6

Felix woke up cheerful and full of energy. His new companion brightened up the usual monotonous days. Jumping out of bed, the knight noted to himself that he couldn’t wait to talk to this unusual, mysterious girl again.

Stretching and yawning sweetly, Felix slowly got dressed. The wallet attached to his belt had become quite thin, because the knight had to rent another room so as not to embarrass his companion. The young man clicked his tongue and thought that it would be nice to find a part-time job in the near future.

The innkeeper greeted the guest with a good-natured smile, and Felix happily shared the latest news with a pleasant interlocutor. Smelling the enticing smell of fresh pies, the knight hurried after his girlfriend. If they don’t quickly come down for breakfast, they risk being left without delicious, freshly baked pies with cottage cheese.

Carefully opening the door, the young man looked into the room and saw a girl carelessly sleeping. A black stream of hair spread across the pillow, enveloping its owner in a dark halo. This made Ira's fair skin seem to glow softly in the dimness of the room. A slight smile crossed her lips. Felix froze for a few moments, admiring the serene appearance of the sleeping girl. An amazing creature... So cocky, although outwardly she seems incredibly fragile. It seemed to Felix that he was simply obliged to help Ira - after all, due to her memory loss, she was left without a family, and it would not be easy for such a girl to survive in their world.

The guy was distracted from his heavy thoughts by the noisy fuss in the main hall. Curses and the clinking of dishes were heard. Quietly closing the door, he returned to the stairs. At the very steps the young man froze. The indignant voice coming from below was painfully familiar to him.

- I don’t need to hang noodles on my ears here! You have my fiancé's stallion in your stable! It is difficult to confuse such a horse with the skinny Kermalan horses! Felix is ​​here and I don't understand why you're trying to hide him from me!

A high, menacingly squeaky voice sent shivers down the knight’s spine, as if someone had run their nails along a granite slab.

“Rikana,” Felix moaned quietly. Only his “bride” was missing from complete happiness!

The young man turned sharply and hurried towards Ira’s room.

She had a strange dream. The fields around were green with lush grass. The rays of the bright sun gently touched my face. She sat on the bank of a fast-moving river, and cold water washed her naked legs. Such a pleasant feeling... She heard a rustling behind her and turned around sharply. Standing nearby was a small fair-haired boy of about eight years old, with a sweet smile on his face, his thin hands modestly folded in front of him. The girl smiled, unable to ignore the openness and tenderness of the child. She stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles in her white summer dress. The boy looked up at her with big, kind eyes and did not move for some time. Gradually, the baby’s open friendliness began to disappear. The child's face was distorted by a grimace of horror. Wonderful eyes looked at her as if at a wild animal. The pupils dilated with fear almost completely replaced the blue of the irises.

- What's wrong? – the girl asked in surprise, taking a step towards him. The boy screamed and stumbled back.

And then she saw that his shoulder was bleeding. Raising her black eyebrows in surprise, the girl extended her hands to the boy.

- You're wounded. Come to me, I’ll help,” her gentle voice was full of concern, but the child still took a step back. A scream filled with horror escaped his lips, twisted with fear.

“ Do you really want to help him? Look how warm and fragrant his blood is!”

The girl stopped indecisively, confused by the voice that sounded in her head.

"Who are you?" - she wanted to ask, but the tart, metallic smell of blood hit her nostrils. My head began to spin, an invisible hand squeezed my throat. It became unbearably hot. Not understanding what she was doing, she rushed forward, digging her long nails into the defenseless body of the child...

- Ira! Ira! Wake up, I beg you! – warm hands grabbed her tense shoulders and shook her thoroughly.

The girl suppressed a cry that barely escaped her lips. Blinking sleepily, she stared at the disheveled gray-eyed guy.

- Something happened? – Ira mumbled, trying to collect her thoughts. What a terrible dream!

- Yes! It happened! – the knight blurted out, shaking her again. - We urgently need to leave here, and as soon as possible!

Ira with difficulty unhooked the young man's fingers from herself.

- Why such a rush? - she frowned.

- Please don't ask! I'll tell you everything later...

The girl wanted to continue the argument, but met the gaze of alarmed gray eyes and decided to remain silent. Ira wondered who this large and formidable knight was so terribly afraid of. And then she can give him a beating for the unpleasant awakening. Although the guy interrupted her sleep just in time. Ira was afraid to imagine what could happen next. Returning her thoughts to the last moments of sleep, she clearly felt hunger awakening in her. Wild, uncontrollable. Ira looked up at Felix. His smell... it was so sweet.

- Come on, Ira! Please!

The friend's words brought the girl back to reality. Tossing her hair, Ira rose from the bed and straightened the men's clothes hanging in a bag on her. Felix, meanwhile, had already rushed to his room and returned with travel bags. Together they began to carefully move along the corridor. Putting his index finger to his lips, the guy turned towards the stairs and froze, listening intently. There was an oppressive silence on the first floor. Sighing with relief, the knight called Ira to follow him with a wave of his hand and began to go downstairs.

- Maybe you can still tell me what happened?

- Let's not now, okay?

