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– Get up! – the muscular Eleon grabbed him by the collar and lifted him to his feet. – Let’s run.
– Run without me. I can not do it anymore! Better than death! «Dorian was out of breath and had difficulty speaking.
– Do you want me to leave my friend here? I say let’s run! Get up, rag, I told you!
Dorian got up and they continued jogging. But how long has it been since no one called him a friend! He had friends at school, then at university. They swore over a bottle of whiskey, swore in blood that the connection of their souls was forever, it was indestructible. But then he found a job, and time for communication became less and less. Then they stopped meeting altogether, replacing communication with occasional audio calls. Then they stopped calling each other. There were, of course, work colleagues with whom, on Friday after his shift, he would sometimes have a glass or two of beer and play a couple of games of poker. But can you really call them real friends when they said beautiful toasts and then made reports to the boss about each other?
Eleon suddenly raised his hand up, silently ordering him to remain silent. The travelers stopped.
– What is this? Do you hear? – he asked. The fugitives looked around nervously. A rustling sound was heard from behind the briar bushes. The wolf drew his blade and followed the direction of the noise.
«You alone cannot cope with five anti-mages,» thoughts kept flying through my head. «Even now, when you have become stronger, this is impossible!»
He parted the bushes and pulled the man out.
– You were following us! – Eleon shouted. – What are you doing here?!
«But I…» the man began.
– Its my father! – Esmeralda stood between the two men. Eleon hesitated for a moment, and then lowered his sword and returned it to its sheath.
– Herald! – the recent captive extended his hand.
– Call me White Wolf.
– And I’m Dorian.
– Thank you for saving my daughter. I don’t even know how to thank you. But I couldn’t save my son… – bitter tears flowed from the eyes of the grief-stricken father.
– Sam! What about him! After all, he was pardoned! – horror was written on Esmeralda’s face.
– The Anti-Mages executed him anyway, even though he was innocent!
Esmeralda cried bitterly, sank to the ground, and her father hugged her shoulders.
– But we are alive! And let’s take revenge on the Anti-Witch League! I swear on the name of the father whom I never saw, I swear on the name of the mother whom I did not know!
– But why didn’t you know your parents? – Eleon asked.
– I was raised by foster children. My parents had to run away from the authorities, so they were very afraid for the fate of my brother and me. We are all in Her hands and we trust only in Her. Then we were separated, as the royal guards were constantly trying to find us. But we didn’t do anything wrong! Believe me, I know what it’s like to lose loved ones. You saved my daughter, and I will be grateful to you for this until the last day of my life on earth!
The travelers allowed themselves not to run, because the border of the forest was already very close – the wind from the north carried the smell of lavender and myrtle. And after a conversation, the path seems even shorter.
– Where are you heading? – the Herald asked. – May I follow you?
«My path is too long and dangerous for me to call someone to follow me,» Eleon answered for two.
– But now we are also exiles! – Esmeralda protested. – We don’t have a home now!
«I’m going to the Sorcerer’s House,» said Eleon.
– But why do you need a royal castle? – the Herald asked.
– There is one organization that calls itself the Order of Vernikov. I don’t know anything about them. But they destroyed everyone who was close to me! And soon an attack on the king is planned. I, as the last Defender of the Crown, must warn Henry of the impending danger. But I am afraid that my path will not be crowned with success: even the Royal Advisor is among the conspirators!
– What connects you with the Anti-Witch League? – asked the Herald. – You said that you had some kind of unpaid bill to them.
– It’s an old story. They deprived me of my home. And perhaps there is only one road that leads back. But first we must fulfill our duty! Moreover, Ilan said that the last surviving Great Portal to my world is in the House of the Sorcerer.
Eleon suddenly fell into thought, remembering old times and his native places.
***
Skyscrapers. And they had neither beginning nor end. And this endless noise was an echo of the bustle, or the fault lay with the electric cars that scurried back and forth: left and right, forward and backward, up and down. And so the whole day from early morning. But the night gave people long-awaited peace, and even the billboard signs flickered less often.
Eleon was returning home from friends. It’s calmer at night than during the day. But there was not a moment when the city was completely empty: after all, for taxi drivers, night trips are their bread and butter. The guy decided to walk.
