Invasion

by Dmitrii Mansurov

  "A few weeks," Kashchey replied. "Or months. Or years."

  "What?" Maria cried in astonishment, almost choking.

  "Who knows what these princes of yours have in mind? Maybe they'll ride past the castle and then it'll take them years to find the right path... " Kashchey noted philosophically. "Don't worry so much! Time'll fly as we're exploring the castle. And we will know for sure whether the princes are worthy of you or if they’re just keeping up the appearances."

  "You're so sneaky," the princess retorted.

  Kashchey nodded.

  "Pray tell," he said, "why did the king call you his golden treasure?"

  "I won't tell you."

  "Then don't. I know it myself. He's put a lot of money in you."

  "In me?"

  "Well, not in me for sure! Let's start the search, shall we?"

  "He didn't put anything in me. And yes, let's start."

  ***

  In the village, no one believed that the night strangers were deadly creatures with a penchant for sucking blood. Fear mistook molehills for mountains. That's what everyone thought. They'd never met a creature like that before, ergo, they didn't exist. And the reality wasn't all that scary, not like what the prince and Babak were trying to describe.

  "You've dreamt it all up!" the peasants in the village were saying when Babak called them to a meeting at the little bell tower and told them about the battle in the hut.

  "What, all three of us had the same dream?" the prince snapped. "Did you not hear the battle?"

  "They were just goblins being naughty. It happens sometimes!" the farmer replied confidently. "You city folks aren't used to it, but here, anything can happen! No wonder Baba Yaga lives here!"

  "So what?" How does her existence prove that we are mistaken?" the prince exclaimed. The peasants blinked in bewilderment.

  "What?" one of them asked in surprise.

  "If there is Yaga here, you think there can’t be any other monsters?"

  "Who knows?" the peasants responded vaguely. "But where are the slain monsters? Have they melted or something?"

  "They were burned."

  "Where are the ashes?"

  "Blown away. But we still have bat corpses."

  "Where?"

  "Here!" the prince nodded at the small pile. The peasants obediently looked in this direction.

  "That's it?" they shouted in astonishment. "Six huge beasts have left only three small corpses behind?!"

  "It's unbelievable, I know," Yaroslav said. "But since these creatures burn without a trace, that should be taken into account. By the way, they are able to break through the door and get into your fortified homes."

  "Children’s tales!" someone scoffed.

  "Yeah?" Babak entered into the dispute. "You go to my house and look at the hole in the wall. The monsters made it. And the noise that you took for the merrymaking of the goblins? It was Prince Artem fighting them!"

  "Where's the convincing evidence?" the grim bearded man stepped forward. "Every fool can break a wall. In fact, this is what fools do."

  "Do you even hear yourself?" Babak interrupted him, but the man didn't notice it.

  "I think there was a storm. A hurricane. A blizzard. So who knows what happened? Don't go around telling us these tales!" the bearded man raised his voice. "This is just outrageous! There are no monsters! Got it? And this," he pointed at the bats, "is not proof."

  Yaroslav stepped forward.

  "I don't know what will happen tonight," he said. "Maybe nothing. Maybe they were the only living monsters. It's possible. But just in case, I suggest you fortify your homes."

  "It won't hurt anyway. The robbers pay us a visit sometimes, don't they?" the woman added.

  The peasants began talking all at once, shouting and interrupting each other. The general opinion was not in favor of the speakers.

  "By the way," Babak said, "we have an outside witness. Early in the morning, the miller came to me and told me some interesting things. The day before yesterday, his mill was attacked by two vampires. They were foreigners."

  "And what, did they manage to break in? Did they get into the mill?"

  "They've dismantled it log by log."

  "And where was the miller last night?"

  "He was badly hurt by the explosion."

  "He came to warn you, you stupid idiots, about what's coming! And you…"

  The peasants stared at the prince. There was a tense silence.

  "Flour doesn't explode," the bearded man said stubbornly. "It's a fairy tale, all of it."

  Yaroslav waved his hand.

  "To hell with you," he uttered. "Ignore us if you want. But don't complain later. I wish you all the best! Dig your graves and wait for the enemies to come! I don’t wish to remain in this society of voluntary corpses."

