Читать книгу Raven's Soul. Volume 2 - Анна Морион - Страница 6

POV Derek

– Dad! Are you still asleep? Wake up! You're going to miss everything!

Two high children's voices and the thud of feet running across the thick carpet were what snapped me out of the captivity of sleep. And I was glad of it: all night long I had been haunted by the same dream, the nightmare I had seen so often before.

A thick fog. A battlefield covered with the bloody bodies of enemies and friends. They have already fallen into eternal sleep and will never return to their families, never see their loved faces or hear their favorite voices. I stand on a large, flat rock, towering above this chaos. Alive, unharmed. My armor is drenched in blood. It is not my blood. I haven't spilled a drop of my own blood. This blood is everywhere, I can even taste it in my mouth. My blood-slicked hair falls over my eyes, but I don't touch it, don't even think about the fact that it's obstructing my vision. My right hand clutches my sword tightly, red, covered in blood and murder. Beneath my feet lies King Juris. He's dead. His entrails peek out from his ripped open stomach. A wide golden crown still sits firmly on Juris' head. I bend down, struggling to remove the crown, which is tangled in the dead king's hair, and place it on my head. I feel nothing. No pain, no fear, no disgust at myself and the fact that I took his crown and kingdom from the dead man. Nothing. The battlefield is covered in snow, so coarse and frequent that in a moment the corpses are gone, as if someone in heaven had deliberately sent this snow here to bury this bloody mess, this abomination underneath. "You are not a king!" suddenly comes a whisper to my ears, causing me to look around, but only to see no one. "Murderer! Impostor! Burn in Hell! You and all your descendants!" I hear the same creepy whisper. "I did not kill him! The king handed me the crown himself!" – I try to justify myself, but I hear grave laughter in response. The crown on my head starts to shrink, making my skull creak and crack, and I scream silently in pain, but after a minute I am completely covered in white icy snow, turning me into an ugly statue, frozen with a horrible grimace on my face....

Opening my eyes, I quickly looked around my chambers to make sure the nightmare was gone, that I was in the palace. Still just as poisoned and slowly dying.

– Alva! Willa! Good morning, my sneaky squirrels! – I happily greeted my daughters, who had already climbed up on my tall, wide bed and grabbed the soft pillows, hitting me lightly in the face with them. – But enough! Put the pillows down and tell me what you dreamed about today.

– I dreamt of my mother! – Willa said eagerly, throwing the pillow away from her. – We were in a field of daisies! I ran away to the river, and when I came back she was lying in the flowers! So strange and cold!

"Poor child! How many times does she see the same nightmare as me?" – I thought with pain in my heart.

– Tonight you will dream of a great ship leaving on a long voyage. You will be the captain, and I will be your helmsman," I said hastily, regretting that I had asked about her dream.

– Could I be a pirate? – Vilja asked with hope in her eyes and wrapped her hands around my face.

– Of course you can, but remember that pirates are our enemies. They rob our ships and take our sailors prisoner," I smiled and looked at my eldest daughter. – What about you, Alva? What did you dream about?

– I dreamt about my mother too… – Alva suddenly stopped talking and turned a little pale. – Daddy, she asked me to come with her… I said I wouldn't go, and she was very upset. She said she was so lonely alone in heaven, because you had forgotten her… And everyone had forgotten. – She sighed sadly.

– She was wrong: we all remember her and miss her," I said softly.

– When will Sylvia be back? – Vilja frowned suddenly. – Where did she go anyway? Why is she gone for so long?

"Go ahead, tell them about you slowly dying," I heard Vit's voice in my mind.

"You dare to joke at such a sad moment?" – I mentally retorted.

"Am I joking? I'm giving you wise advice. If Sylvia doesn't show up soon, your daughters will have to bury you. If it comes to that, they'd better learn of your imminent demise now, from you" the snow leopard answered me.

"I will think about it" I briefly tossed back, however I still found meaning in my familiar's words.

I should have shared with my daughters, prepared them for the terrible truth, but I did not wish to upset and frighten them. No. Sylvia will return just in time. She would bring the antidote, heal me, and we would live happily ever after, one big family.

I had never spoken to Sylvia since she left the palace. Andrada's method only worked if my wife wanted to talk to me, and she was the one with the right tool to open the water portal. All I had to do was wait. But she never showed up. And now it began to seem like a bad sign.

"I need to ask Andrada to arrange for me to talk to Sylvia. I can't wait patiently any longer, I need answers. I need to know she is healthy and unharmed" I thought.

– Sylvia went on a little trip to visit her friends,' I found something to say to Vilja.

– Does she have friends? – Alva raised an eyebrow incredulously.

– Of course she does. Every human… Or demon has friends," I said firmly.

– You're not well? – Alva squinted at me.

– Healthy and strong," I lied.

– You're very pale, Papa.

– Yes, as white as the powder on my cakes! – Villia confirmed her sister's words.

– I didn't sleep well, but the fresh air will work wonders, you'll see! – I winked at the girls.

