NIGHT, I Rin [classic book list txt] 📗

few hours, when our heroes were almost dead on their feet, Lica suddenly saw the cave.

“Look, Edward!” she exclaimed. “Here is the place where we can have a rest!”

“Excellent,” said the Prince, “or I am dropping with fatigue.”

Travelers turned to the cave and tied their horses to the nearby bush.

“Wait a minute here,” said the Prince Night. “I have to check if there are no animals or poisonous snakes inside.”

He broke the branches of bushes wrapped them with oakum, which he had in his travel bag, and made a torch. Then he lit it, took his sword and went into the cave. Five minutes later Edward came out and shouted:

“It is not a cave; it is just a hole in the rock. But it’s better for us, because I have not found any snakes or animals; and they won’t be able to climb here outside. Come in and make yourself comfortable, and I am going to find some wood for the fire and a spring to water our horses.”

Tired girl went into the cave, which was quite bright lit with the torch, stuck into a crack between the stones. It was dry and spacious.

“Great place!” Angelica told herself.

And she began to clean the cave from rubbles, which were everywhere around. Soon it was clean, flat place where they could have a rest. Lica came out and took some dry grass to make something looked like beds. When the Prince came, he didn’t recognize this place; he was very surprised that in such short time the girl managed to transform the cave. Edward brought some twigs and dry branches.

“I think that will be enough for a fire,” he said.

Angelica made a fireplace from the stones, put the wood and laid the fire. Soon the fire was burning brightly in the cave.

“You have hands of gold, Angelica!” said the Prince. “Who taught you?”

“We usually go hiking with the class,” the girl admitted.

“What?” Edward did not understand.

“Well, it's such a kind of "picnic",” Lica smiled.

“I see...” said the Prince Night slowly. “Okay, I am going to water the horses; I saw a spring near here.”

“Come back soon, and we will have dinner.”

“Sure!”

The Prince Edward went out of the cave, and Angelica began to get some food out of the basket. Later, when the Prince came back they had dinner together.

“I do not know about you,” Lica turned to Edward, “but I want to sleep. I hope you don’t mind if I have a nap?”

“Of course!” the Prince Night nodded. “Go to bed and I will be your guard.”

He didn’t have to beg her for a long time. She immediately lay down on the dry grass and fell asleep. Four hours later Angelica woke up. She looked around the cave and saw that the fire was burning as well, and the Prince was sitting at the entrance, leaning back the stone...

“Edward, now it's your turn to sleep,” said Lica. “Lie down, I will guard you now.”

“I don’t mind,” Edward smiled. “Frankly saying, I am very tired. But you have to promise me if any danger is you will wake me up immediately!”

“Do not doubt,” assured the girl. “I'm not fond of dealing with problems alone.”

The Prince Night went into the cave and lay down on the grass, and Angelica took the post of guard at the entrance. So she was sitting for two hours doing nothing, then she decided to warm her up. The girl came out of the cave and looked up at the starry sky. Suddenly some stones rolled down from the mountain. Lica jumped aside and hid behind the nearest ledge. She tried to see what happened, but it was so dark that she could see nothing. However, the feeling that someone was watching them didn’t leave her. Angelica returned to her post at the entrance looking forward to when the Prince Edward woke up. Another three hours later the Prince finally opened his eyes and said:

“Good morning, Angelica!”

“Good morning!” she grinned. “Especially funny it sounds in the Kingdom of Night, where it is no sun!”

“Don’t laugh! Behind the mountains, in the desert, the day will change the night again, as usual,” said Edward, getting up.

“Prince,” Lica called Edward. “I suppose, no, I'm pretty sure that at night someone was near the cave. The stones rolled from the nearby rock.”

“You never know...” the Prince Night shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe animals.”

“No...” Angelica shook her head. “I distinctly felt that someone was watching us.”

“Well, let’s wait and see! Sooner or later our night visitor will come,” Edward said.

He came out of the cave, checked the horses; Lica put the food into the basket and went after him. Soon our heroes moved on.

“The road here is much better,” the girl said.

“Probably, it is quite often used,” said the Prince.

After two hours the mountains suddenly ended. And the wide bottomless pit stretched in front of the travelers, after which it was possible to distinguish the dunes.

“And what we are going to do now?” asked Angelica.

“Look, over there - the bridge!” said Edward.

Riders came closer. Indeed, the wide hanging bridge was drawn through the gulf; it was quite wide even for horses to pass on it.

“The bridge is unstable!” the girl said. “If we take horses with us, we will risk falling into the abyss.”

“However without horses we won’t pass the desert!” the Prince retorted. “We'll lead the horses by the bridle, one by one. I am first.”

He boldly entered the bridge and pulled his horse. He snorted, trying to stretch their hooves, but the Prince Night dragged him on wobbly boards. So, step by step, he overcame a terrible bridge. The Prince tied his horse on the other side of the abyss and went back to take Lica’s horse.

“Go ahead!” he told the girl.

Angelica went over the bridge, trying not to look down. At this moment, a strong gust of wind blew. The bridge swayed. Lica crashed to her knees and clutched the rails.

“It’s good that you are not on the bridge!” she told Edward.

