City of inheritance

Soul of the city

 

Toward the end of the second seven days, the passion for killing the elemental collector and Ladai's death subsided a bit. Schools have returned to their normal schedule. Groups made up of non-adults were found to have activities that were more in line with the experiences of the people in those groups. And Liiran no longer felt like he was being bullied. Watering fields, rejuvenating gardens, and burning rubbish was still more correct than wandering from school to school all day for history lessons.

Liiran's subordinates were also, for the most part, pleased. They were surprisingly quiet and calm. Suspiciously thoughtful, of course, but the aspiring leader of the group decided not to succumb to paranoia.

Although it would not hurt to find out what they think so amicably. And then you never know what they think of. Suddenly up to something bad, and he is responsible for this?

It was this argument that became decisive when Liiran saw Khiyat purposefully walking somewhere at night looking.

Liiran chuckled and followed. Not even trying to hide. As if he, too, had to go in the same direction.

Khiyat did not pay the slightest attention to the pursuer. Thoughtful, focused on his inner world. That's how someone comes up from behind, kills, but he does not notice.

Leeran wanted to sneak up and smack that cloud-headed idiot on the head. For educational purposes. I had to restrain myself and remind him that the upbringing of all sorts of blockheads is not his duty. And smart people do not burden themselves with extra work, they try to shift their own onto other people's shoulders.

And so they went. Khiyat is dreamy, but Liiran is unhappy.

And then, a subordinate suspected of inattention at the next intersection turned sharply to the right, and when Liiran still slowly repeated his maneuver, it turned out that there was no one else to pursue. Khiyat mysteriously disappeared. Or maybe not mysterious. I just dived into the bushes growing along the road. Apparently he decided to check whether the head of the group would follow him there.

I really didn't want to climb into the bush. Therefore, Liiran made a stone face and, trying not to stare at the lilac thickets, went on. As if Hiyata did not see and was not interested in the world around him. What, the head of the group has no other problems? All that was left was to follow the subordinates.

And something must be done about paranoia, Liiran decided. Feeling like an idiot was very unpleasant.

Maybe Khiyat went on a date. Different pursuers would be completely out of place there.

The shield, knocked down from boards broken out of the fence of some warehouse, partially solved the problem with lighting. With attic lighting. In the rooms on the floors, the windows were too big, there were not enough boards to close them. And Khiyat did not want to steal yet, he barely managed to escape the last time. I couldn't buy either. Such a purchase would certainly attract attention. That's why the waterman needs boards? Repair something? Deela will definitely be asked about this.

Attention is the last thing Ladai would like to draw to his person. And this had to be dealt with. For now, as Hiyat hoped.

However, it was not worth drawing attention to this house either.

So they sat in a little room, lit by a quivering candlelight. For a working lamp in a house supposedly long uninhabited and not letting anyone in, could not help but interest a fireman passing by. The protection near the house has not yet been filled with enough energy to spend it on hiding pleasant little things, like the same lamps, or a stove. Because of this, Ladai could not even cook food for himself, he ate what his friend brought.

The atmosphere in the room was almost romantic, which forced Hiyat to hold back an inappropriate giggle. The lace bedspread on the beige sofa only added to the impression. It seemed that two cavaliers came up to some girl at once. And she, delighting them with the fact that she could not choose, went somewhere, leaving the guys to solve the problem on their own. They say whoever survives will love him. The gentlemen were in no hurry to solve the problem, preferring to think about why they needed this girl at all?

"How long are you going to hide here?" – finally made up his mind and asked Khiyat.

Ladai shrugged.

- I'm stopping you?

Hiat chuckled. The manner of a friend answering a question with a question, if he did not know the answer to it, has long ceased to anger. Rather endearing. Some things in this world don't change no matter what happens. And some people do too.

"You don't bother me," the owner of the house said patiently. I don't even live here. Just... What are you going to do next? You can't sit in an empty house all your life.

“I’m not bored,” Ladai smiled falsely.

“It’s not boring for me,” Khiyat said gloomily. “Today, Liiran was sneaking after me. Or rather, just walking. I had to hide from him in the park.

“Maybe he was walking there,” Ladai suggested indifferently.

“Maybe,” Khiyat did not argue. - But anyway...

- I'm not bored. I read here a lot. And thinking.

And how did you come up with something good?

Ladai smiled, sincerely and frighteningly.

