And you should, because thats where you might have to look for your lover, came a nasal voice from behind her, with a slight hint of hoarseness. Without even turning around, Rhianon already knew who she was going to see. Of course Fate had come out of the ground again. He seemed to be hiding in every bush, in every bush, in every hill, in every subterranean inch of the road she walked, and only came to the surface when he wanted to tease her.
She wasnt interested in him right now, so she only gave a careless sniffle in response. She was much more interested in the sleeping children. Had the dragon scorched the marks on all of them with his fire? And why would it do that? Then his plans were frustrated, the sacrifice had not taken place, and the children were alive but marked. She knew that the dragons flame was capable of destroying living matter. Flesh is no exception. If these unfortunates are alive now, that doesnt mean they wont feel sudden fatigue and the call of death the next day. The dragons poison may work slowly, but it is still devastating. If these children are poisoned, it was better not to save them. Why drag bodies into Vinor that might start decomposing while they were still alive?
Besides, they were behaving strangely. It was as if their minds were trapped somewhere far away, away from the machine-moving bodies. What if a dragon still possessed them, held their minds and their wills captive. Just as in the afternoon, during a halt, Rhianon caught Marla drawing some signs on the ground. Only not the kind of signs the dragon had burned on her body, a little different. How could a child of five or six remember something so complicated? And a scholarly old sage could have been confused by it. All the scientists and connoisseurs of the sciences and even the stargazers in the royal court are, after all, only human; the possibilities of their minds are limited. Rhianon knew only one kind of creature who knew everything and nothing is a mystery to them. It was the angels, whose head to this day was Mastema, and therefore the dragons that lived in the caves full of books belonged to them. Some of them might have forgotten what they once looked like and still be shocked in front of a mirror. Are they forgotten as quickly as moments of bliss? Hardly, dragons had always seemed too wise to her.
And now Rhianon was staring at the marks scorched by dragon fire on living flesh, and she was growing uneasy.
She tried not to think about what awaited her. The children reminded her of that. She knew what happened to pregnant women. It was different with her. Her belly still hadnt rounded, though her conception date was probably a long time ago, probably as far back as that first night in the angels tent. Yes, it must have happened back then. It was as if shed felt the flow of fire, not seed, inside her. Since then it was as if some power had entered her, dwelt in her, and began to change her perception of the world. By producing a supernatural being, Rhianon herself ceased to be human. She could see and hear differently than humans, she could easily learn magic tricks, understand the language of birds and beasts, and hear the voices of spirits. Her sense of smell was also heightened. She could spot a mouse in the grass a hundred paces away, or recognize tiny pixies on a flower from afar. The magical world opened up to her completely. It was everywhere: in the grass, in the trees, in the water, in the air, in the sunlight, and, of course, in the dark. On every blade of grass a lovely young creature, like a dragonfly in size, could flutter. Rhianon was fascinated by the supernatural world, but she tried not to forget her main problem. Fire had always lived inside her; now, besides fire, something crushing was maturing there. Childbirth can be extremely painful for humans as well, and what happens to the one that gives life to a supernatural being. What if the newborn actually kills her? What if it doesnt? If she returns to Loretta and gives birth to a child who has no father, will this child turn out to be strong enough to strike fear into everyone. It is the child of a fallen angel. If it will not protect her from gossip, the same remedy remains fire. It is not for nothing that by nature she is given the ability to ignite so easily and ignite everything around her. It is her only self-defense. And she must defend herself. Everyone in Loretta is against her. And there are only enemies in the world, except for Ferdinand. He turned out to be quite nice. Its worth seeing if hell last. Whether his attitude toward her will change when she asks for his help?
Rhianon sat down on the grass next to the sleeping children and rested her chin on her knees. She didnt want to have a child. She had never wanted one. But fate had seen it her way. What would happen now?
I cant sleep, either, Ferdinand approached her, sleepy, rubbing his eyes and trying in vain to brush his fingers through his tangled blond hair. He sat down beside her on the grass.
I like to look at the stars, too, he said immediately. She doesnt know how he could see the stars through the foliage. He must have followed Rhianons gaze to find a patch of black-blue sky between the larches.
