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Time Of Traitors 30
He walked away from the hut almost by touch, cursing to himself that he had wasted time on ridiculous tales. He again did not find any path, so he had to tear wounds through a windbreak. By this time, the stars were already winking overhead, the forest breathed deafeningly with the singing of crickets and night birds. Fortunately, lights soon loomed in the impenetrable darkness. A few hundred more steps and he heard singing.In the light of the lanterns, a dense web of bridges, stairs, houses intertwined in a network of ropes and a dark rustling cover stretched out. High refs, woven by life and song, merged into one thundering mass, flaring up with all the shades of a holiday at a dizzying height. Long-drawn-out cries flew into the air, the whistle of pipes rose and the beat of drums rumbled. Bonfires were burning, ringing tambourines were dancing.Life was in full swing somewhere high under the crowns, it was a different forest, into which Cres had no entrance. The lights are closer,
Time Of Traitors 31
- Get down, get down! the guard waved at them. - Wow, and I would pour you, asshole ...- Get yourself out! Vassa kept shouting as they both walked away. - There your girls are waiting for you, they won’t wait. How can I tell Khalsa that you drink moonshine on guard!– What did you say?!The guard didn't even take a step towards them, but the spear continued to dance menacingly in his hand."Let's go, Pied Piper," whispered Vassa.Nothing to do, I had to succumb to the persuasion of the boy. Pushing further and vainly hoping that the d'ahs will suddenly descend from the sky and strike the obstinate guard with lightning means getting a spear in the stomach and a mace on the crown. In general, his whole visit looked like sheer stupidity, and when Kres and Vassa finally left, Kres could no longer believe that he had almost run into a bone tip. If not for the sudden appearance of the boy, his corpse would now be cooling down somewhere under the bridge.“... but they didn’t want to let me
Time Of Traitors 32
- Quiet! - they whispered at her.- Well, he’s not sitting under the bench, why are you? Vassa was outraged.“Suddenly someone is eavesdropping now!”- Who?! Eeeeeee, Wolf son, you hear us, you vile coward!The guys fell silent and listened for a while as the echo of her scream wedged in the darkness. Fortunately for them, the grandfather snored even louder.“Fool,” said the redhead.“It was the d'ahs who punished him,” Shuna continued to babble. - He sinned very much in his youth. They say he even broke the Law of the Forest.– How would you know? The redhead was outraged. – You something only twelve winters!“Twelve whole winters, stupid red-haired Jessa,” Shuna cooed. "And I'm smarter than you'll be in fifty." Therefore, you need to listen to what the elders say. The elders speak with the voice of the d'ahs.“They weave ropes from other people’s sins,” Jessa retorted. - They chatter all the time. There you and Vassa are constantly talking all sorts of nonsense, and I'm sitting here
Time Of Traitors 33
I will clap my hands when I hear the ending. The beauty did not disappear into the jaws of a wolf, otherwise the whole story would be a waste of time, and who would tell her, since everything really happened?“She really disappeared,” Vassa hissed. - Because that's what it really is .And why didn't they look for her?“They searched, of course,” Vassa sighed and spoke in a special fairy -tale voice. - Khalsa turned all the surrounding forests upside down. With his kharg, he climbed every bush, lifted every pebble, but there was no beautiful bride. A wolf with copper sides dragged her far, far to the north, where the mountains rose to the very heavenly halls and tangled at the ends in the beards of the d'ahs. Deep in these gray, lost mountains, where even the Khamers do not dare to crawl, for everything there is shrouded in cold stone, and the dead now and then descend from heaven, there were mansions, shrouded in heavenly light. There the wolf carried the unfortunate beauty, jumping o
Time Of Traitors 34
The wolf galloped to the gates of the crystal palace and threw the girl off the back of his prickly one. The beauty has fallen on the floors, covered with fluffy carpets, and is shaking - what will the wolf-murderer begin to do with her? The wolf walks in circles, sniffs the girl - reconciles from which place to start eating the red girl. It is already night in the yard and the sun is descending below the horizon. The wolf thought, thought, and decided to solve everything tomorrow. He yawned with all his hundred fangs and ordered that by morning the girl would sew a new skin for him from thorns. And then this old one has already worn out.“Make a good skin, otherwise I’ll change my mind about eating you tomorrow morning. But you won’t do it,” the wolf threatened her. - So I will give you to my wolf cubs. They are not me. I’ll swallow you right away, and they will still play and torment you for a long time. ”He yawned again and fell asleep soundly.The girl cried and cried with bitter
Time Of Traitors 35
The flesh and skin of the wolf opened up, and then the wolf came out with poisonous blood and fell dead with a howl. This black blood doused the girl and reached her very trembling heart. Khalsa picked up his bride in his arms and wept bitter tears for her. But this time the wolf was not wearing his old copper skin. Then a needle entered the wolf's chest and pierced his black heart. The flesh and skin of the wolf opened up, and then the wolf came out with poisonous blood and fell dead with a howl. This black blood doused the girl and reached her very trembling heart. Khalsa picked up his bride in his arms and wept bitter tears for her.Then the dying girl whispered dying words. She kissed her fiancé on the trembling lips, and then her soul soared into heaven for judgment to the d'ahs. Khalsa took her remains to her native village. Her mother and father mourned over her and burned her body, and the ashes were scattered to the wind, as the d'ahs bequeathed.“The end,” Vassa breathed.
