I didn't immediately understand that the voice was coming from above. Still, when I saw who was talking to me, I regretted that I hadn't stayed in the forest. A three-headed dragon hovered over me, each of its heads was more frightening than the previous one: huge snake eyes, wide nostrils, large and incredibly sharp fangs. Even one head frightened so that the soul ran into the heels, and here there were three of them. The horror that gripped me is even impossible to describe. I just lost the gift of speech. The three-headed dragon examined me, apparently wondering which side I could be tastier from, and asked:
"You ran away from Yaga?"
I nodded in fear several times.
"Ha! She deserves it." The dragon laughed so loud that all my insides shook. Even the earth trembled beneath me, apparently also from fear.
"How did you manage it, beauty?" Not without obvious curiosity, dragon brought his heads closer to me. I clearly felt the stench coming from their mouths.
"I hit her with a bucket of water..." I replied, holding back the upcoming vomit.
The dragon was so amused by my words that he sank into the swamp, which slowly began to suck him in. Stopping laughing, he got out of the marsh with just a wave of his giant wings.
"Oh, you made me laugh so hard, beautiful! For this, I will spare your life and even help you get out of here."
I didn't even have time to squeak when he neatly grabbed me with his huge paws and rose up in the sky. While we were flying, he asked me about how I got to Baba-Yaga. With whom I travelled and many other little things. I told him that I desperately want to get home and that I worry about my sister and mother, who doesn't know where to find me. To which the dragon, who introduced himself to me as Gorynych, said that he knew someone who could help me and promised to take me there.
I will not say that this news made me feel better. Maybe even worse, because the only one who theoretically could somehow help me in any way is the one who in all fairy tales was considered the most powerful sorcerer, and this could only be The Immortal Koschei... Judging by the fact that I've recently encountered - Ivan the Fool, Baba Yaga, Zmei Gorynych, I wouldn't be surprised if Koschei is next.
Gorynych and I flew to the mountains.
"Listen, beautiful, I like you. Would you like to stay with me for a day, and then I'll take you to Koshchei."
"To Koshchei?" I squeaked like a mouse.
"Don't be afraid, he's not interested in a single woman. Are you single?"
"Yes," I answered sadly. "I haven't dated anyone for a long time."
"Well, that's good. Then he'll help you. Koschei is a strange man. Eager for beautiful ladies, but he is only interested in someone else's brides and wives. If you have no one, then you have no particular interest to him. Oh, we're almost there. Here is my humble home."
Gorynych suddenly ceased to be a three-headed dragon and became something in between a man and a lizard, only without a tail. I was so surprised that I was speechless. We landed on a mountain plateau. Gorynych approached a huge stone and pushed it aside with ease.
"Please, come in." He said, in a rather low voice which was much softer than when Gorynych was in the guise of a three-headed dragon.
"Where?" I stared blankly at Gorynych, pointing at his head.
"Why is there one head instead of three?" Gorynych smiled so broadly that I involuntarily flinched with fear. "It's so simple - with three heads, the view during the flight is better. I've begged Koshchei to create them a long time ago. But when I change my appearance, the head is one. Thoughts still sometimes triple, but I'm used to it."
Gorynych gestured for me to go through into the dark cave. Still trembling, I followed his invitation. Entering after me, Gorynych has put the big stone back in its place, took out a torch and lit it with his breath. I couldn't see or understand where did he get the torch from.
"You know, beautiful, everyone says that Gorynych is bad, ravages villages, steals beauties and much more. But I can tell you that I haven't done this for a long time, since I got married."
"Married?" That was unexpected.
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