Chapter 30
The Gold Mine
“Martha”—Lisa reached for a piece of bread—“I wanted to ask you something. This gold mine Ivan mentioned, where exactly is it? Somewhere in Virginia?”
“Oh no, it’s in the Sahara Desert,” Martha said casually.
“Where?” The name of the place sounded unusual, and I wondered whether this was another fairy-tale land where I could travel through a portal.
“It’s in West Africa. The gold mine is right there, in the middle of the desert. There are no roads, it’s dangerously hot there, but it has the purest gold in the world. I’ve never been there myself, and the desert is not my domain. Yet.”
“You don’t need to have Ivan travel there, do you? You just need him to get you a deed or whatever it is, right?” Lisa bit off a piece of bread. “Kind of like what I asked him to do for the Seven Birches?”
“I think it’s best we discuss all of this later, when it’s time for Ivan to return the favor,” Martha said as she flipped her braid to her left shoulder. “Right now, what we need is to make a plan to capture the Firebird. And I’ve already gotten some ideas.”
“I put together a list.” Lisa pulled out her phone and handed it to Martha. “Harry helped. He and I read the fairy tales together. We actually used it with Ivan and Harry earlier.”
“You know how I feel about these things.” Martha shook her head ruefully, but accepted the phone anyway. As she did, a spark went off. “Technology isn’t my thing.”
“What’s that?” Lisa exclaimed.
“Oh, I just have this effect on electronics. It’s all the rare-earth minerals they use to make them. I suppose, they like to be noticed.” The Mistress shrugged. “I’m an earth witch at my core, and I am supposed to protect the Earth and its treasures from harm.”
“I never knew that about you, Martha. Why didn’t you ever tell me? We’ve known each other for years.” Lisa stared at the Mistress in awe.
“I know, I know. But it was never a good time. And besides, you were still married to that awful man. But anyway—” Martha settled her green eyes on the phone.
It was only then that I noticed she was wearing a sparkling green dress.
Long and flowing, it was tied around her waist with a golden sash.
I couldn’t remember whether the Mistress had just transformed into this outfit or had been wearing it all along.
As she stared at Lisa’s phone, Martha’s dress shimmered, reflecting the sun that was streaming through the windows.
Suddenly, the kitchen had transformed and had a greenish-yellow glow, the bright light reflecting off all its surfaces.
“So, is this it?” Martha said after perusing the text, then, with a sigh, added, “I suppose it’s enough to get you started. But I do have to tell you, a few things here are off completely.”
“Like what?”
“Like the net laid near the apple tree.”
“Oh, yes, that’s why we used pomegranate seeds. I figured that part out myself,” Lisa said proudly, and I gave her a look full of adoration. My lovely Vasilisa was not only beautiful but also very wise.
“The bit about the pomegranate seeds is also wrong. No one will tell you, but you need to use precious stones. Or actual gold.”
“Really?” Lisa opened her eyes wide. “But that’s impossible.”
“Why? Completely possible. At least if you’re the Mistress of the Copper Mine.” A smug expression appeared on Martha’s face.
“So, they mean apples made out of real gold? The metal?”
“Yes. Or pomegranate seeds made out of rubies.”
Lisa swallowed hard. “So now I see why it didn’t work when Ivan and I tried to get the bird earlier.”
“There were other reasons as well,” Martha added curtly.
“But where do we get so many rubies now?” Lisa exclaimed. In response, Martha gave her a wink. It was almost playful, and Lisa asked, “You mean, you’ll lend them to us? Your precious stones?”
“I don’t think there’s any other way,” Martha responded. The shimmer of her dress was even brighter as she spoke, as if her magical powers grew the more she used them.
“Thank you, Mistress,” I said.
“You’ll thank me later,” she responded coldly. “Let’s get Harry and Grayson in here so we can finalize our plan. Ivan, you go get the rubies out of the treasure room. I trust you still remember what to do?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “But how many?”
“You’ll know. Come on, there’s no time to waste.” Martha ordered, “Lisa, please find Harry and Grayson. They should be nearby. Grayson is somewhere in the woods closer to the Seven Birches and Harry is with him.”
“Does he have an AirTag or something?” Lisa asked, moving toward the exit.
“What’s that?” Martha raised her eyebrows. “Oh, another tech thing? No, absolutely not. Grayson and I communicate telepathically.”
“I’ll be back in a jiffy,” I said to the Mistress, following Lisa out of the kitchen. “Love you, see you soon,” I told her, pecking my beautiful Vasilisa on the cheek.
She blushed and responded with a sweet, “Love you, too,” as we parted ways.
I cherished this new feeling of sweet, pure love.
Nothing, it seemed, could spoil my perfect mood as I climbed the steps to the green bedroom where I’d spent the night.
I remembered exactly what I needed to do.
I got the brass key out of the keyhole, opened the door, then shut it behind me.
Once inside, I moved over the screen with the hummingbirds, and, just as it did the night prior, it revealed the fireplace.
I stuck the key into the keyhole, and it turned golden, just like the last time.
I was about to turn the key counterclockwise, as I’d done the night prior, but suddenly stopped.
Something didn’t feel right. It was too easy, too smooth.
If I go back into the treasure room and take the stones, won’t I be stealing them?
I passed the test once—why would I make the same mistake now?
She set a trap for me, and I almost fell for it.
Again flashed through my mind as I pulled my hand back.
