Page 26 of Tiger's Trek
“Why not?”
“I hate it.”
“Hate what? Your name? Why?”
“My mom thought it was cute, but it isn’t. It’s humiliating, is what it is.”
“Is that why you prefer all those other names? The Bringer of Darkness and Doom and so forth?”
He sighed. “It’s the Bringer of Misery, the Master of Temptation, the One-Eyed Demon of Disaster, and the Ghoulish Gnome of Grotesquery.”
“Right. Right.” Nik eyed the man, then snickered. “What’s the Master of Temptation about? Do you tempt people to overindulge during mealtimes? That sort of thing?” Teasing, Nik gestured as if he were tempting someone at the dinner table. “Here, madam, taste this sweet corn cake with honey sauce. Isn’t it delicious? Oh yes. Have another. And another! Ha, ha, ha!” He wrung his hands together and giggled in fiendish delight, then said with a deadpan expression, “That’s just weird. I wouldn’t brag about it, personally.”
The likho blinked his one eye and said, “You are a foolish little man-child, and you know nothing of which you speak. I don’t know why I bother saddling myself with an idiot such as you.”
“Um, because I saved your life, that’s why. That’s a good reason to have a friend, by the way.”
“That’s not a good enough reason, and I’m regretting it already. The bolotnitsa is starting to look better and better as each moment passes, I assure you.”
“You’re trying to distract me, and it won’t work. Just tell me your name and get it over with.”
“Bah!” The likho wrinkled his nose and pursed his mouth as if he’d just bit into something sour. “It’s Pasha. Pasha Odnoglazy Pogodin.”
Nik stared at him dumbly. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Don’t you get it?” the man asked incredulously. “She cursed me. Pasha means small. My mother is the reason I’m the size I am. If it weren’t for that name, I might have been a strapping large man. But look at me! And Odnoglazy? Do you know what that one means?”
Nik scratched his cheek. “I think it means bright or full of courage.”
“Yeah. But it also means one-eyed,” he shouted, using both index fingers to point at his eye.
Shaking his head, Nik said, “No, I don’t think so. I think it means single-eyed, as in focused and purposeful.”
Pasha, the short, one-eyed likho, dropped his arms and just stared at the boy, then mumbled under his breath, “You’re an idiot, kid. There’s no point arguing with you. Is there?”
They kept walking and fortunately came upon a berry bush with some just-ripening blackberries. Pasha let Nik eat most of them, which revived him well enough that he could soldier on for another hour. When they found a good place to camp, Pasha used a bit of his magic spark to create a fire, and they slept soundly until midday the following day.
* * *
Nik knew when he woke and studied his surroundings that he was well and truly lost. He had no idea where he might find Veru or Iriko or Zakhar or Stacia. His only hope was to find the nearest settlement and hope there was word of them there. In the meantime, he decided to find out if Pasha would teach him a bit of his magic. Unfortunately, the little man proved stubborn about sharing his gifts. That didn’t stop Nik from asking. He’d worked with stubborn magicians in the past and managed to pry their secrets from them, and he was sure he could do so again.
“How far is it to the next town?” he asked when they resumed their journey.
“Another day’s walk. Why?”
“We’d get there faster if we used my magic,” Nik offered.
“We could. But you wouldn’t last. Not enough energy,” Pasha said.
“You see, that’s what I don’t understand. How do you know? You knew about my magic before I even showed it to you.”
“Not all of it,” Pasha admitted. “The cloak surprised me.”
“Yes, well, they told me to keep it hidden for a reason, I suppose.”
“They were wise to do so. That’s some powerful magic they gave you, son. A kikimora’s death shroud given with her blessing to the intended victim is a rare thing indeed.”
“She’s dead now. I don’t know about the leshi. They were like grandparents to me, in a way.”
