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

quite dangerous place to stay for a night!”

 

“You are right. It is dangerous. But there are some stony places in the desert. Apparently, before there the mountains were. The indigenous people know where these areas are and stay there for a night. Sandy Snakes cannot break through the stones, so they usually do not go there. Furthermore, snakes, like all other animals, are terrified of fire and nomads usually build fire around their camp...”

 

“But where they get firewood?” Angelica surprised. “Only sand is everywhere!”

 

“You’re wrong!” Huron grinned. “There are many different plants and shrubs in the desert. You need to know where they grow. In addition, on the outskirts of the desert there is a huge field of coal, which they use to start fire.”

 

 “By the way,” Edward chimed in, “don’t you think that it’s time to go?”

 

“Yes,” nodded the sorcerer, “we’ve been here longer than we’d scheduled.”

 

Our heroes quickly gathered the provisions, mounted the horses and went on. After resting the animals galloping more quickly and the sun did not seem to be so scorching. The riders were going without stops. The sun was climbing to the zenith.

 

“The camp of nomads must be near!” said Huron. “One more hour and we are there.”

The night in the desert

 

However, neither in one hour nor in two they found the camp of nomads.

 

“Have I gone the wrong way?” muttered the sorcerer to him-self. “In any case, the sun is down and we have to find a shelter for a night.”

 

He looked around, saw a high dune nearby and climbed it. “I do not understand,” he shouted from the top. “Their camp  should have been somewhere here, but it isn’t!” “What are we going to do?” asked him Lica.

 

“Look for a shelter!” Huron said. “Over there, I can see something looks like oasis. Let’s go there! Perhaps we will be able to get there before nightfall.”

 

And riders immediately rode to the oasis. It was nightfall, but the small group has already reached two old dry palm trees among some brushes. The sorcerer jumped to the ground and began to rake the sand with his hands.

 

“I have two news,” he said grimly, “good and bad.”

 

“So tell now, don’t prolong the agony!” Angelica exclaimed.

 

 “The soil here is stony - this is a good new...”

 

“And the bad one?” asked Edward.

 

“Oasis is too small to protect our horses and us.”

 

“Well, we will keep the watch,” said Prince Night. “We do not have time to go somewhere else.”

 

The Prince dismounted and helped Lica down from the saddle. “You are right,” Huron nodded. “Then go to sleep while I am on duty. Then I’ll wake Angelica and then she will wake you,  Edward.”

 

The Prince agreed. He was too tired to argue with the sorcerer. However, first he found an old well and gave water to horses.

 

“The water was sluggish. It seems that people used this well many years ago,” Edward said.

 

After that, he watered the animals and tied them to the palm tree, next to the well. Angelica and Prince settled down near the horses, Huron took up a position near the thorns. Just in case, he took a flint and put it next to him. His duty passed without any problems. Then he woke Lica, and went to sleep. She sat next to a bush staring into the darkness. It was quite cold.

 

“Strange,” Lica thought, “why is that in the desert so hot during the day and so cold at night?”

 

She looked at the sky and saw the moon. In the dark, only stars twinkled. The time was passing very slowly. Finally, the bright moon had risen. It became lighter. Soon Angelica duty came to the end. She rose and went to wake Prince Edward.

 

“Prince, it’s your turn to be on duty!” she said softly, shaking Edward’s shoulder.

 

Prince sat up, rubbed his eyes and said:

 

“I am getting up!”

 

At this time, from the side our travelers had arrived, there was a distinctive sound of pouring sand.

 

“Well,” whispered Lica, “I’ve already heard this sound! Snakes!”

 

She shook the sorcerer’s shoulder and when he opened his eyes, she put her finger to her lips and pointed to the dunes. Huron immediately understood everything. The horses snorted and began laughing and dancing on the spot. Prince Edward, Angelica and Huron drew their swords staying around the horses.

 

“Do not move!” warned them the sorcerer. “To attack us here, snakes will crawl out. That means they will be more vulnerable than in the desert, where they can immediately hide in the sand.”

 

At this point, something very big rose of the dune. First Lica could not understand what it was. But when she saw a long neck with a huge head the girl panicked.

 

“Ready,” said Huron, “the snake is going to attack!”

 

But the huge head continued rising over the land. The snake began to sway from side to side, uttering terrible hiss and suddenly swooped down. Prince Edward and Angelica jumped aside and the sorcerer struck the snake with the sword on its neck with all his might. The monster’s head flew off and a huge body began to squirm and convulse. At the same moment on the other side of the oasis, another monster appeared on the surface. It lunged forward and bit one of the horses. The animal fell on the ground pounding pain in convulsions. Prince Night immediately jumped to the snake and with one stroke of his sword slashed it in half. But that did not stop the monsters. Here and there, from all sides of the oasis new monsters appeared from the sand. Horses whinnied trying to tear the reins. The wounded mare was rolling on the ground and grunting.

