Lih himself was tired, but he was edgy too and he couldn’t sleep. His head ached like a bastard. Dorian offered a drink to Lih, who took the nearest glass of wine and sat down on the edge of a seat.
“Good stuff,” he said, smacking his lips and putting it down. “Surely that’s vintage?"
He closed his eyes. In the last few nights, he had started to dream again, for the first time since his arrival in Moscow. These recent dreams had been so vivid; they played back now across his mind. The Furia, always beckoning him, although sometimes she looked like Alex. That was fine. As long as the Furia was with him, it didn’t matter what guise she took.
But there were noticeable additions in these renewed dreams. Some of his long-lost friends and family were coming to him during slumber. Mother was still there, though faint and transparent. Lih had seen father too, and the wizened sailor had been laughing. Lih couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen their faces in person.
Worst of all, Costa appeared to him. Lih hadn’t seen Costa since their run-in with the Rougarou. But, and this made him uneasy, made him reach for Alex’s pills, there was always the screaming. The man screaming in the void. Who the hell was that? He was quite certain he knew the voice.
Viktor Lih took dreams seriously. He believed they were the only conduit through which the Creator could make his purpose understood to the common man. He hadn’t always thought that way, but the visions that had led him to Moscow had been so real, like Siobhan with her wolf dreams—he now regarded every single dream as a message. He was glad his dreams of the Furia had come back at last, no matter how disquieting they seemed.
Because his dreams had been where it had started. Then, he’d known—simply known—that if he joined the police academy one day he’d meet the Furia. And that had just been the start. Since then, the dreams had been coming more and more frequently.
Light, but he never wanted them to stop.
Still, he knew what Costa’s wife meant when they joined the domovoi. Don’t push it. Costa wasn’t a young man anymore— neither was Dorian for that matter— and one injury too many would spell the end of his career. Neither of them wanted that. But still...
He wanted to prove he was young still, young and fit. Even if the shooty-shooty life wasn’t known for its mercy... Lih hated hospitals. They reminded him too much of the consequences of his profession… the reek of antiseptic, which was so strong and sharp it almost but not quite masked the underlying aroma of blood and human waste...
Lih took another swig.
“Sir?”
Dorian called him over to a massive file he was leafing through. What is this? This was what Dorian wanted him to see?
“Of course I’ll be discreet,” whispered Lih, sitting up, wondering what the hell Dorian was going to tell him. Speaking, Dorian handed the photos to Lih.
Lih looked at the closeups. The scientists’ badge… he read it: “Vaia Plus."
Lih stopped dead and slowly looked around. Something… something nagged him. Something he didn’t even have to open Dorian's files to know…
He blinked his new Sage-lens-eyes at Dorian. Taken? And deals to save Dorian’s life? Maybe he should tell Dorian about—
Injured, at the hospital, Lih had suffered some kind of transformation. He couldn’t say what exactly, and he’d kept his dreams quiet. But it was like something inside him had woken up. Something he knew he had to keep secret from his friends and comrades. There had been twitches of superstition in his family line, though never enough of anything to cause trouble. He’d believe the trait had passed him by, until now...
He looked away and stopped himself. What would he tell anyone anyway? That he’d got a feeling? A bad feeling? From his dreams? More like a hand-written note from the good doctor Alex saying Lih was a madman who needed to be watched at all times?
According to Dorian, Sage would be watching them all…
Lih shook his head. “Sorry, sir. I don’t know this man or the organization. I could check the public records…but, well what does that mean?” Lih asked. The youngest domovoi officer had spread the files out on the table and was taking snaps with his new lenses.“I have absolutely no idea where the man you shot 3 times went, but I’d love to find out what happened to his body.”
“I'm sorry for my breakdown earlier. Can’t sleep without Alex’s meds. Got the itch.” He shrugged, “Not something I picked up from one of Cafe Mio’s girls, I assure you. The combat itch. Seems like I’ve been out of it for too long. Too, too long. Oh, I saw some shooty-shooty earlier on, but it wasn’t much. I feel like I need to get my head back in the game, sir.”
Lih smiled proudly at him. “I’m an officer of the finest regiment in the CCD, Sir… and it’s a place I want to be for a long time. Don’t worry about me. Me, I’m gonna live forever.”
