NIGHT, I Rin [classic book list txt] 📗

Angelica said, holding out a small bottle to the witch.

“Excellent! Now I will prepare the potion for the Prince. But first, I need to heal you. I see your trip was not easy!” the witch smiled.

She left the room and returned with a large cup.

“Drink! This is to heal you!” the hostess of the cave said, referring to Lica.

The girl took the cup and drank the potion. Suddenly she felt the great desire of sleeping.

“I'm so tired,” she murmured. “May I have a little nap?”

“Of course! Lay on that sofa!” the witch said softly.

Angelica lay down on the sofa and immediately fell asleep...

 

“Lica, Lica, wake up!” she heard her mother’s voice through the dream. “Lica, I see you get used to sleeping in ball dresses! Tell me where have you got this charm? Has Sveta lent you to wear it?”

Angelica opened her eyes and saw herself in the bedroom in her own bed.

Her Mom was talking and talking... and Angelica got up and began to touch herself. Only when she felt the dirk was still under her dress belt she calmed down and said:

“Mom, I and Sveta want to participate in the University Beauty Competition. She has given me this dress.”

Her mother left the room and she quickly took the dirk out of the belt and hid it in her desk. Then she looked in the mirror, smiled and winked at her reflection...

Part 4

Talk to Henry

A few days after returning Lica couldn’t cope with the feeling of trouble. She knew very well that she needed to continue studying and she was taking exams but... All what she was thinking about was the Kingdom of Night. One time she remembered the Prince Edward then she thought about Swein and his wonderful portrait, which she had seen in the tomb, another time she dreamt about the Prince of vampires.

“What is happening to me?” the girl bewildered. “I fell in love, didn’t I? But if I am in love, then who is it? First - the Prince Night, then – Swein and finally – the Prince of vampires... I'm getting crazy!”

Angelica scolded herself but it didn’t help anyway. Finally she decided:

“I need to get back to the Kingdom of Night and tell Henry everything, especially as I have promised him! At one I can find about the Prince and give the dress to the witch back.”

Lica was looking forward to the next weekend, when her parents would go to their friends’ country house and stay there for a night.

She put on jeans, a sweater and sneakers, packed the red dress, which she had been wearing at the ball of vampires, in a plastic bag and took the dirk out of the drawer.

“Well, God bless me!” she told herself.

Then she took the bag and came to the looking-glass and put the dirk between the glass and the frame. The Mirror was getting dull and then she saw that room with the fireplace.

Angelica climbed on the table and took a step into the mirror. At the end she put her hand back and took the dirk out. Jumping into the room in the castle, she looked back and saw that her own room began to disappear in the mirror.

“Well, come on!” she said firmly.

Lica hid the dirk and went out to the corridor.

“Henry!” she called. “Where are you, Henry?”

The girl went along the corridor and then down the wide stairs into the big hall.

“Lica!” she heard a voice behind her suddenly. “Lica, how have you got here? Where is the Prince?”

Angelica turned around and saw Edward’s old servant. She ran to the old man joyfully. He hugged her and then said smiling:

“Well, you have taught me to embrace. Now I cannot live without it.”

And Henry laughed.

“My dear Henry!” Lica exclaimed. “Let’s go somewhere! I have so much to tell you!”

They came into a small room next to the stairs. The girl put the bag with the dress on the floor, sat the old servant in the armchair and began nervously walking from one corner to another.

“You wanted to tell something,” Henry reminded her quietly.

“Yeah, I know... I just do not know how to start...”

“Tell me where the Prince is?”

Lica sighed and blurted:

“The Prince... Henry, the fact is that the Prince - is not exactly the Prince!”

The old man gasped and whispered:

“I knew that... All his new habits! But why did not you tell me that earlier?”

“I was afraid to stop him of fulfilling his mission!”

“WHO were you afraid to stop? And what mission?”

Angelica stopped in the middle of the room and started speaking...

“Do you remember, Henry, the Prince Edward went to the witch to help the Princess? So, for the Princess’s Potion he had given his soul. He gave it himself no one forced him. And his body the witch gave to Swein...”

“...the Goblin King?” Henry continued.

“Yes, the Goblin King,” Lica confirmed. “He had to fulfill an ancient prophecy and save his people!”

“But Swein is dead and buried near the City of goblins!” Edward’s servant exclaimed.

“I know; I was at his tomb!”

“Oh, God!” Henry said. “What a nightmare! But the witch... How could she do that? To implant the soul of the dead Goblins’ King into the living body of the Prince Edward!”

“I thought about it,” the girl said. “The body of the Prince without the soul would have died, so the witch had saved him.”

Now the old servant stood up and was walking nervously across the room.

“But that's not all!” Angelica said. “When I and the Prince got in the run-in with vampires, one of them wounded and infected him. The Prince began to turn into the vampire.

“So that's why he has this passion for meat with blood! Poor, poor prince!” Henry muttered. “First - Swein, then - the vampire! And where is he now?”