“You have to help me,” he cheered his friend.

Khiyat looked with interest. An unexpected change of subject.

- How can I help you? he asked carefully. And you never know what this thinker thought of.

Lady smiled again. And he began to explain. Started from afar. Thoroughly and slowly.

“You see, more than one of your dads thought of writing a letter that would be brought to the addressee only after his death. I wrote too. The kindest and noblest. Should be delivered in a week...

- What's in this letter? Khiyat asked. It must have been something that his friend didn't see fit to tell him. I didn't want to stress.

“What, what…” Ladai grumbled unhappily. "Did it ever occur to you that someone should have told my dear teacher of my existence?" came? So, I absolutely know that Larn Tiika was the same person. Actually, he not only told about me, they just considered me the most promising.

— Tiika? Khiyat asked.

- Yeah. Terribly respected director of our school. Worked, you bastard. After all, his house needs repairs, and the third wife ran away. And in order to marry a fourth time, and to a young and pretty one, with his character, it is better to be a rich bachelor, and not poor, with a dilapidated house.

- And what are you going to do? Khiyat suspected the worst.

It would be better if Ladai left the house, reached the kindest and wisest Darine Atana, told about how the director of one of the schools earns a living, and let her deal with this reptile. She could. So that for two hundred years this would still be remembered. The head of the Council of the Great has a rich imagination. But this is not for Ladai. He prefers to do everything by hand. Albeit not so memorable, but its own.

“You do realize that he could have sent letters to more than just my now-deceased master?” Ladai asked ingratiatingly.

“I understand,” Khiyat admitted.

“He needs to be killed,” Ladai concluded, quite expectedly.

“You just want to kill someone,” Hiyat grumbled. “He already killed the teacher, he almost went after him. Not enough for you?

That's why I'm asking you for help. So you don't have to revive me.

- Me? Are you asking? Did you think that the death of a mage of his class would be known in a second and come running to see why he suddenly decided to go to the ancestors, much earlier than I could cover my tracks?

“I didn’t guess,” Ladai smiled cheerfully. “I'm not going to ask you to clean up the tracks. You can talk to the city. Ask him to cover me, distort the trace, and in general ...

- You're an idiot? Khiyat was genuinely surprised. “Yes, this “covered up”, “distorted” of yours will be known even earlier than about the death of Tiik. And anyway, I don't want you to kill anyone in my city. Enough! The Soviets will deal with him, not the unfinished avengers.

Ladai shook his head. As if there were no thoughts of revenge. It seemed to Hiyat.

"All right," agreed the fireman meekly. “I won't kill him. I'm just scared. He himself said that with my renewed eye I look like a quiet death. I have to repay him somehow. But your help is still needed. To distort, just a little. So that no advice is felt ...

He will remember you.

- But he will think that he is crazy, or his conscience woke up at the wrong time ...

“Or a ghost has come,” Khiyat prompted.

Ladai nodded eagerly, which made him want to grab him by the neck and shake out the truth about what he was up to. Instead, Hiyat had to take a deep breath, mentally list all known curse words and agree. He himself wanted him to leave the house.

“All right, but give me your word that you won’t kill him,” demanded the waterman.

- Word. I give you my word,” Ladai promised readily. “I won't kill him. But I won't stop him if he tries to kill himself.

Hiat looked skeptical.

Looks like they are trying to trick him. They are definitely trying to trick him. But if a friend thinks he won't get caught, then why bother him?

Worse than teachers who kill their students, only teachers who sell them. The first one is a little more honest.

“All right,” Hiyat surrendered. - I'll see what I can do. But I can't promise soon. Never tried anything from the city to ask. It may still not work.

He did not say that Ladai's letter could be brought before the novice custodian understands how to talk to the city in general, he did not. And I wasn't going to waste time. Ladai may not understand, but his bird is sure. And she will share this knowledge with Ladai.

But can you just be lucky?

I really hoped that I would be lucky in this matter. And then he tries to kill himself again. For some reason, Hiyat was sure of it. And even understood it. Death sometimes solves all problems at once. Everything. And the fact that equivalent problems may appear in close people of the deceased, these deceased no longer care. Problems must be dealt with alive. Or not cope. In the end, you can just run away from them. Take an example from someone who has already left.

Hiat nodded to his thoughts and smiled.

