Castellan, standing not far from the door, bowed to the guests. Swann handed two invitations into his hands. After reading them, with a false smile, he bowed again to the general and gestured to the servants to open the door shutters made of gilded metal.
Moving towards the door, Tan suddenly smiled and whispered in Swann's ear. Decent generals lead women to a secular evening, and you drag a soldier in full uniform.
But, I'm a combat general, right? And the same could not help smiling.
Before entering, Svan said the phrase: – "Well, into battle …" and, without slowing down, both went inside.
***
As soon as they crossed the threshold, I will fight, out of nowhere, the waiters with drinks and snacks were next to them.
– General Swann, how glad I am to see you today in this hall, throwing his hands up, said Duke Erhard. Coming closer, he embraced the general, not taking his eyes off Athanasius.
– God, who is this?
“This is my confidant and the best fighter in His Majesty's army, Athanasius Mirra,” the general announced with pride.
– How wonderfully harmonious he is!
– That's right, Duke!
– Excuse me not to call me that again! In an informal setting, for you I am Erhard, and that's it! The duke said with pompous resentment.
The way Duke Erhard looked at him made Athanasius uneasy. Suddenly Erhard turned sharply away from him, as from a bored toy, and again embracing Swann, led him to get acquainted with the palace elite of Arkon. Tan stayed where he was, watching as all the gentlemen in turn shook the general's hand, smiled and courted him. But, as soon as the general left, having said a couple of words, to meet other guests of the evening, their smile immediately disappeared. He saw them, screwing up their eyes, looking with envy at the trail of the future member of the military council.
– Yes, here's the mighty of this world for you, a snake ball, and that's all, Tan thought.
Deciding to look around, he took a glass of apple juice, and began his journey to determine the escape in case of emergency. He always did this, it was his habit. “If you want to survive, you have to be ready for anything,” Tan liked to repeat. Having walked around the hall a couple of three times, he already knew on which staircase how many steps, which doors were open and which were locked, as well as the number of guards. Then Tan set to work on the servant and after a while his gaze settled on the incredible beauty of the girl who was handing out glasses of wine. Something set her apart from the rest of the maid crew. She had a slender waist, but from the shoulders and hips, he realized that the girl devotes quite a lot of time to strength exercises. She had a firm gaze that noticed all the guests in the hall. But this gaze was exclusively watching the duke. Then the girl turned her head and their eyes met. Tan smiled at her, but the girl, noticing that she had become the object of someone's attention, was immediately lost in the crowd. An attempt to find her again turned out to be even. Tan found it a bit strange, but the course of his thought process was unceremoniously interrupted by the sound of the opening of the central doors. Time seemed to have stopped, and he saw the young general and two of his guards enter the hall.
– What the fuck ?! Tan asked a question to himself.
As if having heard this question, Duke Erhard immediately climbed the stairs and, having passed a couple of steps to rise above the rest, stopped, turning to the guests.
“Ladies and gentlemen, at my invitation, we were joined by the general of the Batro corps of the army of His Majesty King Orma, an ally of His Holiness King Virgil. – Greetings, General Argos!
Argos greeted those present with a subtle nod of his head. He looked very young for such a title. Medium height. Athletic physique. With a direct and firm gaze. It was clear that he was not a bit, was not nervous and was not embarrassed by the attention to his person. Erhard then followed the same procedure as with General Swann. A little courtesy and they went to all the guests to get to know each other as a sign of respect. Athanasius did not take his eyes off them. An explosive cocktail of anger, bewilderment, disgust, and oddly enough interest was seething in him.
Having met half of the guests, Erhard and General Argos retired in some room, judging by the entire personal study of the duke, at the door of which the retinue of Argos remained.
After staying there, they left for a while, and Erhard continued to acquaint Argos with the remaining generals and board members. At the moment when General Swann's turn came, Athanasius was somewhere three steps behind him.
– General Argos, began the Duke, let me introduce you to General Swann, now a member of His Majesty's military council.
– Greetings, General! said Argos, in a calm voice. His hairless face did not produce any emotion, but it was clear that, unlike the others, he had respect for Swann. Only then did Tan notice. Eyes. They were the same as in his dreams.
– I've heard a lot about you and your successes on the battlefield. How you know how to fight, there are legends, even among our soldiers, said Argos.
