I abruptly jumped out of bed, pulled up my dress, cape and went out into the corridor. I ran up the stairs. Dwarves slept downstairs, stuck their faces in the table. She jumped out the door.
The city was still asleep. The heavy downpour was replaced by a monotonous grey rain, deaf and dull. Occasionally passers-by would run, watching with curiosity, but I did not notice them. Everything went and went without knowing where. Echo pushed the wind in his palm, spinning, playing, but I didn't react... then, Echo, then...
She reached the city wall, as black as the rest of the world, and walked along it. She reached the trading rows, and only here she stopped, looking around perplexingly. I didn't even quite understand how I got here.
Now it was still empty. That's right, later, there's gonna be fruit and vegetable basket vendors, butchers with carcasses cut, and artisans with fabrics and fakes. Ordinary people will come running, choosing goods, loudly cursing for every bear, screaming, arguing, laughing...
But for now, it's quiet. Only Echo drives trash through the cobblestones, and the ditches smell nasty.
Why did I come here?
Some sound caught my attention, and I turned around looking for its source. Behind the trading rows there's a canopy covered in canvas, soaked. Water gathered in the middle and seeped through the fabric in a thin stream, knocking on the iron bars of the cage. I came closer. I read the curved inscription on the cardboard, "All sorts of magical creatures for the fun of the venerable public!"
I came even closer, looking under the canopy. And I felt the swirls wrapped around my arms, the little dark tornados of my pain...
There were animals sitting in cages. Little pale salamander, almost no flames. She didn't even move when I got close. Sad little emmer with an iron plate on her face that won't let her scream. A pair of skinny gargoyles. A shabby water cat... There were at least two dozen of them, in iron cages enchanted with magic, so the animals wouldn't get out.
Like a plague, I came up to the biggest iron box in which sat the "most valuable exhibit".
The dragon. Not too big. Maybe the rods of the cage just kept it from growing. The torn wings are awkwardly folded and resting on the rods, green scales dull and dusty, the muzzle rewound with an iron chain. From the center of the canopy a trickle of water flowed down his neck, and he shook a little as if he wanted to move away, but there was nowhere to go.
The dragon looked at me indifferently.
I remembered the long shadows that slid above the tops of the Free Mountains, the dragons bathed in the setting sun. And I took a step back. And one more thing. I slowly lifted my palms...
The canopy, the trade rows and the iron rods of the cells were simply swept away without affecting any animals. The iron chains fell to ashes... I covered the animals with a wave of Force, healing wounds and healing... I didn't know I could do that...
Salamander was the first to come to her senses. On the body of the lizard ran a live fire, it flashed and rushed to the wall.
I gave her a glimpse. Oh, yes, the wall... The hated black stone...
The masonry was crumbled with wet sand and immediately pulled by fresh wind and river. And the animals rushed there, a little surprised and uncertain looking back. The dragon slowed down, opened its wings, catching the wind in them. He waved his head, looking at me with the yellow eyes of a lizard. It soared upward, letting out a jet of fire, from which the remnants of the trading rows, the roofs of houses, were lit, and the stone of the bridge melted.
I turned to the city. My vortices grew. They were wrapped up in death vortexes, carrying everything in their path. A city of black stone... If I let go of my pain, this city will fall at my feet, sprinkle with cinder and sand, crush people... And there will be no one... Only the wind, only the smell of the river and forest, only the rain... Okay...
There's no one. No Xenie... No Danila... No Shaider. No merry dwarves... No elves with a flute... No girl with white skin and blue eyes... no Archharrion.
There will be a silence in which one can think without thinking and perhaps remember nothing...
I lifted my palms and looked at them in surprise. I woke up. I looked around in astonishment, not believing myself. Was I just ready... to kill? Я?
The whirlwinds slowly subsided, calmed down, opening a terrible picture of destruction, and I looked at it with curiosity as something that had nothing to do with me.
Hidden under the masonry of the house, and putting up shields, there stood a detachment of guards. I don't know what I looked like from the outside, I guess it was scary. Because two dozen armed men never dared to come near me. And they screamed right out of there, stuck up and nervous.
- You... are charged with illegal use of magic... and must be... escorted... detained...
I shaken off the dress from the cluttered garbage, invited the loose hair and came up to them leisurely. They shuddered and covered themselves with shields. I waited until they calmed down and decided to look. They still closed their shields and kept a respectful distance, so they surrounded me and drove me.
That's how we got to the city dungeon. The pain was slowly coming to the place of the devastation. The power ran out, exhausted... But I remembered a little salamander and smiled.
The complete jailer from my smile twitched and hid at the oak table. So I had to enter the small room fenced with iron bars myself. And while he was thundering something about "the use of magic... violence and destruction... the destruction of the city wall... irreparable damage to the city..." and everything like that, I lay down on my mattress, pulled my knees up to my chest and fell asleep.
* * *
I woke up in a couple of hours and lay down for a little while, looking at the raw wall. Then I got up and shook my head.
- I'm thirsty," I said.
The jailer hurriedly handed me a mug of water, and I was delighted to drink.
- Mistress, it's..." the man said, "frightened," to the inquirer...
