Читать книгу A little time to enjoy eternity - - Страница 10

PARADISE»

At first we rode in silence. Everyone was thinking about their own things. Damiel

struggled to remember what had become of the silver sword. Kei-

jigen was trying to figure out the best way to talk to Arfi-

mino. Reana began to wonder if she

was doing the right thing by jumping into such an adventure – going

off somewhere with strange strangers. After all, if

something happens, she will not be able to stand up for herself, and no one will look for her

will not be. The enthusiasm has passed, the desire to perform feats

has become dull. Despite the cheerful music, I felt a little

sad and restless.

Keijigen was driving very fast, exceeding all

possible limits. Reana couldn’t stand it:

«Is it okay that this is the fifth time you’ve flown here?»

How many penalties have you already collected…

He grinned:

– It’s all small things, I can afford!

«Uh, look at the road, please,» she said worriedly.

Reana. – It’s already too fast…

«I’m a pro,» the ex – demon grinned. – Tell

us better, did you learn anything new?

«We didn’t understand it ourselves,» Reana began.

44

«Yes, yes,» Damiel nodded from behind. – It is not known what

it did. I didn’t feel that anything had changed.

Try it out, «he suggested, pointing at Keijigen.

«Is it okay that he’s driving?» —

Reana decided to rebuild.

«Nothing,» the ex-demon said cheerfully. «Come on, just

gently.

Reana didn’t appreciate the joke. She silently touched ru-

ki, who was holding the steering wheel. And nothing happened. That one didn

’t even light up.

«Do you feel anything?» Reana asked.

Keijigen wanted to joke again, but held back.

«I don’t think so,» he said honestly.

Reana took her hand away.

«Maybe I broke down?» – What is it? «she asked. – Or a charge

is it over? Or I do not know how it is at all… sorry, of course

…sorry…

«By the way,» Keijigen said suddenly, meaningfully

,and turned to face Damiel for a few seconds. —

It doesn’t look like a battery.» I just remembered that we had some cases with canaries

,everything is banal there… Well, a surge of strength and all that

…but to treat-not once.

Damiel clasped his hands together and said thoughtfully —

«That place has always been a battery… always… but

something strange is happening right now… I agree that the treatment is

too much, but I do not know how to explain it. Previously, everything was

simple. Now I can’t get any advice and I’m at a loss

to guess… what other energy substances

on Earth do we know?

– We recall the textbook for the tenth grade… – smiled-

Xia Keijigen. – Vorman?

– No! they both answered in unison.

– Svetoch?

– Nothing at all…

«I agree!

45

– Limiantis?

– It doesn’t look like it, and the ocean is far away…

– Excelsior?

– What do you mean?

– Ingentusa, of course!

– The last call was almost a hundred years ago…

Reana listened to their conversation and had absolutely no idea

what these unfamiliar words meant, it was all very

mysterious and interesting, but she did not

dare to ask. The fast ride rocked her, and soon her eyes began

to droop – because she hadn’t

had much sleep that night. Reana stopped struggling with herself and

dozed off.

«We’re here!» A voice roused her.

The car stopped near a massive building that glowed with a bunch of different —

colored light bulbs and other illumination

.The main part of it was circular,

with many large and small turrets with

sharp pyramidal roofs at the edges, people crowded at the entrance

,and a huge sign above the doors with an even greater variety of lights

and neon tubes: Grand

Paradise.

«Good afternoon, Mr. Oxenhorn,» he blurted,

and took the keys from Keijigen.

They got out of the car.

«Follow me,» he said to his companions

Keijigen pushed his way through the crowd.

«Max, hi, these two are with me,» he said to the guard

.

«Yes, sir,» he said, and his eyes widened

in surprise. He’d never seen the chief look like this before

in poor condition: the right leg hung

in tatters, soiled and torn in several places.-

46

ka, the strange satellites – it all looked incomprehensible,

strange, but Max, of course, did not dare to ask about what had happened

.

They passed through the vending machine room and went upstairs. The

main elevator was surrounded by mirrors in beautiful gold

frames with intricate patterns, flowers, and birds. Ryo-

ana started to stare at them, but after a few seconds

the sound of a bell announced that they had arrived.

Keijigen strode confidently down a narrow

corridor with many closed mahogany doors.

There were paintings on the walls, and electric

candelabra decorated with intricate designs glowed.

Suddenly, a small bald man

with thick glasses came out of one of the doors. He ran

a few steps behind Keijigen and called out,

«Mr. Oxenhorn, I’ve been calling you all morning, where did you

go?» You should definitely take a look…

Keijigen stopped and asked him,

«Tommy, have you seen Oksana and Liliana?

«No, sir… not since last night, which is very

strange – neither you, nor Mrs. Wizzle, nor Mrs. Tarden-

I’m sick, and the phones aren’t available. I was afraid

you’d all gone somewhere…

Keijigen frowned, a faint

trace of sadness showing on his face.

«What have you got there?» he said softly.

