Sire, I He did not know how to confess at once, and so he hesitated. There was something he had to explain before there could be any unnecessary misunderstanding. Sometimes even I am powerless.
Are you? Manfred glared at him in a fit of anger. You dare to shirk your responsibilities.
Well, now, now everyone pretended not to notice him. Who didnt know or guess what those duties were. Douglas felt like he was in a circle of enemies. To think there were only crows around, though the only one dressed like a black raven here was him. His rivals in the dark robes of stargazers and astrologers seemed to be hiding venomous grins. Douglas looked for Conrad, the only one he could count on for support, but there was no one in the hall. Pity, he would have done anything foolish to regain his hold on Rhianon. Even defend the outcast and the magician. And getting into another argument with his father would cost him nothing at all. Then Douglas would have a chance to retreat. Now he felt hunted. No one was looking in his direction, but everyones exaggerated attention was focused on him. And that made him feel out of place.
He wished he could hide in his tower again, but no, the king was waiting for him to answer.
There are some things too terrible to pay Douglas muttered only to say something, though in general he was not far off the truth.
It didnt frighten the horny Manfred out of his mind.
Call this warrior to me. Let him fight at my side again and lead my warriors.
But sire, Hermion, the chief advisor, who was standing almost behind his suzerain, cautiously reminded him. Everyone knows it cannot be done.
I dont care what cant be done, Manfred roared. I am King, you must obey me.
True, it was more of an appeal to the contrary, but Douglas bowed low to testify again to his deference and obedience.
Hes elusive, my lord, the magician whispered. And besides, you know I have reason to believe hes a lord, too. His domain is somewhat larger than Lorettas.
So why is he fighting? The king was still furious.
Dare I remind you that he never demands a reward for his labors, Douglas muttered.
But he does, Manfred clenched his fists. That already seemed sufficient reasoning for him. He exists, and therefore he can be summoned
In your armies, sire, I have it in mind, Douglas bowed again in a courteous bow. He was about to touch the floor with his forehead. He liked that less and less.
Perhaps hed make a better general than that fool Moren, the King said thoughtfully. If the appointments could be changed, he would certainly change them in favor of the former. The nameless warrior would be his emblem, his personal symbol of invincibility.
Find him, even if its in hell itself, the king shouted, letting Douglas go. Go, I dont care where or how you find him or how much hes involved. Even if you have to go down into the fires of hell, you will bring me from there the one I want and persuade him to lead my troops.
Douglas understood, so he bowed quickly and hurried out of the hall as quickly as he could. The indifferent glances that lingered on him seemed to burn his back. This is the end, he thought, all those flocks of noble and ambitious crows just waiting to slaughter the lowly self-taught wizard. Now I am a target. For too long Ive been the kings favorite from who knows where, and now Ill be a willing victim. He was awakened from his gloomy thoughts by the call of birds under the arched window. They were saying something. Douglas listened. He had long ago learned to understand the language of birds, and these birds were talking as if they were doing it for him, savoring every word leisurely. Nice little birds. A novice magician would have understood them at once. They were talking about the girl with the golden hair and the embroidered purple tent. If that girl were not there now, they would not have been able to fly so close and get a good look at the handsome lord.
What do you mean? Douglas asked in the same way. The men in the castle would have thought he was mocking them, mimicking a birds croak, but the larks on the windowsills flinched, sensing the intrusion of an outsider. His accent was flawless, of course, but his angular, tall figure confused them. Just a moment and the skylarks flew noisily down, leaving Douglas with nothing. He stood at the window for a minute, bewailing himself for his cowardice. Of course, he could have talked to the feathered creatures, but what if he had been spotted by the servants in the castle. Such an interesting occupation for the young lord would have caused a lot of gossip. He had lived at court enough to know that both servants and gentlemen here are great gossipers. And hes good, too. Hes got someone to ask him questions. They were silly birds. And yet he learned more from them than he could have hoped for.
