Chapter 25
The Awakening
Before I could mull over this point, Martha took Lisa by the arm and whispered something into her ear.
Grayson stood back and so did I, observing the pair.
Then Lisa let out a giggle, gave me a quick look, and nodded.
The next moment, she walked briskly through the room and disappeared behind a door.
“Lisa is just going to change for dinner,” Martha said casually, giving me a barely perceptible wink. Then she addressed Grayson. “Harry is all settled for the night, isn’t he? Hope the pony is comfortable.”
I should have expected it, with Martha being the Mistress of the Copper Mountain and all, but for some reason, when Grayson responded, “Yes, Mistress” in a low baritone, I nearly choked in surprise.
“Very good. And you made sure he understands you’re not there to get him, right? He knows your true origins?”
“Of course, Mistress. I explained to him that I’m a magical animal and I’m here to protect you and to serve you loyally,” Grayson said with dignity.
What is happening? How did I not know the wolf dog could speak? Is he just like Harry?
“Excuse me, please.” I cleared my throat. “But why didn’t Grayson speak to us earlier? And what exactly is happening?”
“Grayson doesn’t usually reveal his full potential right away, do you, sweet puppy?” Martha looked at the wolf dog fondly. “He’s right not to trust strangers. After all, he suffered so much as a young pup.”
“It’s all behind me,” Grayson growled, flaring his nostrils. At that moment, the wolf dog looked downright terrifying. If Harry had been near us and seen this expression of aggression, I am sure the pony would have bolted and run through the woods. “Those evil people have been properly punished.”
“Grayson is referring to the breeder who kept a dogfighting ring. That’s how he ended up at the shelter in Roanoke, where I found him. It was awful, really awful.” Martha shook her head. “And right around this area, too. So many other wonderful dogs perished.”
“Arrgh,” Grayson snarled.
“I’m sorry, Grayson. I just wanted Ivan to be aware of the terrible things that happen in this world. In Virginia. And did you know, you and Ivan have something in common?” Martha said playfully.
“What?” Grayson and I exchanged glances. The sudden realization hit me with such force that I stumbled back.
“That’s right! I see you’ve figured it out.” Martha clapped, a sly smile appearing on her face. “The two of you are both portal travelers. Grayson is also from your world, Ivan.”
“He’s from Zorya!” I exclaimed.
“Yes, Grayson came here through a portal, straight from Zorya. He was just a puppy, and the dogfighting people captured him. And that’s why we’ve got a wolf in Virginia.”
“But you said he was a wolf dog.”
“Wolf dog? Don’t be silly, he’s a wolf, just a somewhat domesticated one.”
“Not domesticated, but loyal to my mistress,” Grayson muttered under his breath, but loudly enough for us to hear.
“Right, of course. Not domesticated. I shouldn’t have said that,” Martha corrected herself, her manner conciliatory.
“So he’s a wolf? An actual wolf?”
“Yes, of course. Grayson is a wolf, and a magical one at that.”
“Are you going to tell Lisa?”
“Of course. But one thing at a time,” Martha noted and disappeared into the kitchen. She reemerged, carrying a tablecloth. “Come on this way.” She pointed to the dining room, where a large table stood, with seven chairs, three on each side and one at the head, and walked straight to it.
She placed the tablecloth in the middle of the table and said, “Magical tablecloth, unfold.” The next moment, the tablecloth had opened on its own.
In an instant, the oval table was covered with dishes, steam rising from a plate full of boiled potatoes.
Freshly baked bread lay on a wooden board, and a large bowl of meat stew stood in the middle.
The food smelled so delicious, its aroma made my head spin.
“Have a seat, please.” Martha gestured at the table. “And I hope you don’t mind, Grayson will eat with us as well.”
I didn’t have a chance to respond because Grayson hopped onto a seat right next to mine and pulled up a plate with his paws. Martha served him a generous heaping of the meat stew, while a large bone appeared right in front of him.
“This one should have marrow,” Martha said as the wolf nodded gratefully and arranged his silverware, waiting for us to start.
The whole setup was downright fantastical, from the magical tablecloth to the wolf, who politely waited at the table.
“I’ll go check on Lisa,” Martha said, leaving Grayson and me alone at the table.
“Have you been to Zorya recently?” the wolf asked, gently pawing the bone. “I’ve always wanted to go back. To see where I come from, you know.”
“I’ve lived there all my life. Until I came here through a portal, but that was only a month or so ago.
