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Lesson Seven: The Danger of Blood Heritage Elena Zvezdnaya

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Title: Lesson Seven: The Danger of Blood Heritage

About the book “Lesson Seven: The Danger of Blood Heritage” Elena Zvezdnaya

Never agree to perform dubious rituals in the Abyss! Never! Especially if it was conceived by the ruler of the worlds of Chaos, and in the company of a winged demon, the heir of Hell and your favorite dark lord.

What if it is in the Abyss that it becomes clear who is the true heir of the blood and who is actually being hunted for a long time?

And then you will have no choice but to lie to the eyes of the most powerful demon of all worlds and try to find the one who, for centuries, hiding behind masks, accumulated resentment and hatred and was preparing to take revenge...

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Quotes from the book “Lesson Seven: The Danger of Blood Heritage” Elena Zvezdnaya

- What will happen if Ellohar is upset?
“Yes, anything can happen,” the Lord Director answered cheerfully, “that’s what frightens us, Ellohar’s imagination is limitless, as is his sense of humor.”

- Tanguirra, I'm amazed! Even my greedy raking paws cannot reach the very depths of my dark soul. I'm amazed! No, really - what a woman, ready to defend the honor of not only her daughter-in-law, but also the doll of her already grown-up granddaughter. Lady Thiers, I'm proud of you! Sincerely! Enthusiastic. Endlessly. By the way,” his expression became surprised, “what is that on your dress?” Over there, just above your right... hmm, well, basically there?
Everyone looked at Lady Thiers's dress except herself. The father-in-law stood and glared at the master with an attentive gaze full of suspicion.
— It didn’t work, did it? — Ellohar asked brazenly, not at all upset.

“You decided to give up your bachelor life early,” the statement was sincere.
“Three people at once never inspired me,” the heir to the goblin kingdom answered him, showing knowledge of the dark lord’s affairs.
Ellohar wanted to speak out, he really wanted to, but remembering the need to adhere to the line of conduct of Master Thiers, he still remained silent.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Yes, such a moment has been missed,” muttered the Master of Death with a heavy sigh.

“Lord Shavre, you will stay here,” I didn’t recognize my own voice.
- Lady Thiers, we are going to the vampires! They both stared at me in surprise.
“By the way, I still have a setback,” I decided to remind, “I’ll curse you, and I won’t even be ashamed!”

- Oh, you Abyss! - exclaimed the lord.
- Small fry, you've grown up! Where are your skinned knees and crooked pigtails?! The half-elf quickly blushed.
- And even without a doll? - Ellohar continued.
- Well, you remember the same one, without an eye and with a crumpled arm, we also put a plaster on her and treated her for a broken heart. The girl, despite her embarrassment, still decided to answer:
- Nightmarish, Master Ellohar. Naturally, I treasure that same doll as a memory of the day when you broke my grandmother’s heart, but for some reason we treated the doll.
“They simply didn’t trust me with my grandmother, otherwise I would have taken on her treatment,” the master answered cheerfully.
“I sincerely understand grandfather,” Lirran’s smile was very suitable, “after all, the doll’s problems with vision and limbs began just after your miraculous cure.” Ellohar thought for a moment and retorted:
“I even restored her hair.”
“Of course,” the girl agreed politely, “you glued them yourself... it’s crooked, but the fact remains that you glued them.”

Zvezdnaya E., 2016

Decor. LLC Publishing House E, 2016

* * *

– Adept of Riate! “The master’s somewhat dissatisfied voice tore me from my thoughtful study of the board, where notes, diagrams and other investigative materials were placed.

For a moment, I even felt like I was in the academy, except that Lady Mitas was not there, but after the Lord Director’s shout, all eight members of the empire’s security service present looked at me. They looked at me in bewilderment, accustomed to Lord Thiers calling me exclusively by name.

- Deya, come to me! - a menacing roar from the authorities.

No, well, as Lord Director, Rian was still more reserved, but as the head of SBI, sometimes he simply scared me.

She quickly walked around the tables, headed to the door of his office, grabbed the handle and suddenly realized that I was standing and thinking, what have I managed to do?! We came to work together, first we were transported to the hall of the imperial palace, then, holding hands, we leisurely went down the stairs, and we were in no hurry to walk along the levels, knowing full well that then there would be no opportunity to be alone. And then, as soon as we entered the office, I went to my desk, Rian to her office. And that’s all... I didn’t steal from libraries, I didn’t have time to curse anyone, and I didn’t leave work without asking.

The door swung open, revealing Lord Ryan Thier.

“Day,” the master said, barely restraining his irritation, “if I call you, you should come immediately.”

“I understand that,” she did not deny her guilt.

A look of bewilderment flashed across the master’s face, and I was asked the question:

– Then what is the reason for the delay?

The master of dark magic, Lord Rian Thier, directed a gaze at me, eyes as black as the Dark Art itself. The Adept of the Academy of Curses realized with horror that she had managed to do something somewhere, and now a large and menacing Abyss would come to me.

“You see, dear,” a deceptively soft voice, “two interesting documents were found on my desk this morning. One is a report addressed to me, which reports that a certain Dea Riate, the wife of Night Guard officer Jurao Knightes, being in an interesting position, cursed the head of security of the Imperial Bank, as a result of which he suffered moral and physical trauma.

“Oh,” I muttered.

- By the way, what is this curse? – the master asked in an icy tone.

“Acute diarrhea...” I began and then decided to smooth it over a little, saying: “Emergency indigestion.”

- Ha-ha-ha! – the morph said, sliding off the chair.

“What a scary woman,” the drow remarked.

“Mistress Riate, in the future, you shouldn’t expose yourself like that,” Lord Cheivre interjected. – Curses are a punishable thing; at a minimum, this is a reprimand that will be entered into the documentation.

I blush slowly and thoroughly.

Ryan looked at me reproachfully and walked away, letting me into his office. But as soon as the door was closed, cutting us off from the group, he gloomily quoted:

– “The wife of the Night Watch officer Jurao Nytes, being in an interesting position”...

- Oh, so it’s not because of the curse that you’re angry? – I guessed.

A puzzled look and a questioning question:

- Why should I be angry about the curse?

– Why are you even angry? – I asked no less perplexed.

“Yes, you need to get used to it,” the master said thoughtfully and returned to his place.

