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THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 37
Smiling indulgently, the priest crossed the room with unexpected speed and ease and sat down. He looked pleased and solemn, like a cat that has taken a mouse by surprise. “I didn’t want to keep you long. There was a hidden grin in his thick tenor voice. “I just stopped by to wish you a good journey on behalf of myself and the other members of the Council. Elikar said to especially thank you for the fact that you decided to invite his wife as an escort: the duchess had long wanted to visit Rovmen. Sitting at the opposite end of the sofa, Liramel folded her hands in her lap and parted her lips into a smile. Apparently, Christian decided to show diligence, since the Council already knew about her plans.“I consider it an honor to hear words of parting from you,” she answered, carefully avoiding his gaze. The old man nodded approvingly.“I've already talked to the regents,” he added, as if reluctantly. – Karl assured that all security measures would be taken, but it is not desirab
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 38
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
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 39
Sending the guards away, Karl locked the secret door and lowered the tapestry with a sigh. It was getting light. Motes of dust danced lazily in the dim half-fan of light falling from the open window. Furrowing his brow in displeasure, Karl took a couple of steps and ran his finger along the windowsill. Dust outlined a gray rim on the pillow. While Lyramel was away and Linnie helped her mother in the kitchens, the servants neglected to clean thoroughly.Looking up at the overcast sky, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the damp morning air. The wind touched his hot forehead and blew the beads of sweat from his temples. The night was difficult, but the coming day promised a long-awaited peace. The mechanism began to move independently, and for the time being, nothing more depended on Karl. All that remained was to wait.The treasury was dark. Lighting the candle, he raised it above his head and looked around. He needed a weapon, and from what he had seen in the last year, ther
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 40
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
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 41
The white dove cooed on the windowsill so loudly that Yakir heard it from the bedroom. Jumping up, he pulled on a wrinkled red shirt and glanced out the window. The gray morning foreshadowed the same chilly day as the day before, which meant that dressage in the fields was out of the question. A disturbed, damp shutter creaked for a long time, and there was a smell of freshly cut grass and fumes—garbage was being burned outside the fence for the second day. Carefully taking the bird, Yakir removed a thin silver tube from his cold paw and, returning the dove to the windowsill, whispered affectionately:- Well, dear, thank you - did not disappoint. Fly home! The small handwriting, so ornate that even skilled scribes could envy, was well known. From whom the news came, it became clear immediately. Pigeons, sent only by Ali-Nari, were knocking at Yakir's bedroom window. As children, they often wrote to each other - this was their entertainment in an endless routine of gossip and secr
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 42
The musicians had been playing for the second hour. Behind the high arched windows, the stars had long been burning, and the flickering lights of candles were reflected in the dark panes. Standing in the shadow of one of the pillars that supported the high vault of the spacious rectangular hall, Christian watched his sister carefully. He objected to her first public appearance without proper preparation, but Falinor eventually convinced that it would be a rewarding experience for Liramel. “If I were in her place, I would certainly choose Pat,” she said confidentially before the ball. “Gorgoth has too many wolves and too much politics. No joy!” His aunt's words, and Liramel's assurance that her show of frivolity would appease the Council and present the escape from Lausens as a youthful impulse, finally convinced Christian. My sister danced easily and quickly, but her movements were harsh - there was not enough practice. The luxurious blue dress, altered a couple of hours before
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 43
The night was warm and so quiet that, apart from the steady creak of wheels and the clatter of hooves, there was no other sound. The sky, which until recently sparkled from an endless scattering of stars, turned black. Judging by the ensuing calm, a storm was approaching. “Will we make it to Barsetal? Liramel thought wearily, and standing up, looked out the open window. Far ahead, to the left, dim lights could be seen. “We must have time,” she decided, and, sitting down again, she leaned back on her hard back. The even breathing of her brother, who had dropped his head on her shoulder, made her sleepy. The second day they drove along the endless road. After the gates of Pata were left behind, the forests began to gradually thin out and move east towards Tyre. Monotonous hills with verdant fields and rare lacy copses stretched along the road. The time allotted for the choice was almost up, and Lyramel was still unable to decide anything. Irritation with herself and the treachero
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 44
Sitting at the table, Paraman put his blade in front of him and, running his palms over the worn velvet armrests, looked with regret at the piles of papers lying in neat piles on top of the unfolded map. Carl was asking for help with the small fiefdom taxes that had come in in recent months, as if alluding to his recent research into the Lausens documentation, which he eventually put aside. The land reform begun by Lirdan's son last summer has finally begun to bear visible fruit. Despite the loud objections of Tarham - the only one of the Heads of the Ten who did not approve of the regent's decision - the tillers and pastoralists, who were able to trade directly with neighboring fiefdoms, improved their position in a year, which was immediately felt by cities and villages. Due to the resulting competition, the prices of many goods fell, and the poor breathed easier. Yes, and the treasury did not remain unprofitable: what profit was received, it was still to be found out, but the fa