Nikola checked on the jam in the pot and then added more wood to the oven. Everything was going along nicely. The juice was bubbling happily and Nikola added some lemon juice to it. The smell of the lemon cake was filling up the room. The chicken breasts were cooling on a cutting board and Nikola went to cut some parsley to add to them. He mixed it all and then begun to make plates for everyone. The lemon cake would be hot when they finished eating the main dish. He opened the pantry and took out some vegetables preserves which he put into two bowls. Then he levitated everything into the dining area and he begun to set the table.

That’s how Wei Caihong and Chen Zhaohui found him. With plates floating around the table and he looking at the meal.

“Mama really is a mage!” Said the child excitedly from the door where he was still clutching at his father’s hand and Nikola nearly let go of all the plates.

“Don’t startle me like that!” Snapped Nikola and when he saw that the boy winced, he softened his tone. “Magic requires a lot of concentration, even something as simple as levitation. Now wash your hands and call your uncles from the forge.” Chen Zhaohui bowed and ran off in the direction of the forge. Wei Caihong stared at the food longingly.

“How I wish I can eat some of this.” He said and Nikola finished setting the last plate. Then a ding was heard and he was rushing back into the kitchen. There were lights over the oven and two pots on the stove. Wei Caihong stared at them. Two were red but one was green. Nikola, mittens on his hands, took off the juice pot and placed it on the same cutting board he had placed the chicken breasts on not so long ago.

“Azazel wanted juice.” Said Nikola as he saw that Wei Caihong had followed him into the kitchen. “And Bjorn wanted jam. We are now out of berries. Do you mind picking up some from the market tomorrow?” Asked Nikola and Wei Caihong nodded.

“You are a wonderful wife…” He begun in wonder and Nikola huffed at him.

“I am a wonderful husband. I am a man; don’t you forget it!” Wei Caihong chuckled. He would find a spell that let him eat, even if he didn’t get any nourishment from the food. Maybe something in Atlantean? He could have sworn that his curse had been spoken in the language. But he didn’t want to skip this meal. So, he begun.”

Sun sets on the one who could only taste ashes on his tongue.

Sun rises on the one who could taste, but not retain.

The magic buzzed in his stomach and Nikola looked at him.

“Is my cooking so good looking you are risking indigestion?”

Wei Caihong frowned. His wordings were precise.

“Is my magic wrong?” He asked and Nikola chuckled.

“You said but not retain. That means barf, as far as I’m concerned. Try this: And that what he cannot retain flows through him as if he was still a child of Eve.”

Wei Caihong translated it and his stomach grumbled. He hadn’t eaten anything in three months. He looked at Nikola and was about to ask him if it had worked when another ding was heard and Nikola was quick to get the lemon cake out of the oven. Then he stirred the jam one was time and the final ding was heard. The jam found it’s place on the table on a different cutting board and Nikola clapped his hands together.

“We’ll see if your first spell was successful. Although what use eating would be for you is beyond me.”

“I’ll get to appreciate you more.” Said Wei Caihong and he watched with satisfaction as Nikola rewarded him with a smile. Wei Caihong made himself useful by pouring the juice into cups as Nikola sliced the lemon cake and placed a spoonful of jam on each slice, leaving the rest for Bjorn.

They went into the dining area and found Azazel and Bjorn already sitting with Chen Zhaohui washing his hands in the corner. Nikola picked up a towel and went to the boy who looked at him excitedly.

“I got to help cool the metal.” The boy all but yelled when Nikola reached him. Nikola turned around to glare at Azazel who raised his hands in surrender.

“The kid wanted to help, Niki. And Smiting is a wonderful occupation. You should let him apprentice with me.”

Azazel actually loved children. Even though he stopped producing them when Bjorn was born, not wanting to cheat on his soulmate. When Bjorn killed himself the century of sorrow begun. When Azazel gave leave to his senses and begun to sleep with anything that moved and was willing. Then he didn’t bother to raise the generation of giants that came about because of his deeds. His children became fierce warriors who hated everyone and were barely controlled by Nikola. He had to execute them all as they banded together and begun to ravage the world around them.

