THE PATH OF RENUNCIATION

9

Vullis arrived half an hour later. Concentrated and serious, he silently nodded and, closing his umbrella, stepped over the threshold. The gray jacket was damp in places as the rain lashed down, and the legs were soaked that water dripped onto the floor. 

  Thanks for the haste, Will. Taking the umbrella from him, Carl pushed the cat that had come out towards him with his foot and pointed towards the living room. “Please, there is not much time.

  “I have prepared everything in advance,” the lawyer replied hastily, stopping in front of a wide sofa. “Several options, as you requested. There will be no difficulties with the house, but something needs to be decided about the assets. 

  - Already decided. - Taking a folder from his hands, Carl skimmed through the papers and put a few sheets aside: - Let's stop there. After a pause, he waited for Vullis to nod approvingly, and added: “I have one more request, rather of a delicate nature. And she must stay between us.

  Is the request illegal? Vullis clarified cautiously, sitting down on the sofa. 

  Carl allowed himself a smile as he handed the lawyer a check and a few paper clips.

  “I'm afraid so, Will, but there will be no consequences for you or for the party whose rights will be infringed. I give you my word. 

  For some time the only sound in the room was the tapping of drops on the glass and the hoarse purring of Bama, stubbornly clinging to the lawyer's feet. 

  "That's a very large sum," Vullis finally remarked. - I'm not surprised that you managed to achieve your goal ... Are you sure of your decision?

  “My money is not included in the general capital, it belongs only to me,” Karl answered confidently. “And in our family it is not customary to do otherwise. Brother would have done the same if he had known. In addition, other options are not acceptable. 

  - Well, that's good. Taking out a pen, the lawyer began to quickly write something down. - I will draw up a contract retroactively ... therefore only a signature. 

  – My clinic will provide any tests. – Having signed at the bottom of the sheet, Carl put the pen on the sofa. - Contact Professor Paraxis, he is aware of both our problems and my solution. You will also get a phone number and address from him. 

  “I see you have thought of everything in advance, haven’t you?” Looking inquisitively at him, Vullis ran his hand over his bald head. - I wish I knew…

  Karl shook his head slowly.

  “I'm sorry, Will, but this only concerns members of our family. We are grateful for your support and care - without you much would not be possible. But not all knowledge is useful, and other knowledge is even dangerous. Live in peace, you deserve it. Perhaps our paths will cross again someday.

  “Well, in any case, I wish you good luck,” the lawyer said with feeling and looked away. It was clear that it was hard for him to say goodbye. Carl understood this. He had known Woollis since childhood, and he enjoyed a trust that no one close to their family enjoyed. That is why it was more dangerous for him to know anything about the Small World than to the same Hansved or Paul. Options for the future remained unpredictable. 

  Too big a risk, Carl thought with some sadness, and he got up and went into the kitchen to make coffee for the last time.

  

  There were only a few hours left before the Trail, and the thin semicircle of clouds that had begun to form over the coast had already darkened noticeably. Time was rapidly running out, and anxiety began to be mixed with impatience. After asking Vullis to wait for Leah and his brother, Karl went into the office. All things were collected in advance. Years of waiting has come to an end.  

Weighing the scabbard in his hand, Karl put on a heavy belt and looked in the mirror. A black camisole with two blue stripes on the shoulder, ordered two years ago, fit like a glove and, except for the color, looked exactly like the one in which my father got into the Big World. Bartayota's uniform should have served him well. The guards of the White Castle could not know all the military officers of one of the most remote garrisons, and Karl's appearance left no doubt that he belonged to Vallor. Somehow, he had a chance to get into the castle or find someone to use. The father left fairly clear instructions, and the determination with which the messenger he had sent once acted confirmed the correctness of the choice made. Whoever gave this man the order to frighten them off was not acting in the interests of the Order, which means

  “Keep close to the woods,” my father wrote. “It's only an hour's walk through the northwestern hills - the main thing is to reach the castle. Cats recognize you ... "

  The memorized lines obediently popped up before my eyes. Karl mentally walked the described path a thousand times, entered the huge castle stables or the semicircular door of the lower kitchens a thousand times ... He could almost see the high white walls and the endless trunks of flowering apple trees. 

