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THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 52
Chaos reigned in the square: children and women screamed, blades sparkled in red reflections. The crowd churned like a monstrous sea. Without knowing why, Lyramel fell on her stomach on the window sill, pulled the window handle with force and flung open the shutters. A warm, damp wind blew into my face... “God, what was that?” she whispered in fright, peering into the darkness. From the sky, as before, the stars shone indifferently and coldly, the dog whined plaintively under the house ... Taking a few deep breaths to ease her heartbeat, Lyramel closed the shutters and pressed her fingers to her temples, the pain throbbing, making it difficult to concentrate."Is everything all right, Your Majesty?" came a quiet voice from behind.Turning around abruptly, Liramel froze in horror. Tall and thin, with pale red hair, Firsar looked at her with slightly squinted shining eyes. His long face was twisted into a wry smile, and beads of sweat glistened on his forehead."Lord Firsar?" What you
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 53
A wide white road wound through the green-yellow hills. Slightly touched by the gilding of the dawn, the high walls of the ancient fortress cast long blue shadows on the misty ground.Liramel had never seen Bartayota, but she knew her story well, and her first impression was right. Unlike Gorgoth, famous for its architecture, it was a real military stronghold - ascetic and severe. The jagged thick walls that surrounded the city in an even ring reached almost twenty meters in height and more than eight in width. Bartayota was not just called the "stronghold of the North": for the second time she was to be in the center of the war between the two peoples of the Small World. Impregnable and majestic, it has traditionally been home to the most numerous garrison of the Kingdom. About nine thousand soldiers guarded the inner city, where the Academy and the general's residence were located. As Yakir once said, in Bartayota any woman or child could defend the walls and fight on an equal footi
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 54
The cousin, who had apparently already been informed of her visit, was waiting at the only narrow window. Turning at the sound of the door opening, he ordered that no one be allowed in and with a glance asked Liramel to lock the inner bolt.Have you spoken to the Council? Paraman asked gloomily, lowering the thick curtain, although it was rather dark in the small room anyway.Glancing back at him briefly, Lyramel sat down in the only chair and took a deep breath before exhaling:- She spoke.- AND? There was a threat in the cousin's voice.- I announced my decision to you back in Pata, Paraman ... The Council allowed me to lead the first strike along with Hyde. It will be better this way.Approaching, he put his hand on the leather back and, clenching his fingers so that a creaking sound was heard, hissed through his teeth:- Did you think...Lifting her eyes, Liramel gave a forced smile.- About the people?“Yes,” he nodded. And about Christian too. Or do you think that if I take pow
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 55
The dawn was truly magical. The air, saturated with the smell of rotten grasses and damp earth, swirled over the withered grass in a thick fog. The high towers of clouds drifted slowly from north to south, and the golden rays of dawn scattered around them in a wide fan. The horses snorted softly, impatiently moving their hooves, and the warriors tried to warm themselves by stretching their legs that had become stiff during the night. In the morning, Liramel still managed to fall asleep, although his nerves were so tense that he almost did not feel tired.Having had a quick bite, Hyde ordered to build up and, having waited for a messenger from the fortress, asked Liramel for permission to order the handbrakes to advance their detachments. Soon the border was left behind, and under the hooves of the horses, between the grasses crushed by the winds, a foreign land turned black. The reconnaissance, which returned an hour after they left the place, reported that some kind of movement had
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 56
Wide crimson rays chaotically drew bloody reflections on the clouds and fell on the feather grass frozen in the calm. Mountains in a dark blue uneven ridge with white-red snow caps rose above the steppe, as if outlining the border of the world. Pulling her hood down, Darita stole a glance at the captive. She also watched Karl, although the latter behaved as usual and practically did not pay attention to his sister. The decision of the prince came as a surprise to everyone, and the princess still did not understand what exactly Miel was up to. However, she had never seen him so pleased. The Vallor Queen was remarkably calm. Not once did she say a word all day, only sometimes she looked back at her brother, as if checking whether he was near or not. When dark was not more than half an hour away, the low roar of the bugle announced a halt. Tired riders stopped in the same place where they found their long-awaited signal, and settled down for the night. Bonfires were not lit, t
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 57
The white road, running in withered autumn forbs, broke off before reaching the border. Then the ground trampled down by hundreds of hooves began. Having reined in his horse, Yakir unfolded the map and peered into the half-erased outlines. The western borders of the Principality, according to ancient scrolls, were almost uninhabited, but this did not mean that they still remained so. Miel certainly knew about the weak points of his lands and had to take measures to protect them.- Let's go a little to the left of the Hills. Holding out the map to Tory, he waved from a distance to the sentinels who came out to meet them. “Before the month of thunderstorms has begun, it is better to move at night - it will be more difficult to see us. “The mountains are three or four days' journey, my lord,” the officer objected. We don't have time to afford that luxury... Yakir smiled indulgently.Christian will follow the previously planned route. There is no need to rush to the mountains, we wil
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 58
– The world has changed. Miel wiped the smile off his face and looked around the room for a long time. – The clan of Armateus really multiplied so that to fulfill the curse, more than a fifth of the Kingdom would have to be destroyed. My thirst is not so strong. And if the one who inherits the true blood of the accursed king who rebelled against the Great Dragon agrees to become his priestess, I will have mercy on her people. This is my will.Involuntarily recoiling, Liramel took a shuddering breath and clenched her fists. She remembered the fear in Tarham's eyes and Tori's words... “Does he really think that I am so naive and will not correlate Morlot’s prediction with his proposal?” she thought and, shaking off her stupor, looked at her brother again.Karl was imperturbable: not a single muscle trembled on his stern face. “Everyone has to choose,” he seemed to say. Alas, her choice was indeed not what her brother had probably hoped for.Squinting, Liramel looked into Miel's black e
THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION 59
Opening her eyes, Lyramel blinked in surprise and furrowed her brows in concentration, trying to remember when and how she had ended up in a small stuffy room with a low semicircular ceiling. The last memory was very vague - it seemed to her that someone was calling her, but the voice was alien and unfamiliar, so she did not want to wake up. How much time has passed since then, it was difficult to understand.Gathering her strength, Lyramel resolutely threw back the thick woolen blanket, then stood up, twisted her matted hair into a bun, and, going to the window, climbed onto the wide window sill. From the dizzying heights, the steppe looked like a huge motley carpet."Is it possible to escape from here?" Liramel thought with sincere bewilderment, looking at the thick rods with rust spots. Reaching through the grate, she pushed open the unlocked shutter, raised her palm to the wind, and took a deep breath of the cool, dry air.Above the fortress, cutting huge circles, a hawk yelled dr