- Roxy! Quiet, quiet, little girl, I'll help you, don't be afraid..." I whispered, whispering her hands gently.
She was whining like a puppy, wrapping herself up, closing the wound. It seemed to me that she didn't even understand who I was.
- Quiet, little one, don't be afraid, don't be afraid of me...
I took her bloodstained palms, the girl screamed and passed out. I looked at the wound in confusion: a deep cut under her rib, and blood... so much blood!
After biting my lip, I put both palms on the wound and closed my eyes. Then I did it with the dragon, and now I have to! But the power was flowing like a void, and the blood still pushed the wound. If the girl can't be helped right now, she won't survive! Why can't I heal the wound just a little bit?
I had a confused look around. There was hardly any sunlight penetrating through the tightly coupled branches above my head, and the shady twilight lay in a circle at the white trunks. The terrible corpse smell made me muddy.
We have to get Roxy out of here. This place is made to take life, too much blood has been shed here, too many souls have gone into the shadow world. And the magic of healing here is powerless.
I abruptly pulled up my hem and ripped the fabric of my undershirt, crackling it into long strips. I gently wrapped it around Roxie's body, stopping the blood, and lifted the girl up. She didn't wake up. I staggered, moved out of the circle, afraid to even think that it was too late...
The frosty air behind the old trunks hit the face and refreshed the head. Thoughts were cleared up. I gently put the girl down on the snow and put my palms on the wound again. I focused. The power stabbed her fingers, melted warmly. I woke up deafly, Argard. I paid no attention to him, pressed my hands tighter against Roxy's body, pushing her to life, forcing the edges of the wound to move, reach out to each other, close.
The forest was making an alarming noise over my head, ate leaning towards me, pulling branches, saying something... something big dark was wrapped behind the hedge. A wolf? Bear?
- Hey, is anyone there? - There was an unsure voice outside.
I jumped in.
- Danila! Danila, we're here! There's a hole in the ground! Hurry up...
Danila drove in behind the barbed bushes, cursed and climbed inside, leaving on the branches of his sheepskin body.
- Chicken? What are you doing here... Oh, my...
And he's gone, he's quiet, he's frowning. He rushed to us without a word, grabbed Roxy's thin wrist, trying to find a weak current of blood.
I watched him with no strength. I couldn't even get up, so I sat in the snow.
- I'm alive! - Danila exhaled joyfully, and I sighed too. Most of all I was afraid that I was late.
The guy carefully removed the bloody pieces of my undershirt with which I pulled the girl's wound and examined the skin. There was a wound. I wasn't strong enough to heal the baby completely, but it wasn't as deep and long as it used to be. With proper care, Roxie should be able to heal.
- Chickenpox, did you heal her? How'd you do it yourself? You look lousy.
He pulled the tulip off himself, gently wrapped Roxy up.
I didn't smile much.
- I'm okay...
- Yeah... uh... Is Xenya with you?
I waved my head.
- I see, - Danila stretched out disappointedly and looked at the "circle", - I saw this place in my dream today. And the girl... from the very dawn in the pines, I'm trying to find. And if you hadn't called me, you never would have found me...
- There's an altar, - I waved a little, - the one. I think that's where the children were killed. The smell of decay just knocks them down. Lord Darrell used to say that's what happens when innocent souls are taken. It's a terrible place. Gotta go to the orphanage, it's cold... I don't know how long Roxie's been there, on a rock. Give me a hand.
I staggered, and I got up. Danila jumped up, gently lifted Roxy up in her arms. And I looked back at him in a confused way. So where to now? To drag a wounded girl through a narrow gap under a thorny bush? It's unimaginable... what do we do?
- How did Roxie even get in here? - I just realized, I don't think she was walking through the woods...
- She went through the tunnel," Danila said confidently, "like everyone else. An underground passage leads here, I saw in my dreams.
- It's an underground passage!
I froze, thinking. Of course you did. And there's only one place it leads from. Riverstein.