It felt as if it were on fire. I almost fell for it.
I would have stolen the rubies without thinking twice, and she would have every reason to punish me. She would kill my will to live.
Carefully, as if the key could explode, I pulled it out, replaced the screen, and was about to back out of the room when I heard a rustling noise.
I turned and saw the shimmering green lizard sitting on the carpet.
The color of its scales matched the decor of the room perfectly, and had I not seen the very same lizard earlier that day, I would not have noticed it.
Was she here the whole time? I wondered, staring at the creature.
“So, you’ve now managed to stop yourself before acting too fast,” the lizard hissed, its green eyes fixed on my face. There was no doubt in my mind I was speaking with the Mistress herself. “Not bad. That means you’re learning.”
“I’m sorry, Mistress, I shouldn’t have agreed to go upstairs for the rubies,” I said. “I should have realized you were testing me.”
“Better late than never,” the lizard queen responded. “But you did a terrible thing, Ivan. You revealed my secret to an outsider.”
“You mean Lisa? But she’s your friend. And you didn’t seem that upset earlier.”
“It doesn’t mean I wanted her to know about the gold mine.”
“What can I do to correct my mistake? I’m sorry, I just didn’t know how else to tell Lisa about the deal. That favor you’d asked me to do,” I said, kneeling in front of the creature. Though it was tiny, I felt as though it were towering over me.
“There could have been a different way to do it. You should have come to me first and let me handle it. But you just couldn’t wait, could you?” Small as it was, I felt petrified with fear facing the reptile.
“I didn’t know. I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
“Let this be the last time you cross me, Ivan.” The lizard gave me an unblinking stare. The eyes, the green eyes, were the eyes of the Mistress. “Do you understand? The next time you reveal my secrets to an outsider, you will be punished.”
“Yes, Mistress. I understand.”
“The only reason I’m letting this slide is because you’ve demonstrated your honesty. I also think you will learn with time that haste makes waste. You rush into things way too much. Take time to think things over. That will help you in the future.”
“I’m sorry, Mistress.”
“Remember, you won’t get another chance with me. If you share any of this with Lisa, or Harry, or Grayson, or anyone else, you can expect immediate consequences.”
Before I had a chance to respond, the lizard slithered under the door, leaving me alone in the room. Head hunched over my shoulders, I went downstairs. Gone was my happy mood, my hopeful attitude had been crushed, and there was no one in the whole wide world I could tell about it.
A dimwit. The thought flashed through my mind. Everything I did felt wrong.
I came into the kitchen, expecting to see Martha there, but the space was empty, and so I wandered through the hallway to the front door and walked outside.
I hadn’t left the house since the previous evening, and I reveled in the fresh air.
A soft breeze was blowing, the sun shone, and birds were chirping.
The lovely spring air contrasted so sharply with my dour mood, I wanted to cry.
“So, Ivan, I hear we’re about to plan your departure.” I heard Harry’s whinny and turned to see the humpbacked horse approaching. Lisa and Grayson were several steps behind, deep in conversation.
“Yes, Martha said she’ll help with the Firebird,” I said listlessly.
“Is everything all right? You look sad. Is it because you have to go back to Zorya?” Harry asked, his neigh full of concern.
“It’s just one of those days. It’s like, no matter what I do, I can’t get anything right. You know the feeling, Harry?”
“I certainly do. That’s how I feel most of the time,” Harry sighed. “But you know what? The best thing is not to worry about it. If you made a mistake, just let it be. Just keep on living.”
I wanted to respond to the pony, but Lisa and Grayson neared.
“Did you find the stones?” Lisa asked.
“I didn’t. I actually couldn’t get back into the treasure room,” I said, as I cringed at the half-truth. But it was better than a complete lie, and it had to do. I couldn’t risk crossing Martha again by confiding in Lisa about Martha’s warning.
“So, does Martha know? I hope she gets the stones then. It sounds like we really need those rubies to capture the bird. In a way, it kind of makes sense, right?”
“What does?”
“That you’d need something so rare and expensive. Otherwise, anyone with the feather could just set the trap for the Firebird with pomegranate seeds, and then they wouldn’t know what to do with it, right?”
“Right. I guess it won’t be an issue for me. I’ll just bring the Firebird to Baba Yaga and that’s that.”
“So you’re sure it’ll work?” Grayson growled.
“Yes, of course.”
“Then, we’ll go back to Zorya together.” He raised his right paw to shake my hand.
“You’re going back to Zorya with Ivan?” Harry asked.
“Yes.” Grayson nodded. “Remember, I told you how I was born there? I’ve always wanted to check it out.”
“I see.” The expression on the pony’s face darkened.
“Harry, what is it?” Lisa asked and petted his mane.
“I just assumed Ivan would want to take me to Zorya with him, that’s all,” Harry noted ruefully.
“You?” the wolf barked. “But how? And besides, you told me how attached you are to Virginia. And to Lisa.”
“Really? That’s so sweet, Harry,” Lisa said.
“But at least I wanted Ivan to ask me to go. And then I’d have a choice. And I could say no to him.” Harry stomped his hoof.
“Oh, Harry, I would have loved for you to come, but then Lisa would be left here on her own,” I started to say, but Martha’s voice reached my ears.
“There you are. Come on, there’s no time to waste. Let’s get organized. And look what I have.” She reached into the pocket of her shimmering green dress and produced a pouch of sparkling red rubies.