The vampire felt the cold, cruelty and indifference of this creature with all his skin. Even from a distance. And he was afraid to imagine how Julia felt, who was so close to him.
And the thought of what he would have to do filled a man with horror and disgust.
But the hero is not the one who's not afraid of anything. He's the one who overcomes everything in his path. Including his fear and his disgust...
And Mechislav rushed to escape. To the place where the two of them fought. He saw that his name wouldn't last long. Even now Julia was as pale as death. And the villain seemed to be pouring more and more power by the minute. It became brighter and clearer. A little more, and...
But it hasn't come much yet.
The vampire approached carefully, trying not to get hit. He sighed, gathering his strength.
And he did the only thing he could.
He gently ruptured a vein with fangs on his wrist and brought a bleeding hand to Julie's lips.
It seemed like the girl couldn't see or hear anything. And a vampire almost hit her on the lips to at least a couple drops of blood to...
He couldn't even think of it.
The reality staggered and swam before his eyes, losing shape and color. And gaining new ones - the ones he wouldn't have seen and enjoyed for ages.
* * *
I thought I'd been here forever. The pain was permeating the whole body. Hopelessness and longing torn the mind and soul apart.
I know I can't win. But to give up, too...
Never!
All consciousness has focused on the face of the creature.
Pressure. Strangle. Don't let go.
Damn you, you bastard!!!
Where Mechislav came from - I never understood. And I didn't understand what he wanted from me. Why is he sticking his wrist in my face?
Despair erupted with renewed strength. I won't hold out much longer. And when I die, Mechislav will also die. But if in reality he would just die - here this creature will eat his soul too.
WHAT!?
I won't!
I WON'T!!!
The rage has flared up in me again. And I suddenly realized it was Mecislav. His blood is on my lips. And... not just his power. But also Charles's power.
Somewhere far, so far away, it's crazy, the dragon is holding us both again. Only that time I had to get Mieczysław out to my clearing. And in this one...
Well, why not?
I'm in a hurry that I have strength!
That clearing is my place. I am stronger there than many. And I want to go there. And I can go through there. Now I can. I'm strong enough. Not only can I get through, but...
I've been thinking about it, and I'm already falling into a glowing cocoon somewhere.
* * *
Death, death, death, death!!!
Ssshort, ssshort, ssshort, ssshort, ssshort, ssshort will be mine! Her body will be mine! Her soul will be mine!
The flavor of her freshness trembles at the tip of my yazssyk.
I will not consume her soul definitively, no. I'm gonna piss her off with one of my pissing services. And let her pssssssssssssss it out!
If she'd gotten to me, there wouldn't even be a need for sacrifices.
What a magnificent, tasty booty.
Upsympathetic.
And how she tries to resist.
Really, if there were any desserts like her, I'd feel bad. And she's the only one who's food. And you have to eat it before that girl goes into the piss.
Then it'll be a lot harder.
And who's that?!
Piss?!
NO!
* * *
I was falling. I was falling into nowhere. Into the unknown. And I kept clutching the snake slippery body tightly. And she kept choking me in her rings.
It seemed like a nuclear explosion wouldn't split us up either.
It just seemed like...
The fall didn't last long. The black creature enveloped me, covering my face, strangling me, not even a breath of air. There was a sticky black fog of pain and madness everywhere. And I was drowning in it. My fingers were almost flattened. And I moaned. There were tears rolling down my cheeks.
- Pocorissus! - The spike of the bastard.
- Ssssshhhh," I answered.
Snake grip's increased. And I, in the last effort, opened my eyes and saw through the veil of tears tall pines. And the blue sky. A hallucination? Or am I just dying, and my soul goes there?
And from the bottom of my heart...
- Help! Protection and help!!!
It must have been some kind of "half kingdom for a horse"! A scream of despair. I knew there wouldn't be a horse or even a goat. But... there are things above us. That's how the hounded beast screams when the hounds are already hanging on it. It screams scary and crazy. Just because accepting death in silence is too scary.
But the snake's grip suddenly weakened. I flew away as if I had been fired from a cannon and hit something with such force that it took my breath away.
And I moaned.
It hurts. It hurts so much.
I didn't seem to have a single whole bone left. But...
I'm not dying. I knew it. And I saw before me the tender greenery of my meadow, with tiny white and snow bells of lilies. My place. My shelter.
Something was going on nearby. The wind ruffled my hair, a branch of the bush bent down, stroked me on the head. And uninvited tears rolled down my cheeks.
I'm home.
I've had a lot of energy. And I rejoiced like a little kid. For only a child can be so calm and protected.
And me.
When I'm here.
My forest. My home. My temple.
A place where I will always be free and happy. And strong. It's a place where I'm generously given both strength and knowledge. So generous that I even know what and how I will pay for it. All I don't know is when. But I already agree with their price. And that's why I'm so happy here.
It's my house. Or it's me, his. Forever his.
I stumbled face to face in the grass, remembering the gently smelling lilies - and laughed with happiness. Gods, why are you so generous to me? It is an expensive gift. To know what happens to you after you die. And not to reject it. I like it here, don't you? I really like it here. From the first second, from the first time I came here...
