Alternative History, Mystery: Dust to Blood by @tmycann
Dust to Blood
Red Slaves
By Tonya Cannariato
Synopsis
Chicago-based researcher Anne Crosby is traveling to Russia to investigate the hidden past of nine orphans who share an unusual bond--dust for blood. On her intriguing journey through post-Soviet Union Russia, she discovers a secret power buried in the country's history and sought by the newly reborn KGB, which is determined to regain ascendancy.
Secret dungeons, dragons, and her research associates' KGB connections have Anne looking over her shoulder at every turn. That doesn't prevent her from indulging in a bit of matchmaking in the midst of frantic adventures chasing down old secrets, rescuing a 15-year-old girl who is more than she seems, and running from rogue KGB agents.
As Anne and her entourage dig deeper into the ancient mysteries, she learns nothing is what it appears. Her life is forever transformed by her search for the true history of these Red Slaves.
Excerpt
I haven’t been home more than five of the past thirty days. As exotic as it sounds to be a staff researcher at the Stone Think Tank, it means I’m doomed to forever be trotting off to investigate my latest commission. Today (whatever today it is when I finally arrive) that commission is somewhere in Moscow, and I’m pretty sure it’s a wild goose chase.
Normally, I have no trouble tuning out the random passengers seated beside me. This time, the woman sitting by the window in our two-seat cluster shames me with her tale of feline rescues that would make a saint shudder. She actually took in a kitten with Spina Bifida and nursed her through a twelve-year lifespan with twice-daily pee and poo expression sessions. Of course, flying almost 5,000 miles together means I get all the dirty details. I had planned ahead with reading material, figuring one good-sized novel, the in-flight movie, meal, and some shut-eye would carry me through 10 hours of sitting. But how do you tell such a well-meaning do-gooder to shut up in the midst of such affecting tales?
On top of which, some crazy twist of fate has seated me next to a woman whose name is only one letter removed from mine. It’s a coincidence Ann noticed as we were sorting out boarding passes and carry-on bags. I’ve always thought my parents just ran out of creativity after the initial effort of gestation, so plonked an “e” at the end of a common name for their naming effort. The oddity of meeting someone whose family name is so similar (she’s a Cosby while I’m a Crosby) almost guarantees other comparisons. I’m glad to see she’s my opposite both in looks and beliefs. She’s a very short butter-ball, with blond hair and blue eyes, and is traveling with her church’s youth group as something of a mentor/adviser, while they make a tour of holy sites in exotic places.
I’ve never been much more than agnostic. I acknowledge the existence of mysteries and a force outside myself, but have never been much on organizations and their doctrines. This is another reason for my suspicion: my boss is a real conspiracy nut. It would be no skin off his nose to manufacture a case that forces me to delve deeper into pseudo-history and related apocrypha. In fact, he would have reams of research for me to read proving that there’s no such thing even as the “coincidence” of sitting next to a virtual name double.
But even as I consider whether he would have had the opportunity to meddle so ridiculously—who has the wherewithal to arrange those kinds of details when they’re already up to their eyeballs in work?—I mentally cringe at the memory of some of his other recent machinations. He’s definitely changed in the past year or so, and much as I might like the potential career trajectory I have working for him, he has gotten a bit creepy.
Which is as good a reason as any to continue to tolerate my worldwide peregrinations—including intrusive neighbors like Ann.
I’m trying to decide if I will need to come up with an excuse to ditch her, since we’ve bonded over the length of the trip. When I tune in to her ongoing monologue, I catch: “I’m so sorry you won’t be able to join us. We have the most amazing travel plan set up. Did you know Moscow alone has over 300 churches? There used to be over 1,000, but when the Communists came to power, they razed so many. It’s a crying shame. We’re still really going to be stretched thin to try to see them all. If I remember right, we’re starting in the Red Square and then moving out to the other districts of the city.”
The pilot’s voice over the intercom briefly interrupts her nattering. “We’re making our final approach to Sheremetyevo, so please check your seat for any items you might have removed during the flight. Enjoy the view of the morning sun lighting up the Moscow River. We know you have a wide selection of air carriers to choose from, so on behalf of myself, and this Chicago-based United flight crew, we’d like to thank you for flying the friendly skies.”
The stewardess reminds us to return our seat-backs and tray tables to their upright position in preparation for landing. Ann leans over again. “Are you sure you’ll be alright on your own in the city?”
“Moscow may be big, but I’m based out of Chicago, and am well-acquainted with research libraries from New York to Rome, so I’m pretty confident I’ll be able to fend for myself. Plus, my boss has connections here who are waiting to hear from me.” I mentally cross my fingers that this is enough to reassure her.
Since sleeping was a bust on the flight, my first order of business is to find my way from the airport (in the distant suburbs) to the downtown hotel I booked for the initial phase of my trip. There’s nothing like a solid ten hours of recycled air to make your skin feel like aged papyrus and your eyes a close cousin to sandpaper. I usually build in an extra travel day to allow myself an opportunity to acclimate to the new time zone and weather. Since my boss had told me to book the first flight I could find, and had only scheduled a short window to meet his associate, I wasn’t sure I’d manage that this time. His urgent request? To research Russian dragons.
