Читать книгу A demon’s rival - Natalie Yacobson - Страница 3

The voices above the carriage seemed like a dream. Could she have dozed off on the road? Samantha looked out the window for the fairies. Were they really following the carriage? No, it must have been a dream. Who was she to get the fairies’ sympathy? Rumor has it that fairies suddenly appear out of the void to advise only special girls. And she is an ordinary provincial noblewoman. Her manners, education and appearance leave much to be desired. An unusual mole in the shape of a star on her shoulder is the most unique thing about her. For some reason, superstitious people called this mole a mark of fairies, so Samantha tried not to wear dresses with open shoulders. It’s uncomfortable to have fingers pointed at you. In the Inquisition, they might call it a witch’s mark and send Samantha to the stake. There’s an inquisition in the capital. Samantha hated to go there, but she couldn’t turn back. Her mother had told the coachman, when he complained of frequent attacks by robbers, that even if he met a demon on the road, he couldn’t go back.

«We won’t meet a demon, but the bandits might attack us,» Samantha grumbled, hoping the fairies would respond again, but they were silent. Or were they not even here anymore? If the fairies didn’t follow the carriage, then the boundaries were indeed dangerous.

Samantha became despondent. Even though the fairies hadn’t spoken to her specifically, they had indirectly given her advice: don’t go to Ivylor. It’s dangerous! It would have been better if they had given such advice to her mother. Only Samantha’s mother could decide where her daughter would go. Samantha was tired of feeling powerless, but not having a penny to her name, she could not do what she wanted.

An owl hooted somewhere. It was normal for nighttime, but the disturbed cries of day birds were not supposed to be heard at night. Samantha recognized the startled trills of nightingales, kingfishers, and skylarks. A flock of birds was flying away from the forest. Their wings hit the roof of the carriage. Samantha recognized woodpeckers, thrushes, magpies and orioles. Were the birds migrating? Or had something frightened them so much that they were hurrying away from the forest? The forest animals also ran away with such speed that they almost got under the wheels of the carriage. The coachman had to slow down. Samantha watched in amazement as foxes, squirrels, hares and even moles ran away from the forest. Could there be a forest fire raging ahead? No orange flames could be seen in the distance. Could the animals and birds have gone mad?

Suddenly the horses in the carriage reared up. The carriage almost overturned. Samantha fell from her seat and hit her shoulder against the wall.

«It hurts!» Someone nearby squeaked.

Samantha looked over her shoulder for the person who had spoken. Had the leprechaun from the fields the carriage had passed this morning jumped into the carriage and hid under the seat? No mice or leprechauns in sight. But the dress had slipped off Samantha’s shoulder, and the star-shaped mole shone as brightly as if it had been a star. What an obsession! Samantha tried to pull up the sleeve, but it was torn. And the mole shone more and more dazzlingly.

«It must be a fairy’s joke!» Samantha complained as the coachman struggled to hold the horses. It seemed the horses were frightened by something and might have gotten loose. Samantha could hear them snorting excitedly.

What was going on in the forest that all the animals were so frightened? If the fairies were flying nearby again, one could ask them. If only they’d honor an ordinary Earth girl with an answer.

«Hey, coachman,» Samantha called, and then bit her lip. Her accent and manner seemed too rustic. How would a highborn lady call her servant? While Samantha was thinking, the carriage stopped. It smelled hot from the darkness, like a furnace. So there really was a forest fire up ahead. It meant they’d never make it to lvilor. Samantha rejoiced. Now they could go home.

She was early to rejoice. Neither the grooms nor the coachman responded. Had they been kidnapped by fairies? Samantha cautiously opened the carriage door. An unbearably bright light struck her eyes. A circle of fire was shining right on the road. Only a dragon could leave such a mark on the road. Samantha was frightened. Was here a dragon? Surely it intends to kidnap an innocent girl and take her to its caves. We must escape!

The circle of fire blazed brighter and brighter. Tongues of flame rose to the dark sky, but for some reason they did not spread through the forest, even though the trees were close to the road, and dry twigs were lying on the road itself. Somehow it was suspicious! The fire looked like a witch’s circle. Samantha became interested. Curiosity was stronger than panic. The girl got out of the carriage and stood on tiptoe to peer into the circle. No dragon was there, but a small, skinny black creature was hopping around inside the circle. He had a long tail. Was it a demon? It was horned, ugly, and incredibly agile. But its voice was pleasant, like a minstrel’s. The imp was humming some kind of counting song.

The nimble demon released his claws. Samantha was afraid that he would attack her and jumped aside, but the demon put his clawed paw on the throat of the dead girl, who was lying in a circle of fire. Judging by her dress with diamonds, she was no less than a duchess. Samantha looked at her jewelry with envy. Though was it wise to envy a dead woman? However, the demon quickly removed the jewelry from her, and they disappeared as if dissolved in his clawed paws. The body of the dead girl was mercilessly wounded by the demon, and he made some fanciful marks on the ground with her blood. He drew them with his claw more evenly than with a pen.

«Let all who pass through here know what happens to those who cross me, the great Ibracimus of Hell!» The evil black creature proclaimed. «All travelers spread the rumor of how powerful I am! Or else you’ll be in trouble!»

The demon suddenly noticed Samantha and wanted to jump on her. Now he would sink his claws into her throat and she would become the second corpse on the road. Samantha suddenly noticed that the coachman and the groomsmen were already dead, with claw marks on their throats. Pieces of meat had been torn from their bodies, as if a cannibal had feasted here. Demons must be feeding on humans. She’s going to die in this forest! That’s why she was so reluctant to go on the journey! Samantha waited for the fatal attack, but she guessed the demon had had enough.

«Hey, girl!» He called out to her. «Do you swear to spread frightening news about me all over the neighborhood?»

«Yes, of course, Your Infernal Majesty,» Samantha mumbled hastily, and even wanted to curtsy before the demon, but her legs wouldn’t bend with fear.

«Then live! But if I find out that you kept what you saw on the road tonight from anyone, I will come to your bedroom and tear you to pieces with my claws in your sleep.»

The imp jumped almost to the heavens and disappeared from the circle of fire. The fire immediately went out, but the dead body of the noblewoman was left lying on the road, and around it stretched a ligature of bizarre bloody symbols. The symbols must be witchcraft. Samantha was afraid to go near them. The dead girl was a very beautiful lush-breasted brunette. Her dress of the finest Alur’s brocade was embroidered with the ducal arms. Samantha would have wished her to rest in peace had she not feared the demon’s vengeance.

«Does he really want everyone to know about his misdeeds?» She wondered. «He should be in the theater. He must have been thrown out of hell for striving for the stage.»

The coachman’s body slid off the horses and fell to the ground. Samantha realized it was useless to wait on the road. There were no helpers in sight. Unless another pack of demons swooped down and tore her apart.

It was hard for the girl to get on the goats herself and make the unruly horses move. They were so frightened that they refused to move forward for a long time. When the carriage did move, the horses went around the unfortunate circle and nearly broke their legs, for there was a ravine at the side of the road.

«The lady is driving the carriage! That’s no good,» whispered from behind the puzzled voices of the forest fairies.

Had the fairies begun to behave like high society gossips? Samantha herself knew that a lady should not replace the coachman. But with no coachman and a forest full of evil, what could be done?

In the morning, Samantha thought she was just dreaming, but at court she spotted the fairies again.