Soon you will see Gemini yourself, he smiled, without letting go of the ruy, said Vedun, and Vaga is swimming with us, he nodded approvingly, maybe they will initiate our Servant.
Yes, lets go, we will come soon. Probably in a week come. Here, drink the kvass, and Karp served the Stove a flask with a drink.
Three warriors sat around them, listening attentively and talking.
These are our warriors, said Karp, alternately pointing at the soldiers in the boat, this is Nim, this is Sheko, this is Glom, and the soldiers alternately raised their right hand so that the witch would remember them.
Well, I am Plit, and this is my assistant Vaga, the witch called himself and said the name of his servant.
Soon we will be there, my brave warriors, there are no special conversations, no more silence and quarrels, not even with novices, and even more so with Mara with all the Seven Sages, the Strands and especially with the Twins.If all goes well, and he nodded his head at the Stove, we will go to Buyan already with the Twins, the team shuddered at these words, and Nis and Glom pulled off the hoods from the head, and everyone should behave more modestly, Ella sees people through and through, you shouldnt say a few words, even to yourself witch and witch. Clear?
And what can we think, Glid.
About Elicia, only clever and beautiful, said Plit sternly, and looked at the warriors with a malicious smile.
All the warriors looked at the sorcerer, then at Karp, and nodded their heads in agreement, agreeing with the words of the Head.
And indeed, the winds helped, the path was easy, a week came to the forbidden island, passed through the fog, all the time surrounding this place. The boat came close to Alatyr. the team lowered the mast and took up the oars. The people rested, so the ship quickly approached the shore, and Plit and Vaga left the boat, and the sailors dragged the boat and belongings ashore. The warriors laid out the belongings carefully, put gifts for the inhabitants of the island in the other direction, thought to put up a tent, but a guest house was nearby. Seafarers stood and pushed when they approached, and did not try to leave the coast. Finally, a very young girl came to them, holding two dogs on the pack.
Who will you be and where are you swimming? She said in a clear voice, why did you come to Hidden Island?
I am Plit, sorcerer, the witch introduced himself, this is my assistant Vaga, and this is my team, Karp, Glom, Sheko, and Nim. and eight more vigilantes. We came from the modes of the Mighty, to Pryakhs and Mare, for Pryakhs we have a letter he took out a letter written on the skin from his bag and who are you, nice girl?
I am Dara, a novice in learning from Mary, the girl replied, Now I will call Mara, she turned and walked quickly towards the mountain, the monastery of the island.
The travelers waited again, when the witch would come to them. A lot of time passed, and three women came to them, with staffs in their hands. Ahead of all was a more adult woman, and with her were her young novices.
Im Mara, hello Plit. I conveyed the message to Pryhahs. You and your novice, come with me. And you, she turned to Karp, rest in a hut, but there rests the boy, the son of Arpad, the Wolf. Sailed yesterday in a canoe, she said, smiling at something known only to her.
This is Vaga, my student, Plit pointed to the teenager.
Come with me, Magus, said Mara.
They walked slowly, Vedunya sent the novices forward, and they could speak openly.
What happened?
Fire from the ground, part of the land of the guns burned to the ground. People were saved, but everyone was in fear, he conveyed briefly what had happened on Yamal, The Mighty asked for the will of the gods to be known. Half of the tribe, with a herd of cows, with kibits, have probably already withdrawn from the camp and, under the leadership of Guna, goes to the Dvina, to ask for help from the allied tribes to give land for grazing.
And what?
You know, only those who have passed your dedication and a deity touched it can ask, replied, turning to Mara, Plit, I cannot myself stretch my bones and ask about the future.
They came to the door leading into the mountain, Mara lit a torch, and opened the entrance to the dark cave. There were three of them, past dangling stalactites glittering in the light of a torch in different colors, many were layered the yellow layer was red, sometimes a blue and a green one. Waga twisted his head in all directions, and almost got lost in the forest of sparkling columns, the columns grew not only from above, but from below, and often merged, forming a single whole. So, seeing only her famous sign, Mara walked past two columns, and knocked on the bronze door.
Who is this? Came a hollow voice from behind the door.
They came to know the truth with meekness, answered Mara with ritual words.
Knock, and open to you, answered the same speech.