“I better not see him near the forge before he learns some fire resisting spells!”

“But mama!” Nikola stopped any further protests with a glare. His three children had lived to the age of a hundred something. He planned for his new son to do the same.

With no one willing to argue with him on the matter he dried his son’s hands off and herded him towards the table where he put him on Wei Caihong’s left. The boy was about to pick up the chicken breast in his plate with his bare hands but Wei Caihong placed two chopsticks in the boy’s hands. When it became clear that the boy didn’t know how to use them the noble thought him.

“He is such a fast learner, our Chen Zhaohui.” Said Wei Caihong to the gathered at the table proudly. “He got all the brushstrokes at the first attempt today. He was the envy of the classroom.”

Bjorn looked at Nikola and then he smirked.

“You put a spell on the kid, didn’t you? Gave him something to drink like that juice you used to give me when I was little?” Wei Caihong wanted to defend his child. Why shouldn’t he be smart without magic? But Nikola nodded. Then he turned towards Wei Caihong.

“I still drink it. Heck, you do too. I say the enchantment in my mind right before your feeding. Haven’t you noticed how you can pick up things quicker nowadays?” Asked Nikola and Wei Caihong stopped to think. He had been forced to think on his feet more often ever since he met Nikola. Surely…

“Niki here would give this boost to everyone.” Said Azazel as he dipped some chicken into the creamy sauce. “Don’t take it as an offence. It was one of the first enchantment he created by himself so he is still very proud of it. That is to say your kid is very smart. He figured us all out by himself, didn’t he?”

Wei Caihong nodded, pride blossoming in his chest. He looked down at his child who was eating messily and pulled a napkin to clean his face. As he did so he didn’t notice the gentle look Nikola had at the sight. But Bjorn did. He smiled at his grandfather, nodded at the parent and child, and then winked. Nikola nodded and dug right back into his meal.

After they had finished even the cake it was time for Nikola to head towards the school. He would teach for an hour and a half. Mostly adults. He said his goodbye to his family and made his way to the school. The seventh bell chimed as he entered the classroom to see that there were no free spots left and that some people were standing up in the corner. He bowed his head and everyone did the same. Then his lecture began.

The people had so many questions. Mostly when he told them that they could grow fruit and vegetables in the dead of winter. He ended up drawing them sketches of the old Atlantean greenhouses he remembered and they were all awed. When they asked him if they had such wonders in Troy he said no, for Troy had a fair climate and didn’t need such things. He told them he had read about these buildings in a book in the royal library back home. Troy didn’t have one, but these people didn’t need to know that.

He left with the people lingering to make plans to build themselves greenhouses. Granted they had told him that they didn’t want to cut down the forest for fuel and he had commended them on their thinking. Warning them of erosion and landslides. They had looked spooked at that.

On his way home he stopped by the seamstress to pick up Chen Zhaohui’s clothes. The seamstress told him she would be squeezing in some time to make the boy a robe for each day of the week. He thanked her and continued on his way. He vowed that tomorrow he would be opening his shop. It was long overdue.

Going back home he saw Chen Zhaohui working on calligraphy with Wei Caihong writing something in a scroll. He tried to peer over the vampire’s shoulders without being seen but he failed.

“A lesson plan. Not every lesson is going to be as easy as today’s. I will be teaching them characters for the reminder of the month but after that I need to start them on grammar. And numbers and the basic herbs. Do you think I should make them draw and write down the name of each one?”

“Your students will be very grateful for the extra practice.” Said Nikola. “Isn’t that right, Chen Zhaohui?” The boy nodded as he was writing the character for you. His hand was study and Nikola counted that the boy had filled five rolls with the character already. “Can you spare him for some Babylonian practice?” Asked Nikola and Wei Caihong shook his head.

“His knowledge will become all jumbled if you teach him the Babylonian alphabet.” He then pointed at the paper. “Besides his hand is still a little unsteady. He must repeat it all until he could do it with a flourish.” The boy groaned when he understood that he was not going to get any closer to learning magic tonight. Then he redoubled his efforts to make the perfect you symbol.

“Wei Caihong, can we talk?” Wei Caihong stood up and followed Nikola out of the room.

