Sudden storm clouds appeared overhead, and whitecaps danced on the surface of the pond, which a moment before had been perfectly calm. The king reached out and patted the queen’s hand.
“Now darling, I’m sure things aren’t as dire as all that,” he said in a soothing voice, casting a wary look at the sky. “We’ll just send Baba back to find what is no doubt just a tiny little hole in the fabric between the worlds, and then we’ll fix it. No harm done.” He gave his consort his most charming smile. “Why don’t you let me pour you some more tea? Yours seems to have gotten a little cold.”
Baba cleared her throat, wishing she were anywhere else but there, with any other words about to come out of her mouth. Despite her height and the three-inch heels she wore, she felt very small. And sincerely hoped she wasn’t about to get smaller. Like swan-or frog-sized.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I’m afraid it is worse than that.” She braced herself, and spit out the rest. “There are a number of children who have gone missing from the local area over the last few months, and I now believe that this woman has been stealing the children and bringing them here.”
At this, the queen sprang to her feet, her porcelain teacup shattering as it hit the ground. “What?” she shrieked, almost unmusically. “Preposterous! Unacceptable!”
One of the crescent moons exploded, sending a rain of sparks out of the dusky sky to sizzle where they landed. Six lovely naked women suddenly appeared, floundering in the middle of the pond, shedding white feathers as they made their sputtering way to the edge of the water and staggered out to lie panting on the ground. The silver teapot the king had been about to pour from vanished, to be replaced by a multihued parrot that squawked indignantly and flew off to sit in a locust tree.
“Crap,” muttered the king.
Baba could feel all the blood drain out of her face. “I am so very sorry to be the bearer of such unpleasant news, Your Majesty. But I thought it was important that you be told as soon as possible.”
The queen took a deep breath, perceptibly getting a grip on her temper, two bright spots of color visible on her normally pale cheeks. Two slightly sheepish-looking ladies crawled out from where they’d been hiding underneath the table, their elegant gowns a little worse for the experience.
“Stealing children is what got the Otherworld into so much trouble in the old days,” the queen said, a grim expression turning her beautiful visage merely average stunning. “Nobody cared if a goblin stopped up a chimney or a brownie borrowed some milk, but steal their children, and Humans will stop at nothing to hunt us all down.” She sank back into her chair. “This is very, very bad news indeed.”
The king handed her his teacup and cast a dubious glance at Baba. “Surely you are mistaken. No one would be so foolish. What would she have to gain?”
“On my way here, I ran into a creature who was attempting to keep me from reaching the court. When I confronted him, he told me he was following orders from a Rusalka who had achieved great power and influence somehow.” Baba gave the king a rueful smile. “I can’t think of any other way a lowly Rusalka could achieve such a thing, frankly, so I’m guessing that this Rusalka and the woman I have been dealing with are one and the same, although as yet I have no proof to back up my assumption.”
The queen tapped her fan on the edge of the table sharply. “Are you suggesting, my dear Baba Yaga, that there are those in my own court who are cooperating with this woman in return for the gift of a Human child?” Her scowl made Baba wish she’d stayed at home, which was no doubt the queen’s intent.
Baba stood her ground, although her knees trembled slightly. “I’m afraid so, Your Majesty. I gave this some thought on my way here, after the creature told me this Rusalka was gathering power from others. It stands to reason that whoever this woman is, she started out with more cunning than ability. If there are those from the Otherworld who are giving over some of their power to Maya to use in the mundane world, they must be very powerful themselves.” She raised an eyebrow, glancing around at the assembled company, which had somehow grown to include most of the court members who had been dallying on the lawn. Otherworld denizens had an unerring instinct for any kind of drama that might entertain them. “Obviously, those with the most magic to spare are within your own inner circle, Highness.”