- That's it - fluff! he spread his paws. “There was also a cat that pricked up its ears at him. We thought that a stupid animal would at least throw itself into the bushes, and then we would devour it. But he didn’t, he ran under the wall, the bastard. Then your friend began to get hysterical, he sparkled all over. Pooh! – and disappeared. Apparently the cat was important: he himself wanted to eat this, so he was upset.Where could he have gone, do you know? Vikta didn't understand.“Anywhere,” the Khamer chuckled. “But I personally think that he entered Barandarud in such an original way. And now it could be anywhere.“I don’t understand anything,” Vikta shook her head. She just cracked from this nonsense. “How can you enter a city but end up anywhere?”“And Barandarud is anywhere, krrral,” the freak purred. - Only Karakyrzhyrak and his brood know where the city will appear next and when it will happen. Barandarud does not like to wait and he is bored to stand in one place. He may or
Sleep did not come. She got worse and worse. There was no hope left in my head, but only bitterness and anger at myself. Nitsiri will never find her brother. And there is no Barandarud, there are only stupid tales with which this khamer has powdered her brains. And Sareth was not there. Just because of his usual negligence and pride, one cold evening, the brother did not throw grass into the fire and woke up already from the fact that the Khamers were gnawing at his legs.This is how she ends her days. Now nitsiri will close her eyes and fall asleep, and when she opens, her friendly companion will tear pieces of meat from her. And his brothers, who are probably now hiding right under the ground, will be friendly to hold her hands and lick their lips.She didn't even want to light a fire. What's the point? It will only help cannibals soften her meat. The philosopher's stone warmed her palms so pleasantly, her talent warmed her insides, reaching her heels with its warmth. She will prote
When he and Khalsa appeared in the courtyard, where a dozen dog-heads were honing their combat skills, the training was immediately cut short. Those present at the appearance of d'ahger moved to a respectful distance and bowed respectfully as one. The only ones that did not move were tall wooden idols, trowels carved from solid trunks, but not as cyclopean in size as the one on which they were now located. Large, dirty red patches marked the sand under each of the wooden slabs, adorned with bizarre features. Menacing eyes followed Kres every step as he and Khalsa walked along a path flanked by poles dug into the ground, at the top of each sticking out the head of a wolf, a bear, a rok'hee, and some other fanged creature. There were also freshly killed rat and human skulls,Train in the very center of a gloomy temple? It was quite in the spirit of rock'hi.Once again the metal rang out from all directions as the rok'hee tried to make up for lost time.“That's all,” Khalsa grunted, look
That "you" the boy did not finish, but allowed himself further. Cres, grinning impudently, ran after him. Vassa moved so easily and noiselessly through the forest that Kres felt like a drunken barefoot in a shop with crystal. Now he tried to step as softly as possible and once again not to disturb the bushes, which were here in abundance. He did not take his eyes off the distant branches, expecting to see a “nest” with a vigilant sentinel on each.- Pied Piper!- What? - Cres almost ran into him, the kid stopped so abruptly.- Quiet you! - the boy pulled him by the jacket and whispered in his ear. - Over there in that tree...Vassa squatted down, and they crawled a couple of steps to the side. Then the wolf cub gently lowered a branch of a thorny bush and stuck out a finger in the direction of a sweeping giant. Cres narrowed his eyes and peered painfully into the cloud of gray leaves that the boy pointed to, but he could not understand what Vassa was pointing to. He never complained a
The first sign of the close refuge of the forest witch was a human face. It was half buried in the ground and emerged from the soft, swampy soil with a long, crooked nose and magnificent mustaches. Kres at first took him for an ugly stone and wanted to sit right on it, but in time he noticed a huge, evil eye staring at the sky.- And why is it so? Kres asked, looking at the buried giant.- He was rude, probably. So they dug up uncle.“Poor fellow… How much longer?”No, we're almost there. Maybe at least now tell me why you go to Bolotikha?Cres looked doubtfully at the gigantic face, but still allowed himself to sit down on the very tip of his nose. Vassa preferred to settle down on a fallen tree.– Khalsa needs women to stop going to the swamp. And no one went. Never.- You mean never?- In direct.- Are you going?- Yeah. Remove the curse of the Swamp.Vassa immediately haggard and turned pale. It seemed that a sudden gust of wind would blow the boy away. He sat with his eyes fixed
- No, it's not like that. I don't care what Ada is or isn't capable of. Her… powers are news to me. In general, it seems to me that this is some kind of wild misunderstanding, and Khalsa is simply trying to strengthen his authority in the village. And to save the only son who is overcome by your curse.- Well, yes, this is undesirable ... - the grandmother stirred her bones. - And you are ready to kill this child, just to annoy Khalsa?“I don't care about Khalsa and his problems. I need my Ada.- Is that love? And just only?"That's my business," Kres grimaced.“No, it’s mine now,” the witch grinned. “I am a curious soul. Especially with regard to the echo of bygone days and those who once offended me.- Did I offend you?- You are not. But behind your back, I feel the hand of those who did everything so that I met my old age in a stinking swamp, using local savages.“If you mean that I supposedly carry out the will of the abels, then no,” Cres shook his head. “I am as much an exile f
And once the exhausted insolent decided to get the final word from her. Late in the evening, when the rok'hee perched in the trees to spend another day singing, he caught her somewhere in a secluded place and led her away from prying eyes to sort everything out. He waited, his eyes fixed on hers. And she refused him, said terrible for any proud man - " no" , once and for all. Perhaps carefully so as not to inflame his humiliated feelings, or perhaps, as always, brazenly and with laughter, as she used to refuse everyone else who tried to possess her. But this time the dog did not run away with his tail between his legs. Oh, not the one, this harger was just to forgive the offense of the one that he was not destined to take possession and make his own. Shouting and begging, wallowing at your feet and promising moreLarger gifts were not in his nature. But to take everything that resists his desires - yes, Khalsa still knows how to do it very well. And he committed the most terrible at
Luke easily moved away from his seat and opened a black hole, in the depths of which anything could be.Cres wondered if he should jump blindly and if there was some surprise waiting for him there, like a hungry monster that the grandmother keeps on a chain. Involuntarily, a fabulous image of a dead man came to mind, who was in a hurry to have fun with the sleeping "beauty". Bolotikha noticed his doubts:- What do you think? Get down, it’s not high up there,” she waved at him. “If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t be scratching my tongue here all evening. Killing a person is not easy.Cres smiled bitterly, dangled his legs into the hatch and tried to feel at least something there. Finally, his toe rested on a rotten step. The candle was still useless, so we had to descend almost blindly. Already plunging into musty darkness, he expected with every creaking step that the hatch would slam over his head, and the ominous laughter of the accursed old woman would blow out the candle.But no,