Читать книгу The Dragon's Vow or the Stubborn Bride - - Страница 9

Mirre Blackrock, elemental mage, adept at the Academy of Wind and Storms. Border of Onyx Rocks and the Steppe of the Seventeen Winds.

The girls were waiting for me at the end of the corridor at the exit to the hall. I hurried towards them, putting on my coat as I went. At the same time, she tapped her pocket to check if the artifact was in place. For a second I was even afraid that I had dropped it, but the precious ball still remained with me.

– Chiari, is everything okay? – Ada asked quietly when I joined my group.

My confused state did not escape the attentive eyes of the northern woman.

“Yes, yes,” I waved it off, hiding my eyes.

– Ah, it seems to me…

– Everything is fine, Ada! The situation was just awkward, but it’s all over now. Nonsense! – I reassured my friend.

– Right?

– Exactly! “I nodded and turned to the others: “Girls, what are our plans?”

“We’ll go to the library to get textbooks, then to our room to clean up,” Volde answered for everyone.

– Maybe we’ll look at the schedule first and get the form? Just when the flow of visitors will subside,” Lisel suggested.

– Of course, let's go look at the schedule. It's right here!

Khvoyana pointed to a large stand in the center of the hall, to which a line of first-year adepts lined up. They approached one at a time and placed their palm on the large round stone at the bottom right, after which writing appeared on the surface of the stand, giving information about the group, class time and list of items. The stand quickly went out, so some did not have time to rewrite everything and applied their palm again to the displeasure of those waiting.

We walked up and also stood in line. The guys looked sideways at us, but were silent. Some actually blushed, and some looked with interest. I thought that they, like us, were embarrassed. That is OK. We will still study together, we will get to know each other in class and maybe even make friends with some of them.

The line was barely halfway through when a group of older adherents approached the stand, led by the same curly-haired guy who had provoked Zikki with his attention in the cafeteria. They watched us pointedly for a while, and then one asked:

–What are they doing, Harvey?

– What hole did these idiots come out of? – The other one grimaced.

– Disperse, young bastards! “They pushed the freshmen out of the way.

Curly slowly approached the stand and pathetically declared:

– Watch and learn!

He activated the stand, and the others simply came up one by one and applied sheets of paper or notepads to its surface – whoever had what. Harvey himself applied the sheet last, and then turned it over and, holding the top corners with two fingers, showed it to the newcomers.

– Nobody told you, right? “With feigned sympathy, he looked around at the new arrivals.

Next to me, Wolde’s paper rustled out of nowhere. It seems that she was the only one who thought of taking a notebook with her to the dining room.

– Be there! – Kudryaviy’s comrade waved his hand.

And he turned and said:

– Ashers, where are your manners? They could have let the girls go first, after all, they are the weaker sex.

He blew a kiss to Zikkaera, who almost lost her composure.

– Quiet, Zikki. Calm down! – Ada held her by the shoulder.

“I didn’t understand why then they didn’t let us through if those were the rules?” – Volde asked, clutching a notebook to her chest.

“Because they made fun of them and us,” her sister muttered.

“Come in, eshsheri,” the guys, embarrassed and ashamed of the senior student, suggested in disarray.

Kudryaviy’s group settled down in the recreation area. They chatted, looking in our direction every now and then. This seemed suspicious to me, and I decided to watch them too.

“Mirre,” Volde called me and handed me a sheet torn from the notebook. – Hold it.

– Thank you! – I thanked my prudent cousin.

Wolde sacrificed a notebook for us and provided everyone with paper, and Lisel went to the stand.

– Ready? – for some reason she asked and put her palm to the activator stone.

For a long moment we looked at the board in fascination:

“The theory of elemental magic, the history of magical science, the basics of everyday life, the basics of artifacts…” Zikki began to read aloud the list of items, and with each name she read, her eyes widened more and more.

However, the list turned out to be short and was completely different from what we had seen from first-year adherents before.

Something about it also confused me, and then I saw the name of the group: “Byt-0,” while the guys had something like “Sth-0” and “Sth-1” written on them. Meanwhile, the firewoman was pushed aside by Lisel and put her hand in, getting the same result. Then they tried Ada and Vilde. No difference. We were in a separate group for girls.

– The only thing missing is something like meditations to pacify the gift! – Adalbjorg grumbled, reading the schedule. – Was it worth trudging so far for this?

– What does all of this mean? – Zikki turned to us and her face turned red with rage. -Where are the elemental arts? Physical training? Combat meditation?

“Baby, this means that you are not yet trusted with such serious things,” Curly said knowingly, whose company came closer again.

– What do you mean by this, essher? – asked Zikki.

“I want to say that they opaquely hinted to you that your place… is not here,” Harvey smiled.

– And where? – the firewoman asked insinuatingly, unexpectedly gracefully stepping towards him.

I wanted to stop her, but Ada held me back.

– Don't interfere. Let her figure it out herself,” the northern woman whispered.

Having looked around picturesquely, Harvey, in turn, came closer and, putting his arm around Zikki’s shoulders in a familiar manner, said in an intimate tone:

– Your place is somewhere between the bedroom and the kitchen, eshsheri. It suits you best.