 

“Things look black!” exclaimed Prince Night. “Too many of them!”

 

Two snakes at once stepped off on Edward and he cut them with his sword. Huron was fighting with very big one, which size was almost half more than any others. The snake, which attacked Angelica, was so aquatic that it was impossible to approach it closer. The Prince cut off one head, but then two others immediately took her place attacking him.

 

“Fire!” shouted the sorcerer. “We need a fire! Move! I left the flint near the thorns!”

 

A huge snake knocked the sword out of Huron’s hands and grabbed him with its tail. It began to squeeze him with its body and the sorcerer screamed in pain.

 

“Hurry up!” Angelica told herself. “Hurry up!”

 

The girl injured the agile snake, and while it was distracted for a moment, Lica quickly slipped between snake writhing bodies and crawled to the bush. The flint was on the ground. Angelica quickly struck a stone on stone, and the sparks fell on dry thorn. It instantly flashed like a torch. A second later, the fire spread to neighboring bushes all around the oasis. The girl took a burning branch and poked it into the huge monster. It terribly hissed and released the sorcerer.

 

Lica rushed on. She waved with the burning branch in front of the snakes and they began to crawl away. Prince Edward realized that fire helped, also grabbed a burning branch and waved it in front of the monsters, and while the fire distracted them, the Prince cut off their heads. After a few minutes recovering, Huron also joined them. He also began to cut snakes. Oasis was in fire. Last survived monsters hid in the sand. A streak of light appeared in the sky.

 

“Sunrise!” Angelica cried. “We need a little more time and we will win!”

 

The sun was rising pretty quickly and soon it was possible to see the battlefield. More than a dozen dead Sand Snakes were everywhere around the oasis. Black charred bushes were still smoking and our heroes, tired but happy sat leaning on the wall of the well.

 

“We’re alive!” enthusiastically said Lica. “What a mercy!” “Yes, but one horse is dead!” Edward said, pointing to the animal.

 

“Don’t worry, Angelica can go with me and then with you,” the sorcerer said, referring to the Prince.

 

“Huron, I was sure you died!” the Prince said. “I do not un-derstand how you managed to survive after the Sand Snake’s hold and then continue the fight?”

 

“Have you forgotten, Prince, I have drunk from the Holy Grail, and now only the Templars will be able to take my life. For others I am immortal!”

 

“Angelica, have you drunk from the Grail?” asked Edward. “No, frankly saying I didn’t think about it. In any case, I would not have time, because the Holy Grail disappeared as soon as Huron touched it.”

 

 “The Templars strictly monitor their halidom,” the sorcerer grinned. “They put the Bowl at another place.”

 

“Well, then, Angelica, you should be more careful!” The Prince Night pointed to the dead snakes.

 

“I’ll try!” she smiled. “It’s time to go. I do not want to spend another night in the desert.”

News about Swein

 

 

Our heroes began to pack their things. The dead horse was Huron’s. The sorcerer took his things and tied them to the saddle of the Prince’s horse. After he took some water from the well, the riders set off. Angelica was with Prince Edward, and Huron was riding her horse.

 

“Hmm...” the sorcerer said grimly. “Now do I understand why this oasis was abandoned. Apparently, there is a Sand Snakes den nearby.”

 

The morning was cool, and the horses ran quite briskly. After a few hours of traveling, they saw the mountains on the horizon.

 

“Look,” Edward pointed, “I think we must go there!”

 

“We have to find the bridge!” noticed Lica.

 

The mountains seemed to be very close, but our travelers still didn’t reach them. On their way, a couple of times they had to stop in oases, and they met the peaceful nomads, who regaled them with camel milk. Only when the sun was going down, they finally reached the foot of the mountains.

 

“I think the bridge should be somewhere there,” said Prince Edward. “Here the mountains are completely different.”

 

“Well, I think you know better,” said Huron. “To be honest, I have not been in the Kingdom of Night for a long time, so I can be wrong.”

 

The riders went forward. Soon the mountains finished and a deep abyss appeared in front of them.

 

“I know this place!” exclaimed Angelica. “The bridge is over there!” The girl clapped her hands happily. Indeed, after half an hour they saw a hanging bridge. Prince Edward and the sorcerer dismounted and held the horses over the bridge by the bridle and Lica followed them. It became dark.

 

“Night,” the girl said.

 

“Angelica, have you forgotten, there is always night in my kingdom!” Edward smiled. “By