Читать книгу Flooded city - Рамиль Латыпов - Страница 4

I haven’t slept so sweetly in a long time. I woke up to the jolt of a cart. It was already morning. The sun rose. The dwarf brothers were arguing in a language I didn’t recognize. Although I studied a lot of them at the academy. Sophia was sleeping next to him. Her sleep was troubled. She tossed and turned and twitched her arms. I remembered my life in captivity apparently. She’d been through a lot. Now I’m always ready to attack. We need to change. I’ll be gentle with her. She’s my servant, my life’s debtor. Our fates are linked.

«Michael’s awake,» Mateo’s familiar voice said. He rode beside us on a two-meter-tall lizard that stood on both legs. Here they were called «reptiles».

– Yes, the dream was sweet. I can’t believe it myself.

– You obviously had a lot of problems. So they broke out. I needed some rest.» He’s a good guy, even if he’s a dwarf.

– Everyone has problems. How much further to go?

«Seven hours, maybe eight. Roads can be crowded. Especially the bridge on the river Irig. Customs officers are standing there shaking money. Scoundrels. He spat. – Who will restore order here?

– A strong warrior who will bring everything back in ten years. – Said the awakened Sophia. – In my country, it was the same in Malawi.

«It may well be. The dwarf said sadly. «And good morning, young lady.» You want to eat. I made tea and sandwiches. Or you need a rest stop. Wash up there and – " He paused meaningfully, alluding to the bushes. – Go to the bushes. The slaughterer can do anything. I know about you. I’ve heard rumors.

– Yes, I can. – I didn’t try to dispel his misconceptions. A mage’s honor is more precious. I’ll be patient.

We stopped. While the lady went into the bushes, the dwarves quickly set up tables and chairs. A couple of minutes later, I saw two tables filled with cups of tea and sandwiches. I waited for my companion, and we ate. She never spoke to me. It may calm down over time. I never understood these ladies. They will be offended and sulk. No, just to talk.

Then they cleaned up just as quickly and drove on. Dwarves are a jolly lot. They sang songs. We distributed dark kvass to everyone. After a couple of mugs, I started singing along, even though I didn’t understand the words.

We passed the border calmly. The dwarves clawed at the grimy guard and rode on. So we ended up in a no-man’s-land between states.

Several hours passed. The dwarves in my cart started shouting loudly. I realized this was not good. I took a closer look. Oh, the horror. A crowd of magical beasts is coming at us. My companion didn’t know what to do either, so she just snuggled up to me. He looks at me with cute eyes. How not to protect it. He began to recite spells.

«What are you thinking?» That’s what we came here for. Mateo said proudly. I looked at the other dwarves. They weren’t afraid, on the contrary, they were exultant. – We’re animal hunters, lad. Sit still in the cart and we’ll do it ourselves.

The dwarves pulled the wagons to the side of the road. We got up with nets along the road. The crowd of beasts was rushing towards them. Here the first of them began to approach. They caught them with nets. And stunned with crossbow bolts. Although they were small and no more than five feet tall, they were agile. By the time the herd of magical beasts left, they had captured fifty magical beasts. Mostly big birds. But there were five magus wolves and a behemoth among them.

– They have migration now. It’s time for a hunt. Mateo said, sweating profusely. He looked pleased with himself. «We’ve caught some of the prettiest of them. And in no man’s land. Taxes do not have to be paid for trapping, only for import. Profitably. Hooray guys.

All the dwarves cheered. It was a good day for them. Sophia pulled away from me with a snort of disdain. I knew I had to get this over with.

«Hit me and we’ll forget about that conversation.» – I thought she’d say something and start a conversation.» But the blow came quickly. In the jaw. To my most precious place on the face.

«We’re done here. She continued, apparently reassured. «So the dwarf brothers are smugglers. They steal animals during migration, then sell them at home. With the proceeds, they buy various goods in Magma and sell them in the country of Otis people. Wise. And the main thing is almost legal. Dwarves border guards humanly read poorly and documents are easily forged.

«That’s right, sister. The jolly dwarf said as he built a cage on the second cart. – You adventurers will have to change to a reptile. We need carts like cages.

«Come on, Michael. I get seasick on them, so I’ll sit in the back. I don’t like animals at all. She said as she helped me up from the floor of the cart. She’s got a good punch.

The animal we got is old, but calm. The thief didn’t like him, though. She stopped dead in front of him. She’s shaking all over. Beat it.

«Are you afraid of reptiles?» They are kind. I tamed a lot of them at the academy. I said and sat on it deftly. Then he patted the green head. So they become kinder.

«No, I’m not afraid of them,» said Sofya, all trembling. And when the beast began to sniff at him, he fell to the ground, closing his eyes. The dwarves, to their credit, did not laugh at her, but continued to build their cages in silence.

«Sit behind me and close your eyes.» He won’t bite, I promise.

– OK. But if you cheat and he bites me. She showed me her small fist. Although I already knew its power.

«I promise.»

I got off the reptile. He made her lie down on the ground. Her companion struggled to sit on it. I ordered the beast to stand up. He stood up in a flash. The lady began to tremble.

«Close your eyes and don’t open them.

She closed it. I can see she’s starting to trust me. I sat on the beast. He took the lady’s hands and placed them on his waist. She couldn’t resist and clung to me. She has strong hands. Deft fingers.

«That the dwarf brothers are going to Magma.

– yes. Hooray for the lady on the reptile. The dwarf said. Everyone else started cheering. Apparently they are kind guys.

Ten minutes later, we continued on our way. Cages full of bound animals. Gnomes singing funny songs. And the lady behind me who cursed all the reptiles in this sinful world. That’s the song they sang. The senior dwarf translated it for me.

«On the road of stone we go home, we go

On the road from the boards we go home, go

On the road from the rubble we go home, go

Off-road we go home, go

We don’t care about the road. We only care about one thing.

That we’re going home, we’re going

For many years we have been racing from city to city.

For many years we have been racing from village to village.

For many years we have been riding from the desert to the forest.

The main thing is not to forget at the end.

That we’re going home, we’re going.

We don’t need riches and gold.

We don’t need peace and comfort.

The main thing to always remember is friends.

Why are we going on the road?

And most importantly, we are going home, we are going»

The road moved from the wooded area to the desert. The transition was very abrupt. The winds were blowing in our faces. Three hours later, the road changed back to a treeless plain with bushes and sparse grass. I felt that there was some magic involved. Large magical changes to the soil do not lead to good. So the magical beasts have bred. Without such poachers, their numbers would have long since become menacing.

Border. I recognized her immediately. Several thousand soldiers are camped near it. There are also several carts at the entrance. Oddly enough, the road was deserted most of the time. What’s the big deal? We need to find out.

«What’s the matter?» Who knows?

«I don’t know. When we went out, everything was quiet. I thought we were lucky that there were no competitors on the road. Now I see that there is a reason. We’ll drive up and find out. Mateo said with a blank look. The other dwarves were arguing. Their dissatisfaction with the situation could be seen. If the border is closed, we will have to go back with the prohibited goods. Which probably needs to be killed or released. The losses will be big. After all, we will have to pay the full amount. After all, we made our own robot. We escorted them to the border and back. The guild, of course, will get its own percentage.