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35

The malice of a self-satisfied person made me take a closer look at the former owner. No, I did not rush to read it , gods save me! I just compared the impressions, past and present. After all, then, in the market, he was not at all surprised to see me, as if he was expecting my arrival. And not just expected, but hoped and believed that I would come ... That's how? Interesting.

You took this order on purpose. For what purpose?

“Believe it or not, dan Ra-Gros, I love the city I live in and don't want to see its walls crumble in favor of someone's selfish or insane designs. When I heard that some rich man was offering a lot of money to smuggle a stranger into Antreya… I very rarely feel fear, dan. Rarely. But this time I got scared, because if it’s dangerous for a person to go straight through customs, it’s better that he doesn’t go anywhere at all.

"And that's why you did it yourself?" To make sure everything works out?

Likker shook his head in displeasure, as if he always thought I was the smarter guy, but just found out otherwise:

- I would refuse, someone else would agree, and the children would still end up in Antreya, but few would know about their existence, otherwise I could be sure: they know. Those who are supposed to know.

— Really? I was not supposed to be at the market early in the morning. Actually, I usually don’t buy fish myself ... I think you know this. Is it known?

No confirmation, no denial, but strange lights appeared in the eyes of the white-haired "veteran" carrier, which somehow reminded me of the late Ballig. Oh, if only not ... And yet it is the same, damn the day of my birth!

Likker raised his chin sedately, becoming like a general taking over the parade, and solemnly, which did not at all fit with his former smiling-simple tone, announced:

“I know only one thing, but I know it clearly and firmly, bright dan: when Antreya is in danger, she calls on her Guardian. Wherever it is. And the Guardian comes.

So. We arrived. It remains to be hoped that he will not thump at my feet and continue to broadcast with the grave voice of a fair prophetess. One and the same, always and everywhere. No, it's nice, of course, when people believe in you, but I would like to be at least a little imbued with this faith myself, otherwise ... you'll go crazy.

It's good that the young master doesn't seem to be so into urban legends. Or…

Juvis' eyes lit up with excitement.

“Tell me, dan Ragro, can you really learn everything about a person at one glance?”

Burkayu:

- Truth.

Not quite from one and not only glance, but in general, this is exactly how I act. There is not the slightest desire to explain in more detail, and who needs it? To me? Not in the least. Interlocutors? Even less.

- And can you…

Would you like to offer yourself as the subject being described? I don't do tricks, dan. Besides…

Out of the corner of my eye I catch some confusion that slid across Likker's face. The father is not averse to learning something from the secrets of his son, but does not dare to directly ask me for a favor? I think I know what secret he is interested in. So be it, I will go on about the enthusiastic audience:

“There is no need to resort to magic when everything is already clear.

A cautious question follows from the elder's side:

— What is clear, bright dan?

- Your son is a young man, normal in all respects.

The father seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. But the son did not calm down:

— How did you understand it? Because themselves...

Well, it’s worth using not for nothing, but simple observations from life, as you are suspected of all the shamelessness that you can think of. The guy considered me a “lover of male society”, because he himself was not such at all - both in my eyes and in his own mind. In a way, he is right... No, as for my inclinations and affections, as they say, a brother-in-law sees a brother-in-law from afar, and this rule is true for all aspects of life. Just ... Selfless pretense, not turning into a complete and final acceptance of the role, usually has serious reasons. I had such reasons. Juvis, as far as I can tell, does too. And one actor always recognizes another, right?

Wink:

Because I like to play games sometimes.

I see in bright eyes full understanding and consent. But the daddy of the “miracle” has not yet been completely reassured, which he declares:

— Dan Ra-Gros, I don't dare to ask you for more, but...

You need to be more open with each other. And try to understand that each of you has your own preferences. In any business. You didn't ask if your son was ready to accept his destiny, did you? They didn't ask. So what? They got rebuffed. So why be upset and surprised? It is better to sit down at the table and talk: word for word, and a crossing is being made from coast to coast ... Will you try?

Likker paused, looking at me with an even stranger lightening in his eyes, then nodded his thanks.

“It’s a sin to ignore wise advice… You, dan Ra-Gro, are the son of your father, and this means that the city is in good hands.”

