"The Crooked Road" by Dakha Taratorina, summary Automatic translate

A Slavic fantasy about the young werewolf Euphrosyne and her husband, Gray, published in 2018. This book is the second part of the "Grandmother’s Tales" series, which tells the story of heroes struggling to find a place among humans and evil spirits, with the protagonist forced to fight external enemies and tame her inner beast. The author masterfully weaves ancient beliefs in the goddess of death, Marena, into the plot, making her not a faceless evil but a suffering character yearning for understanding and warmth.

Life in the Lake District

The story begins in the Lake District, where Froska and Seryi come in search of peace. Euphrosyne recently became a werewolf, trying to escape a fatal wound. Now, an aggressive she-wolf lives within her, which the heroine finds incredibly difficult to control. The beast constantly craves the hunt and the warm blood of others. Seryi, born a werewolf, tries to help his wife, teaching her control, but doesn’t fully understand the depth of her torment.

In the village, the couple stays with the incredibly fussy and hospitable old woman Vesey. A local beauty with lush braids, Vsemilya, begins openly flirting with Gray. Froska, overcome by animal rage and feminine jealousy, cuts off the girl’s hair in front of all honest folk. Vsemilya tries to incite the fishermen against the strangers, shamelessly accusing Gray of violence. The innkeeper, Svetolik, stops the brawl with a loaded crossbow, and the couple safely escapes the settlement.

Gray realizes his own lack of experience in teaching his wife. He searches for the old, mad sorcerer Belogost in a remote dugout. The priest predicts great disaster, refuses to treat Efrosinya, and directs the young couple to a hidden wolf settlement, which is preparing something sinister. Along the way, the couple accidentally encounters a forest leshy, whom Froska easily subdues with her growing supernatural will.

Meeting with the past

The settlement is hidden deep in the forest behind a high palisade. It is ruled solely by Agnia, Gray’s biological mother, who abandoned him many years ago. Agnia painstakingly gathers the surviving werewolves, turning them into a ruthless army. The woman intends to attack the human settlement to take revenge on the inhabitants and its leader, Lyubor, for the death of her husband. Agnia desires to see Gray, as the true heir, lead the pack after victory.

Froska sees her mother-in-law as nothing more than a cold killer, willing to sacrifice anyone for revenge. The two strong women engage in a verbal conflict. Gray refuses to lead the wolves to a bloody slaughter. Agnia, intolerant of even the slightest disobedience, orders her own son beaten and locks him in a dark, cold dungeon. Froska, unaware of her husband’s capture and believing he has voluntarily chosen her mother’s side, decides to leave alone.

She joins a caravan of merchants heading to the capital. Radomir, a cheerful red-haired fellow and an old acquaintance of Efrosinya’s, accidentally ends up among them. The brothers, Tolstoy and Thin, and two hired guards reluctantly agree to take the girl along. Radomir’s stubborn goat, Chernushka, becomes attached to her, causing many comical situations and even saving the merchant from an unwanted village marriage.

Road of Trials

The merchant caravan’s route is fraught with deadly dangers. A storm causes the heroes to lose their way and end up at an inn run by the friendly Nezhdan. That night, Froska overhears the innkeeper’s conversation with his sons, Lame and Cross-eyed, who were serving as the merchants’ guards. They turn out to be hardened bandits who mercilessly kill lone travelers for their goods.

Efrosinya unleashes her inner beast. In a brutal, fleeting battle, she dispatches the thugs, saving the life of Radomir, who was seriously wounded in the stomach. She kills Nezhdan himself when he panics and tries to escape into the night forest. She savors the taste of blood, terrified by her own transformation. Froska feels herself becoming more and more like the merciless goddess Marena. The words "Marked by Marenushka, Marked by Death," uttered by the mermaids she encountered at the lake, take on an ominous meaning.