Do you like night skies? Its a beautiful sight, I admit.
And what is beautiful about it? She became angry, involuntarily. Once upon a time, these poetically beautiful skies had been torn apart by a hellish battle. And now its echoes still echo through the skies. The war is gone, but the pain remains
Could he understand her? Rhianon shivered. She was no longer expressing her own thoughts, but his, Madaels. She shouldnt speak his words to mortals. None of this is for mortal ears at all. But Ferdinand tensed. It was as if he understood something.
It terrifies me, too, to think that one day a dragon will fly across this sky, even if it shines like a treasure trove of gold, but its still dangerous and will burn all our crops.
Have you ever seen a dragon in flight?
No, he said, a little taken aback by the question.
I have, Rhianon said, remembering the valley, and the swirling, colorful bodies, wriggling like jewels in a treasure house.
And you were still alive after that?
Yes, she told him the truth without hesitation. Perhaps one day she would regret it. Who could confess to evil spirits and stay alive after that, if not a witch. Perhaps one day Ferdinand will draw conclusions from her words. Just because of the fire inside her, she could be declared a witch. In Loretta they did not do so only because Conrad needed her. Had he not had a son who wanted her, Manfred would undoubtedly have taken the opportunity. How easy it is to declare an heiress a sorceress and get rid of her once and for all. But no, Conrads young blood had been roused and plans had to be changed.
Manfred saved her life for nothing. That is what she will tell him when she kills him. Every time she clutched the weapon in her hands she imagined slitting his flabby throat. The thought was as sweet as revenge itself. It was sweeter than the apple of paradise, sweeter than Madaels lips even nicer than an angels embrace. Revenge always comes first. Everyone must get what he deserves and there is no mercy for his enemies. Madael himself had fought to defend his independence and avenge his forced fetters, he should have understood her. He was only the first to set the example you cannot tolerate any oppression over yourself, not even the oppression of a deity, and now every strong man in the world was following in his footsteps. What can you do, the world is set up so you have to follow the devils example to survive in it and become strong.
Thats what Rhianon was going to do. No one, not even Madeel himself, could stop her.
Her shoulders trembled a little with inner tension. She was already preparing for the fight and everything inside her trembled. Ferdinand interpreted her gesture in his own way.
I must have a warm cloak in my saddle-bag. I will fetch it to you, my lady, to keep you warm.
Rhianon gestured for him to stop.
Leave it. Im not cold.
But
He was taken aback when he saw the beautiful lady lift her fingertips and a flame flicker above her fingernails. At first it might have been an illusion, but gradually the flame took shape and hung like a hot ball over her palm. Now it would be unnecessary to remind her that it was quite chilly in the woods at night, and her shoulders were bare. Rhianon proved that she could warm herself.
I dont need warmth, especially human warmth.
It would be a trifle for her to make a great fire in the evening. But she watched coldly as the others piled brushwood and searched their surviving luggage for drones, flints, and splinters of flint. They could not find anything. She had to sleep without the warmth of a crackling fire. Rhianon felt no remorse for refusing to help her knights. She had no intention of demonstrating her abilities in public. Why should she need to be called a witch? Some people were already mistrustful of her because they remembered her coming out of the woods, alone, without a horse and no retinue. A noblewoman should not be alone in the woods. Not a princess, or rather a queen. She needs companions, chaperones, ladies-in-waiting, bodyguards and pageboys. And its not customary for ladies to walk. Its easy to step in light satin shoes on impassable forest roads. No one, after all, knows that for her it is now nothing to overcome long distances at the speed of the wind. People who meet her must have many questions. Where are her attendants, where is her carriage, her servants? To all this she could not give an honest answer. And even when she could, no one must know who she had spent the last months of her life with. Fairies company, life in the company of unearthly creatures, and embracing the devil were not adventures worth telling everyone about. Its better to keep it a secret so as not to compromise herself. But what if the descendants from another world following her, already by their mere presence near her, will brazenly compromise her in front of people? A queen followed by an impostor Rhianon wondered. Before the deadline it was forbidden to tell anyone about her friends, but Ferdinand had been so honest with her. She didnt want to lie to the man who had laid his soul bare before her, and yet she cautiously glanced in the direction where Fate had appeared recently. She wondered if he was still there, waiting for the moment when he could come at her again with his threats and incitements.
