“Was it what you thought?” Sarah smiled crookedly, her eyebrow raised.
Valek merely nodded as the hell-stallions trotted up the slope to the abandoned-looking home that sat unfriendly at the far end of the clearing. There was only the sound of the phantom hooves beating down on mulch, sand, and pebbles, a warning to the hag that they were nearly at her doorstep. Valek could hear the screeching of some fantastical predator in the distance. Although the brightness of the morning made the small house glow, there still remained a heavy eeriness and a bitter taste of death about the forest around them. They must have somehow wound up on the outer banks of some Occult city.
He leaned over and whispered to Sarah, “Are you sure about this?”
She only shot him a look, suggesting she knew exactly what she was doing, and continued to proceed forward.
Valek had heard little about the mysterious hag who’d lived in these woods for what he guessed was before his time and probably much longer. What was her beginning? Would she truly be the one to unravel the mystery and answer the questions they had about the unseen city? If she failed to provide the answers Sarah sought, Valek believed there was little hope left. They’d already strayed from the Parliament’s orders. He could only guess they wouldn’t be too happy about that. He worried that in Baba Yaga’s company, there would only be trickery. Valek would keep the gates of his mind open in order to pick up on whatever the hag would present, but he would tread carefully.
Valek swiftly leapt from Beta’s back first. She slowly turned her massive head to gaze at him with her new, matching glacier-colored eyes. The expression they held painted vivid concern for him, and he knew there was nothing safe about the idea of entering that rickety hut.
“I’m aware of it.” He gently patted the end of her slate nose. How fascinating, since they were both of the same ilk and possessed the window into each other’s mind. “There’s nothing else to do. We will be back in moments. Please behave.” He finished knotting her reins to the hag’s wooden fence, which surrounded the feet of the strange, gargantuan chicken legs.
Valek approached Sarah’s horse, whose eyes instantly shared Beta’s same worry. He nodded once at Jiri and proceeded to help the little Witch, his large hands grasped tightly around her waist until her feet touched the ground. They regarded each other awkwardly for a minute, and the instant thought in Sarah’s mind suggested Charlotte probably would not have liked that.
Valek shrugged. “My apologies. It is my instinct as a gentleman.”
Sarah turned her gaze toward the smoking chimney and splintered threshold and swallowed. Valek tuned into Sarah’s mind, curious of what was going through it. She was afraid, as to be expected. But exactly what it was that scared her surprised him. She was afraid of failing. Afraid of looking inadequate in front of her mentor. So that was it, Valek thought. Baba Yaga was Sarah’s counselor. And Sarah knew, after all of these years of being Francis’ house Witch and being so out of practice with her
true
talents, that Baba Yaga’s mastery would easily put hers to shame.
“She’s the most ancient Witch on record. She is feared by many of us…and solicited by none,” Sarah whispered hastily to Valek. “I was very, very lucky to be gifted with her counsel. We must proceed with caution. I have no idea what the consequences are going to be for us coming here.”
“Coming here was your idea, Sarah.” Valek frowned.
“I know. I know. And it is for good reason. I just hope she sees it that way as well.”
Valek and Sarah climbed the dozen porch steps without any more words and stood at the door that separated the peculiar abode from the outside world. The many cobwebs that lined the corners suggested that it hadn’t been opened in a long while. Sarah reached forward and grabbed hold of the massive doorknocker—a rusted, iron lion head. It was interesting to Valek how this symbol resurfaced to them over the course of their journey and throughout the Parliament’s list of cryptic hints. He recalled the double-tailed lion that had manifested in the fire to Sarah and Charlotte in the parlor of Francis’ home many months ago. She thudded three, quick knocks and quickly stepped back. The sound of the little Witch’s breathing ceased completely in his ears. Valek glanced at her face, now wide-eyed and frozen.
Slowly, the wooden-planked door creaked open on its ancient iron hinges. It exposed a thick darkness with only a faint cast of golden light from nearest room. The inside appeared much more massive than the hut’s modest façade initially let on. Baba Yaga appeared to them from behind the door, shrouded in a hooded robe of muslin with a frayed wine-colored trim. Her knobbed fingers clutched the top of a gnarled cane Valek guessed was made of rosewood, for its cherry color. Her twisted nails were wrapped around the shape of a soaring phoenix. He squinted at the thing. Curious. He wondered if it was merely used to steady her gait, or if it held a much more significant power.
