In the morning, the Friendly Company packed and saddled and prepared to move out with a groggy and forgetful yet concious Matvei.
“If you need us, Eva, you can give us a shout.” Vitaly offered, giving his second cousin a parting kiss on the cheek.
Zarya stood on the porch, with Yaga, Baba, and Vasilisa standing behind her. Yaga and Baba were waving and grinning, and Vasilisa was pouting sullenly.
“Tovlenisky Igor walk Tovleniskya Evpraksiya, friends, out of foothills to desert. Tovleniskya Evpraksiya not forget pay Tovleniskya Zarya!” Zarya called. In the yard, children were taking up chores left and right.
Eva yawned as Igor led the company out of the front gate.
“Sleepless night?” Matvei asked, holding his still-sore head against his hands.
“Otch and Oxana kept singing sea chantys back and forth.” She muttered.
“Peter and I got along splendidly.” Ruslan reported, as if it were something to be immensely proud of.
“He would like you, the conceited git.” Eva said.
“You think you had a bad night of it? Try spending six hours in a fruit bowl, squeezed between an apple and a peach that might have been the last two fellows that Eva played dice with.” Pasha complained, rubbing his bleary eyes.
“How were your roommates, Isidor?” Matvei inquired.
“Isidor bedded up alone, the lucky git.” Pasha said.
“Alone?” Eva asked, alarmed, “Sleeping alone isn’t safe in that house.”
“There was, erm, some… disturbance.” Isidor admitted, blushing.
“The girls are always like that.” Igor said, the first words any of them had heard from the towering man.
“Weren’t you alone, Matvei?” Pasha asked.
“I don’t remember.” He mumbled.
“Well, I’m glad we all had a restful evening and pleasant meal at Zarya’s! We’ve got our bard back, plenty of food to go around, and a quest to go on! Matvei, how about a song?” Ruslan suggested cheerfully.
“I don’t really feel like singing…” Matvei groaned.
“You’re a bard, that’s why we keep you.”
“Once upon the Sea of Glass I met a fine and winsome lass, her manner sass, her fingers fast and she was tight about the-”
“PUSHKI!” Isidor gasped.
“BUNNY!” The rest of the party, save Igor and Matvei, yelled.
“Where did you learn that?” Eva demanded.
“From Isidor.” Pushki replied, combing his hair out of his eyes with his fingers and yawning.
“Where did Isidor learn it?” Eva eyed the magician. He blushed.
“Maybe your mother didn’t observe the difference, but bar bawds aren’t appropriate lullabies for the kiddies.” Pasha pointed out.
“I thought he was asleep!” Isidor protested.
“Oh, excellent, Isidor. Corrupt the bunny!” Eva rolled her eyes.
“Come off it, Eva. Learning lusty ballads is part of living on the road. You’ve done your share of caroling off about wenches and beer.” Pasha said.
“Yes, but I was drunk, and so were the rest of you.” Eva rubbed her fingers absently. They were now a pale shade of lavender.
“And there are many more opportunities for wenching and drinking on the road ahead!” Ruslan cried out enthusiastically.
“Which begs the question, ‘what road?’” Eva said.
“Say… where are we going?” Pasha asked.
“To fetch fruit from the Phoenix Tree for my cousin, heaven knows what she wants it for.”
“So where’s this Phoenix Tree, Ev?”
“Haven’t the faintest. Igor?”
“You can get to it a few ways. Three, actually.”
“Well then, fellows, what say you we flip a coin?” Pasha asked.
“Flip a coin for three options?” Eva raised an eyebrow.
“One involves dying, and the other two might.”
“Flipping a coin sounds like a plan. How do we get the fruit and come back alive?” Eva inquired of her cousin.
“Go along the coast up to the Star Cliffs and then down again to the Finger Mountains. Or cut across the Regnet Desert and go up to the mountains. Your choice.” Igor shrugged his bulky shoulders.
Pasha did a little trick with his hands and pretended to pull a coin from Pushki’s shoe.
“Heads we go along the coast, tails through the desert.” Eva declared.
Pasha flipped the coin.