Natalie Yacobson "Rhianon-7. Queen of Vinor"

He didn’t even nod. Moreover, he had no reason to turn on the speaker. Rhianon thought for a moment that his pale lips were curled back into a sneer.

AВ low, weighty sound echoed through the hall:

В«Yes, IВ am.В»

But no one saw the angel speak. How unshakeable he is, after all. Like aВ statue! Rhianon kept her eyes fixed on him. Sores had built up around his whites under his eyelids, but inside his pupils she could see two slivers ofВ azure sky. True, it was slightly tinged with grayness.

В«Do you love me?В» She asked mentally. В«Would you be willing toВ stand under my banner?В»

She knew she was shocking him and herself with her impertinence. If he became angry, the consequences would be unpredictable. He could do what he wanted to the city, and to her. And it didn’t matter that she wasn’t quite mortal anymore. He could think of something to punish her for such liberties. She thought herself superior to Dennitsa, superior to his former commander, his brother-in-arms and his idol.

В«Do you love me more than him?В»

So the unspoken words hung over the hall like a golden cloud. The angel’s face was impenetrable. Rhianon was already preparing for the worst, when suddenly the words came to her, addressed this time to everyone.

«I won’t touch this city again.»

В«Because ofВ you,В» she was the only one toВ hear.

Rhianon sighed, expecting toВ fill her lungs with the black miasma ofВ sickness, but the air was fresh. She noticed the admiration that flashed inВ his eyes for aВ moment. The golden curls streaming from beneath his gray hood seemed almost white. His eyebrows and eyelashes were silver inВ the bright daylight, and he himself would have seemed almost translucent had it not been for the ulcers inВ his shimmering skin. For one more moment he looked at her. Just aВ moment, but sometimes one look meant more than aВ physical connection. If they had been inВ the same bed together, she would not have felt closer toВ him than she did now. He truly admired her, far more than an ordinary mortal queen, even more than the one who had once long ago led him into that first heavenly battle.

Rhianon wanted to say something, or at least address him mentally with words of appreciation, but her lips would not listen. Consciousness, too, seemed for a moment to be shackled. But the angel was in control of himself. He knew he had to go. There was a moment of perfect understanding between them, and then he suddenly put his ulcerous hand to his chest, to the very place where people’s hearts beat. But he had no heart, only a lump of worms, not muscle. Rhianon shuddered at the thought of what his chest might be filled with. What did he want to show her with it? Could he feel toward her what Madael felt? The leper’s hand froze motionless at her heart, and then the angel slowly bowed to her. It was to her, not to the king. Rhianon clutched at the armrests of the throne. She watched as the majestic gray figure bowed before her, the bumps of hidden wings curving on his back, the silky curls sliding downward peeking out from beneath the hood. How angels are like girls after all, for all their masculinity. Rhianon was captivated by the combination. Everyone in the room shuddered with fear, while she watched with admiration how beautifully the long angelic lashes curved over the festering skin, how proportionate and regular the firm lines of the lips, how exquisitely the long girlish strands slid over the flat man’s chest. He is an angel, as is Madael, beyond a doubt. He would be as handsome as Madael if it were not for his imperfections. Na could have been with him, as she was with Madeel, if it had been safe. But she was a little afraid of his sores and despised herself for her fear. She must have caught her slight squeamishness, so he hurried away. His bow, however, will long be remembered by all.

His footsteps were still inВ the darkened doorway, and there was already an astonished and enthusiastic whisper inВ the hall.

«It was death itself – death bowed to the queen.»

Rhianon listened to this in half an ear. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested in what was being said, but she was much more fascinated by other things. She wanted to catch the faint sound of his wings and the unimportant words in the distance:

В«If you need me, just call.В»

Would he keep his promise? Grave worms crawled across the floor where he stood. They died before they could crawl an inch or two, and if he’d wanted them to, they would have crawled into every inch of the throne room. Rhianon waited in vain for another sign from him, another confirmation of his promise. Instead, the spirit’s unsolicited words came to mind: dear, not all men give up their vows so easily. Yes, not all men do. She looked reluctantly at Ferdinand. The gossip that death had bowed to the queen was no longer too preoccupying. She was glad to hear that she was already being called queen.