– If you remember, why are you still in bed? – Alva asked unhappily. – Daddy, you're going to miss everything! Everyone's already gathered! They'll be blowing the horn soon!

"What is she talking about?" – I wondered, frantically trying to remember what day it was and why everyone was going somewhere. The poison seemed to have robbed me of my ability to reason soberly and remember dates. I didn't even know what day of the week today was.

"She's talking about King Juris' Memorial Day. If you don't show up on time, Princess Hedda won't forgive you, and neither will anyone else, because you'll be showing blatant disrespect for the memory of a dead man," Vit politely prompted me.

"Thank you. What would I do without you? It seems you now work not only as my familiar, but also as my memory," I thanked the snow leopard.

"You'll be paying me in gold soon! Get up already, lazybones!" – chuckled Vit back at me, and his deep laughter made me smile.

After sending the girls to their grandmother, I got out of bed, washed my face, rinsed my mouth with violet water, and then called my personal servant. As he helped me put on one of my hated "weekend" royal suits, a black velvet one, embroidered with beads and silver threads, I tried to figure out exactly how I felt today. My whole body was aching, every bone, every cartilage, as if I were not a young man but a decrepit gray-haired old man. My breathing was short and too frequent, and large black dots danced in front of my eyes, like fat flies on carrion or a corpse… Well, I was a corpse. Almost a corpse. So why don't these winged dead meat eaters swarm around me?

– What a comparison you're making. You're not dead! I'm still alive! – Wit appeared on my bed, wrinkling his nose in distaste. His whiskers stuck out in a funny way, and I laughed involuntarily.

– Is something wrong, Your Majesty? – My servant asked, stopping to straighten the folds of my camisole.

– Don't take it personally, Mark. I just remembered a nice joke," I lied with a smile. – But what about Hedda? Is she ready yet?

– Since early this morning, my lord. They say she's even been to the Holy Father's house to repent of her sins," the servant said, taking up my camisole again. After a short silence, he added quietly: "Everyone in the palace is whispering, my lord… Your consort has suddenly disappeared, and evil tongues have already buried her… They say that you decided to marry Her Highness Princess Hedda, and therefore killed your wife Sylvia Rossi....

– What a fascinating rumor," was all I could say to that.

Fascinating and so far from reality. Me and Hedda. Never. No way. May God himself compel me. I saw Hedda as a big spoiled child, but not as a woman. I haven't even decided for myself whether she's beautiful or not, I don't care at all. I have Sylvia. A captivating, burning and tart rose with thorns.

Oh, if only Vakkerland had known that I had been poisoned, and that I had one foot in the grave, how much happiness, joy, and backbiting that news would have caused!

– Well, that's all, Mark, go on. I can take it from here," I said, wishing to be alone, but seeing the curiosity in my faithful servant's eyes, I smiled and added: "All this is just a foolish fiction. My wife is alive and well, and she is absent because I allowed her to visit her parents in Flammehav. She deserves it.

– Of course, my lord! You are honorable, my king. Please, let me comb your hair…" Mark started to say, but I firmly sent him out the door.

– How do I look? – I asked, turning to my familiar.

– Like a peasant who's miraculously acquired a lord's outfit," Vit answered thoughtfully. – At least comb your hair for good measure… You're not well, Derek. Why don't you stay in your chambers? Find some plausible excuse.

– You just chased me out of bed yourself. It's settled: I'm going," I said, following the snow leopard's advice and combing my long hair with my fingers. – Besides, you are right: I am a king, and the eyes of my subjects are upon me. They must know and see that I grieve for King Juris as much as they do.

– Ask Andrada to give you a potion. – Vit jumped silently off the bed onto the soft carpet and walked over to me. – Just in case, you stubborn head of yours.

– Maybe later. I'm already late," I mouthed, sheathing my trusty sword and heading for the door. – Are you coming? – I asked without turning around.

– I'm coming, I'm coming… Just as long as nothing happens. It's going to be a cold day. Take care of yourself, you dummy! – Vit grumbled, and in a split second he was beside me.

– Don't worry, if I'm going to die, it won't be today," I tried to comfort him, and smiled at the thought that this walking ball of sarcasm had grown attached to me, and even so much so that he was afraid of losing me. That felt good.

I had gotten so used to Vit and his presence around me that sometimes it felt like he'd been with me since I was born. Maybe there was some truth to that, because, as it turned out, I had magic in my blood. But how do I know where it came from? Andrada couldn't answer that question, though she tried hard to find out, and even took a few drops of my blood to test it in her laboratory, but it seemed to be a mystery that would remain unsolved.

– I can't ask you to stay in the palace on a day like this, my lord," I heard Andrada's voice, and it snapped me out of my musings. She was walking toward me, so cold and beautiful, and she was carrying a silver goblet. – Here, drink this. It will replenish your strength. – She stopped beside me and handed me the goblet.

– You always take care of me," I murmured, and took it from her. I grinned wryly as I looked into it, the same potion Andrada used to give me every now and then. – To your health, my beautiful sorceress! – I drained the cup in one goblet and handed the empty vessel to Andrada.

