A Shade of Kiev 2 Read Online Free PDF Page A

food.”
    Anselm paused and looked at me again. My heart beat thrice its usual pace.
    “You can’t do magic,” Anselm said. “Your eggs are of no use. What can you do?”
    “I’ll be a loyal servant,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’ll do any menial work that needs to be done around here. All I ask is that you offer me shelter in your kingdom.”
    They both exchanged glances, took a few steps back and began whispering.
    “Elyse!” Anselm called after a few moments.
    A tall female stepped out, dressed in an emerald silken gown. Again, like the two males, she had straighter, more elegant features than a normal ogre. She looked down at me with cold grey eyes.
    Perhaps the royal family is a different, more intelligent race of ogres.
    “What is it?” she asked.
    Anselm took her by the hand and pulled her toward him. Elyse’s eyes never left mine as Anselm whispered into her ear. Those eyes got cooler and cooler each second they lay on me.
    Anselm stepped back and looked at Elyse.
    She nodded curtly and said, “We can try her out, I suppose. Though I’m not sure that a scrawny little thing like her could ever handle our children. Mogda, take this witch to their quarters and explain to her what to do. She will serve Elsbeth and Dorian. Attend to their every whim. And dismiss the current minder—she isn’t doing a satisfactory job and there is another occupation I have in mind for her.”
    Mogda nodded. Although she glared at me, she didn’t have any choice.
    The fat ogress caught hold of my wrist and led me away.
    As we left that hall, the king chuckled. “Let’s see how long this one lasts with my grandchildren…”
    I need to always remember that no matter how bad things get here, it will still be better than the life I risk living if he finds me.

Chapter 5: Kiev
    I t was close to dawn by the time I arrived at the coordinates Matteo had given me. But I saw nothing but black ocean for miles. Being protected by the witches’ spell—at least, if it was the same spell that had been cast over The Shade back in the human world—I wasn’t able to detect any sounds either. There were no signs of life anywhere. No boat that might indicate I was near their residence.
    It was clear that the only way I stood a chance of discovering the island and reaching those witches was to get the vampires’ attention and trick my way inside—something neither Matteo nor his men had ever dared to do.
    Matteo always spoke of these vampire as grave enemies. But, at least in theory, they had no way of knowing that I was affiliated with him. I would have to lie that I’d just escaped Aviary or Cruor and was seeking to join their clan. Of course, if they had heard that I’d joined Matteo and Saira, or if they had the slightest suspicion that I might have come to spy on them, they would show me no mercy.
    It was a gamble I decided to take.
    I made sure that I was directly in the center of the coordinates Matteo had given me for the best chance of being heard. Then I began shouting at the top of my voice:
    “I, Kiev Novalic, request entrance.”
    Despite my shouts, nothing stirred. I considered the possibility that Matteo had got the wrong coordinates entirely. How would he even know the coordinates? They would be almost impossible to calculate accurately, unless he followed their ship up close.
    I was about to rein in the dolphins and move to another spot nearby when I heard a loud bump. The boat jerked forward and I almost my balance. I whirled around. A rowing boat had crept up behind me and rammed into the stern of my vessel.
    A tall cloaked figure stood in the center of the narrow boat, his long hood casting a shadow over his face. I stood still, tensing my hands and extending my claws, preparing for a fight. But when he displayed no signs of gearing up to attack me, I relaxed my fists a little.
    “Show yourself,” I demanded.
    Clasping his hood between long fingers, he lowered it, revealing the face of a pale,