- What the hell are they? - Spider didn't understand, did she write down the cake recipes with the runes? That's ridiculous!
The part of the text that really resembled a manual for smokers, a glorious researcher, it seems, decided to laugh at his descendants, or maybe just survived the madness. Because on a few sheets of paper she carefully listed the ingredients that should be combined and mixed, and then very long described her frustration and pain because it is impossible to mix and combine all this. And though we persistently searched for a rational grain and meaning in this heap of empty phrases and runes, it became clearer and clearer to us that written, only the fruit of a sick fantasy man, already seeing before him eternity.
- Is that what it is? - Lord Darrell resented, biting the tip of the pen, "To take the original fetus, which is nowhere to be found, and to find no one that has absorbed time and hidden the spirits of the earth. Which will be found by the one who does not seek, and will take the one who does not need." Is that what it means? Bullshit... Or here: "Add marshmallow, once alive and willingly came from eternity. Weaving braids, hugging without hands, warming without heat." Chickenpox, do you understand anything? And then it's even more fun: "to dilute with that which was solid and became liquid, that which is given as a gift and is the essence."
- My head is about to explode," I said sadly, "has Amalia always been so mysterious?
- On the contrary, her treatises were remarkably clear and logical! In my youth I read her studies, she was my idol! And I was very sad that on the slope of the years, this amazing woman moved away from the world, writing research has ceased, and talked, went crazy. Claimed the terrible intrigue of the Abyss leading the world to perdition, the broken balance, that it is necessary to destroy this world to start all over again. Did you see the wanderers on the roads? Hanging amulets, barefoot, with a detached smile on their face? Those are her followers. Promising everyone Eternity and a new life after the Boundary. They call themselves the "Renaissance". They call it back to its roots. Fanatics, what would their... Saan Moon Khur!
I remembered seeing people like that when we came out of the overlap near the Dark Dol. Then I felt sorry for those strangers who had been dirtyed by the travelers, both ordinary and verbal.
- What else was there to make out? - I looked into the yellow parchment.
- Oh, I can't imagine it any further! An entire sheet describes something magical and completely incomprehensible! That rune means "truth," see? This one, the double one, can mean two processes of "burning" and "captivating," what's your favorite meaning? - I snorted, Lord Darrell shook his head, and that's what I mean. And that's something that also lives inside and blooms above the heart, that's what warms up everything that's been described before! Cherran gokhir! Amazing absurdity!
- Maybe it's a burning pepper," I smiled, "and we're really beating the cake recipe. Maybe Amalia finally decided to laugh at her admirers, to have fun, and now she's laughing across the border, presenting our angry faces.
- Who knows her, maybe, Lord Darrell sat down in his chair and rubbed his hands on his tired eyes. And he looked angrily at the remaining sheets of notes.
- Schader, don't despair," I tried to cheer him up, "maybe when you've deciphered the rest of the text, you'll understand. What if Amalia left a hint or an instruction at the end? Or the phrase: I'm sorry, descendants, the joke didn't work?
- I wouldn't be surprised," said Lord Darrell, frowning.
* * *
In the evening, I went to my rooms right after dinner. I sat there, pondering the strange riddles of yellow parchment. And I deliberately fell asleep in my chair without taking off my grey dress.
And in the morning, she opened her eyes in her bed. Again. And without her dress. In one undershirt.
And that's when I got angry. I got dressed and washed in a few moments, my hair didn't even spill. I pulled out the crystal pendant hidden in the closet - the portal. And why did I have no doubt that it would work? It worked.
I fell into darkness, and in moments I was in Chaos, the same place I left the last time. It was quiet and empty in the hallway of the palace, the sun rising slowly behind the huge stained-glass windows, painting the space with flashes of firelight.
I pushed the door, no doubt that the Archpriest had already heard me.
He was sitting in the chair with his legs stretched out, looking at the door, at the face of no emotion.
- How do you get through? - From the doorstep I asked, glumly looking at him, why does the shield let you through?