- Danila! Do you know where the entrance is? We can't go through the fence with the girl, and we can't go through the woods either... besides, the mentors have already closed the doors, it's the night of Exodus. One hope for the tunnel.
- Yeah... what if that monster is waiting for us there?
- There's no choice anyway. Roxy needs a bandage and a warm-up... and we're not gonna make it through the morning!
- What if it's in the Wastes? I've got all sorts of potions there, I know, my mother taught me!
- And the fence? How do you get a girl through it? It's a long way to the village... Roxy's gonna bleed out before we get there!
- That's right, too," Danila said, "then let's go, the entrance is here.
Heavily sighing, the boy confidently walked around the circle and stopped on the other side, where a barbed fence came close to huge boulders. Danila turned his head, squinted.
- Climb," he commanded.
- Where to?
- That way! That's the entrance to the tunnel. Well, what are you waiting for?
I looked at him suspiciously, then at the fence. I grabbed the branch and... I took it like a window veil! What seemed to be boulders was a dark failure, overgrown with moss and covered with snow. We stepped inside, under the dark tunnel vaults. I'm in front, Danila with the girl in her arms, behind me. Roxy was moaning, but she didn't wake up from her painful forgetting.
Twenty steps later, it was completely dark.
- Don't you have a ray? - Whispering, I asked. The guy hummed.
- Support the girl... now.
He mumbled something, snapped his fingers. Over our heads, there was a steady silver light on the ball. I admired it.
- Well done! I can't do anything in the tunnels. Outside of the tunnels, it doesn't really work... And now that the Powers have given me, and it's empty, I shaken and quickly turned away, so that Danila wouldn't notice the pallor that filled my face. He hadn't noticed.
- I told you, I have... abilities! - The guy proudly said and blushed," and the light was easy. They teach him first thing at school.
- And I don't have it either," I said distractedly, "I probably don't have the ability....
- Yeah, no! And the girl is healed... well, almost. And even without dedicating herself to the Source. There's no such thing as healers without initiation, you know? In order to give to the Force, it takes an initiation to go through and study for a long time. Because our gut resists and protects the Force.
- Yes? I didn't know... I thought everybody could do it, I was surprised.
- Yeah, I wish they could. Then there wouldn't be any problems in the underworld at all! And everyone would live forever! No, magicians live long, but they die in battles and from diseases and disasters. The school has a subject "Healing", everyone studies it. And in easy cases, many can help: to tighten a scratch there, to cure a needle, a sprain or a sprain to correct. Though it is possible without the Force ... Out, the mother without any magic copes. But something serious already requires a serious return to the Force, and the gut to resist ... it's a law of nature, as if ... She came up with such an idea to keep the Force, not spill, you know? The healers have to break themselves, the nature's counterpart to give up the Force.
I was waving my head.
- I don't know... I didn't feel any resistance... Maybe I was wrong.
We stopped at the fork.
- Danila, where next?
- I don't know... The guy looked around, he was confused, he didn't see...
- Over there... over
there...
- Roxy!
I jumped up on a girl who's awake.
- Honey, how are you? Don't worry, it's okay, we'll help you! Do you know where you're going? And do you remember what happened?
- I was looking for Leia... sister... we're triplets, me, Leia and Lana. But Lana died of rot... it was just us. I can always feel her... Leah. She went missing two days ago. I've been... looking for her.
Danila and I took a look around. Roxy took a hard breath.
- But I couldn't find her. But Leia was definitely here, I know!
- How did you end up in a circle? And who hurt you?
The girl shook her head, she could see she was having trouble talking.
- Accidentally... accidentally came out. And there was someone... Tall, skinny, with a hood on. All I could see was the hand. Thin, white, with a knife... and it just hurt so much! And Leia, we have to find her! I can feel... I can feel... how scared she is! And it's cold! Find her! Please...
Roxy cried, I sniffed my nose at her, wiping her tears.
- We'll find your sister, Roxy, I promise! Danila, hurry!
