Chapter 24
The Witch’s Lair
Martha turned the corner and disappeared from view. The second she did, Lisa faced me and said, her tone urgent, “I don’t know if we can bring Harry to Martha’s. You know, he doesn’t like it when plans change. And he really needs some rest. I’ll have to make it sound very attractive.”
“Lisa, wait,” I said and reached for her hand. She pulled it away and started walking to where Harry was resting.
“What is it? Come on, we should talk to Harry. Martha said she’ll be waiting for us.”
“I know, but—” I felt incredibly self-conscious. “Lisa, how well do you know her? She looks just like the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. I even saw a lizard right when I met her. And that’s a sure sign of the witch.”
“Ivan, please, what are you talking about? Martha is my neighbor. She’s a sweet lady, just a little quirky, and she offered us a place to stay.
I’ve known her for ages. She really helped me when Quinn and I were having problems.” Even with her brow furrowed, Lisa still looked incredibly beautiful.
I wanted to tell her that, but felt a lump form in my throat.
“I—I’m just not sure. There’s something about her. The eyes, the way she looks at us. The Mistress is a dangerous person. Not bad, no, but she tests people. What if Martha also tests us?”
“You’re being silly. Not everything is a fairy tale. Quite the opposite.” Lisa shrugged. “I mean, this is Virginia. Just because we have a flying horse helping us doesn’t mean the world is completely upside down. And I would have known by now if Martha was some kind of maiden.”
“Not a maiden. A mistress. Mistress of the Copper Mountain. Maybe she’s like me and also came here through a portal? Isn’t it possible?”
We had almost reached the nook where Harry was resting.
“Don’t worry so much. I’m glad we won’t have to stay here overnight.
Martha has a nice place. I should have thought of it myself.
But I guess the universe has decided it for us.
” Lisa gave me what was meant to be a reassuring smile, but it only made me feel more anxious.
I needed to stop us from walking straight into a trap.
Before I could do anything, we saw Harry.
“I’m feeling much better,” the little horse said. He’d risen from his spot and was moving from hoof to hoof. “What’s this I hear about a nice place? I hope you’ll take me with you.”
“Of course. You won’t believe it, Harry—Ivan bumped into my neighbor, Ms. Martha, in the forest, and she invited us to stay over at her place tonight.”
“In the forest?” Harry pulled his ears back. Maybe I’d underestimated the pony, after all.
“Yes. She’s a little quirky, but she’s a very nice lady.” Lisa smiled. “Come on, Harry, she’ll prepare a bunch of hay for you. She promised.”
I was about to contradict Lisa, for there had been no mention of hay from the woman, but as soon as he heard about the arrangements, Harry nearly jumped.
“Hay? Really? I’d love some. I have to say, I’m glad you found us a place to stay, Lisa. It’s very thoughtful of you,” he said eagerly. I groaned, but what could I do?
Lisa led us up the path to the witch’s lair. Harry trotted right next to her, and I walked behind them in order to hide my disapproval.
Couldn’t Lisa tell the woman was up to no good?
First, the witch’s green eyes were a clear sign that something was off.
And then there was the lizard. Not to mention that she’d been wandering in the woods in the middle of the night all alone.
What kind of woman would do that? Only a witch.
That was obvious to me, but apparently Lisa had decided not to trust me this time.
At least I will be able to defend them when I’m there, I thought, walking down the forest path, which reminded me of Zorya, except it was wider.
An owl hooted just as a house popped into view.
It stood on top of a hill, and light streamed through its windows.
For a moment, I felt comforted by the vision, but then we heard a howl. A wolf’s howl, that much was certain.
Harry stopped cold in his tracks, and even Lisa, who’d been promising us a nice, quiet evening, yelped in surprise, “Don’t move, you guys.”
“Where are you taking us, Lisa?” Harry nickered nervously.
“Let’s just hurry up and make it to Martha’s,” Lisa urged and pulled us along.
Harry didn’t need any convincing and nearly galloped up the hill, following her.
I also quickened my pace. A few minutes later, we were standing on Martha’s porch.
It was painted forest green and completely blended with the surroundings.
Lisa walked up to the door and knocked. It opened immediately, and just as it did, I noticed a wooden sign hanging right by it. It read, “The Coppersmith Residence.” Coppersmith! Even the name. It has to be her!
