Читать книгу Chronicles of the Coast, or Solveig’s Song. Realistic fantasy - Larisa Sugatova - Страница 8

Three versts away from the lodge on a bend of the river there is another lake, deeper and larger. On one sunny, warm day I went there. As I approached the shore, a slightly cool breeze began to caress the skin of my naked, heated hands, and the green leaves of the willows murmured softly somewhere in the height. I desperately wanted to dive into the lake, to feel the refreshing coolness. Pulling off my T-shirt and jeans, I walked down to the bottom, where there were fewer trees. When the locals couldn’t see me, I wore my own clothes; I was more comfortable in jeans than in a long skirt.

A marvelous view appeared before my eyes. The blue of the water in the distance and the clarity of the water in front of me reflected the white clouds floating in the sky, which looked like cotton candy. My mouth filled with saliva. Slowly, enjoying the shallow, warm water, I stepped into the beautiful lake. Green low shrubs and tall willows grew on all sides of the shore. The farther I went, the colder and darker the water became. The white lilies that came my way gave off a subtle scent. I swam and swam and dived until I felt cold. The thick trunks of trees and small bushes near the water hid me from uninvited glances, though there was no one to see in this quiet, deserted place. I got out, dried off a little, and pulled on my clothes.

There were many plants growing on the shore. I picked the ground with a splinter of branch, looking for roots of motherwort and soapflower. I’ll get some, not come back empty-handed. And suddenly…

They came out of nowhere. I was surrounded by three riders. Where did they come from? Who are they? What should I do? Questions raced through my head, but no answers.

One of them stopped right in front of me.

– Well, hello, beautiful! Where are you going? Would you like to go for a ride on a horse? – He was sarcastic.

That’s right. He was the one Ty was talking to when we came back from town. Glen, son of the Calshire chief. From the next village.

I tried to stall for time to think of something. But what was there to think of? I couldn’t handle them, that much was clear; I couldn’t escape.

– Who are you?

– Come on, don’t be afraid! We won’t hurt you. We’ve met before. We’re going on a visit,» said Glen.

– You go visiting willingly,» I told him.

– Well, you show your good will! – he laughed.

– Let me go,» I said, trying not to show that I was afraid.

– Let me go. You’ll stay with us for a while, and then we’ll let you go. Danny, come on,» he nodded to one of his partners.

The one in the back bent over and picked me up. The third had already dismounted from the horse, and had given me a lift from underneath. I was sitting on the horse in front of the rider.

We rode for a long time. The companion from behind skillfully ruled the horse. It was not very comfortable to sit. I was not accustomed to ride, and with a stranger in company.

My stomach rumbled and my mouth was dry.

– Glen, why don’t we stop? – my companion asked.

Glen was speaking to him as an equal:

– Okay. Not for long.

They built a fire, spread a clean tablecloth, and got food. Pies, bread, smoked meat, water, and something else in a bottle.

My mouth was watering.

– And what is this? – I asked, pointing to the bottle.

– I asked, pointing to the bottle. «It’s millet sake, we make it ourselves,» said Glen, who acted like the leader among them, and grinned, «do you like it?

– I haven’t tried it,» I answered, glancing at him.

None of them followed me around, but I kept catching someone’s eye. There was no escaping.

When the man who had offered me the tincture, Glen, stepped back, I glanced at the companion sitting next to me, who reminded me a little of Ty.

He smiled a little embarrassed, and spoke.

– I’m Danny. Don’t be afraid, Lisa. No one’s going to hurt you. It’s just that Glen wants you to take his side, to be on his side,» said the boy softly.

– What? Which side? I don’t even know what you’re talking about.

– You’re Ty’s girlfriend,» he said.

– Me? Ty’s my friend. Do you want to hurt Ty? But why? – I stared at Danny with my eyes wide open in surprise.

– It’ll be okay. No one’s going to hurt you,» he said calmly.

– And what about Ty? – I asked.

He didn’t answer. He just sat there staring at himself.

– How do you know my name? – I asked the question again.

– Ty called you that in the woods when you were leaving town,» he said simply.

He remembered. I didn’t remember it until he told me we’d met.

Glen and their third companion stood in the distance, talking. Danny got up impetuously and disappeared behind the trees. He was gone for a long time. Glen and Andrew were exhausted from driving to get there in time for daylight. Glen couldn’t stand it, so he went to where Danny had hidden.

They appeared like ghosts in the silence. A dark cloud covered the sky behind Danny and Glenn. It was gray, as if evening had descended. Glen was supporting Danny, who was pale, struggling to move his legs, his shirt stained with blood.