I nodded, and he hurriedly pulled the prison door, letting me out. And I sighed with relief when I left, surrounded again by armed guards. I was led into a large room, with a massive table by the window and a plump man in a velvet chair. I looked at his aura with curiosity. A magician. Weak. The guards lined the wall, carefully hiding their eyes from me.
I stopped at the center of the room. Plyugaby jumped up, fidgety grabbed a long scroll from the table and began to read the list of charges. It was an impressive list, I must say. I even listened. Having finished reading, the inquirer fearfully mowed his eyes at me, looked at the guards and finished:
- By order of our Honorable Mayor, Mr. Krunt, for all the atrocities and destruction done, as well as the use of forbidden magic, the accused is to be burned at the stake, followed by the scattering of ashes in the wind ...
Everyone looked at me.
I thought about what I heard and tried to understand how I felt about it. Um...
The door didn't open, it just flew away from the kick. The guards bristled with swords and spears, but the Archarrion did not even look at them. He approached me calmly, looked at me as if he were looking for deadly wounds, and nodded.
- Let's get out of here," he said.
The inquirer jumped from his seat.
- What do you mean, let's get out of here? - He screamed, shaking the scrolls," he said, "where did we go? We have to burn it, don't we?
- Who? The Archarrion was interested.
- Me," I explained. A dozen more guards ran into the room, stomping. They were already wearing rings and helmets. The room had become crowded and stuffy with many people. I wanted to get some air.
The archpriest thoughtfully examined the heavily breathing armed men and approached the interrogator.
- We will leave now," he said softly, "and you will not only look the other way but also pray to all your gods that we do not change our minds. Do you understand?
It was clear to the inquirer. Under the dark gaze of this eerie visitor, he was instantly enveloped in a sticky fear, bu
t at the same time he understood that the guards were looking at him, and his authority was rapidly falling down ...
- Who the hell are you? - He was outraged by the last of his powers. The Archarrion was silent. And then the interrogator was distorted, he became not pale - green, and collapsed into his chair. But he jumped immediately, bowing down in a deep bow.
- Lord of Darkness," he whispered with his white lips. Maybe he's not such a bad magician.
As we left, the guards pressed into the walls as hard as they could, dreaming of merging with their surroundings.
* * *
The streets of the Dark Dawl were already bustling with the usual city fuss. Maybe a little busier than usual, because the city was already whispering and talking about the news.
We were walking silently, not looking at each other. I thought we would get to our pub, but then the Archarrion stopped and turned to me.
- You've had a good time... having fun," he said, looking carefully at me. I shrugged my shoulders," he said.
- I wanted to apologise," he cried out, "and I had too much yesterday. I told you some nonsense," he said. I was just angry when I sensed your presence. And this elven fierce... It works strangely, you know... I hope I haven't offended you?
I looked up at him and said completely calmly.
- No. You didn't hurt me.
He didn't say anything, still looking at me.
- So you don't care, then?
- Yes. I don't care," I said, and went to the pub.
****
When I washed my face and braids were covered, Xenia appeared. She glimpsed me and greedily grabbed a jug of water. I got noisily drunk.
- I thought you were still asleep," she said.
- I'm awake now," I replied.
- Yeah..." her friend said, staring out the window.
- Are you going to have breakfast?
- What? - She looked surprised, - ah, yes... Come on.
It was empty downstairs. The dwarves woke up and left, taking their shoo, no elves either. Only in the corner were two men sitting and quickly washed away the porridge. And then they left just as quickly.
I wasn't hungry, so I pulled a herbalist and picked a bun. Ksenia, surprisingly, also looked at the food without appetite. Danila came up, fell on the bench and greedily fell to the decanter with water.
- Yes," I sniffed, "you seem to have picked up well yesterday.
They twitched, looked frightened and turned away. I sighed. That's right, they were fighting again. How much can you do?
Lord Darrell came in off the street for some reason and sat down for breakfast, too. He was in a bad mood, though, looking at his bowl of porridge with a strange dislike, as if she'd done something to him.
The master of the pub was angry at us, and then he couldn't stand it and came up. He was torn apart by the desire to discuss the morning gossip, and there was no one in the pub but us, the gloomy ones. The bouncer and he went to help the cook to carry a heavy basket of provisions. So, having wrinkled at our table, and waving a canvas of crumbs, the man mysteriously uttered:
- Did you hear what happened in the trading rows today?
We shook our heads without much interest. But that was all the man needed. He sat down on the shop next to Xenia and made a mysterious face.
- So the witch showed up scary! - With a mysterious voice, he announced, can you imagine? She came down this morning on a dragon and blew up half a block! What she hadn't burned, what she hadn't destroyed, what she hadn't destroyed, she was cursed by a terrible curse! Terrible, like the Abyss itself, the hair of snakes curls and out of the eyes of lightning!!!
- Huh? And where is that witch now? - Lord Darrell indifferently asked.
- So she flew back," the innkeeper was surprised at the silly question, "and finally commanded that magic should be returned to the Dark Dol so that ordinary people would not suffer... There!
- What, she said so? - I seriously asked.