“Is this something to do with the adoption?” He asked, for he saw how worried Nikola was.

“It is.” Confirmed Nikola as he sat down on a chair. “The magistrate said that checks will have to be done and in order for us to skip them we will have to do him a favor.”

“What favor?” Asked Wei Caihong. A particularly nasty curse was on his lips. He had waved the background checks more than once himself, only checking the accommodations themselves. The new magistrate could have done the same.

“He wants us to retrieve his dead son’s silver ring from a mermaid den.” Wei Caihong sucked in a breath. This was suicide!

“But even you couldn’t do anything about the mermaids!” Nikola ran a hand through his hair.

“Well, he did say we had to at least try. We’ll go near the caves, heat up the water a little and swim in. And if we don’t find anything, we’ll get some mermaid scales as souvenirs and receive the adoption papers in return.” Nikola approached Wei Caihong and took his hand to calm his husband. It must have worked because Wei Caihong’s heart slowed down it’s rhythm.

“And if there are mermaid already in the cave?” Nikola smiled viciously; the darn half-fishes had costed him more than one grandchild.

“We have ourselves some fish sticks with cheese.” He said and Wei Caihong stepped away from him.

“That’s cannibalism!” He exclaimed and Nikola’s smile widened.

“Only if we eat from the human half. The tail is all fish, I can assure you. And they eat humans all the time. Don’t tell me it’s wrong to give them a taste of their own medicine.”

“You’re impossible!” Said Wei Caihong, trying to tug his hand free but Nikola tugged it closer to himself and leaned in to whisper.

“Their tongues can be used in a potion that changes the sound of someone’s voice. Their human skin can be implanted over burns which would immediately heal. Their eyes are a powerful medicine, they can cure blindness when ingested. And their hearts? Why one can brew a nasty love potion from them. And you don’t even need to waste the entire heart to do it. You can salt the organ and use it for more than one potion. But if you eat the whole heart raw you become immune to all love magic.”

Wei Caihong stopped to think on the last part. But then why did Nikola had Azazel remove Penemue’s soul from him when the angel had told him that it may be affecting him?

“Then why did you had Penemue’s soul removed? You must have eaten at least one, if you know the effect. And who tried to feed you a love potion anyway?”

Nikola’s grin dropped. The thought that Penemue could have made him a slave to false feelings still brought him pain. But he didn’t have the angel’s soul in him anymore. And yet he still felt the same ache he always did when his lover was away.

“Because soul magic is on a whole other level. I wasn’t certain if it would work. As for who, that would be a Trojan princess by the name of Regina. She wanted to be the empress of the world, being the granddaughter-in-law of the Emerald Emperor wasn’t enough for her. So, she got herself some love potion off the black market and made sweets with it. I had to eat them, least I insult her father. After the first the only thing I could think of was Regina. Penemue noticed and he nearly killed her on the spot. He locked me away in my apartments and hunt down a mermaid. He then force fed me the heart raw. I remember cursing him all the while. Claiming he was the one who put a spell on me and not Regina. He was awfully quiet as I accused him. I never forgot that.”

“What happened to Regina?” Asked Wei Caihong. Surely it was quite the crime to bewitch your ruler.

“Her father disinherited her and she married a candle maker in Athens. But she soon become the mistress of the local King and when the candle maker, a man who was young and healthy, died, she become the new Queen. The King’s slip of girl wife dying too. I didn’t care enough to look into the matter but I suspect she had some love potion left over for the king.”

“Or he really loved her.” Said Wei Caihong. Love potion sounded expensive when Nikola listed the ingredients to him once. Manticore venom was something he could never afford, no matter how much he raised taxes. Not that he needed it for a love potion. He had wanted to use the venom for a poison to take out the emperor. His son was much more gullible. Him being only five-years-old.

“Could be. They were happy together. She didn’t even want to get invited to court anymore either. But let us get back to the topic at hand. You have to be seen going to the caves. I can claim I am going with you out of worry. We better hurry though, sometimes mermaids trade loot among the tribes. A ring could be among the things traded. And the magistrate said that his son was taken away two months ago.”