Time Of Traitors 36
She was disgusted and disgusted, but even after what happened here, running away from here without looking back would be the height of stupidity. Although this place was simply howling, simply saturated with the torment of hundreds and hundreds of unknown souls, it seemed safer than the endless forests surrounding it, which continued to look at the nitsiri with a mute threat, as soon as the nitsiri showed its nose from the hut. Victa felt the needles of a thousand invisible carnivorous eyes on her sore back as she plunged into the hot water to wash away the dirt and the feeling of disgust.Didn't help. The body, even if it relaxed a little, but the ever-increasing panic continued to gnaw at the sight of this cold forest, a gloomy hut, thoughts about two corpses that lay here and there, and hot baths turned into real torture. Nitsiri got out and the water was even more tired than before, and, wrapping herself in a raincoat, which she took with her from the hut, she went to the stable w
Time Of Traitors 37
The alchemist woke up in the middle of a windy, eerie night, when nature itself seemed to be seeking retribution for what had been happening in this distant and lonely place all these years.Vikta closed all possible openings in the hut, but the wind still rushed through the attic and sang mournfully in the cracks and corners. There hadn't been a thunderstorm yet, but for some reason Nitsiri longed for raindrops to pound on the roof. So she would be much calmer, and the nasty feeling that someone else would come into the house with the wind would disappear.In addition to the raging elements, another sound broke the silence.Cap-cap…The darkness was barely dispersed by two tallow candles. Both Vikta placed next to her, forming a small, trembling circle of light around her, the corners of the room were bathed in darkness. The face of the alchemist, swollen during the day, stood out from the darkness like the black and terrible muzzle of a troll from children's fairy tales, shadows cra
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- Time Of Traitors
Epilogue
Cres rose with an effort. All of his muscles were curled into one tight knot and were reluctantly relaxing now. The wind roared in the head and in the corners of the hut. He raised his head and only then saw the second dog-head dying on the floor in a foul-smelling puddle. And above him, Leshy's eyes burn with primal malice, illuminated from within by some kind of silvery sheen. In the dim light, the herbalist looked less and less human.- What are you standing for? Grab your grandma and tick!He said, turned on his heels and, as if nothing had happened, went to the door, wiping his bloody palms on his trousers.Cres threw off his stupor, felt for the half-dead Ada and climbed out the window. Vassa followed him.“I’m already tired of sharpening laces with you, wanderer! shouted outside. - If you don't want it to be good, we'll be bad!Footsteps thundered. Closer and closer.“Wait, what if he still has my shava?” - whispered somewhere very close. Cres recognized that voice: it was Golg
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- Are you serious?! The messenger is already over a hundred, and I have nine winters and one summer! - Vassa could not stand it and shook all over. - A good defender - he could not even kill that bastard who killed his father in front of everyone. You protected your mother, now you are responsible for her!“Shut up,” said Kres, unwinding the whip in front of Vassa. - You do not understand anything.– I understand everything! Father is gone now, and there is no one to protect mother. You are a coward who only cares about himself!- And this is what the one who climbed into the house with a knife, where the defenseless girl is sleeping, is telling me?“She is not defenseless,” Vassa gritted his teeth in an attempt to hold back tears. - That's all she is. She is to blame! Because of her, Yuvasa died, because of her, rats attack us. She bewitched everyone - Khalsa, father, mother, Messenger, and especially you! You talk about her all the time.- How are you concerned about this? I am sitt
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Khalsa and Musa were burned after sunset, right on top of the Sacred Tree. Kisha herself brought the torch to the feet of both, loudly and distinctly uttered all the necessary praises and appeals to the d'ahs, and did not leave the raging flame until the bones of the warriors turned to ashes. Her children were surrounded by monotonously howling former Khalsa dog-heads - they crowded in a circle, wiping their tears and shifting from foot to foot, because they had nowhere else to go. Vassa soon disappeared somewhere, and Cres did not see the wolf cub all night, which seemed to him too long.Keisha collected the ashes left from both fallen warriors, without anyone's help she climbed onto a branch of the Sacred Ref and scattered the ashes in the wind.Cres wanted so badly to drop everything and run to the Skin House, where he left Ada in the care of an eccentric he barely knew. What's wrong with her now? Did this Leshy offend her? He sent Ieassa and Shuna to them - to find out what and ho
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Vassa screamed terribly, as he had never screamed in his life. But his cry was quickly drowned out by the outburst of indignation that exploded in the audience. The circle of d'ahs has not seen such a disgrace in many winters and years. To the cries of indignation, he, not remembering himself, rushed across the sand to his already dead father.- Fool, come back! - belatedly exclaimed, but it was too late.A blade flashed in Vassa's hand. Baring his teeth, Asa raised his hand with the sword, covered in the blood of his father.It rumbled as if a huge leather string had been torn. The knife fell out of the fingers of the wolf cub, buried in the sand. Vassa ripped open the bloody mass of sand with his face. The crowd sighed in one breath, exhaled, choked on their own cry, when Vassa was abruptly dragged back, away from the blade, which only missed his head by a finger.Going through all the curses with which Senches filled his brain over the past twenty-eight winters, Cres quickly pulled
