A Question of Magic

by E. D. Baker

The vendor was returning to his booth when Serafina rejoined the crowd. The two men were nowhere in sight, but she didn’t want to take any chances. She kept an eye out for them as she wove her way through the throng, slipping between carts now and then to lose the men if they were following her.

  Serafina hurried down the road, thinking that she might feel safer once she was back in the woods, but when she turned onto the path leading past the cottage, there were so many places for people to hide that her nervousness grew and she began to jump at every little sound. Chiding herself for being silly, she had just come within sight of the cottage when she heard the snap of a twig and a muffled curse. Serafina began to run.

  “Open up!” she shouted to Boris, her feet thudding down the path. “Two men are following me!”

  Boris swung the gate open with a loud creak, and Serafina dashed into the yard. She had just reached the door when the men came into sight. Darting inside, she slammed the door shut, shouting, “Chicken hut, chicken hut, take me away from here!”

  She ran to the window as the floor tilted below her; she’d grown used to walking on an unsteady floor. One of the men was reaching for the gate, but Boris gnashed his teeth, attempting to bite him. The other man had tried to hurdle the fence, but Krany had snapped at him as he’d gone over, snagging the back of his tunic so that he hung, dangling from the skull’s grinding teeth. Yure led the rest of the skulls in screaming threats at the men.

  Serafina stepped back as the door slammed open, the bones hurtled over the threshold, and the trunk lid flew up. Krany was halfway to the cottage when he let go of the shrieking man, who landed heavily on the ground and curled up in a ball as if that would protect him. Serafina smiled at the skulls as they landed on top of the bones, congratulating themselves on taking care of the men.

  “Walk gently, house,” she told the cottage, then glanced around the room to see if anything had fallen to the floor and broken. Her gaze landed on the book, lying on the table. Hoping that the book could help her, she took her seat in front of it and opened it to the next blank page. “Where can I find blue rose tea?” she asked.

  Serafina held her breath as the page remained blank. Time seemed to stand still as she waited for writing to appear, then suddenly black words crept across the snow-white page, one letter after another.

  Blue roses do not exist.

  “That’s not true,” said Serafina. “I know they exist. I drank a cup of blue rose tea!”

  If it had been a person who had told her that there were no blue roses, Serafina would have continued to argue, but there was no arguing with a book. Sighing, she closed the cover and pushed the book away. At least she knew now that the book wasn’t going to help. She’d just have to find the tea or the fairy Summer Rose without it.

  Chapter 13

  The cottage finally settled at the shady bend of a wide, slow-moving river, not far from a good-sized town. While the front of the cottage faced the road, the back where there were no windows was turned toward the water. Serafina couldn’t see the river unless she stepped outside, but she found the constant murmur of the flowing water soothing and walked along its banks whenever she had a few free minutes, hoping to run into a fairy who could tell her how to find Summer Rose.

  One day Serafina was standing by the riverbank when she saw a group of riders approaching. Afraid that they might be kidnappers, she didn’t want them to catch her away from the cottage, so she watched from a copse of birches, trying to decide if she should go to meet them or hide until they rode off. She was still there when the men dismounted and began to hitch their horses to the trees.

  “Don’t even think of hitching that beast to my fence!” Boris snapped at a man leading his horse to one of the posts.

  Startled, the man jerked back on the bridle. “Did that skull just talk to me?” he asked the men behind him.

  Another man stepped forward and Serfina recognized him at once. Toman Damek, the sheriff of Vioska, had come to see her again. While the sheriff told the man where to hitch his horse, Serafina stepped out of the trees and approached her cottage. “Is something wrong, Sheriff Damek?” she asked, meeting him by her gate.

  The sheriff nodded toward his men, then opened the gate for Serafina. “I’ve brought someone to ask you a question,” he said. “This man has been trying to convince me of his innocence but has been unable to offer me any real proof. I explained to him that you will answer the first question he asks you with the truth, and that I would believe whatever you say. He has agreed to use his one question now. However, I need to be present to hear your answer, so he can ask you out here if you prefer. His guards will also remain with us.”