- Julia, - Mieczysław's voice was heard.
I took off like a sting.
Shit! You bastard! How did I forget!?
But you shouldn't have thought of her. One look was more than enough for me to appreciate the whole picture.
I was lying on the edge of my beloved meadow. Next door, just one step away, there was a vampire lying there. From the look on his face, he was sick, but... tolerant. He wasn't in a hurry to ride on the grass and scream in pain.
I was just lying there.
But the one who felt bad was my recent opponent.
Just three meters from me, a huge anthracite black snake with a human face was silently squirming on the grass. I suspect it would have screamed, but the green, flexible whips of loach sprayed the beast, pressing it to the ground, tightened its mouth, and now the creature looked as if it had a haystack on it.
When I saw this, I snorted a snort.
And she tried to get off the ground. She just couldn't hold her legs. But I'm stubborn. So I'm gonna stand up. First on four points of support, and then...
Then you didn't have to.
Mieczysław got up first, gently lifted me off the ground and pressed me against him.
- Are you all right? You're alive?
- You can't wait," I whispered. My throat was scratched with pain.
When did I get to rip my voice off? I didn't seem to scream...
- And that makes me very happy.
- Yeah, you bet.
I mean, a vampire could have followed me. But Mecislav just laughed.
- Where else am I gonna find a contagion like this?
- It's you! - I flashed.
> I guess we'd fight again, but the vampire was smarter. He cleverly intercepted me, and turned me around facing the crap.
- – Я. But you have to decide what to do with it.
Mm-hmm. And most importantly, how?
The bastard was silently babbling in the mud. I looked up at the sky. On the ground. A vampire.
There was no clue from anyone.
And what do students do in that case?
That's right. It's stalling. In the meantime, I'm a student.
And I poked with a vampire's elbow.
- How did you get in here?
- With you together.
- No, where... where have we been?
- Charles did.
- Charles? I mean, he's...
I wanted to say it's dangerous that his curse won't allow that... Mecislav understood me in his own way.
- Yes. But dragons are kind of creatures. Even those that are cursed. There's a reason Alfonso da Silva wouldn't give it away.
I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't really care about the late Alfonso. On the contrary, if he hadn't died, I'd have gladly nailed him myself.
- The only good thing this evil thing did was eat Alfonso.
- I wonder if he had any heartburn. - the vampire's voice sounded like a purely academic interest.
- I don't know. Ask or what?
- Ask. I think you'll be allowed.
Mieczysław had eaten - and this shudder did not escape my attention.
- What's wrong?
- You're the one who's here. And I'm scared here.
- Why?
I was genuinely curious. Such a chic place, such a native, warm, cozy...
Mechislav was silent for a few seconds. And then he answered.
- It feels like this place is ready to absorb me and dissolve me. And I'm scared.
- You didn't tell me that last time.
- I didn't realize it myself before. And now I'm scared.
I nodded. And suddenly I... got it?
Anyway, it was an Idea. With a capital letter and a very pretty one for me.
- Do you remember what Charles told you? About the Celts?
- When?
- Oh, yeah, you weren't there... Anyway. I won't tell you everything. The important thing is that it's a snake with a human head. And it's already known. Its body consists of hundreds of souls swallowed up by the creature. Can you smell it?
- What do I smell?
I stomped with my foot.
- Slava! Don't be silly! - it turned out for some reason very right and homely. - If this creature consists of hundreds of souls, and you think that this place will attack your soul... if this place takes several thousand more souls, everyone will be only better. That's a fact.
- Oh, yeah? - A vampire's voice would've been enough for forty cunts.
- Well, why not?
- Why? For many reasons. At least... How do you do it?
I had a doubtful look at the thing.
- I don't know. Shouldn't we really talk to this creature first?
Now I've already worried about Mechislav.
- Talk to her? Talk to her? To kill her, that's all.
I really didn't want to talk to the creature. And about what?
For some reason, I wasn't at all interested in what it was, where it came from and the other delights of her autobiography. That wasn't what mattered to me.
How do you destroy this filth?
That's the question. But will he (she is!?) say it voluntarily? I wouldn't exactly say.
- And how do you kill?
I mourned the face of Mieczysław.
- You think he'll share information?
- I don't think so. But if you were protected here and helped... maybe you should just ask.
I sighed. I took a glance around the clearing. And I uttered it heartily as I looked up into the sky:
- Can you give me a hint, please? How do you kill this creature?
There were no revelations. No thunder, no lightning, not even a lake in the middle of a clearing. It was suggested that the task should be solved independently.
The bastard was also silently fighting in the green branches. I gladly looked at her. I'm sure you and your victims weren't being rude. And even after death, you don't let them go...
I remembered the whispering of thousands of voices that tormented me in the desert. And they're here, too. So can it be simple?
We should let them go free.
But how? It's easier for me to tear this shit up into parts than to make it...
And that's when I realized.
- Slava, can you help me?
- In what? - The vampire seems to have come to terms with his nickname.
