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Chapter 1. Shadow in the south.

There is a moment when summer suddenly gives way to the nature of autumn. Just yesterday, this same sun high on the horizon warmed the air. And now it’s either weak or tired, who knows, but it’s cold not only at night. It’s too early to take out fur coats, but you won’t see half-naked workers on the street. Birds notice these kinds of changes before people. They fly away from their nests, like refugees who leave their homes with a small knapsack in turbulent times, keeping in their hearts the fragile hope of returning. Nature fell asleep, having worked hard in the fields in the summer. The trees are preparing for the last ball of the season, putting on the most beautiful colorful outfits. And mushrooms, mushrooms! People said that this was a sign of an imminent war. Who knows? So far there was no sign of it. It smelled of dampness and moss.

Duke Rigerd walked around the garden, watching the aspen trees wither. He was an elderly man, but not a single hair of his was gray. Wrinkles are a reflection of deprivation. And, of course, a lot of scars on his face.

«There’s something romantic about this weather,» he said.

– Yes, Your Honor! – said Councilor Otraud. – I also love autumn.

– And to be honest, I’m not very good. Rain, cloudy, damp. But that’s not the case now. The bright sun does not seem to notice what is happening around. And I myself want to live and create.

Rigerd did not like stuffy choirs. During the harsh winters, he held meetings in the castle; more often they took place in the open air.

– So what did you want to tell me, adviser?

– Disturbing news reaches me from the south. Some shadows are moving there. People are whispering about this more and more loudly.

«People are always talking about something,» said the Duke. – If we listen to all the gossip, there won’t be enough ears.

– That’s right, Your Honor. Every day a hundred or two news arrive at me. We have to sort the wheat from the chaff. But this time the rumors have some basis. Ennian lands are deserted. People are leaving their homes. They seek a better life in Eldoras, some even reaching the Morelean forests. And everyone is talking about the same thing. Ghosts in black hoods entered their homes, depriving relatives of their sanity.

– What do you think: there is a new crazy sorcerer who is disturbing people by sending visions?

– I don’t know such magic, Your Honor. Most of the victims flatly refused to leave their homes. But one man’s wife finally persuaded him. I looked into his empty eyes. It feels like someone drank the life out of him completely.

– Necromancy?

«I don’t think so,» said Otraud. – He’s alive. But it was as if someone had cast a spell on him. I tried to remove all the curses I knew – without results.

– I wish I could take a look at this patient.

Otraud smiled meaningfully.

«I always believed in you,» said Rigerd. «Others have to repeat the order several times, but you understand me without a single word.» Lead!

The adviser opened the carriage door, and Rigerd sat down next to the young man. His bottomless eyes did not express even a shadow of emotion.

– What is your name? – asked Rigerd. The man continued to look with an unseeing gaze. Then the Duke had to repeat the question.

«His name is Asir, Your Honor,» said the woman, whom Rigerd did not immediately notice. – And I’m Elisa, his wife. Sorry, he hasn’t been himself lately.

– Tell me what happened?

– I barely lost my legs myself. And she saved the children. The good remains, but don’t care about it! We’ll make something new. But you can’t turn life back, it’s one, and it’s in the hands of mischievous Fate.

Shadows began to visit us. I didn’t believe it myself for a long time. People say things. We are far from the capital, and ordinary cities cannot be seen miles away. So let’s have fun as best we can. We tell stories, sometimes scary ones. But this time the stories turned out to be true. Many people have gone crazy. The wheat is heading, but they are lying on the stoves, not going to collect. The light, you see, is not nice to them. And one day trouble knocked on my door. I open my eyes in the middle of the night, and lo and behold, a dark hooded ghost stands in front of me. Asir, he is brave for me, he was not at a loss, he distracted the attack, and in the meantime I grabbed the children. They looked surprised, saying why she woke me up in the middle of the night, it was still dark. But I didn’t answer, I grabbed him under the armpits and carried him into the forest. You can even fight off wolves with a stick, but what can you do with evil spirits? It was only at dawn that I decided to return home. And there is Asir… – the woman burst into tears.

– Come out! – said Rigerd. Elisa obeyed him.

The Duke preserved the magic of the true Morellians. However, he could not use it in front of witnesses. If anyone finds out, especially the Emperor himself, do not cut off Rigerd’s head. The old ruler went crazy. In recent years, all he has been doing is searching for witches. Supposedly in the name of good, but how many good people from this wide world survived.

Rigerd ran his hand through the air, and a bluish fog flowed behind his palm. Useless. Asir continued to look at the Duke with an unseeing gaze. Rigerd looked into his bottomless eyes and stepped back. He frightenedly opened the carriage door and jumped out.

– Are you okay? asked Otraud.

– These spells were created by someone stronger than me. It’s a pity I can’t visit the Ennian lands myself. But I will send Leivead. My nephew took over our family’s gift for magic. Maybe he will be able to find out the truth?