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
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
The second awakening for the Anmar princess was even worse than the first. She woke up on the altar, her hands chained. Stalactites hung precariously from above, like the fangs of ancient monsters. Nearby loomed a sorcerer. Deya went cold when she saw in his hands a wide knife that looked like a cleaver."Let me go, old man," Deamara said in a low voice. - Why do you need it?He looked at her nervously. The broad knife quivered in his gnarled hands, momentarily blinding with a gleam of flame. For a moment the princess thought she saw the swift shadow of a tiger on the wall. The flame flickered and she was gone.“If the Reaper does not want this power, I will take it myself,” his voice did not sound too confident.He touched his hand to the girl's stomach, and she almost turned inside out from disgust. The old man withdrew his hand, as if frightened."I'll get ten years of life, maybe a lot more," he said.A low, furious growl was the best sound Deya could hear here. A swift red-haired
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 common room was dim, diluted only by the glowing coals in the fireplaces, which crackled and crackled softly from time to time. Scattered groups of students sat by the fireplaces and on pillows, talking in low tones."Let's go soon," Fiona straightened her bag over her shoulder. - We're already late.-Do you know where to go?-Of course not. I know no more than you."Just fine," I turned around. - It was necessary to agree to meet them here and go together ...Abyss!Turning to the exit from the hall, with all my foolishness I crashed into someone who was just entering.-Do you have eyes? the stranger growled angrily, clutching at his injured face. An expensive family ring flashed brightly on his hand: a panther with raven wings, with a ruby in its fangs.-Yes, - I recoiled, stroking the injured forehead. I hope I don’t get a new bruise, I didn’t kiss weakly. She looked at the stranger in surprise.He had long black hair, casually pulled back into a low ponytail. When he removed
I approached the girl, feeling a strange thrill in my stomach. August and Eitin stared at us with wide eyes, and I felt their male interest on my skin. Of course, the spectacle promised to be at least curious.Abyss, what am I doing! Cheeks flushed with embarrassment.Fiona smelled faintly of sweet strawberries and mint. Long dark lashes quivered as I carefully touched soft lips, still sweet with wine. They parted trustingly, allowing for a kiss, lightly sucking on their bottom lip to tease the onlookers.A little awkward, but nothing more. Nothing to do with the kisses that William gave me. No heat, no sparks, just damp and warm. The Larnian and I laughed at the same time.-Satisfied? I asked, wiping my lips with the back of my hand and sitting down.-More than, - the hunter answered a little muffled.I noticed with some satisfaction that she was still staring at my lips. Fiona's Devilish Wine!“My turn,” the Larni woman took a sip and narrowed her eyes like a fox. “Eitin, you're und
It seemed to me that the first week would drag on endlessly, but there were so many classes, and the training turned out to be so intense that I only had time to meet the morning bell, and in the evening, exhausted, fall into bed to immediately fall into a dreamless sleep.I began to suspect that Borch really just loves torturing students and revels in our helplessness. I don’t know how I would have sustained the unaccustomed pace if it weren’t for Fiona with her invigorating infusions and warming ointments that relieved the pain in buzzing muscles for one or two. Still, the healer is an indispensable member of the squad. Thanks to the first lecture on history, I already knew that while healers were not used, the squads consisted of three people, and the death rate among the guards was forty percent higher.As soon as the first week ended, time seemed to speed up, flowing like a stormy mountain river. The second week has flown by quite imperceptibly. And behind it is another one. And
The anticipation for the first practice grew as the end of the week approached. As a result, on Friday morning I woke up about twenty minutes before the signal, nervous and trying to collect my thoughts. Already now my heart was beating distinctly, imitating the sound of a bell.- Fiona, are you sleeping? she asked quietly, looking into the darkness under the canopy.The next bed creaked.“It hasn’t been for a long time,” there really wasn’t a drop of sleep in her friend’s voice.She sat up in bed, stretching like a lithe cat. Linen strands were softly scattered on the back. And again I thought that elves were definitely marked somewhere in her pedigree. It's for nothing that the ears are not sharp, like Eitin's.The training uniform, usually “killed” by the evening, I simply put in the closet. And in the morning I got it - fresh and clean, carefully ironed. I don’t know exactly how the magic of the academy worked, but I already regretted that I could not get a couple of such lockers