Involuntarily I lean forward:

- Did you know him well?

- Not too much: who is he and who am I ... But once I managed to stay alive only thanks to his intervention. It was then that I realized how dangerous the mentally damaged are.

Did your father save you from a madman?

- Yes. And he did it knowing who he was saving.

Does it matter who you protect?

The "Carrier" grew gloomy, remembering:

It didn't matter to him. For his protection - was. They asked with one voice to let the madman finish what he started. Like, he will become less of a scoundrel in the world, and even by proxy, and everyone will be fine.

“Dad didn’t listen to them, did he?”

Oh no, I listened. Carefully. And then he said: “Let the city people take care of criminals and honest people. My business is that both of them live.”

Yes, pa could say so. Cold and calm, chasing every word. Or vice versa, softly, affectionately, enveloping with a voice, like a cloak. No matter what tone these words were spoken, they came from the very heart. And I would give a lot to hear them at that moment and in that situation ... And I would like to look at the long faces of the bodyguards, of course!

And Licker sighed, finishing his speech:

- Then I promised myself that I would do my best, but I would not give the Guardian more work than he had already been assigned from birth.

You are a good person, that's all I can say.

“I am a cowardly man, dan Ra-Gros. And I pray to all the gods that my son does not run into one of the madmen!

“I can protect myself,” Juvis objected, and turned to me, “They are only dangerous because they hide their madness, right?

“True, but not really. Now not really.

The white-haired one crept up in the chair:

- What do you want to say?

- The girl who got into Antreya through your efforts is much more dangerous than the others who were subjected to “water madness”, because ... She gives it to others.

- What?! But this is…

- Impossible? Not at all, and I recently became convinced of this. True, this "madness" passes quickly, but it can also cause trouble. Big troubles.

- And how is it…

- Does it occur? At the meeting. From a few words, carried by a gust of wind from her lips to you.

Juvis shook his head, and the silky strands flew like real wings.

- I do not understand.

Well... I'll try to show you. Do you mind?

“On… me?”

Was the guy scared? All the better. For me and my first experiences in the control of free consciousness.

- Do you offer daddy? I would be happy, but just use it in an old, decrepit body from the years lived and the suffering experienced? After all, madness prefers to settle in ripe and juicy bodies, like a fruit that has ripened, but not yet ready to fall to the ground. It penetrates inside with the rays of the dawn sun, with drops of dew that have moved from wet grass to a cloak, with the breath of the sea, salty and fresh, flying on the wings of a light breeze, but along the way taking with it the tart aroma of flowering gardens ...

So, it's wonderful: we breathe often, often, strictly falling into the rhythm of a vein swollen on the temple. Blood is the most convenient thing to talk about . First, because it is liquid. Secondly…

- It comes in the morning of life, at the most calm hour, at the hour when the muslin of happiness lies in front of your eyes and does not allow you to see what is happening under your feet. It comes and remains, burrowing seeds into the soil of our souls, absorbing the rains of our grievances and basking in the burning heat of our disappointments...

His facial features are visibly relaxed, which means that the guy is already ready to accept my orders. Just what would he order?

— It is waiting in the wings, sprouting and twining around consciousness like a tenacious ivy. It pierces the flesh of our hearts with its poisoned thorns, eclipsing our vision with cherished nightmares. It suffocates hopes and crumbles dreams into ashes, and we begin to look for weapons to fight an unexpected enemy...

Juvis' right hand, trembling, slowly rises up to the strands, chipped into a fancy knot.

“We are looking, and the one who seeks will certainly find, we also find, we find slowly or quickly, the first or the last, but there is no longer any possibility to stop, and we follow the call of our enemy, who has captured the soul ...

Fingers close on the long body of the hairpin, pulling it away from the hair. The hair is falling apart.

“We follow, because we are no longer able to languish in captivity, because we still see the fading light of deliverance from torment, and until it goes out in the pitch darkness of suffering approaching the borders of the heart, we think about the struggle ...

The tip of the gilded trinket approaches the half-naked chest, reluctantly, but surely. It's almost touched...