He had no intention of running away. In the history of his family, there were already plenty of runners. The hunters, of course, were upset by their departure. But even the fugitives no longer had the opportunity to somehow influence the further development of events. And the pursuit continued - for their daughters, granddaughters, great-granddaughters.

After death, you will no longer help anyone, no matter how much you want to. And that's the worst thing about her. Especially for those who remember and can observe.

Being a ghost must be very bad. Especially conscientious ghost.

Dorana stuck out her tongue at her reflection, sighed sadly, and turned away from the mirror. Beauty, mirrors don't lie. Not at all graceful and not quivering - there were almost no such women in her family. Talented and versatile. Probably too quick-tempered and not decisive enough to choose one thing from all her favorite things and do it seriously. On the other hand, she still has enough time for everything. And it is not in a hurry. She is still a student.

The girl sighed again and looked out the window. The picture hasn't changed much. Kalar was explaining something, waving his arms. Khiyat looked at him stupidly, perhaps he didn’t listen at all, thinking about something of his own. And Dean grinned. Like, what else to take from the watermen. They can't even explain themselves to each other. And if one of the water workers is called Khiyat, then the idea is generally useless.

Dorana looked at all three critically. Head to toe.

Kalar is the prettiest, though small, and even smarter than the other two combined. True, he does not look at all courageous and his character is too stupid. Energetic personality, teenager teenager. Moreover, the eternal teenager. This does not look like with age, Dorana's grandfather was exactly the same, and with the advent of old age, only causticity was added to him.

Dean is not discussed at all. Only complete fools and masochists can please people like Dean. Haughty face, that smirk. Self-satisfied and self-confident type. Intolerant and impatient. He sincerely considers himself a gift for girls, and a gift that still needs to be earned.

Khiyat. Here Khiyat is a problem. The problem of the beauty of Dorana, who, however, had time to step over twenty years and gain much more impudence, broke her arms, noses and jaws for similar types, however, who had time to step over twenty years and gain much more impudence. Hands - so as not to dissolve. The rest is mostly random. The character is so unrestrained and the habit of strengthening the blow with a drop of magic from the amulet ring.

Actually, all the oddities associated with Khiyat began back there, on the Gray Giant. At the very moment when Dorana first saw the watermen talking with their element. More precisely, one particular water worker. It was amazingly beautiful, and Dorana noticed something that she had never paid attention to before: Khiyat has broad shoulders, a proportional figure, he moves in such a way that it seems that now all obstacles will be ashamed and get out of his way. And his eyes are green. And a beautiful face. And a smile can be fun. And in the eyes of laughter sometimes dance like sunbeams. And he also knows how to be the embodiment of calmness, unshakable and eternal, like a huge lake, and then you want to come up and touch him to make sure: this is a real warm and lively person, and not the element that has taken on his appearance.

Perhaps even then you should step aside and try not to look at him anymore. Never. Because water, like fire, has the ability to attract the eye with its variability. Or maybe it was already too late. In any case, Doran's gaze never left the water. Even when I realized that I was starting to sink. Stupid. And Khiyat is a cretin living in some kind of world that he alone understands. The fact that he's a nerd is the worst part. If he were a normal guy, Dorana would have found a topic for conversation long ago, found a way to please him. And here, try, guess how he will react to the most innocent hint.

However, he does not understand hints at all, probably in principle.

“Pervert, you are a friend,” said Dorana, looking into the mirror. “Actually, you don’t even like Hiat. You like the embodiment of water that lives in it. And about what Khiyat is, you have no idea. Maybe it's worth trying to figure it out?

To be honest, I didn't want to understand. Dorana suspected that she would make a fool of herself if she tried, and she never liked being a fool.

But hide and do nothing?

It's much dumber. It is better to be immediately disappointed and calm down than to sigh about something that does not exist.

Dorana again admired her reflection, chuckled, straightened her hair and resolutely went to storm the impregnable fortress named Khiyat.

Unfortunately, the fortress had other plans for today, and in response to an attempt to speak to him, the waterman smiled absently and impolitely left. Doran did not run after him and grab his hands. Too melodramatic.

It's just that she will take revenge on Hiyatu for inattention to her person. After. When he figured out how.

Nobody has the right to ignore her. Especially such a blockhead.

Life became more and more fun and varied. It was as if Ladai was not enough for Hiyat, who wanted to come to the headmaster of the school in the guise of a quiet death at all costs.

