The Mist and the Lightning. Part III

Chapter 1

New Allocation

The servant whose eyes started tearing from Orel's flick rushed to the door. Orel didn't stop him, and the man happily slid out of the room. Nikto laughed; Orel looked at him questioningly, then laughed, too.

"You are laughing at the flick I gave him?" he asked shaking his dark head. "Aren't you?"

"Yeah." Nikto sat down on the edge of the bed, lacing his vest put on his nude body.

"Nik, it's cold outside," Orel poured some coffee and lit a cigarette.

"Are you afraid that I'll freeze?"

"Yes, I wouldn't want you to."

"My leather coat has thick fur."

"Thick fur," Orel repeated smirking and shook his head. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Yeah, give me some." Nikto got onto the bed with his legs and sniffed. Orel poured a cup of coffee for him.

"Be careful, it's hot." He took Nikto's wrist and put Nikto's forefinger between the cup and its handle. "Hold it? I'm letting go."

"Yes."

Orel took his hand away. Nikto drank coffee in a few gulps and put the cup on the tray by touch.

"Come on, eyes, come on," he drawled in exasperation.

"Do you want more?"

"You're kidding!"

"You don't understand anything."

"Fine with me."

Orel yawned, narrowing his eyes like a cat, then smiled slyly, quietly stretched his hand to the right and suddenly slammed his fist against the wooden back of the bed. Nikto flinched, turned around – his reaction was instant. He threw his hand forward and managed to grab Orel at the last moment. Orel hissed in pain. Nikto yanked him closer, twisting his wrist. Orel fell on his side, nearly overturning the tray. Nikto leaned towards him, blinking and touching his face with his free hand.

"Why did you do it?"

"Nik, let me go, I'm holding a cigarette!"

Nikto passed his hand over Orel's long dark hair.

"So soft," he said. "Soft and smooth."

"Ni-ik, let me go! I can't stand it…"

Nikto let his hand go and Orel pressed it to his chest.

"In the candlelight it shines and glitters when you shake your head turning up your nose. I've never seen such hair – fine, soft and thick at the same time. It's probably a sign of your breed." Nikto paused. "You were very beautiful until you mixed up with the Lower world."

"That's it. The Black mixed up with some shit and lost themselves," Orel agreed getting up and shaking his hand. "You are crazy, you cannot take a joke at all."

"Do you think so? I wonder if you'd find it funny in my place."

Orel laughed.

"Do you really think I'm handsome?"

"Too handsome for me to leave you like that."

"Aaah, but Nik! Why did you heal my eye then?"

"You had problems with fighting, I didn't want you to get killed."

Orel tensed.

"Was it very noticeable?"

"No, no, you're very strong and you managed but it really wasn't for you."

"Yeah, right." Orel lit another cigarette from the previous one. "By the way, you don't need to envy my hair, yours is great, too. You know, Dony said her new horse's mane is just like your hair, only cleaner."

Nikto laughed and pushed Orel in his face with an open palm. Orel, who didn't expect it, lost his balance and fell from the bed on the floor. He laughed getting up.

"You're just pretending you don’t see anything!"

"I start seeing."

"Nik, tell me what you think," Orel sat down on the bed. "Enriki is a dead man, isn't he?"

Nikto kept silent, musing.

"No," he said at last. "I don't think so."

"Care to explain why?"

"He is cautious and now Squint-Eye will never let anyone kill him. If Squint-Eye stays paired with him and keeps standing by him, that is."

"Do you think Squint-Eye can do it? He is also crippled."

"Squint-Eye is not crippled. His eye and your eye are totally different things, for him it is as natural as for me being lame. He didn't know anything else and he isn't bothered with it. He'd rather be troubled if he suddenly started seeing normally. But I don't envy Enriki, he will be assaulted badly."

"I'm afraid he won't handle it."

Nikto shrugged.

"You're sure he'll be wounded in the first serious fight, aren't you?"

"Yes," Nikto looked up at Orel. "You know it yourself. Edin Ol is a dangerous enemy, he knows about Enriki's wound and his weak spots and he'll be pressing to the end. Wouldn't you do the same thing?"

"I did. Hundred times."

"Right."

"What should I do? Maybe, replace Squint-Eye?"

