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

you were not a girl, I would give you back!”

 

“So, that’s what you’re up to!” Angelica hit at Swein again. The Goblins’ King caught her hand. They stood facing each other and gazing into each other’s eyes. Swein was nervous-ly biting his lips. Suddenly Lica somehow twisted and struck Swein’s shoulder.

 

“I thought you were an ordinary cad!” she shouted. “But you have overstepped the bounds of decency! You have insulted me, not knowing anything you are throwing mud on me. I cannot stand it anymore. I challenge you to a duel with swords!”

 

“Duel! Perfect!” said Swein. “I’ll kill you here in my crypt, and then I’ll build a new headstone, next to my old one. Although you do not deserve that! Here you are!”

 

And the Goblins’ King threw a sword to the girl. Lica caught it and was ready to fight. Swein burst of laughing.

 

“Don’t be ridiculous!” he said.

 

“You are a stupid fool!” Lica said quietly. “You judge by ap-pearance and do not go into the essence.”

 

She stepped forward and struck her sword to the sword of the King.

 

“Oh,” Swein grinned. “And where have I mistaken?”

 

He parried and lunged at the girl. Angelica dodged the blade as she was taught at school of fencing.

 

“Wow!” the Goblins’ King was surprised. “Have you really learned anything?”

 

“And not only that,” the girl said shortly.

 

She quickly jumped from stone to stone and struck a blow on Swein coat, cutting it from the waist to shoulder. Swein kindled.

 

“It’s the luck of the draw!” he said. “You are a lady and I gave you a head start!”

 

He lunged toward Lica and struck on her left hand. It started bleeding.

 

“Well, you have had enough?” the Goblins’ King laughed. “Beg me, and I may take pity and won’t kill you!”

 

“Fortunately, I’m not a lefty!” Angelica retorted.

 

Ignoring the blood, she continued fighting.

 

“Well, you are stronger than I thought!” Swein was genuinely surprised. “Okay, you asked for it! I’ll kill you!”

 

And he again threw himself on the girl.

 

Lica began jumping from rock to rock, barely managing to dodge the King’s sword. At one moment she was able to make a well-directed attack and wounded the Goblin’s shoulder.

 

“This is for a courtesan!” she said.

 

Swein contrived and knocked the sword out of the girl’s hands. Angelica now was weaponless against the King.

 

“I do not kill defenseless!” said Swein.

 

 He jumped from stone to stone to get the fallen sword how then something unexpected happened. A huge chunk of the dilapidated walls fell covering the Goblins’ King...

“Swein!” cried Angelica hysterically. “It cannot be true, Swein!”

She rushed to the stone and began to drag it away. She couldn’t understand how but she managed to do it. Goblin was lying next to the fallen sword, heaped with plaster. Long blonde hair was mussed covering his face.

 

“Swein, what have you done, Swein!” Lica sobbed. “What a fool you are if you couldn’t see how much I love you!”

She brushed the hair from his face, and put her ear to his chest to hear his heart beating or not?

“Hooray!” cried the girl. “He is alive! He is alive! I will help him!” And she gave him a kiss of life. A few minutes later the

 

Goblins’ King took a deep breath, coughed and opened his eyes. “What are you doing?” he asked in surprise, trying to move

away from Lica.

 

However, it wasn’t so easy. He groaned again and fell down to the floor.

“Don’t move, I beg you,” said the girl. “You must have broken something!”

“Yes... I even can guess - what! First- my leg and second - a left rib... are you crying?”

Angelica turned and quietly dried her eyes.

 

“Well, if you are such a quick-witted,” she said, “stay here and wait unless I take your horse closer and help you to get on it.”

“Why are you doing that?” the Goblin’ King laughed. “Only five minutes ago you were ready to kill me!”

“I didn’t, but you did want to kill me!” the girl retorted. “And I was just going to teach a jumped-up young man.”

“Help me up,” asked Swein.

 

Lica leaned over him and girdled Swein’s waist. His face crumpled with pain but he said nothing. Then, with Lica’s help, the Goblin sat up on a nearby stone.