- That's right! The butcher told me. And the butcher, and the miller, and the miller heard everything and saw with his own eyes! And he's a serious man, he won't lie for any mats...
The owner of the pub was still sitting, looking at us with joyful anticipation. But there were no shouts of shock.
- It doesn't make any sense," Shaider said, wriggling.
- It's not nonsense, but the truth," said the man, "the most natural witch was! Come and see what's happened to the trading rows! No, you go if you don't believe me! There's nothing left! And half of the city wall has never been... No, look at that! - The man was hot, patting his canvas on the table.
- Yes, we do, we do," said Shaider, "in a completely unbelievable tone of voice, as long as the man's backward, "we'll finish this and be sure to go... and see.
New visitors came into the pub, loudly calling for the master, and the man ran towards them. There seemed to be more interested and grateful listeners.
- Why, all of a sudden, really, a witch? - smearing porridge on a plate, Danila said.
Lord Darrell wince again, and Xenia snorting.
- Let's get ready," Shaider said as he got up, "stop sitting around and let's get going.
- Where's Archarrion? - Xenia asked.
- He'll catch up," Lord Darrell answered and went to the stairs, throwing a coin on the table for our breakfast.
* * *
Already on the road I was covered with a wave of late repentance, and weakness fell on me. And I was wondering, why after such a throw of Power, I still feel quite good? But as soon as I left town, the devastation literally crushed me, so powerful that I could not even resist. All I could do was to hurry, crawl to the nearest tree and stumble into it with my forehead. My friends, of course, overwhelmed me, even tried to drag me away from the tree without knowing what was wrong with me. All I could do was ask them to leave me alone for a while. Fortunately, the companions got used to my strangeness, and left me silently, settled down in the clearing and even started a fire.
Only Lord Darrell frowned and shook his head, looking at me. And his answer about "light unexpected dizziness" was not satisfactory. Even without a reserve, an experienced magician couldn't help but guess why I was devastated. But he wouldn't ask me why I was grateful to him.
As I wrapped my head around the roots of the tree, I thought about how easy it was for me to release devastating vortices this morning. And how strong were they... Is the power of pain so much more powerful than the power of life and good memories?
And how could I think so easily about destroying the city? I didn't, of course, but I did. So the Archarrion was right when he said that the Darkness lives in all of us.
But I didn't want to think about him. I didn't even know how I felt now that he wasn't with us. Shaider said he would catch up, but I realized that the Archarrion just didn't say goodbye, so he left for Chaos as he was going to. Xenya and Danila obviously got upset. They must have been calmer with Archharrion and his Akanars.
And I... I don't know. I guess I was safer without him. Anything to do with him was too painful for me. Now I didn't even feel his presence, nothing at all. Maybe the distance, maybe the demon hid his feelings too well from me.
I closed my eyes listening to the voice of the forest. How nice and easy it was to be a bird. Or a beast. Or even a wild finch! You can just reach for the sun, drink moisture, not think...
It was raining on the tops of the trees, and although it was almost dry under the spruce, I couldn't wait to warm up Echo. But I didn't want to get out of my hiding place, and I was lying there, lazily looking at how the rainwater was gathering on the branch, and then sliding deafly into the foreleaved leaves. Above the needles shone webs of threads of Power, bluish, but rather pale, so the Source is far away. I imagined myself a rain drop, clear and cold and floated through the air, clinging to the blue thread. Further and further, over the wet trees, over the overflowed river, over the reed bank... Even further...
- Chickenpox, come on, you're gonna be all stiff.
I opened my eyes, confusedly looking under the fir Shider. He sat next to me and frowned.
- Is there anything you want to tell me? - He asked.
I sadly sat down, pulled my knees up to my chest. There was too little room under the paws for two.
- Schader, how does an elf twirl work? - I asked.
He was surprised Lord Darrell wouldn't expect such a question. And for some reason, he was embarrassed.
- Hmm... Well, how can I explain... They say, in capable hands, the elf can awaken true feelings, open the heart and reveal the hidden. It awakens desires and feelings, as well as elven wine, awakens consciousness, makes you dream of the impossible. At one time, the violin was even forbidden, it was believed that with the help of this music can influence the consciousness. I don't know how true it is... Maybe it's because this music is beautiful and you don't have to look for magic here.
I have thoughtfully considered the intertwining of needles. Shyder, squinting at me.
- And the flute can also awaken memories," he added. A cold rain drop fell from a branch and slapped me on the cheek. Shaider reached out and gently waved his finger at her. And he sighed.
- Come on, it's cold in here. Danila's learning how to put a heating dome, he's even good at it. Just make sure he doesn't overdo it and burn down the forest.
I smiled, and we came out from under the tree. There was a dome in the clearing, and really. It was not very stable and had gaps from which water flowed like from a hole in a canopy, but still better than nothing! And on the little patch near the fire it became dry and warm at all, even shy yellow balls of forest flowers slipped from the ground.
Danila sat satisfied, and sprayed in a smile as we approached.
- Lord Darrell, it worked! - He exclaimed joyfully," he said, "I've done as you said, I've imagined it all, and I'm glad! Roof!
The Wind of the North Page 47