“Tonight, then. After we tuck in Chen Zhaohui.” Nikola nearly melted at the last words. Wei Caihong was a father for less than a day and he already put his child first. He reminded him of his dear Maria. He tugged the hand still in his grip and pressed himself to Wei Caihong, pecking him softly on the lips. Then, just as Wei Caihong tried to turn it into a proper kiss he moved away, smirking at Wei Caihong’s closed eyes.

They returned to their tasks then. Wei Caihong making his study plans and Nikola setting the house to right while peeking over Chen Zhaohui’s shoulder every so often to see how his writing was progressing. Soon the boy’s head begun to tilt down, his eyes blinking so that he could stay awake. Nikola noticed this and he scooped him up, carrying him to the bathroom and this time filling the barrel by magic. The boy was half-asleep as he cleaned himself, dropping the soap in the water every so often. When Nikola deemed him clean enough, he took him out of the bathing barrel and dried him and then dressed him in his new robe. Putting the old robe with the wedding silks he herded his son towards his new room, which he had decorated as he waited for the food to be cooked. Wei Caihong was already waiting there. He held a rag doll in his hands. A dragon the way the locals imagined one. Nikola decided he would be making a woodcarving of a real dragon for his son. The way he remembered one.

“I don’t want to sleep yet, papa.” Complained the boy even as he yawned. Nikola picked him up and then placed him on the bed. Then both he and Wei Caihong tucked their son in, with the noble giving him the rag doll to hold.

“You have to be rested for tomorrow. You have school, remember?” Said Wei Caihong as the boy looked at the rag doll with wonder.

“Did you make this yourself, papa?” He asked, not believing it himself.

“It wasn’t hard. And the seamstress gave me the cloth. Do you like it?”

The boy beamed at his father and hugged the doll closer to himself.

“You’re the best, papa!” Then he looked at Nikola who was smiling down at him and smiled back shyly. “And you are the prettiest, mama.” Nikola sighed as Wei Caihong begun to laugh at that.

“Am I not the prettiest instead, son?” Asked the noble between laughs and Chen Zhaohui pouted.

“No way!” Said the boy as he waved his doll around. “Mama has the prettiest eyes, the smoothest skin and the loveliest hair! When I grow up, I will find someone from Atlantis to marry who looks just as pretty!”

“You told him?” Wei Caihong’s good mood was evaporating. Their son may blurt out to someone that the Emerald Emperor was his new mama. And then they would be on the run.

“Not everything.” Wei Caihong felt his breathing grow easier at that. “Just enough to explain to him why I can do magic. I plan to tell him everything when he turns eighteen and can keep a secret.” That got Wei Caihong thinking. They had agreed that they would be leaving the village after another twenty years when their youth become too much of a problem. They would need to leave Chen Zhaohui behind. To build a family without them and to fill this house with children, either his own or adopted. Wei Caihong didn’t exclude the possibility that his son may fall in love with a man one day.

“Sounds good.” He said and then looked at the boy who seemed to want to absorb every word they spoke.

“I want a fairy tale.” Sometimes Chen Zhaohui liked to stand by the street performers, just out of their sight, hidden by the other children, and listen to stories. Now he had a mama and a papa to tell him stories. He hoped they knew some good ones. Nikola brushed a stray strand of hair from his son’s eyes and cleared his throat.

“Well, do you want a happy tale or a scary tale?” He said and the boy immediately screamed scary tale. Nikola winced at the loud noise but he couldn’t begrudge his son his excitement.

“The scariest?” Asked Nikola teasingly and the boy rewarded him with a smile and a giggle.

“The very scariest!” Said Chen Zhaohui as Wei Caihong looked at Nikola with worry.

“He needs to be able to sleep, my Emerald.” He warned but Nikola just waved him off.

“Ok, but just so you know your uncles Basil and Bjorn are just down the hall. Papa and I will be going for a midnight stroll. If you start hearing scary noises or the shadows begin to move you go sleep with them. They will protect you.”

At that the boy gulped. Surely the story wasn’t this scary, was it?

“I’m a brave boy, mama. I won’t go bother them!” His mama grinned at him evilly and then said words that made him begin to worry.