- I need a scratch. I need it to bleed out.
Mechislav raised his eyebrows.
- Won't I get ripped to shreds here? I mean, it's the damage you've done...
- No. I need this. I need it. I really do.
The vampire looked me in the eye. I answered with an honest look. And he gave up.
- Okay. Give me your hand. But it's gonna hurt.
- I know.
A vampire hugged me at the waist with one hand and the other gently took my hand. Brought it to my lips. And he smiled.
- You sure I'm not gonna get ripped up in here?
- That's right.
- Then you're welcome.
And I had sharp fangs stuck in my wrist. I shrieked. But I couldn't get away and get away with it. The vampire took a few sips of my blood. And gently licked my wrist.
- Vampires have antihistamines in their saliva. It's gonna bleed for another five minutes. Is that enough?
- Behind your eyes.
I came close to the crap. Mecislav wasn't trying to hold me back. He knew I wouldn't do anything stupid. Other than that... I'm protected here. More than anywhere else.
Got down on her knees. And I looked into the black eyes, filled with anger and hatred.
- And you hate me. Even now. And it's quite mutual. I would tear you to pieces with my own hands. But that wouldn't bring back the freedom for everyone you ate. Sometimes they say the worst thing is to make all the wishes come true? I won't grant you all your wishes. But you were going to eat me, weren't you? So eat it!
And I poked my wrist with the red trickles running right into the mouth of the snake. I mean, in the mouth. My head was human...
A mad, wild howling at the hearing limit hit the ears. I moaned and bent over the grass. A vampire grabbed me by the shoulders and dragged me away from the snake. And I watched, and I saw it squirm, this time not trying to get out, but just with a lot of pain. As lumps of shadows separate from it one by one - and spread out, turning into humanoid figures.
How these figures bow in our direction - and hide in the forest.
I knew that's where they'd get a new life.
Someone's going to leave. Somebody's gonna stay here. A lot of people. This place is greedy, too. And it won't let go so easily. Somebody's gonna get dissolved without any residue at all. But even so, it's better than living as part of this evil.
Mechislav held me firmly to him.
- Do we have to inspect this?
I looked around. And the answer came by itself.
- No. It's a long time. It's eaten a lot of people. And releasing them is a very long process. We don't have to wait. We can go. And - come here again.
- Thank you, I will.
- And you won't be too welcome here.
- You don't have to. Shall we go?
I smiled. Released from the hands of a vampire. And I bowed to all four sides. Like in the gym, hands in front of my chest, a ceremonial bow without turning a blind eye.
- Thank you. And good-bye.
The wind has fondly swept in. A leaf flew out of the tree and stroked me on the cheek in passing. And I realized.
Acknowledgement accepted. They'll be waiting for me.
That's enough.
I grabbed the vampire's hand, squeezed it, and I stepped
forward.
And she opened her eyes in the gym.
It was all quiet and peaceful here. I was lying on the floor. Mecislav had his hand on my chest. Charles bent down next to me.
- Are you all right? - I asked the dragon.
- Almost. Rest and eat - and I'll be ready for new exploits. - The dragon has relaxed and fell apart on the floor. Swordsman, on the contrary, rose, picked me up and put me on my feet.
- Can you just stand there?
- More than that.
The next moment, I was just blown away by a joyous element.
- Yulka!!! Alive!!!
Vadim and Valentin flew in from different sides, picked up their hands, hugged, wrapped and twisted.
Charles relaxedly leaned back on the floor.
- Praise the Creator!
- Guys! - I screamed outrageously. - Squeeze!!! Strangle!!! Sentinel!!! Mama!!!
Yeah, where is it? When they finally let me go (about ten minutes later), I seemed to have taken a slightly different form. Clearly thinner at the waist...
And she fell to the floor, next to Charles.
- Thank you, brother.
- It's nothing, sis, the dragon smiled at me. - There's more to it than that...
- How!?
- There you go. Look over there.
The hand of the dragon pointed to the center of the hall, where Dasha Svinkina, who was once lying on the floor. She's the Priestess of a strange and scary creature. I mean, she's a pop singer...
I looked at Dosie's body lying on the floor. I got up, walked up to her, and leaned over and took off her right arm a heavy ring with a black stone.
- That's how it was.
- How?
I looked around. All my friends were standing next to me. Miecislav, Vadim, Valentin, Leonid, werewolves and vampires... and nobody was considered important and force with anyone. Or immortality. They just stood there and looked at me, waiting to hear something important... except I'm not Seville. To my great fortune.
- We'll never know the truth," I shrugged my shoulders. - I don't think she's going to share anything important with us. If she remembers what happened to her at all. Obsession is not a pound of raisins. But it seems to me that when the excavator turned the first layer of land, the ring somehow fell into her hands.
- Wasn't it in the chest or something...
- Who knows him. You could've just quit. They were afraid to touch him. Or they thought that the earth was ruinous for any black witchcraft. And then the square was paved with stones. And then it was stoned, I must say. So many centuries have passed...
Ring of Madness Page 189