«You said that I put a spell on the door, which would not allow anyone to enter or notice this house at all.»
«If our so-called colleagues were not aimed to break me in a shredder, then this night we could sleep well. They, like locust, make a raid at the most unexpected hour, and they are able to crawl at least into a keyhole. Envious competitors are always ready to destroy the one who has achieved success.»
«Success?» in the voice of the spoken was heard an indignation. «The former allies are about to arrange the court over us.»
«They don’t arrange, until they caught us, and in this their chances are zero,» said Vincent. «They envy to those who retain youth and independence. Listen attentively, Arno, when I was born, this city has not yet been on the face of the earth. The kingdoms underlying from here began to form only many years after I ran away from our famous school. To have obedient mortal servants is much more profitable than allies from our environment. Among the pirates and smugglers are full of people faithful to me who are happy to serve the sorcerer. Tomorrow at night in our secret harbor you are waiting for boats with a commodity. I go to the fortress and gamble with a lord, who manages this area. Before the midnight he will lose to me most of his possessions.
«And he will give you a lost?» Cynically asked Arno.
Yes, he will,» followed a calm, confident answer.
«How are you going to the fortress. Any guard will recognize you on the scar on the throat?»
«Let’s see,» he grinned and throws his cards on the table. They immediately swayed the fan and swept like a colorful leaf fall.
«I would like to try the happiness of the player at least once in my life,» he laughed. «For more centuries, my fate is moving up and down. There were few next decades when Fortuna smiled to me, and then they began to lay the foundation of this city wall. Already then, my accomplices foresees that Lara will be a picturesque place. Only in those days the city had not yet been the name, as long as before the builders did not appear the spirit, in the place where the quadrangular turret is shoved now.»
Vincent continued to chat. Now his voice rang in my mind, like an alarm bell. Does all this spoke that audacious, self-confident boy, who, leaving the port, promised that our new meeting would fall on the upcoming centuries? I leaned a forehead to the cold wall. How many years has passed since the galleon of prince took me from the flaming coast? The hat flew from the head, I did not even try to pick up it. My raincoat rustled in contact with the wall, and Vincent immediately broke away from his classes.
«Is there someone here?» Arno was alerted.
«I do not know. I do not feel anyone,» Vincent sniffed to the air.
«I hope this is not one of the newcomers enrolled in the school of witchcraft.»
«Oh no,» Vincent interrupted him, «not every champion could compete with me, not the newcomer.»
«Still, it is better to retain the curtains and draw a few more signs,» the accomplice advised.
«You’re right!» Vincent rose from his place and I hurriedly slid away, as fast as it could only make a shadow. I went a little aside and turned around, but I did not notice the luminous window, only a weak orange spot in the shrouded haze.
To spend so many years in the dungeon, someone has been whispered to me this seems to appeal to revenge. Even if the native kingdom had not been drawn to the ashes in my eyes, everything that I knew and loved, now it would be equal to the rush. Familiar places would have changed beyond recognition. I finally understood why Rothbart was aged so fast. One day, having made a mistake, he could no longer focus all the strength on maintaining his young posture and a little attractive face.
And I stayed all the same fearful young man.
Leaving the city, I followed the dragon. As if the silk thread led me on the smell of related, self-turning blood. The winding track slid between the hills, wetlands, where the reed and tiny lakes were crushed. I noticed a small, female shoe, laying in dust. In this place, the dragon grabbed his sacrifice. The trail ended, and I had to go on the wet from the dew grass, while the swamp did not seem. Here lived our mysterious lord.
I did not have to wait long. Knowing that he can take a more pleasant appearance, I mentally ordered him to do it. In front of me appeared a rural nobleman. If there was still no danger from him.
News in our society spread quickly as a forest fire. The marsh dragon preferred at least a bow to express his respect, and not to throw a challenge.
«Where is the girl?» I asked.
«You come a little earlier, and she would be yours,» he rummaged in a vest pocket and removed from there a sapphire bracelet and several carnelian pins. «I’m afraid, that’s all that remains from her. In Lara there is a lot of other girls who will follow you anywhere, and it was just a daughter of the money-lender, and also a cunning pretender who loved to follow at night from her window for drama unfolding on the street.
The brain seems to be lit up a flash, I saw a girl who looks with curiosity and fear how the dragon kills his sacrifice under her windows, and nodded with understanding. It is impossible to leave a single witness alive, people should not suspect our existence otherwise, as then we can get lost in the crowd with our impeccable faces and luminous eyes.
«Did you come for the established tribute?» The question suddenly invaded my thoughts, and I woke up and with arrogance looked at the owner of the swamps.
«Later, my trustee will come to you,» I explained in the harsh tone. «Do you support the connection with others… those who are something like you?»
He understood me and nodded:
«With some, but not with everyone.»
«Everyone is occupied only with his problems and his territory?» I grinned.
«We support the connection, because everyone is destined to serve one lord.»
«So, yell the rest that the laws remained the same. I will not be able to visit everyone in the near future and you will be calmer from this, you will not have to take a dangerous guest. My servant will collect tribute. And then, perhaps, I will get acquainted with everyone in turn.»
«When?»
«For seven years,» the words remembered me from the conversation in the empty city. «Maybe a little later, but I will come to them and make everyone obey my power. And there, let’s see if anyone will dare to disobey. No matter how many years have passed, I will not leave my subjects alone for municipality,» I smiled contemptuously and added. «Time has no longer power over me.»
I do not know if he caught a secret meaning hidden in this phrase. Most likely, no, because he did not know that once I was as mortal and vulnerable, like those people he abducts from the city.
Percy was delighted with the fact that I entrusted him the first responsible task and did not even ask why I went to the walls of the stone fortress, located next the masquerade’s city. I decided to get ahead of Vincent. I had a lot of hours in stock. With his exacerbated hearing, I could catch the conversations that were conducted in distant taverns. From their scraps, it became clear to me that the lord was a gambler and good luck rarely left him. Vincent chose the desired string to, playing on it, and succeed.
For me, it was no longer difficulty, again take the appearance of a golden snake, slip into a climbing ribbon along the night air and squeeze into a narrow hole of the loophole. Updating inside, again became myself, shook off the drops of the evening rain and felt a pleasant warmth from the flaming fireplace. For the guards, I remained invisible, they did not even notice me when I passed just a few steps from their posts.