Раненая лань

Глава XI

James couldn't hold back the tears. My father was very unfair. He knew that James knew where Inessa was and that the guards had tricked her into catching her. The moment his hysterical sister was locked in a room, the fifteen-year-old boy's heart broke. He was angry not only with his father, but also with himself. I had to be careful. What difference would it have made if James had brought his sister to Godfrida? He would have locked her in the same room, and Inessa would have continued to hate him just as much. The Prince also missed a fencing class, which made Monsieur Colman very angry. He complained about this to the king, who in turn promised that James would definitely work out the missed lesson in two classes. The boy felt depressed. He had never felt so terrible. He couldn't talk to his sister because she was locked in a room and no one was allowed in, and he couldn't talk to his father because he was too angry with him. He couldn't talk to anyone, and it was too depressing. James did not like to be alone, he always found support either from his parents, or from his sister, or at least from Afika. But now the groom's daughter was nowhere to be found, so the boy strolled through the corridors of the castle all alone, complaining to himself about his hard fate. How he wished he could go back to the day when his mother left Creople for castle Black. He still remembered her red dress, the gold tiara in her long black hair, the white gloves. He and Izik, James a's younger brother, were going to spend two weeks at castle Black for the annual harvest festival. On the day of their departure, James learned a very important news - his mother is pregnant...- Wow! - ten-year-old James was very happy with this news-so she will return from the black earth with her sister?They were standing in the courtyard of Creople, where a smart carriage with four white mares was parked. And in the middle of the courtyard there was a fountain with a whole herd of realistic stone horses. There were so many of them that izik first counted them two times five, then two times eight, but in both cases He was wrong. James wanted to ride in such a beautiful carriage and envied Izik, who was allowed to go to the black earth with his mother— - No, - godfrid grinned, — and why did you decide that it was with your sister? I thought that you had enough of the vagaries of Inessa.- Not enough! James looked around for his younger sister, but couldn't find her among the many servants who were going back and forth to equip the carriage, " but one of them was enough for me. He's unbearable!Godfrid laughed softly. He couldn't tell anyone, not even himself, but he loved James a the most. Patting his son's blond hair, he tried to find Zarai, who was due to give birth in four months. How he did not want to let her go to the black earth in this position, but there was no choice. Tradition is tradition, and the Queen must attend that feast. If it hadn't been for the first raids of Haystar troops on his land, godfrid would have gone with his wife. But now he must sit in the castle and come up with various reasons to justify the burned villages. James didn't want to let his mother go. He could hardly hold back his tears as he watched her say goodbye to everyone, as people bowed to her. Zarai hugged everyone who came near her, smiled, and accepted small gifts if they were given to her. James admired his mother's ability to find common ground with everyone. He didn't know a single person who was displeased with the Queen. He knew that not everyone liked Godfried and his politics, but he had never heard anyone say anything bad about his mother. James had been looking for his sister for a long time, but she was nowhere to be found. He knew perfectly well that she wanted to say goodbye to her mother, but for some reason she didn't. This strained the Prince, and he was afraid that nothing would happen to his little sister."Inessa has already said good — bye to her mother and is now in class at the castle," godfrid said simply..."She has an etiquette class scheduled, James . Besides, the Queen isn't going away for long, so I don't see any point in her getting in the way. Let him do something useful, " godfrid said. James looked confused. He knew it shouldn't be like this, knew it wasn't right. But I couldn't say anything about it. The king's word is law, as he said it should be. But now he was being extremely unfair not only to Inessa, but also to his wife, who would also like to see her daughter. When the carriage was ready to leave, godfrid put his arm around his son and walked towards it. People were leaving. Everyone had a lot of other work to do, so they went back to the castle. After about ten minutes, everyone who wanted to say goodbye did so and left the courtyard. Only godfrid, James, Zarai,and the accompanying guards remained. "Where's Izik?" "what is it?" the Queen asked first, approaching her husband and son.Only now did James notice her stomach. All this time, he didn't even pay attention to the fact that his mother had gained weight. Not only was her belly rounded, but her entire body was plumper than it had been before. Zarai had never been particularly thin, but what had happened to her now?.. How could James not notice this?His thoughts about his mother were interrupted by a rock that cut painfully into the back of his head. For a second, he thought he had lost his sight. Just as James was trying to regain his composure, he heard a merry laugh behind him.