“It would help if my men had their weapons back,” the prince said with a twist to his lips.
“Fine,” said the giant. “But no more fighting!”
Serafina told the hut to settle to the ground as the prince and his men rounded up Zivon’s followers. Once the bones had hurtled from the cottage and made their fence, Maks sauntered outside to watch what was going on. Serafina was about to go as well, but when she patted her hair, she found it was a tangled mess. It was bad enough that Alek was going to see her looking so old; she didn’t want to look disheveled, too. After brushing her hair and tidying her rumpled clothes, she took the time to look in her mirror. The face that looked back was the oldest she had ever seen. Even her grandmother had looked younger than this before she died.
“It can’t be helped,” Serafina said, touching one white eyebrow and running her fingers down the soft wrinkles of her cheek.
She was walking out the door when Boris shouted, “Baba Yaga, you have company!”
“I can see that,” Serafina said, smiling shyly at her visitor.
Alek was standing just outside her gate like all the visitors who had come with a question. “I have everything you asked for, Fina,” he said, and turned to gesture behind him. A farmer’s wagon rumbled out of the trees where it had been hidden during the fighting. The back of the wagon was filled with barrels.
Jumping onto the bed of the wagon, Alek took the dagger from his belt and pried off a barrel’s lid. Serafina was holding her breath when he reached in and took out a single, perfect blue rose. “You said that finding the island called Paradise wouldn’t be easy and you were right! I climbed a mountain to ask a wise man where to find the island. Then I had to cross three rivers, slog through a swamp, and steal a boat from an ogre. Once I reached the island, I found Summer Rose. She said you told her about me, so she was glad to help. She gave me a magic potion to use on bushes that produce white roses. One drop of potion and all its roses turn blue. When I got back I heard how you had helped Prince Cynrik, so I went to his castle. He let me change nearly every white rosebush in his kingdom. Now Baba Yaga will never run out of blue roses again!”
“Alek, I can’t believe you did it!” cried Serafina.
“And that’s not all,” said Alek. “When you said that you needed one barrel, I was afraid that might not be enough to make tea for fifty years, so I filled ten.” Dipping his hand into the open barrel, he scooped out a handful of roses to show her. “I also brought polish for skulls, food for a cat, oil for a gate, and wood for a fire.” Alek gestured to some of the other barrels, then turned to a hooded figure seated beside the driver. “And here is the next Baba Yaga.”
The figure pushed back her hood, revealing Dielle’s smiling face.
“Dielle?” said Serafina. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Dielle nodded and her smile grew broader. “I am the third daughter of a third daughter. My mother had two baby girls before she had me, but neither of them lived more than a few days. I’ve gotten good at reading and writing, which you said might be one of the reasons your aunt chose you to be the next Baba Yaga.”
“I remember,” said Serafina.
“Mother died right before the war ended. Once she was gone, I no longer had to stay in our cottage. When I heard that someone was looking for blue roses, I knew that he was trying to help you. I went after Alek and caught up with him when he was on his way to the mountain to talk to the wise man. I told him that we were friends and that I admired you so much and wished I could do what you did someday. He sent me to your parents’ house to wait for his return. When Alek got word to us that he had gone to the prince’s castle, your father and I went to join him. I really want to be the next Baba Yaga. My mother is dead and Danya never came back from the war. I can go anywhere I want to now, but what I want more than anything is to help people the way you helped me and Mother. Besides, you know how much I love Maks,” she said, smiling at the cat, who had come to see what was going on.
“Sometimes the things you tell people aren’t what they want to hear,” said Serafina.
“I know. I’ve heard about some of the things you’ve told them. Even so, I know I would make a very good Baba Yaga.”
“If you’re sure …,” said Serafina. “But first I have to see if this tea works. No one can be Baba Yaga for long if it doesn’t.”