  Serafina glanced back at the men and noticed that all but one were heavily armed. The unarmed man was wearing shackles, and he shuffled to the gate with a guard on either side. “We’ll stay out here,” she said.

  She studied the shackled man as he entered her yard and wondered what he had done. He had a guileless-looking face, and even though he was wearing chains, he walked with his head held high. When she was ready, she looked him in the eyes and said, “Do you understand that you can ask me only one question in your lifetime?” When the man nodded, Serafina said, “What is your question?”

  Taking a deep breath, the man said, “Who killed Jeirgif Babin?”

  “Laurentij Babin killed his brother and cast the blame on you,” Serafina told him, happy to use her Baba Yaga voice. “He has long envied Jeirgif and wants to take over his brother’s land and house.”

  “There!” said the prisoner, stomping his foot. “I told you so! Now do you believe me?”

  “I do, indeed,” said the sheriff. “You are no longer under arrest, but you must stay under guard until we have arrested Laurentij Babin. If he learns that we have discovered the truth, he might flee the area. Once we have arrested him, you will be set free. If you agree to remain with us until we have returned to Vioska and taken Laurentij Babin into custody, we will release you from your shackles now. Do you agree?”

  “Oh yes! Most certainly!” the man cried, relief shining in his eyes.

  As the two guards led the man from the yard, Sheriff Damek gave Serafina a small bag. It clinked when he set it in her hand.

  “Thank you,” he said, bowing his head. “You have been most helpful. The man you just answered is known to be honest, and I did not want him punished for something I felt sure he had not done. The real culprit made a very strong case against him, but I could do nothing without proof. No one will doubt his innocence now.”

  “You are welcome,” Serafina replied. “I’m glad I was able to help an innocent man.”

  As the group rode away, she wondered how long it would be before the sheriff was back with another request. Somehow, she had no doubt that she would see him again.

  Although she was glad she had been able to help Sheriff Damek, she wasn’t happy about how much it had made her age. Her eyesight was a bit weaker and her joints had gotten stiffer. Without a way to get young again, Serafina didn’t relish answering any questions, but it was the only way she could think of that might help her get more of the tea.

  A steady stream of people came to see her. Each time she answered a question, she mentioned to her visitor that blue rose tea was what she wanted more than anything. She told so many people that she was sure word had to have gotten around. Although this had worked before when she needed cloth, firewood, or a jug of cider, it didn’t seem to do anything now. Scores of people came and went, aging her with each question, but not one of them brought her the tea. Even so, she was reluctant to leave. With so many people knowing that she wanted blue rose tea, the very next visitor might be the one to bring it. Or perhaps the visitor after that.

  She considered going to a market town again and looking for the tea herself, but she couldn’t stop picturing the faces of the two men who had tried to abduct her. And it wasn’t just those two men that she had to worry about. If someone had actually offered a reward for her, others might be looking fo
r her as well. At least in her cottage she felt safe and knew she could get away if necessary.

  Serafina had kept the cottage by the bend in the river for nearly four weeks when an old man came to see her. She had seen him stop at the gate before, but this was the first time he had tried to come through.

  “Baba Yaga, someone is here to see you!” Boris shouted.

  “I can see that,” Serafina said from the open doorway. “Won’t you come in, sir,” she said to her visitor.

  The old man glanced up at her through bleary eyes and gave her an appraising look. Appearing satisfied with what he saw, he shuffled forward with his arms held slightly in front of him as if he were being pulled along. Serafina stepped out of his way when he reached the door. “Nice place you got here,” he said, peering into the cottage.

  “Did you come to ask me a question?”

  “I did, indeed,” said the old man. “Been putting it off these many days, but I finally asked myself what I was waiting for. If I put it off much longer, either you’ll be gone or I will, one way or another.”