I didn’t even understand how it all happened. Here they are standing in an embrace, and to be honest, I’m perplexed why Zikki, with her character, allows this? And the next moment again! And I understood everything!

I don’t know if Curly understood anything, but, lying on the floor with his hand behind his back, he alternately yelled and swore, demanding to be let go immediately. Zikki sat on top and said something quietly. I suspect that she promised to tear off this very hand and insert it into some indecent place. Ognevichka did not study in boarding schools, and freedom of expression of thoughts in her had not yet been brought into the system of decency.

Having come to their senses, Curly’s comrades rushed to help, but a wall of fire that flared up right in front of their noses cooled the ardor. But for some reason I didn’t like the expression on their faces. It was somehow suspiciously pleased. As if something like this was expected.

– Zikki, no! – Lisel screamed, but it was too late.

The alarm sounded. Zikkaera, her defeated opponent, as well as two guys rushing to his aid, froze in the positions in which they were caught. Their figures were shrouded in a shimmering veil, and all they could do was breathe and blink.

– What's going on here? – Dean Krieger’s voice came from the stairs.

“Eshsheri dean, this crazy woman attacked me!” – Harvey blurted out. “I think she even broke my arm!”

– And she also used combat magic in the wrong place! – one of his friends complained.

– What a bat! – Ada hissed.

The word was unfamiliar, but definitely dirty.

– Is that so? – Estella Krieger came closer and carefully examined the scene. – Adepts, it seems to me that you have not yet realized where you are? The Academy is not a boarding school or a nursery; no one here will coddle with you. We have strict rules and you will follow them or we will say goodbye. And so you understand better, as an exception, everyone gets a minus point!

– For what? – Yumi squeaked, and her eyes filled with tears.

– This is unfair! – Khvoyana was indignant.

– Yes, I actually had nothing to do with it this time! – Vilde leaned forward, but her sister grabbed her by the elbow.

Ada and I looked at each other gloomily, but remained silent. It is clear that there is no point in objecting. This bitch hates us by default.

– I disagree! We haven’t had time to study the code yet, so we simply couldn’t know about the rules,” Lisel objected.

“Zikkaera was just defending herself,” I added, unable to remain on the sidelines any longer.

But Harvey did not want to admit the obvious, or was it something else?

– Not true! She was the first to attack. I just came up to talk, and she immediately used force!

– Yes, yes, that’s how it happened! – His comrades nodded.

“You let your hands go, and then the three of you attacked!” – I was indignant.

“We just wanted to help Harvey.”

“Nobody was going to touch your crazy girlfriend.” They would have pulled her aside and that was it!

– Unlike you, we know the rules!

The provocateurs vying with each other pretended to be innocent, and I realized that this was their plan. They set us up in the most trivial way!

The altercation attracted everyone's attention, and a whole crowd gathered in the hall to see what kind of scandal out of the blue. The adherents whispered, but tried not to come close. They were probably afraid of running into the wrath of Dean Krieger.

Suddenly I noticed a lonely figure. Some guy in a white jacket stood apart behind everyone at one of the columns. He was wearing a hood that hid his facial features, and he was definitely using some kind of magic. It seemed that this type simultaneously stood out among the others, and at the same time seemed invisible. It felt as if his gaze was slipping away from him. I had to make an effort to see.

I tugged at the northern woman’s sleeve, intending to show her this strange guy.

– Do you see him?

– Who, Chiara?

But the stranger was not in the same place.

“There’s no one anymore…” I said disappointedly.

“Eshsheri Dean, I could also use magic, but I didn’t even use my skills so as not to hurt the girl!” – Curly continued to make excuses.

The dean's wife waved her hand, and the stopping spell subsided. Zikki got off the defeated Curly and walked aside with a dissatisfied look. Harvey also rose from the floor.

– Adepts, it seems to me that you have a lot to do. Go. Adept Glin, show yourself to the healer. Escort your comrade,” Eshsheri Krieger commanded his henchmen.

Ada and I looked at each other meaningfully. Yeah…

– Thank you for your concern, eshsheri dean, but what could this girl do to me? Everything is fine with me. – Curly smiled.

Zikki started to jerk, wanting to hit him, but she stopped, and it suddenly seemed to me that the symbols on her jacket had darkened. It looked like she was trying her best to contain the flames right now!

– Well, as you know. All. Disperse! – Estella Krieger commanded, clapping her hands twice.

The performance was over, and the audience went in different directions to go about their business.

– And it's all? – Volde asked quietly.

It seems that my cousin is seriously upset.

– Don't worry, little sister. We will take revenge on them all,” the unusually quiet Vilde whispered in response.

– Ashsheri dean! – Zikki suddenly called out to our curator.

Estella Krieger turned around and, raising an eyebrow, looked at the firewoman with bewilderment.

– Did you want something, adept?

– Yes. I apologize if my question seems stupid to you, but I haven’t seen the academy code yet. So, please tell me where it is acceptable to use combat magic? It is advisable that the place be adapted to the fire element.

