Toward evening, the dark blue was covered with clouds. Tall and dense, they rushed from north to south, casting huge gray shadows on the ground. The rising wind slightly swayed the tops of the huge fir trees and sorted through the pines with shaggy curls. It got noticeably cooler. Turning off the road, Liramel launched her horse across the grass. The emerald-colored carpet breathed as if alive, and it seemed as if they were not jumping, but slowly swimming against the current towards the billowing green wave of the forest. She frowned uneasily, choking on a premonition that clenched her heart. Everything around seemed to freeze and lose its color. Lyramel had already experienced something similar the day she first met Mark, but this time the strange feeling seemed even stronger and sharper. Involuntarily whipping the horse, she pulled it into a gallop, but immediately pulled the reins. It was impossible to succumb to fear… “Even if you are stronger than the enemy, fear will make

The maid Liramel had sent to fetch her brother an hour ago hadn't returned. It was already getting dark outside the window, and long bluish shadows lay on the white carpet, stretching all the way to the fireplace. June came into its own smoothly, but early spring has long fluffed the grass and covered the apple orchard with fragrant clover. Now the cats were almost invisible: during the day they dispersed in search of shade, and at night only a sharp-sighted owl could see them. It had been a month and a half since their return from Lausens, and exactly a month since Liramel had last seen Karl. He was dissatisfied with her decision to send Yakir to Varut and began defiantly avoiding any meetings and explanations. At first she also endured her temper, but then she became melancholy and even sank to the point that she sent Linnie to watch her brother, and for the last three days she herself climbed the secret staircase to his chambers and knocked until her hands went numb. But Karl

Tarham felt that he was missing something important, but he could not catch the right thought, as if someone had thoroughly worked with his mind. However, none of the Initiates had such power. Nevertheless, as soon as it seemed that a little more - and Karl's actions would become clear, the built-up chain collapsed. The move with Liramel was quite predictable. As expected, Lirdan's son wanted to send his sister away and find out who was behind the assassination, and at the same time advance his plan with Lord Varuta. He acted consistently, but Tarham did not understand his interest in the northern borders. Why Karl needed to control the Secret Intelligence Service and what he was trying to do behind the back of the Order, also could not be figured out. Even the younger brother failed, missing one of the messengers: the son of Lirdan removed the witness before he could reach him, Groaning, he got up and sat heavily on the edge of the bed. My legs ached so much that I wanted to cut t

The rains had painted the sky a dank gray and turned the roads into a mess. For the fourth day, a thunderstorm raged over Lausens.Throwing on a cloak, Ali-Nari pulled her hair under her hood and went out onto the balcony. The wind blew cold spray from the railing in her face, so she had to stop just outside the door. From everything it was clear that it would not be possible to continue the journey before next week: even empty trade wagons were stuck at the entrances to the fortress tightly. Only horsemen managed to get to the tract, and even then with difficulty.The mood that reigned in their small company was so bad that Ali already regretted that she had gone. Liramel did not want to see anyone and spent all the time in her room. Angry and irritable at the beginning of the journey, she soon plunged into a state of complete indifference. Not once in recent days did a smile appear on her face, although Aunt Falinor did her best to cheer up her niece.From Paraman, Ali heard in gene

Carefully placing a female wax figurine on the windowsill, the tall, fair-haired man ran his bony fingers over it once more and whispered something. His eyes rolled unnaturally, and the skin on his white, sunken cheeks turned blue and stretched, outlining his cheekbones and the network of blood vessels at his temples. He stood motionless for a minute, then opened his eyes and looked around as if searching for something. Surprise and a strange, incredulous joy reflected on his face. Looking up at the dark ceiling, he uttered a couple of sharp words, more like a croak, and laughed out loud. Opening her eyes, Lyramel immediately threw off her cloak, which was soaking through, and shivered in the chill. She fell asleep at dawn, never waiting for Tory to take over from her post. Even the downpour that rinsed the forest from the first to the last leaf, and he did not manage to wake her from a viscous strange nightmare. "It's all tiredness and cold," she thought, getting up and walking