  Taking the seat that Serafina offered, he ran his hand over his bald head, then scratched the fringe of white hair that grew above his ears while Serafina sat down across from him. “You probably have a lot of folks asking you when they’re going to die,” said the old man. “Well, I don’t care about the when or where. It’s going to happen someday, and I’d rather it was a surprise. Nope, what I want to know isn’t about me at all. My question is about my family. What’s going to happen to them after I’m gone?”

  “You have three fine children, and they are all going to prosper,” Serafina said, hearing her voice change. “Your older son is well respected and liked. He will be mayor of your town someday. Your daughter will have eight children who will grow up healthy and strong. Your younger son will sail the seven seas. One day his ship will founder off the coast of a tropical island. He’ll make it to shore, where he’ll meet a beautiful native girl. They’ll marry and have eleven children, nine of them boys.”

  The old man nodded. “My older son is already loved and respected in town. He’s the kind of man that people look up to. My daughter has three children now. So she’s going to have five more? Who would have thought it! I’m not surprised about my youngest. He’s gotten into more scrapes than I can count and gotten out of them on his own just fine every time. Still, it’s good to know.”

  Sitting back in the chair, he steepled his fingers over his comfortable paunch and smiled. “That takes care of them, but now I have another question for you.”

  “I’m afraid I can answer only one question for each person,” Serafina told him.

  “Baba Yaga can answer only one question, but I’m not asking her. I’m asking you, the woman who speaks like a normal person. You’re a fine figure of a woman and seem to be around my age. My wife died a few years ago, and my children moved out long before that. I have plenty of money and a big house that I’m tired of rattling around in all by myself. My friends are always trying to match me up with their young daughters who wouldn’t mind marrying a rich old man who’s bound to die soon, but I’d rather marry a gal my own age who won’t be waiting for me to kick the bucket. I know we just met, but you’re the sort of woman I’ve been looking for.”

  “Someone who lives in a house that walks around on chicken legs?” asked Serafina.

  “Haw!” the old man barked, slapping his knee. “I knew I’d like you! So what do you say?”

  “I find your offer very flattering, but I’m going to have to decline,” said Serafina. “I’m not the age you think I am, nor am I available. I’ve already promised my hand to someone.”

  The old man ran his fingers over his bald scalp again. “Doesn’t that just figure! Well, it doesn’t hurt to ask, now, does it? And feel free to reconsider. You can even take a few days to think about it. Oh, before I forget, here’s the gift I owe you.” Reaching into his pocket, he handed her a small carved wooden box. “It’s a necklace that belonged to my wife. Thank you for my answer.”

  “And thank you for your gift. But if this was your wife’s, you should give it to your daughter.” She pressed the box into his hand.

  The old man looked distressed. “I can’t take this back! I have to give you something!”

  “Then you can answer a question for me,” said Serafina. “I’ve let it be known that I would like some blue rose tea, yet no one has brought me that particular gift. Do you have any idea why that is?”

  “Can’t say as I do,” the old man said, shaking his head. “But I can find out. Blue rose tea, you say? I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

  Dielle appeared on her doorstep early the next day, looking tired and more ragged than she had before. “Are you all right?” Serafina asked, pulling her inside.

  Dielle dropped onto a chair. Crossing her arms on the table, she rested her head on them. “I didn’t get much sleep last night. Mother was really restless. This morning a neighbor told me that you were out this way, so I came by to see how you were doing.” Lifting her head from her arms, she turned toward Serafina. “You looked so old last time, and you look even older now. When I told my mother how you get old when you answer questions, she said I should have offered to help you. Can I do anything for you? Sweep the floor or burn your trash or fetch water? Just name it and I’ll do it while I’m here.”

  “Thank you, but no,” said Serafina. “I am older, but I can still do what I need to. It just takes me longer now.”

  “I heard that you’re looking for something.”

  “I’m looking for blue rose tea, but no one seems to have any. I’ve looked everywhere and haven’t been able to find it, so now I’m asking people to look for me.”