She smiled, nodded, and wanted to pass by, but suddenly, without knowing why, I gently grabbed her elbow. Andrada immediately looked up at me in surprise.

– Court etiquette does not insist that magicians should be present at the memorial days, but I would like to see you in the church, – I said, scrutinizing the delicate graceful features of Andrada's face. This woman was not only beautiful and intelligent, but also had a unique charm. She was cold, but that was what attracted me, and I knew that not one but many men in the palace desired her or were even in love with her. But this proud daughter of Emmerlend never paid attention to the effect she was having on the hearts of these poor men.

– If you wish it, Your Majesty," Andrada nodded and gently released herself from my soft but insistent grip. – But you must hurry: the carriage and your subjects are waiting for you. Your mother and your daughters have already gone to the church, and Princess Hedda is already there.

– Let's go now. Enough talk," Vit rumbled, touching my black leather boot with his big paw.

– I'll meet you there, Andrada," I said, and continued on my way.

The snow leopard trotted along beside me.

Mark was waiting for me in the palace hall. He helped me into a wide black fur cloak, placed a heavy gold crown on my head, begged me in vain to put on fur gloves, and then walked me to the carriage. Wit jumped into the cushioned seat, I sat down beside him, and the carriage started toward the church where Sylvia and I had been married. It was there that every year a solemn mass was held in memory of the deceased king, and every year Hedda knelt before the altar, all the while the mass lasted several hours. This gave me a certain admiration and respect for Hedda, for I myself almost fell asleep sitting on the first bench from the altar. The monotonous chants and the Cardinal's nasal voice were like a lullaby to me. Fortunately, Alva and Villa kept me awake during the mass.

The square outside the church, full of smoke from the burning torches held by thousands of townspeople and peasants, was noisy, but when the door of my carriage opened and I appeared before the crowd, the royal horn blared and there was perfect silence. My arrival marked the beginning of mass, during which it was forbidden to speak even in whispers, which, however, was often broken.

Wit had disappeared.

As I entered the church and made my way to my pew, where my mother and daughters were already seated, I saw Hedda, and her mournful look made me cringe at the thought that I was a full quarter of an hour late. But Hedda did not seem to hold a grudge against me; when she saw me, she smiled softly and held out to me the palm of her hand, which was covered with a velvet black glove.

– I'm glad you're with us today, my king," she whispered to me, breaking the rules.

– Please forgive my tardiness. It won't happen again," I replied in the same whisper and took my seat.

Hedda walked down the aisle and knelt down.

The organ played loudly and pitifully.

"She would have been a splendid queen if I had not taken her father's throne," I thought involuntarily, looking at the kneeling princess.

Dressed in a black gown and with a translucent veil covering her snow-white hair, this girl represented an angel of sorrow. Her long white eyelashes, so unusual, gave Hedda the appearance of an ice maiden from the ancient legends of Kaldwind. Hedda was popular and beloved by the people, unlike me, but she had no interest in affairs of state; she had ceded the throne to me entirely willingly. Perhaps I should have befriended her, been more loyal to her, for she, besides loving and caring for my daughters, never showed any aggression or anger toward me, the usurper, as she might have called me.

– Papa, if Sylvia doesn't come back, why don't you marry Hedda? – Alva suddenly asked me.

I knew that she and the princess had a very warm friendship, but this question made me surprised: no, what are you making up!

– God forbid! – I laughed softly. – But enough talk, or we'll be kicked out of the church!

– You would be a good couple," Alva laughed at me again.

– You're wrong. And we won't broach the subject again," I said a little sternly, and Alva crossed her arms resentfully.

– Can I sleep? The sound of the organ makes me sad," I heard Vit's voice suddenly appear at my feet.

– Sleep, my friend. I don't think you'll be interested in listening to the scriptures," I said, barely audibly.

– Hmm…" my familiar hummed and curled up in a ball.

The mass was long and boring. Vilja shook her legs impatiently, Alva rubbed the laces of her cloak with a detached look, Vit was asleep, I was in a half-sleep, and only my mother listened attentively to every word the Cardinal said, repeating now and then: "Amen!".

Suddenly I felt a severe pain in my right temple and was surprised to find myself lying face up on the stone floor. Above me, my girls and Hedda were screaming with their mouths open, but not uttering a sound.

– What… What am I doing on the floor? – Touching the wound, I asked.

– You had a seizure, Your Majesty," Andrada's voice answered me, and I saw her standing beside me, towering over me, Hedda, and my daughters.

– A seizure? What the hell does that mean? It's never happened to me before," I asked, covering my eyes.

– It means that now my potion has no effect on you, and if your consort doesn't show up soon, soon Kaldwind will lose his king," Andrada answered me quietly.

"You are dying, my friend. I see a shadow beside you. It is the silhouette of Death, and it is patiently waiting for its time to take you to its halls," I heard Vit's voice full of longing in my mind.