As soon as he sat down, he handed me a scroll with the words:

– He called it “adept Riate” because Dara forwarded the list of literature on all subjects, as well as the requirements for the thesis from Okeno. Take it, watch it before the drow appears. When he returns, both of you will come to see me. That's all.

* * *

The SBI department resembled a torn up anthill. The employees of Lord Thiers' group scurried with the lists obtained by Jur and me, either in or out of Ryan's office. The master really preferred preventive measures, and therefore now most of the lords theoretically involved in the conspiracy were simply sent away from the capital for various reasons. In the morning, forty-seven received orders to be assigned to border fortresses, more than seventy went on an urgent mission, fifteen were sent to the Third Kingdom to maintain order. Lord Ryan Thiers used the simplest and most effective of techniques - divide and conquer. And everyone was involved in solving this problem... except me.

I, in a new dress, which was slightly annoying with frills on the sleeves, sat and waited for Yurao, and he was most shamelessly late for work. In addition to waiting, I tried to systematize the available information and, in general, indulged in memories. And my thoughts revolved mainly around artifacts. I remembered our very first case, Yur and Ri, who brought a huge mirror, the crown princess with a man’s ring on her hand, which I then suspected was an artifact of metamorphs...

And some elusive thought flashed through. Strange, almost incredible, but still. The metamorph artifact stolen from them by the Dream Comers clan, and Rian’s words that “the metamorph artifact, the same one that you stole from the crown princess’s hand, once belonged to the head of the Order of Dark Fire.” And the head of the Order of Dark Fire is, in fact, the magician Selius... I held my breath, trying to catch the thread of reasoning. But she slipped away again.

Taking a sheet of paper and a pencil, she thoughtfully began to draw that same blackened silver ring with a diamond in the shape of an ellipse. My drawing came out more schematic than figurative, because we were taught how to draw diagrams, but I never had the ability to draw, and yet I managed to recreate a more or less acceptable look. And now I looked thoughtfully at this very ring, and some guess still did not want to form into a normal thought.

The door slammed, then a cheerful and even joyful sound was heard:

“An hour and twelve minutes late,” said the voice of Ultan Sheivr, “first warning.”

Yuri silently walked towards me, plopped down on the chair next to me, moved closer, hugged me, and looked over his shoulder at the drawing.

“Our first job,” he said, not without pride.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“I’ll never forget how you tore it off the crown princess’s finger.”

Pause, then guarded:

- Day, what's wrong?

“I don’t know,” I said thoughtfully, continuing to look at the ring, “but something is wrong.”

- With a ring? – Yuri immediately joined in the discussion of the situation.

- Maybe. – I turned the sheet over in my hands. - Tell me, what is he missing?

I actually meant the drawing, I thought maybe I forgot something, but then Yurao cheerfully answered:

And it struck me like lightning!

Our conversation with Lucky in the other world before a lecture by the spirit of a human magician and the words of the dragon: “Selius, head of the Order of Dark Fire. Rare scum. When they were captured, he killed his wife. He strangled him himself, in front of the Black Riders, and then burned him. They said it was out of jealousy, but knowing this bastard, I can say for sure that he hid his ends in the water. I mean, she knew something, he hid it in the most reliable way and even burned the remains, solely so that the necromancers would have nothing to work with. You should have seen her eyes when he started strangling her!”

The magician Selius had a wife! They were a couple! There should be two rings! It is undoubtedly masculine, but it must also be feminine, and probably with similar properties! And Selius’s wife was a sea witch! A witch killed by her own husband...

“Deya...” called Yurao.

- Wait, not now. - I jumped up.

Thought, thought, thought... Some thought, a clue, something that I just can’t catch.

Sea Witch! The wife is a sea witch... But they don’t get married! They choose men from those who sail to the island once a year, get their continuation of the family, and that’s all... How did it happen that Selius’s wife was a sea witch?!

- Deya?! – Yurao called already tensely.

I didn't react. She stood in the middle of the controls, squeezing her temples with her fingers, and tried to understand. Easy to understand. I didn't understand! I needed information, including about sea witches. Turning around, I headed to Ryan’s office, opened the door and asked from the threshold:

– Can I call Master Ellohar?

Rian put a scroll aside in the pile of others that filled his desk, crossed his arms over his chest and asked gloomily:

- It's necessary?

I just look at him silently. The master thought about it, apparently made some decision, stood up and told Ultan:

- We'll be there in an hour.

We left the SBI levels on foot, although I almost ran forward, and Rian held me back the whole time, but as soon as we entered the hall, the scarlet flame instantly engulfed us.

* * *

The whistling of the icy wind, the bone-piercing cold, the prickly snow that digs into the skin like needles of frost... And all this in the midst of spring!

– Vergas, range deviation! I fell and did one hundred and forty push-ups. Execute! – Master Ellohar’s voice drowned out even the howl of the blizzard.

But the master did not stop there:

- Rusi, my beauty, who strikes like that? Yes, a real man would have eaten you twice already! In short, a swing, adept.

The sky thundered! The air around us began to sparkle, but the bad weather, as it turned out, did not suit some lords either:

– And this is Karvus of the sixth level? Hemvar, baby, I don’t quite understand: did we just hear the roar or did you taste something wrong in the dining room and your stomach is loudly indignant at this fact?!

Pause, the adherents were afraid to answer.

- “Bad”! Everyone! - Master Ellohar roared.

And the ice storm instantly stopped. As it turned out, we were standing on green grass, on the territory of the School of the Art of Death. Ten paces from us was Lord Ellohar himself, in the distance under the wall the frightened adherents of Death were huddling, six unfortunates who had failed the test froze in different poses - a girl with golden curls froze at the moment of striking a now invisible enemy, a young vampire raised his hands to the sky, so it immediately became clear who Hemvar was here, two guys were rapidly doing push-ups, one had a count of twenty-six (the numbers flashed above him), the other had two hundred and eighty-four. Another girl sat bewilderedly on the grass, resting her hands on the ground, and openly cried; next to her, a young man from the devourers was hunched dejectedly - now I will never forget his ears pointed to the bottom.

“The tears stopped, the snot wrapped around their fist and they left!” And keep in mind, adherents, a repeated “failure” at the test - and I… will be upset.

After these words, everyone began to tremble. Both those who failed the tests, and those who pressed against the wall, and the guys with push-ups accelerated three times, and now the numbers above them changed at lightning speed.

But I couldn’t stand it and asked Ryan in a whisper:

– What will happen if Ellohar is upset?