Rhianon woke up with a feeling of vague panic. Someones claws were scraping across the carpet, but not the claws of the little creatures she was already used to. These were more like knives. Rhianon crouched in bed and looked around. She could see little in the darkness, but she could hear panting. Someone was climbing the fleece as hard as if they were climbing a wall, or worse, walking on hot bricks. Sniffling was mingled with whimpering as if in pain, and there was a low cry of anguish.
It was his fault! It was his fault!
Rhianon shuddered when her claws made contact with the soft hide of the girls bed. Something black, rough, like a large blob of darkness was already there. Evil yellow eyes flashed at her from the absolute darkness. The smell of burning flesh and fire reeked in her face. A clawed hand reached for her throat. She looked up and saw that her skin was burned black, the remains of flesh already slimy. Was it flesh? Do angels have flesh? Fallen ones probably do. Rhiannon remembered Madaels story and tried to move as far away from the burnt object as possible, but there was only the tent wall and the golden pillars behind her.
Do you know how much suffering youve caused us all, little angel?
The claws were already pressing on her throat when a light suddenly cut through the darkness of the tent. She couldnt see the scarlet curtain covering the tent open, but the candle before the door flickered on and off, revealing that her master was already here. Rhianon searched in vain for him in the darkness. In her mind she begged for help, and he must have heard. A strong arm, framed in gold bracelets, pulled the dreaded guest from her bed in a flash. There was no sound of struggle. The thing only resisted for a moment when it had already been slammed to the floor. Then there was silence.
Rhianon had to squeeze her eyes shut when the candles in the candelabra in front of her finally flashed. She squinted through her eyes as the lights flickered and she could see what looked like a gigantic, slimy, black puddle of rotting filth, beating in agony on the floor.
It cant stand the light. Doesnt it? Madael grinned cruelly, watching its torment. Even the tiniest light at the tip of a splinter of vinegar could cause it tremendous agony. Do you know why?
I dont want to know why? Rhianon crawled away from the wall and clung to the rim of the bears skin. Her warmth was a little comforting.
You want to hold a lighted candle to him and see how his pain multiplies. It will be interesting.
He suggested it quite seriously. What was beating and wriggling at his feet was alive. She could see the frightened yellow eyes gleaming against the black shapeless blob, and the terror lingering in them. And what anger.
You want to hold a lighted candle to him and see how his pain multiplies. It will be interesting.
He suggested it quite seriously. What was beating and wriggling at his feet was alive. She could see the frightened yellow eyes gleaming against the black shapeless blob, and the terror lingering in them. And what anger.
Madael watched the black creatures torment with a strange satisfaction. The way boys torture a frog or a toad or a mollusk they find for fun. Rhianon had seen as a child how servants children picked up oysters tossed by a storm, only to mock the oysters and bring fire to them and then laugh. It was disgusting. Any violence always leads to more. But there was something different here. She felt vindictive. Madael wasnt just mocking, he was satisfied with something.
Stop it! she couldnt stand to see something so disgusting that it seemed to be spreading like poison on the carpet, and it was agonizing. She felt sick to her stomach.
As you wish, Princess, Madael said no more, but stared at her with long, tense eyes. And really, why on earth would he take her orders or requests. He is the victor here, not she. And yet after a moment there was not even a trace of the agonizing monster left on the carpet.
How strange. No ashes, no slime, no scratches from its claws. Rhianon was sure there must be something left.
Madael was already sitting next to her on the bed, as if nothing had happened. His gaze was calm. Beautiful thin fingers groped her skin, checking for wounds. She was used to the intricate gold patterns like tattoos clinging to the skin on his wrists, to the inky gold bracelets wrapped around his arms up to his elbows and even his forearms. It was as if he was shackled by ornate gold plates that had been exquisitely hewn from the sunlight-an exquisite chain or a reminder that he wasnt completely free. Or maybe it was just a hint that he is part of the sun and the golden patterns on top of his shimmering body are just a reminder that despite the appearance of humanity he can burn on contact even stronger than the sunbeam. And yet the touch of his hands was soothing.
Rhianon could hardly turn away from his face to look again at the spot on the carpet where the creepy guest had recently wriggled. It was empty now.