” I swallowed hard. This was a reminder of my life being split into two.
A stark reminder of the need to go back once I had captured the Firebird, so I could return it to Baba Yaga. “I guess I’ll be going back soon.”
“Will you take me with you?”
“Sure, I don’t see why not. We can go back together. But what about the Mistress?” I glanced in the direction where Martha had gone, and my heart skipped a beat.
I saw Lisa.
She walked in, wearing a long silk dress. It was golden and shimmered in the light. Her hair had been pinned back, with snowdrops interwoven into it, making a flower crown. Lisa looked like a magical princess.
“Vasilisa,” I uttered, staring at her in awe.
“Ivan,” Lisa called.
I stood up and walked to her, taking her hands in mine.
The world stopped. It was just her and me, and it didn’t matter that we were in a room with Martha and Grayson, that Harry was outside, and that I had just promised the wolf I’d take him back to Zorya.
All that mattered was that I was with this beautiful woman.
Vasilisa. Lisa. In her eyes, I read love.
“Vasilisa,” I said softly again. “Lisa. I love you. I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you.”
The magic we both felt when we were near the birches earlier that day was back, and this time, I was certain, it was here to stay.
“I love you, too,” Lisa whispered.
I reached for her lips.
Vasilisa. My Vasilisa. Lisa. I kissed the magical princess, who was now mine.
Nothing in the world mattered, only my princess and her lips.
I felt a golden glow envelop us, as if a beam of light surrounded the two of us.
A feeling of elation and freedom, as if I’d finally come home.
So, this is what love feels like, I thought. It’s pure joy.
“Vanya.” Lisa touched my cheek and examined my face, as if she wanted to take all of it to memory. “Is it okay if I call you that?”
No one had called me Vanya since my old nurse, Arina, passed away when I was five years old. It was after her death that I started to work around my papa’s house, to clean the stove, to fetch the water at the well, and to boil the samovar.
“Yes, of course. How did you know?”
“I looked up the Russian nicknames.” Lisa gave me a shy smile. “I wanted to call you that from the start, but it felt too intimate. I didn’t know how you’d react.”
“You mean, you liked me before?”
“Of course I did.” Lisa leaned and kissed me on the cheek. “You’re my knight, just not quite in shining armor.”
I wanted to ask her more questions, but a growl jerked me back to the realization the special moment with Lisa had been witnessed by the Mistress and her wolf, who were seated at the table in silence. Lisa, too, reddened, as she stepped away from me.
“Oh, I don’t know what’s gotten into me,” Lisa mumbled apologetically, rubbing the spot where I’d just kissed her.
“Let’s have some dinner,” the Mistress noted casually, seemingly oblivious to what had just transpired. I walked up to the table, my head bowed, and took my original seat next to Grayson. Lisa sat down next to Martha.
“I’m ravenous,” the wolf said as he bit into the bone.
“Grayson, your manners,” Martha cautioned, but she was too late. The bone let out a satisfying crack.
“I love it when there’s marrow,” Grayson said, sucking at its insides.
“Please, help yourself,” Martha said, and I served myself a helping of potatoes and stew and then cut a piece of bread.
“This is buckwheat bread,” Martha noted. “I bake it myself. You know, these days, it’s best to make everything yourself. Food is overprocessed. Just terrible.”
“I agree with you. We have a food co-op near Fernwood, and I try to do my grocery shopping there,” Lisa said eagerly. How beautiful, how smart my princess was. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“It’s mind control. That’s what they do.
They sell you overprocessed, genetically modified food, and in the end all the chemicals interrupt your natural body rhythms. That’s what really happens,” Martha said, taking a piece of bread and generously spreading butter over it.
“And wheat these days? It’s the worst. It’s just poison. ”
“I know. It’s really awful.” Lisa nodded in agreement. “When I start up my retreat center again, I’ll need to make sure I serve only the best, most natural foods.”
“That’s a great idea.” Martha nodded with a smile.
With the two women engaged in a lively conversation about the benefits of healthy eating, I focused on the food.
Grayson, too, gnawed at the bone. The meal was delicious, easily the best meal I’d had since landing in Virginia.
It took me a few bites, but then I understood why: The food reminded me of what eating in Zorya was like. The meal tasted like home.
I missed being back in Zorya. Missed my brothers. My papa. I looked up at Lisa and gave her a guilty look.
An idea crossed my mind: What if I brought Lisa back home? Would she agree to come through the portal with me? Would that even work? And if she agreed, how would she like it there?