– What happened? – Andrew looked at them in surprise. Blood was dripping down Danny’s arm from under the torn rags of his sleeve.

– It looked like someone had shot an arrow at Danny. They don’t know how to hunt. We got to get out of here fast.

– We should bandage him up. You got anything? – I was looking at Glenn.

– No.

– Take your shirt off.

– Why? – Glen stared at me in amazement.

– «I don’t know what you’re talking about. And give me the belt,» I hurried him.

– Ah…» Glen wanted to say something, but I had to look at him so he wouldn’t argue. I may be shy with people, but when the situation calls for it, I have to activate my special «command» mode.

I stopped the blood.

– Who took the arrow out? – I looked at Danny questioningly.

– Denny must have pulled it out of surprise,» Glen answered.

– You could have bled out. Don’t do that again,» I said to Danny. «Give me your sake,» I held out my hand without looking at Glen or Andrew.

– Wow, look at that! – they laughed.

– Not for me. Him,“ I nodded at Danny, „Are you crazy? – and looked at them in indignation.

They got quiet, and Andrew handed me the bottle. I poured some water on the wound, ripped enough fabric from my shirt, and bandaged it up.

– You’ll live,» I said, looking Danny in the eye.

– Thank you,» Danny looked at me appreciatively.

I nodded.

– Take a sip,» Glen handed him the bottle of tincture.

– He needed to rest, to drink something warm and sweet.

– We’ll be here till tonight, and in the meantime there’s a murderer snooping around, and we don’t know who he is,» Glen answered.

– What if it were you? – I squealed. I didn’t look at him; I didn’t like the man. He wants to annoy Ty, so he’s not exactly my friend, even though he acts like we’ve known each other for a long time and there’s no reason to keep me imprisoned between us.

– Let’s get everything together. Quickly,» Glen said to Andrew.

Andrew ditched the fading fire, and we set off.

We rode in silence for a long time.

We got a little behind our companions, and Danny spoke:

– Glen’s not a bad man. He’s a good friend. We went hunting with him once. I hurt my leg that time,“ Danny’s lips stretched into a smile, „I’m lucky, aren’t I? Well, he saved me,“ he went on, „When I couldn’t walk, Glen carried me for twenty kilometers.

I squinted incredulously. Danny didn’t sound suspicious; there was something sincere about what he was saying.

– I heard that Glen was burning down the houses of the poor? – I asked Danny.

One of Ty’s friends had told me about it, Alex, I think; he always liked to talk.

– No. He’d come to the village with the tax collector. There was a thunderstorm, and a lightning strike set the house on fire. It was an accident and a coincidence that Glen was in that house just before the storm.

Danny stared thoughtfully at the white cotton clouds floating in the distance.

– What do you want with me? What do you want with Ty? – I took advantage of Danny’s talkativeness to ask.

– It’s just that Glen likes power. He wants to run your village, too,» Danny said quietly.

– Doesn’t Glen’s lip crack? – I asked.

– I don’t think so. Why do you ask? – Danny obviously didn’t understand me, or pretended not to.

– Because it would be greasy for him,» I continued to sneer.

– Well, we’ll give him some ointment,» Danny said, as if nothing had happened.

Yeah. Now we’re talking.

I pondered the rest of the way. So they kidnapped me so that Ty would resign his powers in exchange for my release, handing them over to Glen. Voluntarily, without bloodshed. But Ty’s only the executor; his father Tarius runs everything in the village.

– You look like a butterfly right now, you know,» Danny squints and looks at me and smiles.

It pulls me out of my thoughts in an unexpected way.

– Why? – I turn around and look at him in surprise.

– Our people have a belief that everything is in our hands. The saints guide us. We obey them. You’re in Glenn’s hands now. If he squeezes his palms, the butterfly dies; if he opens them, it flies away.

– So everything is in Glen’s hands? Not yours and not mine? Then are you in his hands, too? – I asked.

Danny smiled thoughtfully:

– It’s not that simple,» he said, «And I don’t think I look like a butterfly,» Danny squinted again and smiled, winking at me.

What? Did he just wink at me? What’s that? Why? Why did I even turn around and look at him?

We drove for a long time, off-road, or rather, on some scarcely recognizable trail. Finally we arrived at Glen’s estate, beyond which there was a Calshire village.

– Here we are. «Whaley’s next.

– What?» I jumped.

– That’s the name of the village,“ Danny answered, „where the Calshires live.

«At least there’s something permanent in the world. At least the name,» I thought sadly.