Swann opened his mouth to respond with courtesy to courtesy, which was required by the protocol of ethics and diplomacy, but Athanasius was ahead of him. Slowly coming out from behind the general and not taking his eyes off Argos, he said:
– Your skills also certainly deserve attention.
Argos's face showed surprise. He immediately looked at the duke.
This confidant of the Swann general, Athanasius Mirra, was pronounced by Erhard, and his speech sparked with irritation.
– You choose the moment to attack very carefully, right?
The Wotan was silent, while it was evident that he frowned. His brow ridges slid down.
“The most favorable time is at night, when there are only unarmed men, women and children in the villages,” Athanasius growled loudly.
The guests who were nearby were silent, watching the scene.
General Swann immediately turned to him. – These are the deeds of days gone by, he said, and began to take his friend away, turning him towards the exit.
– Maybe we should show you our skills, mister Mirra ?! pronounced Argos.
Tan stopped. The general's attempts to move him from his place did not lead to anything. He turned around. There was rage in his eyes. Clenching his hands into fists, he began to approach Argos. But Swann, catching up with Atanasius, whispered: – Come to your senses! What are you doing? And the red veil fell from his eyes. He looked at the duke, who was furious. His nostrils drew in eagerly, his eyes turned red, his lips narrowed into a barely visible line.
– I apologize! Mirra said, then turned around and headed for the exit.
–“How about a show fight before the opening of the celebrations,” Argos called after him.
Athanasius turned to face him, but did not approach, so as not to tempt fate.
“Arkon and Wotan,” he continued. What is not an excellent start to the celebration of the beginning of the great union – Our reconciliation! And, of course, demonstrations of fighting skills. As he spoke his last words, he grinned.
The duke, hurt by this impudent behavior, supported Argos. “So be it,” he said. Tomorrow, in the grand arena, before the opening of the celebration in honor of the peace and union of the states of Wotan and Arkon. A demonstration fight will take place. As far as I understand, the representative of Arkon has already been chosen, for there is no one who could compare with the inimitable Athanasius Mirra, Erhard said with an arrogant grin. Who will speak on behalf of Wotan? the duke turned to General Argos.
There was a deathly silence.
– I am!
***
– Athanasius! What the hell are you doing? General Swann asked him with obvious nervousness in his voice. “Forgive me, I don’t know what came over me. When I saw his eyes, it was like I was back at that time. I felt the same fear that I experienced then.
– Understand that I still have no influence on the local officials. People like the duke do not forgive such disrespectful behavior. You made a scene at his house! In his presence.
Athanasius was silent, completely lost in his thoughts. He just looked at the fire in General Swann's fireplace and recalled the horror from his childhood. Time has stopped for him.
– You must understand, continued Swann, I'm not worried about what you will do, this guy, on the contrary, breathed out Swan, I'm afraid that after you, he will be carried out of the circle on a stretcher.
– So what? Tan spoke indifferently, not taking his eyes off the fire.
– And then, Svan said sadly, that he is the son of King Orm.
Tan looked up, and in his eyes was read the gravity of what had happened.
– So, you will immediately pack your things and leave the city. I will say that you have recovered with my urgent report to the leadership of the Marne Corps and …
Tan interrupted him without listening to his friend's proposal. – I'll perform tomorrow!
– What the devil !? Didn't you hear me now !?
– I heard everything perfectly. But I will stay and take this fight. All my life I have been trying to forget my past. But in truth, I always knew that I could not escape from it, it is part of me. I became what I became. You can't change me. And tomorrow this arrogant bastard will get his. And then … Come what may.
***
He was nervous, putting on the last piece of his combat suit. These were the gloves Bert had given him. The morning was frosty. The air was damp and cold. Through the window opening, he looked at the sky, which was covered with clouds. They replaced each other and became darker and darker. – Yeah, not the best weather to start the holiday, Tan thought. – It looks like the rain is inevitable. But that didn't really bother him. He fought in much worse weather conditions. And now he was ready. But something did not give rest. He probably guessed that his fate would not remain the same anymore. He sat and thought about his mother. He remembered her last words, her farewell look, and a wild longing for her burst into his soul.
