Magic and Mayhem: How To Train A Witch (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Baba Yaga Saga Book 1) (7 page)

The piles floated back onto the ledges and stones and tables where they had been previously. They walked quickly out of the falling jewels. Damien plucked a necklace with a large blue sapphire stone and handed it to his mother as the rest of the jewelry went back to resting.

“Here. This one isn’t magical and it matches your eyes. I love you, Mother.”

Celeste studied her son’s face as she slipped the gorgeous necklace on. It was like the Damien of old had returned from the dead. She wanted to be happy for him, but she’d heard too much about the long-lived witch protectoress. She might have even met her once… frightening thought.

“Be cautious, Damien. You’re a lot like me. You haven’t looked at any other female since Lezandra died. To be stirred is not something that would happen lightly to you, but son… why must it be the Jezibaba? If you wanted to try out a human, why not find someone normal and get it out of your system? After all that witch has seen and done, the Jezibaba is probably more jaded than your most seasoned dragon warrior. Plus, if you hurt her, Morgana The Red might never forgive you.”

“Mother, the Jezibaba is at least three hundred years old. Neither of us are children. If I wronged her, she’d spell me herself, not run to her Goddess. And she’s much more charming than she first appears. There’s a vulnerability about her that I find appealing. I don’t think the woman’s ever had a champion.”

“Vulnerable? Let’s hope not. That could be deadly in her job. From what I’ve heard, the female has never mated, yet her romantic exploits fuel the gossip mill. Many of her suitors end up in jail or becoming toads for a couple of decades. And it’s a well known fact the witch never dates dragons.”

Damien laughed. “That just means she’s a dragon virgin. Lucky me for getting to be her first superior beast.”

“
Damien
,” Celeste exclaimed, laughing at her son’s jovial attitude. “I suppose it is good to see you smiling whatever the reason. I just hope that witch doesn’t break your heart.”

Carol’s arms hung over her knees and wrapped around her legs. She glared at the kittens until the fattest one danced over to her on his two back legs. He punched at her hands with his paws until she gave in and laughed.

“I don’t see why I couldn’t have kittens,” she grumbled.

Hildy’s eyes were huge as they swung her way. “Are you kidding? You got a shape-shifter. I love shifters. It must be very cool to be able to turn from human to animal and back when you want to.”

“I looked Emeritus up in the Directory of Magicals,” Carol grumbled. “My familiar is not a shape-shifter, Hildy… not really. He’s a Phoenix and he’s old. What kind of fun is he going to be? I don’t even know if he can help me if anything happens. I guess his dog form was a little bit scary. Or maybe I was just nervous.”

Hildy was thoughtful and then shrugged. “Don’t you trust the Jezibaba to pick a good familiar for you?”

Carol snorted. “Trust her? No, she’s mean.”

“No she’s not,” Hildy argued. “She’s just intense—like you.”

Carol kind of liked the sound of that so she didn’t debate the description. She also didn’t mind Hildy comparing her to the Jezibaba, but that was something she was
never
saying aloud. She did think the witch was mean, but she also longed to be the kind of magical nobody could push around. Her feelings confused her—another thing she was never admitting—not even to Hildy.

The kittens suddenly froze in their play and then disappeared. When Carol raised her head from her knees, she saw Jezibaba walking briskly towards them. Rolling her eyes, she stood up. The woman was tall and it made her neck hurt to tilt it up high enough to meet her gaze.

“Hello girls,” Jezibaba said. “We’re going on a field trip.”

“Really? Where are we going?” Hildy asked.

“To the land of the Amazons,” Jezibaba declared. “Professor Hot—uh,
Smoke
—has given us permission to do something different today.”

“Does Professor Smoke know you call him Professor Hottie?” Hildy asked.

Jezibaba smirked as she looked down at her charges. “I slipped up once. Fortunately he laughed. I know you’re too young to appreciate males yet, but trust me, Professor Smoke is definitely a hottie.”

Carol snorted. “Of course he’s hot. He’s a dragon.”

Jezibaba narrowed her gaze. “Keep up that sass and you’ll find yourself in a charm school run by elves. You’ll be wearing fairy dresses and tiaras and dancing all day like a ballerina instead of learning to shoot arrows like I’m hoping you will get to do with the Amazons.”