Dielle hopped down from the wagon and followed Serafina inside to watch while she put water on to boil. Maks sauntered in behind them and jumped onto the bed. Dielle plopped down beside the cat. “I have something for you,” she told him, opening a pouch she had hanging from her belt. Maks stretched his neck to sniff her hand.
“You do like fish, don’t you?” she asked, holding her hand closer.
Serafina could hear Maks purring from the other side of the room as he nibbled the fish from Dielle’s hand and licked her fingers thoroughly.
“I thought you’d like that,” Dielle told the cat, scratching him behind his ears. “I made sure we brought a whole barrel of dried fish as part of the cat food.”
The cat purred louder and got up to bump Dielle’s pouch with his head. She giggled and reached for another piece of fish.
Serafina had just taken a cup out of the cupboard when her father stepped into the cottage. “Alek will be joining us soon,” he said. “He’s telling the men unloading the wagon what to do.”
Setting the cup on the table, she turned to hug her father. He was thinner than he had been, and his brown hair was going gray, but he still smelled like she remembered and the whiskers on his cheeks still felt the same.
“My sweet girl!” he said, patting her back. He drew away to look at her, and his brow tightened in a scowl. “I heard that you looked older but not as old as this! You look older than I do now!”
“I lost the last of the tea and the fairy had gone away. My body kept aging and … Did Alek explain to you what it means to be Baba Yaga?”
“Yes, he did. He also told us what a Baba Yaga does. We had a hard time believing him at first, but when we heard what Prince Cynrik said before the big battle, we knew that Alek’s story had to be true. Who would have thought that my little girl would be caught up in something like this!”
Serafina gave him another hug. “I’ve missed you so much, Father. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“I was never going to stop trying to get my baby girl back, Kitten,” he said, kissing her cheek. “When I learned that Viktor let you go into a strange house alone and then left town without even trying to find out who had taken you, I could have throttled him!”
“Where is Viktor now?” Serafina asked, glancing toward the door.
“I have no idea,” said her father. “He hired a serving girl to help your sister and ran off with the girl two months later. Your sister and her babies live with your mother and me, and we’re happy to have them. Yevhen wanted to come with us, but I asked him to stay to keep watch over everyone at home. Have you spoken to Alek? He put everything he had into finding you. We would never have gotten this far if it hadn’t been for him.”
“I’ll go see him, Father. Just as soon as I’ve had some tea.”
Serafina was torn. She wanted to fling herself into Alek’s arms more than anything, tell him how much she had missed him and how happy she was to see him, and thank him for everything he had done. But she wanted to drink the tea first so that she really was the Serafina he used to know and not the old woman with bones so frail that a strong hug might crack them. And what if the tea didn’t work? Then no matter how much they wanted to be with each other, it wasn’t going to happen. If that was the case, she wanted to know it now.
While Serafina dropped a rose into the cup and added the boiling water, her father took a seat at the table, where he nervously awaited the outcome of the tea. Not wanting to talk about what might or might not happen, Serafina stepped to the window to look outside but found herself watching Dielle instead. The girl was seated on the bed with Maks on her lap,
studying the cottage, her eyes bright with curiosity.
Serafina’s lips curved into a grim smile. Dielle would make an excellent Baba Yaga, but only if the tea worked. If the tea didn’t make Serafina younger, she didn’t want Dielle or any other girl to go through what she had and die an old lady when she should still have her whole life to live. At that moment, Serafina decided that if the tea didn’t work, she would ask the fairy Summer Rose to help her find a way to be the last Baba Yaga.
“Do you think it’s ready yet?” her father asked, leaning forward to peer into the cup.
