It’s a weird feeling when you are between the state of being awake, yet so tired that your lids feel like led and everything around you is so surreal as if you are looking it through someone else’s eyes. A feeling Kalina wasn’t unfamiliar with but had never experienced for so long.

“In the lands of Suntolia we can meet three types of talasumi” Oh, finally something useful among the hundreds of pages she had gone through. She dipped the feather into the ink quill and began copying the text, her tired wrist moving slowly, wishing she knew a spell that could instantly copy it. There was most likely a spell-like that existing already, she was just yet to come across it. Someone would have thought of at least one or two in the thousands of years magic users like herself existed, but it wasn’t like a new spell was impossible to be created. Just not by her. Blood witches are powerful, mirror witches  - gifted, but when it came to witches of sense, well they were defined by the word “dangerous”.

A blood witch, is the keeper of the bloodline and the family, to keep the kin memory burning, to sense when one of her own was in danger and to heal them. To freely speak and ask for guidance from the spirits of her ancestors. Mirror witches had the power of seeing curses put on people, healing, potion-making,  blessing people with fortune and good luck…

What did witches of sense get – to free people of curses and if something went who gets the blame? To read and control one's mind – if you want to know how many people hate you! To see people's past? It’s not like she could change it. To take away their pain – with her condition it could be fatal! Her fingers were dancing over the burning candles’ flames, just at the point where the pain felt good before the heat stings you.

Bela casting a spell without saying anything just letting her powers flow – that was amazing! And she could one day create new spells herself, ones that would be mastered by the next generations to come…

It wasn’t that Kalina disliked being a witch, she understood the importance of being one, yet she couldn’t help but struggle to understand her own importance as one.

But there were more important things to think of now. Slapping her cheeks slightly to sober herself, she continued scribing down  “three types of talasumi. The first one and the least harmful in the humble opinion of this author is the stopan.” Kalina underlined the last word heavily, before continuing “Stopan as its name suggest is the soul of the deceased owner of the house this creature resides in. That could be the first owner, the one who built it, or any other member of the family with strong enough ties to the family. Its main task is to protect the home from the forcer of nature and its inhabitants from sickness or other forces that have nothing to do then than harm. It can be compared to the Karetian domovoy and kikimora, as well as the  Volnian domowik . During the day it takes the form of a snake or hedgehog, but at night it hides in the angles of the house, taking an appearance similar to that of their living looks. A way to persuade it to your aid when you are not a member of the home is to show your respect by offering him bread, salt and wine and swearing in your ancestors' blood to do no harm to his home or family.” Another underlining. It was a good thing to know, but it wasn’t what they were looking for.

She shook her head continuing with the next passage. An image of some weird creature accompanied it. It was almost impossible to get a hold of what it was. Cat eyes? Dog’s teeth? Goat’s feet, but the ears of a rabbit?! “Talasum, that guards a hidden treasure” was the title. The young girl ran the fingers of her left palm over the words, as she wrote down once more. Silently, as if there was someone who shouldn't hear her, she started reading further down.

"It's not uncommon for some thieves to hide their treasure until it's safe to use it, or they are sure they have rid of those who could claim a portion of it. The most common way to do so is to slash an animal over the buried goods, though it's not uncommon for some animals to spill the blood of their own kind just to be sure. Appearing on the great days of the year in the form of a blue flame..." She let a sigh as she relaxed on the chair. Not this either from what was coming further. No idiot would bury a treasure under a freshly build bridge with heavy traffic, besides, it had passed quite the time after the passing of the last great day, the night they went to Zmeikovo to be precise, and there was still some time to the next one, so this one, was out of suspicion. And if it was taking the form of a blue flame, what was it shown as a borderline monstrous combination of animals, Kalina thought as she crumpled the piece of paper and threw it on the floor next to the mirror Asya had given them to communicate.

Starring at her reflection wasn’t something she was fond of. Not only could she not find a single one among her features that she liked, but she disliked her appearance completely. She wasn’t unattractive, quite the opposite, she was pretty, but not the type she wanted to be. And what she disliked the most was being compared – to her sisters, to her mother, to the different daughters of bolyari, to her relatives, long gone from this world. Dyado Blago had seen “Huba” in her – the twin sister of her grandfather, married off the previous tzar – Malamir, who was so grief-stricken when she drowned after the loss of their child, he refused to wed and died childless, appointing his nephew as successor. Not only were the Petrosinovi descendants of the second son of the first tzar and tzarica, but they were always close by marriage with the royal family. She had seen images of Huba and there couldn’t be more different – her laughing eyes were almost light blue, lighting up her laughing face even further, while Kalina felt her’s could never beat the gloom out of her complexion.

