Natalie Yacobson "Dragon’s Empire – 4. Rose for dragon"

Vincent sighed with relief, realizing that IВ intend toВ carry aВ violin with me. IВ already hid it under the raincoat, trying not toВ pay attention toВ the scarlet drops fromВ it.

В«Edwin,В» Vincent called me when IВ was already going toВ leave. He stood motionless, arms crossed on his chest, and peered at me for aВ long time and carefully, as if trying toВ determine if IВ would take seriously toВ what he would say. В«You have no one refuge, but wherever you are, do not let anyone unfamiliar.В»

I grinned, consider Vincent very naive. Did it really understand that unhappy was the one who would knock at my door. Whether this guest had good or evil intentions, the demon was waiting for him. If suddenly, the midnight killer would attack me, hoping to find a sacrifice, then for him it would be an unpleasant surprise to find himself unexpectedly in the dragon’s claws. So it was with everyone who attacked me. I turned my face to the attacker and, having met with me, he retreated in indescribable horror, understanding that it was too late, because all his fears were standing in front of him, embodied in one half an aristocratic, half demonic creature.

Coming out of the house, I turned around and noticed that the window frames, really, were scratched. I recently saw exactly the same traces of claws, just not in Lara, but very far from here, on the floor of the hut, lost in the forest’s dense.

Squeezing the violin under the arm, I walked around the dark city easily and naturally, as if a student of the Music faculty, just released on vacation. Inside me everything was strained as a string. I listened to every sound, every vibration of someone’s too free thoughts, but did not catch what I was afraid. No one in the city has thought about the uprising. Otherwise, I would immediately felt it, passing by any dark window, followed by conspirators in this minute, or even a couple of days ago. The dragon was harsh, but didn’t kill citizens, did not deprive the title of famous noblemen, did not take the lion’s share of urban treasures, but only a small, almost symbolic annual tribute. It was equally for residents whom they would pay taxes to the dragon or to the king. In addition, the dragon rarely appeared in the local society. So that people could whisper on whether they were in the power of the dragon, but the golden clawed paw did not knock them at the window in the middle of the night. Fear did not fade, but did not ignite. They were already were used to me, to my rapid silent steps along the night pavement, to the house disappeared from the square, to the golden scope of the wings and a musical whistle in the transcendental altitude.

The violin ofВ Debora was not heavier than the stack ofВ books, but suddenly it began toВ pull out my hand. There was aВ cold sweat on my forehead, as if something frightened me. But what could frightened me? The very idea was absurd. What could cause me fear? Empty streets, dark windows, echo ofВ my own steps or aВ quiet annoying rustle ofВ the wings somewhere behind, inВ the alley or on the next street.

IВ carried the violin carelessly on the bending ofВ the elbow, as aВ textbook and, IВ honestly, wanted toВ throw it into the first roadside ditch, so as not toВ hear more ofВ these obsessive tramping or rustling sounds. From such an act IВ was stopped only byВ precaution. And suddenly, some tramp wanted toВ pick up the violin and it would be awaken an evil, sleeping somewhere far away inВ the burned sun and the desert fire.

There was no one inВ the street, there was no one inВ front ofВ the square.. InВ altitude were no spirits or fairies nor angels. IВ was the only supernatural creature inВ the whole city, not counting Vincent. Probably he was right, all evil was inВ the violin. For the first time IВ had aВ feeling that someone flew after me. IВ returned toВ the castle and put the violin on the table inВ the music room.

IВ used toВ live alone and IВ did not need toВ hide anything. It was necessary toВ understand that Rose would be much more curious than her sculptural copy inВ niche. Among the whole collection ofВ musical instruments, the violin would not be as noticeable, but on the table, the abandoned and wrapped with aВ bloody cloth it looked more than defiant.

«I didn’t kill anyone,» I warned Rose, who entered the room.

InВ aВ new dress, Rose looked amazingly and somehow unnaturally. She was too beautiful toВ be alive, she seemed toВ be the original ofВ the dark niche. It was simply the details that IВ did not notice: very long eyelashes, aВ pearl thread on the neck, and aВ wreath ofВ roses inВ her hair.