Finally she jumped on the other side and looked back. The Prince was following her horse and safely transformed her.

“Thank God!” the girl cried. “All's well that ends well!”

“Everything has just started,” said the Prince. “Look!”

The Prince Night pointed to the desert, and now Angelica realized what a hard way they had to challenge! Everywhere was only sand.

“Where are we going?” Lica asked.

“First we are going straight, and then we'll see.”

The travelers took their horses and went ahead.

The Desert

The orange sun limb appeared in the horizon.

“It’s Sun?” the girl was surprised.

“Yes, I have told you that it is regular place with day and night; however, it is not good for us. Daytime in the desert is such scorching that you can easily get a heat stroke.”

“I think it is morning now,” said Angelica. “But the sun is strange color; it’s orange!”

“It's bad,” Edward said grimly. “It means the beginning of wind season, remember Margo told about it.”

“What are we going to do?” Lica was confused.

“Go on!” the Prince smiled.

And he pulled the reins. Riders raced across the sands toward the orange sun. They were riding for a few hours, but nothing changed. They saw only sand dunes around.

“Our horses are tired and thirsty,” said Edward. “We need to find an oasis.”

“Do you think that we can find an oasis in this place?” she asked incredulously.

“Yes, we can, because people live here. We need to find them! Wait here!”

And the Prince Night sent his horse forward and climbed the highest dune.

“Angelica!” he shouted. “The storm is coming! We must go back right now!”

The girl noticed how a swirling wind stream appeared behind the dune.

The Prince immediately turned his horse motioning Lica to follow him. The girl pulled the reins and let the horse into a gallop. However, the storm was approaching faster and faster. Soon their horses were snorting and gasping from the sand which was in their noses and eyes.

“Maybe we should look for shelter here?” Angelica shouted.

At this point, they heard some screams and thirty riders came out of the sandy hill. All the people were dressed in long vests and turbans, which completely covered their heads and faces. Only their eyes peeked out of their strange hats.

The Prince pulled up his horse, turned to Lica and said:

“It’s a bad luck! This is a warlike tribe! We are going back - into a storm! They will not dare to follow us!”

Edward turned his horse, grabbed Angelica’s horse bridle and rushed away.

But nomads apparently decided not to lose their prey. With loud shouts and cries, they rushed after them. The storm was feeding ... Five minutes later one couldn’t see what was just a few meters away. The Prince Night spurred his horse trying to keep Lica’s also. For a moment he accidentally dropped Lica’s horse’s reins and a frightened animal shrank aside.

“Edward!” cried the girl.

But the wind stifled her scream. Angelica’s horse broke into a gallop. The girl couldn’t stay in the saddle and at full galloping fell into the sand. The hit was so strong that Lica fainted for a few minutes. The sand layer upon layer was covering the girl's body.

When Angelica woke up and opened her eyes, she did not understand where she was. She was in a tent on a colorful soft mattress, and there was nobody around. Lica got up, looking around. At this moment a tall man in a long white vest and turban came into the tent. His face was completely hidden, but his eyes were young and solicitous.

“I am Isa!” he introduced himself. “I am your translator. Our hakim liked you and tomorrow you are going to be his woman!”

“Anything to make it tougher,” she thought, and asked aloud:

“And where is your hakim?”

“He has gone to find your companion.”

“Well, thank God, Edward was not caught!” Lica was happy.

“And you are here to watch me, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yes, you are right!” the man said calmly.

She realized that until now she is not in danger, and became a little more courageous.

“Tell me, Isa,” she turned to the stranger, “your hakim doesn’t have a woman?”

“He does have eight wives, you will be the ninth!”

“Calm down!” tried to think about it the girl. “I cannot be in harem because I will never break away! I have to pluck the fruits when the hakim isn’t here and try to escape!”

“Are you married, Isa?” Angelica asked the man.

“No, I am a warrior!”

“If you were a simple warrior, you would not know my language, would you? As I see very few people in your tribe can speak my language.”

It seemed to Lica that the man looked at her with interest.

“You are asking too many questions,” Isa said coldly. “I am going outside, if you need something, I'll be near the tent - call me!”

He turned around and went out.

“D’oh!” cursed Lica. “It’s unlikely to run away right now. This ‘warrior’ will overtake me at one stroke and then secure me. Then – welcome to harem! And for sure he is not alone here. I must think carefully!”

Nervously, she was coming up and down the tent.

“I need to touch a string in his heart and take off his guard,” said the girl to herself. “He maybe be touched and let me go!”

However, the image of the man in a vest and turban was frightening her. A couple of hours passed. The door of the tent opened and Isa came in. He was carrying a flatbread, with a bunch of grapes, plums and raisins on it.

“Oh! Snack!” exclaimed Angelica, grinning.

“What?” Isa didn’t understand her.

“Forget about it! Have you brought it for me?”

“Yes, it’s for you!”

“Then I have to ask you! I'm not used to eat alone. Please, join me!”

“I am not allowed to do that!”

“Then, when I am your hakim’s wife, I will complain him that you do not obey!”

The man was taken aback and had lost his tongue. A few minutes later, he said:

“I always obey my master!”

“And what if I try to convince him that you are