“Well, the story which I am about to tell you is true. And even speaking of the spirit of Baba Yaga could summon her. But your uncle Bjorn once defeated a minotaur with his bare hands. The old hag would be no match for him.”

Chen Zhaohui didn’t know what a minotaur was but it must be strong if his mama was making a note of it. His uncle Bjorn looked like a mountain, tall and muscular. He could believe the man could defeat a great many things with his bare hands. He nodded and his mama picked up the candle that was on his bedside drawer and placed it under his chin.

“It all happened during a winter, long ago. Back before Atlantis begun to conquer the world. Back before the island even rouse from the ocean, some claim. There was a beautiful woman in a village in the Tundra named Yaga Vladimirovna.” The wind picked up outside and three knocks were heard on the outside of the wall. Both Chen Zhaohui and Wei Caihong turned to where the sound had come from, but it didn’t repeat. The boy was still staring at the wall so he didn’t see Nikola winking at Wei Caihong who relaxed.

“Yaga had many suitors but she wanted someone exceptional.” Continued Nikola, barely holding back his laughter at the child refusing to tear his eyes from the wall. “Someone who was her equal in everything. Someone who could do magic, just like her.” Chen Zhaohui felt a skeletal hand on his shoulders and he turned to stare but there was nothing there. He looked at his mama in panic.

“She is here! Baba Yaga is here!” He screamed in panic and Nikola placed a hand over his forehead as if to check him for a fever.

“Do you want me to finish the tale, son? I can always stop if you are afraid.” Chen Zhaohui was no baby! He stared at his shoulder and when he was reassured that there was no hand there, he nodded to his mama who continued.

“But Yaga had made a deal with the demoness Lilith. That if she couldn’t find someone to marry by the end of the year, she would become an ugly crone. Lilith was the first woman, lover of the Archangel Lucifer and some say even to the Creator himself. But she had suffered and so she thought that the only truth lay in suffering. Lilith knew that Yaga wouldn’t swallow her pride and settle for a normal man. And the demoness knew that there were no mages in the entire tundra, so young was the world then.”

A blood curling wail sounded in the room and even Wei Caihong jumped. Nikola was calm but had he summoned something by repeating the name of the witch? Perhaps this Baba Yaga didn’t want her story told. Nikola just huffed as if it was just a child throwing a tantrum and not a demon worshiper warning him to shut his mouth. If this was indeed Baba Yaga, thou.

“But Yaga knew these things too. And so, she took the most handsome man in the village and she fed him a love potion. Then she begun to teach him magic. But he was no good at it and one day his spell backfired. He wanted a child, you see. And so, while Yaga was sleeping in his arms he accidently cursed her. His wording was unprecise. I know it not but the end result was that Yaga developed a hunger for human flesh, the tenderer it was the better.”

Chen Zhaohui hid his face in his doll. The door opened and then closed again with a bang. The bed dipped and the candle flicker. The most hideous old woman was sitting on the foot of Chen Zhaohui’s bed, her maul was gaping wide. She had fangs instead of teeth and her nails looked as claws. Chen Zhaohui pointed at her and for the first time his mama looked worried.

“What are you pointing at?” Asked his papa and the hag placed two fingers over her mouth. Then she made a sign as if she was snapping his neck and then she bit down on the empty air. His mama was looking at the spot but he didn’t seem disturbed by the sight. He must not be able to see it!

“Nothing.” The hag placed her hand over her ear as if to hear better and Chen Zhaohui said in a high-pitched voice. “Keep telling the story, mama.”

Nikola wondered if the story might indeed be true. Generally, he dismissed anything that claimed to have magic in it and date before the angels came to him. But he hadn’t produced the wail or opened the door. Maybe Wei Caihong had decided to play along? He smiled and continued.