Inaccessible Rose was here inВ the castle, although it seemed impossible before. IВ swore toВ myself that IВ would never part with her, as if fate would not be angry againstВ us.

В«Did you hurt?В» She stepped closer, trying toВ consider the same bloody spots as on the taffeta and on my clothes.

В«No,В» IВ amazed, no one was worried about my health. В«Blood is not mine.В»

В«And whose blood isВ it?В»

«It’s just a find, a gift of fate, you can even say a military trophy. It is a pity to throw it out, so I take it with me.»

В«Do you know how toВ play on it?В» Rose wanted toВ touch the strings, but changed her mind.

«If I’ll want I can play,» this meant that magic would allow me to all that I wish. «I do not want, the passion for the music remained in the distant past.»

В«InВ the distant past?В» asked Rose with suspicion. She briefly peered into my face, trying toВ look for at least one wrinkle, but it was vain searches. She never dared toВ ask such an ordinary for people question В«how old you are,В» because she was afraid toВ hear the truth. IВ lost myself the count, it was too much happened since IВ was free from the peculiar training class ofВ the prince. IВ remembered only the date ofВ my birth and the fact that my life was cut off at twenty two years, but it was so long ago. So much has changed since then, and IВ remained the same. Perhaps Rose awaits the same thing, toВ remain like now and never change. She learns about it when she will be brave when she can understand without fear that only aВ full magician can go out unharmed from this fortress.

В«Someone hated this thing much,В» Rose pointed toВ scratches at the violin.

I grinned, remembering that Vincent had all the foundations for such hatred. He hated Debora, and did not hide it. He experienced hostility to all things that reminded him of her. How did these flaws appear on the instrument? Most likely Vincent wanted to destroy the subject that was so dear to Debora. Only it is easier to use claws against the violin than to heal the already applied scars on the skin. After examining Vincent, I could say that even a small revenge for him was preferable to inaction, but for some reason I wanted to check how it really was. I put my nails in the stripes of the deepest scratches and spent from the side to the side. I covered eyelids to focus. Back. In the past. What can I find there? Night. Forest. Shrill wolf’s howl. Frost. Crisp snow under the feet. I sit in a hunting house and converse with the king, whom I saved in the morning, I look at his wounded hand. The bite of the wolf turned out to be very painful, the bandages were impregnated with blood. Is it worth thinking about how many people greeted these gray predators? Then I did not think about it, and Vincent had to. At this very time, he pressed his back to the tree trunk and tried to remove a large angry wolf from himself with help of a torch.

Such aВ struggle resembled more flirting. Trying toВ defend, Vincent only teased the wolf. The torch went out, and inВ his hands remained only aВ violin, which he willingly substituted under the claws ofВ the beast. When the crumpled instrument was already lying inВ the snow, Vincent ofВ course remembered with which spell he could pacify the beast. Damage has already been not corrected. Such situations, probably, repeated more than once before that night, when Vincent, who first tested jealousy, without regret, gave me his trophy.

IВ have already decided that this is aВ funny episode, ofВ course not for the victim, but for the observer, but suddenly IВ saw something blurry and unclear what looked through the turbid glass. Blurred paints merged into aВ bizarre combination ofВ black with white spots. The strange picture, voiced byВ deaf clapping, as if aВ flock ofВ the pigeons once broke off and rushed into flight. For some reason, IВ thought that if IВ tried toВ look deeper, IВ would see something scary or at least unpleasant, so IВ hastily removed my fingers from the smooth surface.

В«You do not want toВ leave this castle?В» IВ turned toВ Rose. В«There are many oddities around, but IВ managed toВ make sure you are brave. Tell me, one bloody rag can not scare you? InВ addition toВ frightening, there must be at least something that you like. Is it truth?В»

«Well… I like you,» Rosa hid her hands behind her back, as if she felt that the ring prevents us to speak on equal terms. Nobody, besides her, could be able to put me in a dead end so often. So this time I froze from amazement. Is it possible to be in the rank of the idol in her eyes? She managed to see the wonderful elevated creation there where others saw the cruel and inexorable enemy.