Mara knocked three times, and the young novice opened the door for them, and three people who wanted to know the truth entered the upper room lit by oil lamps, it was rather light, and the attendant, waving her hand, offered to enter one of the cells where they were already waited. Three elderly women sat in four armchairs, and to the right was a very young woman, with uncovered very blond hair tucked into a braid. Three elderly, three spinner sat quietly and immovably, Elisha jumped up from the chair, and put Mar in her arms, and kissed her.
Im very glad to see you, but you almost never come to me, she said.
And you hello, the messengers.
And you are sound, Elishas light, Plit said loudly, and be healthy, Prya, he straightened up and began a prepared speech. walking the High Path, we ask you to turn to the gods and we want to be present at divination.
Do you really want this? Elisha smiled, Magus, what you see is not always liked by people. You see, and her full lips clenched, and me and my brother were sent here, could not bear the Seven of what we can.
For the sake of the people of the tribe I will go all the way. Vahe leave?
Lets get used to it, said Straight.
We also delivered gifts, added Plit, to which Ella only grinned, but did not answer.
They all went into a secret room, where there was a well in the floor in which water was splashing. The well was covered with a wooden shield, and one of the girls picked it up, and a rounded tunnel in the floor opened.
Have you brought gifts with you, gold? Spin the sorcerer asked.
Yes, he nodded his head and handed her a golden hoop, and she took the gift.
Lets begin, the oldest of the Straight sentenced, bring the Vessel with the bones, and bring the tripods with incense.
The novices brought tripods, placed them in the corners, only four, laid them on a piece of tar, and set it on fire. The air has become filled with resinous aromas. Servants began to blow out of double flutes hard, incomparable music.
Get down Ale, he loves you more than others, start. Take the bracelet, and Spicah gave her the Gold Plate.
To the music, Elya began to dance, and without touching her stone floor with her feet, gliding along the surface with barely noticeable movements, her hands repeated wings flapping, she was like a Bird Maiden, and so she threw the bracelet into the well, somewhere deeply splashed, and she immediately rushed to the golden vessel, shook it three times, and three times took out the bones, only nine of them, and laid them on the table. The music never stopped playing, Spinha walked over to the bones, closed her eyes, thought about something, opened it, and the music stopped. The novices with flutes stopped playing, and stood in the corners of the room. Spin took the first bones with the runes and began:
Spin spoke these verses, and sat down on a bench next to the table, suddenly a spasm passed through Elisias face, her eyes became inanimate, and she spoke in a strange and deaf voice, from which everyone present had a cold heart:
Hearing the sorcerer you are my speech
Indestructible gods today is velenie..
I only became their voice
I gave the strength to the elect.
She read this quatrain, pallor left her face, Vaga held onto the wall with both hands, his legs did not hold, Plit was excited, and leaned on his staff, looked at the floor, unable to look at the witches anymore.
Give me the board, I will write down the prediction, muttered the sorcerer.
The novice gave him a small plank, and he began to cut signs with a knife, having finished, he gave it to Elisha, and she pressed the ring to the board pressed to the board.
I want to meet Ull, he asked, bowing to Elicia, he should know about the prediction. Mara, be near.
Mara nodded her head, and the three of them gathered to walk away from Pryakhs.
I have to leave, my kind educators, and Ella, like a little girl, began to cry farewell to Straight Cry. Tears also dripped from their eyes, which they did not even try to hide, just stroked her head, kissed her without end, and each began to try to put her jewelry on her memory rings, bracelets, everything that happened. One of them rose, and, too, crying, pulled out from under the bench a two-cubit-long mace and a bronze sword of the same length in a golden sheath, and the other, also took out a sword, the scabbard of which was laid out with a mammoth bone. The slab looked at it, and did not believe it it was like seeing the dying out and covering the dead body with milodars.Alyssia fell to her knees in front of the Pryakhs, one of them clapped in her palms, and the novice brought the same fortune telling box and casket, where Ellas things were put. Spira slammed again, and three archers arrived from another room, three girls in marching clothes.
Gather all, all thirty maidens, from the neighboring island, go with Elicia. And your novices will go hiking with Ull, and your pupils too.
We understood, madam, and all the female warriors bowed, and went back to the cave.
Get ready, daughter, find your brother, should he come to us, tell her to her.
Alicia wiped the tracks of tears, left the cell and soon returned, dressed like a man, and she put a sword on her belt and took a club in her hand.
