Chapter 20
KEEP YOUR EARS WIDE AND YOUR MOUTH NARROW
“Danik?” Veru said. “Are you quite fine? You seem . . . you seem off. Are you perhaps overworked? What’s vexing you?”
He let out his breath and stepped aside. “It’s nothing, Tsarevna. I simply hit my thumb with the hammer.”
“Did you? Let me see.”
“Nyet. It’s fine. Ne volnuysya. Don’t fret. Go inside. I need to cool off out here for a bit.”
“Cool off? But it’s cooler in the house.”
“Just go. I’ll be in soon.”
Veru shrugged and moved past him to enter the house.
To say she was shocked at the transformation was an understatement.
He certainly had been busy. The stone fireplace had been cleaned to the point that it looked almost new.
The grate and tools gleamed as if they had just been polished.
The stones were no longer black but a light gray, and the heavy mantel was stained and glistened in the light of a new fire.
The tables, chairs, and floors had been cleaned, repaired, sanded, and oiled.
Where there had once been water damage and rot, she saw new boards and a white coat of chinking sealant.
She didn’t understand how he could have accomplished so much while she had been outside.
Such a great deal of work should have taken him weeks.
Veru went to the little door and opened it. “Danik?” she called out, searching for him in the dimming light.
“I’m here,” he replied.
“How did you do so much in one day?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. It was like the house wanted to be clean. It helped me. At least, I think it did. Anyway, nothing new for supper tonight. I scraped up the rest of the porridge and already ate my share. Left the rest in the bowl for you.”
“That’s okay. I brought in a few baskets of things the villagers gave me. The cow is tied up outside. I gave her the hay. The chickens and ducks are grazing on the lawn. There might be eggs in the morning.”
“That’s fine. Let’s put the rest in our bags. The house wouldn’t let me bring in more than one log today. I think it’s trying to tell me something.”
Veru agreed, and they stuffed their bags full, each eating a few pieces of fruit and feeding Maxsim some dried jerky.
They had just laid down to sleep when the locked door blew open with a bang, and Yuga entered carrying her large stone pot and stomping on the newly cleaned floor with her muddy boots.
The winter wind outside blew in wet snow that melted in puddles around her feet.
Lifting her long nose in the air, she inhaled deeply and clicked her tongue with great dissatisfaction.
“The two of you are still alive? How is that possible? What’s more”—she ran a finger down the length of her table and rubbed her thumb over it, sniffing carefully—“how were you two able to clean this place?”
Yuga thrust her heavy bowl onto the table, scratching its surface and making Danik wince at seeing his newly repaired work abused. “Max!” she bellowed. “What have you done? You traitorous feline! I’ll teach you to offer aid in my absence. You know better than that. Cheating is what it is.”
“You want to talk about cheating?” Veru stood and accused. “You left us without food and water. You locked us in the house where we couldn’t even get outside to retrieve firewood. You’re lucky we aren’t dead.”
“No. You’re lucky you aren’t dead. Speaking of that, where exactly did the two of you get the firewood to warm yourselves? Did you break all my furniture and burn it? Others have done that before you. There’s a price to pay for that, I’ll have you know.”
“We didn’t break your furniture, Babushka,” Danik said. “You’ll find it all here. And I’ll thank you to be taking better care of it. Spent all my time restoring it for you, and I’d like it to stay in nice condition, if you don’t mind.”
The old woman narrowed her eyes and stalked over to every table, chair, and cabinet, running her hands over each one and mumbling to herself as she did.
There was a meow, and Maxsim leaped up onto the table next to her.
She grabbed him then and felt his stomach.
“He’s fat! You’ve been feeding him more than bones, haven’t you? ” she accused.
“You did say he feeds himself by hunting rodents. Didn’t you?” Veru asked innocently.
“Hmph,” Yuga replied as she pushed the cat away from her. Max walked over to Veru and jumped up on her lap, kneaded her with his paws, and turned in a circle, then lay down and began purring.
“Come now, Babushka,” Danik said in a soothing tone. “You’ve had a long trip. Why don’t I play some music while you settle in and we’ll all sleep. Then, when you wake in the morning, you’ll feel much better. I promise.”
“Very well, boy,” Yuga said. “Play me a song, and tomorrow we’ll discuss the payment for your stay.”
