NIGHT, I Rin [classic book list txt] 📗

Stones do not leave such marks, my dear! And what is on your left hand, as I see it is not just a bruise, it’s a cut.”

Lica flushed, and hid her hand behind her back.

“I’ll tell you what,” Margo smiled, “stop playing the idiot and tell me the truth! The Prince has left for several hours. I sent him and Elsa to the city of goblins to bring some medicine. And now we have time to talk. And I may as well to heal your hand.”

The witch rose and left the room. Then she came back with a cloth soaked with some awfully smelly liquid and put it on the girl’s hand. It was so painful that Angelica jumped. But gradually the pain passed off and the wound stopped bleeding.

Margo sat down in the chair opposite Lica and looked at her intently. The girl looked down and said:

“First, tell me, how is Swein?”

“He is much better. I have stopped his wounds bleeding, put the bandage and gave him a painkiller. So now he is going to sleep at least until tomorrow!”

“Oh, as weight off my mind,” Angelica smiled. “And what about the cut on my hand, so you're right. Swein was jealous of me to Prince Edward and the Lord of Vampires and insulted me and then I demanded satisfaction.”

“Did you? A duel?” the witch laughed. “Yeah... you are a devil in a skirt! But I did warn you that it is time to make a choice. Don’t lead men a dance for a long time, they never forgive you.”

“Yes, I'd love to, but I can’t! All of them are equally dear to me, each of them has something that the others haven’t, and they seem to complement each other. First I went mad with love for Prince Edward, then I lost my mind because of Swein, and yesterday I nearly became the mistress of the Prince of Vampires. Maybe something's wrong with me?”

Margo was thinking...

“No, you are all right,” finally she said slowly. “Just a little thing; with whole your fragile appearance you have a male character. You love freedom and want to make a choice yourself. In other words, you want to be equal with men, and it is quite difficult, my dear! Today Swein has nearly died. If that happened, the whole nation of goblins would have lost the only chance to live with a normal life. I beg you, be more tolerant!”

“Margo, I am so terribly sorry!” the girl burst of crying. “I’ll try to be wiser in the future.”

“Oh!” the witch surprised. “I thought you couldn’t cry, 'the Iron Lady'!”

“And when the Prince is going to recover?” Lica asked weepingly.

“I guess in a month or half, no less. But I think it is a good thing.”

“Why?”

“You know, I was striking the problem that we need a sorcerer, who can seal the entrance to the abyss with his soul. And then I remembered my cousin. A long time ago my uncle kicked him out of the house because he practiced with the pagan deities, spells and rituals a lot. However, I heard that my cousin did not stop it. He has gone out of our country and now lives somewhere in the mountains; he became a great pagan sorcerer. He can control the elements, and perhaps he will be able to bring the old evil to his heel. Anyway, I don’t know any other candidates. So... I want to ask you, Swein and Edward to find my cousin and convince him to help us. But in view of recent events, I realized that you cannot go together. Edward and Swein may fall out because of you. So it is a good thing that the Goblins’ King will stay here and has a rest. He is going to be safer here! But you, Angelica, and Edward will go to look for my cousin. Of course, you can ask me, why Edward won’t go alone? But I can say that if you were able to convince the Prince of Vampires to join the campaign against the evil, I hope you would persuade my cousin either. But I don’t think that Swein or Edward is good at being diplomats.”

“You are massaging my ego, thank you,” she blushed. “I will definitely go with Edward and try to persuade your cousin to help the Kingdom of Night.”

“You are a real soldier in your heart, Angelica! I always believe in you!” Margo came to her and hugged Lica.

Then she pulled back and said:

“Now get some sleep. Tomorrow you are going to have a difficult day.”

The witch came out of the hall, and the girl put her feet up on the sofa as usual and fell asleep.

She woke up because someone was shaking her shoulder. Lica opened her eyes and saw Elsa.

“How long have I been sleeping?” asked the girl.

“Almost ten hours!” the Goblin woman nodded. “And now Madam wishes to talk to you and Edward.”

“Is the Prince here?” Angelica asked.

“We have come together,” said Elsa.

Lica got up, shook her head a little to cause hair up, and said:

“Well, I'm ready! Can you tell Madam?”

The maid went out, and five minutes later the Prince and Margo entered the room.

“Did you sleep well?” the witch smiled, turning to Angelica. “This is good! Because I told you that your day was not going to be easy.”

She turned to Edward and invited him to sit down. Then she went up to Lica and sat down on the sofa.

“Prince,” Margo said. “I have already talked to Angelica about my cousin - a sorcerer. And now I want to ask you to go with Lica and found him! Only he is capable to cope with the old evil! Well, are you ready to set off such a dangerous journey?”

“Of course, if the Kingdom is in danger!” said Edward, not hesitating for a second.

“I never doubted you, Prince,” the witch smiled. “If so, you’d better go now, because in a few days I expect the hurricane season and the desert that is just around the mountains would be almost impassable.”

“And where does the sorcerer live?” the Night Prince asked.

