Verena's Whistle: Varangian Descendants Book I by K. Panikian (top android ebook reader txt) 📕

that we don’t know if they will still be liquid when they cool, or if they will ignite when they are cool. In the morning, we will test these three batches and see.”

“We changed the recipe slightly with each one,” Theo added. “So, if we get a winner out of these three, we can start making more batches of that one.”

“We will need some more of some of the ingredients though, by the end of the day tomorrow, I think,” Zasha added.

I left them to start the cooling process for the last pot and went into the kitchen to make dinner.

Chapter 17

I read Aunt Irene’s journals late into the night and then had bad dreams about earthquakes and fire. When my phone alarm went off in the morning, I groaned into my pillow. I jumped up though, when I heard a muffled scratching at my door. I cracked it open and saw Theo and Owen in the hall.

“Come for a run with us,” Theo said.

I agreed and held up one finger. I brushed my teeth and dressed and then met them stretching in the entry. “No Julian?” I asked.

“I couldn’t get him up,” Theo answered. “He said he’d go later.”

We headed into town – Theo led, then Owen, then me. I pushed myself to keep pace and it felt good. When we finally made it back to the chalet, I was panting hard. Owen wasn’t much better than me, sweat darkening his already dark hair.

“He’s a machine,” he wheezed to me, laying on his back in the living room, stretching one muscular thigh across his body and reaching toward the wall.

I agreed, stretching my calves. “He ran track in high school. Now he runs marathons.”

Theo called from the kitchen where he was drinking water, “That was hardly a marathon, guys.”

Julian stepped out of his bedroom, carrying a mug of coffee, still in his pjs, “Why do you think I said I’d go later?”

I hobbled into the kitchen to get my own water. “Where’s Zasha?” I asked Theo.

“She’s staying in town with a friend. Said she’d be over after breakfast to help again.”

I nodded. “Okay, so let’s talk about what we need to accomplish today. Theo and Zasha are going to hopefully have a successful batch of Greek fire, all cooled off but still liquid, in the shed. If they do, they need more ingredients to make more batches. We need to enough for me to build a fireball the size of that cave entrance.

“Owen also has a sword lesson this morning.

“Julian, why don’t you and I go to the hardware store in Chelyabinsk first off. Then this afternoon, let’s take the snow machines up one of the other trails, see if we see any tracks or anything.

“Tonight, if everything is going well with the Greek fire, we need to plan the assault. The clock is ticking.”

Julian waved his agreement, still sucking down water, and Owen asked, still stretched out on the floor, “Can you wait for me to go up the trails? Dmitri said we’d be done by 1.”

“Sure,” I said. “Theo, you good?”

“Yeah, sounds good to me. Julian, there are a couple of things we don’t need more of.” Theo snagged a notepad and started writing.

I turned my head sideways so I could see Owen, “Oatmeal?”

THE drive back and forth to Chelyabinsk took longer than the shopping. Julian remembered where everything was at the hardware and health food stores. I texted Owen on the way back and told him we’d pick him up at Dmitri’s.

We found the two of them in the back parking lot. Dmitri had a padded dummy set up in the middle the lot and Owen was striking it from different angles. Dmitri shouted, “Thrust! Parry! Slash!” and Owen moved the longsword around relatively gracefully.

“Pretty good for a first lesson,” Julian said to me and I nodded. “He’s got good spatial awareness and he’s strong.”

Despite what they look like, longswords are not any heavier than other swords. The two-handed grip is not because you need large muscles to maneuver it around; it’s a personal choice. Some moves you can do with a longsword only need one hand on the grip.

At the end of the lesson, Owen was full of enthusiasm and promised to be back the next morning. Dmitri told him to remember to think about his feet too. Off-balance strikes mean you end up on the ground when you’re hitting something other than a dummy.

Back at the house, Owen and I made a quick pile of sandwiches for everyone while Julian checked on Theo and Zasha in the back. He reported that the two had a favorite of the batches that cooled in the shed and wanted me to set it on fire to see if it was the one to be duplicated.

I finished eating my turkey on rye as I shoved my boots and coat back on.

In the backyard, Theo showed me a copper pot full of black, viscous fluid. I made a depression in the snow and dumped about a tablespoon of the liquid into it. It settled into the bottom of the icy container. Zasha handed out safety goggles to everyone and motioned everyone but me back.

I lit a spark at the fingertips in my right hand and tossed it into the bowl, while taking a giant step backwards. The liquid burst into flames with a boom that rattled the windowpanes of the house; I took another step back. The fire settled into a steady blaze, dancing along the surface of the black material and I whistled it up into a ball. I let the ball dance around in the air, keeping it well away from the spectators and then shot it into the empty fire pit. It flashed through the air with a whoosh and then exploded in the pit, where it continued to burn for several more minutes.

Julian stepped forward with a large glass of water from the kitchen and dumped it on the fire; it didn’t go