Danik and Veru gave each other a meaningful look—one that said they both knew they’d been lucky, and they’d better keep quiet about how the house had helped them—then Danik pulled out his domra and began to finger the strings.
He played random tunes for a time but didn’t add his voice until Yuga climbed into bed.
When he began to sing, Veru was surprised, since it was a song she hadn’t heard before.
Fading Embers
In the shadows of my memory,
I can feel your soul so clearly.
But the warmth has now gone cold,
like a story left untold.
Every touch and word we share,
echoes of a love declared.
If I spark, ignite this flame.
Will it prove a vicious game?
Fading embers I once knew,
in a world that feels so new.
Just two strangers turning pages,
trying to break out of our cages.
But maybe all this is a dream.
Perhaps we’ll wake beside a stream.
Recall the place where once we fell
as we sought a tale to tell.
Fading embers I once knew,
in a world that feels so new.
Just two strangers turning pages,
trying to break out of our cages.
Fading embers in the night,
fill me, heal me with her light.
Fading embers set me free.
In her arms, I want to be.
But everything’s . . . fading . . .
“Oh, Danik,” Veru whispered. Her words were so soft she was certain the only one who heard her was Max.
“It’s a pretty song, boy,” said Yuga. “We’ll see if you still feel that way tomorrow. Sleep well.”
With that, the old woman rolled back and forth, making her old, rickety bed creak and groan loudly in protest, and then grabbed her stirring wand that protruded from her stone pot, which she’d placed on the floor next to her bed and wrapped her arm around it, cradling it to her cheek like a young girl would a doll, and then began to snore loudly.
Veru settled back into her chair, managed to close her eyes, and even slept when Maxsim purred loudly, vibrating his body on her lap.
* * *
The next morning, Veru was determined to confront the old woman once and for all.
“We thank you for your hospitality,” Veru said bluntly, “but we really need to be moving on. As for payment, we’ve more than sufficiently paid you for our stay. You asked us to clean your home, and we did as you asked.”
Babushka Yuga seemed very pleased with herself.
She even hummed as she stirred whatever concoction she was making over the fire.
“Oh yes. I agree with you, dear. You certainly kept your end of the bargain. My home has never been this clean. As promised, you are free to leave. You’ll find the door unlocked. ”
“Thank you,” Veru said.
Before the old woman could change her mind, Veru picked up her bag and headed to the door.
She sucked in a breath and twisted the knob, then let it out when she found out it opened.
Turning back to offer a winning grin to Danik, her expression of happiness faded into one of confusion when she saw him still standing in place with his bag over his shoulder.
She gave him a meaningful look, but he simply shook his head.
Yuga paused. “Oh, didn’t I mention? The agreement was for you only. Your man must stay until he accomplishes a task of his own.”
“You’re kidding me. Another task?”
“Of course, you’re more than welcome to aid him. I imagine he helped you a great deal in finishing your work.”
The old woman giggled, dipped a finger into the pot, and tasted her stew. “Not quite finished yet. Needs a few more ingredients, I think.”
Veru threw down her bag. “Okay, let’s put all our cards on the table, shall we? I don’t like games.”
“And I don’t like cheaters.”
“The definition of cheating depends on the rules. If you don’t define the rules well, it’s not my fault.
I can see you’re one who likes to change the rules mid-game, according to your whims, to affect the outcome.
You’re going to have to be”—Veru leaned forward—“very explicit; otherwise, we are allowed to win your so-called game any way we must. Our lives depend on it, after all.”
“Oh, please. Don’t be so dramatic. You haven’t been hurt, have you? Both of you look hale and hearty to me.”
“Nevertheless. If we’re going to negotiate, let’s negotiate properly. I want a contract.”
“Bah! I never put anything in writing.”
“You will this time.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because I’m going to offer something you want in exchange for something I want.”
“You don’t know what I want.”
“I certainly do.”
“And what’s that, young woman?”
“A lifetime of servitude.”
The old woman paused and sniffed. “You’d willingly offer up yourself and your young man to me for the rest of your lives?”
“Only”—Veru held up a finger to illustrate her point—“only if we lose.”
Yuga narrowed her eyes. “And if I lose? I assume the two of you go free?”
“Oh no. Not just that,” Veru said. “I think you’d better sit down.”