He was one of my cohorts, Madael said thoughtfully. Yes, no, more than that, my right hand. He never understood why we didnt win, and hes still searching for the reasons why. Hes also angry with me.
He didnt have to explain anything, but as always he did. Rhianon remembered her first encounter with the magic world, all the creatures shed never believed before, the hideous dwarves and goblins and beautiful fairies, each one hiding some tiny ugliness, all telling her the same thing.
Theyre all mad at you for being beautiful, and theyre not, Rhianon touched the disheveled wheat curls gently, checking to see if they burned her, then pulled his head toward her, and he didnt resist, seemed glad, in fact, and she liked to study what for all the magical world was a rarity his beautiful face, his head, his shoulders, the intricate plates of bracelets on his wrists, they were afraid of him because he burned them, but he let her be so close to him.
I was prettier once, he admitted through sheer force.
That was hard to believe.
When the battle first started they listened to me because I was part of the sun, it burns your eyes and you cant disobey it when you stand next to it, but then now they hate me.
So what is it? Rhianon tried to forget the way the fairies hands caressed her there in the forbidden palace, the way their wings gently wrapped around her waist. They were not as good as the one who had doomed them to exist and mischief in the world of mortals. Once here, they had only the entertainment of plotting against humans. At least they have some kind of freedom. Let them live as they please. Why regret them or try to please them again.
I love you alone. Isnt that enough?
He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. He looked at her as if he had never seen her before, and yet he knew that no one had ever told him or wanted to hear her say it. He was used to the fact that he had to be alone. Perhaps God condemns to loneliness all those who were too close to him, because since he himself cannot get what he wants, no one else should either. But now it turned out differently than he had decreed.
You are all I have.
Madael pulled her to him, into an embrace like the coolness of water. You feel the same way when you dive into a clear pond where lilies grow and fragrant. And you can drown there, but as long as you stay on the water it feels so good. Sometimes his body exuded almost no heat, and sometimes it was like a red-hot ball of fire. Everything depended on the slightest change in his feelings. Now he was calm and even seemed happy.
I promise that no uninvited guest will ever come in here again. No one will disturb you unless you want them to. Do you remember how to summon my servants?
She remembered to clap her hands to make food appear on the table by itself and the things she needed materialize out of thin air. She remembered how to extinguish candles and call black winged creatures into the circle of light. With certain gestures or movements she could invite anyone whose master was him, sometimes she did it by accident, but now he was not against having his servants serve her as well. All of them, though frightening at first, were easily obeyed when they learned that she was here at their lords behest. She only wanted to ask how to summon him herself.
What if it could not be done, for he could not in the heat of battle drop everything and rush to her. Though she had no doubt that was exactly what he would do. He would just abandon the battle to his fate and end up here.
The embrace grew tighter. Rhianon remembered the destructive embrace of the forest springs, when nymphs, naiads, and mermaids summon lost mortals who have taken a fancy to them. They were amorous and would easily lure into the bowl whoever they wanted to caress. She, too, was initially lured, led astray, and all in order to offer her one beautiful unearthly embrace. Even though it all leads to the same fatal outcome as in the stories of maids of honor, it felt so good to her now. She had always dreamed of that.
Madael, I love you, whispered she
He did not laugh, though it was funny. Who could love such a cursed and forsaken creature as he was? His lips opened slightly, but he answered nothing. Everything he wanted to say, she felt as it were, all his love unsolicited and unnatural. He embraced her with his arm and wings, he was more beautiful than anything and everyone on earth, his body glowing peacefully with a golden-white ghostly glow, while inside everything was tense with rebellious conflicting feelings. There was no peace in him, he preferred war, but now
I will fight anyone and anything for you, he promised. I can fight, Rhianon, I know how to fight. I know how to win.
How it is in heaven, then? She wished she hadnt said that; it hurt him instantly, and it was transmitted to her. He gripped the hilt of the cleaver so tightly that his fingers, so long they curled almost twice around the hilt, turned white.
That was a long time ago, but it was, he reminded himself firmly. Nothing can be changed.
You could have kept things in balance.
I dont want any more, he suddenly relaxed, tense as a string, he made up his mind and his skin glowed even brighter.