Immortals. Alma and Scythe of Death

Stepmother and stepdaughter

Res looked at his dead wife, at Alma, who was sitting inconsolably nearby. It was hard on my heart, but you can’t do anything. Show his pain when others look at him — he could not. I didn’t want to be weak in front of people. I also noticed a snake wrapped around the baby’s neck, but did not want to interfere. Like — well, good. Did any of the giants offend the snakes? So is their progenitor, Ull-Veles was born from a snake. Let my daughter mess around if it makes her feel better.

— Let’s go, Alma. let’s go daughter, — and took her in his arms, — now the magi’s mother will be prepared on the last journey. The road is long, not simple. What could I walk along the ice bridge, where the Twins will meet her, Veles da Elena the Beautiful. Elena will light a light and illuminate the path, and Veles will lead to God’s abode, where souls are waiting for incarnation. Mom will come back later.

— And if I try to resurrect her, I will go to Ella — Elena, I will ask to let my mother back?

— Rarely can even the strongest witch get to that monastery in a dream. Basically, they lose their minds, and in reality they dream like poor Chrysa. She also tried to resurrect her friend, but could not go that way. And now she has become a fool.

— And if you ask Ilsa? Dead Princess? She also raises the dead?

“Would you like that?” Ilsa is kind, like Ella herself, but she cannot resurrect the deceased. He can heal, who is still alive. And so, the dead will remain dead, he will just walk, but do a simple job that the Princess will order.

Alma sat and listened, even tears stopped dripping from her eyes. She could not imagine this. No, I heard all the giants talking about Ilsa’s Dead Rati, and I saw the Princess herself. Her beautiful eyes cannot be torn off, but her face is always sad, and she will never smile. And the face is so white, and the lips are blue. But he loves children very much. Only now, she did not have time to come to their village to cure her mother, and Alma burst into tears again and hugged her father. Everyone knew that the Princess visits all the villages and fortresses in Priobye in turn, helping the suffering.

“Let’s go Alma, lay you down,” said the father, taking his daughter to other rooms.

The girl lay down on a straw mattress, put a pillow of soft sheep’s wool under her head, and her father wrapped her in a felt blanket. She looked at him, thinking that she would be left again, but a loved one was sitting next to her, and the girl calmed down and finally fell asleep.

***

This day has come, a sad day of farewell and funeral. Asna’s body was carried out on a stretcher so that her relatives could say goodbye to the departed one. They took turns coming up memorising expensive traits, Alma and Res were here too. Then the husband covered his dead face with a wooden mask, and the servants of the Magus Nargiz carried the body into the forest. The funeral custom of this kind of giants was not so simple — men were buried in the canopy of trees on canopies, placing the body in a wooden deck. Women and children were buried in the hollows of huge trees.

In this tribe, the Magi taught that the first people were created by the God of Heaven and the Goddess of Water from trees, having cut a log. In other tribes, further south, it was believed that the gods created people from the dust of the earth. Therefore, the southerners buried their dead, coating with clay. But for some southerners, the custom was even more complicated. The body was boiled in a huge cauldron until the meat and flesh moved away from the bones. Then the bones were covered with clay, painted and dressed in new clothes. They made a new body for the dead, preparing for the revival promised by Ella.

Res himself lifted his wife’s body, which became so light and naughty. The mask tree seemed to become part of his Asna, and she is part of this tree. The hollow was prepared, and he sat his wife on a seat in the depths of the trunk, and put a pot of drink on the road to the Ice Bridge. But here, the body was hidden in a tree, and music began to play. The stub concealed the burial site and the burial site was now not visible.

Horns and pipes screamed piercingly, and witches and magi began to dance a prayer, praising the Twin Gods with a plexus of arms and legs, to the melody that drove any person crazy. There were tables for commemoration, and relatives ate and drank, in memory of Asna.

Alma was sitting near her father, and her snake Skara was quietly lying in a bag, warmed up on the owner’s body. The girl ate with difficulty, she was sad and hurt. Honestly, for several months she felt that her mother was dying, but she still wanted that this would not happen. Every night she listened, she breathes or not, prepared a healing decoction. I walked with my mother by the hand so as not to leave her alone. Helped at home in everything that would rest more. Even a decoction of willow bark, which the girl did herself every day, adding mint and lily of the valley, did not help. Even the pigeon fried leg, so smelly, lying in front of her, did not please Alma. Even worse was what she had in front of her eyes.

An unfamiliar girl was sitting next to her father, imposing ritual food on him, and pouring mead from a large clay reaper into his wooden bucket.

