The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

precious stone. Obsidian protects one from evil spirits and vampires.” There was a certain malice in the grand duchess’s smile. “It makes me curious. Why would your friend believe you need such protection, Katerina Alexandrovna?”
    “An old woman’s superstitious nonsense, I’m sure,” I replied, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I was aware the grand duchess could see much more in my aura than I could see in hers. Still, I noted a strange thing when I saw her cold light. Two smaller, brighter lights were entwined with a larger, dimmer light, like a delicate, shimmering braid of light, coiling around her. It was beautiful, but frightening to look at.
    I fretted over everything on the sleigh ride home. Princess Cantacuzene was the second person to refer to my curse as a gift. And she spoke as if she too possessed this terrible gift. No one else would see it that way. Certainly not my parents. And not the imperial family.

CHAPTER EIGHT

    T he holiday passed quickly. Our family broke the Christmas Eve fast in the usual fashion: as soon as the first stars could be seen in the cold night sky, we ate the traditional twelve-course feast, which included mushroom soup and baked fish. The table was loaded with plates of apricots, figs, sweet almond cakes, and rice pudding.
    We would not be able to eat most of the Christmas treats, made with butter and cream, until the next day, after the Christmas Mass. But Papa had talked the cook into making his favorite blini with sour cream. The house was cozy, with a fire burning in every fireplace. The familiar scents of tea brewing in the samovar and Maman’s warmed cherry brandy smelled like love to me.
    After the midnight Mass, my parents decorated the family Christmas tree. Petya and I acted like infants, squealing and giggling as we unwrapped our gifts beneath its heavilyscented branches. Petya received a new saddle for his horse from our parents, since he was going into the cavalry, and I gave him a fashionable silk cravat for his favorite white shirt. Maman received a beautiful ruby necklace that Papa had commissioned by Fabergé to match her tiara. There were happy tears in her eyes as she kissed Papa on his whiskered cheek.
    I received a number of books: the latest romance by Marie Corelli, a book of poems by Lermontov, and a book of medical drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. Maman enjoyed reading Corelli, which was much too light and ethereal for me. Maman had once told me
A Romance of Two Worlds
was Queen Victoria’s favorite book, and said the Romanian queen was also fond of Corelli’s work. I never felt quite as much admiration for either queen after that.
    I preferred dull scientific tomes to romances and was eager to retire to my room and delve into the da Vinci book. There was secret knowledge to uncover in science. All romances ended exactly the same way: a girl realized the surly boy she had hated all along was the only person in the universe who could complete her soul. I did not believe for a minute that my soul could be completed by some surly boy.
    And I would not wish my curse to harm anyone else. So how could I dare long for love?
    Maman smiled as she handed me a package with a Montenegrin postmark. “This came for you earlier this week,” she said. “I thought you should wait until we opened the rest of the presents.”
    I opened the brown wrapped package with dread. Thecard had the Montenegrin royal seal but was not signed, so I could not tell who had sent the gift. It could have been Elena or her sisters, or even the king and queen themselves.
    “Hurry up so we can see!” Maman was so excited about my gift that I considered letting her open it. But something told me not to.
    It was a beautiful onyx box, decorated with tiny pearls. Worth a small fortune.
    “
Mon Dieu
, Katiya!” Maman said. “You must write a thank-you note immediately!”
    I opened the lid and immediately shut it again, sick from what I’d seen. A single tarot card. The Queen of