“To do what?” I asked. This must be what Petya had written to warn me about. I prayed he wasn’t involved.
My cousin shrugged. “I expect it’s mostly for entertainment, just like séances. But I’m sure there are a few magicians who perform real spells and rituals.”
I stopped walking to look at her. “Dariya. Have you forgotten how dangerous it can be when people ‘dabble’?”
She was not teasing anymore. “Of course not. This is why I wanted you to know about your grand duke. It’s not safe for him in Paris.”
“What exactly have you heard?” I asked.
“That he has fallen in with a group of powerful dark wizards. That he is enjoying Paris and all that it has to offer.”
“And what would you have me do about it?” I felt helpless, trapped here at Smolny. “I cannot leave.”
“Why not? I honestly can’t understand why you chose to return here in the first place, Katiya. I didn’t understand your desire to go to Zurich either, but what on earth made you change your mind?”
I couldn’t trust Dariya and tell her the truth. She knew about my powers, and she knew about Elena. But anything I confided to her now could be passed along to Grand Duchess Miechen. She couldn’t learn about the empress’s spell around Smolny, or that I was being held a prisoner here for my own safety. As well as for the tsar’s. He needed me close by, and safe, in case Konstantin returned. I was certain that the empress did not want the grand duchess knowing of the threat to the tsar.
“I’m really too young,” I said finally. “I only just turned seventeen, Dariya. Next year I will be ready.” The tsar could not make me stay at Smolny longer than that.
“That is true,” Dariya said, nodding sympathetically. “You’d probably be the youngest student at the university, and you would hate all the attention that drew. But tell me, how is teaching? I would imagine that the Blue Form girls are just as silly as ever.”
I smiled. “They are. And yet, they seem so bright and eager to learn. I don’t remember being so intelligent when we were in the Blue Form classes.”
“Speaking of silly girls,” Dariya said, “I did hear one piece of Light Court gossip that will amuse you. Grand Duchess Ella made the empress furious when she insisted on taking Alix from Smolny. She said Alix was very ill.” Dariya’s liveliness disappeared and she looked at me anxiously. “It wasn’t the veshtiza, was it?” she asked.
“No,” I assured her. “I’m positive it wasn’t.” I suspected it had to do with the empress’s spell around the school. But if Alix was some sort of supernatural creature, like Elena and myself, how had Ella convinced the empress to release Alix? I remembered the way the carriage had passed through the spell’s barrier with extreme difficulty. “How do you know the empress was angry?”
My cousin shrugged again. “Grand Duchess Ella has not been invited to dinner at the Winter Palace since. But I’m sure the empress will forgive her soon.”
I wondered just how much magic was required for maintaining the spell around Smolny. The empress must have been more powerful than anyone suspected. Or she had someone or something helping her.
We were coming to the end of the path and Grand Duchess Miechen’s carriage was waiting for Dariya. I embraced her when we got to the carriage. “Thank you so much for coming to visit. It would not have been the same if I’d had to spend my birthday here alone.”
“We’ve been celebrating your birthday together out here in the courtyard for six years. Under this same birch tree! Since you would not leave Smolny, I had to come to you.” Dariya smiled. “The grand duchess sends her birthday wishes for you as well. As does my stepmaman.”
“Give them both my thanks,” I said.
She turned around to look at me. “What are you going to do about your grand duke?”
“Worry.” I could think of nothing else. It was not proper for me to write to him. And whom could I trust to send a message for me? Not Dariya.
Dariya sighed. “Then I wish I hadn’t distressed you with the news. I would not have told you if I did not think you could do something about it. I thought you and the grand duke had an understanding.”
I shook my head. “The only understanding we have is that he has his path to follow and I have mine.”
My cousin crushed me in her arms. “I’m so sorry, Katiya. Perhaps it is for the best. You belong in the Dark Court, after all. With us. You deserve a proper Dark Court marriage.”
I shivered at her words. Why was she so ready to claim her alliance with Miechen? Of course, it was the court we’d both grown up in, whether we were aware of it as children or not. I pulled away and stared at her. “What if I don’t want a marriage at all?”
“That’s ridiculous. You can study medicine if you wish and still be married. I’ve learned that there are girls who marry male students just so they can attend the university. Without their father’s or guardian’s permission, they simply find husbands of convenience. Usually for a large amount of money, of course.”
“That is not what I want at all,” I said. I remembered Dr. Bokova, the woman I’d met on the train. Did she have to marry a stranger in order to get her education? No wonder she thought I was privileged and spoiled.
Dariya smiled. “I believe you can create the life you want, Katiya. You are strong enough to make all of your dreams come true.”
“And what about you? What about your dreams?”
My cousin shrugged. “I want the rich and handsome husband and the grand palace. That is enough for me, I think.” She glanced around and, seeing we were still alone, she smiled. “And there are several rich and handsome young men that attend Miechen’s court. Being a lady-in-waiting has its advantages. The grand duchess has been so kind to me. She’s pointed out several eligible young princes.”
I wondered if Miechen kept Dariya close because of her relationship with me. Was the grand duchess spying on me through my cousin? Surely she had other methods. “Don’t be in such a hurry to get married,” I said. “Enjoy your time at Miechen’s court. Within reason, of course.”
Dariya grinned. “It would be so much more enjoyable if you were there too. Perhaps I will see you at one of the balls soon?” Her eyes lit up. “The Smolny Ball is coming up!”
I brightened up at the thought, remembering my dance with the grand duke. Would the empress allow me to leave the school for the ball? Surely the Winter Palace would be protected from Konstantin and his magic.
I stood there at the gate and watched the horses pull Dariya’s carriage away, taking my cousin with them. The carriage passed through the spell barrier easily. I hadn’t felt lonely before, but now I felt incredibly alone. And cold.
The wind had picked up as the sun had begun to sink behind the birch trees. Shivering, I made my way back inside the institute. I had a nice bowl of borscht for supper, and a fruit tart. After dinner, Elena brought out a deck of cards she kept hidden underneath her pillow.
Erzsebet threw herself down on Elena’s cot. “Are you going to tell Katiya’s fortune?” she asked.
Elena looked up at me and smiled. It made my blood run cold. “I’d rather you did not,” I began, but she interrupted me.
“Katerina, it is your birthday! Don’t you want to know what the next year holds for you?” She shuffled the cards in her deck delicately before handing the pack to me. “You only have to pick one card.”
Erzsebet and Augusta were looking up at me expectantly. Even Aurora, who was writing a letter on her own cot, glanced over at us with curiosity. Elena sighed sadly. “What if the cards can warn you of something before it’s too late? Or prepare you for something exciting?”