"It is your choice whether to discard Enriki or to cover up for him. If you replace Squint-Eye with Vil, Enriki is a dead man. Vil cannot fight in a pair, he thinks only for himself, he fights alone – and one is always weaker than two. If you keep Squint-Eye there, there is no guarantee he won't be wounded, two of them will have to handle all the pressure. Squint-Eye will be in trouble, he might save Enriki but get wounded too."

"And I'll have two very useful warriors wounded. I don't like it at all! Is there a variant when Enriki is wounded or killed but Squint-Eye is safe?"

"Think about it: Squint-Eye feels guilty, he will do his best to make up for it. He will risk."

"Shi-it, you're right, and taking into account his mood… they both might get killed!" Orel bit his lip. "But Enriki… I need Enriki for the Upper City!"

"You can go to the Upper City yourself, he managed to arrange it for you."

"I'm a zero in it! Without him all our privileges and amnesties will go down, like a house of cards."

"Aren't you depending on him too much?"

"I am! Every one of my men is irreplaceable for me! Without Enriki you, Lis and Squint-Eye will go to prison for sure."

"Without Lis's strategy there will be no victories in the Lower City. Without Squint-Eye no one will fear you. And you? Can't you do anything?"

"You, Nik – how can I replace you with anyone?"

"I'm not talking about myself! If Enriki means so much for you, lock him up in the castle, make him deal with papers and that's all."

"I cannot do it! If I lock him up, it will mean he isn't a warrior any more! He won't do anything then."

"If he cares for you, he will."

"Would you?"

"Any time, I'm fed up with this war."

"You speak like Squint-Eye, are you serious?"

"Yes. I envy Lis – I won't live long enough to get this old."

"But you don’t know how old you are."

"I thought about it and tried to recall. I think I'm twenty-three, yes, I'm sure."

"Ooh."

"What, don't I look like that?"

"No-o. But Lis told me that."

"Told what?"

"He said you're barely over twenty, and I didn't believe him."

"Fucking shit, Lis knows more about me than I do!"

Orel laughed.

"He said: 'Nikto is at least seven years younger than me." Orel tossed a sly look at Nikto. "Fine, you're tired of fighting – quit it."

"What? Are you permitting me?"

"No! Of course, not! But Enriki won't quit, he want to prove he still can fight. Do you know what I think? I'll replace Squint-Eye and put Vil there."

"Enriki will understand that you give up on him. Put me there, I'll manage to defend him."

"And what about me?!"

"Your eyes are okay and you'll have Squint-Eye, like before."

"No. Never."

"If Enriki is with Vil and you're with me, where will you put Squint-Eye?"

"With Asa."

"What an allocation! He'll kill her himself not to meddle."

"What should I do then?"

"Replace everyone. Enriki-Vil. Lis-Squint-Eye. Asa-Tol."

"They will be mad! Though…" Orel mused. "There is something in it. No, Lis and Squint-Eye is a shitty pair… very shitty. Wait, Nik, you want to set up Lis? You're cunning!"

"Is it 'setting up'? Squint-Eye fights much better than Tol."

"Yes, but Squint-Eye doesn't like Lis."

"If you put him to stand by Lis, Lis will find a way to make Squint-Eye love him, believe me."

"It stinks, Nik."

"With this allocation there will be one wounded. Vil won't let himself be wounded and he won't risk. With the present allocation you'll have two wounded."

"So, in the first case there will be two wounded, and one of them not important, but that way we'll have two important warriors wounded. What should I do? Enriki will take Squint-Eye down with him, that's for sure!"

"The pair Enriki-Squint-Eye fucked up once. I ask you again, put me with Enriki."

"No!" Orel nearly screamed. "You're right, there shouldn't be irreplaceable men. Apart from me, everyone is replaceable in my team. Let Enriki show what he can do. I'm giving up on him – I hope he won't get killed, and if he gets wounded, he'll calm down for a while and will handle my affairs. I'll take Dick Nedwill in his place as a warrior. He and Vil will make a good pair."

"And now try to explain it to the others."

"Let's go downstairs." Orel got up. "I can even vote for it. You and Vil will be for me, Enriki, I'm sure, will not vote against it either. Four against three. Shit, Vil is convenient, after all, I can always be sure he'll vote just like me. Am I right?"