“Yes, anything can happen,” the Lord Director answered cheerfully. “That’s what’s scary.” Ellohar's imagination is limitless, as is his sense of humor.

The director of the School of the Art of Death slowly turned to us, waved his hand to disappear, and the crowd of adherents rushed to the doors of the educational building, and he himself sarcastically asked:

- Is there no one to hold the candle?

I looked at Ryan in confusion, but the master was not offended at all, he simply asked:

– Already know?

“Yes,” the master headed towards us, “he was in the palace in the morning, exchanged a few words with Alser.”

Am I the only one who doesn’t know anything?!

Noticing my puzzled look, Ryan explained:

– There was an attempt on Alser’s life.

- How? “I just didn’t understand the reasons.”

A blue flame flashed.

When the flashes of fire died down, we all found ourselves in Ellohar’s office, almost under the clouds, and it was he who answered me:

– Riate, remember your guess about human women? “He walked over, sat down in a chair, pointed out the remaining ones to us and, crossing his legs, lazily continued: “I checked.” And indeed, all three that we saw that very night were residents of this lovely state, and yes - all magicians.

- What does the candle have to do with it? – I asked, sitting down in a chair.

“Ellohar warned Alser, who took measures to ensure his safety,” Rian answered dryly.

I looked at Master Thiers, who was sitting with a stony expression on his face, then at Lord Ellohar. The director of the School of Death winked at me cheerfully and told me something that Rian clearly did not want to talk about:

– Alser is not one of those who runs away from danger, especially since this is so... exciting.

- Ren! – the warning growl of the master.

Looking sideways at him, the lord calmly continued:

– In general, Alser combined business with pleasure, not giving up new sensations, and taking safety measures as three catchers disguised as candlesticks. So the men held candles, and at the right moment they intervened, providing their lord with full entertainment, pleasure, and, in fact, preserving his invaluable life for his family. Because the murder of Alser is an instant decree of pardon for his brother.

- Why? – I whispered, stunned by what I heard.

– Because, my dear, the family needs an heir, and in the event of the death of the eldest Alser the Younger, they will be concerned with continuing the family in the amount of at least two sons. And the emperor will be able to kill him only after the actual heirs of the family enter childbearing age.

And all the time while the master was talking, he did not take his attentive, intense gaze off me, as if he was talking about one thing, and his thoughts were very far from the words. An unpleasant look, in some ways even frightening, but... but who better than Ellohar can know everything about sea witches.

“And I have a question for you,” I began, deciding to throw thoughts about Alser out of my head.

Ellohar smiled strangely, but for some reason he turned to Rian:

- For what? - Unexpected question. – You understand my feelings.

And the grim answer:

“You didn’t want to take mine into account.”

And Lord Ellohar turned away, looking out the window with cold, chiseled hatred. Then he said in a dull voice:

- What a question?

I didn’t even want to ask anymore. At all! I looked at Ryan in confusion, but he did not take his eyes off the master, and this gaze was not kind.

But I still need answers. Much needed! Therefore, casting aside all doubts, I started with the main thing:

– Do sea witches get married?

The director of the School of Death slowly turned his head, looked at me strangely, his left eyebrow slowly raised, and Ellohar asked:

– How did it happen that the magician Selius was married to a sea witch, if witches actually do not have the institution of marriage?

Now Rian looked at me very strangely, but refrained from exclamations of indignation.

“Riate,” Lord Ellohar began with a frown, “did you really tear Tier out of the palace at such a moment to talk to me about such a delicate topic as the reproduction of sea witches?!”

I blushed instantly!

“So Thiers will tell you everything,” the master’s tone became mocking, “and even the demon personally...”

“Enough,” there was much less calm in the word spoken by Rian than a barely readable threat.

Lord Ellohar turned back to the window, then leaned back in his chair and clasped his fingers. The office was quiet for some time, then the master said:

- No, there is definitely something in this matter, because yes - Selius really had a sea witch, while usually this category of ladies has a completely different approach, I mean, they usually have... By the way, before I talked about this as- I didn’t think about it.

“So think about it!” – I thought irritably. But despite all my irritation, other issues also needed to be clarified.

“Selius, as Naavir told me...” I began, but was interrupted.

Lord Ellohar grinned and asked Rian in bewilderment:

– So you allow Deya to communicate with this... March cat?!

Crossing his arms over his chest, the master asked gloomily:

- Does it bother you?

– This amazes me!

And then I just lost my temper and I don’t know how, but the words came out on their own:

- And all this infuriates me! Master Ellohar, if you don’t want to answer, don’t! I'll ask someone else! - I jumped up. “Yes, I’d rather re-read the entire imperial library than bother you again!”

In response to my angry attack, they lazily asked me:

– Why did you even decide to talk to me? - And the smile is so mocking.

But I restrained myself and answered honestly:

“Because after the events on Listar Island, I believed that you knew a lot about sea witches, much more than Master Thiers, and certainly more than textbooks could tell me.” And yes - because it was in your School that the curse of oblivion “HagaeroTshkha” was discovered on one of the lords.

- Sit down! – Ellohar ordered.

She stubbornly remained standing.

Ryan extended his hand, grabbed my wrist, forced me to sit, and then simply held my palm, stroking it thoughtfully. Now both of them were thinking.

I was also silent, though more out of resentment.

“HagaeroTshkha...” Ellohar drawled thoughtfully. - How, how, how, an unforgettable story is connected with the curse of complete forgetting... Rian, do you remember that girl?

- A girl?! Are you talking about a slave? – the master asked. “She was almost forty, Ren, no longer a girl.”

“Then yes...” Ellohar threw his hands behind his head, clasped his fingers together and was now rocking slightly in the chair. - But at the time of actually getting into Ike Roget’s house, the girl was not even fifteen...

“Not under Day,” the Lord Director interrupted him.

“Come on,” Ellohar looked at us mockingly, “your little adept dragged her friend, used by one lord, across the whole of Ardam... so Riate knows how different the dark ones are from the noble one.” But we’re not talking about that now, I’m talking about the girl... Remember the color of her eyes?

- Blue. “Rian looked at me for some reason.