В«So you must be queen after all,В» the spirit whispered playfully behind her back. Rhianon ignored his remark and smiled smugly. Perhaps someday she would be able toВ control him as well, but for now it was time toВ think about the great things. Was Vinor really better than Loretta? Could she replace one with the other? Queen ofВ Vinor! However, one kingdom is not enough. It would be much more convenient toВ become queen ofВ Vinor and have Loretta for that as well. She was quite willing toВ do that.

Queen ofВ Vinor

В«IВ sense something is not right,В» Arnaud looked out toВ sea. He could hear the voices ofВ the faeries inВ the sound ofВ the surf. They merged with the melody ofВ his harp and almost overlapped it. But the strings still twitched softly, as if they were the strings ofВ his soul. He no longer had aВ soul, only aВ body. And that was almost immortal.

He glanced at Madael, leaning indifferently on his sword. The Angel stared blankly at the bloodied blade, and it was unclear which was more coldly glistening, the polished steel, or his blue eyes. Not long ago they had been blue. At the sight ofВ them, Arnaud sighed involuntarily. His master was changing. And it was not for the better.

В«He has become even more soulless than then inВ the war inВ heaven,В» his conscience whispered toВ him, as well as his soul deeply buried between the harp strings, but Arnaud brushed the intrusive voices aside. He had long ago grown accustomed toВ ignore them.

The lord’s eyes, after all, are even more suited to the cold color of steel than the blue of the sky. The blade of his sword, by the way, quickly absorbed the blood he’d spilled and turned as blue as his eyes. He’d spilled a lot of blood today, but the sword needed more. It was forged that way. His blade was eternally hungry for blood, for bloodshed. An ocean of blood could be spilled, and it would not rest. As long as there was a shred of flesh on earth, it would seek it out to slay it. The devil’s weapon is indestructible, and only his strong arm can restrain such a sword. Madael, playing with it, handled it, and another angel would not have been able to. And after that, isn’t he the strongest. Arnaud looked almost with admiration at the winged figure in the purple cloak. For a moment he even forgot that his master was also his rival. Only he didn’t know it himself. He has no idea. He’s too self-assured to see that some insignificant insect has a claim on his property.

Except now someone else was claiming it. Arnaud bit his lips bloody inВ excitement. He could feel it. And he was panicking. It was as if his heart was being ripped out ofВ him, though there was none left inВ his chest. The trickle ofВ blood running down his lips suddenly became aВ living worm, which he swept away and crushed.

Though the harp strings were almost silenced, his conscience still pricked him. He should have been grateful to fate. The lowly degenerate had become a servant of the highest lord there could be. He enjoyed serving Madael. Of course, over the days and especially the nights, he had seen many disgusting scenes. Wars, massacres, attacks, the dismemberment of corpses, and the bloody feasts that followed… It would have turned the stomach of a mortal being inside out by now. But Arnaud felt nothing but stony emptiness inside his body. Perhaps there was nothing left inside him. The ritual he had performed was intended to do just that. Only this time the consequences were unexpected. He was changing, but not the way he should have. The change in him would have startled everyone but Madael. He was, as always, terrifyingly calm and completely unconcerned. He had nothing to be sorry about. He had already lost everything.

Arnaud looked at him, and then squinted painfully. It felt as if he was looking at the melting sun from a short distance away. His eyes were about to melt from the sight, too. But perhaps it would be worth it. His new master was incredibly, indescribably handsome. You could fall in love with him, even knowing who he was. Only Arnaud didn’t have to worry about himself. He could not fear that feeling for the fallen angel would enslave him. It was just that he knew the counterpart… a copy of the devil lived in the mortal world. And unless he was wrong, she was going to marry a mortal king.

«She betrayed,» Arnaud’s own voice seemed foreign and distant. Even the sound of the surf was closer to his throat than those words.