The kindest and wisest, she is also the noblest, apparently due to the fact that someone angered her, and she could not answer the same, unexpectedly for everyone, she was preoccupied with the upcoming adulthood exam. I quickly became convinced that most of the conditionally adult first years frankly don’t give a damn about this exam, and I couldn’t think of anything better than giving lectures every three days on how good it is to be an adult. The unfortunate lecturers spoke pathetically about children, carefully ignoring the remarks from the audience about the fact that the absence of a chain did not prevent anyone from acquiring offspring, and questions about why it should interfere with those present? Then, long and rather tedious, they listed the exploits and opportunities that were opening up, to which Liiran, who was standing next to Khiyat, reacted a little inadequately and said that he could have done just fine without the first, so without the second. Tales of choice, honor, dignity and sanity did not convince anyone either. Probably because these concepts were poorly combined, or rather the first three contradicted the last.

In general, the benefit of the innovation was not expected. But it took a lot of time. Someone even suspected that in this way they are trying to distract unreasonable first years from something more important, they simply do not give them the opportunity to become interested. So that they don't get under your feet.

Khiyat quickly learned at these lectures to ignore what the next poor guy was talking about, and wasted his time to good use. Sometimes I thought, and more often I tried to talk to the city. The promise of one of the books from the library of the house that kept the feeling of presence appeared on the first try, but the matter somehow did not move forward. Khiyat mentally reached out and stroked the wall near which he stood, but the city did not react. He probably wasn't interested. Or Khiyat did not understand something. Or didn't do something. Perhaps he did not perform some kind of ritual, which he has no idea about yet.

After some time, thoughts about the ritual became obsessive, and Hiyat found something to do for his guest. Made me shovel books in the library, looking for something similar to this ritual. He has nothing else to do anyway. And so, maybe, at least from plans for his great revenge, he will be distracted.

And the strangest thing is that Ladai found it. In just two days. Immediately after I compared the number of books viewed with those that were to be viewed, and realized that this could take at least a year. And if you also read everything more or less hinting at rituals ...

In general, Ladai decided that, firstly, this information should not be in the public eye, and secondly, knowing about them, they could be found without much difficulty. After that, he began to search the library for secret passages, mysterious boxes and other receptacles. Then he examined the paintings, patterns of carpets, and, finally, guessed to be interested in what he walks on. An attempt to scrape off the untidy parquet sticking out against the wall ended in the fact that he was hit hard by some incomprehensible protection. After that, Ladai, with a clear conscience, decided that he had found the ritual, and went to bed.

The defense reacted differently to Hiyata. The planks of the floor flipped over with a click, forcing the off-balance boys to sit on the floor. Then several streaks of light ran across the parquet, and a pattern wove itself, suspiciously similar to some kind of ritual star. What to do next and whether it is worth it, Khiyat did not know, daddy did not deign to write about it in his letter. I had to improvise. First, appeal to the elements, then try to act with a faceless force, and then, finally getting angry, slash yourself with your mother’s knife on the arm and stain the bright planks with blood.

I liked the blood of the drawing, it became clearer and brighter. The lines expanded, somehow reluctantly flowed into each other, changing the outlines of the drawing, and Khiyat safely lost consciousness, leaving the active Ladai to swear helplessly over an insensible body. Subsequently, the fact that a friend finally understood what the beginner kept in that burnt clearing felt was an occasion for gloating. It is useful for such arrogant and self-confident individuals to demonstrate everything visually. Otherwise, they won't believe it. They think that they are just trying to make them feel guilty. Virtually no reason. Khiyat is a man and the son of his mother, he must be sympathetic to death. Moreover, why be angry if death did not take place?

The place where he ended up, Hiyat was familiar. More precisely, it was very similar to where Ladai's fire lived. Only instead of dissatisfied fire there were soft, good-natured, according to sensations, clouds.

- What's next? Khiyat asked gloomily.

The clouds quickly changed shape and formed into spoken words.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to the city,” the guy tried to explain, vaguely understanding to whom and why.

On the right, something yawned, showering Hiyat with sleepy warmth and laziness.

The boy shrugged his shoulders, grimaced, and looked to the right. There were clouds there, too, but that didn't mean there couldn't be something else behind the clouds. Here, under your feet, you feel something hard and heavy, like a stone, just swirling lovers of depicting words cover this something, hide it from sight. So they can hide anything, anywhere in this place.

