Wickedly Ever After: A Baba Yaga Novella(10)
“Go on,” Beka urged. “It’s like nothing else you’ve ever experienced.”
Barbara raised one eyebrow at her enthusiastic young friend but did as she was told. What she heard took her breath away. It was indescribable; like the sweetest harmony in the world, with undertones of solemn bass that sang a mournful counterpoint. She felt as though every emotion she’d ever known was reflected back to her in the song in perfect balance and unearthly charm.
“That’s incredible,” she said, feeling a single warm tear slide down her face. “A true gift indeed.”
The King beamed at them, pleased with the reception his present had received. “There you are then. All you have to do is find a large enough bottle to fit it in; I’m sure that Beka has some lovely decorative ones she’s picked up on the beach over the years. Use your magic to transport the shell inside the bottle and you will have what you needed—the song of the ocean.”
“I am very grateful, Your Highness,” Barbara said.
“As am I,” Beka added.
“It is little enough after all you did for me and my people,” the King said. “It is my honor and my pleasure to grant your request. I wish you luck with the rest of your tasks, Baba Yaga.”
With that, he turned and walked back into the ocean with his men. In a moment, they had vanished into the sea, and a moment after that, five sleek seals could be seen bobbing on the water as they headed for home.
“Wow,” Beka said. And then looked thoughtful. “Do you think the Queen knew the first task would be so easy?”
“Wow indeed,” agreed Barbara. She shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe not. It depends on her actual intentions when she came up with the three impossible tasks, and I’ve learned never to assume I have any idea what Her Majesty is thinking. Either way, it’s one down, two to go.”
***
Back at the bus, Beka dug out a lovely cobalt blue bottle she’d plucked from the sea a few years before and Barbara snapped her fingers, moving the shell inside with a simple twist of magic.
“That’s great,” Barbara said, tucking the bottle safely away in the bottom of a patchwork tote bag as they sat outside eating s’mores around a small fire pit. “But that’s it for my brilliant plan, I’m afraid. I don’t have any idea where to look for a living representative of a dead species. I don’t even think there is such a thing.” She rested her chin on her hand, feeling vaguely depressed.
“Actually,” Liam said, startling her, “there is. And I think I know where to find one.”
“What?” Beka and Barbara said together. Marcus, his muscular arm draped over Beka’s shoulder, just looked intrigued.
“I have an old roommate from college who went on to work in the biotech industry,” Liam explained.
“You roomed with a science nerd?” Marcus said. “That must have been an interesting combination.”
“Yeah, I was studying criminal justice and he was doing a master’s in biology with a specialty in biotech at Adelphi University. I think he was the youngest guy to ever complete a master’s there, he was that smart—but not terribly socially adept, as you might imagine. They used to call us the Brain and the Brawn.”
“Gee,” Barbara said, “let me guess which one you were.”
Liam grinned. “I kept him from getting picked on by the frat guys and he kept me from flunking my bio class. Phil was a great guy, despite his unfortunate tendency to quote Star Trek on double dates. We kept in touch, so I know he’s working for a biotech company that’s involved with bringing back extinct animals.”
Barbara perked up. “Wait, extinct animals, as in ‘dead species’?”
“The very same,” Liam said. “I didn’t want to say anything back home until I did a little research and talked to Phil, but the company he works for, Phoenix Technologies, is located in Montana. I texted him while you guys were on the beach and he said he might be able to help us. He’s expecting us as soon as we can get there.”
“That’s great,” Beka said. “You’ll have to keep in touch and tell me if it pans out.” She grinned at Barbara. “Isn’t Bella fighting wildfires in Montana right now? Maybe you can stop by and see her while you’re there. You know, after you fulfill your second impossible task.”
“Well, let’s not get our hopes up too high,” Liam said. “Phil said that all the stuff they’re working on is very cutting-edge and kept securely locked away. I doubt his bosses are going to just loan us a sample of their newest project.”
“Of course, it probably doesn’t help that you can’t explain why on earth you’d need to borrow a once-extinct critter,” Marcus suggested. “It’s not exactly something a small-county sheriff usually needs.”
“No kidding,” Liam said. “I basically stalled and told him I’d give him more details when we got there. So we have tonight to think of something clever enough to fool the smartest guy I know.”
“Oh good,” Barbara said. “No pressure then. Excellent.”
***
“This is weird,” Liam said to Barbara, watching the landscape change from trees to mountains and back again as they sat in the front seat of the silver truck that both was and wasn’t a part of the Airstream. “Is it always like this?” He looked dubiously at the speedometer, which indicated they were going more than two thousand miles per hour, even though the view out the windshield seemed normal except for its extreme changeability.