Madael turned toward him, brushed a disobedient strand from his face with his thin fingers. In an instant, more bloody scenes flashed across his eyes than Arnaud had seen in all the nights they’d been together on the battlefields. The angel was marching forward with his sword, leading companies of demons to carnage, while the wretched Harper was crouching behind him, thanking fate that his body was immune to spears and arrows. Otherwise he himself would already be dead and animated by magic to serve the fallen. That was roughly what had happened to him, by the way, but he preferred not to remember much about the ritual. He just remembered that it had hurt. And it was better to forget about the spell cast over the cup after the ritual. Otherwise, the lord would see through his mind and know what was going on. Then there would be no escape for him. Arnaud shuddered, hearing the clear voice of an angel. It cut his ears like the blade of a sword.

В«How do you know?В»

He felt like a fool. He’s just a lowly follower, and before him is Dennitsa himself. Angel is omniscient. He’s no one to teach him. Still, Arnaud muttered weakly in his defense.

«I feel…»

Madael’s quiet chuckle was like a peal of thunder. It was the sound of the echo that startled goblins into their dens, the clang of gold as it swept through dragon caves. The angel himself was suddenly in darkness, covered in golden light. This heartbreak… Arnaud shrank. He suddenly felt unbearably cold in his master’s presence, more than if he had plunged headlong into the icy waves.

«Feelings don’t matter,» the angel turned away from him quickly. «Try to forget everything.»

«But I see her,» Arnaud himself did not know why he was pushing, but there was one vision that kept haunting him. Rhianon is walking on a solemn carpet sprinkled with myrtle beneath the nave of the cathedral where kings are crowned. She must not enter it. She is his master’s chosen one. She would stain herself and him if she did so. He wanted to shout this to her, as if from this distance she could hear him. Only it seemed to him that he was no longer here, but there, sitting on the crossbar under the nave and watching the ceremony from above. He should shout to her, but his tongue would not obey. There is no more blood in his veins and no more ligaments in his throat to speak. For the young queen, he is mute. Who needs a mute minstrel?

В«Do you see her? Do you?В» Madael suddenly looked at him intently.

Arnaud nodded uneasily. He did see. She was wearing an ermine robe and aВ golden crown. Her gown was made byВ mortal tailors, she was led byВ the hand ofВ aВ mortal king. Her path is strewn with lilies, and the lilies begin toВ bleed. He saw everything so clearly, as if he were right there with her. Even more, he became one with her. It was aВ consequence ofВ the spell. The side effect might well have been. He had counted on this effect and yet now it came as aВ shock toВ him. He had failed toВ bewitch the demon lover and now he would have toВ look at the world through her eyes forever. It is not he who has rounded her up, but he himself has become part ofВ her being. There, seated on the throne ofВ the new realm, Rhianon had enslaved him without her knowing it, and here on the rocky, cold shore the angel looked at him with aВ look ofВ such fury that it made the blood run cold.

Arnaud glanced down at the glittering sword. Even after his recent bat, it still demanded blood. Where the master’s hand would guide it now?

«I… I can’t watch her right now,» he murmured apologetically. «Sometimes I feel like I’m dissolving into her. I didn’t mean to, but…»

He took the precautionary step back, but slipped and almost fell.

«So you did it after all,» Madael said, a split second, and he was pinned against the rock. The sword’s thin, cold blade brushed against the back of his exposed neck, its collar and tresses seeming to part on their own to make way for the steel. For all its coldness it burned, sending tingling sparks down his spine from neck to vertebrae.

«I could kill you,» Madael whispered, «you are immortal now, but I could destroy you. With a flick of my hand, your head would be separate from your body, burning eternally in one of my cauldrons below, and I would let the crows peck out your eyes. It was they who seduced you when you first saw a worthy woman’s camp and started chanting charms. You have nothing to offer a woman, only deceptions left. You put a veil over the victim’s eyes and she starts me in you? All spells work the same way. I begin to shine in someone else and seduce on his behalf. That’s when the process of seduction is irreversible. Only with Rhianon this trick won’t work, because she already knows me.»

«I…» Arnaud moved to loosen his grip, but the angel gripped him like a vice.