Carol huffed out a resigned breath. “Can I just tattoo the words
I’m sorry
on my hand so we can high five when I make you mad? I hate apologizing, especially when I’m wrong.”

“Done,” Jezibaba declared, waving a hand over one of Carol’s. She smiled when the girl called out and stared at her smarting palm.

“You burned me on purpose,” Carol screamed, glaring at her tormentor.

Jezibaba snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous, child. I didn’t burn you. It’s a magical tattoo. When you’ve gone a whole month without saying anything mean to anyone, the tattoo will disappear.”

Hildy giggled. “You’re going to have that tattoo forever, Carol.”

“Shut up, Hildy,” Carol ordered. She stared at her palm. The pain had receded and left behind only the words.

“High five, Carol,” Jezibaba demanded, holding out a flat palm. She snickered when the girl angrily smacked her palm in reply.

“Now each of you take a hand and don’t let go until we’re safely on the island. Have you practiced magical transport yet?” Jezibaba frowned when they shook their heads. “No? Really? I find that hard to believe.”

“We’re not old enough,” Hildy explained. “They won’t even let us use brooms until we’re twelve and I’ve known how to do that all along. My parents taught me to fly when I was like five. We lived in a neighborhood that had a lot of flying creatures.”

“No travel until you’re twelve? What utter nonsense,” Jezibaba said firmly. “If you’re old enough for a familiar, you’re old enough to start learning to transport. From now on, you two are going to be taking accelerated classes even if I have to teach you myself.”

They exchanged nervous glances and took one of the Jezibaba’s hands when she snapped her fingers impatiently. Moments later, Hildy was ralphing up her breakfast while Carol was staring at a bunch of girls her age who were sword fighting. It looked cool and she wondered how hard it was.

“I’m sorry,” Hildy said, very embarrassed. “I got real dizzy at the end.”

Jezibaba ran a hand over Hildy’s hair. Maybe she was pushing too hard, but it was the only way she knew to truly help them.

“It’s fine, Hildy. It happens to many witches when they start traveling this way. But your body will adjust and then you will forget this was ever uncomfortable. Now chin up, Queen Lilith and her guard are coming to greet us. Protocol is very important here.”

Carol and Hildy both drew in breaths as a group of tall, barely dressed women with tons of muscles walked their way. When they all stopped and got down on one knee in front of the three of them, the girls instantly looked up at Jezibaba, unsure of what to do.

“These women will be your new teachers. Thank them for agreeing to help you learn to fight,” Jezibaba ordered.

They obediently turned to the kneeling women and said thank you.

“It is our honor to serve the chosen ones,” Queen Lilith declared.

“Rise Lilith, Defender of the Amazons. It is I who am honored today,” Jezibaba declared. She waited until all the amazons had risen. “We had a little problem with our magical travel. Hildy got a bit dizzy. It was her first time.”

Lilith quietly looked off and motioned someone over. An older woman rushed to bring water and a tablet she pressed into Hildy’s hand. Hildy’s quiet thank you prompted a bow from the older woman. They all waited while Hildy swallowed the tablet and drank some water.

Once that was done Queen Lilith turned back to Jezibaba. “We discussed your request last evening. Our Goddess directed us to send some trainers back with you. Kaska and her daughters have asked to serve. If you approve of the choice, they can return with you today.”

Jezibaba turned as a woman of about forty stepped forward, accompanied by a set of twin girls who appeared to be just on the verge of adolescence. The woman, Kaska, bowed her head and nudged the twins until they bowed their heads as well. She pushed them forward and they cautiously approached Hildy and Carol. They looked at both girls, and then looked to each other, switched places, and then lifted their palms as they dropped down to one knee.

Carol snorted and crossed her arms. She turned a furious glare to Jezibaba. “Why do I need to apologize to them? I haven’t said anything bad to anyone here yet.”

Jezibaba lifted a hand to cover her mouth, fighting not to laugh at Carol’s outburst. It was very rude to be anything less than stoic in front of the Amazons. She dropped her hand and firmed her lips.

“Carol, they’re just asking you to accept their service. Each of you must touch the palm of the girl who kneels before you. Then they will speak to you. These girls will be your fight teachers—like helping you learn hand-to-hand, archery, and swords.”

She watched as Hildy and Carol exchanged worried looks, and fought laughter again when Carol growled to “oh just do it, Hildy.” They touched their palms to the twins and everyone seemed to deflate in relief.

