Dragon’s Empire – 1. Curse of the younger Prince. Natalie Yacobson

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      I wanted to get lost in the crowd and even pushed Claude forward, but, turning around, I noticed with surprise that the stranger still does not take eyes from me. This time, in his glance flashed something unkind.

      «Claude,» I grabbed my brother for the sleeve. «Why does he look at me, that man in black?»

      Claude looked at the side where I pointed to him and seems to be confused.

      «I think because you are extremely beautiful,» he immediately found with the answer and pulled me, as far as possible from the subject of my observations. «Let’s go better from here. How do we know what kind of people will break off at the place of execution.»

      I wanted to remind Claude that he himself decided to look at the execution, but did not do this. We just took our horses and continued the path in complete silence. For the first time in a long time I felt a strange fatigue. It seemed that the black wings of some birds slammed over my head. And above the castle flashed the rays of a bloody sunset, similar to the bright all-consuming fire. For a minute I even came out that the main tower is glowing, and the red flames of the flame break out from the windows of my apartments. Only with difficulty I managed to shook the obsession.

      Claude and I slipped past the guard and omnipresent royal secretaries. On the go, I managed to shout at one of them, that we will tell you everything as soon as we rest. Judging by the surprised expressions of persons, I realized that the castle had already begun to happen to whether it was not worth ordering a requiem. Only Florian did not leave hope to see us alive. After stormy greetings, he began to talk quietly about how he worried, as he watched his dear from his balcony or even surrounded by a suite went to the forest to meet us.

      «Did you believed that one wild boar can cope with both of us?» laughed Claude.

      «I’m not only talking about the wild boar,» said Florian excitedly and looked at the sides. Only, making sure that there is no one near us, he continued. «Did you not hear that death wanders around the city. And if they returned at night, they could quite be the following victims. Several citizens died and even travel merchants. In the royal port is also restless. Sailors are afraid of something, one of them swear, he saw how a strange woman in a dark cape wanders at the pier. They even say that she does not look like a living person, that it is white and cold, as a revived statue. According to their expression, a marble hand can strangle anyone. Others come to the head of the guard and explain that they saw in the streets a man in black, and then at the place where he stood, accidents occurred. So that the folk excitement calmed down, had to condemn several robbers on the execution.

      «And what do you think about all this?» I asked.

      «I prefer not to go to the city after the coming of darkness and advise you the same thing,» Florian brushed aside. «You personally, Edwin,» he turned to me, «I advise you to close the window of your bedroom before bedtime, and I will lock the shutters every night.»

      This time I could not hold back a laughter.

      «Who, in your opinion, will be able to get to my window, on a smooth fortress wall, while bypassing the sentries and not be wounding about sharp spikes?» I asked. «For this you need to have wings.»

      «There are also winged creatures in the world, «Florian shrugged vaguely, clearly he didn’t tell everything.

      «Well, I will not mind if at night to me in the window will fly a nightingale or a crimson. I love birds and specially open my window for them.

      «I would not advise you to do this,» Florian objected completely seriously. He never allowed himself to smile and only read the instruction. Probably, he considered me an incorrigible joker, but I could not resist jokes when I looked at the gloomy expression of his face, tightly compressed lips. In the beautiful years of his youth, he tried to seem thoughtful and wise.

      «Well, well, I will do how you want, even if you order me to lock all the windows in this castle overnight,» I agreed. «I can right now nail up windows in my apartments.»

      «No, no need to do this,» this time he smiled after all. «By the way, I invited a merchant to the castle, which brought the amulets for the welfare of its owner.

      I wanted to refuse the amulet proposed to me, but could not. A merchant with the chests of his goods was waiting for us in the courtyard. He caused my curiosity. I managed to talk with him just a few minutes, but, obviously, I made an impression of an educated person on him, because I received a big book in the binding of morocco as a gift.

      «It’s an expensive thing, I can’t take it just like that,» I protested and reached for the wallet.

      «No,» the merchant hurriedly stopped me. «Perhaps once this book was really expensive, but now it’s just a parchment with the text of spells written in a language that no one understands.»

      «So why do you think that I can read them and understand?»

      «It is unlikely that among my buyers will meet another such enlightened person as you,» my interlocutor replied.

      I wanted to say that all my enlightenment takes the origins of conversations with random counterparts, but changed my mind. Meanwhile, the merchant said softly on some dialect, on which sailors spoke in the port, and which I learned to understand.

      «You are so young, but in your eyes the ancient mind glows,» he fell silent, but for some reason it seemed to me that he wanted to add «and ancient evil.» I have already heard this phrase as a child when our old teacher read us out loud some book. Why, when a person grows, so many fragments of happy childhood eclipses from his memory. I adopted a book with gratitude, although I didn’t even know what to do with her. Put on the shelf for decoration? But why do I need a book that I can’t read?

      When I stayed alone, I revealed the gold-plated latches, opened the book and started flipping the pages, as if trying to determine what was written on them. All letters were neatly bred on the handful parchment with black and aluminum paints. Scarlet letters, as if burned against the background of dark symbols.

      There was a persistent knock at the door. I broke away from the book and let the valet, who courteously reminded that it was time to change to the evening reception. On the way to one of the halls, I looked into the mirror and saw some fabulous, mysterious stranger there. Is it really my reflection? It appeared to me very dazzling and someone else’s, as if the gold-haired ghost looks at me from a dark mirror.

      In the spacious hall under the sounds of the flutes were spinning in dance only two – three pairs. I decided to play chess with one of the nobles, and we took a table at the window. Time was nearing night. I won several parties in a row and already looking for a reason to retire when I heard the heralds’ tubes. The king appeared in support of his suite. I looked for a long time as the stone sparkle in his crown, how the folds of his mantle fluttered when he is walking. Probably Claude has already managed to tell him about the battle with the wild boar. For the first time my crowned father looked at me with gratitude and even with respect.

      «Edwin!» Claude took me under the elbow and took to the side. «The father told me to present you one lady. She just returned from the journey and can tell you a lot. Let me introduce you to Lady Silvia.»

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