“I'm not sure. But when my uncle drove him out of the house, my cousin crossed the mountains and settled somewhere in the Heathen land.”

“It's something like ‘to go somewhere - I do not know where and get something - I do not know what!’” Lica grinned.

“Not really... The desert is not really uninhabited. The nomadic tribes live there. Some of them are peaceful. But you of course you can meet violent ones. I hope you will be lucky! These people may know where the sorcerer lives now. As far as I know, they sometimes ask him for help.”

“Margo, may I ask you,” the girl appealed to the witch. “The fact is that before, when I was delayed in the Kingdom of Night, Henry using some magic could slow down time in my world. Now I totally depend on you. If I disappear for a long time, my parents will start looking for me and what about my study. Can you help me?”

“Naturally!” exclaimed the witch. “No matter how much time you have spent here, nobody at home will notice your absence!”

“Now I am relieved,” said Lica, “and we can start our journey.”

“Well, I am going to prepare the horses!” the Prince Edward said.

When he left the room, Margo came to Angelica and handed her a necklace of coins.

“Here you are!” she said. “My cousin once gave it to me. When he sees it, he will immediately understand who you are.”

“Thank you!” the girl said.

She put on the necklace around her neck and said:

“Can I see Swein before I leave?”

The witch nodded. Angelica immediately went into the corridor and came into the Goblins’ King’s room.

In quest of the sorcerer

Swein was lying on high pillows with the Book of Destiny on his knees. His shirt was open, so Lica could see that the King’s chest was tightly bound up with a white cloth.

“Does it hurt?” Lica asked quietly, pointing to the bandage.

“So-so,” smiled Swein. “I have never expected that you will come to say goodbye before leaving.”

“Do you know about our journey?”

“Yes, Margo told me.”

“We need to find a sorcerer, or we won’t be able to win the evil,” the girl said slowly.

“It is very dangerous task! And this accident!” exclaimed the King.

He furiously fisted on the bed and lay back helplessly.

“I'm not even able to be with you and protect you...” he muttered.

Angelica came closer and sat on the edge of the bed. She palmed through his hair and whispered:

“Easy, Swein! You will get better soon and other adventure is waiting for us.”

King caught her hand and put it on his lips.

“I'm afraid you'll forget me,” he said quietly. “You are going with Edward and he is a worthy rival.”

“Enough!” the girl stopped him. “I have known Edward for a long time so long that if I had wanted to, it would have already happened; I would have become either his mistress or fiancée.”

“That’s true!” laughed the Goblins’ King. “And what stops you, Angelica?”

“I cannot answer your question right now, Swein, because I cannot sort myself out. Perhaps this journey will give me the opportunity to think about it.”

The girl looked at the King. Candlelight fell on his face, and at that moment he was so lovely that Lica’s heart ached. She closed in and kissed Swein. The Goblins’ King could control his emotions, gasped and said:

“Please, promise me that you won’t forget me.”

“I swear!” the girl smiled. “Well, I have to go! Or if I stay more, I won’t go anywhere.”

She was about to rise, but Swein pulled her to him and kissed her passionately. Then pushed her, smiled, and said:

“No, you are not a randy, you are even worse! You are the energy vampire! Go, or I will not let you go.”

Lica flushed, but said nothing. She quickly turned around and left the Goblins’ King’s room...

Coming out of the cave, she saw that Elsa is binding a basket with food to the saddle of her horse and Margo is giving final instructions to Edward. Angelica mounted her horse and said:

“Well, I'm ready! What about you, Prince?”

Edward turned around and nodded.

“Just be very careful!” the witch warned them once again. “Do not come across with the militant tribes! And one thing, Angelica, Swein asked me to give you this sword. It’s his sword, but now he is ill, so he believes that it is going to be of use in your journey.”

Margo handed the sword of Goblins’ King to the girl.

“Thank you!” said Lica. “And now it's time!”

She tugged the reins and sent the horse into the mountains. The Prince Night followed her. They rode along the path on which last time Swein had led them to Margo’s cave.

“Angelica, what happened?” asked Edward. “You don’t look yourself.”

“I am okay,” said the girl. “Tell me, Edward, you know the way through the mountains?”

“Approximately,” Prince smiled. “My servants carry on trade with the neighboring nomadic tribes. We sell them food, clothes, gold, and they give us weapons, spices and precious stones. So I can show you the way. But one little thing this way is difficult for horses.”

“It’s not a problem!” Lica noticed. “We can light off horses.”

The path was going up all the time. At some point, Edward outstripped her and said that now they had to turn a bit from the previous route. They were riding for another two hours. Their horses began to stumble and stones were rolling out of their hooves.

“We have to walk now,” said the Prince Night. “It’s difficult for horses to climb the steep slope.”

Angelica nodded and jumped to the ground, and our heroes continued their way on foot. Horses snorted and refused to go. It was a great effort to drag them ahead. This had slowed them down and exhausting.

“I think we have to spend the night in the mountains,” Edward said. “I didn’t imagine that the road would be so difficult!”

After a