I will go! Lewis was the first to shout. «I cant send my faithful friend on a dangerous journey myself!»
And Ill go! said Nermall.
Youre already old! said Councilor Wind.
Yes, but I will give most of the young people a head start. I taught Still a lot, but I didnt pass on a lot of knowledge to him.
Ill go too!
And I!
And I want to go!
Many warriors hands reached up.
We cant send a large detachment! Dinor laughed. «Even a blind sentry will notice such a detachment.» Colonel Darsu, choose the best.
I myself wouldnt mind going for the princes Still! Colonel Darsu said.
No, Colonel. You, together with Advisor Wind, will prepare our troops for war. No one can say for sure whether this book exists. We cant bet all our cards on just the lost elven tome!
***
Still had a fair amount of wine. But the girl who was brought to his bed dispelled his intoxication for a while.
What is your name? the young man asked, stroking the blond, curly-haired beautys chin.
Does it matter? Men never asked my name. And I dont care what your name is. The main thing is that the money is paid!
She tore off the princes shirt. And then they loved each other.
***
Stills head was pounding. He barely opened his eyes, wanting to take a leak. The blonde girl next to him was awake. She whispered words in an unknown language. Seeing that Still was awake, she attacked him. Tenacious fingers squeezed his neck. Touching the amulet Lewis gave her, she hissed.
What kind of strange amulet is this? she asked.
Who sent you? asked Still, instantly sobering up.
The one who will take the throne when you die! she again reached for the princes neck, but Still grabbed the sword that was lying nearby and brought it to the attackers neck.
Guards! Still shouted. Valin entered the room.
Valin, take her to prison. Shes a witch!
The girl threw her cloak over her naked body. Valin glanced at her every now and then as he led the captive through the corridors.
You wont arrest me, will you? Really, handsome? Im a poor defenseless girl. Do you know what atrocities Still did to me? And when he got tired of me, he threw me away like an old toy. Spoiled child!
She threw off her cloak with an imperceptible movement. Valin looked at the naked body of the prostitute, unable to utter a word. He is the only one from the guard who has not found a bride, so the blonde turned his head.
Come on, be brave! the prostitute put Valins palm on her chest. And with an imperceptible movement of her hand, she grabbed a dagger and plunged it into the soldiers chest. She took a bunch of keys and opened one of the dungeons.
Eleanor? Jim was surprised.
You betrayed Silver. «You wont live to see the morning for this,» said the blonde. A dagger was stabbed into the bandits chest. Jim never lived to see his execution. And Eleanor ran away.
Chapter 5. Exile
The sun was rising, painting the gray sky with all the colors of the rainbow. The summer turned out to be cool. The nightingale sang, breaking the silence of the sleeping deciduous forest. It was as if he was trying to tell the aspens and oaks: «Stop sleeping! Sony! Look how beautiful the world around you is. Get up, have fun, enjoy life!» It smelled like grass.
All that was left of the once lush, endless forest was a small island covered with trees. These places are called Clearings.
Silver set a pack of trained dogs on the trail of a wild boar. His crossbow is ready. A shadow similar to an animal will flash, and he will immediately release a crossbow bolt. His arrows are special, they are enchanted with magic. Therefore, the Morelian king rarely missed his target. He sniffed, using the sense of smell of one of the dogs, and fired an arrow. The boar roared and rushed straight at him. Then Silver, with an equally furious cry, took out his sword and rushed at the maddened animal. One wave of his hand, and the boars head rolled on the ground, cut off by a sword covered with magical runes.
He dipped his fingers into the hot blood and licked the life-giving liquid. It contains all the power of the being. Without blood there is no life.
Silver felt the call. Concentrating, he created a sphere that fit in the palm of his hand. The image of a woman appeared in this ball.
Hello, Lord! she said.
Hello, Eleanor! Whats going on?
Master, I carried out your order. Jim is dead. Can I go back?
For what? I need a man in Tivol.
But they will look for me! The guards saw my face and now Im not safe. I also miss you. I want to see you not only in the cold glass of the palantir.
«You should stay,» Silver said.
Dont you miss me at all?
Silver was silent.
Do you really not love me at all?
You know who my heart belongs to.
The image of Eleanor disappeared, but Silver knew that the woman in her hearts threw the glass ball, and it rolled on the grass.
«I will show you what Regattas love is worth! I will punish this witch!» I think Eleanor said something in this style. Silver smiled. Shouldnt he know the value of this womans love? For her sake, he left his fathers house. Suthering is always in a state of readiness for war with Morelia. Silvers father disowned him when he learned that the prince was engaged to the Queen of Morelia. Dinor cursed his eldest son.
So Silver lost his family for the sake of his beloved. He tried to remember the faces of his father and brother, but he couldnt. Its like someone erased the past. What remained was an all-consuming love, which did not fade away over the years, but became stronger.
The sphere on Silvers hand disappeared. Danny, one of the generals, spoke up.
Silver, I dont understand how you do this? I have been accustomed to magic since childhood. I am not surprised by palantirs and other balls that allow you to see through space and time. But you dont even need a glass ball!
Objects are nothing. The main thing is their essence, the main thing is what they hide inside, what they are intended for. Once I held the palantir in my hand, I understood its essence, structure and purpose. And now I just need to revive this subject in my memory. Knowing the essence is more important than the subject itself. One day I will understand people, and then there will be no barriers left in front of me.
Silver closed his eyes, and another person appeared out of thin air next to him, Dannys double.
Sometimes it seems to me that I already understand people. But then I realize Im wrong.
The generals double disappeared in the same way as he appeared dissolving into thin air.
You know, Silver, sometimes Im afraid of you. I dont envy your enemies!
Im sometimes afraid of myself! said Silver. And then he took out a pendant from his breast pocket. He opened it, and in it was a small image of a woman, drawn by one artist.
Okay, its time to go home. The regatta is probably already exhausted. I didnt tell her I was going hunting. Order the slaves to take the boar, and lets go home!
Chapter 6. First step
The hardest thing is to take the first step. You look at your feet uncertainly and think, think, think You imagine the dangers that await you on the way. Friends, and especially envious people, who do not want to change anything in life, who are afraid, but dream of living better, talk about the horrors that await you. And now you are shifting unsteadily from foot to foot, scratching the back of your head, and saying: «Do I need this? Isnt it better to live without changes, quietly, calmly?» So you threw the bag that was hanging over your shoulders onto the floor. He sat down at the table and poured some wine. Then again, and again. And so on ad infinitum. Then old age will come, and you will think: «Maybe it was worth going on a journey? Maybe it would be better? You cant go back to the past. The past is a wall, once its built, you cant go back, and if you want to break it, you can lose your future.