NIGHT, I Rin [classic book list txt] 📗

a sorcerer. Do you know where he lives?”

The old man was looking at Lica and her companion with interest and after a pause replied:

“I do... I am a sorcerer!”

“Oh, how nice!” the girl was happy. “Your sister – Margo sent us to you. Here is the necklace she gave me to make you sure that I'm not ling you!”

With these words, the girl took off her necklace of coins and handed it to the man. He carefully examined it and nodded:

“Yes, this is the necklace I gave my sister for her birthday! Come with me!”

He turned and walked quickly up the fall. Isa and Lica took the horses by the bridle and followed the sorcerer. Fifteen minutes later they arrived at a flat area in front of the cave.

“You can bind your horses there!” the sorcerer pointed somewhere aside.

Isa nodded and led the horses to the place the old man had pointed.

“Here!” the sorcerer waved to Angelica.

They came into the wide cave with the huge main hall and several corridors scattering in every direction.

“It looks like Margo’s!” she thought.

The only difference was the witch’s luxurious furniture, but her cousin confined himself to conventional wooden chairs, table and shelves.

“Sit down!” the gray-haired man said. “Tell me! How is my sister doing?”

“She’s fine! She longs for you…”

“Well... She was the only one who took my side, when my father kicked me out of the house! But you're here not to send greetings from Margo, aren’t you?”

“You are right!” Angelica nodded. “My visit to you is very important! And your sister assured us that only you could help.”

And she told the old man the Kingdom of Night story.

“...and when the Goblins’ King killed the sorcerer,” she said, “the old evil spirits were released from the abyss. The entrance there had been sealed by his soul. And now, in order to bring the evil back we need to find a man who knows the pagan rites and is able to control the elements.”

“And do you mean me as that man!” the sorcerer smiled.

“Well, Margo could remember only you as a man who knows about pagan cult as much as you do,” said Lica slowly.

“But why should I sacrifice my immortal soul? Can you give me at least one good reason?”

Having confused Angelica did not know what to say...

Prince is alive!

At this point Isa came in to the cave and said:

“Sorry, I have heard your conversation, and what about the reason, I can explain you... The reason is your power! Boundless, immense power! The dead sorcerer was right to deal with these evil spirits.”

The gray-haired man seemed to be buried in thoughts.

“What's your name?” he asked the young man.

“Isa!”

“You are speaking sense, Isa, although you are still too young. But I cannot drop everything. I have put my heart into this cave. I have a pupil, I teach her sorcery. How can I leave her here alone?”

“But if you don’t go, first the primitive evil will destroy the Kingdom of Night and then you!” Lica exclaimed.

“No, what may!” the old man shook his head.

“So it was a try to catch the wind in a net!” Angelica cried. “And Prince Edward gave his life for nothing!”

“Wait!” the sorcerer said. “Prince Edward?”

“Prince Edward is my friend from the Kingdom of Night, who went with me to find you. But Sand Snakes attacked and killed him! I have seen the Prince’s dead horse and his sword in the desert.”

“Get over it! The Prince is alive!” the gray-haired man said.

“Really?”

Amazement made her dumb.

“Yesterday my pupil came to me and said that she had seen in the magic crystal ball the young man killed two Sand Snakes and now he was unconscious. I went there and did find the young man. He was wounded, but alive! I brought him here!”

“God!” Angelica delighted. “The Prince is alive! Edward is alive! Is he here?”

She jumped up from the chair, ready to rush to the Prince.

“Easy!” said the sorcerer. “Although the Prince is alive, he is still unconscious. My assistant is with him now.”

The gray-haired man stood up and called:

“Leila!”

A few minutes later a girl appeared from one of the corridor. She was wearing a hijab, completely hiding her body and face. Lica could see only her big, black, attentive eyes.

“Leila, how is a young man, who we have found, feeling now?”

“He is much better!” she replied quietly. “I think he will revive soon.”

“Leila, we have guests today! Please, prepare us dinner!”

The girl made a bow.

“I'll help you!” Lica suggested.

Leila made a gesture to Angelica, showing her to follow. The girls passing the corridor went down to the pantry. Leila took some cheese, milk, bread from the rough wooden shelves and gave them all to Lica.

“Here you are,” she said.

Angelica took the food and laid the table.

“But where did you get cheese and milk?” she asked the sorcerer.

“Leila keeps a few goats,” said the man.

“Frankly saying, I'm starving!” the girl admitted.

Leila came to the room with cooked beans and roasted meat.

“Today we have a royal dinner!” Isa smiled.

Leila snapped her eyes at him and then looked down. Angelica immediately put her finger on that the girl liked handsome Isa.

“Sit down at the table!” the sorcerer invited the guests. “Leila, and you, please, sit down!”

“No,” the girl shook her head. “I'm not hungry!”

“She doesn’t want to, because of unknown man here,” said the owner of the cave. “Well, help yourself!”

He did not have to beg them twice. They were so exhausted during these two days that dying of hunger. Half an hour later our travelers had a good feed and Leila began to clean the table. Angelica again volunteered to help her. Girls took leftovers to the pantry and then Leila picked up dirty dishes, went outside to wash them. Lica went with her. Rounding the rock, the girls came to a wonderful meadow. A small river was running across the meadow and behind the fence in the corner a few goats were grassing.