We rushed down the narrow aisle. The girl's quiet, she seems to have fallen back into oblivion. The narrow passage smelled like mold and it was colder than the outside. A couple of times I tripped and almost fell, my legs trembled. Now I could use a hearty dinner... Ah, dreams... There's a piece of carpet and apples hidden in the room under my shoe, just to get to the room...
I listened vigilantly to Roxy's breath: heavy, with wheezing. But the important thing is that it was breathing...
At another fork we froze again, then Danila turned right. I weaved my hand against the wall.
The door came up so suddenly, we were even scared.
- Should I open it? - I wasn't sure, I asked.
Danila answered me with an eloquent look, saying no, let's go for another walk in the damp tunnels, it's so nice here!
I pulled the door handle and looked dangerous.
- Well, where are we?
- Riverstein! I think we're in the west wing! Let's go!
There was an old tapestry hanging behind the door, completely hiding it from a random look. We got out of the tunnel, straightened up and looked around.
- That's right, West Wing!
- Chet's a little dusty... And the girls, too!
- So this is an abandoned part of the building, nobody lives here. Let's go. We've got to get Roxy to the Travitsa. Your mom's there to help!
We're in a hurry, almost running, crossed an abandoned wing and jumped into the hallway. I put my hand to my chest, trying to hold my breath and chase away the black flies spinning in my eyes.
- Chickenpox, what's wrong with you? - I was worried to ask Daniel. I took a swing. The bandage on Roxie's stomach soaked in blood, swollen. So the barely healed wound reopened.
- Hurry up, Danila. This way.
The main corridor was silent, our hurried steps echoed off the walls.
- And where is everyone? - Surprisedly, the guy looked around.
- In the basement, right, in the lower hall... It's Exodus Night!
- That's right! And the Lord promised to move me to Eloar tonight, for the initiation... Is he here? In Riverstein?
- I don't know...
We literally fell into Travnitskaya and sighed disappointedly, Danina was gone, the den was empty. Either they let her go home, or she's in the basement with all the Riversteiners now.
- And where's Mom?
I shook my head and pointed to the couch.
- Put Roxy in here. Come on, now. Danila, you're gonna have to bandage her yourself. You said you were good at drugs!
- Well, I did, so I thought Mom was...
- Danila!
- Yeah, now, now... why are you yelling at me... All you girls are like that, just like that, just like that...
He came to the table and looked at the light and smelled the vials, muttering under his nose. I was tired of sitting next to the girl and I fell down against the wall. I sat there for a couple of moments, just a couple of moments... A sharp smell in my nose, I jumped up, wildly looking around.
- Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh! Chickenpox! Calm down, you! - Danila grabbed me by the shoulders, sitting on the couch.
- What's the matter?
- What-what... you doubted it! That's right, too much Power gave... Why didn't you tell me you were sick? I walked up to Roxy with the rags, and you're lying there like two dead people!
- It's okay. Really, I took his hand, how is it?
- I stopped the blood. Yeah, I think so. And what to do next, I don't know... it doesn't come back to normal.
I got up. My legs were shaking traitorously.
- Danila, stay with Roxy. I'll try to find Danina or Lord Darrell. Keep an eye on the girl.
The guy gave me a pitiful look, slipped on a pale, undead Roxy, scratched the top of his head. But he nodded. There were no options.
- Wait, here, drink this. There's a root of life and different herbs... you don't look good. Tincture will help you.
I smiled gratefully and brought a vial to my lips. I drank it. Bitter... but my gut was warm and my feet stopped shaking.
* * *
The hallway is still quiet and empty. I looked with hope at the dark shadows in the corner, but they were lifeless. Where is the Arch'arrion? I waited for him still there in the woods, but he did not come... why not?
I waved my head to ward off thoughts. My heart was beating anxiously.
I was almost running to the Lord's room, but here I was disappointed: There was no Schader at the door. In fact, the room was empty, no papers on the table, no things. Well, where is he?
