By the time Cassandra and Ruslan reached Mischka Park, it was closed. They had to find a way to sneak in, which was not an easy thing to do. There was a security post by the entrance gate. They weren't sure if there were any guards around, but the post was empty.Ruslan found a gap in the park's fence and motioned for her to make use of it. They could see the greenhouse in the middle of the farmland. At the edge of the park stood the old mansion of the former landlady. No one lived there anymore. It would cost a fortune to renovate it, so it was practically abandoned. Some said the Soviet doctors had turned it into

It was nearly midnight at the World Beyond, and they were waiting for the moon. They waited by the window because it had a clear view of the sky."What I'm worried about," said Vasilisa, "is the open mirror. For every moment we wait that means any magical beasts or evil mags can cross to the mortal world. We are running out of time."

In the long silence that followed Cassandra felt herself sinking like a stone with her captor. They went deeper and deeper as if the oasis was bottomless. Cassandra tried to wiggle her body against the tight grip, but as she struggled, she caught a glimpse of a long dark green eel-like tail flipping beside her. Cassandra's frantic heart thumped against her ribcage.She bucked and kicked her feet, but the monster's arms held her down like an octopus's. Then it twirled her body around. Cassandra finally came face to face with her captor. She saw through the clear water, a beautiful red-haired maiden wearing light, sh

Never once did Cassandra think of her mother as anything but a perfectly ordinary woman. Of course, she only had vague memories of her. How her melodious voice sounded, how nice she smelled, and how warm she was to Cassandra when she was a child. Aunt Klementina told her that once when they were going to attend a wedding party, Cassandra's mother told her not to dance. Aunt Klementina hadn't been so fond of her mother for some reason and no doubt she went and danced her legs off. And she broke her hip that night.But that was

There was something about the grey creatures that sent Ruslan into a frenzy of revulsion. He fought like a demon himself. He punched and kicked furiously. The demons were nearly naked so he could see their repulsive, dark grey, hairless scrawny bodies, and their spindly limbs. When they touched him, his skin crawled.Individually, they were smaller than he was, but there were dozens of others who were human-size swarming across the rubble to help. He knew immediately that they were the Drekavac, the screamers, the mythical demons Owlyn had warned them about