“Blue ones...” Ellohar threw his feet up on the table and now shook them thoughtfully. – Blue... As far as I remember, Ike mentioned that he bought her from trolls, and they have a habit of committing robbery in coastal towns, then disappearing into the oceans of Chaos, where they sell their goods... The girl was not even fifteen... Southern girls grow up quickly, but older ones restrictions for witches from thirteen. Suppose a girl ends up on an island and undergoes initiation. She had the right to return home after a year and say goodbye to her loved ones. Suppose a fourteen-year-old witch went home... to some coastal village. And another assumption - trolls are attacking. Thus, not just a human girl, but a young sea witch ends up on the slave market... In principle, it is possible. In fact, blue eyes are not uncommon among people, but what if our assumptions are correct?

“Perhaps,” Ryan responded.

“It’s quite possible...” Ellohar continued to look thoughtfully at the ceiling. - And then this is what happens - Ike Roget bought himself not an ordinary girl, one of those who so easily falls in love with a rich, strong, handsome and skillful lord in bed, but a witch. And witches... Sea witches despise men. Really despised. And the girl, who had been taught for a year that a man was just a headless vessel with a certain liquid necessary for reproduction, clearly did not succumb to temptation. Well, infuriated by the refusal, Ike Roget clearly did not want to leave this case unpunished. And one more thing - human women have such a strange property as the ability to forgive, sea witches never forgive...

Rian sat up straighter and continued Lord Ellohar's thought:

– Another assumption is that Selius killed his wife. Strangled and burned. I have read the chronicles of the Age of Conquest, many accounts describe what happened, even the unsympathetic Black Riders were shocked by what happened. In the memories of some lords it was described that tears were flowing down her cheeks... A strange moment - for some reason she tried to wipe them away, but Selius did not let her.

– Overall: we have a restless soul. – Ellohar took his feet off the table and also sat down straight. – And let’s not forget that at that time there were neither catchers nor clear boundaries of the empire.

– The soul remained free. – Ryan began to drum thoughtfully on the armrest of the chair. – Restless, angry and full of strength.

“Like attracts like,” continued the director of the School of Death.

– The slave Rogeta, probably, after what was done to her, turned to power? - the master suggested.

– I doubt that the sea ones come into force with the birth of a child.

Ryan thought for a moment and soon said:

– They didn’t have children.

“Dead end,” Ellohar muttered.

The masters looked at each other, and for some reason they both looked at me at the same time.

“That’s all true,” I agreed with their assumptions, “but now I’m interested in the question: did Selius’s wife have a ring like his?”

- Which? – asked Ellohar.

“Like what you took from Aliterra’s finger?” – Ryan immediately understood what I meant.

- Yes. “I remembered that I had left the drawing at the office and suggested: “I can draw it.”

“Go ahead,” Ellohar agreed, giving me a seat at the table.

And I sat down to draw.

Both lords, sitting comfortably in their chairs, continued to speculate.

– What if the girl was still able to summon the essence of the murdered witch? - said Ellohar.

“Then this explains a lot, including the book of human curses found on her,” Rian noted.

“Selius, despite the torture, did not reveal the secrets of the order,” said the director of the School of the Art of Death thoughtfully.

“And the rest just didn’t know.” “Rian grinned: “It’s a shame that most of his memories were erased before his execution.”

“At that time it was considered reasonable.”

– Selius retained his memory only before the formation of the order...

– So, in fact, he remembers his wife as a young witch? – Ellohar suggested. – But still, the slave had no children.

I looked up from the drawing, looked at them, so different and at the same time very similar, and noticed:

“She didn’t use the power of witches, she used curses, and this requires only a slightly increased reserve of internal energy, and as I understand it, all witches have a little more of it than ordinary people.”

Silence, attentive and thoughtful glances at me, then Ellohar suddenly asked a question:

- Deya, suppose I took you by force and locked you in my castle. – Rian looked gloomily at the master, but did not interfere. - Your actions?

- In what sense? - I did not understand.

- In the most direct way. You are a human woman, and an innocent one at that. And here’s the situation - I stole you, took you by force, locked you up. Your actions? You can skip the tears and snot, thoughts and opinions don’t interest me either, I’m not Thiers. Answer clearly and specifically, what would you do?

Unexpected question. More than unexpected, but I thought about it and answered as honestly as possible:

“I would do my best to escape.”

Ellohar smiled at me, turned to Rian and said:

– Note, not to kill, but to escape.

The Lord Headmaster thought for a moment, then said slowly:

- Grilles.

– Remember: in her room there were bars on the windows. Nowhere else.

And both lords said at once:

- She ran away!

“It’s stupid, but it’s human,” added Ellohar. “And something tells me that our assumptions are more than correct.” She escapes and, due to the increased reserve - she is a witch after all - feeds the ghost, and Selius’s wife shows her the way to the hiding places.

“The ancestral castle of the Rogets on the Viersky slope, the ruins of the order’s castle are three days’ journey away,” Rian recalled. – The cache was somewhere nearby.

- And the girl gets a book of curses! – Ellohar exclaimed triumphantly.

“Yes,” Ryan was in no hurry to triumph, “but what does the witch get?”

And the masters thought again. I decided to start with a question:

– What could a fueled, restless spirit thirsty for revenge want?

- Revenge? - said Ellohar.

- Body? “I liked the master’s suggestion better.”

– Or maybe, like a true woman, you decided to combine? - I know it’s stupid, but suddenly.

And then for some reason I remembered that same grotto on Listar, life growing in bubbles, children growing up in the same bubbles... It somehow felt completely bad, and yet I said out loud:

“What if this slave girl was pregnant?” “A vision of the murdered Nora, her ripped open belly, flashed before my eyes. “And what if the witch inspired her to transfer the embryo into a magical shell?”

Both lords leaned forward slightly, listening to me. Such a coordinated, smooth and predatory movement that I fell silent, and there was no longer any desire to say anything.

- Dear, do you think the witch was able to grow herself a new body?

“That would be logical,” I answered quietly. “Although I don’t know how this girl survived, Nora died.”

And then suddenly the words came out on their own:

– Master Ellohar, why did you say that it was stupid to run?

True, I didn’t dare look at him; his roar is still scary.

“We are dark, Daya,” it sounded somehow meaningful, “it’s only a matter of time to find your woman.” Most often it is very short-lived.

I had already finished drawing the ring and now for some reason I was drawing flowers along the edges of the leaf and, continuing this unseemly task, I began to think out loud:

“Let’s say that Selius’s wife knew that this runaway girl would be found, and then ... - it turned out to be difficult to talk about this - she put the slave out, and maybe she took her away from the hiding place ... And perhaps, when Lord Roget found her, he managed to save her and heal wounds.