- Izik! How many times have I told you not to do this? Zarai was furious. She had no favorites among the children, and she was very much outraged when someone acted unfairly towards someone. Izik quite often offended James a, and the latter, with all his desire, could not hurt his own, especially his younger brother. Godfrid was of a different opinion."Don't scold him, Zarai. They are just children. And even more so, James u it's time to learn how to fight back against offenders. Izik stood on the sidelines, not knowing how to react. The six-year-old boy felt no shame for what he had done and became more and more impudent each time. James knew that if he complained, they would call him a rag. All he could do was endure the antics of his younger brother, who was already considered the best heir to Creople.Now, five years later, James has admitted to himself that he misses his missing brother. They loved each other anyway, maybe they didn't Express it as much, but they did. Life without Izik's antics seemed terrible. Maybe soon he would learn to live without thinking about what had happened five years ago, but now he just couldn't forget it.His feet carried James a to the courtyard. He always liked spring. Many plants bloomed, the fragrance of flowers lifted the mood. But that didn't help the boy now. He continued to wind himself up, wondering what might have happened if the Queen hadn't gone to this party. Maybe now Inessa would not suffer, sitting in a room littered with toys, books, dresses and other unnecessary things. The Prince was sure that the Queen would never allow this to happen. The courtyard hasn't changed. It seemed that only yesterday the Queen and the younger Prince left for a holiday in the black earth region. James once again felt the longing. Behind his thoughts, he did not immediately notice that someone was approaching him."The Prince?"The soft voice of Lucifer Franklin gave James a the creeps. He almost jumped on the spot, turning to the man. The Prince certainly didn't want to talk to this man who looked like a Highwayman. But there was no one around, and it would be rude to ignore him."Hello," James said, turning back, hoping Lucifer would leave and just say Hello for the sake of decency. But the man wasn't going to leave. He stood next to James and looked in the same direction as the boy.—I can imagine how many people came to say goodbye to the Queen that day. James didn't want to talk about it. Or rather, he wanted to , but clearly not with Lucifer, whom he barely knows. His father never brought up the subject of the deaths of his wife and son, and whenever James Woo mentioned it, godfrid would get angry."There wasn't a single extra person here when I was banished," Lucifer said when James a didn't respond, " only these stone horses accompanied me." She always did what was right — " the boy said. Lucifer chuckled. He looked at James a carefully. When he left Creople, this boy was about to be born. He didn't know what crimes his grandmother had committed before he was born. Godfrid did not think it necessary to tell his son about this. To him, Queen Adele was a Holy woman and a beloved grandmother, but James had no idea how much blood was on her hands. But that doesn't change the fact that she was cruel and merciless. "She would never have turned the loyal people out of the castle," James insisted, — and I'm sure it's your own fault for what you've done.""I'm only guilty of being born to my parents," Lucifer said calmly, " she didn't like their politics, and she just set them up for an accident on the bridge. Fortunately for me, I was in the castle when they had an "accident". Then the Queen decided to get rid of me in another way. I lived in Creople for five years, grew up with future knights, and was to become one myself. I was thirteen when I was accused of ... Whatever. Now imagine what it was like. I had to kill people to survive. I was very lucky to learn how to fight in Creople. The first time I killed a man was on my way to the Deadlands. I had just turned fourteen."My grandmother," James began uncertainly, " it's not my grandmother's fault that you broke the law. This is all your fault. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Lucifer chuckled. He wasn't going to change the Prince's mind. The only thing he wanted to find out was what godfrid was saying to his son. "You said," James said softly again, " that you were taught to fight in Creople. But who?—a Hawk. James thought about it. He began to remember who else Jerry Zeid had trained. No one came to mind, but as soon as he turned his head toward the gate again, the face of a young, smiling boy on the day of his mother's departure appeared in front of his eyes.