- Time Of Traitors
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The people still rejoiced, but somehow out of tune. Certainly not such a reception was expected by the newly-minted d'aher.“Before you name him d'ahger,” a small old man in a flowery robe kept shouting from the crowd. – Is there anyone among you who dares to challenge the right of Asa?!"The D'ahs have spoken," Asa declared, not looking at anyone. Then he dropped his shield and suddenly met the eyes of the Messenger, who was trying to put his foot on the sacred sand. It felt like a fire was going to ignite between them. The old man finally twitched his cheek, looked away and took a deep breath.- Of course have! - sounded over Vassa's ear. Too close, and the wolf cub turned its head in disbelief, not believing its ears. The crowd seemed to rush to the side. She darted in one impulse, trying to find out who dared to challenge the one who had just killed Khalsa himself.Musa stepped out of the crowd and froze with his arms outstretched.- Here I am, Musa, the son of Barik, I want to ch
- Time Of Traitors
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The sun was looming in the pre-morning haze and slightly outlined the black refs, slightly powdered with snow, and people were already flocking to the top of the Heart-House, heading straight for the temple, where preparations for the sacred duel were already in full swing. The people lined up along the edges of the sand circle, right under the wooden faces of the d'ahs, carefully watching each villager. When Vassa and his family climbed to the upper platform and stood directly under a huge statue with a bear's head, snowflakes were flying in the air, it was fresh and quiet. The cub shuddered and began to rub his palms. The day promised clear and frosty.My father closed his eyes and whispered something silently. Prayed, I guess. Noticing the attentive look of his son, Musa smiled and tousled his hair. The mother whispered something to the father, and the smile instantly faded from his face.“I told him not to twist the tail,” muttered Musa. “But he never leaves the d'hanka.It only m
- Time Of Traitors
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The pebble rolled across her palm like an apple on a saucer. His eye beckoned and frightened at the same time. A light yellowish glow emanated from it, and if it becomes even brighter, then you can naturally fall into it and get stuck there forever.Give him blood to drink and urgently! If they don't hurry, then Sareth's torment in Barandarud will go down the drain.“Mine was better,” Vikta said, handing it back to her brother. She grimaced and said it more out of spite. Her ears were stuffed and for a moment the light faded in her eyes, as soon as the little thing fell into her hands. It was just breathtaking. Brother's Philosopher's Stone was strong. Very strong.Sareth didn't answer, didn't even raise his head, didn't make a single move to take his jewel."He's yours," he replied, poking his wand at the fire.Victa thought she had misheard.“Take it,” she said, handing him the stone.Is he yours, deaf or what? he muttered.- Like this? she couldn't believe her ears. - I already loo
- Time Of Traitors
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“I remember the darkness,” Sareth was saying. “And some prickly creatures. I remember how they purred contentedly and pinched me painfully, as if I were a calf that they go to slaughter. Abomination - I do not want to remember! I know you might think I'm crazy..."No, I don't think so," she cut him off. - This is true. The Khamer saved you."Saved" and "Khamers" in one sentence. She couldn't help but smile bitterly.- The ones that Ryzhek spoke about ? Looks like Les is really a wonderful place.“I'm already fed up with these miracles of his,” Vikta turned away. “We were supposed to spend a week here at the most and return home, and everything stretched out almost ... Senches knows how long! And the end of all this promises to be not at all happy, as in your stupid fairy tales. Well, that's why, it happened to you? Where did you go, fool? What have you achieved?“I don’t know,” Sareth grimaced, as if from a headache. - I haven't checked yet.– Yes, what are you talking about? Vikta ex
- Time Of Traitors
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Akai left them almost at the exit. Victa hooted as the weight of a heavy body rested on her frail shoulders. She clenched her teeth and tried to take a step, and flopped to the ground.“What a clumsy you are, Vikta. - Complained her escort. “Better drag him by the armpits.” It's too heavy for you to carry in your arms.Vikta, puffing from the effort, did as the underground inhabitant advised. In the same way, she once dragged the dead Apol out of the cave in order to give the Khamer for the profit. There was still nothing to be seen around, but she felt that gradually her eyes began to pick out separate outlines from the environment. Akai was here too, although she couldn't see anything clear beyond a vague black spot. And only once in the emerging light two menacing eyes seemed to flash."Don't get distracted and don't look at me," he advised her. Vikta immediately lowered her eyes to the ground, and continued to drag the man to the surface. Akai didn't say another word, didn't even