I had to nod to my thoughts and go to the yawner, because there is nowhere else.

Khiyat wandered and wandered. The clouds changed shape. They pretended to be shaggy puppies, cats scratching their ears, and even Ladai's cropped braid. But they were in no hurry to make way for a person. In fact, they didn't move at all. You had to walk through them, holding your breath and relying on your sense of direction. Fortunately, these clouds were not wide. Three or four steps, sometimes five or six.

And then the support under Hiyata's feet took off and disappeared. Just at the moment when the guy was counting the steps in the next cloud.

Khiyat tried to yell, grab onto something, absurdly waved his arms and legs, and only a few seconds later he realized that, firstly, he had breathed in a cloud, and there were no unpleasant sensations, and secondly, the fall was slowing down, as if he and itself turns into a weightless cloud.

"Infection," said the boy.

The cloud below folded into the spoken word. Khiyat slowly, like a feather, flew through the letter "r" and noticed that he was falling on a long white snake, twisting its body into rings and putting its narrow, graceful head on the tip of its tail. What the snake was lying on, the guy did not consider, either on another cloud, or on a white column. It blew from this creature with the very laziness to which he was going.

Khiyat smiled, smoothly sank down on the snake's body, and with some kind of joyful delight watched the reptile yawn again. And when he yawns, he shoots his tongue, removes his head from the tail, and the feeling of laziness is replaced by curiosity, sharp as ice fragments, and fast as the wind tearing off the roof.

"Child," the snake whispered, resting its head against Hiyat's face.

The boy gently put his hand on the cold snake nose. Such a smooth one.

“Insolent child,” the snake concluded immediately, tickling her palm with her tongue.

Are you a city? Khiyat asked.

The snake hissed merrily and intermittently. Apparently she laughed.

"I'm a keeper, you fool," she said. “Keeper of the city, and yours too, as long as you are the guardian.” Do you want to refuse?

Hiyat shook his head stubbornly.

Well, no, once you've made a decision, you won't change your mind. He will not give up his.

"That's right," said the snake. “Good kid, better than the last two. They considered the city an unbearable burden, they did not want this burden to become their property. So funny. But they didn't give up either. They thought they had to. honor of the ancestors. I did not convince, I'm just a keeper, I should be there, not convince. Yes. You can consider me the soul of the city, or rather its mind.

“Yeah,” said Khiyat.

- Why did you come? the snake asked, shaking its head like a pendulum.

“Ask,” Khiyat hesitated and thought. Or understand? Yes, you can probably understand.

— Understand?! - the snake rejoiced at something.

- Yes.

What do you want to understand?

— How to talk to the city. Not just to order and ask, but to explain everything, to the smallest nuances.

"Good boy," the snake approved. “Only, everything requires an equal price. And if you can talk to the city like that, then it can talk to you. You will feel everything he feels. The slightest fear. Even if there is a storm near the neighboring island on the sea, you will know and hear that the city does not want him to come here, because the waves will shake the rocks, the wind will break tree branches, and the rain will whip on the roofs, like an evil husband unfortunate wife cheeks. You will always know, hear and understand. Even when you learn to fence off, echoes will reach you.

“Good,” Khiyat breathed.

Yes, good for keeping. After all, if the city is constantly afraid, then perhaps it is time for the guardian to be afraid? And storms… Little Khiyat hid from storms in a closet, until one day a storm found him in a shed with rotten hay and a leaking roof. Just then, when the building was shaking, the wind seemed to howl right in his ears, and the sound of rain could be confused with the surf, the boy suddenly realized that it was just strength. Blind element. And the elements are always beautiful and ruthless. And it doesn't matter if you are afraid of them or proudly go towards them. You just need to survive the elements, and it will go away, replaced by calmness.

“Good boy,” the snake said affectionately, stroking her cheek with her tongue. - Smart. Able to take completely. Now sleep.

And Khiyat again failed somewhere. Right through the snake.

The clouds folded into someone's wide fanged smile, then into several palms and waved goodbye. After that, Khiyat kissed something hard with his back and, if you believe the sensations, woke up.

He did not have time to tell anyone about this, because he almost choked on cold water, which some well-wisher poured on his head with a flourish. I had to spit and curse. And listen to flowery swearing in response.