Witch Agna

They lived near a fortified village, and there their family had its own corner. But rarely did anyone stay in the fortress house for a long time, everyone tried to live on their estates, where it was possible to freely keep cows, deer and elk. So Res’s house was a large estate, with sheds and a stable, and now he brought a new wife into the house, but not just a wife, but the widow of a deceased friend with two daughters. The woman’s name was Iya and the girls were Fita and Vita. Both were the same age as Alma, and she thought at first that they would become friends.

But, somehow it didn’t work out very much yet. The girl kept thinking that if she were a boy, it would be easier, now she would live in a squad house. But she also studied, with Agna — a witch, with the terrible Agna-herbalist.

The girl was now walking along the forest path, brushing off mosquitoes and gadflies with a twig, stepped over a log, and now she was pushing through the bushes, wincing from injections. She made a small hook to bypass a fallen huge tree, and accidentally fell into a forest clearing. She often went to the forest for mushrooms and berries, and was not afraid to get lost. All forest dwellers loved the forest, and the forest loved them. Alma knew how to walk in among the trees very quietly and carefully, moved the twig away from her face. And then something happened that was impossible to expect.

The girl saw a black court, about which she had heard a lot before, and considered it a fairy tale. In the clearing, the crows stood in a semicircle, like warriors at a gathering, in the middle sat a hoarse crow, hanging its beak to the ground itself, three raven guards stood nearby. But, karkala and karkala, it just flooded in its own way, like a crow. When the first finished, the second began, and then the third. Then they croaked in turn, and stepped aside, and the hardest thing began… The crows began to approach the convict and began to beat the crow with their beaks on the head in turn.

The girl could not look at it, and just ran away, and did not look back. Not once. She was breathing heavily, and finally returned to the path leading to the house of the healer

Alma was now walking back through the forest, when suddenly a crow flew after her, as if to a friend, croaked, attracting attention, trying to say visibly, curled over the bush, and still led to a wrecked bird. The crow bounced, and seemed to point to the sore wing. The messenger bird sat down nearby, looking after the girl. Alma did not know what to do, looked at one, then another bird, wide open beaks. The crows only sparkled with their eyes, and suddenly the one that led Alma carefully took the witch’s student by the hand and pulled her to the sick crow.

— Stroke? she asked doubtfully, bringing her fingers gently to the grey feathers.

— Carr! — the answer could only be that. The crows could not speak humanly.

The girl stroked the crow on the head, then on the injured wing. She got a little bit into her head, but then the pain passed, and she looked at the bird, the wing was already in order. Two crows now croaked endlessly, then rose into the sky, and made a circle over the surprised Alma.

It was not far from Agna’s estate, and the girl saw a familiar wattle tree surrounding the buildings. The herder’s dog, Serko, was already rushing to her, wanting to say hello, and he would be fashionable to play. She patted the shaggy dog’s head, and the dog poked into her hand, remembering the smell of the guest.

— Hello, Alma! — a witch came out on the porch, with her head wrapped in a scarf, in spite of the heat. He was dressed in a regular linen knitted dress, with an apron tied around his belt.

Agna widowed for a long time, her husband died in battle, with strangers, three years ago. But she coped, although there were enough cases.

Next, a flock of the hostess’s daughters fell out, and hung on Alma’s neck. Skara, like a curious creature, stuck her head out of the bag and hid back.

— Leave the guest alone! Gela, Zia and Mila! Play in the yard! And Serco will look after you!

“All right, mommy! — Mila answered for all, and dragged the sisters to the lawn, and after them, waving his tail, went to do the dog business.

Alma smiled as she looked on. They live well, peacefully and pleasantly, always doing without screams in this estate.

She even envied a little, everything is completely wrong with Fita and Vita and their mother Iya. I remembered the usual cry of my stepmother:

“The witch is damned, the snake is under the blood!

They sat down on a bench next to the house. Wonderful witch flowers also grew nearby, with a slight breeze, the flowers began to dance, bent and unbend the stems, tilted the inflorescences, and seemed to hug each other with green leaves.

“And the flowers are alive,” Agna said quietly, “don’t doubt it, Alma.

— Can the crows speak?

— Everyone knows how, every living creature. Well, we start working with herbs.

The lesson lasted a long time, and the mentor studied with a diligent student for a long time and persistently. The girl was intelligent, and she was interested in everything. Alma now cut the grass with a flint knife.

— Remember — a flint knife is better than a copper one, the grass remains stronger. Look, and she showed a copper blade with oxides.

— Well, — the girl seriously nodded to the mentor in response, continuing to work. Skara wrapped herself around the wrist of her left hand, not interfering with the hard work. Agna just shook her head at it.

The sun began to decline, and I had to go home. Alma gathered, and slowly moved along the forest path.

