ppeared. Alexei’s wife had been a human – Elisa, my mother’s best friend. Both women had died in childbirth, leaving our fathers to mourn and take solace in the

dark beard sprouted from his cheeks and chin lik

eight of the years had glued them firm and hard. The green armor left room for his supple joints, and

dly, twirling stroganoff noodles on

, Katya, you will become Captain of the Copper Guard, and Azovka’s Copper Guardian, just like St

er father would speak of marriage, and Azovka still was not ready. I had accepted my fate of fat Misha the Lan

and red borscht. Rubenya smiled as she put our dishes away. “No mortal boy

t Rasputin

Soliciting immortal royalty on my trips. I even asked Prokovitch to put in a good word with the Carnegies when Prokovitch visited America

t, Azovka – on your nuptials night, he’d want you

understand the lamentations of Tolstoy? What American could appreciate the humor and sorrows of Gogol? Not a whit, I think.”

t of his daughter. “So, uh, my Azovkalisha, you will set off bottle

ushka. Nothing matters but my marriage. We’re busy now, dedushka – you can go.” Classic teenage

rokovitch said the Malachite Maids had trapped ages of stonecutters below in Copper Mountain, carving immortal stone flowers. Said Queen Ceci

ovka crowed like a cockerel, dancing as she set blue, green, and purple bottles we ha

and!” Azovka decreed, attacking a bird wit

hes. All Azovka had to do was snap her fingers, and then the movement lit th

l was something sacred from Kievan Rus’ that had fallen out of favor decades ago in M

n do that? I wanted to eat Azovka up. There was hunger in her brow. We were breathing heavy, and we traced each other

r spoke of it: this burning, mutual desire.

at do you want most in this world?” Azovka asked, sniffling, her jade green eyes aglow as her body crawl

ret. “For us to b

chite casket? A bond between you

Don’t tease me. You know we could never – I could never – we can’t have what we wa

up. “I do not want to marry anyone. How can you stand

husband to ensure that the Copper Guard’s coffers are lined, and Landlord Peter has always loyally supported dedushka and the Popovas. It is better than the tsar’s Bailiff

en Alexei play. It was his most treasured possession. Soft, supp

d over and over, tickling each other, weeping. I wanted – I wanted to kiss

we forced ourselves to break apart, breaths heavy. “I will not give you away to j

tch of frosted red cabbage atop Coppe

said,

,” came a fa

claimed, appalled. Who would dare bring

Prokovitch sent me on his wagon with the flock to

ball in her throat, her

t Mikhail. Not even Rasputin!” I frothed at the mouth, flustered. I threw a rock over Danilo’s scrawny shoulder – Prokov

s are

ed, smoothing her skirt. “We wer

d Danilo, my fondness at his oddly angled limbs and soft face growing. He looked like a bright,

the oddly beggar boy. The next day, Danilo ate lunch with us, and he

th the Zoryas, and Prokovitch had made us brie and ciabatta sandwiches – a rare delicacy, but Prokovitch was the richest man in tow

Azovka – I never had a mind for strategy games, but Copper Men’s minds churned

s’. Zmei Gorynych the three-headed dragon blew fire around the board’s border. Danilo moved his horse and trapped Azovka’s q

then every hedgehog, crow, and bug had to carry up to move to a new fiefdom – all for another pet squirrel. We nibbled on our sandwiches as old Prokovitch c

thyst he was carving into a heart after he set aside the brooches. They would sell for a pretty

t. Azovka whispered to a lizard

r I had cleaned up the chess and dishes in the one room cottage.

chelangelo,

textbooks, like the paintings in Priest Trepinko’

Prokovitch gave me a small oval of serpen

was enchanting some malachite into a living

coiled serpent. I cut myself a few times, and A

d found us piled in puddles of bearskin by the

as lamblings,” Dani

you,” I said. I hand

asked, impressed. “Is this an insult?

e as bent as Satan, and wicked as a

ds forever, Katya? You are o

as you do

promise. I would f

ou live in H

morbid t

just a

ska

a funn

l I know. Yes, Katyushka. I’d live in Hell for you, save you from Hell, and I am going to make

a jug, half-hewn. “I am learning to make stone thrum with life. But something is not r

agreed. “Only Coppe

inka. I love Azovka, but she needs a Rockefeller, or a European prince. We are of the same stock, you and I, and you’d ma

u – you want

ter, and you will be the next Copper Guard, and I will be the next Stonecutter. The Romanovs will prevail, and life behind the Malachite Wall will be good like it always has. Bailiff Flogger will stop putting me to the whipping

shall we

ovka saf

n his hay bale, holding hands, and carv

ot want t

anted to

hings we desire are