Ritual served, Jezibaba moved her gaze to the crowd again and saw pride flash in Kaska’s gaze. She nodded in thanks to the woman, then looked back to Lilith.

“Could the girls and I look around while Kaska and her daughters make final preparations to come with us?”

Lilith smiled. “It would be my great pleasure to welcome the chosen ones to our world.”

“Is she talking about us?” Hildy whispered, looking up at Jezibaba.

Jezibaba lifted a finger to her lips, smiling and nodding behind it. With the twins now flanking her nervous charges, she drove the girls forward with a firm push on their shoulders. Soon though, the young Amazons were busily chatting and answering Hildy’s many questions.

Children were really the same no matter where they were raised. It was a blessing for all.

Jezibaba watched them without speaking until she felt Lilith’s strong presence at her side. She had known four generations of Amazon queens. Lilith’s great grandmother had trained her to fight, but Lilith was the easiest and the most progressive leader to date. Best of all though was that Lilith’s modern outlook had not changed how absolutely deadly she and her warriors were when they had to be.

“The children are very young. Even we don’t teach real fighting until a girl has received her first menses.”

“Someone powerful is trying to kill them. Time is a luxury I don’t have, Lilith,” Jezibaba said quietly. “I thought it might be easier if their teachers were children themselves. Evil will not wait for Hildy and Carol to get old enough. Your Amazon’s daughters will teach them to protect themselves.”

“You are very wise for a woman who has never borne a child. I remember the first time you visited after I was of an age to know who you were. The queen let me walk with you. You were limping from some fight the day before, but I still thought you were amazing. When a boar broke loose from its pen and charged us, you calmly stepped in front of me and held up your hand. I don’t know what spell you chanted, but the boar froze, fell over, and we got to drag him back to the pen without killing him. In my excitement to meet you, I had left the pen latches loose when I fed the boars that morning. I was the reason you were put in danger.”

“Interesting. Queen Diana never told me that,” Jezibaba said quietly.

“The queen spared me because you brushed it off as amusing. And I saw that a real warrior does not hold a child responsible for being a child. In my reign, we have women coming from all around the world asking to join us now. Our numbers have risen. Life is good. All of this is because the most powerful being I have ever met spared the life of the Amazon Queen’s misbehaving daughter.”

Jezibaba snorted and shrugged. “It is natural to make mistakes. Goddess knows, I make plenty still. The real test is in what you do to make up for them.”

Lilith smiled. “I can tell the one named Carol will be making her share.”

“Indeed,” Jezibaba said. “But she is highly amusing. It takes the edge off.”

Lilith smiled. “Yes. I noticed you laughing at her earlier.”

“I was hoping you didn’t notice.”

Lilith shrugged. “I noticed, but I forgive the Great Jezibaba as she did me.”

When Jezibaba led the girls back to the tree area where they’d arrived, the Amazons returning with them were waiting there as well.

“Hey,” Carol said. “Where are the big robe guys? I just realized they aren’t here.”

Jezibaba chuckled. “You mean the warlocks? They’re not allowed here. Only women are allowed on the island of the Amazons.”

“Cool,” Carol declared.

“Not really,” Jezibaba whispered, leaning down until her head was level with their ears. “Men make life way more interesting. If you hang out here for very long, it’s actually a bit boring. Nobody really argues or debates anything because the Queen doesn’t allow dissention. Personally, I’d rather have a healthy debate and lots of learning. I bet you would too if you had to choose.”

Carol sighed and slipped her hand into the Jezibaba’s without being asked. The Amazons were the coolest thing she’d ever seen in her life. “Sometimes I don’t know what to think about you.”

“The feeling is mutual, Little One.”

Carol heard Jezibaba belly laughing as the tall woman straightened to full height again. Once in the circle, she felt her new fighting teacher place a possessive hand on her shoulder. A shiver of excitement coursed through her and made her heart pound. A vision of herself fighting with a sword flashed through her mind. This day had certainly been strange.

“I don’t like this. They’re getting the shit kicked out of them,” Damien declared.

“Yes. They certainly are,” Jezibaba agreed.

She glanced at Professor Hottie’s crossed arms and tight jaw. His complaint wasn’t as eloquent as his usual chastisements over pushing the girls so hard. “But I don’t see them quitting, or even complaining, do you?”