Meanwhile, in the werewolf settlement, old Belogost and Svetolik, who had come to his aid, free Gray. The priest, wishing to delay the wolves’ pursuit, locks himself in a hut and burns himself alive along with the building. Gray catches up with Radomir’s caravan. The couple have a heated argument, but soon reconcile, acknowledging the impossibility of living without each other.

The Curse of Vyselki

Along the way, Euphrosyne’s native village, Vyselki, appears. The place appears completely deserted and frighteningly eerie. Soon, the terrible truth is revealed. Three years ago, in Gorodishche, Lyubor’s warriors brutally massacred a detachment of men from Vyselki. The wife of one of the slain, young Stasya, went mad with grief and summoned the ancient Marena, giving her body to the goddess for immediate vengeance.

Marena, in the guise of all-consuming darkness, repeatedly destroys Vyselki and now advances on the heroes. Froska, understanding the goddess’s primal power, offers her a deal. The girl promises to pay any price in exchange for stopping Marena. The darkness temporarily retreats, allowing the terrified travelers to continue their journey to the human capital.

The caravan reaches Gorodishche. Radomir finds the old, alcoholic warrior Berest, who once trained Lyubor in the ways of war. Berest and Agnia’s past secret affair is revealed, as is the fact of betrayal: it was the old commander who led the guards into the wolf catacombs many years ago. Repenting of his past misdeeds, the warrior rushes to the gates to stop the impending bloodshed.

Battle for Gorodishche

Agnia leads the pack, ready for battle, to the high city walls. Lyubor leads a squad, well-armed with crossbows, to meet them. Wolves and humans clash in a merciless, bloody battle. Werewolves furiously throw themselves at each other with their swords, while the warriors shoot the predatory beasts. Gray and Froska try to separate the combatants, but their efforts are utterly insufficient.

Berest begs Agniya to stop, receiving only cold laughter in response. The she-wolf genuinely relishes death and the pain it inflicts. In the heat of battle, Lyubor impales Radomir with a sharp sword, instantly receiving a crushing blow from the horns of his faithful goat, Chernushka, who had arrived just in time. Berest stuns the distraught mayor with a powerful blow, saving the red-haired merchant from certain death.

Realizing the impossibility of ending the carnage with simple persuasion, Euphrosyne resorts to a last resort. She appeals to the spirits of nature and to Marena herself. Wood-goblins, water-spirits, house-spirits, and mermaids instantly respond to the call of the Marked One. The bright spirits of the land halt the battle, mystically freezing raised swords and extended claws. The humans and wolves slowly retreat, struck by unprecedented magic.

Marena’s Choice

The battle is halted, demanding the goddess of death return for the promised payment. Marena appears before Froska as an exhausted, infinitely sad woman. The goddess is incredibly lonely and longs for a kindred spirit who deeply understands her cruelty. Euphrosyne prepares to step into the darkness, sacrificing herself to save her husband and friends.

Gray blocks the goddess’s path. The man desperately offers his life in exchange, but is resolutely refused. Marena needs Froska, whose soul is painfully torn between humanity and the instincts of a predatory beast.

Suddenly, Agniya, who had remained silent until now, steps forward. Overwhelmed by the devotion of her son and his wife, the she-wolf clearly realizes the utter emptiness of her own existence. For years, she had lived only with fierce hatred and a thirst for revenge. Agniya confidently offers herself to the goddess. Marena, seeing the same icy abyss in the old she-wolf, readily accepts. Agniya falls dead, accepting death as a welcome release from her torment.

Berest mourns his beloved bitterly, clutching Lyubor, who has lost his mind from the blow, clinging to the old warrior like a small child. Berest vows to Gray to forever protect the forest werewolves from human attacks. The settlement is ready to surrender to the wolves, forcing Gray to resolutely renounce his power. All he needs is his home and his beloved wife.

The couple, along with the recovering Radomir and his feisty goat, Chernushka, leave the site of the terrible battle. A crooked road leads the friends into the distance, toward new adventures.