began to die down, she spoke again.

“You may wonder how we will grow strong enough to fend off either Uaine or imperial invaders. It is quite simple, my countrymen. By coming together, by sharing our skills and our knowledge, by learning and growing as a people.”

She fondly touched Andre’s shoulder. “Strannik are a boon from the Lady. There is no doubt about that. But do you really think the hard Goddess of Winter wishes us to weakly submit and allow her servants to solve our problems for us? Could it be, in fact, that she wishes us to work and train with them so that we too might grow strong? So that our entire nation becomes as fierce as winter and as dreaded as death itself?”

There was silence in the square as people contemplated her words. Some were no doubt troubled by them. Perhaps even shocked by the notion that anyone might attempt to emulate the Rangers without the explicit blessing of Marzanna. And yet, here were two Rangers standing beside her, neither of them objecting. Could it be that she was right? That the strength of the Lady of Winter could be theirs as well?

“But let us be frank with each other, my countrymen,” she said. “Can we expect the Council of Lords to enact such a daring plan to form, supply, and rigorously train a national militia?”

There were uneasy murmurs.

“They claim to have the best interests of Izmoroz at heart, but have your lives improved since they took power?”

The murmurs grew louder and more angry.

“Perhaps they mean well. Let us give them the benefit of the doubt. But good intentions will not save us from the Uaine or the empire. What we need is courage. Bold ideas. A willingness to take risks and do what needs to be done for the good of Izmoroz and its future. What we need is strong leadership to see us through these difficult times. So I ask you to decide: Who will guide us?”

She gazed down at them with clear eyes, at last untroubled by her stomach. She waited. It would happen or it wouldn’t. This blessed moment was completely out of her hands and she felt a sense of peace in that knowledge.

“You, Mistress Kukla!” someone in the crowd shouted.

“Yes, you!” shouted another.

“You! You! You!” The chant was taken up across the square.

She let the shouts reverberate through the broken remains of Les. This was what she’d expected to happen. She could have placed a few trusted souls in the crowd to instigate it. But it had been important to her that the people choose her of their own volition. That they also thought to themselves, Why not her?

Now she gravely inclined her head in acceptance, then raised her hand for silence again.

“I am honored, and accept this burden for so long as I am needed. Now, let us take the first steps toward the future of Izmoroz.”