“Given the nature of the internal injuries of Nora, the innkeeper’s daughter, I can say with confidence: if she had remained alive, she would not have been capable of giving birth to children,” said Rian.

“This is all terrible,” I couldn’t stand it.

I didn’t see Ryan approach, I just felt his hand on my shoulder, raised my head, looked into his black, slightly flickering eyes, and I was released. It really did get easier.

“It seems so,” Ellohar confirmed.

“Thus, it is likely that there is someone half-human who has the knowledge of both human magicians and sea witches,” Rian continued.

“Half-man, half-dark, there is no doubt about the father,” Ellohar put in, “which means it is quite possible that this someone has fire in his blood.”

– That is, he is able to burn distance. “Rian put his hands on the table and muttered with unexpected fury: “This creature is involved in that story with the demon artifact!”

Ellohar laughed, but restrained himself and simply answered with a smile:

– Rian, my boy, this dirty trick seems to be connected not only with Durrant’s artifact and the transfer of Yaroslava and Inara to the territory of the Dark Empire, everything here is on a larger scale. Just understand - the vengeance of sea witches is something almost divine, and this creature also contains the blood of a dark lord. Thus, we have a vengeful creature that once ruled in these territories. And given all the scraps of information that we already have, I can tell you right away - this is a woman. I guarantee it. And she spent more than one year trying to get close to the imperial palace. And, perhaps, somehow she reached Aliterra, I am more than sure that the princess is not acting with her own mind. Aliterra is cruel, but she will gnaw the throat of anyone who encroaches on you, and in this situation we have a ritual in preparation, after which someone else will be placed in your body.

- Selius? – I asked in a whisper.

- Oh no, my darling! “Ellohar smiled somehow gloomily: “She doesn’t need a man who betrayed her.” Here either she herself will occupy the body of the favorite of the entire empire, or she will prepare him for something exciting.

And I sit and remember that very drawing of the master, crossed out by the inscription “I hate.”

– How old could she be? – I asked with a sinking heart.

“Something like this...” Ellohar began.

“A little older than me,” the master interrupted him.

“Well, yes, for ten years, plus or minus eight,” stretching like a big cat, which reminded me of Lucky, Ellohar stood up, went to the window, opened the shutters, took a deep breath, then, turning to us, cheerfully summarized everything that had been said above: – We need a rootless lady close to power with the features inherent in Lord Ike Roget, and yes – with hatred in her eyes... Mistresses, wives, cooks, maids, secretaries are accepted for consideration... Who else could a woman who is not at all old be?

- Yes, anyone, if she has a second ring! – I exclaimed.

“This is the Abyss,” Rian swore darkly.

It seemed that he was already mentally compiling lists of those who needed to be checked.

-What kind of ring? – Ellohar quickly approached, took the drawing, and took a closer look. - AND?

I planned to explain it confusingly, completely avoiding the question of the location of the ring at the moment, since the investigation is secret and all that. In any case, the Comers now had this ring in their dreams, and since they no longer contacted us, it means that it remains there. So, I started out cautiously:

“It so happened that we were faced with a lady’s request to look for her family ring and ... after we found out that trolls were involved in the matter ... and there ...

“Ah,” Ellohar smiled insidiously, “your first case, which is where “De-Yure” began.” How, how, how unforgettable it turned out. Although I liked the moment with the drow undressing more, especially his thoughts on this matter...

And it dawned on me! He looked through Yurao's memories. All the memories!

- How could you?! - I jumped up.

“A little magic, a little dexterity, a lot of arrogance,” Lord Ellohar answered calmly, not feeling any remorse at all. - So you say, there is an assumption that there is a second similar ring?

I look at Ellohar indignantly. The master smiled at me insidiously, winked cheerfully and said:

- By the way, you can tell your big-eared one that he will only dream about Erha. I'm not going to give my adept to anyone with seven mistresses.

- They are no longer there! – I hissed.

Ellohar looked over the paper at Rian and asked:

- Thiers, I understand everything, but who will care about the moral character of the bride, huh? She already knows about the big-eared lovers, but what if he tells her about his games?

Ryan responded to this attack with a sarcastic response:

– At least in relation to Knights, I am sure that the games will be told only in theory.

– So you don’t trust me? – Ellohar’s indignation was more significant than mine.

- And should? – a mockingly ironic question and an icy look.

The director of the School of the Art of Death silently returned to studying the drawing. Then he said gloomily:

– The ring is not reflected in mirrors... Thiers, as I understand it, Lady Tangirra is preparing for the wedding?

“Mirrors will be everywhere,” the master assured.

- Lists? – Ellohar continued.

“We’ll gather information by evening.”

– Will you look around Aliterra? – came the next question.

“The Emperor,” the master answered somewhat tensely.

- Even so? – A careful look at the former student.

“That would explain a lot,” Rian answered evasively, then to me: “Deya?”

- I have no more questions. – I carefully placed the pencil on the stone table top, polished to a shine.

But Lord Ellohar had questions:

- How is Aliterra?

The master shook his head vaguely and did not answer. He just didn't answer. Silently he took my hand and pulled me along, leading me to the middle of the office.

Hellfire broke out, but even before the transition we heard:

– Ryan, everyone makes their own choice. It was her choice and her path.

The master hugged me, holding me tighter, and quietly answered his friend:

“She’s my second best friend, Darren.”

– She was your second circle, Rian. – Ellohar pronounced this “was” with emphasis. “You didn’t betray her, Aliterra betrayed her family.” And just believe me - she would not hesitate for a moment, killing both Darg and her own father.

The scarlet flame roared.

And I just clung to the master, I would like to take away his pain of disappointment, I would really like to.

* * *

The smell of perfume was the first thing I noticed as soon as we moved. A strong, almost unbearable sweetish-sweet smell of perfume.

“Open the windows,” Lady Thiers commanded exactly, because I always recognize her voice. – Ryan, it’s almost on time!

I opened my eyes, pulled away from the master and looked around - we were in the same ballroom that we visited yesterday. The parquet floor is still polished to a shine, the new door shines with gold, six couples froze in the same dance element, the musicians, pale and trembling, and today in red suits, Lady Thiers and the enraged crown princess crossing her arms over her chest at the window.

“Dark ones,” I greeted politely.

Aliterra, in a bright scarlet dress made of thick sparkling fabric, wanted to answer something evil, but she met Rian’s gaze and remained silent.

