Lord Fane's messenger could not be trusted.

Ira came to this conclusion some hours before dawn, after a long night of following the woman's lead through land that grew more barren the farther they walked. Orlova had not spoken a word since her jaunty salutation. Ira would appreciate the quiet were it not for the impeding sunrise and Orlova's apparent disinterest in her charges' safety.

"Is she not a vampire?" Ira asked Valeri.

The man shook his head, then nodded. He appeared disorientated. Soon, he would not be able to walk at all.

"We will rest here," Ira decided.

Valeri agreed. He was swaying on his feet. Zenith nudged his side, offering the vampire something to lean against. Ira studied their surroundings through narrowed eyes. There was no easy shelter in sight. Flat, frost-bitten earth stretched as far as she could see, the horizon lost behind a veil of pale fog.

"What are you doing?"

Ira swung out. The tip of her blade grazed Orlova's lapel as the woman danced out of reach, laughing. Ira had not heard her approach.

"Good reflexes, your lordship," the woman teased.

Ira sheathed the dagger without replying. She held the woman's eyes, her own gaze cold.

Orlova clasped her hands to her chest, feigning hurt. "My, why glare at me so, Miss Hale? All I did was ask a simple question!"

"Then let me ask one in return," Ira said. "How far away are we from Chervnik?"

Orlova smiled. "The Red City is always moving, Miss Hale. Any guess of mine will simply be that – a guess."

"Then we must impose on your time," Ira said flatly. She tested the earth's give with the heel of her boot and then knelt, unconcerned by Orlova's amused stare.

Valeri offered to help; Ira had him stay where he was instead, trusting Zenith to fend off any unwanted attention from their guide. She did not share Valeri's weakness against the sun due to her mixed parentage. She had however seen sunlight consume a vampire's skin like fire did old parchment. It was not a death she would wish to many.

Orlova watched Ira dig for some time before speaking. "May I suggest that you dig over there, instead?"

Ira looked up from her work. Orlova pointed to a spot some distance away. She had lost her demented smile, as well as the mad glint in her eyes.

Ira studied the patch of dry earth. She was curious about the woman's purpose; had she been alone, she might have taken Orlova on her challenge. As it were, she could not abandon Valeri to the woman's uncertain mercy and would therefore need to proceed with caution.

"After you," Ira said.

Orlova took the lead readily. Ira wondered if the woman had been testing them all along, then dropped that particular thread of thought entirely when the ground under Orlova gave in, swallowing the woman whole.

Ira turned to Valeri. She had enough time to grab the man's arm before the earth under their feet shifted, growing thin and insubstantial, like mist.

They fell for a long time. Ira kept her eyes open against the sting of loose dirt and wind, and found walls on either side of them, curving every few feet to guide their descent. Not a natural formation by any means. The surface disappeared rapidly from sight. The air grew warmer, rich with the scent of iron.

When the world tilted again, Ira was prepared. She guided Valeri into a controlled roll that cushioned their impact with even ground. They were in a large, circular space that curved upwards, like long-necked bottle. Orlova was already on her feet. Ira remembered Zenith, and turned her eyes to the ceiling, wondering if the horse would still be waiting for them once they left Chervnik's halls.

An impatient snort brought Ira's attention to a shadow lurking in a far corner of the cavern. She narrowed her eyes.

"Some horse you have," Orlova commented.

"Indeed," Ira said flatly.

Zenith turned his head away, the picture of mocking innocence.

"Well, now that we are all here safely –" Orlova spread her arms and took a theatrical bow, "– welcome to Chervnik! Please watch your step, we are moving under several thousand tons of stone and earth."

Valeri hunched his shoulders. Ira was similarly disconcerted. Work had never taken her so far underground, and she did not appreciate the knowledge that they were quite literally trapped with no way out.

Orlova was not done. "In the case of an earthquake," the woman continued cheerily, "hold onto the nearest stable surface and contain any screams of fright, they tend to echo and make the shaking worse. In the unlikely case that the city turns on its belly, pray to a deity of your choice and try to avoid becoming trapped in an air shaft."

"Are earthquakes common?" Valeri asked, blinking in dazed apprehension.

"Air shafts?" Ira repeated.

Orlova hummed a non-answer and turned on her heel. "Through here, if you would please."