He didn’t even notice when eight or nine people surrounded him on all sides.
– Will you give the money yourself, or will you help? – said one of the bandits. The area was not at all criminal, but even here there were vultures.
A blow to the face. But Eleon felt no pain, only anger and strength. Just like that time in childhood, when the guys from the neighboring yard were chasing him. The world has changed, it has become black and white. Everything, even the air, took on the appearance of a sweater woven from white and black threads.
«These lines are the Elements, the primary sources of Light and Darkness,» Ilan told him later.
He felt power over the threads. The night traveler weaved a lasso out of them, invisible to others, and pulled sharply. The one with the ray gun fell to the ground, hitting the weapon’s trigger. The beamer obediently responded with an immediate blast of laser light, wounding one of the vultures. The bandits rushed to help their comrade. Our hero did not wait for the attention of new acquaintances, and ran from the scene. But the vultures woke up from their shock and followed him. Once upon a time, even before the new government, you could go outside without fear at any time of the day. But the number of people grew more and more, and many, in order to survive, took to the streets in search of easy money, and some – the only means of subsistence for one day. This area was not considered unfavorable, but there were also those where the patrol completely lost power, and the most desperate and experienced patrolmen were afraid to go out into the street even during the day in full uniform! And all because of the ubiquitous bandits. They called themselves vultures or wolves; the night had long belonged to them.
Eleon ran another block, but the dogs (which of them are «wolves»? ) slowly began to surround him.
– If I catch you, I’ll kill you!!! – shouts were heard to the right, somewhere nearby.
– He killed Paw! – someone shouted to the left. And try to explain to them that they themselves killed their friend!
And now you can no longer hear extraneous steps. Looks like it came off! He decided to stop just for a couple of minutes to catch his breath. The barrel of a ray gun suddenly appeared from around the corner.
– Do not move! – the vulture said with an ominous grin. «Guys, he’s here,» the «wolf» shouted loudly. The whole gang appeared from different directions. «It looks like this is the end,» our hero thought.
– Hold him, Swift! – said the owner of the rayman in a nasal, smoky voice. The gang leader handed the weapon to Slam. «Shoot if he decides to do something weird,» and he took a folding knife from his pocket. The bandit brought it to the guy’s face and made a shallow cut, and a trickle of blood flowed in a small stream down his cheek.
And again, these threads filled the entire surrounding space, turning the world into a black and white film screen. Eleon weaved a lasso, twisting several lines around the neck of the rayman’s owner, and he soared into the air, but did not fall. He kept clutching his throat, but threads invisible to others continued to strangle the bandit until the last scream escaped his lips, and only then Al allowed him to fall. The ray gun in the hands of the vulture, who, along with others, was watching this strange scene, fired only one shot in the direction of our night hero. But Al grabbed the beam, like one of those threads, and the weapon slipped out of the hands of the offender.
– He is a sorcerer, guys! – Slam. – We need to run! – he shouted, and everyone rushed in all directions.
***
The next day, the door opened and three people in black suits and white shirts entered the room. One of yesterday’s bandits trudged behind them.
– Eleon Stambor?
– Yes. Who you are?
– Now the conversation is not about us at all! Do you use magic?
– I?
«These are the rules, Mr. Stambor,» said the round-faced man in a tuxedo. – I ask questions, you answer. All clear?
– Yes!
– That’s good. Do you use magic?
– No.
– I protest, Mr. Judge! – said the bandit. – I personally saw the opposite yesterday.
– The protest has been accepted. Do you, Mr. Stambor, have the right to use magic in the human world?
– What right?..
– Only answers! I ask questions! – shouted the nervous Judge.
– No.
– Great. The court will not even retire for a meeting. In the name of the Anti-Witchcraft League, endowed with authority by the Master, I declare Eleon Stambor guilty of illegal use of magic. There is only one punishment for this – expulsion from this world. Touch the mirror!
Everything happened too quickly for Al to understand anything. The surface of one of the mirrors in the room suddenly sparkled with white flashes, and an image of distant lands appeared inside. Forest. Endless green trees.