There was also a peculiar odor seeping from the inside that caused his nose to wrinkle up in disgust. It might have seemed impolite, but he could not help himself, for his senses were too agonizingly acute for him not to react in some way. It was anything but welcoming.
Remaining completely silent, she beckoned the two inside her home with a wide wave of her free arm. Her one good eye remained fixed thoughtfully on Valek. He slipped past her quickly without turning his back, not trusting the situation in the slightest.
The door whined in protest as the old hag shut and locked it. She was exactly as all of the old childhood bedtime stories depicted her, except she was not at all portly like the stories stated, but rather bony and crooked. It was rare that human fantasies told it accurately. Or rather, maybe she just hadn’t had the chance to gobble up any children recently. Valek chuckled very quietly to himself.
“Do you find my appearance amusing,
Pane
Ruzik?” Her voice sounded as rickety and as gnarled as she looked. It conveyed an odd sort of aged and hollow wisdom, like wind. Though her words were bitter, there was also a strange level humor that played in her tone.
Valek answered quickly. “Not at all, madam. I thank you very sincerely for welcoming us into your home.” He managed to glance sideways at Sarah, who was still frozen with her hands folded respectfully in front of her.
“I doubt the winter has any effect on the likes of you,” she grumbled. The end of the hag’s cane thumped rhythmically on the warped, wooded floorboards as she hobbled past the two into the parlor of her home. “What is the reason for your visit?”
Down a stretch of hallway, Valek could see that the glimmering, yellow light had belonged to a roaring fire. With Baba Yaga walking in front of them, he quickly threw a look to Sarah that begged her to take over the conversation. When she still failed to speak, he elbowed her in the ribs, knowing that Sarah, being of the same magic kin, would be much more convincing, able to pry some answers from the ancient hag.
Sarah glared at him, but quickly began. “Madame Yaga, we come to you seeking answers. We are searching for the Dark City, Abelim.”
Baba Yaga stopped short in the middle of the hallway, the glow of the fire creating a halo that silhouetted her ancient figure. She remained with her back turned to the pair. Valek saw her fingers wrap tighter around the top of her cane, but when he tuned into her mind, he found that it was silent.
Don’t even try it
. Sarah’s thoughts spoke to him as she glared in his direction.
She’s much older than you, and she knows well how to keep the likes of you out of her head!
“Who told you to come here to find such information?” The hag spoke, still unmoving.
“N-no one,” Sarah began. “No one told us to come here, Madame Yaga. Actually, we were provided a map to Abelim by the Parliament themselves. We only come seeking your advice, as we know the journey is a dangerous one.”
Valek wasn’t used to this Sarah, so meek and unsure of herself. She spoke to the ancient Witch as though she were begging for her life.
Without so much as a grunt, the Witch continued down the hall and into her study, eclectic with collections of books and potions and things. An enchanted oak sprouted in one corner near the fireplace, its branches reaching across the room against the ceiling. Valek’s library back home seemed nothing but a mere bookshelf compared to the stacks and stacks of spell books, records, recipes, and archives. It was much more organized than Sarah’s study had been in Francis’ home, however. Valek didn’t know why, but he just assumed all Witches were as disorganized. Valek counted each book in a matter of minutes, seeing that they had been shelved alphabetically, and dusted down to the last speck of soot. What was most strange about the room was that it completely lacked furniture. Valek gazed around for a place to perch but came up empty.
Baba Yaga turned to them again and gestured to the floor, her long fingers pressed together. “Have a seat….”
Tree roots began to twist up from between the cracks in the floor, vines protruding and growing with them. Lush, emerald leaves sprouted among the foliage as Valek watched in amazement at the growth bending and transforming into three chairs. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sarah’s mouth twist up in a satisfied smile.
Cool, huh?
Valek nodded slightly at Sarah’s thought before he took his seat.
