The Mist and the Lightning. Part I. Ви Корс

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      "No," Orel snapped. "Enough. Lis, you belong to me and you know you can't just leave me: either you obey me or one of us dies. Do you want that?"

      "I won't fight you," Lis said. "You'll kill me and I want to keep living to see how it ends. I obey your will. Cherish your cripple."

      "Don't call him a cripple!"

      "Your wish is my command, my lord."

      "I order you to become his friend as soon as possible, do you hear?"

      "Yes, my lord."

      "Right. Enriki, I'm talking to you, too."

      Enriki bowed his head. "Yes, my lord."

      "Uugh, I'm so hungry!" Tol tumbled into the hall loudly and stopped, looking at everyone in surprise. "Are you praying or what? Ooh, buns for breakfast…" He froze catching Orel's burning stare. "All right, all right, I'm not saying a word."

      "By the way," he said a little later when noticing that Orel had calmed down, "where is Nikto? Doesn't he have breakfast with us?"

      "I sent a servant to bring him half an hour ago," Orel said. He rang the bell.

      "Did you wake up the master?" he asked a shaking servant.

      "Yes."

      "What did he say?"

      "He said," the servant started shaking even more, "…'go to hell!' I was afraid and left. I'm very afraid of him." The servant sobbed and fell onto his knees. "I thought he'd kill me! He looked at me – like I wasn't there – and said: 'Go to hell!' and my legs seemed to carry me to the door by themselves," the servant cried.

      "All right, you idiot, you can go. I'll wake him up myself," Orel said.

      "Yeah, you try," Tol winked at him.

      Orel walked up the stairs and quietly entered the room that had been offered to Nikto yesterday. It was one of the best rooms in the castle.

      A splendid bed with a canopy was located on the dais near the wall. The floor was covered with expensive furs. They were littered with Nikto's weapons, his clothes and bag.

      Orel approached soundlessly.

      Nikto lay in bed on his side, covered with a fur layer up to his waist. He was asleep. Orel stopped and looked at him. Nikto didn't move. Orel smiled and slowly reached to his belt. Carefully, he took out his knife without taking his gaze away from the sleeping man. He raised the knife aiming at Nikto's closed eye. His muscles were taut, he was ready for Nikto to wake up any moment. But Nikto kept breathing evenly and Orel relaxed his hand, lowered it slowly, nearly touching Nikto's eye with the tip of the knife.

      "Bingo," he said quietly, then took the knife away. "Lis is just an idiot."

      Something crunched under his boot and he jumped back, frightened. Looking down he saw it was just one of the pills that fell out of Nikto's carelessly tossed bag. He picked up a few smooth white capsules.

      "What could it be?" He dropped them back on the floor. "Hey, Nikto, wake up!"

      Nikto stirred, opened his eyes slowly. He looked at Orel as if he was seeing him for the first time in his life. Orel felt uneasy.

      "Hey, come round," he said apprehensively.

      "Aah," Nikto drawled. "Prince Arel Chig." He turned to his back, stretched his arms, then covered his face with his palms. "All right, all right, I'm getting up." He took his hands away from his face. "Shit, it's too light here!"

      Orel watched him silently.

      Nikto sat up in bed shaking his shaggy head. He raised his face looking straight ahead of him with a strange, empty look.

      Orel who stood at the side backed away in fear.

      "Nikto, stop fooling around," he said.

      Nikto turned to him looking through him.

      "Orel," he said, "leave now, please. I'm coming down in a moment."

      Orel recoiled, then left the room. He walked down to his friends.

      "What happened?" A chorus of questions met him.

      "Nothing." Orel managed to regain control.

      "You look even worse than the servant did!"

      "I said everything's all right. Tol, pour me some coffee," he ordered in annoyance.

      Gulping his coffee, he looked at Lis.

      "Lis," he said quietly, "I could've killed him ten times right now, do you hear me? Ten times! And I'll spit at your face if you say he was giving in to me on purpose."

      "Is it true?"

      "Yes!"

      "I don't know," Lis said shakily, "I don't know."

      "I know," Orel interrupted him. "He trusts me and he isn't dangerous to us."

      Nikto slowly walked down the stairs and approached the company.

      "Hello," he said.

      "Good morning," Tol waved to him. "You don't look good, you know."

      "Orel, may I sit with my back to the window?" Nikto asked.

      "Fine," Orel said. "Enriki, let him sit in your place."

      Enriki exchanged places with Nikto in surprise. Now Nikto was sitting on the right from Orel, next to Lis. He took a cup silently and started drinking.

      "Nikto, you didn't warn me the daylight caused you such problems," Orel said, "and today isn't even sunny."

      "I'm okay," Nikto said, "I've just forgotten when I got up in the morning for the last time."

      "I wouldn't say you're okay," Orel said. "You're totally NOT okay, in fact."

      He leaned towards Nikto.

      "Loot at me."

      Nikto slowly looked up.

      "Tell me the truth, do you see anything?"

      "Yes," Nikto said quietly but firmly. He lowered his eyes again.

      "What are you talking about?" Tol asked in surprise.

      "The thing is, my friend Tol, Nikto doesn't see shit when it's light!"

      Lis turned to Orel in astonishment.

      "It can't be!"

      "Oh fuck," Enriki said.

      "Is he like an owl?" Tol asked.

      "I don't know! Maybe, even worse than an owl!"

      "I can see!" Nikto said defiantly.

      "Really? What is Tol holding? Answer me!"

      Tol froze in fear with a piece of bun in his hand. Nikto even didn't glance at him.

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