One touch. Flash Light…
It feels like you’re being turned inside out.
***
– That’s how I ended up in Seisil. Later I met Ilan, who began to teach me magical techniques.
«What a strange story,» said the Herald. – I have never heard anything about this country where mechanisms replaced magic!
– Ilan said that I could return home through the royal portal. If he’s still there.
Dorian perked up at these words.
– Is there a way home? And you were silent about it? So, I will walk this path to the end! I have a lot to tell Angel. After all, we parted in silence. I was so angry with her then. But don’t think, I still love my beauty.
He took her photo from his breast pocket. Esmeralda took the portrait from his hands and said:
– Beautiful.
– I think so too.
– What is this? – Esmeralda exclaimed, stopping abruptly. -Did you hear that too?
– What? – the Herald asked.
«The trampling of horses,» said Esmeralda.
«You never know how many travelers you meet on the road,» Dorian remarked.
– No, Esmeralda is right. «We better not stop or hesitate – the inquisitors are still prowling this forest,» said Eleon.
– Five inquisitors. We won’t be able to do anything to them if we meet face to face! – Esmeralda exclaimed.
– Already four! – Herold smiled. – I was able to avenge my son!
But the clatter of hooves kept getting closer.
– Quickly, get off the road! – exclaimed the Wolf.
As soon as our travelers disappeared into the dense thickets of briars, two people appeared from around the corner on black horses and in black hoods.
– Maybe they went a different way? – said one of the executioners.
– Rob and Stephen explore another part of the forest. And we have to search everything here.
The horsemen galloped further along the path. And the fugitives stood up, but were no longer so careless. Their idleness almost became the last mistake in life!
– The magical forest is already close! – Herald commanded. – The main thing is not to stop!
They followed further. The danger seemed to have passed, but the feeling of constant presence did not leave them for a minute.
– Let’s take a break already! You can’t imagine how tired I am! – said Dorian
– I agree with Dorian. It’s time to look for a place to stay for the night. But we won’t make a fire,» Eleon said.
– Eh! Now I’d like some fried doe! – exclaimed the Herald.
– And I wouldn’t refuse!
«But you’ll have to be content with little,» said the Wolf, examining the contents of the bag behind his back. – There is dried boar, some crackers and apples. Of course, it won’t be possible to arrange a feast. It’s good that the bag was behind us yesterday! Otherwise we would have been left without provisions at all.
Having eaten, they went to bed.
***
Here Eleon is making his way through the thicket of the forest, and a pack of wolves is still running after him. You can’t stop for a second! There are more and more wolves, they surround him…
And suddenly they run away. Ilan stands in front of him.
– What did you do, my student, to save the king? I trusted you!
Suddenly, a silhouette in a black cloak peeked out from behind a tree. The Inquisitor raised his hand and the teacher fell to the ground.
– You are sentenced to death! – shouted the anti-mage…
***
Eleon has been having nightmares a lot lately. He went to the stream to wash himself, washing away this obsession. Then he took out a small coin from his pocket. He placed it on the surface of the water. A moment later, the silhouette of an old man looked out from there.
– Greetings, young sorcerer!
– Hello, master.
– What’s bothering you? It’s not too early.
– Sorry. You were probably asleep.
– No, no, what are you talking about! What a dream at my age! About two hundred years ago I could afford to take a nap. But life is too fleeting to waste a third of it on stupid activities!
– And lately I keep having the same dream. That I cannot fulfill the teacher’s last wish.
– Don’t be afraid, Eleon! Troubled times are approaching, but the light of hope will never fade as long as its last defenders live. You are destined for a great destiny, you will not die from wolf fangs, but you will be able to defeat the Ancient Evil. It was foretold. Of course, I’ve been wrong before with the Chosen One. Dell was also marked by Fate. But each Chosen One chooses his own path. He took the side of Evil. I hope that you will justify my trust.
The White Wolf heard the crunch of a branch and quickly hid the coin in his pocket, drawing his sword.
– Oh, it’s you…
«You are never calm,» Esmeralda said.
– I can not fall asleep. Constantly tormented by nightmares.
«Dreams bother me too.» I always see them as my savior. But I never thanked you for my life.
