Dmitry Nazarov - Right hand. Prince of Darkness

– Oh, do you have a family heirloom? – Which? I revived. – A witch’s ring? A bottle in which, if you search very well, you can unearth a genie? A strand from the head of some great martyr? Or maybe even the feather of a real angel?

– You’re kind of strange, – he said, tilting his head to one side and looking at me sideways. Why a feather, why an angel?

– If you only knew how many such relics I have seen! – I snorted. – It feels like some poor fellow from the Halls of Light was caught on the ground and literally plucked like a chicken so that each temple has its own shrine. But you do not pay attention, just the word had to. So what is your relic?

– Actually, there are several, but I meant the sword. – Eitan shrugged his shoulders almost guiltily: apparently, after my assumptions, his version sounded too ordinary. – I took it to the gunsmith regularly, but the inlay is quite old. I pulled and pulled, then I decided that the stone still needs to be changed. And Leah’s father is a jeweler, and talented, the prince of Darkness take him! Well, I looked, I agreed. And the second time I went to accept work. At the same time, I drank coffee… overseas.

You quickly won a girl’s heart. What, don’t you tell me? I leaned forward with interest. – Rich? Noble? Well, since you have relics and all.

– There’s practically nothing left. – Eitan put his hands behind his head and stretched so that his vertebrae cracked. – Castle – one name. The walls are there, the inside is empty. Two decent living rooms, the rest does not count. Our lands are infertile, the cat wept for the income from them. So I could not attract Leah with money. Her daddy will have more of them.

– So, the title, – I drawled with satisfaction. No, in general I like to be surprised, but when things are easily explained, it is also pleasant in its own way. – Though she may have fallen for you, too. – You are nothing at all. – I critically looked at the strong figure, then switched to the face – clearly defined cheekbones, brown eyes, thick eyebrows, at the moment, either mockingly, or skeptically raised. – Yeah, you probably arranged it yourself, too. – But I don’t believe in sudden love.

– But I really don’t believe it … – Eitan picked up another branch from the ground, broke it into two parts and threw it into the fire.

I suddenly realized how loud the grasshoppers were chirping all around. She turned her head to the right, and the chatter from that direction abruptly subsided. But as soon as I looked at the fire again, the inspired concert resumed.

– Revenge on her, – I suggested eagerly.

– Lie? What for?

– Well, how about “why”? – I was literally outraged by his question. People often take revenge on offenders. Loss brings a void with it, and revenge fills it.

– And does it help? Eitan asked skeptically.

– How can I tell you… Not really, – I admitted forcedly. – Usually, immediately after vengeance, the void returns. And getting rid of it becomes even more difficult.

– What’s the point then? – Let her live as she lived. She has her life, I have mine. As long as the paths don’t cross again.

– Listen, do you accidentally hide white wings under your shirt? I snapped.

Definitely, the fellow traveler was becoming uninteresting. I can’t stand saints.

– Let’s check. – With these words, he pulled his shirt over his head.

I laughed heartily, throwing my head back. OK. Rehabilitated. I love those who are capable of an unexpected move.

– What are you going to do next? Since you do not hatch bloody plans?

– I don’t know, – Eitan said, not without irritation. It can be seen that he himself asked this question, but he did not come to an intelligible answer. – In the Villa, for obvious reasons, I should not appear in the near future. Listening to the opinion of every counter-transverse is a thankless task, I’m afraid I will not have enough endurance, and the matter will end in a duel. Why do I need these difficulties?

– You often ask yourself why. – You have to live spontaneously, according to your mood. Choose the path along which the legs themselves will lead.

– That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’ll take someone’s job. Selling, so to speak, for a year or two. You look, during this period everything will be forgotten here, and maybe at the same time I will figure out how to continue to live and what to do.

– Good idea, – I agreed. – You look less and less like an angel.

– You say that like it’s a good thing, – he said, narrowing his eyes.

– It’s fine!

The body is numb – one of the inconveniences of the human shell. I shifted my position, stretched out my legs – the sharp blades of grass immediately began to tingle my ankles – put my hands on the ground and looked up.

– And you yourself? A man’s voice broke through the veil of reverie.

– What? I turned to Eitan in confusion.

– What are you going to do? Where are you heading anyway?

– Ahh, – I said, turning my face up to the stars again. – I’m going to the Round.

My companion whistled: it was the largest city in the county of Thornfolk, on the border of which, in fact, Ville lay. The local capital acquired its name due to the fact that it has grown around a once lonely castle.

– And what did you need there?

– I want to meet Anthony William Blade, Earl of Thornfolk, – I didn’t lie. – I am very interested in his personality.

– Wow! Your lips are not stupid.

– Of course not. – Such a “discovery” seemed funny to me, and I laughed. “I definitely won’t miss mine.

– And why do you need a count? – Maybe you are going to marry him?

– And you never know! I snorted. – Why not? Or do you think I’m not good enough for him?

If you do not want to give a substantive answer, the best tactic is to divert the conversation in a timely manner.

– No, why not? True, I have never seen it, but I think, on the contrary, it is too good.

– Your broken heart is healing fast! – I concluded with approval, extending my index finger in his direction. – You are already releasing meaningless compliments to the ladies.

– What’s with the heart? – Eitan twisted his face as if a red-hot rod was applied to his feet. “Listen, this is what I thought… – He glanced at the road leading into the forest, where the rashtang had long since disappeared from view. – Maybe I should go with you to Thornfolk, too? – I really don’t care where I go. And to the count it is quite possible to be hired for the service. Big cities always need people. And traveling together is more fun. What do you say?

– Great idea!

The thought was really good. I did not know the local human habits well enough, so a savvy companion was not superfluous at all. And Eitan has nowhere to go, and I, in fact, provided him with a route. And at the same time – a means of transportation, so he won doubly. But there was enough space in the chariot, the rashtang is not heavy, so I do not feel sorry.

Meanwhile, the flame crackled satiated, unobtrusively illuminating the companion’s face and his naked torso. Instincts stirred again in the body, but I did not have time to figure out what was happening when the male lips touched mine. However, whether Eitan himself understood anything is also a question. Recent worries, a nightly vigil, the excitement of a chase, the euphoria of a dropped spell – such an explosive mixture will confuse anyone. In addition, the closeness of people like me weakens the framework in which people push themselves to meet the requirements of society. True, I tried to keep my natural abilities in check – I put my own limits on myself, so to speak – but maybe I let go for a while.