“Dear,” the master gently turned him towards him, touched his chin, asking her to look at him, “I won’t be long.” Look at the dance, just watch, okay?

It wasn't good! The mere thought that I would stay in the room with the monster-in-law made me feel uneasy... But I perfectly understood that the Lord Director needed to be in control, at least give orders to the group, and therefore I simply nodded.

“I love you,” Ryan said quietly, raised my hand to his lips, and gently kissed it.

A scarlet flame shot up, practically leaving me to be torn to pieces.

In the ensuing silence, Aliterra’s mocking words were clearly heard:

- Abyss, he generously left us his...

- You better shut up! – Lady Thiers’s sharp cry, from which both I and the Crown Princess flinched.

Her Highness defiantly turned to the window, and I looked at Lady Thiers in some confusion. Mother Riana crossed the hall, came up to me, touched my hand encouragingly and said:

– This is the aletar, the first dance, the dance that opens the ball. There are simple movements here, the main thing that is required of you is to trust Rian. - And, raising his voice: - Music!

From the first chords it became clear that we don’t dance like that, not only in Zagreb, but even in Ardama. A growing melody, an abundance of drums and a rhythm that makes everything shake inside. And the movements are clear, practiced, sharp and... probably my father would have forbidden me to dance like that, to be honest.

It all started decently - the partner led his partner from the door, holding her palm in his outstretched hand, and the melody during the exit was beautiful, smooth, even bewitching. And the partners moved synchronously, starting with the left foot. But then the couples come out into the middle of the hall, and the man freezes, putting his right hand behind his back and raising his left up. At this moment, the drums come in, and the hitherto smooth movement of the partners is replaced by a sharp dizzying turn, after which the girl’s palm slides down along the partner’s outstretched arm... slides along the shoulder, back, and just like that, continuously touching the man, the girl, with the grace of a wild cat, goes around him in a circle to complete the touch in the same place from which it all began, and freeze, almost copying the partner’s pose, that is, also with his arm extended upward. And the melody becomes rougher, harsher, the bass comes in - the men begin to move. And how they move! How can inexperienced girls compare to these tempters - strong, full of power dark lords. Their synchronized turn put the seemingly perfect and impetuous girl’s turn to shame, and then the men danced in such a way that my heart sank with fear and incomprehensible anticipation, which could not be said about the dark ladies - most even closed their eyes. Either out of fear, or in order to feel how a man’s palm slides along the arm, touches the bare shoulder, goes down to the waist, and now both palms take place on the curves of the shuddering female body. A change of melody - and, picked up by strong arms, the girls fly up, raising both hands to the ceiling. I don’t know if our adherents could repeat this, but the dark lords, without tension, held the girls with their backs to them practically at arm’s length. The strings entered, and the lords simultaneously threw up their partners, so much so that in this flight they turned around two meters from the floor and picked them up in a face-to-face position. And then slowly, indecently slowly, the men allowed their partners to practically slide down their bodies! It was one continuous touch, and when the girls’ feet reached the floor, they also had to bend, obeying the element of dance...

- No, I won’t dance this! – confidently told the mother-in-law.

“Yes, they move rather roughly,” Lady Thiers misunderstood me, “but believe me, Rian dances more than magnificently.”

But I didn’t explain anything, because at that moment I had no words - I watched with ever more rounded eyes as the girls caved in. It would have been impossible to stand on one’s feet in this position – the partners were supported by the lords! But at the same time, as a result of such a deflection, the faces of the lords themselves were practically in the lady’s neckline, and I must note that the men clearly liked it!

- Oh Abyss! – I muttered.

The drums began again - quickly straightening up, the ladies smoothly walked around their partners, sliding their thin fingers over the tense muscles, and everything happened again! The dance ended at the moment when, having repeated the entire combination twice, the partners actually froze in each other’s arms - the bodies are as close as possible, one of the girl’s arms is wrapped around the lord’s neck, the second is intertwined with his fingers, the man’s free hand clasps the partner’s waist, and his eyes look into eyes!

The melody died down. The partners moved away from each other, bowed coldly, as if they didn’t know each other at all! I definitely liked the dwarf dances more!

– As you can see, the movements are simple, it’s not surprising - this is a very ancient dance. But traditions oblige,” Lady Thiers began to explain, not noticing my confusion. - Now I’ll show you the warp.

After the first dance my cheeks were burning, I’m afraid I just won’t live to see the second!

And then a terrible thing happened - a scarlet flame roared behind me! I carefully look over my shoulder, just in time to see the master step towards me from the fire. Collected, confident, decisive.

– Have you already seen the dance?

She nodded silently.

– It’s not difficult, the main thing is to feel the rhythm. - And, completely not noticing my shocked look, he said, turning to his mother: - For starters, it’s just the two of us.

“Of course, of course,” Lady Thiers immediately agreed, “lords and ladies, freed up space.”

And the passionate partners immediately retreated under the wall, looking at us with interest, Lirran waved at me cheerfully. And at that moment, Rian extended his hand, inviting him to dance. The Academy of Curses adept swallowed nervously, exhaled sharply and honestly admitted:

“Rian, I love you very much, but... I won’t dance this!”

And his breathtaking smile in response, along with a meaningful movement - he simply stepped towards me.

- Ryan! “I feel like I’m breaking into a squeal.” - This is not a dance! This... I won't dance this.

One more step - and, carefully hugging me, the master quietly said:

- We'll just try. Of course, I would prefer to study in private, but there are fears... - He leaned over and barely audibly whispered right next to his ear: - That I simply won’t be able to restrain myself.

Twitching, she pulled away from him and said confidently:

In response, an outstretched palm and the incredible:

“Darling, I’ve danced it so many times with women I don’t care about, but I really want, at least once, to hug my beloved in this dance...

Mentally she remembered the Abyss three times, wished the entire court to be in debt to the dwarves, and extended her palm to Lord Ryan Thier, who again achieved his goal. But who am I to deprive him of his dreams, considering that he gave me my own.

And on stiff legs I followed the master all the way to the door to turn around to face the musicians and prepare to fly into the Abyss!

- Music! – Lady Thiers commanded.

- Just a minute! – I objected.

It’s not that I felt comfortable standing under everyone’s gaze, but I couldn’t dance right away like that. Especially this one. “You need to imagine the dance as a pattern,” she mentally said to herself, “it’s just a pattern.” I imagined it, tried to remember it, and at the same time remembered that the women’s part goes to one melody, the men’s to a harder one. And after that Lady Thiers nodded.