  "It's all because of you!" an old woman shouted. "Before you came here, we all lived quietly and peacefully! Then you showed up and the troubles started! Get out of here!"

  Yaroslav turned away.

  "Of course," he said quietly. "I'll leave as I arrived. I wish you a pleasant and painless death."

  "Wait!" Babak called him. "I'm going with you. Disperse, dead, I have to leave!"

  "So it's true, then?" someone asked timidly.

  Babak let out a strange sound.

  "Is it true what?"

  "My God," Babak looked up at the sky, "close your ears, I have to say some very unsavory things!" The sky rumbled.

  "You want to talk, too?" Babak asked. "I understand."

  ***

  "How do I protect people now?" Yaga asked Artem. "As you see, these vampires are quite wicked!"

  "I understand perfectly, but I can't help you. I promised to return Ivan," Artem said. "And I think this plan of turning people into animals won't have much success."

  "Beggars can't be choosers," Yaga replied. "And the vampires have their own set of rules. They don't drink animal blood. It either causes their allergies to act up or it's poisonous, I don't remember. But they start feeling tremendously bad, foaming at the mouth, bleeding from the ears, stuff like that. So it's either experiment with one boy or a sea of blood and mountains of corpses."

  "We'll figure it out," Artem said. "Did I understand it correctly that the chief vampire has a grudge against you?"

  "Two grudges," Yaga confirmed.

  "So they'll attack again?"

  "Definitely!"

  "So they're here to stay?" Artem clutched at his head. "They'll wipe everyone out! I have to get back to Slavnograd and tell everyone about the impending disaster. How many vampires will there be?"

  "I don't know," Yaga said honestly. "A lot, I guess."

  Cat Bayun was quietly having breakfast in the corner of the hut, together with Ivan. When he heard the question, he replied, "Several thousand. Or dozens. They're coming from all sides and I don't know how many states they've already destroyed. The trouble is that the person bitten by a vampire often becomes a vampire themselves. I know one thing for sure, though. All vampires obey their leader. If he commands it, they'll appear all at once and destroy the enemies."

  Ivan, currently in his human form, was listening to the talking cat with his mouth agape. The boy had felt amazed when the cat poured his own milk and put food on his plates, and now it turned out that he also knew how to talk!

  "We have a good weapon against them!" Artem pointed at the spear.

  The cat snorted contemptuously.

  "How many of them will you have time to stab before you're caught, slashed, and left to bleed out? One will die, ten will follow. By the way, Yaga, the vampires today aren't like they were before. If they used to drink only people's blood, now there are just too many of them. Not the best breakfast conversation but they gut everything they see. I thought the idea with the potion would work, but now I understand we were wrong."

  Yaga slammed her fists against the table.

  "I have nothing else to use against them. One hut cannot deal with hordes of vampires. I don't even have t
hat many shells!"

  "I think they won't touch you," Artem noted. "Since the leader needs you, the others won't dare spoil his revenge."

  "It's a small comfort," Yaga smiled sourly. "After his death, there will be no one to hold them off."

  "We’ve got to go." Artem stood up. "We should warn the villagers."

  "All right, all right," Yaga sighed. "I'll make a path for you. Don't fear the animals. I will tell the goblin to see you off. Besides, someone killed all the wolves in the woods, so there's no one left to be afraid of."

  "And what about this ‘someone’?" Artem asked. "Isn't he dangerous himself?"

  Yaga hesitated for a moment.

  "He's disappeared. Without a trace."

  Ivan stroked the cat one final time. The cat melted into a ball of purring.

  There was a soft click.

  "What was it?" the prince went on the alert, clutching his sword.

  "It's our people. They're with us!" Yaga waved her hands. "The goblin has come. He'll take you to the village."

  ***

  "I should take them to the village?" the invisible goblin asked. Artem nodded and tried to see the interlocutor, but there was nothing among the branches. The goblin laughed good-naturedly at his naive attempts, coughed and said, "Follow the tracks!"

  "Whose tracks?" Artem was surprised.

