Chapter 33 Magical substance

Rose sighed lying awake in bed. The moon was bright. She could not sleep. Her mother had forgotten to shut the shutters. Ivan had not returned home yet or he would have corrected this oversight. A shadow flitted across her wall that looked like a great pointy eared animal. She gasped and sat upright. When she looked to the window the little boy was making shadow puppets with his hand.

“Go away…” She whispered sharply and rolled over, throwing her covers over her head.

“You should not leave these open at night. It is dangerous. A stranger could get in.” He climbed right up onto the sill and sat. His accent was heavy once more.

“Rose did you call me?” Elena opened the door with a creak holding her embroidery in the other hand. Rose quickly rolled over. He was gone.

“No.” Rose said sourly, “I just woke up because I was cold.”

“Darling, I did not close the shutters did I?” Elena closed and locked them as well, dropping down the curtain. There was a patter, Rose looked around the room. Elena thought she was trying not to look her in the eye.

“Yearling I know you are angry that I will not let you go tomorrow to Volpi with Sadko and the other girls. After all that has happened I can not just let things go unpunished. What would the other villagers think? Your Father would look weak to them and he has already set his foot down where Sadko is concerned. I already let you sneak up to see his geese don’t I?”

“Do not worry. I will not be going up there anymore!” Rose said loudly, for the child must have jumped back outside. The room was too bare with nothing to hide behind.

“Well if you are going to raise your voice to me perhaps you need more time to think about your actions. You cannot just run off and shirk your responsibilities. I am sorry you got injured however Rose nothing happened today that you did not bring upon yourself.” Elena went to kiss her forehead. Rose folded her arms and turned her head. “Try to sleep, you are grumpy.” Elena managed to hide her smile until she shut the door.

“How did you get injured?” Hansel’s head popped up on the other side of her bed causing Rose to jump.

“I thought you had left.” She whispered softer than even her last harsh whisper had been. She really did not want to speak to her mother again after that.

“I will have to go before your Father gets home. Your mother is easy to trick.” He jumped on her bed making her bounce.

“I got into trouble because of you. I scraped my knees falling down that tree and then the kitchen exploded and everyone blamed me!” Rose threw her pillow at him. He only caught it and fluffed it up behind him. “Well I do not see why they blame you. You were not even there.”

“That is why they are mad! I want so very much to travel and I cannot even go to Volpi.” She was trying to stay angry at him, it was hard because he was being so lax and the intrigue of having another child sneak into her room was new.

“Every place out there is the same, filthy and selfish. Let them go, we will have more fun here, together. Or if you like we can make plans for our own travels.” He walked his fingers up her bed post with the finality of a man standing on a mountain top.

“Aye, travel with a thief. Where did you take my red hood?” she pulled up her knees and the covers a bit as she spoke to him.

“Your red hood?” his brows rumpled which made her angrier.

“I know you stole it.” Rose looked down at her hands, “I just wish you would not lie about it.”

“What are you talking about? You were looking down at me as I ran away, did I have it then?” Hansel crossed his own arms as he responded.

“Well then, why make me climb the tree?”

He opened his mouth to retort but Rose continued on, “You never did show me exactly where Frost lived because of the clouds. I think you just wanted to trick me out of my hood.”

“I’m telling you I don’t know what happened to it. Maybe you just hung it on a different tree and you don’t remember.” Hansel lied for with his race it was an art form. He was surprised at how clever she was for her age.

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“Listen, it’s just that my Babushka made that for me. If you tell me where it is I’ll give you this, alright?”

She reached over to the little stool by her bed where her silver clasp and chain lay. She held it out. He practically backed off the bed holding the pillow in front of him.

“Put that away I told you I do not want it!” He scowled. “If you do not trust me I guess I will go.” She frowned, setting it back down on the stool. She had hoped to bait him into admitting something. He was a stubborn one. “I guess you better had.” She turned her face away from him. He headed for the window having a new idea by the time he was on the sill.

“Stupid Frost probably stole your hood because he tricks people, probably heard us talking about him.” He muttered.

“Or maybe it was the Lueda Yedka.” Rose sighed annoyed and contemplated while reaching out for her pillow again. Were they just playing a game or not?

“Oops, Rose I did steal something. Maybe I better give it back or you will think I took your hood too.” Hansel crawled back in from outside.

“What?” Rose sat up once more.

“Well the kitchen was destroyed so I did not think anyone would miss it. I was going to try it out tonight to see if it worked.” He untied the bag around his neck and gave it to her.

