Natalie Yacobson - Dragon’s Empire – 1. Curse of the younger Prince

«There is an organ in the corner. Sometimes you heard how someone plays on it, although there is not a single living soul in the dungeon and nevertheless the organ makes heartbreaking sounds. And the manuscripts with the witchcraft symbols are stored near.»

«Are you saying that there is a witchcraft? Then why don’t you invite any scientist to decipher all the records?»

«It is excluded,» shook his head the baron. «No one can even touch these ancient scrolls. If you just knew what force they hide in themselves and the curse falls on the one who keeps them in their home. A few years ago, my son tried to descend under the ground and died. Since then, these doors are always closed and sealed by a variety of locks.»

«But there must be some kind of dare-devil!» I protested. «If the witch mysteries hide behind this set of locks and seals, someone who wants to decipher the manuscripts will come.»

«I have no more heir, but maybe someday you will return here to take care of my ominous heritage. Are you bold enough to take on such a cargo? If so, I will show you a place where the keys are hidden.»

«Yes, someday I’ll be back here,» I not think that I promised. It seemed to me that in this moment the triumphant laughter came across the door, from which the chains were shouted and ran.

Although I was and uncomfortable, but on the way back I asked exactly how the son of the baron died. Are there any wounds on the body?

«No,» he shook his head calmly. «Only his shirt was broken, and three scratches and a red handprint remained on the throat.»

«Maybe it was not a palm, but a paw of some kind of creature?» I expressed my assumption.

«No, it was a track from a very elegant female hand. I can’t say anything else. My help was late,» he showed me a cache, where he hid the keys from the locks. I tried to remember the simple cipher. Although if the story of the Baron is truthful, then these keys had to be destroyed long ago, and the door to leave the locked forever. I looked at the door covered by the web of a heavy chain, and her species made a depressing impression on me. In my heart, cold and fear were sought. It seemed that from under the ground, despite the cast-iron barrier, I heard a joyful, victorious laughter and someone’s voice, at the same time, and a terrible and attractive, whispering to my ear:

«You finally come back! We waited for you so long!»

On the way home, I tried to observe the silence, so as not to tell the brother about my night adventure. The baron showed us on the map the shortest path and explained how we can drive around dried forests. In the capital, I was hoping to relax, persuade Claude to walk along with me past shops selling flowers and baubles. Alas, the city met us with sullen silence. Stone streets were empty, shutters on the windows are closed. And today there was not a soul around. Even closely pressed to each other, stone houses seemed uninhabited. The city looked abandoned, as after rat’s invasion.

We turned to the main street, but here it was also quiet and deserted. Only in one alley I saw a girl. She dressed in a wool shawl and pressed a bracket with a silk goods to the chest. I called her, but she ran past, without even paying attention to us.

It seems she is in a hurry to the square of two swords. Let’s go there,» suggested Claude.

I sighed quietly, but obeyed. The square of two swords, named so in the emblem of one duke’s family always caused me dislike, because there were executions. The heat of fire and the whistle of the ax at the frontal place every time spoiled me a mood, although numerous yawns flocked there from all over the capital. For the first time in life, I found myself in such oppressive loneliness, in the center of the empty city.

Claude leaned and raised a colorful poster from one counter.

«Oh, that’s what some robbers execute today,» he will notify me. «There must be all the townspeople gathered to see.»

He sent a horse to the sinister square. I followed him, although I didn’t want to look at the execution at all. On the wall of the gray house in front of the square hung a shield, and two crossed sword were drawn on its smooth surface.

Claude was right. It seemed that today all residents of the city were glanced at the place of execution and only the most god-fearing remained sitting in their tightly locked houses. From the saddle, I could only see the heads of citizens.

Some boy volunteered to hold our horses, while we go through the square. We rushed into the thick of the crowd to listen to people talking about. Claude joined the sides enthusiastically. I also considered people from the crowd until I saw a strange lord dressed in all black. He, as if, wore mourning on the occasion of execution. He looked completely supernatural. Mysterious and bold eyes have long been followed after me. Somewhere I saw this man, but only where and why he seems to me so elusive and ghostly against the background of a noisy crowd. He stood, leaning her back to the wall of some house, and looked at me.

I wanted to get lost in the crowd and even pushed Claude forward, but, turning around, I noticed with surprise that the stranger still does not take eyes from me. This time, in his glance flashed something unkind.

«Claude,» I grabbed my brother for the sleeve. «Why does he look at me, that man in black?»

Claude looked at the side where I pointed to him and seems to be confused.

«I think because you are extremely beautiful,» he immediately found with the answer and pulled me, as far as possible from the subject of my observations. «Let’s go better from here. How do we know what kind of people will break off at the place of execution.»

I wanted to remind Claude that he himself decided to look at the execution, but did not do this. We just took our horses and continued the path in complete silence. For the first time in a long time I felt a strange fatigue. It seemed that the black wings of some birds slammed over my head. And above the castle flashed the rays of a bloody sunset, similar to the bright all-consuming fire. For a minute I even came out that the main tower is glowing, and the red flames of the flame break out from the windows of my apartments. Only with difficulty I managed to shook the obsession.

Claude and I slipped past the guard and omnipresent royal secretaries. On the go, I managed to shout at one of them, that we will tell you everything as soon as we rest. Judging by the surprised expressions of persons, I realized that the castle had already begun to happen to whether it was not worth ordering a requiem. Only Florian did not leave hope to see us alive. After stormy greetings, he began to talk quietly about how he worried, as he watched his dear from his balcony or even surrounded by a suite went to the forest to meet us.

«Did you believed that one wild boar can cope with both of us?» laughed Claude.

«I’m not only talking about the wild boar,» said Florian excitedly and looked at the sides. Only, making sure that there is no one near us, he continued. «Did you not hear that death wanders around the city. And if they returned at night, they could quite be the following victims. Several citizens died and even travel merchants. In the royal port is also restless. Sailors are afraid of something, one of them swear, he saw how a strange woman in a dark cape wanders at the pier. They even say that she does not look like a living person, that it is white and cold, as a revived statue. According to their expression, a marble hand can strangle anyone. Others come to the head of the guard and explain that they saw in the streets a man in black, and then at the place where he stood, accidents occurred. So that the folk excitement calmed down, had to condemn several robbers on the execution.