Perhaps IВ would consider the beauty as aВ crazy or aВ pretender if she said it, knowing that IВ was aВ dragon, but she did not know, and IВ was hoping that she would not know as long as possible. IВ did not care about the opinion ofВ Rothbart, who considered me as reckless and ungrateful rake, as well as the opinions ofВ people who have nicknamed the dragon, the worst ofВ evils, but the contempt ofВ Rose could burn me much more than IВ myself had burned my victims. How it so came out, IВ myself did not know. Until now, no one managed toВ capture me. And she managed.

Recently, IВ did nothing and enchantingly watched Rose, and it was not shifted with manuscripts from the dead point. Someone, for sure, would be wondering why IВ having aВ lot ofВ power, needed new spells, since IВ was already able toВ conquer the overwhelming part ofВ the world, but IВ have always sought more, even if this desire could burn me yourself.

Anyone would have stopped at the achieved. I was in the castle, where the basements were clogged with treasures, where the turbulent force performed all my orders. There were many books on the shelves. Odil would envy me. Rose called them «black books» and stayed away from them. I was sure, she had already managed to hear a seductive whisper from the books, the very whisper, that had repeatedly worried me at the first stage of my learning. I got used to disembodied interlocutors, and then learned to use them for my own purposes. Conversations with them for a beginner were informative. But it was strange, probably, to be alone in the library and suddenly hear someone’s disembodied voice. It was trying to draw you into a conversation, laughs, joking, teased with suspicious suggestions. Rose immediately should have understood that the sounds did not come from a living being. Even a person with a very good hearing was difficult to believe that the books suddenly gained voices, but Rose believed.

Personally, IВ without fear touched any ofВ the books. It was not even necessary toВ go toВ the library, it was worth only toВ wish, and the desired book itself turned out toВ be inВ front ofВ me on the table and revealed on the required page. So now IВ looked at one ofВ the volumes without much interest. The pages turned over themselves. AВ sideline observer could seem that the wind turned them.

Rose gradually began toВ get used toВ the fact that the most ordinary problems here were solved inВ some incomprehensible way. All, ranging from cooking and ending with cleaning and heating ofВ the rooms, happened byВ itself. Rose did not see if IВ began toВ burn the fireplace or IВ lit the candles, but, nevertheless, it was warm inВ the castle, and the lighting has never been excessive or too weak.

Color illustration flashed inВ unusually bright kaleidoscope. Fancy ominous symbols alternated with simple letters, and those and others were the same for me easily understandable. It was worth learning foreign languages, whether an ancient one or aВ dialect ofВ aВ neighboring country and it became for me as my own. Therefore, IВ guessed IВ felt everywhere at home. It was not difficult toВ me toВ speak inВ foreign languages, on the contrary, the sound ofВ foreign language words was strangely pleasant. At least some variety.

Rose, as far as I understood, hated two things: embroidery and studying other people’s languages, because she was taught against her will. It suffered her pride. I shared her belief that bad teachers could inspire hatred for the most interesting subject. Prince, bless the Lord his negligence, rarely tried to explain something to me, therefore he did not have time to distract an independent student from curiousness. I still haven’t tried to become a mentor, but I was sure that if I became, I would be able to breathe in the student a love for my dark art.

Another young lady could be imagined as aВ gift aВ basket with knitting, aВ set ofВ needles, threads, or inВ extreme cases ofВ aВ necklace. But if IВ tried toВ impose Rose as aВ gift an embroidery, she would at least be offended. She needed quite another.

Therefore, IВ picked up for her inВ arsenal the most elegant and light musket, aВ sword with hilt, snapped with small diamonds. And IВ also rashly promised toВ teach her fencing, as if IВ did not know that the acquired skill she would always have time toВ apply against me. OfВ course, she was able toВ fence, she managed toВ take aВ few lessons ofВ fencing byВ the father. But she, like me, always sought more. Once IВ was one ofВ the best knights, IВ neglected the education, but overnight everything has changed. The hand, accustomed toВ the sword, could not adapt toВ the feather, but during the captivity IВ was so young and reckless, that IВ believed the explanations ofВ the prince about my great destination. Therefore, IВ hated him, he managed toВ deprive me ofВ freedom ofВ choice, but could not deprive me ofВ my pride.

В«You have aВ beautiful ring,В» IВ noticed.

«It’s pretty hard,» Rose frowned painfully.