Ferdinand would have been shocked by this dwarf alone. But luckily he wasnt around at the moment. Thats who really follows her around like an evil fate. She wished hed just left her the pendant and disappeared on his own. But no, he had to torment her with vile remarks. Now she had to live with the constant tension of knowing that an unwelcome companion might appear out of nowhere at any moment. Considering that she now had companions, it was very uncomfortable.
You are unusual.
Rhianon shuddered at these quiet words addressed to her. Ferdinand must have blurted it out spontaneously, not wanting to hurt her at all, but everything stirred inside her.
As unusual as those burned at the fires of the Inquisition? She even laughed, short and bitter. The laughter echoed dryly through the leaves. I can burn anyone myself, and you can see that. Are you afraid of me?
She looked directly into his eyes, even in the darkness they were dazzling blue and clear. What an open look for a man who has to hide his political games. Does he look at everyone or just at her? Involuntarily she thought about it. Just one effort and she could read all his thoughts. Even an open book is not as accessible and easy to read as the human mind had become to her. And yet she was in no hurry to look into his mind. Perhaps it was because she herself was frightened to discover such insincerity?
I admire you, he leaned so close to her that he must have felt the heat of the fire emanating from the ball in her hands. His brow furrowed painfully, but he tried not to suppress the look of pain. Rhianon noticed the beads of sweat protruding on his smooth forehead. He wasnt just hot around her, he felt threatened, but he didnt pull away.
You could be adored.
In spite of the fire? She looked at him feignedly innocently, and meanwhile the ball of fire above her palms began to grow in size and even hotter. Just as easily she could squeeze the solar core in her fist, just as she had once held in her hands the heart of Dennitsa, once in love, but still like a red-hot fire. What is it to her to crush the soul of a mortal king? It is a simple game, not an effort. Only she didnt want to hurt Ferdinand at all. She felt that he was already hurting his whole life before he met her.
The women in Vinor are afraid of fire themselves, he frowned. I tried to tame the Inquisition. But my father always said it was necessary. It is necessary to keep the people in fear, and the unholy are far beyond the borders of the kingdoms. For this there is religion and its monstrous spawn: dogmas, rites, witch trials.
And yet in the kings palaces the astrologers take refuge. Theyre as important to you as your advisers. Oh, how easy it was to read his mind. Ferdinand didnt even catch her at it, didnt ask her how she knew that. But he tried to justify himself.
They are useful, the Inquisition almost not. The fires of the mortal martyrs dont shut the magical creatures out of the forest he paused and looked expressively at her.
Rhianon understood and nodded. Meanwhile, the fireball in her hands had grown to the size of a childs ball. If she hurled it forward, the flame would be enough to burn down a house or start a forest fire.
The fire was hot, but it didnt burn her palms. Ferdinand, on the other hand, felt hot, almost to the point of pain. Let him know what it was like to be in a furnace. Rhianon grinned wryly.
I am fire, she whispered confidentially. The element of fire is in me. Sometimes I think so. But Im not going to turn innocent people into martyrs, only my enemies.
Ive seen how those diabolical creatures, the dragons, react to you.
She nodded.
You dont think I could burn them more, do you?
He only shrugged.
Maybe theres something different about you.
Not looking for a halo over my head or hooves and a tail under my dress. I dont have a martyrs crown or devils horns under my hair. And I hope I never will.
So who are you?
Now she shrugged her shoulders. To confess would be to break the fragile trust that had developed between them.
Better tell me about the Inquisition. How long ago it appeared. Is it as long ago as religion itself. Or much later, people began to notice that there were those among them who tried to summon spirits at a time when faith and God should ward them off. Even in villages there are illiterate maidens who learn and draw witchcraft symbols on the road to summon and tame evil spirits, and then set them on the villagers. How to fight such witches, if not by lynching and bonfires? The Inquisition absolves others of guilt by exterminating witches or abusing their duties by dragging to the stake those who are in the clergys desire.