The Mist and the Lightning. Part III. Ви Корс

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СКАЧАТЬ Tol," Orel said barely controlling himself. "Is she your wench or mine?"

      "Hm," Tol muttered.

      "You dragged her here, to the castle, you begged me to take her in!"

      "Yes, but fucking her is one thing, fighting in pair with her is another!"

      "Ah so!" Orel got up. "Then I'll finish her off right now and no more questions."

      He walked around the table quickly, coming up to Asa. She got up, also very quickly, pushed Vil, stood behind him and took out her sword. Vil got up, his face distorted but he didn't make an attempt to move aside, he stood protecting her.

      "Arel, don't!" Tol screamed.

      But it was too late, Orel didn't hear him. Using Vil as a shield, he pushed him to Asa, to her sword, and she had to pull the blade back. When she'd tried to use Vil as her protection, she only worsened her situation: her momentary confusion was enough for Orel to grab her hand and wring her wrist sharply. He was strong and experienced and acted swiftly and mercilessly. She screamed in pain, her fingers couldn't hold the sword any more; it fell on the floor and rolled down from the dais. Orel hit her with his free hand, without letting her wrist go, then yanked her forward, toppling her over on the floor. He didn't give her a single chance to recoup and do something. At the next moment he pulled out his blade, ready to kill her – in his signature blow that chopped off his enemies' heads in one movement. When he pushed Asa to the floor, he carefully turned her to the edge of the dais so that nothing could hinder his blow – neither Vil, frozen in terror, nor massive chairs. Defeated, Asa looked at Orel and understood she'd die now. Then she screamed very loudly in Unclean:

      "Nikto! Help me!"

      It was a scream of despair. Orel froze, starting back from her. Nikto who sat at the table screwed his eyes shut and squeezed his temples. Lis didn't look away from him, staring at him with his yellow penetrating eyes. Orel slowly lowered his sword. He didn't know Unclean but everyone in the city knew how 'help me' sounded in it. And the name, the name she'd cried out in her last hope, the name of his most precious person, the name he whispered hundreds times relishing in its sound and naively thinking he was the only one to have this right… The name that left her lips so unexpectedly but naturally and easily, as if it belonged to her, too, stunned him. He suddenly realized very clearly that he was not the only one, that there were others who also considered themselves entitled to say those five letters. It seemed she robbed him. No, she couldn't take anything from him because he had never had anything – he'd only thought he owned something, it was an illusion, a fallacy Nikto instilled into him. Nikto! Orel turned around abruptly; looking past Tol, white as a sheet, he gazed at the man sitting there.

      "What is there between you?" Orel's voice was hoarse.

      "There is nothing between us that might anger or hurt you," Nikto said even without looking at Orel.

      "I don't believe you!" Orel came up to Nikto.

      "Calm down."

      Orel made a wheezing sound; he grabbed Nikto's hair, pulling his head back, pressing his sword to Nikto's neck right above the collar.

      "Are you suggesting me to calm down? To sit down and shut up?"

      Nikto didn't move.

      "Yes," he said and his voice was completely calm, as if Orel was not holding a sword at his neck but was chatting with him over a glass of wine.

      "Don't kid me!"

      Nikto looked up at Orel, simply looked. A thin trickle of blood leaked from under the collar down to the carefully laced vest. Orel put his left hand onto Nikto's face, covering this unbearable gaze of grey eyes. He felt Nikto close his eyes under his palm, tickling it with his eyelashes.

      "Don't" Orel said thickly. "Don't do it to me, Nik."

      The blade was lowered slowly.

      "Don't do it to me!" Orel screamed and in helpless rage chopped off one of Nikto's braids that stuck out of his mane of tousled hair and lay on the elbow rest of the chair. A heave thick braid fell on the floor, only silver clamps chimed pitifully.

      Without looking at anyone Orel quickly left the table and nearly ran upstairs. The door slammed loudly making them flinch. Orel locked the door.

      * * *

      For a while they stayed frozen; then Squint-Eye got up, walked up to Nikto who sat in some kind of stupor, picked up his braid from the floor and came up to Asa.

      "Take it," he said in Unclean and tossed the braid at Asa's face. Asa who sat on the floor started back instinctively, looking at Squint-Eye askance with her eyes full of hatred. "You've earned it."

      Asa turned away.

      "It was my fault," Tol said gloomily. "I shouldn't have…"

      "Asa and Nikto are together," Lis said, "and you're a fool, Tol."

      "No," Tol shook his head. "I don't believe it. Asa always hated Nikto."

      "She did it for us to believe it!" Lis continued. "She acted for our sake but today she's given herself away. Bad girl, Asa, how could you?"

      "But she saved her life," Squint-Eye said. "Orel really was shocked. I wonder whether Nikto would have helped her if she hadn't screamed. Huh, Nikto?" Squint-Eye turned to him. "Would you?"

      Nikto kept silent.

      "I think he wouldn't," Squint-Eye smirked.

      "No one could help Asa at that moment," Enriki said. "Orel has gone too far."

      "Noo," Squint-Eye drawled, "you're wrong. Something would have definitely happened. Something that wouldn't let Orel finish her off. But the bitch has lost her nerve. She let you down so much," Squint-Eye shook his head, "didn't she, Nik?"

      "How could Nikto help her?" Tol objected. "When Orel goes crazy, no one can help."

      "Tol, listen to me," Lis said, "you were cheated and so were us. Nikto chose you to go to the Lower City for mercenaries. He chose you because you are self-confident and dumb. Quiet, quiet, don't interrupt me! Listen what clever people have to say. There, in the military school, Borgan was waiting for you to give you that Asa."

      "How could he wait for us if we didn't know ourselves we'd go there!" Tol interfered.

      "You didn't know," Lis said coldly. "But Nikto and Borgan knew. Nikto knew everything about us, even before the moment we dragged him to the castle so carelessly. He chose Orel a year ago, when he fought in the 'damned' detachment under his command. He found a way to catch Orel… it's difficult not to catch him, he likes everything shitty!"

      "Exactly," Nikto said looking straight at Lis.

      Lis turned to him.

      "Shut up, I'm not talking to you! When we asked you, you kept silent – now stay silent again."

      "Why should I keep silent when you say these nasty things about me?"

      "Afraid I'll tell the truth about you?"

      "It is not truth but your fantasies!"

      "You are afraid, Nik, you are!"

      "I'm not afraid, I'm just tired of it!"

      "If СКАЧАТЬ