“Worked on what?” She looked in the bag.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of bed. “Come, hurry before your Father returns.”

“Wait, let me put something on.” Rose tugged from his always too firm grip.

Hansel smelled the air and looked at Rose’s wrapped up knees while she slipped on shoes and wondered if his brother had been forced to cut out his own tongue for the poultice or if perhaps another wolf had died for it. Rose followed him out as quietly as she could. They made their way swiftly to the garden.

“Tonight when I listened to Sadko beneath the boards of his hata he reminded himself out loud to take salt on his trip just in case there was too much ice on the path. That is when I remembered that salt melts snow!” Hansel said this proudly.

“The Old Jack will run before we can hit him with this.” Rose pointed out.

“So we circle the garden with it. One big circle so he can’t get in!” Hansel put his arms out wide.

“I don’t know my mother hardly has anything left from the kitchen as it is.” Rose looked tentatively at the bag.

“It was under a bunch of rubble she will never even know we used it, Come on we have to hurry and try it.” Hansel pleaded.

“Okay,” Rose began pouring once they reached the outer rim of the garden.

“Not so fast you want it to last all the way around.” Hansel warned. He kept a good foot away from where she was standing. Rose found it considerate of him not to crowd her.

“Quick let’s go watch them from up on Sadko’s hill like I did last time.” Rose took his hand and together they wound a careful path just in case anyone was awake and might see them.

Sure enough as the moon got high the Old Jack and his army of ears approached. They ran at the garden like a stampeding herd. The instant the rabbit’s front paws touched he reared up as if he were burned. He circled once, then twice blowing a chilly breath onto the salt. His nose down low touched it and he began to rub it with his paws then his two back feet. The other rabbits were all poised behind him, their own noses twitching rapidly with concern. Large chunks of white splattered off the Old Jack and finally he gave up signaling the others to follow he went back to the field and just as before turned and looked up to where Rose was hiding. Half of his face was melted this time. To Hansel’s better than normal sight it appeared the little thing tried to wink. The dark piece of bark that was one eye fell off. Then he was gone.

Hansel was trying to figure out this odd exchange when he was ambushed by a hug from Rose.

“It worked! It worked!” She whispered excitedly, “My Grandmother’s garden is safe!”

“I hope you have a large supply of salt.” Hansel pushed her off with that mortified expression boys get when touched by a girl. Then when he saw her shivering a little from being outside he recanted.

“Well, not now we don’t. It’s all under rubble.” Rose said glumly. Hansel took off Sadko’s shirt and draped her with it.

“I can sneak into Sadko’s cart tomorrow when he rides off to Volpi.” Rose said suddenly her eyes bright,

“What about getting in trouble again?” Hansel smiled crookedly.

“Once I am gone and back, there is nothing they can do. Besides I really, really want to go and once we are there Sadko will help me buy salt.” Rose was still looking to him as if he were the one to get permission from.

Hansel did not want her to go. There would be no arrivals at Volpi he knew. The witch never let anyone out of these woods. She could not risk them talking to outsiders and if they somehow managed to escape, the blizzard on the outside would probably kill them. After all weren’t all these mortals ignoring the signs? Father Winter was not pleased with them either. Still any distraction to the witch would be welcome. Her precious granddaughter missing for a day or two would be a big distraction. It was only a matter of time before the old crone would figure out he was using her anyway.

“Wait I know,” He recanted his previous thoughts. “Sadko already has his cart packed with their things; I’ll rearrange them tonight so you can hide in between and I can cover you quickly.”

“That’s what I said.” Rose crossed her arms and hugged the shirt tighter to her.

“Well you did not explain it very well. You should also pretend to be sick in the morning so they do not expect you to be there waving goodbye.”

“Not sick, Mother will smother me and not leave. Then Father would go fetch Babushka and she would fly out of the woods to heal me.”

“That would cause too much attention.” Hansel grinned a little at her expression. Obviously that was an uncomfortable experience she had already lived through.

“I will simply have to throw a bigger tantrum and refuse to go. I’ll bundle myself real tight in my bed and be sour to Mother, then after she leaves I will leave the bundle behind.” Rose threw the shirt back over Hansel after this little display of wit.

“Take this back. I need to go back and rest. Father will be home soon. I don’t want him to find this shirt.”

“I really am a bad influence.” Hansel snickered to himself as he waved goodbye.