  “I can look, too, you know. Why didn’t you ask me?”

  “I would have, but I didn’t know I needed it until after your last visit. It’s the only thing that makes my body young again. The problem is, all the blue rose tea I had is gone, and without it I’m going to keep getting older until I die. Don’t worry,” Serafina said when Dielle scowled. “I have enough people looking for the tea that I’m sure someone will find it. Tell me, how is your writing going? Have you been practicing?”

  Dielle smiled and sat back in her seat. “Every day! If you have a piece of parchment, I can show you. I covered every bit of the one you gave me, and I think I can make the letters pretty well now.”

  “I have some parchment right here,” Serafina said, going to the cupboard. “I’ve told people that I need it and have been given quite a lot. Here, let me see what you can do.”

  Serafina sat down to watch Dielle write the alphabet slowly and carefully. She was delighted that her friend didn’t need any prompting. “Good!” said Serafina when Dielle lay down her quill. “Now we’ll practice the sounds and putting letters together.”

  They worked for nearly an hour before Serafina got up to get them something to eat. Dielle was reaching for another piece of cold sausage when she said, “Does everyone in your family read and write?”

  “Just my father and me. My sisters and my mother weren’t interested in learning.”

  “How many sisters do you have?”

  “Two and they’re both older than me.”

  “Are they married?”

  Serafina nodded. “Alina is married to a nice man named Yevhen. They just had a baby boy. They named him Osip. My older sister is Katya. She’s married to Viktor.”

  Dielle swallowed a bite of bread to ask, “Is he nice, too?”

  Serafina laughed. “ ‘Nice’ is the last thing I’d call Viktor. My great-aunt got me to come to this cottage by telling me that I would receive an inheritance. Viktor was the one who brought me, and on the way he said that he wanted a share of whatever I got. I was mad then, but now I wish I could give him all of it! Imagine, an oaf like Viktor being Baba Yaga!”

  “Do you really hate being Baba Yaga so much?” asked Dielle.

  Serafina thought for a moment before answering. “Sometime
s I do and sometimes I don’t. I hate getting older without being able to do anything about it, and I hate not seeing my family and friends. I especially hate not being with Alek. But there are a lot of things that I actually enjoy, like Maks and the skulls and meeting all kinds of people and seeing new places.”

  “And being able to see fairies!”

  “And that, too,” Serafina said with a smile. “I also love that I’ve been able to make a new friend.”

  “So do I! Although your new friend is going to eat all your sausage,” Dielle said, reaching for the plate.

  “Go right ahead,” Serafina told her, pushing the plate toward her. “I can always ask for more!”

  “Would it be all right if I took some of this back to Mother?” Dielle asked, her hand hovering over the sausage.

  “Good idea!” said Serafina. “And someone brought me a sack of potatoes that you can have, too.”

  The girls raided the cupboard, although Dielle was careful not to take too much. “The way things are going, people might not be able to keep you so well supplied.”

  “But there’s only one of me and two of you,” Serafina replied.

  “Mrowr!” said Maks.

  Serafina chuckled. “I stand corrected! There are two living here as well!”

  When the sack of food was ready, Dielle gave Serafina a hug. “I should go now if I’m to get home before dark. Thank you again for being so kind to us. Mother and I really do appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome,” Serafina said, returning the hug. “Please say hello to her for me. Oh, wait! There’s one other thing.” Leaving Dielle at the door, Serafina returned to the cupboard and took out a small book that a visitor had given to her. “Here, take this, too. You can practice your reading. Bring it with you the next time you come and we’ll go over it together.”

  “Thank you so much!” Dielle said, her eyes shining.

  “You’re welcome!” said Serafina, and she gave her one more hug. “Safe travels!”

  Serafina stood at the door, waving until Dielle was out of sight. She enjoyed her friend’s visits tremendously, partly because she really liked her company and partly because her visits made life seem almost normal. Going back into the cottage, Serafina closed the door behind her, wondering when she might see her friend again.