Tommy glanced at his companions.

«Speak in front of them,» the chief said.

«Mr. Oxenhorn,» Tommy

said, opening the folder and pulling out some papers. «The IRS

requires us to -" he began running his finger down the page. —

Keijigen snatched the paper out of Tommy’s hand and quickly scanned

the page with his eyes.

47

– Pick up the documentation for the last five years,

do everything the same as we did then. Tommy, I’m going to be

very busy for now – " he pointed at Damiel and Reana.»

Family problems,» he added with a sigh. – I believe

in you, you can do it, «and, patting the employee on the shoulder,

he went further down the corridor. «The seal is in the big safe.

Then you can sign for me.

After a couple of steps, he opened the right-hand door and

nodded for his companions to enter.

Tommy watched them go with a sympathetic look.

The place they were in was more like

the museum. Reana immediately had associations with the castle of the vo-

seventeenth century: the interior was made in the style of such

a lush Baroque in red, black and gold tones, which

at the same time caused both admiration and bewilderment.

Thick curtains covered the windows, creating a dimness

that faded into the silence of the room. Keijigen turned

on the light, opened a cabinet that ran along one wall, and silently

looked at the contents.

Damiel suddenly broke the silence:

«Guys, I think I have a problem! The lower

abdomen is so heavy! This is getting very uncomfortable…

Is this normal? He looked at them with surprised eyes

and batted his eyelashes.

The ex-demon rolled his eyes. – Let’s go quickly… and then there’s a Persian carpet.

He tugged on

Damiel’s arm and led him out of the room, grumbling, «I hope it’s just

a little thing… tell anyone else, because they won’t believe me-

so I can… teach them.»…

The door closed, and Reana didn’t hear the rest of the sentence.

But I just realized what had happened. Poor Damiel.

She felt sorry for him. Everything is new to him, probably

harder and scarier than everyone else, but he just doesn’t show it…

Reana sat down on a gilded chair next

to a huge writing table and examined the items on it.

48

things. Almost every one seemed to be a work

of art: an incredibly beautiful vase, as if with a lively frozen

composition of flowers, a clock with a Roman dial,

which looked like a small palace with towers

and the finest details – they could be

viewed for hours. Table lamp in the form of a wave and a ball —

lamp hanging from it, various figurines…

The largest of them, a golden – colored thirty-

centimeter-tall figure with wings, seemed, on the one hand,

very majestic and refined, on the other hand,

there was something frightening, repulsive about it, as if it

looked through you, looked into your soul. Reana rez-

ko looked away. The only thing that didn’t fit in

was the monitor screen on the desk in the corner. A huge silver

macintosh covered about a third of the work surface.

But then the companions returned. Noticeably cheered up, Da-

miel announced from the doorway,

«We’re doing fine!

«Oh, shut up! Keijigen said softly. —

No one thought to worry…

He went back to the closet.

«Well, that’s not it – » he said, quickly sorting through the hangers,»

that’s for me,» and tossed one of the suits onto a chair.

«Here! I think you’ll fit in. – Ex-demon got it

a large black bag off one of the shelves.

«Should I go out?» Reana asked.

«Not necessarily,» Keijigen said, unbuttoning

his shirt. «Just don’t peek,» he added

,smiling.

Reana turned away and could only hear her sniffling and groaning

Damiel.

«That’s a devilish outfit,» he lamented.

«You just don’t understand,» Keiji —

kyung replied cheerfully. «Everyone goes like this now – very fashionable, ksta —

ti clothes, expensive, designer! At one time, a lot of money for them

49

fuck off. And that’s probably the only thing I’ve got on you right now.

You know, I don’t want to go

to Magazin and waste my time on it.

After a few minutes, Keijigen called out cheerfully,

«Ryoana, look!

She turned impatiently and smiled,

covering her mouth with her hand.

biker in a very cool black motorcycle suit.

The trousers and jacket were sewn with gray protective inserts,

the sleeves and shins were painted with stars and some

inscriptions. Athletic boots matched the suit.

Damiel lowered his chin.

«Laugh, laugh! – with a sad voice, he said

«But I won’t stand for it!» He tore off

the goat’s skull and horns patch on the left side of his jacket

and tossed it aside.

«For God’s sake! Keijigen spread his hands. —

I don’t remember where the helmet is… but I probably don’t need it.»

Reana gathered her thoughts and words, and she really

wanted to cheer Damiel up, to say something nice,

because he really looked cool in this suit,

and many ladies would find him very attractive.

She stepped closer and zipped up the straps of her jacket

.

– Great! – No, «she said. «It suits you very well!»

«It doesn’t matter,» he said. «It’s all

material and empty…» But it was clear from his tone

that the kind words pleased him.

Keijigen, meanwhile, dressed to perfection in a new

three-piece suit, was already sitting at his computer, scribbling

an address on a piece of paper.

«Here,» he said, waving a piece of paper in the air. – Let’s go!

While that rascal is still out there…

They hurried out.

50