I wanted to scream, but it was too late.
The green-eyed witch was standing on the threshold.
She was wearing a long brown robe with golden buttons that glowed in the dark.
Around her waist was a golden sash. This was exactly how the Mistress of the Copper Mountain had been described in stories in Zorya. I swallowed hard.
“Hello there.” Martha curled her lips into a smile. “And this must be the horse.” She stepped and patted Harry on the back. “Now, Harry, let’s get you some fresh hay. And I’ve got a few carrots all ready for you. Grayson will show you the way.”
The pony tilted his head in appreciation. I, too, was happy that there would soon be another human being, expecting Grayson to be Martha’s husband. But the very next moment, I saw a creature that made my blood curdle. A wolf emerged from Martha’s home. It opened its jaws, revealing sharp fangs.
“Watch out!” I screamed. “A wolf!”
Harry went rigid with fear.
“Run!” Lisa yelled and grabbed my arm, but Martha laughed.
“This is Grayson. He’s my dog.”
“But that’s a wolf,” I protested.
“Oh, no, it’s just the breed. Grayson is harmless.” Martha leaned and gave the creature a fond smile. To my utter amazement, the animal smiled back at her, baring his fangs. “And he’s a wonderful companion.”
“Now, Grayson, please escort the pony to the back,” Martha ordered.
The creature obeyed immediately, walking up to Harry, who balked at the animal, squeezing himself into the farthest corner of the porch and shaking with fear.
“Martha, um, I think Harry’s a little put off by your pet,” Lisa noted, twisting a lock of hair between her fingers.
“That’s only natural. Grayson is a wolf dog, so he does resemble a wolf,” Martha said, casually flipping her thick braid from one shoulder to the other.
“A wolf dog, of course. I should have figured it out,” Lisa chirped with relief.
“What are wolf dogs?” I stepped forward, closer to the beast. I needed to show confidence so that Harry would feel safer. After all, wasn’t I there to protect them both, Lisa and the little horse?
“Wolf dogs are a mix of dogs and wolves, but they’re domesticated and completely harmless.
I adopted Grayson from a shelter in Roanoke when he was just a puppy, and we’ve been together ever since.
Grayson is loyal, clever, and so strong.
Usually, we walk together in the forest. I normally don’t go out by myself”—Martha turned to me, as if answering my silent question—“but tonight Grayson decided to stay home. Otherwise, you would have met him sooner.”
I could see Harry’s ears move in disapproval, but the pony had not otherwise reacted.
I knew it must have been tough for him to pretend as if he couldn’t speak, but I also knew he was used to it.
Harry had shared plenty of times how he’d hidden his ability to communicate with humans during endless pony rides and the encounters with the stable attendants.
Lisa walked up to Harry and ran her hand through his mane. When the pony didn’t budge, she cooed sweetly, “Come on, Harry, please walk over with Grayson to the back of the house. There’s tasty hay there, and some carrots. And tomorrow morning we’ll go back home.”
Nothing happened. Harry stood stubbornly, staring at a spot right in front of him, and so Lisa said to Martha, “I think I had better go with them. Is that all right? I want to make sure Harry is feeling comfortable.”
“Go right ahead. Harry will stay at the carriage house. It’s been remodeled. And I’ll take Ivan inside.”
Harry followed Lisa and they left, with Grayson walking behind them. He did not show any signs of aggression and behaved like a guard dog, so I let out a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Martha opened the front door and gestured for me to come inside.
The walls of her place were covered with wooden panels, and it looked like the inside of an izba, only very large.
We passed through a living room, straight to the kitchen.
The space was enormous. Everything there was double the size of Lisa’s kitchen in her apartment at Fernwood.
Martha’s kitchen had black cabinets, with a stove that was positioned right in the middle of the back wall.
It had eight burners. Two of them were lit, with pots steaming.
A table stood in the middle of the space.
Martha pointed to a stool for me to sit and took a seat opposite.
“Now, Ivan, let’s get straight to the point. We don’t have much time, and Lisa will be back in a moment. Though I asked Grayson to delay her a bit.” The woman fixed her green eyes on me, and my stomach flipped.