There was no one in the large hall. Even the bar counter was empty - its owner had disappeared without a trace. The companions learned the reason for such strange desolation when they went out into the street: the courtyard was dotted with all the dark and scarlet robes of servants of the Inquisition. The churchmen literally turned over the entire yard. Ira slowly watched people scurrying back and forth with crosses and lamps in their hands. An unpleasant feeling came over her. The small hairs on my body stood on end. The girl raised her right hand to her chest in confusion, listening to the strange sensation. Felix, not paying attention to his confused companion, grabbed her left hand and led her across the yard to the stables. Out of the corner of his eye, the knight saw a carriage standing at the fence with smart red horses harnessed to it, and a disgruntled driver arguing with two young clergymen. Next to them, without interfering in the conversation, but with all her appearance expressing dissatisfaction, stood a tall, dark girl in a cream velvet dress. Thick, light brown hair was braided into a high, complex hairstyle. There was so much arrogance in the girl’s posture that Felix involuntarily ground his teeth. He quickened his pace, pulling Ira with him, who was trying to cope with the strange dizziness.

“What’s wrong with me?!” - the girl was indignant to herself, glancing sideways at a clergyman passing nearby with a large silver cross in his hands. The heat emanating from the cross scorched her. Ira stumbled back and almost fell, but the girl was supported by the strong hand of her tall companion.

- I wonder what the adherents of the Inquisition are looking for here? – Felix later shared his bewilderment, tightening the girth of the road saddle. The hawk puffed out his belly with displeasure, but the knight hardly paid any attention to this dirty trick, being busy with his own thoughts.

-What kind of Inquisition is this? – Ira asked interestedly. The strange sensations left her, leaving behind a slight fatigue.

- The Inquisition is an organization of priests, monks and believing knights that fights the machinations of Darkness on our land. Well, all sorts of demons, witches and vampires...

- Vampires? – the girl asked in surprise, involuntarily remembering her recent dream. - Do they really exist?

Felix shrugged, unloading and tying the bags to the worn saddle.

- I haven’t met, at least. Lately there have been too many rumors about them: the bloodless corpses of innocent people, slaughtered families...

The girl shuddered.

- And what do the inquisitors need in the tavern?

- I would like to know that too. But it's better for us to leave here.

- As you say. But I’m waiting for an explanation,” Ira threatened, smiling.

Felix bowed playfully.

“As the beautiful lady wishes,” his gray eyes were full of warmth and tenderness. - Please leave.

In the courtyard they sat on Hawk - Felix in the saddle, and the girl behind him on the powerful wide croup of a stallion - and hastily rode out onto the pavement. The knight glanced sideways and noticed that the familiar carriage was no longer there.

“Just don’t meet her in the middle of the road,” the guy muttered dissatisfiedly under his breath.

- What? – Ira asked, thinking about something, timidly hugging the knight’s powerful torso.

“Mmm, no, nothing,” Felix answered, spurring the stagnant stallion.

The hawk rushed off at a wide trot. Hooves clattered loudly on the stone pavement.

-Where are we going? – the girl asked.

- Don't know. Where fate will lead, - the guy was forced to admit.

He really didn't know what to plan next.

- Fel, can you still tell us what we are so actively running away from? “Ira was pretty shaken on the stallion’s croup, even though his trot was quite soft. - Otherwise, my head will soon fall off from this shaking, and I won’t be able to put into it what you want to tell me...

Felix pulled on the reins and whistled softly. The hawk instantly took a step, and a sigh of relief was heard from the knight behind him.

- I'll tell you. “We still haven’t decided where exactly we’re going,” the knight paused for a moment, then continued: “I come from a small estate on the South Coast, not far from a provincial town called Alcorn.” I don't have many childhood memories, but one of them is my greatest treasure. It has supported me in my endeavors all these years.

When I was ten years old, the family of a military officer was moved to a neighboring estate. That's when I met her. It’s funny, but now I don’t remember her name, but I will always remember the scent of forget-me-nots emanating from her golden curls. She had amazing eyes the color of sea water and a ringing, sincere laugh. Those two years that we lived next to each other will forever remain the best for me. We spent whole days together. Sometimes it seemed to me that we understood each other so much that we could communicate without words. It was wonderful... and then her father was transferred to serve in one of the big cities, and all that was left of that girl were wonderful memories.

I can’t forget her, I can’t help but live in this past. I vowed to find her no matter what. Whether she is now a cripple, a married woman or an absolute freak.

I diligently learned everything I could: read and write, ride a horse, shoot a bow and fight with swords. When my father died, I inherited several acres of land, cows and a garden, as well as some gold. I learned to trade and support my family, and the villagers did not complain about my rule. My younger brother Vestor was better versed in the exact sciences and communicating with people than I was. But I also tried, although my soul was eager for adventure. We successfully farmed for a couple of years, guaranteeing strong offspring and good calving. Finally I could buy a horse and a good sword. Armor, albeit leather, and harness. It cost me dearly, but it left enough for the family so that Vestor could continue to take care of the affairs of our family. I left him everything - power, property and possessions - and I left in search of my beautiful memory...

The travelers rode in silence for some time. The horse's hooves beat out a dull rhythm along the well-worn road. The stallion himself nodded sleepily as he walked. The road led east of Kermalan. On both sides of it stretched fields sown with wheat and barley. Green spikelets sagged in the gusts of a light warm breeze, reminiscent of a disturbed surface of water. The birds diligently and cheerfully sang praises of the beginning of summer, flying from branch to branch of the squat small trees growing on the side of the road. Here and there in the fields there were scarecrows, creaking menacingly with their stick-like hands. The long rags that served as their clothing fluttered in the wind like ribbons. Half-rotted bucket heads sometimes grinned, sometimes they simply made faces with their resin-painted faces.

- How will you find her? – Ira suddenly asked. – If you don’t even remember her name.

- I'm sure my heart will tell me. And if not, then this is not my destiny... - the knight looked into the distance with a sad but romantic look, wondering what this endless road called life had in store for him.