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Time Of Traitors 10
- Ai! Enough! Or I'll roast you!It was hard to tell from her contented appearance that the threat had tempered her ardor, but the bird was done with the "greetings". Sareth, scratching the stung place, cracked his spruce branches and sank into his seat.- Did you find it? He raised an eyebrow as he sheathed his blade. Alas, not everything in this life can be solved with a swing.The raven grunted in response, poked its feathered beak like it was in a pocket, and tossed a small black leather-bound notebook into Sareth's lap. He croaked again for warning and jabbed his beak at the cover - extremely persistently.“I know, I know, don’t croak…” Sareth muttered, turning the yellowish pages. The bird stared at him with its bright topaz eyes as the nitsiri entered phrase after phrase into his notebook.Decided to start as friendly as possible:Good evening. In the woods. Chimera is close. How is the weather?The answer was not long in coming:The clouds are gathering, - a threateningly dark
Time Of Traitors 11
When Cres woke up, a suffocating heat spread through his body. His head was splitting as if battle horns were being blown into the ears on both sides, and only the Senches and his wives knew when it would end, if it would end at all. Opening his eyelids with difficulty, Kres lay in one position for a long time, getting used to the hot twilight and to new sensations - there was not an inch of cold earth under him, and the hiss of the forest was not audible. Somewhere nearby, a door creaked, grunts and joyful fuss were heard. The smell was fierce.The white morning dawned slowly. A dim light gradually penetrated under the low ceiling of this foul-smelling lair. Heavy skins on the log walls, fragrant bundles of herbs and decorations of feathers and down. Cres felt fresh straw under him, raised himself a little, and before another red-hot needle twisted him, he still managed to make out a cradle and a smoldering hearth, and people sleeping side by side right on the floor.“Woke up… woke u
Time Of Traitors 12
“Asa, don’t start an old conversation…”- The conversation will continue until there are no unavenged men and women left in our village! Asa blurted out. - And all the shavs will not sit on a leash, as befits shavs.“In our house, the D'ah covenants are sacredly observed, Asa. You don't have to worry.“I can’t see something…” the Harger muttered and glared at the door, but did not try to enter. Vassa looked down at his belt, at the hilt of the dagger that he always had with him. But Asa's hand made no attempt to touch him. The father's hand also did not touch his own. Vassa sighed.“K'hul soon,” Musa said, conciliatory. - We will discuss all the issues there. On a cold head“If yours,” Asa grimaced. “The k'hul will make it this far.“Then the judgment of the d'ahs will be done,” Musa nodded. “But the southerner is strong. He killed a barefoot alone and lost a lot of blood. Neither you nor I can repeat this.- Yes. But that rat was the work of your harg. And not just Yuvasa, whom you p
Time Of Traitors 13
He paused, blowing smoke into the ceiling.- Where is she? Cres asked urgently. - Where is my woman?“With Khalsa,” the owner answered simply. She is always with him.- Do you know him? Take me to him.- Later.- Why?- Because it's necessary. What's your name, ferret?“The Pied Piper,” Cres said without much desire the first thing that came to mind.Is that what people call you for your craft?- They call me by different names. I do not mind.- My name is Musa. And you have nothing to go to Khalsa until you can at least move your legs like rock'hee, and not like a lousy shava. I'll take you myself. Khalsa wants to get to know you for a long time. Many people want.- Good. But why does this Khalsa need it, you know?Musa shrugged.- It's clear why. Khalsa, he is d'ahger .Chris didn't say much.“You mean… chief?”– D'ahger is d'ahger. Chosen by the d'ahami. And they pointed him to your woman as a d'hanka. You're in luck, ferret. Oh, lucky.“I was so lucky,” he muttered. Do you see her
Time Of Traitors 14
Now take care! Like this. Go ahead, you better not ask about who you just blocked the way - you still won't believe it. Don't turn around. An unfortunate accident - this happens once in a billion lives.You'd better not look around. Billions of different creatures from billions of different worlds are rummaging here, lost here out of stupidity or self-interest. Many have long lost the remnants of their former mind and wander aimlessly. Better not be like them, listen.Here we are closer. Now take a closer look. You can take a closer look at the Flower . See the dark spots on its leaves? Yes, you guessed it, there are many. So many. And it will get even bigger with time. From these leaves, swarms of various crazy creatures gather, which can no longer live in their home. Some run from leaf to leaf, looking for shelter, or answers to the riddle of how to fix the trouble that came to their home. Or how to save this house so that the local inhabitants do not suffer a bitter fate. All in va
Time Of Traitors 15
He did not believe what he saw in front of him when the snow-white contours of the fortress wall appeared between the trees. At first, Sareth thought that he was mistaken - hunger and nightmares still finished him off, and he was about to fall straight into the well of madness. Riding half-starving through an enchanted forest, drinking tasteless water and listening to a cat raging in a bag - and not such a dream.But the closer Blaska came to the strange mirage, the brighter the structure loomed - smooth and dazzling white, like ivory. The smooth surface stretched high towards the graying skies, as if serving as a support for them. Rows of strict, narrow loopholes ran in straight lines, dark holes looked unfriendly and menacing: just another moment and a whirlwind of arrows and stones would break out from there.The forest seemed afraid to come any closer to the foot of the wall, where not a sprout grew, as if every blade of grass had been plucked out by an overzealous gardener. The w
Time Of Traitors 16
He took out the last cracker from his bag, dried up, almost stone, put half in front of the cat, half he threw into his mouth. Breaking his teeth on him, he picked up the bag and poured a few crumbs into his palm, licked it off with his tongue. With an empty and miserable bag he covered the cat, who did not even think of touching the cracker. I completely forgot about the fire and simply, grimacing from the dull pain in each vertebra, leaned back on my back in order to somehow relax. Bruises and bruises sang a plaintive ballad about his ridiculous fall, which will have to listen to for a very long time. Although Sareth understood that he himself was to blame for his sores, he involuntarily connected the fall with the obstinate structure, which was in no hurry to part with the guest so easily.There was still a wall before my eyes and in my thoughts. Only she.Neither the noise of the breeze, nor the singing of birds, and even less human voices, could be heard from the silent battlemen
Time Of Traitors 17
His head was shaking, he was rocking like a boat on the waves. But he stubbornly took his couple of steps and crawled back to gain strength in order to try again after a while. And every day the legs obeyed better and better. Even the grandfather grunted approvingly at his efforts.When Cres was strong enough to feel more or less confident on his own two feet, he moved towards the exit from this stuffy hole, opened the door and almost collapsed from a sharp gust of wind. In front of the house was a small wooden platform with a rope fence up to the waist. And a sea of yellowing leaves.Already by some sixth sense, he realized that his eyes did not deceive him. Having driven the top of the head into the lintel, - now there will also be a bump! – he hesitantly approached the fence and looked down. A new gust of wind and an explosive rustle of leaves forced him to retreat.It turned out that the hut was conveniently located high in the branches of a giant ref, resembling a bee hive. It
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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
- Time Of Traitors
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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
- Time Of Traitors
92
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
91
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
90
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
89
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
88
“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
87
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