  “Yes, the main thing is to get there,” he said quietly. - The main thing is to reach ...

*   * *

The wind knocked him down, throwing prickly rain in his face and tearing his useless umbrella out of his hands. Leaves and debris were flying everywhere. The sky, heavy and gray, hung down in fragments and watered, watered, watered ... Every now and then somewhere thunder rumbled.

Passing by the Lyceum, Leah involuntarily slowed down her pace. She suddenly thought, how would she live, knowing from childhood the truth that had been hidden from her for so many years? Could you be as happy as all these years? For some reason, I wanted to believe that Karl did the right thing. However, she had long been accustomed not to doubt his decisions. 

Mark's little apartment was in an old three-story building across the street. Entering the entrance, Leah closed her umbrella and bit her lip in excitement. She did not know what to say to him, and was afraid not to cope with her own emotions: she had never had so many difficulties on her shoulders.

“If only you were at home! she thought, shaking cold drops from her bangs. “Please, Mark, please…”

  – Leah! The tall thin woman who opened the door threw up her hands. - You're all wet! Come in quickly, don't stand on the threshold. 

  Taking a step back, Leah shook her head.

  - Thank you, Aunt Marie, but I'm in a hurry. I need to see Mark. Just a few words.

The woman threw a surprised, slightly alarmed look at her and, without closing the door, disappeared into one of the rooms. After a couple of moments, buttoning his plaid shirt on the go, Mark went out into the corridor and silently put on his shoes. He already knew their family well enough that when he saw her, wet and agitated, he would refrain from asking questions. For all the time of their acquaintance, for the first time she came to him alone and without warning .

Climbing to the top floor, they climbed a wooden staircase to a glazed attic where a small winter garden was laid out. A small bench, a path of yellow fine gravel, a dozen decorative bushes in wide pots ... The noise of the street was almost inaudible, and on clear days one could watch clouds floating above the glass ceiling for hours. Now twilight reigned all around: heavy clouds, which had become noticeably blacker, rolled over like huge waves, and mercilessly watered the dome with muddy streams. 

Having seated Leah on a bench, Mark carefully took the umbrella from her hands and put it on the edge.

  - What's happened? he asked anxiously. Does Carl know you're here?

  Leah nodded.

  - Yes, he knows. He collects things...

  - You are leaving? There was calm surprise in his voice. - Where and for how long?

  “Forever…” Leah answered quietly and lowered her head to hide the tears welling up in her eyes.

  The silence that hung between them was so dense that it seemed to absorb even the sound of rain.

  - What is this, a joke? Mark asked loudly. What does "forever" mean?

  “I wouldn't joke like that. – Leah took a deep breath, trying to stop the beginning hysteria. “I… It's very complicated, Mark. Everything is so complicated and strange that I don't know how to explain it to you. I just wanted to say goodbye, I wanted you not to think that I just disappeared!

  Biting her lip, she looked at the sky in despair. The crooked branches of lightning flashed again so often that they seemed like a stretched moment of one frame.

  "You're cold." His whisper was barely audible. “I called last night, I wanted to come and check on you, but Carl said you were still sick. - Carefully taking her hand, Mark lightly squeezed stiff fingers. - Tell me what happened to you, maybe I can persuade them to stay?

  Leah shook her head, but didn't take her hand away. 

  “Everything has already been decided. My word will not change anything, and besides, I'm not sure I have the right to it.

  “But distance isn’t such a big problem now…”

  “Not this time, Mark. Leah gave him a quick glance, already almost regretting that she had come. “Just take me home… If possible, the brothers will explain to you.” You just won't believe me, and I won't survive this. Not now.

Raising his eyebrows in puzzlement, he looked at her for a while, and then stood up. 

  Let's go, Lee. You have a temperature, you're upset, and Carl must be worried. 

Leah smiled sadly. She glanced ruefully at the little garden, and meekly allowed herself to be led downstairs. She was really feverish from excitement. Mark suddenly became a complete stranger. Despite everything, she was so hopeful that a miracle would happen, that he would leave everything and follow her. She hoped even more than she admitted to herself, but she didn’t dare to demand or ask, and she didn’t want to - it was pointless.  