В«Shut up,В» Madael pressed his head against the rocky surface with one hand, exposing his neck even more. He pressed the blade slightly, letting the dark blood drain down. Blood poisoned byВ the ritual. It made the stunted grass beneath it rot more, and even the rocky surface grew moldy, its insects with hellish faces swarming over the surface.

«You’re not dead, but you’re not alive either, just a creature that has no place in life or death anymore. You wanted to be that. It was better to remain an outcast in both worlds than one who exists forever, who does not live. It’s a torment, isn’t it, Arnaud, to exist like that? And what if now you have to exist without eyes? Or without the right hand you used to strike at the ritual? Would you be able to play with one left hand or blindly?»

There was no mocking tone inВ his beautiful, smooth voice. He was terrifyingly calm. Arnaud sobbed and the strings ofВ his harp echoed softly, as if they felt no danger.

Madael loosened his grip and squinted at the instrument. В«You know, they say the voices ofВ the celestials are born inВ the music that comes from the war, and they no longer exist. But IВ recognize their singing sometimes. If IВ spare you, it is for your skill, but not for your own.В»

«Yes… my lord,» he felt his grip loosen, and was relieved to sing a hymn to Satan. My lord, my lord, my sovereign… He had so many flattering appellations, and with them all one unchangeable Mastema. But all these meanings coalesced in him.

Arnaud had barely had time to sigh when his strong fingers closed around his wrists, sniping and burning the skin. That’s what the game of cat and mouse was all about. Now he would forever feel pinned against the wall, even when they let him go for a moment.

«Remember,» Madael leaned so low over him that Arnaud could feel his fiery breath. One golden curl snaked down his cheek, Madael’s hair was soft, softer than silk, but it almost scratched him now. Not even a cat’s claws or a hot wire could bring his skin to such irritation. The angel’s whisper was also fiery.

«Just one step toward Rhianon, and even my troops wouldn’t envy your fate. Do you understand?»

В«Yes, my lord.В»

Madael released him, but Arnaud could still feel his grip on his wrists. Even inВ shackles or on the rack he would feel more comfortable. His soul was gloomy, and his harp began toВ play something cheerful as if out ofВ spite. Arnaud thought that Madael would stop it with one look for disrespecting the sovereign ofВ all the damned and his fury, but he merely stepped aside, not even looking at the twitching strings.

Rhianon tried on the diamond jewelry. Which would go better with the dress?

«It looked like tears…»

The voice of the spirit might not have told her that. She saw for herself, so she merely nodded. Her interlocutor, after a moment, was himself disappointedly silent. And it was good. She didn’t feel like talking to him today.

She rummaged through the contents of the boxes herself, without the help of her ladies. She had good taste, and the trinkets the court jewelers had made especially for her were not bad either, but today she noticed that the glittering diamonds looked like tears. Were they tears of fairies? Rhianon had heard somewhere that they could turn into diamonds. She couldn’t remember exactly. She had only recently begun to think that Madael’s tears should not be transparent, but bloody. And his spilled blood could only turn into a ruby.

В«Then you must have hundreds ofВ shards ofВ rubies inside you byВ now,В» the spirit gently remindedВ me.

«That’s not what I meant…» Why should she have to justify her own thoughts to him? Yes, she remembered the taste of angel’s blood on her lips and the incredible sensation of warmth and power flooding her body afterward. It was even more pleasurable than love. A drop of his blood… Rhianon tried not to think about the way she touched the ground and turned into rubies. Madael is invulnerable, after all. He could not be killed or hurt. And he is immortal.

«Perhaps I will die, and he will still kill his enemies on the battlefield… and if only his own enemies, not the enemies of the Almighty…»

«Don’t go into mourning. Not yet. We have a wedding to celebrate before then,» the spirit reminded her. «Then it will be the coronation.»

She nodded again, indifferently. There was aВ knock at the door. She must goВ now.

«Couldn’t you…» she turned to the spirit, and then stopped short. No, she wouldn’t do that. No, she wouldn’t send anyone to him now, notify him of her intentions. Otherwise he would come here and ruin everything. She won’t have Loretta or Vinor or hope for the future. She didn’t want that.

«If it weren’t for God,» she’d thought of it so often. «He could avenge for her, return her Loretta and never lost her himself.»

