By going straight across the foothills without stopping, despite the animals and humans of the Friendly Company being tired and bruised after sleeping in trees, they reached Zarya’s home in Südkaroli late in the afternoon. A gaggle of children were scattered through the yard doing various tasks. A freckled boy peeling the husks from corn sat by fence.
“Tovleniskya Evpraksiya! Come to have dinner?” The boy greeted Eva cheerfully.
“Get your mother, Tovlenisky Legba.” Eva ordered. Legba popped open the gate to allow Ruslan and Isidor to walk the mounts through. The boy then dashed off to the house.
“Ah… children,” Pasha sighed as he snatch a handful of beans from the bowl in the lap of a young girl who was shelling them, “It seems like every time we come here the brood has gotten larger.”
“Good thing about Tovleniskya Zarya’s children. Around everywhere, everywhen she need them. How can Tovleniskya Zarya help favorite cousin Tovleniskya Evpraksiya?” Zarya came bustling out of the house with a dishtowel in her hands, followed by one of the older girls.
“We need you to help Matvei.” Eva propped the drooping bard up in front of her in the saddle. His head lolled to one side.
“What you do to poor man? You bring Denisky Pashayan here this way I not mind so bad. Foloki Matveisliki never deserve head wounds, rope burn!” Zarya clucked, helping Ruslan untie Matvei from Baly’s back. Eva slid down after him and followed her cousin, the hero, and the unconcious bard into the house.
“She speaks in third person.” Pushki noted. Isidor helped the boy down off of Ludmilla and the three remaining travelers sat down on Zarya’s porch.
“That’s because half the time she’s somebody else.” Pasha said.
“I had an aunt like that.” Pushki mused. He started to work a nail out of the porch boards.
“Most of us do. Mine married into the family by way of my Uncle Valeni. All their daughters were orderly as you please, but Aunt Vika… she was a case.”
“My mother was our answer to Zarya.” Isidor sighed.
“Zany Ma Ishlanova?”
“Absolutely bats.”
One of Zarya’s older daughters came out of the house carrying a tray. On it were slices of bread, bowls of tomato soup, a pitcher of milk, and two cups.
“Tovleniskya Zarya sends food to Ishlanov Isidori and his ‘bunny,’ but says that Denisky Pashayan will become a monk before he will eat her food.” The girl said.
“I wouldn’t become a monk to please my own Mum.” Pasha scoffed
“Then you will become a monk to please mine or you will go hungry.” The girl said, setting the tray down between Isidor and Pushki. Pasha gave the tomato soup a long look as Isidor and Pushki tucked into the food. The girl remained, hanging slightly behind the diners and watching her brothers and sisters in the yard. Pasha counted eight children at various tasks.
“What’s your name, pretty?” He asked, hoping for conversation if not a meal.
“Tovleniskya Vasilisa.” The girl replied, folding her hands behind her back.
“I had an aunt named Vasilisa. She was a nice enough girl.” Isidor said, sopping tomato soup up with a slice of bread.
“I was named after my father’s sister.” Vasilisa said.
“Do all… nine of you come from the same seed?” Pasha asked, looking around the yard once more. Several of the smaller children were watching those on the porch with some curiosity.
“There are ten of us home, and more than that beyond. Our father is the world-maker.” Vasilisa said. Pasha raised his eyebrows at Isidor and Pushki. Isidor shrugged. Pushki spoke up.
“The world-maker and the world had twenty-five children, and they were the lands upon the world and the seas, the oldest being Talward, and Talward and his sister Stier multiplied and their sons were the mountains and the hills and their daughters were the forests and the rivers.” He recited, pouring milk into his soup.
“And we are twenty-five and the world is our mother and the world-maker our father.” Vasilisa nodded.
“Twenty-five??” Pasha opened his eyes wide.
“I am the fourteenth.” Vasilisa said proudly.
Two boys went stumbling past the porch, hauling a basket of scrubbed vegetables.
Legba came bounding out of the house and down the porch steps. He stopped halfway down.
“Tovleniskya Vasilisa, get into the house.” He scowled. Vasilisa smiled and drifted back inside.
“If she is not a help to our mother she is not a help to anyone. I am going fishing, would Denisky Pashayan like to help?” Legba offered. Pasha gave another hungry look towards Isidor and Pushki’s food.
“Isidor? Bunny?” He asked hopefully. The magician and the boy were unresponsive.
“Play the guide, Master Tovlenisky.”
Eighteen