Goose Alma saves the village

There was a lot of work for Almy- to apply water, sweep out the house, grind grain. The bread was baked more often by the stepmother, and he left the oven, fine and baked.

The girl fed the bird, putting the chopped nettle in a trough. Suddenly something poked her in the leg.

— Ha — Ga — Ga, — the goose gave an offended voice.

— Come on, get in, ‘she replied, and picked up the bird.

He pinched Alma lightly, politely greeting the hostess, then spread his wings and raised his tail higher, and the bird was next to the trough with food, and began to grab food with its beak. There were two wild cats nearby, which rubbed against the girl’s leg, and immediately rushed off, raising their tails. On the doorstep of the house stood Fita and Vita with stones in their hands.

“Why?” — the girl was indignant, — what prevented the cats?

“The birds will be devoured,” Fita frowned, but threw a stone on the ground.

— Exactly. Forest cats — they are evil, — even Vita noticed, proudly turning her back to Alma.

She just sighed bitterly, and again began to work. There were many cases. Then again there was a cry in the house, Alma ran to the door, and her snake flew into the girl’s face. I caught it and hid my favorite in a sum on her side. I was always to blame. Well, everything is better than how to get a hot poker in the leg.

— Oh, you damn witch, a snake under the deck! ‘the stepmother shouted, blushing with anger.

— She doesn’t touch anyone… ‘the girl tried to intercede for Skara.

“Come here. Vita’s stomach hurts again.

— Now, let’s fly.

Alma went to her potions, scattered on clay pots. All this wealth was on the shelves, in true order, each pot was marked with different signs. She ran her fingers through the signs and removed the necessary drug from the shelf. Birch coal is great for stomach pain, and the witch’s student stirred tar coal with water, poured the potion into a wooden cup. Alma brought the medicine to Vita, who was lying on the bench.

— Now half drink, and the other — in the evening, — she said sick.

— Okay, — the sister answered reluctantly, but drank a drink.

The stepmother looked attentively at the treatment, without saying a word of gratitude, but did not forget to remind about the work:

— We also need to ask the cows food.

So there were enough things to do, except for those days when Alma studied with Agna. Nobody dared to argue with the witch, it is more expensive for themselves. The work of the bull is over, everyone was waiting for dinner, wheat porridge with cow oil and cottage cheese. And drinking from dry forest berries.

Resa, the father of the family, was not at home as always. Now he led twenty people on plows along the Ob with goods to Gandvik, for great bargaining. So Iya became the head of the house, and she also kept order.

Alma ate with pleasure, during the day of work the desire to eat did not disappear. The wooden bowl was freed from porridge, and so was the spoon. Then, after the meal, it was always the turn to wash the unwise dishes in the house. Fita and Vita did not wash their hands.

It was time to sleep, and the house was locked for the night. Alma also went to bed. The mattress, stuffed with fresh grass, took the girl in its cozy embrace, and the felt blanket quickly warmed up. But for some reason the dream was alarming, she saw all the terrible things. And then through the drag there was an angry eggnog of a goose:

— Ha-Ha-Ga!

Alma jumped up, but the dog did not bark and apparently was already killed. She ran to wake her stepmother and sisters. They hardly wiped their eyes, did not understand what was the matter. But, then they began to break into the house, trying to break the doors. Iya quickly realized what was the matter. First of all, her hand reached for a rope tied to a bill, a copper plate. A deafening ringing rang very close, and after a couple of seconds the ringing spread throughout the area. But before help, you had to save yourself.

— Quickly, in the underground! ‘the stepmother shouted.

The stepmother grabbed the coveted lark with the most expensive property, and ran down, the girls rushed after her. The shield of the secret passage leaned back, Alma lit an oil lamp, illuminating a long-dug underground passage. They entered there, and closed the passage with a shield, and pulling out a rope, closed the strong shield of the secret passage. Now they crawled to the exit, to the bank of the river, where the house stood — the fortress. But now, in clothes smeared in the ground, they rushed to the fortress. Warriors were already gathering here, new and new giants ran up with spears and shields, bows and arrows. The Res family was noticed by one of the elders, Gooday.

“Hello, beauties. Have you heard your first call? ‘he asked.

— Yes, for sure, — answered the stepmother, — they began to break into our house. I hit, and we ran.

— Thank you. Sit down, wait. Strangers attacked us. But nothing, we’ll fight back.

The soldiers let the family go along the bridges to the fortress, and they themselves stood guard. The rest, about fifty armed people, ran faster than the wind to the estates of the village.

Alma sat down on the bench, and roaring with her snake. Scarah then wrapped around her wrist, becoming like a bizarre gray-sulfur bracelet, then crawled away

around the body, making the girl giggle, and fit around her neck with a wonderful necklace. Fita and Vita lay nearby, but no longer climbed and did not interfere. Iya measured the earthen floor with steps, sometimes looking at her stepdaughter.