Straightening her back she could do nothing but continue reading “The last type of talasumi, known to Suntolians is that born out of the soul of a person build in a sacrifice to assure the building process will be successful.” The girl’s eyes widen as she went more into the text “What’s build-in could be the living person themselves, or just their shadow. In the case of the second, the person will quickly lose their strength and fall ill, before passing away. In forthy days passing from either the person being build in alive or them passing, their soul would come to the builded building or bridge and take a form similar to what they looked alive, but with time they become shabbier and shabbier, slowly losing whatever goodness they had in life, completely succumbing to their role of guarding the bridge or even turning on humans. If you are unlucky to encounter them in no circumstances do you respond to their wailings or singing unless you are ready to sacrifice your eyes or tongue…”

“Kalina? Kalina?! Where are you?”

Was that Albena’s voice? What was she doing here so late, when she ought to be resting? Unless it wasn’t late but early. Time to get up and start your date. The lack of any natural light had left her in the dark for the passing of time. Slowly, she got up from the desk and headed to the staircase. The wood creaked under her steps and she could already hear the talk between her sister and Beloslava. Calmly, without a sight of her previous hostility.

“There?! What do you mean she is there? How is that even possible? I don’t mind a good joke from time to time, but now is not the time for that, so I’ll ask you once more…”

“I’m here!” Called out Kalina as she was on the last step of the staircase and meet her sister’s eyes. The eldest of the Petrosinovi’s sisters had dark circles under her eyes, which revealed she too was deprived of her night sleep, but they barely noticeable compared to those of Beloslava and Kalina.

“What in the…” She placed her hand over her mouth, in disbelief of what just happened. Her sister had just come out of the wooden chest right next to the left wall of the room.

“See, I told you she was there.” Bela’s voice was still sweet, even when tired. And there were no signs of told you so intentions in it.

“But how? What were you doing in there?”

“Just reading, researching on the talasumi. It’s a portable library. It’s great, isn’t it?” Kalina’s face lightened for a little, before going back adjusting her eyes to the brightness of her room.

“It is…it surely sounds useful.” That was all she could say. And it was the truth, having a portable would be very useful. And Bozhana would be trilled the moment she learned of it. She just wished it was filled with normal books, instead of magic. Was there a normal person willingly having a library filled with who knows what in it? No matter how small it was, if she could be sure in its size.

“Are we to go now and share what we found?” Directly asked Bela.

“No, there is still an hour. I came here to see if my worries were backed up and sadly they are! I appreciate your eagerness to help, but could you not shower and change at least?!”

Both were so consumed by the thought to start researching as quicky as possible, that they didn’t even think of bathing, changing or even eating anything. Both were still in the ridding garments they wore yesterday, unlike Albena, who had changed into a similar but simpler look of that she wore when they arrived from Zhegavica.

“Enough, enough with the reading. I don’t want you both to go blind under my eye.” She said as she rubbed the temples of her sides. “Wash yourselves and change into something befitting.”

For some reason, they chose to take the stairs used by the servants to reach the hall, where Svilen and Albena had called for a meeting with the leaders of the guards and soldiers. As they were going down, every few moments Kalina would stop and turn around, as if to make sure no one was following them. And every time, she’d think she’s was just imagining things. “The only one who could come out is a servant boy carrying out tasks, or a maid on her way to tidy things up.”, yet a strange feeling had curled up under her heart that there was something she should be cautious of. But it was only Bela behind her. Bela who wouldn’t do her harm. Bela, who just tried to let something like a shout but came out muffled.

“I really don’t want to do this, trust me Kala, but it’s a matter of life and death.” The familiar voice of Mico passed through her ears, as she turned to see him pinning Beloslava to the wall, with a small knife close enough to cut through her throat if she resisted too much. “And take that down, we both know you wouldn’t risk putting your posestrima in danger.” The thing he referred to as “that” was a small dagger Kalina always carried, that was now pointed at Mico. 

“Everything in this life is a matter of life or death!” Was Kalina’s reply.