LITMIR.BIZ

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aimlessly in the streets, with difficulty holding away from the desire to catch the first oncoming and tell him all the history of my life from beginning to end. A desire to at least someone recognized the truth, and not empty fictions were so strong that I almost delayed a frightened messenger, but in the end, I made way, passing a frightened boy. More passersby I did not meet. The street was empty, nor dancing people, no carnival masks, only Percy, as if grew up from under the ground at the porch of the nearest house.

      Percy was pleased with the fact that he managed to collect tribute with most of those whom he diplomatically called my vassals and admirers. After his appearance, it was already impossible to bother. In the company of a friendly elf, it was difficult to feel all abandoned and unhappy. Percy without silence cracked about where he hid everything and that no one except us could find it. He waited for the praise with hope, and I tried to say something in approval.

      «When you need to find servants among people, it will not be so difficult to do,» as if by the way he noticed. «Sorry for the audacity, but I observed and noticed that it was worth only to call and mortals would be ready for everything for you. Of course, it is impossible to leave them alive after they fulfill the instructions.»

      Vincent also said that he has servants among pirates, smugglers and other villains.

      «What do you mean, Percy?» I immediately asked.

      «Well, perhaps you will want to invite to yourself a minstrel or…» he shrugged. «Many of us often used mortals in their games and their plans. Sometimes it brought success. But with your power, such a petty cunning, perhaps, will be superfluous.»

      Percy blushed a little, embarrassed by his own sincerity, and I thought that my power is quite doubtful, and even if you want to call poets or musicians to yourself, then there will be no place to invite them. I was no longer at home. Since the royal castle has burned down on fire, I was deprived of home, called the dudgeon of Rothbart somehow did not turn the tongue. Even now following at random the meridian of life, I remained just a traveler. Even now, we have nowhere to spend the night. For the elf, of course, it was possible not to worry, with his flexible thin body and abilities to take off on any height and feel comfortable anywhere, he could have spent the night even in the hollow of an old oak. I was more accustomed to comfort. Remembering the message of Vincent that smugglers’ boats will wait for his accomplice, I immediately pulled an elf for myself to the nearest pier. We quickly overcame the city gate and the mouth of the river, then got to the rocky coast and next to a small, inconspicuous bay, we noticed a dozen tiny lights in the night, which as fireflies looped over water. The splash was heard. There was a crazy plan in my head. The idea was justified by tracing the boats and their owners, it was possible to say for sure that near this place they found a safe shelter.

      «Let’s go for me!» I ordered Percy, it would be more precisely to say «fly,» because we hide behind the smugglers on top of the rocky ridge and now we had quickly to jump down, so that our raincoats shot down in the wind, like two multicolored wings. The man would certainly turn his neck, jumping down from such steepness, but Percy only laughed, enjoying the freedom of flight.

      «Do you want to drive out these guys from their cozy cave?» he asked.

      «The cave will fit for us. Can you gather brushwood for a fire?»

      Percy took off his cap and elegantly bowed as soon as we stepped on the bottom of the cave, littered with bales of valuable products. He was happy from the fact that his Mr. is also not against mischief. It was much more interesting to serve the playful demon, than the gloomy hunchback.

      However, the witnesses of this scene did not laugh. The smugglers dropped their bales and froze at the entrance of the cave. Such a strong effect could not allow them even the emergence of a whole regiment of the soldiers. Their confusion could be understood. After all, not every day you manage to see an elf with pointed ears, red eyes and such a mood, as if he was ready to destroy all the caves and stony ridges on a mile around. Maybe, I made a greater impression on them, with a sword flushing in the dark, with a cloak, like a black wing and a certain invisible force, which began to put pressure on them with multi-tone severity. It was difficult to say who scared them more the owner or the servant, but after a few moments most of the people preferred to escape and only someone in a low voice sent the curse «frightened fools and a false fellow.»

      I learned the accomplice of Vincent even without a mask, but did not detain him. The black figure disappeared in the night, after the rest. Now, it was no longer important. The cave for all night belonged to us.

      Percy very quickly returned with twigs, the fire began to rise in the midst of the cave and he asked incredulously:

      «Can we really relax?»

      «Choose yourself any bale with fabrics and sleep on them,» I allowed graciously. «In the morning, we will be busy, but now you can drink any wine if you like it.»

      Percy examined bottles and barrels stood in one of the distant corners, and I, feeling a sudden fatigue, just wrapped in a raincoat and fell asleep near the fire.

      I did not remember how much I slept, one hour or more. Something hurts me in the heart and forced to open my eyes. Percy has long asleep. Everything was calm around, the noise of waves, crabs and scorpions crawling between stones and a quiet swaying of algae – all these are normal night sounds on the coast. Smugglers would not be poured back. Their traces were already washed off the surf. The lights went out. Boats, too, was no longer noticeable at the shore. I rose and sat down, trying to come into myself, to separate the dream from reality, but in my heart again there was a leaning pain and a fiery wave spilled throughout the body. I embraced myself with my hands, wanting to warm up and relieve painful spasms. The prince called me. Even at such a distance, I saw the aquamarine ring in his hands. I wanted to drive away his witchcraft. I tried to strike into the emptiness, but had no success. n.

      Away from the cave. It is necessary to take off into the airspace until Percy woke up and did not witness a terrible reincarnation. Soon the shining golden dragon flew overnight, without even disturbing the peaceful sleeping of the elf. This time, the wings themselves carried me forward, to some unknown, but excellent bastion. Immediately it was possible to understand that it was the towers of the capital. Alas, the labyrinth of the toy streets, located below, was absolutely defenseless before fiery breathing, but I didn’t want to breathe fire on this wonderful picture.

      «Do you really want to destroy all this magnificence, Rothbart?» I mentally asked and heard a deafening, triumphant, vile laughter. Laughter, which no one except me could hear.

      Narrow roads, squares and wide avenues, according to the brilliant architectural plan, they were almost empty from the white side of the palace. Bridges, laid out by yellow stones, were cast by sandy color, eaves, chimney pipes and attic enders represented a variety of forms and colors to taste each inhabitant. Even a child who received as a gift one of such doll houses, would feel sorry to break such a beautiful toy, but I could not act according to my own solution.

      Someone from the night guard, cheerfully marching very far from me, in the interval between the buildings, stopped and began to point up. The cab driver could not keep a frightened horse and was forced to take a look up. The body of the dragon is the latter that he saw in his life. And then the jet of liquid fire crawled into the city. The buildings are easily ignited. The dream of the inhabitants was interrupted by orange spins, compared with the windows of the upper floors. The golden dragon described again the circle over the fortress wall. Reverse flight to the cave was quick but the heart failed me.

      In the morning I saw my bloody clothes, Percy diplomatically kept silence. He only offered me a flask with wine and conscientiously cleaned my cloak from dirt.

      «Will be today any instructions?» Percy decided to ask after a long silence.

      In response, I could only negatively shake my head.

      «Then, with your permission, I should walk around your vassals

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