Danny Osipenko - The Black Book of Souls

© Danny Osipenko, 2022

ISBN 978-5-0056-1878-8

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

– I write, I read, I make letters! – a solid hour I tore a throat on the market square without the slightest result.

In three days I managed to get only the small, wrinkled apple, and painful spasms in a stomach gave to a voice drama feeling.

But not only hunger forced to look for earnings convulsively. Midday when the city guards begin a round came to collect a daily payment from foreigners for stay in the city.

Who will be able to pay – will receive the press on the palm back special paint. Till next day the tag will descend and it is again necessary to pay or hide. You will get and will not be able to pay – will sell on galleys. Destiny which and to the enemy you will not wish.

And money is necessary very little: a copper penny, but where to take it?

I tried to steal and once even it turned out. But local thieves attacked me, beat, selected production and warned that they will kill next time. Only liverymen have the right to drag others supposedly in the city. In which for the introduction it is necessary to treat government of binge, to pay a contribution five silver and to deduct every month two silver in a common fund.

I tried to find a job, but also here waited for complexity. It appeared that on the nice island of Lush only liverymen of podmetalshchik can sweep, wash the dishes – liverymen of dishwashers, to cut firewood – liverymen of woodcutters. Even chamber-pots have the right to take out only liverymen of goldsmiths. Monitor observance of these regulations of the power strictly, and punishment one – galleys. For the accession to guild it is necessary to bring a fair contribution and to arrange to the management a wine party.

It was necessary only to be engaged in the craft. Glory to gods, the guild of clerks did not exist. Alas, almost everyone on the island was more or less competent, and on services the calligrapher of demand was not.

I swallowed saliva and stared at richly dressed up girl with the silly person and a muddy look.

She defiled, extending a smell of the reek of alcohol and haughty bending the swelled lips. The burse which, judging by thickness, could solve all my problems for many days hung on the belt decorated with pearls.

The hand itself stretched to it, but I felt as language a loose tooth, remembered prevention of local thieves and constrained an internal rush. Unworthy to the person of my craft and qualification to trade in theft. Instead I whispered to the girl directly in an ear:

– I make love messages, congratulations in verses. Absolutely cheap!

The stranger only hiccupped fumes of wine and disappeared in crowd. And midday, meanwhile, came. Shadows became shorter, my situation is more and more dangerous.

I wiped wet palms about a loincloth and started turning the head.

The glory to gods not to see guards yet. However there is no time less, money and even me have nothing to sell. From all property at me only a dirty rag on loins yes a silver feather on a neck. This sign of craft indicated my highest qualification and to leave it it seemed as inconceivable how to say goodbye with themselves.

I pressed a medallion to heart and swore that I will better die of hunger, but I will not sell it. Other business threat of slavery by galleys. To avoid a similar fate any will be ready to do anything.

So far I managed to disappear. I hid on roofs of houses and in cesspools, under boards of port moorings and in crowns. The damned guards knew all places where illegal immigrants can be concealed, and checked there especially carefully, using volunteer assistants from local beggars. Paid ragamuffins for everyone caught and they tried on conscience. Still I was more cunning, but whether good luck will long last?

Money was urgently necessary, but how to get them?

Never thought that with a profession of the calligrapher it is possible to appear without work. Also brought me hard on the island where every second is able to write!

The bearded fat man who, taking the rap, pressed two shabby volumes to a breast overtook me. The stranger was obviously not from the poor, and I became constant visitor, looking to him in eyes:

– I rewrite books, I restore the damaged text, I make tables of contents eighteen various fonts.

Tolstobryukhy twisted a nose as if from me insufferably stank, and asked:

– And in how many languages you can write?

– On seven, mister! – with hope I exclaimed and began to list, for descriptive reasons bending fingers: – On kashtunsky, ulishsky, brotherly…

– And my dogs bark on eight! – he interrupted, spat to me under legs, laughed and passed by.

I hardly constrained desire to strangle the bastard.

Yes, strangers do not favor here. The island of Lush was the unpleasant place, and lashita very inhospitable people. The travel on the Archipelago Thousands of Islands did not seem to me more successful idea. And as everything well began!

Hardly university historian Kimraz invited me to set off with him as the copyist, I grasped with both hands at this offer. You bet: to escape for university walls, to travel all over the world, to spend the night under stars at a fire, to float under sails! And who could refuse here?

And the wandering purpose to write a research about mysterious chasteners of the Archipelago, could immortalize our names. Nobody authentically knew anything about mysterious attendants of the goddess Cara. Commoners frightened by chasteners of disobedient children, library volumes were full of the most contradictory data, and scientists to blue in the face argued, putting forward own, times absolutely fantastic, the assumptions.

Some claimed that chasteners are the demons called by the goddess from other measurements and is devoted to her employees in gratitude for an opportunity to live in our world. Others said that it is demigods who were born from mixed marriages of gods and people. The third proved that it is ordinary people who in infancy were sold to Cara’s priests and since childhood studied fighting and magical arts in underground temples of a mysterious cult.

Not less cock-and-bull stories were also about abilities of mysterious beings. They supposedly can pass through walls, breathe under water, turn into birds and animals, to become invisible, do not burn on fire, are not vulnerable for magic and weapon.

In one all story-tellers agreed: that against whom the goddess directed the servants could be considered as the dead person since that moment as chasteners received the order. Neither strong walls and locks, nor thousands of bodyguards and policemen, sorcery and protection of deities saved the victim. Only continuous flight could on kokoye time to delay inevitable, but not on long.

How to me was to resist from temptation to learn the truth?

And it was possible to receive it firsthand only on the Archipelago where Cara’s cult forgotten on the Northern continent hundreds years ago still prospered. Collecting was not long, and in a week we set off.

The travel to the Southern Port was inexpressibly fascinating and full of new impressions. I even could not present before as far as life out of walls of the monastery differs from habitual to me since childhood.

There was, appear, no firm schedule. People ate, slept, wandered there – vessels when to them takes in head. And any hourly prayers, any vigils.

Instead of the identical gray chlamyses put to priests and altar boys, laymen put on each in his own way, and the most unimaginable coloring. Men preferred the ridiculous wide trousers which are tied up by a rope or a bright belt and free shirts, is frequent without sleeves. Women wore the dresses which are usually embroidered by bright patterns and intricate hats. Over it in rainy weather jackets, vests, raincoats were put on. In the majority leather woolen sometimes.