 

“Thank you,” he nodded. “But you did not answer me, why you were crying?”

 

Angelica was angry.

 

“Swein!” she said sharply. “How do you think I should feel if I was absolutely sure that that wall has hammered you out into a pancake? You are the only link of goblins with the outside world! You have not finished your mission yet! And what would have happened to them if you had died because of me! I would never forgive myself!”

 

“Is that all?” muttered the Goblins’ King. “And I have heard that you love me, haven’t I? And you called me a fool...”

 

“Well, you weren’t unconscious, were you?” Lica gasped. She was confused and did not know what to say. Swein smiled.

 

“Hoot!” Angelica cried and ran at him with her fists.

 

“Well where is your broken rib?” she cried. “I’ll break you another one!”

 

Goblin grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. It looked that it wasn’t easy for him. He grew pale; drops of sweat had come out on his high forehead.

 

“Why are you so bad-tempered?” he whispered and kissed her passionately.

 

Then he pulled back and bit his lip in pain. Angelica realized that Swein felt very bad.

 

“Wait,” she said shortly.

 

The girl immediately went out of the tomb and ran to the fence to Swein’s horse. Then she led it through the ruins to the, sitting on the stone, young man, and said:

 

“Swein, hang on me and try to climb into the saddle.”

 

The Goblin nodded, threw his hands over Lica’s waist and stood up. Then he carefully climbed into the saddle, although it was a great effort for him.

 

“Now hold on!” the girl said, and led the horse by the bridle to the exit from the ruins of the crypt.

 

Swein was silent, but Angelica guessed that he was very bad. The Goblin’s King was pale, the sweat rolled down his face, and his eyes closed time to time.

 

“Offer it up,” Lica whispered to her. “I nearly killed you and I will save you!”

 

When they got to the fence, she untied her horse, sat in the saddle and said:

 

“Swein, only hold on! I will ride horses.”

 

The King nodded. Angelica went forward, leading Swein’s horse behind.

 

On the road she spurred her horse and they raced in the light of the bright moon towards the cave of the witch. Lica was constantly looking back, fearing that the King would get worse or he would fall down. But he kept a stiff upper lip. Only when they were at the foot of the mountains, Swein lied down throwing his arms around the horse’s neck.

 

“Darling, wait a little more,” the girl said quietly to herself. Soon she saw Margo, Elsa and Edward running towards

 

them.

Part 7. Margo’s plan

 

 

“Gosh!” Margo exclaimed. “What happened? What happened to Swein?”

 

“He’s been injured,” said Lica, jumping to the ground. “The wall in the crypt came upon him. His leg and rib have been broken.” “My poor boy!” the witch gasped. “Edward, Elsa, help me to get him to the cave. I will examine him immediately!”

 

The Prince Night and the maid rushed to help Swein; Angelica took horses and tied them to a tree. Five minutes later, the Goblins’ King had been taken to his room. The witch and Elsa stayed with him, and Prince went to Lica.

 

“What happened?” he turned to the girl. “You only had to find Swein but you disappeared for a few hours! What happened to the King?”

 

“I had found him in the crypt,” Angelica said wearily. “We had just started talking, as the wall went upon the King. I thought he was killed, but fortunately, Swein was alive. And then as soon as possible, I tried to take him here - to Margo’s. That’s my story.”

 

“But you have been injured too. You are covered with blood!” “Don’t be so tragic about it! I need to wash my face…”

 

The girl went to the bathroom. She washed and tidied herself. When Angelica came back into the room, the witch had been waiting for her. Edward was not there.

 

“Sit down,” Margo pointed. “We need to talk.” The girl obediently sat down on the sofa.

 

“Tell me what really happened to you? Have you got into hot water?”

 

“No,” Angelica shook her head. “It was an accident.”

“Edward has told me your story. But I was not born yesterday,  and I can distinguish fact from fiction ... For example, I can see the difference between the sword wound and the wounds left by the falling stone. The Goblins’ King has two sword wounds, one is on the shoulder and the second is from the shoulder to the waist. 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 na-tion 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.