Now Im going for Ull, she quickly left, so the spit flew up and hit her on the back.
The slabs with Vaga left the room, Vaga barely walked, but he carried a torch in his left hand, he only looked at his feet, and muttered something to himself. The slab felt no better, but he tried to muster his strength while groping the wooden tablet in his bag, as if the writing on it might have changed. They came out of the oak door in the mountain, and the sun blinded them, so that the witch covered his eyes with his palm, and leaning on the staff went to the shore, and the novice followed him.
Hello, Plit! Karp shouted to him, sitting next to the lad, with the hair on his head that had already started to grow, how did it all end? Got a prediction?
Yes, Pryakhs guessed us, wrote the prophecy on the tablet.
And you are Vaga, he turned around to the servant, you will remain angry, you will receive the initiation from Mary.
Waga stopped in exhaustion, looking at the teacher with tired eyes, and set the box ashore.
Hi, are you a wolf? Plit greeted the young man, I am Plit, the sorcerer of the guns. Sailed friends to visit?
Yes, he waved his head, now Ull will come here.
Now Elisha will come, she is looking for her brother, Plit noticed.
The wolf mixed up for a second, began to look around him, the warriors of Karp hid grins, pretending that they had suddenly become passionate about something very important right now.
Karp, its time to sail, said Plit
We are going, we are leaving, Karp ordered, gesticulating with his hands, we are going, Glom, Sheko, Nim, say goodbye.
Happily, Wolf, see, its time for us to sail. Maybe if the gods decide, well see each other soon, said Sheko to the boy.
Vigilantes lowered the boat into the sea, Plit sat there, and Vaga remained on the shore. Vayazhniki walked quickly on the oars, trying to move away from the island quickly.
Dedication brother
Ull sat on a bench near the entrance to the mountain, and waited for his sister. The day turned out to be quite good, he went around the traps, picked up good fish for everyone, and already gave it all to the kitchen. Here he survived the exile from Buyan, but it was difficult without the usual lessons, and he himself ran every day with a bag behind his back, shot a target, and learned how to handle a sword. He saw the door creak, and two girls came out with bows behind their backs and in mens clothes, and behind them came Elicia, with a tense face.
What happened, sister? Asked the brother, jumping up from the bench, and nodding to the girls standing next to Ella.
Come on, my brother, you want to see Straight, she said, weakly smiling, you have to go.
One of the maidens lit a torch, gave it to Ela, and they went along the corridors of the mountain together, reached quickly, knocked and entered. Here Ull has never been, and looked around with curiosity. In front of him were three women who stood up and filled with their appearance.
Hello, Favorite. It was the decree that you, Gemini, sent to us by the gods, will lead the Seven tribes to the New lands.
Why, said Ull only with a frown, why are we?
So destined, boy. Here, take it, and Spinner handed him a long bronze sword in a scabbard decorated with a mammoth bone, the name of the sword Sting, he wont let you down. Thirty novices from the Island will go with you, and thirty Dev with your sister. Mara will send a messenger to the mainland, so that from among her pupils, new Seven Leaders gathered, but they will wait for you on the mainland. And you must pass the dedication, and besides, there you will take gold for the needs of the march. And Mara spends on the test Vaga, a student of the Plate.Have a drink on the road, and the other gave him a golden bucket with a herbal drink, this will support you.
Ull drank, and the truth was, the drink was invigorating, finished, put the ladle on the table, bowed to Spinner.
Who conducts me?
We are three. Come on, everything must be resolved quickly, the eldest Staritsa Spinner said. They quickly got dressed, and came to conduct one of the novices, and six people came out of the sacred chambers, went out of the mountain to the light of the sun. The eyes did not immediately become accustomed to the bright rays of light, and Spinner began to show the way, bypassing Alatyr himself, Ull looked at where the treasured cave was located, but saw only the scruffy slopes covered with bushes. And so, the trinity came up to the bushes, and began to push them their staff, freeing the course inside. Spinner took out an oil lamp from the bag, and a small crystal put it on the lamp wick, he soon began to burn, and finally caught fire. She gave the lamp to Ull, and spoke:
Go deep into the mountains, knight, go boldly, but the path is not easy, you have to go with your heart, and at the end of the path you will throw away the fur canopy, and under it you will see a great treasure, and this will be your test.