“I took him to the witch, so that she would heal him,” Lica said, but she didn’t say anything about her adventures in the Land of vampires.

“Well, that’s good!” Henry said. “Tell me, Angelica, if Swein has finished his mission? If yes, then I am personally going to the witch and ask her to bring the real soul of the Prince back to his body.”

“Unfortunately not,” she shook her head.

“What are we going to do now?” the old man asked. “We need the King in our Kingdom of Night! And what about Swein... He has other interests!”

“My dear Henry,” Lica said with begging voice, “I ask you not to do anything now! I will go to the witch and talk to her, OK?”

Edward’s servant looked at Angelica and said:

“The heart of a girl is too weak to make such decisions! Judging by how long you have kept silent about all these events, I am afraid that the soul of the Prince may not come back to his body.”

“But I have told you everything! You can always help me any time. Henry, believe me, please! I promise I’ll do it myself, just give me a little more time.”

Henry was thinking and walking around the room. Finally, he stopped and said:

“All right! I'll give you time. But you must talk to the witch.”

“Thank you!”

Lica was relieved and again hung around the old man’s neck.

“Well, that's enough,” the old servant smiled. “We’d rather think when you are going?”

“When? Well right now!” the girl exclaimed. “Let the horse be ready, Henry!”

The old man went to the stables and Angelica took the dress and followed him.

At Elsa’s

Edward’s servant quickly prepared the black horse. The bag with the dress he tied to the saddle. Lica said goodbye to him and quite easily climbed on her horse.

“You are a good rider!” Henry said.

She smiled and waved her hand goodbye. Then she rode out of the castle courtyard.

Angelica spurred her horse and raced on the road, lit by moonlight. The wind was blowing in her face but she did not notice it. She rushed forward and only the dust flew out of the horse hooves.

Lica did not know how much time had passed but suddenly she saw the walls of the Goblins’ City. The same guards let her go inside, without saying a word. Angelica went along the narrow streets and turned into the alley, where Elsa lived.

She came to her house and jumped off the horse. The door was closed and Lica started knocking at it. But nobody answered for a long time then a young goblin girl opened the door.

“Who do you want?” she asked.

“Me? Elsa!” Angelica said confidently.

“Ah my mother has not been back yet. She is still working,” the girl replied.

“At the witch?” Lica asked.

The girl nodded. She stared at Lica and suddenly said:

“And I remember you; you have spent the night in our house once. Come in! Have a cup of tea!”

Angelica didn’t know why but she came in to Elsa’s house...

The Goblin girl seated Lica at the table and quickly began to lay it. She took two cups, put some donuts on the plate and went out somewhere. A few minutes later she was back with a kettle, which was spreading wonderful aroma of herbs all around. The Goblin girl poured some tea her and the girl and sat down opposite Lica.

“What is your name?” she asked.

“Lica... Angelica!” Lica corrected herself. “And you?”

“Leya. Do you work with my mother for the witch?”

“Not really. Shall we say… your mother helps me with something.”

“She's so kind,” she smiled. “She always helps everyone.”

“Tell me, how often she comes home?”

“Usually she spends at the witch 72 hours and then for 24 hours she is at home. But this time she is not here for a long time.”

“It’s probably because of me and the Prince,” Angelica thought and said aloud:

“Your Mom is wonderful. She told me so much about your people and your King - Swein...”

“Oh, Swein!” Goblin girl sighed. “He was so handsome that you had not even dreamed of. He was like a man and had to return our people to normal life in the light of the sun. We had hoped that if we didn’t, then at least our children would be ordinary people like our ancestors... But that damn Wizard killed him! Although...”

And the goblin girl looked at Lica and stopped.

“What “although”?” she asked.

“It's not my secret and I will not tell you,” Leya said sharply. “Anyway you have to go!”

She put her tea cup on the table and stood up.

“My dear Leya,” Lica said quickly. “I know that you do not know me at all and you have the right not to trust me but listen to what I am going to tell you now! I have been in the Land of your ancestors and seen myself the dead Wizard. Now the future of your people depends on someone who can complete the mission, entrusted on the King Swein. That’s why, dear Leya, if you know anything that can help, please, tell me!”

Leya was thinking. Then she slowly sat down on her chair and said quietly:

“All right. I saw that my mother had let you into our home. Anyway she would never have trusted a bad man... Listen! All the Goblins were at the funeral of King Swein. But my mother was in the front row. She saw the witch coming to the coffin. After that the palace guards dispelled all Goblins to their homes. However, my mother was there until the end of the ceremony. She told me that the witch had done some obscure rituals over the body then she had smeared it with a viscous liquid and poured something with the color of blood into Swein’s mouth. Then the King's body had been buried in the tomb. My mother wanted to go home but the witch suddenly asked her to work with her. My Mom decided that it was because she had seen all the witch’s rituals and she decided to keep her close. As it turned out, she was right; as soon as my mother started working, the witch made ​​her word of honor that no one would ever know about that. That's my secret.”

“That’s