“Sleep better. “It’ll be over soon,” she said quietly.

The woman sat on her three-legged stool, and looked at her daughters and stepdaughter who had fallen asleep. She stroked the head of Fit and Vita, then, in thoughtfulness, brought her palm to Alma’s hair. But on the girl’s neck, in warmth and comfort, Scara was dozing, her head next to the hostess’s ear. Iya pulled her hand away in fright, and only shook her head, trying to sort out her feelings. Now she heard noise in neighboring houses, cells, quickly filled with people, like a big hive of bees. The woman took a black pot and went to get water. And I met a neighbor.

— Hi, Iya.

— hi.

“Thank you for raising the alarm. Everyone was saved. Both we and the neighbors. Let’s go to the well. Do you want a gingerbread treat? Managed to capture.

Iya did not believe her own ears. Is this Tuya, whose water in the rain will not be interrogated and she treats with gingerbread? But she went nearby, trying not to be surprised at anything. Four more hostesses passed by them, not too lazy to bow low to Iya. Ten women stood near the well, animatedly communicating and gesturing. The neighbors got up, waiting for their turn to get water. Two men tirelessly pulled up buckets of water. Excellent, fresh and cool water filled the clay vessel, Iya went to her cell, Tuya caught up with her and handed her a treat.

“From the bottom of my heart,” said a neighbor.

— Thanks. ‘the woman replied.

But there were no daughters on the benches, and the hostess was worried in earnest, and again went out into the yard. But soon the children returned from a walk.

The girls found the latrine they needed. Large wooden pipes at an angle were directed from the fortress, preventing sewage from poisoning residents in a crowded place, where they only waited out the danger. There was where to rinse your hands. So, it wasn’t that bad, even here.

Food was found, the woman brought water, and the family quickly satisfied the hunger. So we spent three long days in this shelter.

But now, the fortress was again filled with a cry. Iya jumped out, and the children peeked in fright at the doorway. But then there was a cry of joyful messenger:

— Enemies chased away! Go back to your homes!

People gathered, leaving their almost cozy, but cramped shelter.

Alma bear

Winter has also come. With the beginning of the cold weather, sick people began to visit, who were far away or hard to go to the forest witch. We heard in the village about a student who already knows how to put the unworthy on their feet. And although Agna did not allow people to go to Alma, and Gooday, the foreman, was against it. But all alone for the forest, for three versts, or even in the village. No, there was no such thing that she would be allowed to give birth without an art. Not by custom it is a sin. And they often came with fever and scorcher, it happened that twice a day. Today, too, Alma was busy working on Tui’s wound that cut her arm.

— Is that better? — the girl said everything, feeling the bloody festering scar with sensitive fingers.

And exactly, right before our eyes, the wound dragged on, brightened. It was clear that the heat was also asleep in the unwell. But the girl felt unwell, dizzy, and there was fog in front of her eyes. She almost felt the cup of honey and emptied it. It got better. True, Agna did not teach this, and it was impossible to teach anyone. And either you can or you can’t.

“Thank you, beauty. I brought you honey, “the woman replied,” and a bag of flour. “So you, hotel. Is dad on a hike again?

— Nothing can be done, — Alma answered seriously, — men’s affairs. There is no way without it.

— Here are also gingerbread cookies, — and the guest moved a wooden plate with a treat.

But in response, the girl only smiled weakly, but did not touch the area, only removed her hands from the table.

— What’s wrong with you?

“It’s all right,” Alma said again, trying her best to stay on the stool. The floor seemed to be spinning underfoot, worse than after riding a carousel.

Tuya got up, went up, and bent down, kissed the girl on the pink cheek. The neighbor left, the young healer remained sitting. But then Iya saw that her stepdaughter had settled idle, was sitting, the snake was under the deck, dangling its legs. And I could not stand it:

— Nu-ka, bring water. See it’s over in the house? — and pointed to the empty buckets.

Alma nodded calmly, threw on a felt jacket and walked outside, stumbling through the stride. She lifted water through force, poured full buckets. Kochek did not notice, and stumbled, moreover, hitting painfully. Water spilled on the snow in the yard. But from the porch there was a flood of laughter, Fita and Vita simply could not restrain themselves.

Alma, furious, threw the bucket, and walked away from the house.

***

She no longer thought what was happening, what was the matter, and did not even notice the snow falling thicker from the sky. But felt armour, a hat with long ears and felt boots made it possible not to think about the bad. The girl dragged a sled with an edible, just in case, and what would have happened to come to someone else’s house.