  "Here!" Ivan pointed at the ground.

  There were clearly visible traces of small feet. The unknown creature was trampling the path with obvious pleasure. Ivan ran after the mysterious animal first. The prince thanked the goblin.

  "Don't mention it!" the goblin told him. The prince still didn't see him. The travelers walked over half a mile and looked back. Yaga's house disappeared behind the trees, and the distinct footprints melted like the snow in the sun along with a narrow path.

  The animal chirped, dragging the people forward, and in an hour's walk, he never lost his pace. He led Artem and Ivan to the clearing before the village, stopped, said something unintelligible, and disappeared completely. The travelers didn't believe their eyes. The village was abandoned! The windows and the doors were boarded up, and there were no living beings except some dogs and chickens.

  "Is it the right village?" the prince asked. "Do you live here?"

  "Yes, but it never looked like that!"

  "The peasants couldn't just drop everything and quickly ride off into the sunset..." Artem muttered. "It's not possible."

  They heard the faint sound of an axe falling.

  "I think someone is still here!" the prince rejoiced. They ran toward the sound and stopped near a small house. Boards were being nailed to it, giving it the appearance of an ancient, abandoned ruin. Artem took a moment to ponder over it and then he knocked on the door. Nobody responded. The owners, frightened by the vampire stories, decided not to open the door to anyone in general.

  "Let's go to my house," Ivan suggested.

  "To Babak!" Artem corrected him. "Alena is there. If we're lucky, we'll find out why the village has suddenly lost its hospitality."

  They reached a familiar house on the outskirts and saw the exact same picture of devastation. In complete bewilderment, they stopped before a huge hole in the wall and looked at each other.

  "I don't understand," Artem said. "Where did this hole come from? Was Babak's house attacked by some woodpeckers?"

  Artem walked inside and noticed a dark spot on the floor.

  "Blood!" he gasped and pulled out his sword with lightning speed. "Stay where you are," he whispered, turning to Ivan.

  The manhole covering the attic opened slightly, and Alena's voice asked, "Who's there?"

  "Alena!" Ivan ran into the house, relieved. His sister quickly climbed out.

  "Ivan! You're a boy again!"

  Artem lowered the sword.

  "You're all alive," he exhaled with relief. "Great."

  His heart ached upon seeing such a genuine and excited reunion between the relatives. Trying not to disturb them, he went outside and sat down on a log that served as a ram for vampires. He was torn from his thoughts when a kiss landed on his cheek, accompanied by a joyful voice, "Thank you, Prince Artem!"

  He turned his head. Alena was standing next to him, shining with happiness.

  "You're welcome," he murmured, suddenly embarrassed.

  "We fought the vampires!" Ivan said proudly and at a very bad moment.

  "Oh!" Alena immediately became serious. "So did we. The fanged and bloodthirsty ones?" Ivan nodded.

  "Then they're the same ones."

  "How long?" Artem wondered.

  "After you left."

  Artem sighed. Whatever plans Yaga was making to save the villages, she was very wrong in thinking that the vampires would come to her first.

  ***

  Yaroslav and Babak came out, looking so gloomy and angry that Artem felt worried. They seemed ready to kill anyone who got in their way. However, they brightened considerably when they saw Artem and heard Ivan's cheerful voice. Yaroslav seemed to forget about all his troubles. He ran to Artem and embraced him with such strength as if they hadn't seen each other for a thousand years.

  "Take it easy," Artem murmured, embarrassed. "It's all right..."

  "I thought you were dead," Yaroslav muttered. "There was such a racket from the forest!"

  "And you decided that someone was celebrating my defeat by roaring?" Artem was bewildered. "Nope, I wouldn't give up so easily! And I had a powerful partner! I can't say his name, though... Not yet."

  "Why?"

  "He's... He's not on the good terms with the locals and he doesn't want to change anything."

  "And you rescued Ivan from Yaga together?"

  "Well... How do you say it... Not quite." Artem squinted at Babak. He was chatting with the boy amiably, occasionally throwing half-amazed, half-respectful looks at the prince. "He must have told them everything anyway."

  "Who? Ivan?"

