Ви Корс - The Mist and the Lightning. Part III

"Nik, I order you!" Orel whispered hoarsely, leaning forward, pressing to Nikto. Without saying another word Nikto knelt with his face on the bed, unbelted his pants and pulled them down. He couldn't help but hiss something in Unclean with a sudden push. Then he fell with his face on the bed; his hair spread over the bed cover. He waited for Orel to move faster, as fast and hard as he could, then back away, panting, fall face down on the floor trying to calm down his racing heart…

* * *

When Enriki's sister left in tears, Lis, Squint-Eye, Tol and Vil exchanged glances.

"We have to do it," Squint-Eye said. "Otherwise he'll just burn out in front of our eyes."

"A warrior cannot die in bed," Tol added.

"Yeah, and that's why we'd better make a carrion out of him!" Lis said coldly.

Squint-Eye glared at him with his only eye.

"Lis, you know I'm right."

"Why should I?"

"'Black water' is the only thing that can save Enriki. Don't pretend to be an idiot, you wouldn't be alive without it yourself!"

"Lis used 'water'?!" Tol asked in surprise.

"No," Lis said without a blink. "Never. Squint-Eye simply wants to turn everyone into carrion because he is a carrion himself."

"Lying bitch," Squint-Eye hissed and dashed towards Lis, grabbed his hand quickly, pulling the sleeve up. "Looks nice, Lis, an armband from wrist to elbow! What is it covering?"

"Nothing." Lis yanked his hand free, hiding his steel incrusted bracelet under the sleeve again.

"Why cannot it be taken off then? You can take off the bracelet on your other arm, I know it."

"Fine. There is a tattoo under it."

Squint-Eye laughed.

"Lis, it is not smart, I expected better from you! You don't hide your other brands. You have decorations cut on your both upper arms and you don't hide them under bracelets, why?"

"Scars of the Red and the brand Orel gave me are not tattoos."

"Orel gave you a brand?" Vil asked. "But why a brand?"

"Because I'm a Red half-blood, for fuck's sake! You make your tattoos with black paint but the Red don't. They cut the lines on their skin, cut them meat deep, or burn out. Orel doesn't know how to make scarring, no one among the Black can do it, so, he just branded me."

"He didn't tattoo you because you don't deserve it," Tol interrupted him. "One cannot tattoo a Red with black paint, it would mean to consider him equal with us. The Red are burnt with their fucking fire they like so much!"

"Perhaps it is so," Lis said contemptuously, "I won't argue. I learned to live with your humiliating laws and with your attitude to people like me. What else can I do? The Black judge people by their looks, not by what they are."

"You'll do anything just to drive the conversation away from the sensitive topic," Squint-Eye interfered. "You're lying to us! Your bracelet hides the traces of 'black water'. The traces that will stay forever!"

"You want Enriki to have them?" Lis asked looking straight at Squint-Eye; his gaze was very serious, without a shadow of his usual slyness.

"I want him to live!"

"Live?!"

"But you live! Nikto does, too, and many others."

"You want to destroy him, he will never be like before!" Lis lowered his yellow eyes that didn't seem sly any more.

"Lis, if you could get through it, why don't you believe that Enriki will? Just one time, and he'll have hope to survive. It's his last hope!"

"It is not hope, and Enriki would never agree to it! He will become a living dead, what can be more hopeless?"

"What a pity that he cannot make his own choice now," Vil shook his head.

"That is why we'll have to make it," Squint-Eye said firmly.

"I know Enriki, he would prefer to die, and I'm prepared to lose him." Lis was implacable.

"Shall we vote?" Tol asked.

"Yes," Squint-Eye sighed. "I can imagine, Lis, what you had to go through but we need it."

"No, you can't imagine," Lis said very quietly.

"Just one injection, and Enriki will live?" Tol looked at them. "Is it for sure?"

"For sure, don't doubt," Squint-Eye said. "Why do you think the Unclean addict their human slaves to the 'water'?"

Tol was silent.

"At first a man becomes very strong and sturdy, he can work day and night, without food or rest. Then the downfall comes, and the Unclean inject him more 'water', and do it as many times as he can bear. But we are not going to do it to Enriki, we'll inject it to him just once."

"And it will save him?"

"You can ask Lis if you don't believe me, but I don't hide anything from you, I'm telling the truth."

Tol looked at Lis questioningly, and Lis nodded at him silently.

"And when the downfall comes – he won't die, will he?" Tol still was in doubt.

"When the downfall comes, he'll be strong enough to survive it on usual restorers or strong alcohol, and that's all."

"Then I'm for it," Tol decided at last. "The main thing is for Enriki to live, and we'll help him to quit the drugs!"

"Well said," Squint-Eye smiled.

"Help Nikto or Squint-Eye to quit, and Squint-Eye doesn't even use 'water', just normal restorers, as he calls them," Lis shook his head.

"But you did quit? If Squint-Eye tells the truth and you used 'water' – you did quit?"

"You're a fool," Lis said bitterly.

"Can I vote?" Vil asked gingerly.

"Yes. Don't ask silly questions. Since Orel made you his, you're one of us."

"I'm against 'black water'," Vil said. "It's a sin, and Enriki will never be able to go to gods. We cannot take this opportunity away from him. He was lethally wounded in a battle, and the gods wait for him in heaven. Although I love Enriki very much and he is very dear to me… It is because he always treated me kindly, we should pray for him and let gods decide whether to let him stay with us or not. I also was lethally wounded," Vil glanced at Lis quickly – Lis sat frozen, like a stone figure, "but I survived without 'black water'. It was gods' will! Listen to me, they saved me…"

"They?" Squint-Eye asked ironically. "Maybe, someone just the opposite?"

"I will pray for Enriki," Vil said and lowered his head.

"So, we can't decide anything," Tol summarized. "Two against two. We need to ask Arel and Nikto."

"Orel said he doesn't care and won't participate in anything." Squint-Eye lit a cigarette.

"Did he say exactly something like that?" Vil asked doubtfully.

"Noo," Squint-Eye drawled, smirking. "He said much worse, cursed me all over, and Enriki, too, by the way. He thinks we are to blame for everything. Me, Enriki and you."

"If Orel doesn't want to," Tol said, "let's leave him alone. Then we need to ask Nikto."

"No!" Lis got up abruptly. "It will mean his choice will be decisive!"

"Don't jerk so, Lis," Squint-Eye sat in the armchair and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"I don't understand, Lis, do you want to take away his right to vote?" Tol was exasperated. "He is one of us!"

"Lis, perhaps Nikto will support us," Vil said.

"Yeah right," Lis laughed mirthlessly.

"I'm against deciding it without Nikto," Tol continued. "Besides, he has some experience in it."

"I'm also against deciding without Nikto," Vil added. "We cannot decide for him."

"But we can decide for Enriki, right?" Lis shouted. 'I'm against the 'water' and Nikto there!"

"Then we'll never come to anything," Tol got angry. "I'm going to bring Nikto and, maybe, Orel will come, too."

"I hope they're fucking each other and won't come," Squint-Eye hissed. "I'm sure, Lis, sooner or later you and I would come to an agreement."

"No, we wouldn’t! But it doesn't matter, everything will be as the Devil wants!" Lis fell into the armchair and unclasped the foxtail hair clip, letting his wavy reddish hair fall over his shoulders. He looked tired.