– Adept…

– Splash. Zikkaera Splash,” Zikki introduced herself.

– So, adept Splash, for this there is a training ground and an arena where competitions are held, as well as duels. This is all?

– Yes. Thank you, ashsheri dean. – Zikki turned and shouted at Harvey, who was heading towards the exit: – Hey, Glynn! Let's find out in the arena which of us is the weaker sex?

Curly turned around and grinned.

– It's covered, baby! Tomorrow at seven pm. I'll be looking forward to it. Wear your best. “He winked and saluted her with the air of a winner.

And I suddenly became interested in how the dean would react to what was happening. What if such behavior is considered unacceptable? To my surprise, Ashsheri Krieger had a nasty, but definitely satisfied smile on her lips, which she hid when she noticed my attention.

Hmm… What could this mean?

Estella Krieger, giving me a promising look, immediately knitted her eyebrows sternly and headed towards the stairs. And suddenly her path was blocked by the same guy I saw at the column. Now he was without a hood and stood closer, I was able to get a better look at him. The symbols on his clothes resembled those of Zikka. Artifacts or decorations in the form of crosses glittered in the ears. Snow-white hair, at first glance, was disheveled, but such a torn hairstyle gave charm. I couldn’t see the color of the eyes, but I noticed the tattoo on the neck. Is it really a dragon too?

“Eshsheri Dean, it’s unfair to punish only new students.” “Both sides are to blame in this conflict,” the stranger stood up for us, and I thought that I liked his voice. Soft, somehow even enveloping. I wanted to listen and listen to him. – You should deduct points from the guys too.

– Adept Dimma, will you tell me who to take points from and who not?! Leave your tricks to fool girls. Minus point!

The guy just shrugged and said:

– It was worth a try. Have a nice day, eshsheri dean, and may all good things return to you a hundredfold. – Bowing gallantly, the guy threw a loose hood over his head, which immediately hid the upper part of his face.

All the girls looked at the unexpected defender as he walked past. He moved smoothly and leisurely, like a large predator. When he caught up with Zikki, she reacted somehow strangely. It seemed to me that she instinctively wanted to follow him, or intended to ask him something, but seemed to change her mind.

– This is what I wanted to show you. So, Dimma? So he's from the royal family of mist dragons? – I expressed my thought out loud.

“Yeah,” Ada confirmed.

Slightly shaken by the incident, we retreated to one of the vacated seating areas to talk calmly there, rather than jostling in the middle of the hall.

– Girls, we need to do something! – said Lisel. -Have you seen the list of items? This is no good!

Everyone started making noise, expressing indignation.

– I think we need to fight for our rights! – said Willde.

– The rules must be the same for everyone! – supported sister Volde.

– Let them give us another curator! – suggested Khvoyana.

– And to whom should we go with such a request? – Ada grimaced skeptically.

– You need to go to the rector. It’s unlikely that anyone else will be able to help,” said the same enveloping voice.

The same guy was sitting on the sofa, crossing his legs. He was watching us from under the hood, and it was unclear how long he had been here?

Volde came closer and, placing her hands on her hips, asked:

–Are you spying on us?

Zikki stood next to her.

– What do you care about us anyway? – she asked.

“I don’t like injustice,” the guy answered.

– Asher, we are grateful to you for your advice and attempt to help, but, perhaps, we will sort out our problems ourselves. You’ve already lost a point because of us, whatever that means,” Lisel entered the conversation.

The guy stood up:

– As you know. Have a nice day eshsheri! And keep your eyes open. Not everyone here likes your presence.

Nodding to us goodbye, he headed away

– And you? – for some reason Zikkaera shouted at him behind him.

The mysterious young man did not respond, only lost his step for a moment.

“He’s kind of strange,” Ada muttered thoughtfully, pulling at her disheveled braid.

I glanced at her briefly, was distracted for just a split moment, and the guy disappeared. I even got a little angry.

– How he does it?

– What are you talking about? – the northern woman asked.

– Yes, he’s like a ghost! It appears and then disappears!

“He’s not a ghost, Mirre.” Dean Krieger was talking to him.

– I know…

Zikki plopped down on the sofa, spreading her arms along the back and crossing her legs. Whether she deliberately copied the misty pose, or whether it happened by accident, it turned out funny.

– Girls, he’s right! It seems that the only way to rectify the situation is to talk to the rector,” she said.

– Who will go? – Khvoyana asked.

From the tone in which she asked the question, it was clear that she was not ready to take on this responsible task.

Yumi immediately turned pale so that even the cypress in the pot could understand that even if she was carried and thrown into the office of Asher Schwartz by force, she still would not be able to utter a word.

– Lisel? – Ada turned to our unspoken leader and the most obvious candidate for the role of envoy.

– I?!

I don’t know why, but the usually brave girl, the daughter of Duke Conradine, suddenly became shy.

And then it dawned on me that of everyone, perhaps only me and Beate Hügel could freely enter the rector’s office without an invitation. But Beata isn’t here, and it also seems to me that the dragoness doesn’t care what subjects they teach us.