Deya slept for a long time after a sleepless night, and when she woke up, she did not immediately understand what time of day it was. Seeing in the dusk Beria, who was sitting on the bed with his back to her, the girl smiled. She stretched, then crept closer and hugged the man by the waist, pressing her cheek against his warm back.-Awoke? he asked without turning around. - Good.-What time is it? Deamara asked, running the copper strands through her fingers with pleasure.It's already late in the evening, you've been sleeping all day.-Truth? Deja reached out to kiss her husband, but he pulled away. He turned around to look at her seriously. The princess realized that something bad had happened. The remnants of sleep immediately evaporated, giving way to anxiety. - What?"I have to show you something," the man said, and Deja went cold at his voice. We have found the source of this corruption. And I want you to confirm that this is indeed the case. Only Aznar forbade you to show it, b

Aznar walked along the fortress wall. It was the first time he had seen so many undead. There were so many of them that they literally pushed their own people off the cliff. And those who fell tried to crawl over the rocks and over the bodies of their unfortunate relatives. And there were more and more of them. Soon they would actually be able to reach the walls and towers. Clatter chewing, scream and whistle merged into one monstrous rumble. Crossbow arrows bounced off strong chitin plates on the bodies of creatures, and if they managed to find unprotected places, they did not cause significant harm. The guards, whose faces were written with anxiety and suppressed fear, became calmer at the sight of the ruler. They gripped their weapons more confidently and looked directly at their opponents. As soon as Aznar passed by, the backs straightened, and the voices and commands became louder and clearer."They are healing," one of the guards said disappointedly, lowering his crossbow as the

Emberg. Four months laterA lot of time has passed since that terrible night. One calm day gave way to another, flying by unnoticed and quickly. A warm summer has come, bringing a time of prosperity, joy and happiness to Emberg. Leaving nightmares behind. During the first month, all those who were poisoned recovered. While they were in the temple, their condition did not worsen, and after the death of the sorcerer, they began to recover one by one. Sorcery was dispelled, and the water was purified. When warm days came, they began to rebuild the destroyed houses, shops and warehouses. From the boulders that remained from the stone giants, they laid out an arch at the entrance to the city. People whispered that magic still lived in the stones and would guard the city for many years to come.The inhabitants of the castle lived, forgetting about excitement and fear, until one summer sunny morning a rumor flew by: the time had come.There is nothing more painful and joyful than waiting. Be

The sun was setting behind the city wall, painting the houses and streets in bloody tones that mingled with long shadows. The people looked like the living dead, behind each of them trailed black melting smoke. They were sick and dying, and nothing could help them. Deya walked among them, barefoot, dressed only in a linen shirt. Her loose blond hair was tousled and confused by the unfriendly wind. It was cold, she hugged her shoulders chillily and tried to call out to one of the people, but they did not hear her. She couldn't make out their faces.She walked forward until she came to the square, in the center of which was a giant fire. Black flames flared up at her approach, and doused her with grave cold instead of heat.Deya backed away, but a voice stopped her. Someone alien and dangerous stepped out of the crowd and stopped behind her shoulder. Deya did not dare to turn her head, frozen in place and not feeling her body.-That's what awaits you here. - Said the voice indifferently

The first thing Deya felt when she woke up was pain. The back of my head throbbed with pain, my arms stretched on chains ached, my back and right side ached. Recovering herself, the girl was able to lean on her legs to ease the pulling pain in her wrists, on which she saw massive iron shackles. And only after that I was able to look around.The room she was in looked like an underground grotto: the ceiling was low, and stalactites hung from it, like frozen wax drips from a giant candle. Some of them looked like tree roots or strange outlandish towers, reaching to the floor. Somewhere in the distance, a soft splash of water could be heard.And very close by, groaning from chronic pain in the back, an already familiar old man was busy. He placed six small tripods at equal distances from each other around a flat, low piece of granite. Deja examined the brown smooth surface of the stone and felt sick. The sorcerer pulled out a coal from one of the braziers near the wall and began to draw