He didn't answer, and I suddenly guessed. Archa. Of course you did! A drop of true fire, part of it! I was putting up a shield around Riverstein when I was wearing a drop of his fire, or rather I was wearing it. The shield sees the Archarrion as part of me...
- Smart girl," he said, calmly, understanding everything in my face.
- Did you... did you do this on purpose? Did you give it to me on purpose?
He got up, came up, and kept an eye on me.
- No. Not on purpose. He wanted to give me a gift. I have nothing more valuable than the Archaea... And the fact that I can always go where you are, it's... well, let's just say, uh... it's an accident.
An accident? I don't think so...
- You... you... I choked to death from the emotion that came over me. I remembered how many nights I spent in my pillow.
- I didn't come, he figured it out again. Is it really that easy to understand my feelings in my face?
- I don't believe it," I whispered.
- Have I ever lied to you? - I didn't like the fact that you gave me so much strength yesterday," Rion said sharply. I just made sure that you were all right.
- And today?
Something flashed in his eyes that made me blush.
- Archa," I said, raising my hand. The fire lizard slipped in the palm of my hand and clogged itself, feeling beside its true master," he said.
He shook his head. I wanted to sink my legs like a little girl and yell. Or I wanted to hit him with something heavy.
- Vetriana, Archa will stay with you," he said calmly, "you have no idea how vulnerable you are. You don't know what's going on around you, or where the catch is coming from. You believe that your strength is enough to protect you," he shook his head, "your friends will not help you if one day the Empire decides to take your Source into its hands. Or you. And you naively believe everything you're told. I'm trying to protect you, but you're very stubborn in your... beliefs!
He walked away from me, poured wine in a high cup. His face is calm, his hands are confident.
- But the Emperor said he was ready to support me in every way," I said a little confusedly, "and elves from Elloar are already studying at our school...
He smiled mockingly.
- I'm sure he did. Even from noble families, I'm sure. Chickenpox, Anvarius Erolion is no good uncle, ready to grow a puddle in front of the new Guardian. He's smiling now, but he'll try to strengthen ties with Riverstein in the future. For example, your marriage to one of the Guardians of the Circle of Light would be a very good solution for the Empire.
I was stunned by the silence. I didn't want to believe that I was being manipulated. And yet, I couldn't help but admit that what Rion said made sense...
- Your friends," he grinned at the word "friends", "can't protect you, Vetriana. They are of no use to you, only to be confused under your feet. At the ball Daharhar could kill you, maim you, or captivate you, while your defender, the Faceless, was practicing his sword. And he would be free just in time for your cold corpse. And even your power would not have helped. A good and quick blade of cold would not help. Besides, you can't kill. Not even for protection.
- Do you know what happened at the ball? - I pissed myself off.
The Archarrion shook his head as if amazed at my naivety. Sawed off the wine, put the cup on the table. He came up.
I was staring into his dark eyes.
- Rion, do you want to get a new Source for Chaos, too?
He froze for a moment, and then he laughed.
- Of course," he said, "that's exactly what I want.
He pressed me against him, wrapped my hair in the palm of his hand, making me put my head back, kissed my lips. He bit my lip hard, without caress, painfully, but immediately began to lick the bite gently with his tongue, as if apologizing. His hand pressed me so tightly that I could not move, feeling how hot he was and even without merging, feeling his wild desire. I guess I could have pushed him away. I could have let the cold out, but I didn't even think about it. And if he hadn't held my hands, I would have put my palms in his hair to draw even closer...
He let me go and moved away.
- Demons can't use the power of other Sources, the Veteran," he said, looking at my swollen lips from his kiss, "we can only recover from them, but we need a maze to live and turn. For a keeper, you're surprisingly ignorant of basic things. But I will think about your proposal.
