NIGHT, I. Rin [ebook reader with highlight function TXT] 📗

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 some-thing.”

 

“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 interesting...” Angelica said. “What has the witch done with the body of Swein?”

 

Leya stood up, bent low over the table and whispered to Lica’s face:

 

“My mom said that the witch had embalmed his body.”

 

After that the goblin girl flopped back into her chair and covered her face with hands.

 

“But, please, do not tell it anyone. The witch... she is some-times very dangerous! I am worried of my mother and myself!”

 

“OK,” the girl nodded. “I promise that no one will ever know about that! And now I really have to go! I was here a little more than I had expected. Thanks for tea!”

 

Lica went out of Elsa’s house, sat on her horse and continued her way...

Talking to the witch

 

 

Angelica left the City of Goblins and went across the wide valley. Soon she saw King Swein’s tomb in front.

 

“I need to visit him,” Lica decided and veered off the road. She came to the tomb, jumped off her horse and tied it to the fence. Then she went inside. The moon was so bright that Angelica was able to see clearly the splendid tombstone and the portrait of Swein. She couldn’t get Leya’s words out of her head and finally she made a decision.

 

“Well! Let’s see!” she said aloud to herself.

 

Then the girl came to the tomb and tried to push the coffin lid.

 

It didn’t even move. Lica tried it different ways but nothing helped.

 

“Yeah,” she said grimly, “and I don’t think that I can find something as a lever here.”

 

Angelica passed the tombstone several times and then she saw an interesting picture on the one side. Lica kneeled down to examine it. As in the moonlight not all details of the orna-ment were visible, she began touching them with her fingers. At one point her finger touched the shamrock, carved on the tombstone. Suddenly she heard a click and the lid slowly began to move off to the side. Angelica did not expect that and sat on the floor shocked. With dreadful feeling she imagined that now she would have to smell the stench of the dead body and closed her eyes... She was sitting for two minutes but felt nothing. Then she slowly stood up and took a step toward the coffin and looked inside. She expected to see anything: the body, yellowed bones or mummy... But what she saw shocked her to the core! She saw the body of a very handsome young man in royal clothes. It had not been touched by corruption. The skin on his face, neck and wrists was pale and soft, long blonde hair was falling down his shoulders. His eyes... seemed to open now! It was the impression that the young man had been taking a nap and just about to wake up.

 

“It’s crazy!” Angelica exclaimed. “Swein, you are so good looking!”

 

She couldn’t stand it anymore and gently kissed him. Then she pushed the shamrock again and the lid closed.

 

“That’s strange,” Lica murmured. “Now I do not understand anything! Why did the witch need the body of the Prince Night if the body of Swein was perfect? Something is not right here! And the witch is not as simple as she is...”

 

The girl came out of the tomb and sat on her horse. She felt pain in her heart. She could not understand what game the witch was playing. Although Lica was deep in her thoughts, she did not forget how she had got to the enchanted path because of her distraction and the ugly monster had nearly eaten her. So now Angelica was very careful looking for prints of her horse on the ground to follow them back. Soon she got the road and spurred the horse rushed to the witch.

 

A few hours later she reached the cave. She tied her horse at the door, took the bag with the dress and went inside.

 

In the first room she met Elsa, who was sorting out some-thing at the table.

 

“Elsa!” Lica called her.

 

And suddenly as if she was the best friend, she added:

 

“I’m so glad to see you!”

 

The Goblin woman was also happy and hugged the girl. “I’m glad you came!” she said as if she was going to cry. “The

 

Prince feels much better and I see you are alright too!”

 

“Elsa!” the witch called her upstairs. “We have such a guest why do not you invite her inside? Take her to my room, hurry up!”

The Goblin woman smiled and pushed Lica forward.

 

“Go!” she waved her. “Talk later!”

 

Angelica nodded and walked down the corridor to the familiar room. The witch had been already waiting for her.

“Well, hello!” she exclaimed. “How are you? You don’t look like a vampire! Blood doesn’t attract you, does it?”

“No,” the girl shook her head. “I brought you the dress. Thank you very much!”

“Well, not at all, you should have left it for you,” the hostess of the cave smiled. “So, are you all right, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am!”

 

“That’s good!”

 

“And what about the Prince? I would like to see him.”

 

“He’s sleeping now. But he’s all right. I have made the ritual and Elsa is always looking after him.”

“And can I take care of the Prince now?” Lica asked. “And Elsa can have a rest.”

“Can you?” the witch surprised. “Yes, please, if you want to.”

 

The witch clapped her hands and shouted:

 

“Elsa, you can go home! I’ll give you a couple of days off!” Then she took the bag with the dress out of Lica’s hands and

 

put it on the chair.

 

“And could you,” the witch continued, “give the drink, which is on the table, to the Prince when he wakes up. Could you?”

 

The girl nodded.

 

“The room of the Prince is a bit further along the corridor, opposite this hall. Do you want something else?”

Lica was a bit hesitating but pulled herself together and said: “I have told servant Henry everything about the Prince.” A smile instantly vanished from the witch’s face.

 

“What for?” she asked. “Now that old dog will try to spoil everything!”

 

“No,” Angelica shook her head. “He promised to wait for as long as Swein has not finished his mission.”

 

“Well, it’s all right then!” the woman said sarcastically.

 

“So, Henry wants to know whether you can bring the Prince’s real soul to his body back?”

 

“Well... There is nothing impossible in the world,” the witch grinned.

 

“And then what will happen to Swein’s soul?” she asked quietly. “I will free it in the Valley of Oblivion so as the Goblin King

 

would find eternal peace at last!”

 

Lica was about to shout that she had just seen the perfectly normal body of Swein in the tomb but remembering that the health of the Prince now depended on the witch, decided to keep silent. She nodded and the hostess of the cave told her:

 

“Take the drink and give it to the Prince. I think he has al-ready woken up.”

 

Angelica took the glass with potion, which smelled like herbs and went into the corridor. She walked a little further and turned into the room opposite the hall.