And then the caretaker laid siege to himself. Again he is angry with Kleskh. Again he is blamed. As if all the troubles of the Citadel are from him alone. No, not from him. Or not from him alone. Trouble is a great many. Only now, Lesana's kref teases everyone tirelessly, does not obey the word of the elder, goes against the will. And maybe right? Maybe, indeed, youth and strength tell him a different truth? The one that Ned, with his stagnant mind, can no longer hear? Wants, wants Kleskh, lascivious bastard, power! It is eager to lay a hand on the Citadel, to establish its own rules here. Just mindless. Mad. By the stubbornness of the young! Heaps things up, let him come to power. He'll screw up, he'll put everyone under attack. But the head pulled himself up again, realizing that Kleskh was perhaps the only one who would be a fortress and learn to protect more than the apple of his eye. And if not? Will not if? If he loves to amuse himself with power?"How are you?" whispered the
The bloom turned out well - the first month of summer! Amazingly good. Warm, nice. Rainy days can be counted on the fingers. The current one was completely feast for the eyes. It has been pouring rain since morning. He beat down the dust, blackened out the mighty logs of the tyna and the hewn roofs of the huts, left shining puddles along the paths. And then the sun came out. Grace!Silence still reigned in the yards of the village, but the smoke of the hearths was already stretching over the settlement - soon the hunters would return from fishing, the youth would come from the reeds, the children from the forest. Then the village will come to life: silence will crumble into voices, laughter, squeals, screams and joyful barking of dogs.Summer days are long and bright. Night barely steps on the threshold, barely spreads its black wings over the world, and the morning dawn is already breathing down her neck. It would always be like this...Grandfather Vron, leaning on a strong stick, de
Winter this year was cold and snowy. In the morning, while you clear the path from the house to the gate, you will get stuck. And the cold is so breath-taking!Lesana was returning from the well with two full buckets, the water in which had already begun to seize with ice. A sharp wind blew in his face, making it difficult to look, burning his cheeks.- Let me help you.And the buckets, which had just been so heavy, suddenly became weightless. The girl looked back, with difficulty opening her frozen eyelashes.A tall, broad-shouldered fellow in a sheepskin coat seized the burden and smiled. His face was round and snub-nosed. The best face in the world! Lesana blushed. Miruta has long sunk into her heart. And he liked her. And in the spring, perhaps, he will come with matchmakers. No, not “maybe”, it will definitely come! From this thought, the soul became warm, warm, and even the burning wind could not cool the burning of the sweet flame.They walked in silence. Yes, and what to talk
The hard face, overgrown with prickly bristles, was devoid of any expression, and in the eyes ... in the eyes of the dead wasteland. Lesana had never seen such a heavy look before. It did not reflect any feelings, no spark of fun, no curiosity, no fatigue. Nothing. And there were eyes, expressionless looking from under black straight eyebrows, as gray as a cloudy winter sky. And just as cold. And the right cheek of the kref was disfigured by a white welt of an uneven scar.The gaze of the guard glided over the faces of those who entered, and suddenly stopped at Lesan. In the reverent silence, a low voice sounded:- Come on.The girl was numb with horror. It seemed to her at that moment that the kref could read minds and would now shame her in front of everyone that she dared to think about the expression of his eyes and the ugliness of his face.- How many springs do you have?The unfortunate woman was silent, unable to squeeze out a sound.- Are you mute?Lesana shook her head in fea
The man froze near the tree, which was not reached by the faint light of the burnt out fire. The tall man looked intently and beckoned the victim to him.As if enchanted, Lesana took a step forward, but froze when she met an invisible barrier. Something prevented me from moving on. And green, like swamp lights, eyes flickered, attracted ...Only then did the girl remember: blood! The charmed ore of the guardian is what does not let her go beyond the outlined circle. The werewolf knew this. But he needed food, and he was looking for a way to get it. And the victim could not resist the inviting gaze, enveloping, attractive, promising ... Therefore, she leaned over and hastily scratched the ground with her nails, seized by the last spring frost. The barrier separating people from the inhabitant of the night collapsed.Lesana stepped out of the safe circle into the darkness, reaching out to the man. Oh, how she longed to touch him! To snuggle up with your whole body, to inhale the smell,
Chapter 3The last day of the journey was unseasonably warm. The sun warmed so gently, as if the month of the melter had been replaced not even by green and to, but immediately by the color of the shadow. The retinues seemed as hot as sheepskin coats, and the future learners threw them off with relief, secretly glad that they did not see their mothers, who would certainly begin to scold. The Krefffs didn’t care, but Lesana and Ailisha, taking advantage of the fact that none of the village gossips would cackle over their ears, took off their headscarves and even slightly loosened their braids.Tamir, no, no, cast furtive glances at his companions, involuntarily comparing them with each other. What, it would seem, is different: now a girl and then a girl - two arms each, two legs each, a pigtail. But if Lesana - ruddy rich, soft, like a loaf just pulled out of the oven - aroused warm curiosity in the soul of a young baker, then a shy doctor with a gentle blush that illuminates swarthy s
The corridor descended steeply and soon the windows were replaced by smoky torches. Eilish listened to the echo of footsteps and whispered in Lesana's ear:- In the soapbox, I still understand, but what kind of hrychovka and why go to her?- Cut the braids, - without turning his head, the guide dryly enlightened them.- How to cut? We are girls! - the future healer froze as if rooted to the spot.- You are no longer girls, but novices of the Citadel. There are no girls or boys here, only future guardians. And their hair is only a hindrance, - the senior student stopped.- Well, are we to go to the ports and wash with you? Lesana died.- In the ports - of course, but to wash ... Well, if you only want to rub your back, otherwise - separate soapboxes, - the guy laughed and added more stricter: - Let's move, otherwise they will punish you on the first day. You will quickly understand how to chew snot.And they again rushed somewhere down.Soon a corridor led them to a low door with an ir
A murmur passed through the vaults of the hall, but Ned lightly struck the table with his palm and, in the silence that reigned, continued as calmly as before.“If someone is afraid of my words and decides to run away, then I don’t keep anyone. The gates of the Citadel are open all day, and at night the gate in the wall is not locked - for those whom the sunset caught on their way. Just remember, - he looked around at everyone with a heavy look, - as soon as you move away from the walls, the amulets and witchcraft that protect the fortress, you are no longer intercessors, and the first walker will devour the fugitive. And in a few weeks, a special sign will be inscribed on the gates of the shameful settlement, by which any guardian will know that a coward was born here, betraying his compatriots and family. And no one overshadowed will help the inhabitants of the place that gave birth to the fugitive.Lesana bit her lips. They knew. They all knew it. They understood that studying at t