The Alarming Scent of Cinnamon

XI

Gretel awoke early and headed outside to meet Baba Yaga for her daily lesson. A week had passed since she had arrived, and Yaga promised that if she completed a week of work 'satisfactorily', she would translate the incantation for time travel to Hansel and Gretel. Today was the last day of the week, and Gretel had been trying her absolute hardest. If everything went well, she and Hansel would be learning how to time travel tonight.

Gretel copied down fae words and their meanings into a small notebook Baba Yaga had conjured. This was her least favorite part of the day. Every day, Yaga drilled her in spellcasting, spell learning, pronunciation, and occasionally searching for spell components. 

Today, Gretel was learning how to properly conjure a sword.

"The first step to any spell is always..." Baba Yaga said expectantly.

"Prep work," Gretel mumbled. She had a special hatred for wasting her precious time looking for components. Hansel loved searching for components, and Gretel had once tried to get away with having him find her components. Somehow, Yaga had known, and Gretel had to copy down words for the rest of the day.

"Today you will be learning about conjuring. This is a more complex spell, and the slightest mispronunciation could have dire consequences," Baba Yaga paced back and forth by her blackboard.

"You will need a hard wood stick for this spell. Beech, hickory, maple, teak; any of those will do. DO NOT shirk and bring a softer wood or a rotten branch. Remember, if you work hard today, I'll translate the pages on time travel for you," Yaga muttered a few fae words under her breath and a piece of chalk began to write on the blackboard.

One (1) hardwood stick, not rotten

One or more live dragonfly

"The components for this spell are simple. You should have no trouble gathering them,"

"Where am I going to keep the dragonflies?" Gretel whined.

"No whining, young lady. Remember the spell to conjure a glass jar? You will find that it comes in useful very often,"

Gretel sighed, grabbed a couple pebbles, and set off the the little creek to fetch a handful of sand. 

The dark woods isn't so bad once you get used to it, she thought as she ducked under a low branch.

Scooping up a handful of sand and rubbing it over the two pebbles, she murmured,

"Vvrajfriv ilm oyugoku nnuk osef tavaq,"

The sand melted into the pebbles, making them become clear as they stretched into the shape of a jar. Gretel grinned. The jars were perfectly smooth and clear as crystal, not lumpy or bubbly like the first few ones she'd made.

Tucking one of the jars into her bag, Gretel trekked around the creek, searching for a dragonfly. She saw a flash of blue from the corner of her eye.

There's one!

Swiping at it with the open jar in her hand, she trapped it in the jar and closed the opening with her hand, Gretel sealed the jar.

"Aenon,"

An invisible covering formed and hardened over the jar. Gretel flicked it once for good measure. It sounded a little bit deeper than glass. Stowing the jar in her bag and taking the second one out, Gretel crept along the creek, stealthy as a shadow in an alley. She caught and sealed another dragonfly, testing sticks as she made her way around the woods. After what seemed like hours but was probably only minutes, she found a beech stick. She bent it and was relieved to feel that it wasn't rotten.

"I'm ready!" Gretel cried as she burst into the clearing. She set all the components on a large toadstool and practiced the pronunciation with Baba Yaga until she had perfected it.

"Finally," Gretel breathed as she arranged all her components and ran through the incantation once more in her head before saying it out loud.

"Vvrajfriv ilm ajujf,"

The stones seemed to melt together, the dragonflies absorbed into the mass of liquid stone. It elongated and formed a sharp point.

"Is that it?" Gretel asked.

Baba Yaga nodded. "Go ahead, pick it up."

Gretel picked up the sword. It was surprisingly light, and sliced through the air like a knife through butter.

"I noticed you put two dragonflies in," Yaga said.

"I can't get away with the bare minimum forever," Gretel said perkily.

"Indeed," Yaga smiled.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night, Hansel and Gretel sat by the fireplace, occasionally shifting the branches or throwing in a new piece of kindling. Baba Yaga sat in a chair, flipping through the grimoire.

"Ah," she said. "Here it is,"

Hansel and Gretel listened intently while still focusing on the fire. 

"The incantation is first," she said.

"Transport us back to the 5th of January, 1702, in this spot."

"Do we change the date?" Gretel asked.

"I'll let you decide for yourself," Yaga said.

"The components are next," she said, squinting at the page.

"A dragon's scale, a butterfly's wing, a fresh edelweiss, and a nobleman's emerald ring."

Hansel and Gretel exchanged shocked glances.

"Dragons exist, right?" Gretel said.

"Why are the components so specific?" Hansel asked.

Baba Yaga shrugged. "I don't know the answer to either of those,"

"Ugh!" Gretel cried. "We come all the way here and work for you for a whole week, and one of the components might not even exist!"

"Would you like a suggestion of what to do next?" Baba Yaga asked.

Getel opened her mouth to speak.

"Well, you're getting one either way. You both need to stay here and train until you are ready to face anything."

"Anything?" Hansel repeated.

"How long will it take?" Gretel asked.

"However long it needs to take," Baba Yaga said.

"We'll do it," Gretel said grimly.