His thoughts were interrupted by a man in a long robe, apparently one of the organizers of the celebration. With great respect, he turned to Tan: "Mr. Mirra, it's time to get out." After these words, Tan stood up. He went over to the scabbard lying on the table and pulled out a sword. His comrade-in-arms, as always, was magnificent, sharpened and polished. Do not enter the circle yet, not yet entering the arena of the amphitheater, he heard the rumble of the crowd through the walls. Tan did not know how many people were there, but he guessed that a huge number of people would come to such an event. When the gigantic shutters opened in front of him, he suddenly remembered how General Swann had come to him a couple of hours ago. Before leaving for his seat on the balcony of the large arena, Swann hugged him, smiling slightly. However, Tan felt his close friend was nervous. In response, he also smiled and they both silently looked into each other's eyes for a while. Out of habit, he slapped Tan on the shoulder and said: – Don't hit him too hard, okay ?! Then he laughed and withdrew into the darkness of the corridor.
There he smiled, remembering this, and moved through the invisible wall that separated him from the crowd.
He walked to the center of the circle to an approving noise, looking around, and marveled at the scale of the amphitheater. It seemed to the spectators that a whole army had gathered. He saw that all the seats, both standing and sitting, were taken. Representatives of all classes were here. Common people were shouting, having fun, everyone was in high spirits. But suddenly, on the opposite side of the circle, the shutters of the doors also began to open. At that moment, Tan stopped hearing the crowd. In the depths of the opening that had opened, there was impenetrable darkness, and he saw Argos emerge from it. Dressed in all black, he approached our hero with a confident gait. Coming closer, Tan noticed that he had never seen such strange protection in his life. She was whole from foot to neck. Tan did not notice a single seam or a single rope on it. The material did not look like metal hidden under the skin, but rather like wet clay. The torso was made in the shape of a human body. The armor had thickening on the arms and legs. In the area of the ribs, a round sign with unknown runes and lines that crossed each other was distinguished. The only thing that differed from monolithic armor was the traditional Voton schenti.
Before each of his battles, he saw excitement and fear in the eyes of the enemy. Lack of confidence in their abilities. But now everything was different, it seemed to him that Argos was even slightly grinning and the corners of his lips were raised. Suddenly, a horn sounded shrilly throughout the amphitheater, announcing the beginning of a week-long celebration. The man who spoke into the large brass megaphone happily announced that King Virgil and Duke Erhard are now present in the large arena. After a speech of eulogy addressed to His Majesty, the Duke took the floor as he walked out to the edge of the royal balcony. He also began to congratulate the people and praise the world, then introduced the two participants in the battle, saying that, before the start of the celebration, a demonstration battle would be fought between two representatives of the once warring races. In which blows to the head with a sword are prohibited.
Tan had already taken a fighting stance, but then Erhard said: – And at the end of my speech, I am proud and with great pleasure, I present to you, our guest, King Orm. The doors to the royal box opened, and King Orme walked into the balcony, dressed in beautiful black robes with gold embroidery.
I was dumbfounded there. His mouth opened involuntarily. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing. Before his gaze, the face of the past has just appeared. Next to King Virgil, smiling, stood the one who killed the inhabitants of his village 30 years ago. Someone who is involved in the death of his parents. His face has aged slightly. Combat clothes changed to royal ones, but it was him. Orm sat down on a chair next to the king and the duke bellowed: "Let the battle begin!"…
***
I fight after the last words of Erhard, drums sounded like thunder. Their sound was picked up by the harp, and some kind of wind instruments.
Athanasius came to his senses only after an attempt by Argos to strike from above. Tan, withdrew from the line of attack, pushing the corps back, and now all his attention was riveted on Argos. Argos made a couple of preparatory actions and struck with lightning speed from the bottom up. Tan repulsed his sword with a backhand, but immediately the opponent tried to make a stab in the stomach, turning on its own axis. Although it was difficult, Tan left the line of attack, but Argos did not yield and continued to test the strength of Athanasius's defense. The fighters moved in so much music. The crowd rejoiced at the confrontation they saw. King Orm did not leave a smile, with pleasure, and King Virgil, on the contrary, was focused, because his fighter was still only defending himself.
Tan had sweat on his face, but his eye was still hard. His few counterattacks, choked with the speed of the movements of Argos. Never before had he found himself in such a difficult situation. To say that Tan was surprised is to say nothing. It seemed that all this time, in battle, in no way affected the prince. He was fresh, breathing evenly, unlike Tan, who was already greedily sucking in air through his nostrils. Argos' attacks were accompanied by a smirk on his haughty face.