“Is it your farm?” Angelica pointed to the animals.

“Mine!”

“You go! How do you manage to have time for everything? I mean to keep farming and to learn quackery!”

“I'm used to it,” the girl replied.

She began washing the dishes, but it was plain that doing washing up in her hijab was terribly uncomfortable.

“Take it off!” Lica proposed. “There are no men, only me and I am a girl!”

“Well, what if your man comes here?” Leila asked cautiously.

“Actually, he's not my man,” Angelica said seriously. “Do you like him?”

“Over the left!” embarrassed the girl.

She lifted her veil. Lica also began to help her with the dishes, quietly looking at Leila. That was a real eastern beauty with black eyebrows, long eyelashes, almond-shaped eyes and bright lips.

“Leila,” Angelica said softly. “If you want, I can introduce you to my friend! By the way, his name is Isa.”

“Isa...” said the girl in a singing voice, “what a beautiful name!”

But quickly came to her senses:

“What are you saying? It is not right!”

“But you did like him; I saw it with half an eye!” continued Lica.

“That doesn’t matter! I am an honest girl and never get with a man first!”

“Do you have parents?” asked Angelica.

“No,” Leila shook her head. “They were killed when I was little, and the neighbors gave me to the sorcerer. He is nice. He is like my father. And he teaches me everything he knows!”

“That’s good,” Lica smiled.

The girls finished with the dishes and went back to the cave. Near the entrance bare-chested Isa was brushing the horses. Leila embarrassed, took the bowls from Angelica and went into the cave. Lica came to the young man and told him quietly:

“You know, Leila, the sorcerer’s assistant, likes you very much. By the way, she is his stepdaughter!”

“So what,” Isa grinned. “I've already met you and other women are not interested me anymore!”

“She is very beautiful!” Angelica said slowly. “Very, very beautiful!”

The young man grinned again, but Lica noticed that her words had sunk into his soul. At this point, Leila ran out of the cave, crying:

“The injured young man came to life!”

Angelica immediately rushed after her. She led her through the corridors into a small room where she saw Edward on the narrow bed. In the light of a small lamp he was pale, but he was looking at Lica with tranquil gaze.

“God! God!” the girl wailed. “Edward!”

She could not say anything more, just flew into the Prince’s arms and began kissing him.

“Angelica, you're alive!” the Prince exclaimed happily. “I am so happy! I was looking for you, but these huge snakes put me off!”

“It's okay, Edward,” Lica said through tears. “Now everything will be okay!”

Leila thought that it is embarrassing to be with them at this moment, quickly left the room.

“But what happened to you?” the Prince Night asked the girl.

“Oh! It's a very long story! I'll tell you later! Not now, you are still too weak to listen to long stories…”

Part 8

The sorcerer’s decision

All day Angelica was looking after the wounded Prince. She was feeding him and giving him herbs that Leila brought. In the evening Edward felt much better, although he was still pretty weak to get up himself.

“And here is your sword!” Lica said, entering the Prince Night’s room.

“Wow!” he exclaimed. “You have no idea, Angelica, what a gift you have prepared for me! Since my father gave it to me, never in my life have I parted with my sword. As if the hand of God helped you to find it in the desert and bring here!”

The girl came up and put the weapon on a small table, standing next to the Prince’s bed.

“But, Angelica!” Edward continued. “You promised to tell me what had happened to you after the storm in the desert.”

“Okay,” - agreed Lica, sitting on the edge of his bed. “Listen!”

And she told him about all the adventures that had fell to her share: about Isa, and how the young man helped her to escape from the camp of nomads, and how the Sand Snakes attacked them, and then how they found Edward’s sword in the desert and how the sorcerer found them sleeping in the mountains...

“And here we are,” Angelica finished her story. “Prince, I was absolutely sure that you were dead. What a great happiness to know that you are alive!”

At this point, the sorcerer entered the Prince’s room.

“You are both here!” he muttered. “Excellent! I need to talk to you.”

He came closer and sat down on the low chair.

“I've been thinking hard about your offer and made a decision! I'll go with you to the Kingdom of Night and take part in the battle against the evil.”

“Hooray!” Angelica screamed and ran to hug the gray-haired man.

“Wait,” he said, pushing the girl. “Listen until the end first!”

Lica sat on the edge of the bed again.

“So,” continued the sorcerer, “I must give my soul to seal the entrance into the abyss. But I have only one soul and I do not want to lose it completely and to get to the hell after death! So I need something in return for it...”

“Say what, don’t spin it out!” cried the girl.

“I need to drink water from the Holy Grail!”

Angelica thought, then shook her head and remarked:

“But this is only a legend. In fact, there is no any Holy Grail!”

The owner of the cave looked at the girl:

“The Holy Grail does exist!”

He stood up and paced the room nervously then suddenly stopped:

“For all my life I have been looking for it. And I have found out that it is not so far away from here; it is on a small island with impenetrable forests and high mountains. On one of the mountains the Knights of the Temple had hidden the magic bowl. I've been on the island myself, but the bloodthirsty savages that kill anyone who sets foot on their land, live there. Luckily, I wasn’t killed. Another problem is that The Holy Grail is located in the Subtle World and ordinary mortals can’t see it. Only the man with the clean, open and