His gaze slipped over me so that I could feel it almost physically. He took off my lips and looked into my eyes. We just looked at each other and kept quiet. Not... not just, though. Is it possible to look in such a way that no words are needed, so that he takes his breath and his mind shuts down, leaving only a crazy, incredible attraction, so strong that it is impossible to resist him? I want to give up, fall into this abyss, forget about everything. To throw away the unnecessary rag of pride, duty, freedom, obligation, to forget, to dissolve, to feel these hard lips and hands that can be so tender that one wants to cry... To become anyone, just to be near... We were pulled to each other so that we had to clench our teeth and bite our lips to blood to resist. Oh, heaven, I sincerely believed it was all about merging... what merger when there is one?!
He drew with his finger the contour of my lips, and I felt his hand tremble and how tense his body was.
- The Archaus will stay with you, Vetriana," he said quietly, "and I will come... when you call me.
I clenched my teeth and moved away. You can't... Because someone behind my back is calling by name, reminding me. "Tyara," she says, "my Wind of the North..."
- Archa is another collar, Rion," I answered quietly, "if you don't understand, that's why I left. You're trying to control me again, you want to put me in a chain and decide how I live. Surprisingly, everyone around me seems to know exactly what's best for me. Except for me, of course! What makes you different from the Emperor? Everyone pursues their own goals, and everyone tries to use me to their advantage. And I can't live like this. I'll never be able to live like this. Yes, I guess I'm naive, I don't understand your intrigues, I believe in friendly smiles... But I know for sure: I won't let anyone decide my fate.
There was anger in his dark eyes.
- I'm trying to protect you, Vetriana. Even if you stubbornly don't want to see the dangers, I can't help but see them. You're just amazingly stubborn!
- There's nothing threatening me in Riverstein!
- Really? Are you hoping to sit behind the castle shield all your life? Or do you hope for your protectors? - He smiled mockingly.
- I just want to live my life! - desperate, I said.
- So live it," said Archarrion, keeping an eye on me for now.
- For now what? - I choked," you... you...
- Yes," said the Archpriest, "I am quite in line with all the epithets that your well-mannered mouth can't pronounce. I've already understood.
I think I hated him after all.
- Rion," I said slowly, "don't come again.
- Should I listen to you? - He was lazy.
I turned around, squeezed the suspension, and stepped into the portal.
* * *
And there were other news for me in Riverstein. Antashar said he must leave the castle and return to the Valley of Oblivion.
- But Lord of the Souls... I started to get scared.
- Ram Saa Ten is dead," said the Faceless without emotion, "as did the first shadow. And the Valley of Oblivion, though it retains its, er...some autonomy, is now officially subject to Chaos. The Empire has chosen to turn a blind eye to this.
I awoke, and I pressed my palm to my lips. I had a memory of us standing in a marble hall and faceless people sliding toward us from all sides. As the Archarrion turns and opens the passage of darkness. How he throws his way out: "Answer for this, Ram Saa Ten..."
Now the Archharrion has fulfilled his promise, and at the same time he has removed Antashar from Riverstein. And even practically made the Lord of the Faceless, though under his control...
Antashar remembered that, too, and he sighed.
- Dad shouldn't have gone up against the Ruler of Chaos, it was stupid. Inexcusable. He spent too many years in recluse, immersed in a world of shadows that replaced him with living people. Immersed in the darkness long ago... it's time to go out into the world.
- Ah, - I squeezed his palm, - I'm sorry...
- I was never close to my father, Vetriana. I don't know how I feel anymore, but I'm going to have to leave Riverstein," he sighed, "and it turns out that I'm now the first heir to the Dark Driven Clan. And also... If Solmeius agrees, I want to take her with me.
I looked carefully into the silver eyes, and Antashar smiled.
- Of course," I sighed, "she will be better off in the Valley of Oblivion than in Riverstein. But if you hurt Solmeius, I will punish you," I said with a finger.
- I'm afraid," he replied seriously, "but I won't hurt you.
That's how my two friends left Riverstein, and the breakup was hard for me. I sighed and almost cried as Shyder opened the siren and faceless portal. And the weather outside the castle walls was in my mood: the wind in the chimneys of the fire, the blizzard sweeping the area, angry and knocking down random travelers. I was angry with the guns and cried with white flakes of snow.