  "Ok, listen," Artem sighed. "But it's a secret. I fought the vampires together with Baba Yaga."

  Yaroslav stared at him in complete amazement.

  "After the battle, she let Ivan go. You know, she's a real and powerful ally against those monsters. She kidnapped the boy to create a potion that would deceive the vampires and save people."

  "What a terrible idea!" Yaroslav was indignant. "Couldn't she find a volunteer?"

  "What do you think?" Artem snorted. "Do you think she’d be allowed to come to the village on a rescue mission and hold a contest among the likely volunteers?"

  "But why Ivan?"

  "Children love adventures and are more or less loyal to supernatural forces. But overall, it's just a matter of chance."

  "The most important thing is that he's alive and well," Yaroslav summed up. "I think we'll be fine on our own. The vampires will surely appear at night, so we'll kill them and move on to save Maria."

  "Don't get carried away," Artem remarked gloomily. "What makes you think we'll kill them all?"

  "There can't be many of them. Otherwise, they would attack in large groups," Yaroslav explained. "And we would have heard about them a long time ago. Who is their commander? What country are they from?"

  "They..." Artem remembered Yaga's lecture. "How did she put it... 'They're not human anymore. They aren't mages. They aren't a brigade of crazy warlocks. They're vampires. And we ran into scouts, who aren't the smartest of the vampires. They're newborns. Their task is to sow panic and deprive people of the ability to think rationally.'"

  "Really?" Yaroslav felt a rock plummet in his stomach.

  "Absolutely!" Artem said. "There are really lots of them. Thousands. And they're all heading this way."

  "But why?!" Yaroslav asked in shock.

  "Ask them," Artem replied.

  Yaroslav was plunged into a stunned silence, pondering over the information. Soon, Babak approached them.

  "Well done, prince!" he praised. "With warriors like you, we won't lose!"

  "Ivan told you about Yaga?" Artem wondered.
/>
  "He sure did. Right away. Did you really recruit her into our ranks?"

  "In a way. But that won't help."

  "Why?"

  "There is one actual story that fits our situation," Yaroslav began thoughtfully. "A warrior rode up to Dobrynya Nikitich once and said, 'Dobrynya! We have a great army coming to attack us! What should we do?' 'Give me two weeks. I'll make a new shield, take a new sword, and go to war.' The warrior rode to Alyosha Popovich next. 'Alyosha! A great army is approaching us to declare war! What should we do?' 'Give me a week. I'll collect the weapons, patch up my mail, and go to the war.' The warrior rode to Ilya Muromets after this. 'Ilya Muromets! A great army is approaching us to declare war! What should we do?' Ilya Muromets abandoned everything he was doing and jumped on his horse immediately. 'Are you not planning to get ammunition?' the warrior was surprised. 'What's there to get?!' Ilya shouted. 'Time to flee!'"

  Babak chuckled.

  "What are you leading to?"

  "I have just been informed," Yaroslav said dryly, "that we are complete idiots. And that we're about to die. Artem, tell that tale again."

  Artem did. Babak whistled.

  "We must run," Yaroslav said. "We should gather people in the cities and fight from there. Three warriors cannot stand against an army of thousands. If we stay here, we're doomed!"

  "In that case, we should take the good advice of Ilya Muromets and follow it," Babak said. "But we'll need to warn the others before that."

  "You think so? They won't believe us again."

  "I'll explain it to them myself!" Artem volunteered. "They know that I have gone to fight against Yaga, so they'll listen to my words."

  "They'll listen to their inner voice only," Babak retorted, "and this voice will tell them to send you to... well... to where you were heading in the first place."

  "Am I a prince or not a prince?" Artem was indignant.

  "I mean, no one cares," Babak clarified. "And as long as the mayor refuses to use his brain, which is smooth and untouched, no one will lift a finger."

  "Who's the mayor here?" Yaroslav was trying to recall the right face. "I don't remember him."

  "He went to the capital on some business. He wanted to see the crowned people."

  "Right. Then we'll do it this way. Babak, you take Alena and Ivan and ride to the capital to warn the king about the vampires."