Excited now, Sarah crossed her legs and enthusiastically bent closer to Baba Yaga. “Thank you very much for your hospitality, madame. It is an honor for me to be in your presence again—”
“Let’s keep the adulation down to a minimum. I do not have the time, and you’re so sweet it’s giving me stomach pains.” Baba Yaga batted her hand at the little Witch before rubbing at the bridge of her pointed nose. She turned gingerly to Valek. “You are very strange,
Pane
Ruzik. I have been watching you since I first learned you would come and visit me.”
A smirk spread instantly across Valek’s face. He’d always been thoroughly amused by Witchery. Some he knew were legitimate, though most were full to bursting with their own egos and hot air. So he decided to have a bit of fun. “And who told you of my visit, madame?” He flashed his fangs as he feigned politeness.
The room instantly darkened and sounded with thunder. The fire was washed out with the enchanted rain as Baba Yaga stood and angrily leaned into Valek, her long, silver hair billowing into his face, threatening to encase him.
“How dare you regard me in such a manner as this! I warn you, heathen, to respect the curse of the Wood Witch or else fall into misery yourself!”
In a lightning flash the room went back to normal, the fire rekindling itself in the hearth. Baba Yaga, however, remained angered, with her nails clutching feverishly to the rosewood staff.
Valek sat with his back pressed tightly against his seat. “My apologies.”
“I had known of your visit for long, now, Vampire!” She spat every syllable. “I have been waiting for you for nearly two decades since the night when your fates shifted. And I
hate
to wait, Valek.” Her shoulders began to relax.
“Surely, you are speaking of the night I found Charlotte?” When he uttered her name, something painful jabbed at his dead heart. He refused to let her face flash in the forefront of his mind, however, and aggressively shoved it back.
“Yes, the human girl. That was the night your course completely shifted, and your face appeared to me in a vision. I’ve been watching both of you since. She is in grave danger.” Baba Yaga waved her hand, causing a small table to grow next to her chair. A cup of tea on a saucer flew in a blur from out of another part of the home—what Valek guessed to be the kitchen. The dark liquid inside the cup steamed as the hag sipped at it.
“We know, Madame Yaga. That’s why we are seeking the Dark City. We’re trying to save her,” Sarah interjected.
Baba Yaga’s mystical purple glare snapped swiftly in Sarah’s direction. “I did not address, you, did I? Remain silent. You have disrespected me by allowing yourself to fall into the servitude of a Vampire. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing for you and me to discuss.” She waved her hand once, causing the pearly, pink lips of Sarah’s mouth to completely vanish off her face. Sarah’s hands flew up to the space, which was now merely skin stretched over her mouth cavity, a terrified scream emitting itself from behind the layer of flesh. Baba Yaga turned her attention back to Valek. “And besides, I do not only speak of the child’s strange addiction to you! There are other things racing to claim her fate.”
Valek nodded solemnly. “I am aware of those, too.”
“You are aware of very few things, Valek, so do not get too arrogant! It will be your downfall. That is what I dislike about you. You know much less than you think you do, yet you believe you know it all. But there is more that will surprise you. Charlotte’s life has a bounty, now. There’s a price on her head. For some reason, this mortal has become a very valuable prize to all who seek her.”
Valek stayed silent, but nodded again.
“The Regime is in shambles, but there are still a few members at large…
as I’m sure you know
.” She meant the last part of that sarcastically.
“I do know.” Valek lifted an eyebrow. “Is there anything more you can inform me on that matter?”
“No. There is not. Their magic is much stronger even than mine is. They keep their actions and their future paths heavily guarded. I used to be the oracle for the Regime.” She took another swig of her tea, her eyes going distant.
“And then what happened?”
Baba Yaga’s good eye glanced back at Valek, and she almost grinned. Almost. “You.”
Valek swallowed thickly. Had they fallen into a trap?
Baba Yaga’s belly rumbled under a massive chortle that seemed to cause the whole house to shake under it. “Not to worry. You noticed how this forest tends to watch you?” She smiled again and winked. “That is my protection from them finding me. If any of the Regime happens to come seeking me, I simply pick up and leave.”
Valek’s eyes widened. “The chicken legs? Your whole house moves.”