The mystery of wolf’s cliff

– Tomasz! To me! – the man repeated, digging in a pocket of wide trousers.

The dog, joyfully ran up to the man, having licked his hands why Shandor modulatingly burst out laughing with the velvety chest voice. The man sat down and stretched to a dog a small piece of air-dried meat which the dog immediately devoured, having with pleasure licked lips.

– The hostess returned? – the man asked, scratching long harmonious fingers a neck of a dog.

The dog began to wag a tail again.

– It is good, – the man stretched, erasing the palm back the sweat which was flowing down from a forehead on eyes.

Ilina hemmed and, having sharply darted off, hurried to curtail on the next footpath to get to an entrance to the house, without passing by the shed. Fallen leaves softly rustled underfoot and the dress hem which was easily sliding on the ground. Thick trunks of the century trees growing here probably still long before the house Viera was built, hid the girl from public eyes, and she could go quietly on a footpath, without being afraid to be noticed. Suddenly behind hasty steps were heard. The girl’s heart was clogged quicker again. She sharply turned back and going to curtail for other footpath as suddenly saw the white dog who is hasty hurrying to return to the hostess.

– Old cheat, – Ilina muttered, quickening the pace.

One of the side doors conducting to the house was located directly in a garden. The girl perfectly knew that it is an entrance to kitchen. Having carefully knocked, it pulled on itself a door and in a moment it appeared in the building. Here it was dark – at all the wealth Viera were avaricious on excess expenditure.

Suddenly from the side door conducting in a closet the very young girl hasty ran out.

– Anka, hostess of the house? – Ilina asked.

– What? – the girl asked again, turning around.

– Huo … – began Ilin, but did not manage to finish.

– Anka! Where do you dig?! – the dissatisfied voice from the wide ladder beginning at once behind a corridor was heard.

Ilina hurried on a voice. Having left a corridor in the spacious outer entrance hall which is at once behind a main entrance, the girl face to face faced the hostess.

– Ilina? – Bogn’s doamna was surprised, – What you do here?

– Taleyta ordered to tell that your stockings are finished, – the girl told, having bowed and stretching to the woman a snow-white knitted cloth.

– The right, magnificent! – the woman gasped, touching soft wool, then got the small rag purse hanging on rather short chain on a neck because of a cape top.

Having stretched to the girl money, Bogna was going to leave…

– Here superfluous, – Ilina told loudly, sipping several coins back to the woman.

– Take, it is more necessary to you, – the hostess of the house answered.

– We do not need money which we did not earn honestly, – the girl answered through clenched teeth, but nevertheless trying to give to the tone goodwill and humility.

– That … – Bogna shrugged shoulders, taking away money and putting them back in a purse.

Ilina bowed and going to leave through a side exit as suddenly:

– And why through kitchen? – Bogna was surprised.

– In a week forgot where in your house the main exit, – smiled, having bowed Ilin and crossed an outer entrance hall, having approached an exit door.

Hoping that the hostess will leave, the girl hesitated several seconds. But Bogna remained on a ladder and watched closely movements of the guest.

– See you soon, Ilina, – chilly smiled Bogn’s doamna.

– See you soon, the doamna, – bowed in reply the girl.

Having become angry in soul about sticktoitiveness of the hostess, Ilina pulled a door and, having stepped through a threshold, was on street.

Already absolutely darkened. The gloom gently shrouded vicinities, having painted trees and houses in grayish-black paints. In the sky among the dissipating clouds looked through the first evening asterisks. Having deeply inhaled the exciting evening air which burned lungs with the cold, the girl looked back to the village lying clearly in front of the house Viera. From the accurate lodges which were closely reaped to each other in the center of the village, and scattered far apart on the outskirts smoke streams rose up. Soft, yellowish light flew from windows. But the look of the girl slid over straw roofs of houses, it was directed there where on the rocky mountain towering over the settlement the ancient temple attracting mysterious blinking of colored glass in stained-glass windows was located.

– What is done by a fine domnishoara here such late hour, – the voice behind was distributed, the short pause after which the same voice added hung then, – one?

Ilina slowly turned back. In the dim light flowing from windows of rooms of the servants living constantly in the house, the girl clearly distinguished the men’s figure which separated from a front stairs, slow steps approaching her.

– I just returned from the city and was sent to give the ordered things for your mother, – the girl chilly answered.

– I asked not to speak to me «you» … Not so I also am old, – Shandor smiled, having stopped in a half step opposite to the girl, and then whispered by the velvety voice, – why you did not tell that you returned?

– I reported about it to your mother, – the girl answered.

– The father looked for you, – the man continued slightly more loudly, and then smiled again, – without you and Tomasz nobody can cope with herds of sheep.

– Tomorrow I will return for work, – Ilina answered.

– We lacked you … – the man thoughtfully told, – I lacked you too…

His eyes flashed in a dim reflection of light flowing from a window.

– It is fresh in the evening … – Shandor thoughtfully spoke, having looked round, – good time for walks… Isn’t it?

– Probably, – the girl shrugged shoulders.

– Let’s go? – the man took an interest, having slightly raised the left eyebrow.

– I am waited by houses. I was promised to return soon, but was already late too long, spending time for an idle talk, – poshipet Ilin, trying to give to a voice the same respectful coldness.

And before the man managed to object something, was developed and a fast pace went away on a path. Having gone down on the small hill on which there was a house Viera, down, Ilina looked back to make sure that Shandor left. After that the girl looked on the left, trying to find a look the house among dozens of other buildings. She decided not to come back home – after the unpleasant meeting she could not show the face to family indignant and angry.

Having reached a wattle fence which surrounded sheep shelters, the girl the dexterous movement jumped through it and went further – to the wood. Shady centenary trees resignedly accepted Ilina under the protection. Carved, as if lace, the shadows cast by foliage of trees danced on the trampled-down, damp forest laying.

In the valley it became absolutely dark, but is slightly higher, from the mountain on which there was a temple, still the last beams setting the sun were visible. The girl clambered up a steep slope, grabbing hands a grass, roots and branches of trees. She remembered that about ten years ago, there was a path which let is washed away and speckled by cracks, but nevertheless a path. Perhaps, hundreds years ago when this temple just was under construction, on this path could pass even carts on which brought a stone for construction…

Having reached top, Ilina stopped for a second to recover the breath. From fast rise pinned up in a side, and the head began to spin, but the show which opened before the girl was worth it. From the mountain it was possible to consider without effort each lodge below though they also seemed so small, as if toy. The white snow caps lying on the mountains seeming such far if to look from below, were much closer here. But the most amazing was how played the last beams of the sun on silvery snow in the distance, on yellowish-orange tops of trees, on colored glass of stained-glass windows of the temple. Having smiled and having sharply exhaled, Ilina approached the temple.

The huge building gloomy looked at the girl who, struggling with internal awe and fear of this majestic construction, with curiosity examined each detail of its external furniture.

She often was here in the childhood. The building seeming gloomy and repellent for other people is inexplicable attracted the girl to itself. And now, having thrown the head back, Ilina stopped at huge entrance gate.

The cold stone walls which lost the initial luster and gloss came to life in imagination of the girl, and it seemed to her, as if the plaster showered from them revived in some magic way from ashes, taking the lawful place. Skillfully executed reliefs framed the lancet window openings executed in the form of a few profound niches. Huge columns, as if pressed half in walls lasted from the earth to a roof. The heavy clay tile of a roof broke the begun to rot wooden rafters in some places, and now the temple looked at the star sky the gaping black holes. But the magnificent sculptures executed in human growth which represented the beings resembling not people, not birds, not bats or even dragons were the most surprising detail of the building…