The rain gradually subsided, but the wind picked up. Nature raged, tearing the world to shreds. Fleeing from the sharp gusts, they turned off the road into an alley. This path was longer, but it became noticeably easier to go. 

The sound of a bell was heard in the roar of the wind. A small ancient temple was very close, but now it seemed as if the sound was coming from afar. Suddenly stopping, Leah glanced at the familiar brown-grey domes and, tugging on Mark's sleeve, resolutely walked forward. 

Inside it was warm and, despite the bad weather, very crowded. Clouds of incense smoke silvered over the kneeling people and, rising to the vault, melted, leaving a tart smell of incense. 

Going all the way to the kliros, Mark went up to the choir, and a few moments later his soft baritone harmoniously merged into the chant. It was the order of the Presanctified Liturgy. The deacon inhaled the litany, and Leah, lowering her head, swallowed her tears. In recent months, everything around was not like that: Christian constantly disappeared into his archives, skipping services and depriving her of the opportunity to go to church, since she was not allowed to go anywhere alone; Carl took him to conferences almost every week, not at all worried that Leah missed school and training, and Mark was preparing for exams day and night and she hardly saw him. Life seemed to be pushing in the back, moving closer and closer to the abyss. 

  - Are you okay? A quiet voice sounded nearby. 

  Startled, Leah looked warily at the unfamiliar elderly woman. 

  “Yes…” she drawled softly and broke off, noticing Christian, who stood motionless by the large icon of the Archangel Michael. Frowning, the brother spoke quickly and looked upset. The priest standing next to him barely perceptibly shook his head and periodically glanced towards the altar, where the deacon was already bearing the Gospel. Finally, he covered Christian with a stole and, silently reciting a prayer of permissiveness, hastened to leave. 

Seeing that he had been noticed, his brother smiled slightly and tapped his wristwatch with his index finger. Leah sighed as she signaled to wait until the end of the service. The black veil of despair and resentment that enveloped her soul imperceptibly dissolved, leaving only a vague foreboding of trouble and calm, quiet sadness. 

Despite the early hour, it was almost dark outside and so cold that the first gust of wind made Leah's hands freeze. Thunder rolled across the sky with an endless rumble, from which the earth and the walls of houses trembled.

  “We need to hurry,” Christian shouted, waving his hand in the direction of the house. Let's run, I'm after you!

  Taking her hand, Mark pulled her along. The barely drizzling rain suddenly fell with such force that they immediately got wet. Icy water flooded his face, almost preventing him from opening his eyes. 

At the very door, Leah stopped abruptly and, turning around, waved her hand invitingly at Christian. Glancing at his watch for the umpteenth time, his brother looked anxiously at the swirling black sky. Without waiting for him to come up the stairs, Leah impatiently pressed the doorbell several times.

  Opening the door, Carl gave her an attentive look and silently stepped aside. Dressed in black trousers and a short camisole embroidered on the shoulder with blue ribbons and silver, he looked so strange and unusual that Leah froze for a moment. 

  “You were late,” my brother remarked reproachfully, and seeing that she was slowing down, nodded insistently in the direction of the corridor. “Come in, Mr. Woollis is already tired of waiting. 

Entering, Leah threw off her wet jacket and groped for her slippers with her foot. 

  "I hope I didn't interrupt?" Mark asked in confusion, hanging his umbrella on a hanger.

  “Not at all, Hamali. I just needed your signature. As far as I know, the apartment you live in belongs to your father?

Pausing, Mark nodded slowly.

  - Yes it is.

  - Amazing. Let's go to the living room, I won't take much time.

Vullis, smoking a thick cigar, sat at the window overlooking the front garden. Seeing them, he leaned forward slightly, and then, with a heavy sigh, leaned back in his chair again.

After briefly introducing Mark, Karl almost forced him to sit on the sofa and turned to Leah:

  - You're all wet. Change your clothes and take your medicine: I left it on the desk. We have little time.

She hesitated, smiled politely at the lawyer, and hurried into the room. When Karl was nervous, it was better to obey him without objections and questions.