She closed her eyes and touched her lips to his.
***
When they woke up, the fire was burning, and the Herald was roasting the lanleys, and Dorian was warming his hands by the fire.
– Good morning, sleepyheads! I’ve already hunted, but you won’t wake up! – he winked at the lovers. Esmeralda understood – her father guessed everything. Dorian also smiled somehow mysteriously
They had breakfast in silence, everyone thought about their own things. Esmeralda kept glancing towards Eleon. Then we hit the road.
***
The executioner appeared from the void. Another appeared behind him. Anti-magicians fought with sorcerers, but they themselves did not neglect the spells. Of course, their arsenal was meager, but even experienced magicians could not cope with the combat inquisitors.
– Illigulus! – One of them exclaimed, raising his hands up.
– I didn’t guess, dog! – Eleon shouted, whom they tried to kill. – Avinius performed the initiation ceremony! I have the right to magic! Run, friends! I’ll try to stop them.
The two uninvited guests grabbed their throats, as they were enveloped in threads invisible to others, and the Herald, Esmeralda and Dorian hurried to hide.
– Damn it, he owns the Elements! – said one, in a black hood. He made a subtle movement with his hand, and Eleon fell to the ground. At this moment, the Herald looked back to see what had happened to his comrade. He returned, and lightning flashed from his eyes. The pursuer fell, and the second ran into the forest.
– A curse! The second one escaped! He will tell others our location! Now we definitely need to run! – the Herald shouted, extending his hand to Eleon.
– You saved me!
– You saved my daughter, White Wolf, and I owe you!
They ran, taking only short breaks.
Somewhere in the distance the clatter of hooves could be heard. Some time passed, and three horsemen appeared.
– Faster! Do not stop! Otherwise they will catch up! – the Herald shouted, and no one began to argue with him.
When the executioners had almost overtaken the fugitives, they suddenly stopped.
– A curse! Why can’t we cross this invisible wall? – asked the anti-mage.
– This is the ancient magic of the forest. You are not welcome here! Go away! – said the Herald, who was on the other side of the wall. Here magic ruled, and its opponents could not cross the line.
– We’ll meet Again! – the inquisitor shouted, and the three horsemen galloped away.
– Now you can relax! – Esmeralda was delighted.
– I wouldn’t be so careless! – said the Herald. – It’s sunset soon. And who knows what awaits here! The forest is full of surprises, and at night you can meet them…
Chapter 5. Magic forest
The sunset kindled a bright multi-colored fire in the sky. The smell of myrtle that filled everything around. This place cannot be confused with anything.
They say that once upon a time elves lived here, and their magical songs imbued these places with enchantments that cannot fade, despite the fact that time does not stand still. Some say that it was here that Antimonik gained power and created the Dark Empire. But if this is true, then those ancient times have passed, leaving only memories and legends.
Four travelers passed through these places.
– This is an ancient forest. It is already several thousand years old, but it still does not fade. The cities that were built of stone to be durable were destroyed, and the lush gardens that gardeners tirelessly looked after did not survive. The mountains are destroyed, the seas and rivers are dry. But even the ancient Evil could not destroy the forest,» said the Herald.
«I’m scared,» Esmeralda complained. «It feels like we are being watched tirelessly.»
– But we broke away from the inquisitors!
– Now I’m not sure that this is really that good!
Eleon gently took her hand.
– Calm down, honey.
– What is this strange noise? – Esmeralda looked around in fear.
– Maybe these are wolves? – Eleon suggested. – You don’t have to be afraid of them. Or the wind is noisy.
– No. It’s them,» whispered the Herald.
– Who are they? – Dorian asked in fear.
– Spirits of those long dead. They say they still live in the local swamps, and at night they sing songs and take away lost travelers.
– Let’s try not to catch their eye.
A huge stone flew over the heads of the travelers and knocked down a tree.
– Are these your ghosts, Herald? – Dorian glanced sideways at the crushed plant.
– No. These are giants! Get down!
As soon as Dorian lowered his head, another cobblestone flew over him.
– Out of the frying pan into the fire! Run!