- Chickenpox," Solmy smiled at me, "we'll be back," she said. We'll put up a portal and visit you. I hope to learn something more from your school. It is high time we expanded our knowledge, they teach us almost nothing. And there are so many interesting things in the world! I just feel very bad without water," she sighed, "the Lake of Oblivion in the valley is almost as big as Im, and as warm... Beautiful," her eyes shone in anticipation.
I remembered how I missed Riverstein in Chaos and nodded with understanding.
- Promise me you'll come and visit me," I sighed.
- Of course I will! Thank you," she hugged me, and I was surprised. Solomyia was not inclined to such obvious feelings. Antashar hugged me goodbye too, but this time without any temptation. But then I couldn't help myself.
- Don't be sad, my sweet," he whispered, "you will miss me, call me...
I frowned, and he laughed.
- I was just kidding, and he stroked me over the head like a little one.
- Alas, I have nothing to shine with you," he said cunningly, "your heart, your keeper, you will never give me...
He made such an unhappy face that I couldn't stand it and laughed.
- Ahn, I don't think you want my heart," I smiled.
- Yes, I am much better at handling... other parts of my body," smiled faceless. I knocked him on the head. Some people don't change, and I think I'm glad about it.
* * *
I'm sleeping in a chair. Out of danger, I guess.
And in the morning I woke up... in a chair, too. My body calmed down from an uncomfortable posture, my head was heavy, and I felt broken and not rested. And I also wanted to cry. I guess it was just a feeling of my own stupidity.
Chapter 32.
Without Antashar and Solmea, the castle was somehow quieter and darker. But, of course, only by my feeling. In addition, Danila left Riverstein, set up the remaining portals, and with him went Xenia, under the pretext that "this fool and dummy can not cope without her. I was a little sad, realizing that my friend in the first place is no longer our friendship as children, but the adult love of her. And at the same time, I was happy, knowing that this is the right thing to do. However, there was no time to be bored, t
he learning process was gaining momentum, throwing me and Shider all the new tasks.
I was actively engaged in the arrangement of the second wing, knowing that the old will not fit all. I penetrated into the curriculum, and most importantly, myself, in an accelerated pace trying to read and teach, because the magical knowledge of the same little elves times ahead of me. I grew up in a world where there was no magic, and now I was trying to catch up, understand, comprehend, understand and learn. And all of this in the shortest possible time, because I didn't like feeling like a naive fool.
There were a few more mentors in Riverstein from Elloar, old friends of Shider's. Everybody treated me warmly and answered my endless questions with a smile. Probably not one of our students asked them so many questions...
Lord Darrell laughed and gently joked at me, calling me the "curious magpie," and recalled that the shelter's mentors had once locked me in a closet for being so curious. I snorted at his words and stuck my nose in books again.
I was worried about Schyder's behavior. No, he didn't allow any liberties, and he was still extremely delicate, but he was increasingly speaking instead of "I," "we," his eyes getting more persistent and his touches hotter. Just a little bit, on an extra touch, on a hotter note, in my opinion, but these changes were felt by me and others. I didn't like the way Tiana smiled meaningfully and understandably when we left the office in the evenings to take apart yellow parchments or old folio again. I didn't like that the small space in the office seemed too crowded to me, and that Schader was too close each time. He leaned over me as I read, looked over my shoulder, and I could feel his breath on my temple. He was joking, but that breath was too eloquent to interrupt, too hard, and touched my hair hard and too hot. He touched my shoulders and hands, inadvertently, carelessly, but behind this carelessness was a painful need to touch, the need to feel, feel, have ...
And immediately he retreated, feeling my tension, joking again, and I was afraid to look into his green eyes, afraid to see the look after which it will no longer be possible to pretend that we are just friends. I was afraid that one day he would get tired of waiting and Shyder would cross the line that still separated us from the need to recognize the obvious.
The Wind of the North Page 71