The father-in-law smiled somehow predatorily and commanded:

- Music!

"Stupid dance! – I said to myself. - Stupid dance!

“I’m close,” Rian said tenderly, gently squeezing my fingers.

The anger passed instantly, I turned my head, met my gaze with black, slightly flickering eyes and realized that I was drowning again, and drowning irrevocably. He smiled, I smiled back... Everything around me began to slowly fall into the Abyss.

The melody began to play, we simultaneously stepped forward, almost perfectly and even correctly, except that we were supposed to look forward, and we were looking at each other. The middle of the hall came somehow unexpectedly, as did the change of melody, and my turn was not sharp, I moved more smoothly, but I confess - I wanted to touch his palm, slide my fingers over his body, touching his arm, shoulder, back and slowly walking around in a circle, touch your chest, only to freeze, meeting your darkened gaze... I didn’t complete the element - the bass entered. And when his dance began, I forgot how to breathe... Every movement is all his strength and power, almost tangible, but at the same time endless tenderness in every touch... And I can hardly stand on my feet, barely strong arms clasp my waist...

And I fly up to fall into his arms... And then he allowed me to slowly, in time with the melody, slide down his tense body... Fortunately, the music was loud enough for only Lord Ryan Thiers to hear my moan. And I would like to pull away, turn away at least for a moment in order to cope with the surging feelings, but inexorably slowly the master leans over me, forcing me to bend back, lower and lower, feeling his breath on my face, neck, chest...

The melody changes. The string part is almost deafening, and I have a second opportunity, touching Rian with the tips of my trembling fingers, to walk around in a circle, admiring his article, his strength, his half-smile with which he tensely follows my every step. And there is nothing else but us and this melody that makes us play by the rules when we so want to forget about them for a moment. And, having completed the circle, freezing, concede the game. And I don’t know what’s better: to close my eyes so as not to see this frankly tempting gaze, or not to close them so as not to feel its every touch so keenly. But, soaring up, I cannot contain the sweet feeling of anticipation from just one thought - now we will be so close. A rapid takeoff and an incredible feeling - on the one hand, the joyful feeling of wings behind his back, on the other - regret that his hands had let go for a moment. For one brief, piercing moment. And strong palms pick me up again to move on to the most tempting part of the dance.

– And I think that’s enough! – Lady Thiers’ voice sounded so unexpectedly.

The frightened musicians stopped playing so quickly that it seemed as if the melody had simply been cut off. And the master and I froze in the position in which we were so unceremoniously interrupted - he, holding me, and I, who had not yet slid to the floor and did not take my eyes off his black eyes.

- Did you like it? “The Dark Lord continued to tempt me in the most shameless way.

- Yes. “I had absolutely no strength to lie.”

- More? - Provocative question.

“We have an investigation,” I reminded.

– Investigation into the Abyss! – hoarse, slightly growling voice.

Just yesterday I would have insisted on returning to management; today I simply could not deny myself the pleasure of whispering:

- I support...

And a temptingly victorious smile on his face.

I don’t know how all this would have ended if not for Lady Thiers’ loud statement:

“You and I just saw how not to dance the aletar!” “I winced, losing the delightful feeling of absolute happiness. – Three mistakes, an absolute lack of sense of rhythm and yes – a clear violation of the boundaries of what is permissible.

Ryan slowly lowered me to the floor, I frankly didn’t like the expression on his face.

“But for the first time,” the father-in-law continued, “it’s very good.” I expected the worst.

A scarlet flame flared up.

* * *

I found myself alone in Lord Thiers' bedroom. She stood for a while, walked around, went to the window, looked at the palace.

A few minutes later, a fire roared behind me, and almost immediately gentle hands slid over my shoulders, hugged my waist, drawing me to the master’s broad chest.

“Sorry,” the Lord Headmaster said hoarsely.

I said nothing, just enjoying his presence.

“And you’re a great dancer,” he openly lied.

Laughing, she answered honestly:

“Rian, this is not a dance, I’m serious.” They dance here in Zagreb, in Ardama they also dance well in the square, at dwarves’ weddings it’s simply wonderful, but it’s difficult to even call this court disgrace a dance.

Quiet laughter and confident:

- But you liked it.

Shrugging her shoulders, she looked out the window again. Liked is too insignificant a term for the whole gamut of sensations, which still make my heart beat faster and make me a little dizzy. Like after wine.

And then Ryan, touching my hair with his lips, whispered hoarsely:

– And I endlessly like to see your gaze clouded with passion...

My heart froze.

- Hearing your moans...

It beat at triple speed.

– Feel how your breathing has changed...

Somehow my whole body weakened at once, I could barely stand on my feet and would not have been able to stand if he had not squeezed me in a strong, reliable embrace.

“And I just go crazy when you say my name in a broken whisper, my love.”

The next moment I was picked up by his strong arms, and for some reason there weren’t even any objections as soon as I was laid on the wide bed. I simply closed my eyes, waiting for the continuation... But then the voice of the master who abruptly pulled away was heard:

- Sure? Ultan, this is not information that I can present to the emperor without evidence.

I slowly open my eyes and look at Lord Ryan Thiers, standing half-turn towards me, who, looking off into space, seems to be communicating with his own deputy.

- No, this is unacceptable! – irritation flashed in the voice. - Yes, I’ll be there now. No, it makes no sense to entrust them. No, I have a separate task for “De-Yure”. I'll be there now.

When Rian interrupted his communication with the demon and turned to me, I, embarrassed by the situation, tried to get up.

“You better lie down now,” the master remarked with a smile.

I resolutely try to get up and at the same time carefully do not look at Ryan at all, because...

He intercepted me while trying to get up, lay down next to me, hugged me, held me almost by force, and, as soon as she stopped struggling, he whispered right next to my ear:

– Imagine a lake, as clear as mountain air, a majestic light forest, a small house on the shore and no one around for tens of days on the road... Can you imagine?

“No,” without fully realizing why, I was very offended by him.

“That’s right,” a careful kiss on the neck, “don’t imagine, I’ll show you everything myself.” And there, I promise, it will be just you and me.

I froze, thought about the prospect and quietly asked:

- And when?

“In two days,” came the calm answer.

After listening to information regarding my immediate future, I decided to speak out:

- You know what, master...

- What? – he whispered hoarsely.