“Good stuff,” he said, smacking his lips and putting it down. “Surely that’s vintage?"
He closed his eyes. In the last few nights, he had started to dream again, for the first time since his arrival in Moscow. These recent dreams had been so vivid; they played back now across his mind. The Furia, always beckoning him, although sometimes she looked like Alex. That was fine. As long as the Furia was with him, it didn’t matter what guise she took.
But there were noticeable additions in these renewed dreams. Some of his long-lost friends and family were coming to him during slumber. Mother was still there, though faint and transparent. Lih had seen father too, and the wizened sailor had been laughing. Lih couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen their faces in person.
Worst of all, Costa appeared to him. Lih hadn’t seen Costa since their run-in with the Rougarou. But, and this made him uneasy, made him reach for Alex’s pills, there was always the screaming. The man screaming in the void. Who the hell was that? He was quite certain he knew the voice.
Viktor Lih took dreams seriously. He believed they were the only conduit through which the Creator could make his purpose understood to the common man. He hadn’t always thought that way, but the visions that had led him to Moscow had been so real, like Siobhan with her wolf dreams—he now regarded every single dream as a message. He was glad his dreams of the Furia had come back at last, no matter how disquieting they seemed.
Because his dreams had been where it had started. Then, he’d known—simply known—that if he joined the police academy one day he’d meet the Furia. And that had just been the start. Since then, the dreams had been coming more and more frequently.
Light, but he never wanted them to stop.
Still, he knew what Costa’s wife meant when they joined the domovoi. Don’t push it. Costa wasn’t a young man anymore— neither was Dorian for that matter— and one injury too many would spell the end of his career. Neither of them wanted that. But still...
He wanted to prove he was young still, young and fit. Even if the shooty-shooty life wasn’t known for its mercy... Lih hated hospitals. They reminded him too much of the consequences of his profession… the reek of antiseptic, which was so strong and sharp it almost but not quite masked the underlying aroma of blood and human waste...
Lih took another swig.
“Sir?”
Dorian called him over to a massive file he was leafing through. What is this? This was what Dorian wanted him to see?
“Of course I’ll be discreet,” whispered Lih, sitting up, wondering what the hell Dorian was going to tell him. Speaking, Dorian handed the photos to Lih.
Lih looked at the closeups. The scientists’ badge… he read it: “Vaia Plus."
Lih stopped dead and slowly looked around. Something… something nagged him. Something he didn’t even have to open Dorian's files to know…
He blinked his new Sage-lens-eyes at Dorian. Taken? And deals to save Dorian’s life? Maybe he should tell Dorian about—
Injured, at the hospital, Lih had suffered some kind of transformation. He couldn’t say what exactly, and he’d kept his dreams quiet. But it was like something inside him had woken up. Something he knew he had to keep secret from his friends and comrades. There had been twitches of superstition in his family line, though never enough of anything to cause trouble. He’d believe the trait had passed him by, until now...
He looked away and stopped himself. What would he tell anyone anyway? That he’d got a feeling? A bad feeling? From his dreams? More like a hand-written note from the good doctor Alex saying Lih was a madman who needed to be watched at all times?
According to Dorian, Sage would be watching them all…
Lih shook his head. “Sorry, sir. I don’t know this man or the organization. I could check the public records…but, well what does that mean?” Lih asked. The youngest domovoi officer had spread the files out on the table and was taking snaps with his new lenses.“I have absolutely no idea where the man you shot 3 times went, but I’d love to find out what happened to his body.”
“I'm sorry for my breakdown earlier. Can’t sleep without Alex’s meds. Got the itch.” He shrugged, “Not something I picked up from one of Cafe Mio’s girls, I assure you. The combat itch. Seems like I’ve been out of it for too long. Too, too long. Oh, I saw some shooty-shooty earlier on, but it wasn’t much. I feel like I need to get my head back in the game, sir.”
Lih smiled proudly at him. “I’m an officer of the finest regiment in the CCD, Sir… and it’s a place I want to be for a long time. Don’t worry about me. Me, I’m gonna live forever.”
Viktor Lih
Officer of CCDPD
Officer of CCDPD