- But when all the measured time passes ... We drink for the repose of those who left without us!

A sharp change in tone and rhythm made Juvis stagger, and the hairpin scratched the smooth skin, but, fortunately, not to the point of blood, leaving only a whitish mark. The young man looked at his own hands in confusion.

— What happened? Why…

I had to make another effort on myself and completely break the connection with someone else's consciousness, returning sensations and memories to their rightful owner.

Juvis shuddered, ruffled his hair, freed from the shackles of hairstyle, and ... He whistled enthusiastically:

- Oh wow! You know how… It's…

I hasten to finish his thought at my own discretion:

- Terrible trouble and headache, and not what you thought!

“And the one you were talking about… Can she do that too?”

- About. I suspect, however, that she succeeds even more easily than me, so ... I hope now you have realized the danger of what is happening?

- Oh yeah!

The young master nodded, but could not drive out of his eyes the childish joy of meeting with magic, albeit deadly. I would like his naivety!

— Dan Licker, who contacted you with the order? Can you describe his appearance, because it is unlikely that he introduced himself by his full name?

Of course no names were mentioned at all. A middle-aged man, rather frail, accustomed to service so much that at every opportunity he tries to pose as a master. He sweats a lot and constantly wipes his hands on anything.

Thanks, that's enough. Your description matches those already available. Perhaps I have no more questions that require immediate resolution ... I take my leave, if I may; There is one more small, but absolutely urgent matter. Yes, I would be grateful if you would bother to describe your smuggling fun on paper and send it to me. I promise that no one else will get acquainted with him except me!

“As you wish, dan Ra-Gros.

Father and son stood up and bowed, with amazing unanimity in their movements and facial expressions. And when I already went beyond the walls of the Court, Juvis called me.

In the middle of the night, on a poorly lit and deserted street, his presence was as inappropriate as mine, but somehow at that moment it seemed right and necessary to me. Still, I couldn't help but grumble:

- Well?

“Sorry to take up a little time, dan. I... If our fathers, without oaths and promises, took care of the city together, why shouldn't we...

Politeness in itself is good, but in some moments it can be truly deadly. If I let the guy spread in small talk, I won’t manage my problems until the morning:

- Would you like to suggest something?

A strict and specific question instantly set Juvis in a businesslike mood:

- Yes. But I don't know if you agree.

“And you won’t know until you offer… So?”

How about my service?

- That is?

- To the best of my ability, of course. If you need anything... Something I can help with... Promise you'll reach out right away!

Here it is… Didn't expect it. Didn't count. It's nice, hhag tease me, to receive gifts! Even those that will have to work out by the sweat of your brow.

- Thanks.

- Do you promise?

- Promise. But... a deal doesn't become a deal until each party contributes. What do you expect from me?

“What you are already doing, dan Ragro. Today, probably for the first time in my life, I saw my father a different person, and I saw it thanks to you. And it also seems to me that your participation, if not reconciled us, then offered to make friends. Where there is friendship, there is no war, right? And that means that you are indeed the Guardian of Antreya, if you maintain peace not only within its borders, but also in people's hearts... If necessary, you know what and how!

The soldier salute performed by Juvis was not at all funny, as one might expect, but unusually touching, and in order to cope with the feelings that seized the moment to buck and rush in different directions, I quickly headed away from the Court.

The rustle of footsteps split in two, indicating that Honk had left his favorite refuge in the shadows and joined me. In normal times, such behavior was strictly forbidden for a bodyguard, but the night watch that had come and was moving towards the middle could not be called an ordinary one. Not with any sauce.

We walked in silence to the corner of the house, then, turning into a narrow street, Honk asked:

Has the target been set?

- Yes.

Silence for another two dozen steps.

- Risk?

- Doesn't count.

- But then…

You won't participate.

— Dan Raiden, this is against the rules.

“I am my own rule, and you know it very well.

A sullen sniff, obscenely ostentatious.

“Honk, I have no doubts about your abilities and everything. I don't doubt it one bit. But, no matter how skillful and courageous you are, you cannot cope with this enemy.

“If you don't want my sword, dan Raiden, I can…

"Want to take Ballig's place?" No, it won't.