"Yes," Nikto smirked.

"Just don't express your wish to pair with Enriki, okay? Otherwise everyone will seize this opportunity and there will be no changes, and we need them."

"You said 'no', I got it. But it will be a difficult conversation."

"It is my problem, just keep silent."

"I always keep silent," Nikto said.

* * *

"Wait, there is one more thing before we have dinner."

They looked at him questioningly, silently, waiting what he'd say.

"My order is," Orel started slowly, lowering his head slightly. He saw them tense. "…I'm changing pairs," he said at last.

Everyone froze as if not quite understanding what he said. Lis was the first to regain composure.

"Who are you going to replace?"

"Everyone," Orel said. "I'm going to change ALL the pairs."

"And yours, too?" Lis's voice stayed calm but it was a pretense.

"No. I'm staying with Nikto."

"Ah," Lis said knowingly.

"Arel, changing pairs before an important fight is unreasonable," Squint-Eye interfered.

"Which way do you want to change the pairs?" Tol asked anxiously.

"Squint-Eye will stand by Lis, Vil by Enriki, you by Asa."

Tol really started back; he tried to say something but managed only a few hoarse sounds.

"Fuck you! You're completely insane!" Squint-Eye yelled. "It's nonsense!"

"Arel, why are you doing it? Why?" Lis asked tiredly.

"No objections!" Orel shouted. "That's it! I have decided, and it will be this way!"

"But can you at least explain us why?"

"It will be better this way. Is it enough for an explanation?"

"No, it is not enough." Squint-Eye nervously pushed his hair away from his face. "Changing pairs before a fight! Do you want to kill us? Do you want to ruin everything? At the very last moment? We fucked with this Bey for so long! We nearly lost everything! And now, when we have a real chance to end it, when we finally have a really good plan, you start fooling around! Arel, the fights will be hard, won't it be better to keep us the way we are used to, at least for a while? After that you can replace us, you can put me with Asa, can put Vil with Lis – whatever you want but after the fight!"

"No. Now," Orel said firmly.

Squint-Eye waved his hand hopelessly.

"No one changes pairs before a fight," Tol interfered. "I remember it from school."

"Shit! You were going to school?!" Orel yelled, unable to stand it any longer. Tol decided it was safer to keep silent. "I'm tired of your displeasure," Orel continued, and by his voice they felt they had got to him. "You always dislike everything! Whatever I do! Whatever I suggest! In reply I always hear: 'Arel, it's stupid! Arel, it's dangerous! Arel, it's wrong!' I'm not sure any more if you need me at all! Maybe you'll lock me in the dungeon and go on with your business as you feel like?!"

"Don't exaggerate," Enriki, who had been silent till now, said at last. "I don't mind if you change our places."

"You have nothing else left!" Lis snorted.

"Fine, maybe," Enriki shook his head jerkily. "Arel does everything right," he said as calmly as he could but his voice betrayed him, ringing with resentment.

"You're washed to the gutter, Rik, congratulations!" Squint-Eye said. He lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply, and leaned against the back of the chair.

Enriki raised his eyes to the ceiling, looking at the blackened girders. Lis turned to Squint-Eye and slowly, for him to see, flicked him on his eye-patch. Squint-Eye, who was used to such treatment, turned his head with dignity.

"What?" he asked looking at Lis; his eye was narrowed against smoke.

"Congratulations to you, too," Lis said. "You're not 'washed to the gutter'!" He smirked wickedly.

Enriki regained control.

"What are you talking about? I'm even happy with this new allocation! It will be easier for me to prove you that I'm worth something!"

"Enriki, you can rely on me," Vil said gingerly. Enriki didn't answer. "I'll also prove what I'm worth!" But no one listened to Vil.

"Basically, if to be honest," Lis continued, "it is a good allocation… good – if you don't care about interests and feelings of people," he paused, "people who are interconnected with friendly, close, important relations. If to forget about it, this allocation is not bad. But it is too stiff and straightforward, you don't take into account our feelings and ties, as if they are not there at all. And it is not right! If it rude towards Enriki – first of all, it's simply a betrayal, let's call a spade a spade. And I'll also say you couldn't come up with it, Arel."

"What do you mean?"