Serafina nodded. “That should be good enough.” Crossing to the table, she reached for the cup, her hand shaking. She had let the rose steep in the water for longer than she did with other types of tea, partly because she wanted to make sure the tea was strong enough and partly because she was afraid to try it. If it didn’t work, Alek had gone to all that effort for nothing. If it didn’t work, she would say good-bye to the people she loved and have the cottage take her far away for the little time she had left. If it didn’t work …
She felt the change begin after the second sip. The aches and pains that had been her constant companions for weeks melted away like butter in a hot pan. The curve in her back straightened, and her limbs grew strong and steady. Her scalp tingled as her hair grew thicker and the color returned. Suddenly she could see and hear better. She glanced down at her hands as the soft wrinkles and brown spots disappeared and the skin became taut. Her clothes fit differently; things that had been loose were now tight. She blushed when she glanced down and saw the changes and realized that her father and Dielle were watching her.
“Fina?” said Alek. “Are you all right?” He had come into the cottage while she wasn’t looking and was holding out his hand as if he wanted to touch her but was afraid.
“Oh yes,” she told him, taking his hand in hers. “I’m better than all right! I feel wonderful! And it’s all because of you, Alek!”
And suddenly she was in his arms and he was murmuring into her ear how much he loved her and had missed her and how he would have done anything to have her back. Serafina never wanted to let him go, but she also felt like dancing and laughing and crying all at once. She was so happy that she didn’t know what to do.
“Tell me, Alek,” she said, pulling back just far enough to look into his eyes. “However did you do it?”
“I had a lot of help,” he replied. “Widow Zloto used her money to buy the supplies while I went looking for Summer Rose. After Prince Cynrik let me change the roses, your father and Dielle helped me collect them.”
“My entire kingdom owes you a debt of gratitude,” the prince said from the doorway as he entered the cottage. “There were many times when I knew we would not have won a battle if you hadn’t told me what to do. The least I could do to repay you was to help your young man with your roses.”
“We had just finished collecting them when word reached us that you had been kidnapped,” said her father.
Alek hugged her tighter. His breath was warm on her cheek when he said, “After we learned that Zivon had you, we came as quickly as we could. Prince Cynrik wanted to bring Zivon back for trial, so we came together.”
“I wondered why you were all here,” said Serafina. “Thank you for everything!”
“You were the one who brought a giant to stop the fighting!” said Alek. “We’d still be at it if he hadn’t stepped in. I never thought giants really existed or that I’d ever see one!”
“I’ve seen so many things that everyone said weren’t real! When we get home, I have so much to tell everyone!”
“And we want to hear it all!” said her father. “Tell me, after seeing so many interesting places, where do you want to live?”
Serafina was trying to think of her answer when her mouth opened and she said in her Baba Yaga voice, “I will continue to live in my cottage as long as I am Baba Yaga. Even though I can regain my youth by drinking blue rose tea, the changes would be obvious. People like Zivon would seek me out and try to control me for their own benefit. I would be forced to move frequently and often without warning.”
The moment she had started speaking as Baba Yaga, Serafina had slipped out of Alek’s arms and backed away, a horrified look on her face. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth, and she shook her head as if to deny what she was saying.
Alek took a half step closer. “But I thought you would go back to being yourself if I brought you everything you asked for,” he said in a quiet voice.
“I thought so, too!” said Serafina.
Alek moved another step closer. “You know that I love you and believe in you, right?”
Serafina nodded.
“So what else can I do?” Alek said, pleading for an answer.
“I don’t know!” she replied, obviously distraught.
“If she is going to remain Baba Yaga, we must do something to ensure her safety,” the prince interjected. “What she just said was very true. Now that word about what Zivon did has gotten out, someone else is bound to try to exploit her for money. I can announce that she is under my protection, but that won’t be effective unless she remains in my kingdom.”
Alek gave Serafina a searching look before turning to speak to the prince. Suddenly, with so many people around, she felt as if there wasn’t enough air in the cottage. Crossing her arms over her stomach as if to hold herself together, she ran outside, hoping to find someplace where she could be alone. When she saw how many people were milling around just beyond her gate, she left her yard and dashed into the forest, a sob caught in her throat.
“This isn’t fair!” she cried out loud as she stumbled half unseeing through the underbrush. “I did everything I was supposed to do as Baba Yaga, and Alek did everything he could to help me. Why am I still Baba Yaga? I don’t want to be Baba Yaga anymore! I want to be the girl I used to be!”