There was no need to repeat it twice – all four immediately started running as fast as they could. A huge hairy monster ran after them, its toothy mouth open. Then the giant bent down to throw another stone.
The travelers ran deep into the forest, and somewhere in the distance they could still hear the dissatisfied roar of the cannibal giants.
– Looks like they’ve come off! – said Eleon, and immediately realized that he was mistaken: someone was pulling his leg.
Hands without flesh grew out of the ground. At first there were few of them, but then completely skeletons began to appear. In rusty armor and with rusty swords, they blocked the path of our heroes.
– Fate, be merciful! We found ourselves on the ancient Swamp Mound!
– Run! – once again the cherished phrase sounded. But this time there was nowhere to run: the wights stood on all sides, and there were more and more of them. Eleon used his skills, and a couple of monsters flew up, and then fell, and all that was left of them was dust. The Herald and Esmeralda did not stand idle either. After all, they also had magic. The father fired the cherished lightning, from which the living dead turned into ashes, and Esmeralda pushed them with the power of thought. Dorian grabbed a nearby branch, so he also defended himself. The strength was already running out, but it was impossible to stop – only a third of the revived ancestors were defeated, and now the hands that protruded from the ground were becoming more and more numerous.
– You know, Esmeralda! I’m glad that we met. This was worth living for.
– I love you too, Eleon!
– I can’t die! After all, I didn’t tell Aingi so much,» Dorian continued the old song.
«It looks like these guys were out of luck,» said the Herald, looking at the pile of bones behind the wights. – They didn’t survive the meeting with them. The main thing that…
Before the clerk had time to express his thought, the pile of bones began to take on human shape and stand up!
– Now it’s definitely over! – said the Herald.
– Sorry! I betrayed you, teacher! I never fulfilled your last wish! – Eleon lowered his head.
– Don’t get soggy! Let’s give them the last battle and die with a sword in our hand! – shouted the Herald.
– With which we will then begin to kill new passers-by, returning from the grave. But how many will we take with us? Go ahead, friends!
Dorian took the rusty sword of one of the fallen wights.
In preparation for death, our heroes received new powers. Now tenacious hands were no longer able to hold them to the ground, and the skeletons scattered left and right, as if from a whirlwind.
– Stop! – a woman’s voice sounded, and the corpses froze.
Behind the dead stood ten people in red cloaks with hoods.
– You must return to the world of the dead! Rest in peace!
– Thank you! – the zombies roared, and they suddenly crumbled, turning into ashes.
– Tie them up! – commanded the woman who had just saved our travelers. – Let’s take them to Sylvia. Let her decide their fate – no one can cross the line of our forest with impunity!
Esmeralda tried to fight the woman, but all the rescuers had magic suppression runes, so resistance was useless. Soon all four were tied up.
They were heading east. The prisoners were exhausted from the latest events, but the guides pushed them from behind, not giving them the opportunity to stop.
– Who are you and why did you come to our forest? – asked the woman who saved their lives.
– We were looking for shelter in your forest from the inquisitors.
– Our forest is not the best refuge for honest people. Do not stop! Can’t you talk while walking? Did you wake the wights? It’s good that this time the rune of repose worked correctly! Otherwise, last time we were missing two… So why did you do it?
– We didn’t revive the dead! – said the Herald. – We fought them off!
– The Creator grant that this be true. The hostess will judge. But if you are a necromancer, then you will be in trouble, I promise you this with the bodies of my dead comrades!
– Sienna, stop! – one of the captors held the sword in the woman’s sheath. «You yourself said that their fate should be determined by Sylvia.»
Then they walked in silence, each in their own thoughts. Sienna repeatedly pushed the captives so that they would not stop.
***
So they came to a beautiful castle made of white marble.
– But we should have seen its roof many miles away! – Esmeralda was surprised.
«Magic hides a lot from prying eyes,» said Sienna. – Don’t you know about this, necromancer?
At the threshold they were already met by a red-haired woman in a green dress that matched the color of her eyes.
– Greetings, Guardian of the Ancient Portal! – said the people in red cloaks.
– Portal?! What kind of portal do they mean? – Dorian seemed to express his thoughts too loudly, remembering his home with bitterness.