It's not much more difficult than...

- It's not about complexity. You can't close me, that's all.

Offended and wary:

"Are you so sure?"

- Yes.

- But why?

“Didn’t anything seem strange to you the time the girl showed up?” Absent-mindedness, confusion, dizziness - did you feel something similar?

Honk didn't answer right away, but when I opened my mouth, I heard what I was supposed to hear:

- Yes. Some kind of heaviness in the head, just like before the storm.

“But the storm didn’t happen, did it?” But the brains swam ... Now you understand?

Of course he understands. Just does not want to reconcile:

“I may not be able to fully fulfill my duty, but a few breaths ...

- None will work.

Well, just for a moment!

“No, Honk, don’t. I already lost Ballig and released Kyrian. All I have left is you, for all occasions. When trouble happens to you too, imagine what position I will be in if protection is needed? No, for the rest of the night I release you from the service, go, skip a glass or two of something intoxicating, find a beauty to your taste and enjoy life! And the morning ... It is smarter than the evening, we'll see there.

- That's an order?

— Count it, yes.

Can I disobey him?

- Can. But your insubordination is my death sentence. Do you want me to die? Then kill me yourself. Now.

I stopped and turned to Honk.

— Can you?

The face of the bodyguard, expressionless and at the best of times, completely petrified: a man can be taken instead of a statue to decorate the royal garden. True, beauty is dubious, but motionless to the extent that it should be.

"Come on, don't make me wait!"

He actually drew his weapon. A good sword like this, not too long to get in the way in narrow passages, slightly curved, with sharpening along one side of the blade along the entire length, and on the other - to the palm: it is convenient to strike the enemy in the throat. The steel is rather dull, covered with a pattern like snake scales, it is said to be one of the best forgings in all the Four Shems, strong and flexible.

Rises. Nearer. Even closer. A gray stripe falls on my shoulder, sticking with a sharp edge to my neck above the collar.

I eat dissatisfied:

- And what is the reason for the delay? Not enough confidence for one punch? I had a better opinion of you.

The touch gets tighter. Oh, I feel that the skin is already cut, otherwise where does this slight burning sensation come from?

“So I should submit or… kill?” By your own choice? And who can guarantee that you are not playing with me now, like a doll? After all, you can do it.

Will my word convince you? I know it won't convince you. Then let's do it differently: I will take the “snake” out of you, and you will be free to do as you wish, because there will be no more submission. I agree?

A pause during which I almost naturally begin to tremble. From impatience and from a slight doubt about the correctness of their actions. Of course, Honk is unaware of my newly tested skills that do not require improvised means, but was he deceived? Sometimes even a stupid and ignorant person turns out to be more resourceful and insightful than any sage. So here is my bodyguard: on the one hand, I am sure that I can control his actions only with the help of the “snake”, and on the other hand, having been influenced by the killer, he cannot but assume that other ways of submission are possible. Now how to choose...

The sword slid back into its sheath with a soft hiss.

— What does this mean?

“You are not the noblest or kindest person, dan Raiden. Speaking between us, not kind at all ... Only you are far from evil, no matter how you pretend. So let's stay with our own: you do what you have in mind, and I will follow orders. With all due zeal and diligence.

Honk wrapped himself in his cloak and took a step towards the shadow, in which, as usual, he intended to hide from anyone's eyes, but lingered to answer my question:

- Tell me, just don’t be cunning: why didn’t you want to part with the “snake”?

A chuckle escaped dry lips.

- Everything would climb into your soul, dan ... I was frightened. That's why he didn't want to.

- Scared?

“I remember those moments well, dan Raiden. Too good to ignore them. And best of all I remember how someone else's will wanted to get me and everyone else. Alien, dark and unkind. Here you are, no matter how angry and dirty, always acted honestly: to fight like that, to fight, and not to beat on the sly. Because the main thing for you is to be equal. And then ... I don’t know what kind of person this is, but for him we are just dirt under our feet, not even enemies, he would pass over us and only frown in disgust ... I was scared even then. I guess both Ballig and Kiri felt the same, because then, when your scream broke through the fog, we ... hurried like never before. Because they understand what freedom really is.