- Yulai!Only when he heard the name did Lucifer stiffen. The last thing he wanted to talk about with a fifteen-year-old Prince who didn't want to open his eyes to the obvious was his dead friend. James asked again ."Yes," Lucifer said shortly, " I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I have to go." Lucifer found out what he wanted. Now he could leave with peace of mind. The thought of Yulai's death still pained him. The only person he could discuss this with was Hawk. No one else knew Yulai so well. The weight of her only friend's death weighed on Lucifer and made it difficult to think straight. If before he wanted to kill the Queen, now he wanted to destroy those who killed Yulai. Since the Queen had sent him away from Creople, the only thing the boy had lived for was revenge. James, meanwhile, was thinking about what Lucifer had told him . His father had not told him that Queen Adele had sent a thirteen-year-old boy to the Deadlands after he had committed a crime. James knew that Queen Adele was famous for her conquests in the South, was able to stabilize the economy, and was generally a fair ruler. When the time came for James Woo to ascend the throne, he wanted to focus on his grandmother's politics. For himself, he decided to talk to his father about what Monsieur Franklin had said.At the same time, Lucifer was on his way to the wizard's tower. He thought a lot about the offer and decided that it was better to have such a person as a friend than an enemy. Lucifer will complete the last order of his life and be free. The man also knew perfectly well that he could not refuse Godfrid. He would have to fight for creople, for all his dislike of The place. Otherwise, he will never find the freedom he has long dreamed of. This time he reached the tower much faster than yesterday. Then he was tired and wanted only a warm bed and food. He'd gotten a better look at the castle today, and noticed that it hadn't changed much since he'd left. It was as if those fifteen years away from Creople had never happened. He couldn't help thinking that Yulai would come around the corner and they would go to practice with him, as they always did. But Lucifer will never see the bright top of his friend's head again. Another reason he wanted to help wizard Aiden was to see if he could see Yulai. At least for a few minutes. After all, he hadn't even seen an adult friend. His eyes began to sting with tears, and Lucifer closed them for a few minutes, trying to calm himself.And again this unnatural lilac color of the eyes and the unpleasant smell of violets. Lucifer stood in front of the open door to the wizard's room and didn't know how to start a conversation. "I can see it in your eyes." You don't want to be here, but you came anyway. I won't hide it, I like your confusion. —Are you sure that Sagittarius will help you create passages to other worlds? just asked Lucifer .—I'm not sure of anything, Monsieur Franklin. The only thing I can tell you is that I didn't think that the transition between worlds was possible at all.—Are you sure the stars are telling the truth?" Are you sure this is supposed to work? Lucifer asked again .He knew the difference between truth and falsehood. The sorcerer wasn't lying about the fact that he wants a man from another world. But Lucifer was trying to find a catch. He didn't trust wizards or witches. They are willing to do anything to achieve their goal. And he didn't want to be a pawn in anyone's game. Believe me , if there is a mistake, it will be entirely my fault. I suggest we go and talk quietly. We'll discuss all the details. —All I'm interested in is how do I find this Sagittarius?" I need information about him. —I'll tell you about it later, my friend, noncommittal Aiden, star should tell me some secrets about him. —Then I see no reason to dwell here, Lucifer bowed politely, — I gotta go. "Wait," the sorcerer re-grabbed his arm — you never gave its official consent. Only with paper will our words be bound and have any power."I will only do this," Lucifer said , pulling his hand away, " when I have enough information about the person I need to find and bring to you." - Your meeting with the stars. You will meet him very soon. Maybe even tomorrow. I need to make sure that you bring him to me. Trusting a wizard is the last thing to do. Lucifer had encountered wizards in his life, and none of them were worthy. However, if there is even a small chance to see Yuliya again... I agree to all the conditions. But I will also put forward my own.—So what do you want?" Aiden tried to hide his joy, but it wasn't working. Lucifer saw his eyes light up and the corners of his thin lips twitch.—If everything works out and you can get to the world of the dead, all I ask is that you find Yulai. That's all I want. The wizard pretended to ponder Lucifer's suggestion . The latter involuntarily became agitated, but tried not to show his feelings. If Aiden doesn't agree to these terms, he cancels the deal."I agree," the wizard said , after enjoying Lucifer's moment of excitement, " if everything goes as I plan, I will find your late friend." The wizard's word. Lucifer felt disgusting. He knew that he shouldn't have agreed to these terms, and he knew that it was more expensive to trust wizards. But the thought of the death of the only person who had been there for him inany way was depressing. Not standing in the doorway. That's not the way to solve these issues, " Aiden said."I don't care," Lucifer said, turning away from the wizard. Just this person. And you tell me Yulai. —It's more complicated than you think, Monsieur Franklin. But it's your choice. And if that's what you want, then so be it. But now you've made a deal with me. "Remember what you owe me," Lucifer said, and walked away.