«Why don’t you take it off?»

«I can’t,» a concise answer, and after him a short scribe of thought «Surely, the scar will remain.» Did I manage to catch her thought. Having dropped to the side all the tricks, I independently turned the page and pretended to read.

В«IВ tried toВ use soap, but, alas,В» Rosa made aВ theatrical sigh. В«It is necessary toВ resort toВ the extreme method, take something sharp, say, aВ razor, but there is no single razor.В»

«It isn’t simply needed here.»

«There is no scissors here too. Don’t you never cut your nails.»

«Actually…» I almost blurted out «No», but I restrained on time and transferred a look at my even elongated, but seemingly well-kept nails. They grew only in those terrible cases, which Rose was better not to observe, and then they did not grow at all, as well as the hair. For me it was quite usually, but people would certainly have any questions: why he was not such as we, there was something wrong.

В«If you need scissors, IВ will find somewhere,В» under the В«somewhereВ» was meant inВ the first house, where there were no owners or inВ the inexhaustible reserves ofВ Percy, who has repeatedly managed toВ circumvent other housing beforeВ me.

«I didn’t say that I needed something definite, I just looked for something acute. The sword is too large, besides, no one even bother to sharpen it.»

В«Indeed?В» IВ somehow did not think very about it, IВ was accustomed toВ the fact that inВ the castle the steel did not rust, IВ could not toВ check the sharpness ofВ the blade. For aВ long time there was no case ofВ challenge toВ aВ duel. Recently, IВ mostly accounted for any other skills, but not the military.

В«It will fit,В» Rose extended aВ thin hand and with amazing ease pulled out from me aВ dagger ofВ the belt.

В«Do not cut yourself!В»

Rose, probably, believed that it was better to lose her finger than life, but I didn’t share her opinions, so the dagger’s handle slipped out and hit at the table.

В«IВ am quite ingenious toВ come up with aВ less painful way,В» IВ explained, unlikely turned the next page and noticed an unfamiliar illustration. That is, IВ did not remember that IВ had met it inВ this book before. IВ saw it somewhere inВ the forest. IВ remembered everything almost immediately, IВ even remembered that IВ did aВ notch exactly inВ the very place where it is drawn inВ the picture. В«InВ the memory ofВ our meeting,В» then IВ said, took an ax, rushed across the trunk, and the tree responded with aВ long deaf moan. InВ the picture, everything was repeated toВ the smallest details and even what IВ did not notice when IВ was under the tree. Then IВ just felt the presence ofВ some kind ofВ hidden strength, but IВ did not guessed the source. Under the roots inВ loose porous soil was some kind ofВ metal. For aВ long time under the tree, among the same woven network roots, IВ managed toВ find aВ treasure, but this time nothing pointed toВ the treasures buried inВ the forest. InВ the ground was aВ sword. The sword with aВ long wide even slightly rusted blade was confused inВ the roots.

Henry was then hurt. Until now, it was unclear why he needed toВ turn round next toВ this tree and why Odil executed the guilty maid there. IВ would never have guessed, but as usual, the book gave answers toВ everything. Who else could IВ ask the advise? IВ lovingly stroked the book.

В«Do you know what is happening now inВ your homeland?В»

В«IВ guess,В» Rose said sadly. В«Shooting, death, battle. AВ war can cause damage no less than his raid.В»

She again replaced the word В«dragonВ» byВ pronoun. Maybe she simply did not want toВ call evil byВ name and most likely it simply seemed toВ me that instead ofВ В«HisВ» she wanted toВ say В«yours.В»

В«If you could put an end toВ war, would you doВ it?В»

В«Yes, probably,В» she uncertainly shook her thin shoulders. В«But IВ can not.В»

В«But IВ can,В» IВ closed the book. В«At least it seems toВ me that IВ can.В»

В«Is it profitable for you?В»

В«Do you think IВ can only help someone from the benefit?В»

«I don’t know,» Rose whispered with a sigh, and our eyes met.

Suddenly I caught the sounds of someone’s unexpected presence at the bottom floor in the spacious castle hall. There was only Vincent. He had been frightened before and began to ask me about the permission to stay in the castle at night with persistence almost an abandoned mistress.

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