«If there was a god, there would be a devil,» the spirit finished for her. «And if there were no devil, the world would be just. You’re dreaming for nothing, child, the world was already created that way.»

В«You see everything inВ black,В» she teasedВ him.

В«IВ can see deeper than mortals like you can,В» he said nonchalantly.

He had aВ point, and yet Rhianon protested:

«I’m not like other mortals anymore.»

«You’re better off if no one else knows about it but me. People don’t like those who are too different from them. Remember, one false step and your recent success in the throne room could backfire on you. If the queen ends up causing displeasure, she too may be burned as a witch. The occasion is already there. Everyone remembers how death worshipped you. Do you think she fell in love with you?»

– He, not she,» corrected Rhianon sharply.

В«It is he, not she,В» corrected Rhianon sharply.

В«What difference does it make? It has not made any difference toВ you.В»

В«And you have been watching me the whole time, how could you have known?В»

«You look like an angel, my dear, and angels are sexless.» He easily found excuses and turned everything into sophistry. «That’s why it’s easier for angels to choose their lovers. Nothing matters to them but a beauty like yours.»

Someone touched her cheek lightly. Rhianon felt the touch, though she did not see the speaker. It was exciting and unsettling at the same time. He seemed toВ be leaning over her right now. And there was already aВ knock at the door.

«Come, they’re waiting for you,» he announced, as if she didn’t know it yet.

Rhianon took one last look inВ the mirror. She was too pale. The white gown embroidered with pearls and the white myrtle inВ her hair accentuated the deadly whiteness ofВ her skin. And her golden eyebrows and eyelashes look like painted ones against her. Is this what an angel should look like? More like aВ marble statue. Rhianon reached for the jars ofВ blush, but someone seemed toВ have intercepted her spirit. She had barely touched it, and the blush had scattered all over the lace tablecloths inВ aВ sea ofВ glitter.

«And yet you’re perfect,» the same spirit whispered in her ear. «The world has never seen a prettier queen. I mean both your world and ours. Don’t take a harpy with you to the ceremony, she’ll ruin it.»

«I’ll do as I please,» she was suddenly angry.

В«OfВ course, darling,В» he answered inВ aВ venomous tone, and yet the touch on her fingers was immediately insensible. So he let go ofВ her hand. Rhianon fixed the curls inВ her forehead. Combined with the white flowers, they looked like pure gold. Indeed, she was beautiful. The whole town would notice it tonight.

She just didn’t want the pesky spirit to distract her from the ceremony. She already felt awkward enough before the wedding and coronation. She would be entering the Temple. The thought of it made her sick to her stomach. She felt as if she was betraying someone by entering a consecrated place. Here we go, she was already afraid to even call him by his name. What if he flew in? And then what would happen? He will crush Vinor faster than the epidemic, or just throw accusations in the face of the newfound queen. She is a traitor. And she knows it herself. He can show up here and call her that in front of everyone. Without his cloak he is but an angel with wings, no one can see the devil’s grief in his eyes. And who would be right, he or she?

Rhianon bit her lips nervously. How easily he could have ruined her. Even without sorcery, he could ruin her plans with his mere appearance. If he was jealous of her, he would do so. And if he loved her, he wouldn’t. She had little faith in love. Far more important is desire, especially for the devil. Once satisfied, he can forget forever. Besides, if there is no beautiful body, there is no love. She herself could not fall in love with one of the burnt monsters in his army. So what if they used to be the most beautiful angels, but now they are disgusting. Neither would Ferdinand have offered her to be his queen had he not found her the most beautiful girl in the world. Now of course she could have tinted her face with talcum powder and rouge and lined her lips with carmine, but she decided to leave it as it was. The angelic pallor suited her better.

She had already had an elegant wreath made ofВ gold, adorned with large pearls and sapphires. The cooler shades suited her very well. InВ the past she would have been glad ofВ ice-colored stones and white brocade woven with flowers, but now she longed for something scarlet. What aВ pity her new crown lacked rubies.