I stood there confused, not knowing what to do. We need to find Danina. She's probably in the lower hall of Riverstein with all the novices, so we should go there. And then what? Where to find Leah, Roxy's sister, where to find the other kids?
What a lack of determined Xenie! She wouldn't crumple on the spot, she'd have figured out what to do!
And where do you take him, Lord Darrell?
And why do I feel like I'm passing through time?
I jumped out of the room and rushed to the stairs. I slowed down at my bedroom door. Maybe Xenia's here. Didn't leave with the others? Waiting for me?
But no. There's nothing behind the door. There's an open book on my bed. There's something shining in the back. I walked carefully through the narrow aisle between the wall and the bed, carefully covered with a cloth blanket.
And I stopped. It was one of the enchanted books Lord Darrell gave us. A description of the lives of the saints of the Order, for me and Xenia, the history of the Underworld. A friend liked it the most, "The Great War. Legends of the Rainbow Empire." The book is open, and there's a knife in the turn. The one that Ksenia stole from Avdotya and carried everywhere with her, becoming like a lihodeau.
I frowned. Why did Ksenia leave it here? It's strange...
I opened the folio and read the lines. I've heard that story before, about the schemists, about the break in the Great War.
"...Saarhard, the strongest and most terrible demon in the Abyss, was unwilling to accept the very existence of the Rainbow Empire. He wished for the destruction of all races except those that inhabited Chaos, and most of all - the destruction of the light descendants of elves, humans and elements. And the army of many thousands of Chaos under his leadership did not know pity, did not take prisoners, and shed without awe even the blood of innocent women and children. Demons no longer held back their inner Beast, for which murder is attractive and sweet. They lost their sanity, became wild monsters, destroying everything on their terrible journey...
...but even crazier was their priestess. Sacrificing and killing innocent souls nourished her. The knowledge revealed to her by the Abyss itself made Alira, the priestess of the Moon Temple, immune to the magic of the Light. She called herself the daughter of the Bloody Moon, and there was no woman in the world more beautiful and more cruel. Her magic
was so strong that even the dehydrating power of the Devil did not stop Alira, daughter of the Moon. And she helped Saarhard and a squad of crazy demons to pass the Black Sands of Timelessness and go to the Source of the Scheats..."
I raised my eyes perplexingly. Of course, I've already read this book. Everything Lord Darrell brought, I swallowed in a few days. And I remember the story of the massacre at the Smiths settlement.
Why am I wasting my time on this now? And yet... A knife. Why did Xenia leave it? And where is she?
Suddenly it was creepy. Fear for her friend crushed her throat. And also... I looked at the text. The knife underlined the line "... Aliru, daughter of the moon", a groove - a dent under the letters. Why did Xenia do it? It sounds like a message... to me. Only I can see the true text of this book!
But what did she mean by that?
I dropped the book. Why am I so stupid? I don't understand!
Alira, daughter of the moon. What's the big deal about those words that Xenya emphasized? Shouldn't we just go down to the basement, walk to the lower hall, find a friend there and ask?
But inside, there was a growing certainty that Ksenia wasn't there... That she was in trouble...
Alira, daughter of the moon.
I almost woke up. I squeezed whiskey with my palms, making a stupid head think, dispelling the fog of weakness that covers my eyes.
In front of the inner gaze like wild horses there were memories: missing children, a portal, an underground maze, an altar with white trees, Lord Darrell, a dark demon, Argard... Why does everything add up on Riverstein? Why is Argard attached not only to me, but to this place as well? And who is behind all this?
Alira. Daughter of the moon.
I froze like thunder.
Holy mother!!! How can this be? And at the same time, the answer is so simple... The truth is said to be best hidden in front of your eyes.
Who else could do whatever they wanted in the orphanage, who they all obeyed unconditionally? Who's been here for years?
In ancient times, the people of the Northern Kingdom called the moon differently. Selenium.
Alira, daughter of the moon. The Lady of the Village.
The Wind of the North Page 28