"It is not your idea! You wouldn't change our places, you would have thought it risky and unprofitable but you would have left us as we are. I know you and your style. You believe in luck. What you're doing now is not your style, Arel."

"Lis, I don't understand you. Do you mean the plan is good? Or is it bad?"

"It isn't good or bad, it isn't yours. It is not yours," he repeated slowly, nearly in syllables.

"Do you want to say that I cannot come up with anything?"

"You can," Lis agreed, " and you did many times, and you would never, never put Asa with Tol. You wouldn't even think of it!"

"You can only criticize, it's easy to do! Can you do anything but take a dig on me? Suggest your allocation, I'll think about it. What, why do you keep silent?"

"Who's gonna listen to me, you listen only to Nikto."

Everyone froze.

"Ooh shit," Nikto, who kept silent till now, drawled.

"So, you think I do what Nikto tells me," Orel reached for a cigarette. "Right?"

"Right," Lis said. "Who else will take Squint-Eye away from Enriki not to risk Squint-Eye, and who else will put Tol with Asa to protect her."

"Lis, don't drag me into it!" Enriki pleaded.

"Really! Enough humiliating him," Squint-Eye said. "He has already got to understand what his love and devotion are worth. And I'm not surprised, Orel did the same to me."

"Yes," Orel raised his voice. "I give up on Enriki, if you care. He is weak and I don't want to risk Squint-Eye for him!" He looked around. "I'm honest with you, what will you say?" He turned to Enriki. "Tell me whatever you want. I admit it, I'm betraying you. If Squint-Eye stood by you, very possibly you'd be just wounded but then Squint-Eye would be wounded, too, and I cannot afford it. With Vil you'll likely be killed. This is how I paid you for everything you did for me." He shook his head tossing his hair back. There was no embarrassment or repentance on his handsome grey face. He looked at Enriki, looked at his face calmly and confidently.

Enriki lowered his head.

"Thank you for your honesty, Arel. I know you for a long time and I'm not surprised. I understand that you think realistically and correctly. We are not children to weep over not being taken into a game. We're not toying here, it's life – everyone is for himself. But I will make you change your mind about me after the fight," he raised his head. "It's too early to write me off! I won't say anything else, words don't prove anything. You'll see it with your own eyes." And, seeing pity on their faces, he shouted. "I won't die to please you! You don't believe me? Fine! I shit care about you and your allocations, I just want to live! I want to stay alive! And I will survive even if you leave me all alone. Don't think I'm just wasting me breath, I am afraid, very afraid to go into fight with it," he raised his mutilated hand, "but I have to, or I cannot respect myself. And you betraying me – I would do the same if such a thing happened to someone else. If you're unlucky, it's your problem, don't drag anyone else into it." He stopped.

No one from those sitting around the table said a word. Vil seemed to want to say something but changed his mind and kept silent, too. He started getting used and was tuning his behavior up to Lis and Orel. Vil became more silent and thoughtful, he became different.

"Maybe he is right," Tol said at last. "Why are we burying Enriki in advance? But I still think it's better to put me with him."

"Shut up," Orel snapped.

"But I don't want to be paired with Asa! She is too weak for me!"

"She's restored and she is okay for you!"

Asa asked something in Unclean. Lis answered her, naming their new allocation. Asa laughed happily.

"Nikto is promoting you just the way you want," Lis said. "What did you do to get into his grace? Maybe, used your Unclean hole?"

Asa got white with fury.

"Wasn't you ready to lick my hole just a short while ago?"

"Soon all of us will be licking one Unclean hole," Lis hissed.

"Do you want to start right now?" Nikto interfered.

"Hey!" Orel yelled. "Speak Black! Since when there is Unclean sounding at this table?"

"Get used," Lis said to Orel. "Soon we'll all start singing in Unclean, like good boys."

"Never!" Tol was enraged. "I will never do it!"

"You will be the first," Lis snapped.

"Shut up!" Orel was in fury. "Shut up, you all! Or it won't ever end. You're not kids. You're experienced warriors. No matter how I'll put you, it'll be good."

They laughed.

Orel stopped in surprise, then smiled.

"Don't pick on my choice of words. That's it, we finished discussing. You'll fight as I tell you. Have you finished, Lis?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

"I've finished."

"Then it's decided."

"I don't want to be paired with Asa! I don't!"

"Look, 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."