Orson Card - Enchantment

"You never know, with gods," said Ivan. "There are tales of swans and bulls."

"If we've made a child," said Katerina, "there will be magic in it. Power."

He was silent for a while.

She understood the silence. "No, Ivan. That's not why I came to you last night."

He pretended that wasn't what he was thinking. "It would be all right if you did."

"No," said Katerina. "It would not be all right. A child shouldn't be conceived as a strategy in war. What do you think of me?"

He took her in his arms and kissed her, long and hard. "That's what I think of you."

"Is that what you call thinking?" Then she kissed him back, even harder.

"So," he said, when he could breathe again. "Even though we'd never do it as a strategic move in war, would you like to try again? Just in case we don't already have a baby started?"

"And miss the rest of the fireworks?" she said.

He grinned and dutifully turned back to look at the fireworks. A big one went off, red, white, and blue.

"All right," she said. "I'm done now."

"See one rocket go off, you've seen them all," said Ivan.

She almost dragged him back to the house. Piotr and Esther had to come out later to put the bonfire out. They didn't mind. They knew their son had finally moved on beyond them. Even if he made it back from Taina somehow, he would never again live as a child in this house. It was just the two of them now. But they were comfortable with each other. The prospect of sharing the rest of their lives held no dread for them. And the things they did dread—losing their only child, for instance—they did not need to talk about, at least not now, for every word and movement between them carried their history and their future, like background movement, shaping each moment even when they weren't aware of it.

Baba Yaga

She might not be able to get past their defenses, but she could still listen to their conversations, and so she knew they had a ticket scheduled for the next day's flight. Within a couple of hours she was at the airport, and a helpful clerk stayed late to arrange her own reservation on the same flight, though afterward he had a terrible time trying to explain to his wife why he was so late getting home from work, having no memory of the time he spent with Baba Yaga.

She spent the rest of the night at the airport, preparing the spells and charms for the next day's work. Ivan and Katerina were going back to Taina, yes, but on her terms, not theirs. Baba Yaga would not come home empty-handed. She'd get the princess because she had the scholar—for now that Ruthie had uttered his true name in front of her familiar, he would not be able to resist her when she put a binding on that name.

Not only that, but she was determined to bring back one of the huge flying houses that moved on chicken legs. All the kings of the earth would bow down to her when she had a castle that carried her wherever she wanted to go, even into the heart of their kingdoms.

Hijacking

Ivan and Katerina didn't pack much for the return trip. Katerina had quite a lot of American clothes now, but she wasn't going to be wearing them long. They knew they had to get back to the bridge as soon as possible. Once they left the protection of Mother's house, Baba Yaga could make a run at them anywhere. Yet there was no way to avoid the exposure. As Mother put it, "She found out that you were in America. She got here somehow. She found out about Ruthie and got to her. We're not going to keep many secrets from her. All you can do is try to move fast enough that she can't get ahead of you and lay traps."

So they made the reservation and paid for first-class seats even though it cost ten thousand dollars—because those were the only seats they could find on the fifth of July. Ivan was cautious to please even his mother: He wrote a note on a napkin explaining to Katerina and his parents that they would fly out of Rochester instead of Syracuse even though it was an hour farther away. Then he soaked the note in water and ran it down the garbage disposal. Then he made the reservation over the Internet so no one ever said "Rochester" out loud. With any luck, Baba Yaga would never realize that they didn't have to depart from the same airport they arrived at.

Mother and Father drove them, and on the way, Mother sat in the back with Katerina, explaining the charms and talismans, spells and wards she had prepared. "I can't take any of these across the bridge," said Katerina.

"I know," Mother replied, "but I'd like you to live to reach the bridge."

She had made two of almost everything, so each was wearing one. The most important was the one she called Aware.

"I thought of making Suspicion for you both, but that just makes you jumpy and it would weaken your trust in each other. Also, she can nullify it if she has a strong enough Friend charm. So this is best. It's not very specific, but that's good, because we never know what she's going to throw at you."

Katerina held the little woven mat to her forehead and closed her eyes. "This is very strong," she said. "Very clever."

"Put it on," said Mother.

They hung the strings around their necks, letting the charms fall inside their clothing. "I hope I'm not allergic to any of the materials," said Ivan.

"I practice hypoallergenic magic," said Mother—in English, because she had no clue how to say it in proto-Slavonic. Of course, that only meant that Ivan had to spend a few frustrating minutes explaining the whole concept of allergies to Katerina so she wouldn't feel left out of the joke.

The last charm was one for Katerina alone. "I know this one," she said.

"It's called Little One," said Mother.

"Do I need it?" asked Katerina.

"Are you sure that you don't?" asked Mother.

Katerina put it on.

"What?" asked Ivan. "What is it and why don't I have one?"

Katerina laughed. "Is there a chance that you're pregnant?"

"You tell me," said Ivan. "I don't know which rules apply anymore."

"Magic has never improved on that," said Katerina.

"Nor on the method of conception," said Father. "Though I think we can safely say that science has done a better job of reducing the hazards of bearing children than magic ever did."

"Though science presents its own set of hazards," said Mother. It was an old argument between them, and it was settled this time with a wink and a grin.

Everything went smoothly at the airport. They weren't as familiar with Rochester, only using its airport occasionally to meet visitors who couldn't easily connect through Syracuse. So Ivan wasn't sure he'd recognize if Baba Yaga had altered anything. He was wearing Aware, but it didn't make him feel any sharper-witted than usual. Maybe that meant nothing unusual had happened; maybe it meant he was always so alert that magic couldn't improve on his normal abilities; or maybe it meant Baba Yaga was smarter than Mother. Ivan preferred to think that Baba Yaga was off in Syracuse, watching for them.

They checked in, but then waited in another gate area until their plane had been mostly boarded. Then they kissed and hugged and the women cried a little and Father held on to Ivan a little more than usual. They all knew this might be the last time they ever saw each other. They knew that if Ivan and Katerina got back to Taina and died there, the only hint of it would be when Mother failed to find Ivan's image in the blackwater bowl.

Ivan watched everything, even glancing into the pilots' cabin for a moment, though he had no clue how he'd know if anything were wrong. What did he expect to see, Baba Yaga herself, sitting in the pilot's seat and cackling madly, "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!" Come to think of it, she had gotten the little dog, even if it wasn't theirs.