AВ drop ofВ blood appeared on her lips, but it was not the usual scarlet color, just the warmth ofВ it. Rhianon tried toВ brush it away, but only smeared it on her lowerВ lip.

«That’s good,» the spirit whispered approvingly. «At least your lips look a little pink.»

В«Yes, now, shut up,В» she demanded.

В«For how long is it?В» His voice was mocking as usual.

В«Till tonight.В»

He snorted disapprovingly, but obeyed the order. She wondered how long his patience would last.

Rhianon unfurled the puffy ruffles around her shoulders. Made of lace, they still looked like a cloud of eiderdown, a setting worthy of a queen. Gold lace ran along the embroidered sleeves, the tight corset was embroidered with a floral pattern, and the long belt was embellished with filigree. There was no hint that she was pregnant. The very thought of it seemed strange to her. She didn’t feel anything foreign brewing inside her. On the contrary, the fire inside was only a part of her being. Perhaps it wasn’t a child, but just a sheaf of her own flame. She would breathe it out burning the castle and there would be nothing left inside either. They were futile dreams. Rhianon knew that the seed of the fallen angel would not simply be disposed of. It was already forming into a living and omnipotent being, but her waist was still thin. Otherwise Ferdinand would hardly have decided to marry her. Who would want a pregnant bride? And Madael? Would he fly here to claim her and the child if he knew the child was his? Oh, by the way, did he know that? Rhianon had no one to ask. Well, when you look at it from all angles, how could he not know? He’s omniscient. Could such a small but significant detail have escaped his perception? And if he knew, why didn’t he insist on his rights until now? Surely he wants this child, doesn’t he? Does he want it? Or hadn’t he even considered the possibility of having one?

He complained that he was lonely. Rhianon remembered. He had said that he had always been lonely, even there inВ paradise, when he had been considered aВ favorite ofВ God. Was his loneliness here on earth even more palpable? He also said that he had missed love long ago before the beginning ofВ time. How strange and cruel, everyone knew him as the favorite ofВ the Almighty, and he felt no one needed him. When there is no love, you are alone even inВ the noisiest society. Now Rhianon felt it for herself. Enthusiastic crowds had gathered around her, and the nobles were also preparing toВ rejoice. Everyone was greeting her, throwing the same unfailing flowers at her feet, surrounding her with attention, and she felt so lonely. She was miserable.

That would soon pass when she got Loretta back into her possession. How much she had sacrificed for it, though if she looked closely, there was not much toВ sacrifice.

Now she even missed the annoying spirit. She wished he would have distracted her with some sharp remark.

«You look like you’re going to the scaffold,» he whispered. Rhianon saw the bales of discarded flowers on the carpeted path, though no one had stepped on them. Her invisible companion was there. And he promised to keep quiet until tonight.

В«But you wanted toВ hear me,В» he excused himself. В«You were the one who calledВ me.В»

His voice was much nicer than the hymns and chants in the cathedral. Rhianon wrinkled painfully when she heard them. Her ears felt as if they were about to bleed. The only thing that saved her was Ferdinand’s arm, which she could lean on. He was handsome in his white brocade embroidered with pearls. And yet he was no angel. Not Madael. Rhianon hastily looked away from his chiseled profile. She wasn’t even sure how old he was. He looked eighteen at most. The wreath of myrtle in his short, curly curls accentuated his fresh youth. Only there, in the cathedral, would he wear the formal crown. For Rhianon’s sake he had briefly abandoned the observance of tradition. It turns out he is also flighty. It was hard to believe he already had two children she had yet to meet. Rhianon preferred not to think about it yet.

She also tried not to think about the fact that there was only a man walking down the aisle beside her. This wedding was in every way a breach of tradition. Ferdinand was leading her forward by himself. There were no best men or bridesmaids, only the uniformly dressed blue brocade maidens carrying her train. Bouquets of white lilies adorned the entrance. Why lilies? Their persistent scent and memories made Rhianon so dizzy she almost fainted. Perhaps she thought she saw Asmodeus’ black claws and mocking eyes behind the lush flowers in the shadow of the nave. He is the harbinger of misfortune. Rhianon shuddered. Maybe she just imagined he was here.