The woman approached a part of the wall that seemed no different than the rest. She pressed her fingers to the metal, tracing a pattern Ira carefully memorized. The wall split apart with a rusted screech. A burst of warmth came from the other side, along with the hollow echo of voices.

Orlova threw a smile over her shoulder and disappeared beyond the gate.

"I guess we must follow," Valeri said.

"Does it make it better, or worse, that we have but the one choice?" Ira wondered.

Zenith nudged them both forward with a toss of his head. Ira slanted a glare the equine's way, reminded of Zenith's unexpected and unexplained company. She began walking nonetheless.

The gate stood on high ground. The floor slanted steeply downwards beyond the threshold, and the ceiling bowed high out. The entire city was shaped like a great fish, Ira realized – albeit one made of metal and stone. Lights flickered in a maze of flat-roofed buildings far below their feet.

Orlova waited for them at the bottom of the slope. She led the way along cramped pathways, perfectly at ease – a woman at home. They walked in single-file, with Zenith rounding off the party. Ira kept part of her attention on their guide even as she attempted to come to terms with the ground thrumming under her feet and the distant rumble of machinery.

Chervnik was laid out in a circular grid, skewing perspective and direction. Tall protrusions of rock speared into the darkness above every few blocks. They served as support pillars and divided the city into sectors. Ira counted each one they passed. It was a distraction as much as means of telling distance. The weight of the earth above them burdened her mind.

"Are all Dvor outposts alike in construction?" Ira asked.

Valeri glanced at her, then away. "I am not certain."

Ira identified the tension underlining Valeri's words as embarrassment. She dropped the subject. The underbelly of a possibly hostile vampire city was not the place to discuss Valeri's failures, perceived or real.

Orlova paused at a bend in the road identical to many others they had passed. "Do you plan to see Lord Fane today?" she asked.

"At nightfall," Ira said. The sun had risen, and Valeri would soon be forced into slumber. The man was nearly sleepwalking as it were.

"Lord Fane summoned you alone," Orlova reminded.

"We will go together, or not at all," Ira said.

Orlova was quiet, eyes searching for something in Ira's face. "I will inform Lord Fane," she said at last.

The woman's shadow flickered from where it stretched along a metal wall. It separated from Orlova's body, gaining features and definition as Ira watched. The woman gained a twin between blinks. Her double gave Ira a jagged smile and slipped between two buildings, disappearing from sight.

"Your lodgings are through here," the woman who remained said. She set off in the opposite direction, not waiting for her charges to follow.

Ira gripped the dagger that had slid into her hand. She bent toward Valeri and spoke into the man's ear, voice pitched low.

"She is human," she said.

Valeri nodded in agreement, expression vacant.

"Her twin, the one that lives in her shadow, is not," Ira continued.

"It has always been this way," Valeri confirmed.

"Please, do not fall behind!" Orlova called from the dark. "And do watch your step! We have had a few incidents with rusted drain covers recently. This is especially pertinent to our hooved guest."

"This place is falling apart," Valeri muttered.

They resumed their journey. Orlova led them down yet another tunnel that seemed to curve all the way around Chervnik. Their rooms were located at the very end, two suites that faced each other across a short hallway. Each was composed of a bedroom and a smaller drawing room, all furnished simply but comfortably.

"We do have stables, of a sort," Orlova said. She eyed Zenith with some bemusement.

Zenith nosed the door to one of the rooms open and disappeared inside. He kicked the door shut, for good measure.

Orlova threw Ira and Valeri an astonished look. "You'd better lead him out. I am afraid our staff isn't trained to wrangle the beast's kind," she said.

"He is fine where he is," Ira dismissed.

"These rooms were reserved for you with great difficulty," Orlova insisted. "Chervnik is currently beyond capacity."

"Sir Beaufort and I will share the second suite," Ira told her.

Orlova's eyebrows rose in interest. "Well, then there is no issue," the woman said. She winked at Ira. "Do enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," Ira said.

She waited until Orlova disappeared back the way they had come before closing and locking the door. Valeri was already sprawled on the bed in the bedroom, fast asleep. Ira helped the man into a more comfortable position. She spent some time ensuring there was nothing of concern in the room and the adjacent study – other than the fact that the walls and ceiling and floor were made of sheets of metal that could cave in at any moment and bury them both alive, a possibility Ira was desperately trying to put out of mind.

Then she sat at the side of the bed and considered the issue of Alexandra Orlova's Spark.