A shiver ran through Serafina, shaking her from head to toe. Even the trees seemed to feel it; their leaves fluttered as if a great wind had swept through the forest. Serafina thought she heard distant laughter, but she couldn’t be sure. She looked around, expecting to see that someone had followed her, but no one was there. When a light rain began to fall, she closed her eyes and tilted her face to let the drops fall on her cheeks, her eyelids, and her lips. The water felt soothing on her skin, as if she’d been overheated. Then, as abruptly as it had started, the rain stopped. Serafina shuddered as something knotted inside her loosened. She felt as if a vital part of her had changed. Was it possible that the final thing she’d had to do to stop being Baba Yaga was to say what she wanted out loud?
“Fina!” Alek shouted from the cottage door. “Please come back! We need to talk.”
Serafina had left the forest and was rounding the fence when a young page came running to find her. “The skull on your gate tried to bite me!” the boy complained. “It called me names and yelled at me, too.”
“Did you do anything to the skull?” Serafina asked him.
The boy shrugged. “I tried to pick it up, that’s all. I wasn’t going to break it. I just wanted a better look. Why did it try to bite me like that?”
“He doesn’t like being touched,” said Serafina. “The first time I polished him, he—”
She realized with a start that the boy had asked her a question and she had answered it as herself, through her own personal experience, not in her Baba Yaga voice or with Baba Yaga’s knowledge. And that could mean only one thing.
“I’m not Baba Yaga anymore!” she shouted as she ran to the cottage, her feet scarcely touching the ground. “Alek, did you hear me? I’m an ordinary girl again!”
“You were never ordinary!” Alek said, coming through the gate to pick her up and twirl her around.
“Wait,” she said. “I’m sure it’s true, but let’s just make absolutely certain. You, squire!” she called to a passing young man dressed in the prince’s livery. “Come over here and ask me a question! Make it something that no one could possibly a
nswer.”
“Okay,” the squire said with a grin. “How many meat pies did my friend Josep steal from under the cook’s nose last week?”
“I have no idea!” Serafina shouted, so happy that she took hold of Alek’s hand and pulled him into a wild dance that made everyone laugh and start clapping out a rhythm. The soldiers who weren’t watching the prisoners gathered close to see what was going on. Her father, the prince, and Dielle all came out of the cottage when they heard the uproar. Serafina and Alek danced until they were gasping for breath, but they didn’t stop until it occurred to Serafina that there was something else that she needed to do.
“Dielle!” Serafina shouted, running to the girl and pulling her away from the others. “As far as I’m concerned, you are the next Baba Yaga. You may have become Baba Yaga when I gave up the job, but I want to make it official, just in case. I give my job to you! There, I said it,” she announced, giving her friend a quick hug. “Let’s see if it worked. We need a volunteer to ask Baba Yaga a question.”
“Make it something that she won’t know the answer to!” shouted the squire who had just asked Serafina a question.
“And make it a question that you really need answered,” said Serafina. “Baba Yaga can answer only one question with the absolute truth for each person.”
A soldier in the back of the crowd raised his hand. “I’ll ask a question!” he shouted. “What are—”
“No, no, don’t ask me!” Serafina cried. “Ask her,” she told him, pointing at Dielle.
Everyone stepped aside as the soldier made his way to where Dielle and Serafina stood waiting. “I was adopted,” he said when he stood before the girls. “No one knows the names of my real parents or why I was abandoned in a churchyard. My question is—why did my parents abandon me?”
“Your parents wanted to marry, but your mother’s father refused to give them permission,” Dielle said in the Baba Yaga voice. “They were fleeing their town when your mother gave birth to you. When her father came after them, he forced her to give you up. He was the one who left you in the churchyard. Your mother died soon after, but your birth father still lives. His name is Teodor Dlugosz.”