5

When Felix returned, his unexpected companion was almost asleep. The knight burst into the room in a whirlwind, throwing open the door sharply, causing the girl to almost jump to the ceiling.

- Are you ready? the young man asked, and barely managed to dodge the pillow that flew into him. - What are you?

- What am I? It's you "what"! What ghoul? Decided to get rid of me? I almost died of fright! The girl's furious gaze made the knight cringe. For a moment it seemed to him that her eyes blazed with hellfire.

- They heated the water there, poured a barrel, will you swim?

There was silence for a moment.

- I will, of course! Are you still asking? - the fragile, gentle creature called the girl continued to demonstrate her strong vocals. - Come on, come on! Yes, hurry up!

She jumped out of bed. Pulling the slipping remnants of her shirt over her shoulder, the girl lifted her chin and with a menacing look walked towards the knight. He lowered his head obediently and silently led her down the stairs. A short walk down the corridor led them to an ajar door. Clouds of fragrant steam swirled behind it and logs crackled merrily in a small brick stove.

She sank into the hot water and breathed a sigh of relief. Until that moment, she did not understand that she had been strangely ... "cold" all the time. Hot water enveloped the body, bestowing grace and relaxing aching muscles. The girl's thoughts were carried away somewhere, ceasing to disturb her swarming. Only burning candles crackled in the damp, fragrant air.

" Ira ..."

An alien voice that belonged to a man sounded in the silence. She jumped up and looked around. There was no one in the room. The door is tightly closed. Did she think? The voice sounded very near, but... The girl sank back into the water. Her heart was beating fast. It seemed to be trying to break free like a bird. There was a buzzing in my ears, my eyes began to darken ...

"Well, I do not! the girl said to herself. - Enough for today and one swoon! And she began to diligently scrape off the dried blood on her legs with a hard washcloth. These footprints are from a "cute" walk through the woods. Suddenly, the girl realized that apart from thin bloody streaks, nothing else reminded her of what had happened. She examined and felt all the places where there were scratches - nothing. "Miracles ..." - a surprised thought flashed through her head.

After thoroughly washing and rinsing her hair, the girl got out of the cooling water and was pleasantly surprised to find clean, neatly folded linen on the bench. The clothes, as it turned out, belonged to Felix. The girl was literally drowning in a huge shirt, and on spacious trousers she had to tighten the belt tightly so that they did not fall off. It all looked extremely comical. From above, the girl threw on a leather vest, tried to tuck the trousers into her boots, but they simply did not fit there. I had to roll up my trousers and put up with my terrible appearance. Her boots were the only thing that fit the girl in size.

"Well, at least something..." She sighed heavily. There was still no choice.

Returning to the room where Felix was rubbing his hair, which was damp from bathing, the girl said only one thing:

- Call me Ira, - and collapsed on the bed. Sleep enveloped her, instantly plunging into sweet oblivion.

Ilyana woke up from the pungent smell of ammonia. Eyes watered, nose tickled. She sneezed loudly. Three men leaned over the girl: a tall, awkward doctor Larios, a bald-headed adviser with glasses Diron, and - Ilyana barely suppressed a smile - Kirian. Her friend was magically always there when she needed help.

- How do you feel? Larios asked quietly.

Ilyana for some time could not understand what was happening. She mechanically nodded to the doctor, not understanding the essence of the question, and tried to get up. A large man's hand pressed on her shoulder, gently but forcefully forcing her to lie back down.

- Do not rush to serve the Light, mistress, you are still too weak.

The girl knew that something had happened. A feeling of unease swept over her. What was it? She began to stir her memories tensely, urging her thoughts to follow her feelings of anxiety.

Memory gradually returned, but Ilyana could not say aloud what frightened her so sincerely. Confused eyes stared at Kyrian, hoping to get some of the confidence she lacked from her friend. Her barrier had been destroyed by the vampire they were looking for. Ilyana was unable to trace him. And, even worse, the girl wasted all her strength, completely exhausting her inner reserve. Now a vampire could sneak into the city and no one would even know about it. It would be a few days before she could gather her strength and scan the area. Ilyana collected her thoughts and tried to regain her lost self-control.

- Diron, return all the troops, strengthen the defense of the city.

The chubby little man was already sweating from the stress. Sometimes it seemed to him that the girl obeyed some absolutely illogical conclusions known only to her alone. Her orders could be intersected, canceled and reissued in just a couple of minutes. But the Pope was extremely clear about obedience to this young lady, and the adviser unquestioningly carried out all her instructions, even the most absurd ones. Moreover, most often the girl turned out to be right in her judgments.

- Yes, Mrs. Ilyana.

The man literally vanished from the room. The doctor, meanwhile, poured water into a porcelain glass, adding a few drops from multi-colored bottles to it. Stirring the contents of the glass with a silver spoon, he handed the drink to the girl with the words:

- I will come later. Please don't get up and drink this to the dregs.

Ilyana obediently took a sip, grimacing at the bitter taste. But the girl was executive and responsible, so she emptied the glass in several large sips. The doctor smiled contentedly and quietly left the chambers.

Finally they were alone.

- There is something in the city. - Ilyana immediately began to present information to a friend.

He listened to every word with a gloomy and serious look. - My barrier was broken by a vampire. He may already be in town. I think he is looking for something. Otherwise, there is no logic in his actions. Instruct people to keep their eyes open. Everything that seems strange to them, first of all, to catch, only then to ask. Be aware - he is very strong. Let people go patrol the streets in threes, or even five of them. And let every soldier have a summoning horn with him, otherwise the vampire can kill the one who carries the horn first, and no one will know where the enemy is. If a vampire attacks, the first step is to indicate his location.

Kyrian sat on the edge of the bed. His armor creaked. The large crossbow at his back clattered against the sheath of the dagger slung from his belt. Only now did the girl pay attention to the fact that he was in full combat attire.

- Something happened? Have you been on a mission?

Kyrian took her hand and raised it to his lips.

- Everything is fine. Regular patrol. You don't have to bother taking care of me, - the soft tone reassured the girl.

She believed him implicitly. Only to him. Against the backdrop of the window, the man's brown hair glowed with a golden halo, giving him the appearance of an angel descending from heaven. Ilyana smiled softly at her friend. Kirian pressed her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, not taking his eyes off her wonderful eyes. “Kirian…” Ilyana's voice trembled. Yes, she knew that he loved her madly. Only a blind person wouldn't notice. But she couldn't accept his feelings. - Please don't...

Her hazel eyes pierced her with a blazing gaze of passion.

- Ilyana, you know that I am ready for anything for you.

- Yes, but...

- Be mine, please. I will give you everything you could ever dream of!

Ilyana pulled her hand back. Kyrian was her friend. The only one in this world. And she sincerely loved him like a brother. But the girl's heart has long been given to another. So long ago that sometimes it seemed like a fictional childhood story. However, Ilyana's honest and open nature simply won't let her be with Kirian at a time when her love belongs to another man.

- I'm sorry ... - her lips whispered. Kyrian stood up abruptly. Steel flashed in his eyes. Ilyana was well aware of this expression of cold, calculating determination.

- And do not think ... - the girl tried to grab his hand, but the commander-in-chief took a step back, moving away from her touch. Giving her a cold look, he headed for the exit.

- Kyrian! You don't have to do it! Do you hear?!

The warrior stopped, squeezing the doorknob.

I will find him and kill him. And I will bring his head to you as a trophy!

With these words, the brown-haired woman abruptly opened the door and disappeared into the corridor. Tears rolled down the girl's cheeks. Parts of her strength had already begun to recover, and she clearly felt the state of her friend. Yes, he was looking for death.

His death.