“Soon the children of the village begun to disappear. Only Igor, the man that Yaga made fall in love with her, knew the truth. He stopped drinking his love potion when he saw her make a stew from one of the children. Knowing he had caused this he took his axe one day when Yaga was asleep and he chopped her head off.” The woman then cackled and gripped her hair. Then she picked up her own head and begun to juggle it around. Chen Zhaohui screamed but the hag was quick to place her fingers to her lips again, even though her head was at an odd angle, and the boy put both his hands over his mouth to quiet down. His mama was looking at him strangely. He stood up and walked to where the hag was, waving his hands. The hag chomped down on his mama’s hand and he quickly pulled it away. There was blood dripping from the bite.

“There is something here.” Said Nikola, a fire enveloping his arm. The hag hissed and backed away from the flames. “Take Chen Zhaohui and go to A…Basil and Bjorn. I’ll deal with this.”

Wei Caihong stopped to argue but Nikola turned to him. The hag begun to edge towards the door and Chen Zhaohui turned to point at her.

“She is getting away!” The hag screamed and lunged at the child only to be stopped by Wei Caihong who hugged his son and created a barrier. There were angry scratches on the barrier as the hag tried to break it. Her claws were covered in ice now. The adults seemed to still not be able to see her though. Nikola lunged forward, both of his hands burning, and then he touched something solid. A scream was heard and there were flames in the air.

“Take the kid and get Basil to protect you. He might be able to see Yaga.” At the mention of her name the hag wailed. She turned towards Nikola but then she backed away, terrified. There were black flames around him. He was standing by the door, holding it open. The hag was backing away, searching for an exit. But there were no windows in the room. Wei Caihong, who was hearing whimpering now, decided that they were just getting in the way, and rushed through the door. It closed behind him and it burst into the black flames. The wood wasn’t smoking though. He rushed towards Azazel and Bjorn’s room as he heard the first screams.

“Ok.” Said Nikola as he was finally alone with the thing he had summoned. “Clever of you to place a taboo on your own life story. Always a guarantee that you will get to eat at least one child once the parents went to bed.”

“The parents too.” Came a raspy voice from the bed. “Tasty meat, tender meat, full of fat and deliciousness.”

Nikola knew the story of Baba Yaga from Penemue who knew it from Lilith herself. How did it go? The hag got decapitated and then went to Hell but then Lilith came to claim her soul. This was a demon champion! To destroy her meant to get another nail in the coffin that Lilith was surely making him. But this little sad excuse for a witch had scared his son, had wanted to eat him. Lilith was way overdue for a message.

He breathed deeply and then the whole room burst in the sun goddess Amaterasu’s black flames. The shamans of Japan used them to ward off ghosts. They didn’t hurt the living or truly burn an object. He felt claws dig in his abdomen and he looked down. He could see the burning form of the hag now. It was diminishing but not before she got her last attack in it seemed. Nikola gripped at hair and tugged. Fangs lodged in his skin and the claws dug deeper. He laughed.

“Do you know who I am, Baba Yaga? I am the Emerald Emperor of Atlantis, you wretch! You can’t kill me! I am eternal!”

Then he forced the flames to spread faster and the fangs around his hand released it so that the hag could start howling. Nikola let go of the head he was holding and kicked the body that was on the ground. He heard the snapping of bones. This was no mare ghost. This was a demon. He looked around the room for something to seal the witch in and then he found a glass marble. He had found this marble when he was doing inventory of the shop. It was multicolored. A perfect toy for a child.

He placed his bleeding hand over it and begun to chant in the angelic tongue. The marble begun to change to black as Baba Yaga gave out one last howl. The marble now looked like there was smoke in it and Nikola looked around in the room. He put out the flames and pocketed the marble. Going down the hall he saw that Azazel had warded the door against ghosts. He knocked and then he heard Bjorn’s voice.

“Who is there?” He said and there was a slight quiver to his voice. For such a fierce warrior he hated scary stories and ghosts. Nikola chuckled and begun to list every embarrassing detail he knew of Bjorn’s toddler days. Azazel was soon laughing and opening the door as Bjorn was glaring at his grandfather. Wei Caihong and Chen Zhaohui were both on the bed, clutching at each other. Nikola went to them and showed them the marble.

“It’s all over. See?” The marble was freezing in his hand and so he placed it back in his pocket. He would need to find somewhere to dispose of the marble. But for now, he had a scared husband and child to calm.