Suddenly Rian was on top, pressing my wrists to the bedspread, and slowly leaning towards my lips, he ordered:

- Tell me.

I could no longer tell anything... I was waiting, or rather, anticipating at least a kiss, at least one, and I even held my breath... Lord Thiers peered at me with an attentive, too understanding look, but did not even try to do what was expected of him . A movement and he grabbed my wrists, moving his hands behind my head. I didn’t have time to scream when I heard his low, sensual:

“How about an unscheduled examination test, Adept Riate?”

- About? – I exhaled, more indignant than frightened.

“For example,” he leaned toward my neck, scorching with his hot breath, “let’s start with the dark story that Tobias Ovens got you into.”

I shuddered. The enchanting feeling of anticipation, the fascination with the flickering of his black eyes, like the Dark Art itself, the strange feeling of languor throughout my body subsided, as if I was doused with a wave of icy water. She turned away silently, looked at the wall for a few moments, gathering her strength, and then:

“So, your secrets are your secrets,” I twitched, breaking free, “and you don’t even tell me about yourself, you don’t even tell me about your previous women!” “She quickly got up, straightened her dress and, unable to remain silent, continued: “And Toby didn’t drag me in, I made this decision myself!” And yes – I don’t regret a moment! Probably because I'm dark too!

Ryan remained silent, I refused to look at him at all.

A scarlet flame flared up.

* * *

Something incredible was happening at SBI. Seventeen employees were rushing along the previously completely empty corridor, and I had the opportunity to count them, since everyone was there solely for the purpose of waiting for Lord Thiers to appear. And if, when the first half-demon with red and blue hair approached, Rian still continued to hold my hand, then, understanding the intentions of the second, he nodded towards the controls and let go of my palm.

The corridor instantly became empty and quiet.

Secrecy - in a word.

Frustrated and sad, I passed the first level, went down to the second, walked along the corridor, and entered the control room. Only Yurao, the werewolf and the demon were there. My partner, looking up from some lists, raised his head and peered at me carefully...

- She returned. – Statement of fact, not a question. - Are we going to roar?

“No,” I responded barely audibly.

- Right. – Yuri took the sheets. - Let's go, we have a new case.

– Who are we working for? – I asked indifferently.

- On the government, so that the Abyss can devour them. “Drow came up and handed me a handkerchief. “Come on, we have a tour of all the jewelers in the city before sunset.” Thiers ordered to find a silver ring, and who, except the master jeweler, knows what kind of jewelry ladies of high society wear.

I no longer wanted to cry.

- What? – I asked Yurao.

Lord Shavre answered me, holding up a drawing depicting that very ring:

– Your art? “The demon definitely didn’t have any kind feelings towards me.”

“Yes, I drew,” she didn’t deny.

“It’s a disgusting drawing,” Ultan “pleased.” – Torn lines, as if they were working with a ruler.

Who studied what - I was taught to draw diagrams... But I wasn’t going to say this, I just silently looked at the deputy master, waiting for the continuation.

“Get closer to the point,” the demon growled, apparently dissatisfied with my silence. “By order of Lord Thiers, we are working with a list of ladies who fit the description of one of the conspirators. You are tasked with going around the jewelers. A waste of time, in my opinion, but Thiers' orders are not discussed. Let's hope for the mercy of the Abyss and that you will be lucky again. Go, meeting at seven! Knights, don't be late.

I don’t know why Yurao remained silent; personally, at that moment I was thinking exclusively about the wording “one of the conspirators.” That is, Rian did not report the true scale of the problem or keeps his employees in a state of ignorance... or rather, half-awareness. And that’s what he always does to me!

“Let’s go,” Yurao pushed me towards the door, “let’s have some fun!”

Since I was still standing and looking at Sheivre, I saw how, after Yuri’s words, the demon’s black eyes rapidly turned red.

“Let’s go to the tavern, have a drink, and have a heart-to-heart talk,” the drow continued.

The black claws of Lord Cheivre, who was pretending to read some kind of letter, ripped open the surface of the table.

– I would also go to the taverns, but I doubt that you will appreciate the depraved women of the capital, so we will limit ourselves to one house with beauties. I’ll go relieve the stress, and you’ll sit downstairs and talk to smart women about how to raise a man so that he doesn’t joke with the marriage contract. Day, you have encroached on something sacred!

She looked at Yura suspiciously, and the drow, without a twinge of conscience, continued to describe the coming day:

– We’ll take Oruga, when we leave the tavern after intimate conversations, we’ll hardly be able to walk in a straight line, so Oruga, definitely. Besides, the centaurs will now work for us for free, I’ve agreed.

“A real gnome,” I praised.

- Otherwise! With my acumen and your observation, we will soon have the entire capital in debt, so let’s go, left-wing incomes do not sleep, and you can stretch your legs on state pay. Let's go, whoever I tell!

And they pushed me into the corridor, and then they cheerfully closed the doors. And a loud roar was heard from the management:

- Stand!!!

We ran. At once and without saying a word. On the stairs, Yurao walked around me, realized that I was lagging behind, and extended his hand. Then they ran together, I carefully held my skirt. When we passed the first level, I thought that we couldn’t climb another staircase at this pace. Overpowered. And then Yurao took me somewhere into a side passage, behind a column, and held me there, giving me the opportunity to catch my breath.

And at that moment came from the underground level:

- Nites! “The demon, who had half-turned by the way, jumped out into the hall, scaring those present with his scream. - Come back immediately, Knights! - Lord Shavre roared.

Yuri, buried in my shoulder, almost silently, but very cheerfully, was dying of laughter. I can’t say that I stood with a serious expression on my face. True, she couldn’t understand one thing - why did he bring the demon?

- Nites! - roar of the demon.

“Follow me,” Yurao commanded, pulling him towards one of the service passages with the sign: “Entrance is strictly prohibited.”

I don’t know to whom it was forbidden, but the drow, touching the door handle, whispered “Ours,” and the passage calmly opened.

“Disgusting drawing,” “wasted time,” Yur misrepresented Lord Shavre. - I should have sat and not opened my mouth in vain. If we hadn’t gotten the lists from the bank, the Abyss would have been for them, and not for the supposed suspects, and they – no gratitude!

In some ways, I agreed with my partner.

“So everyone, today let them work without us, you stone morons,” Yurao continued to get angry, leading me along a narrow corridor. - Seriously, Day, let them go... into the Abyss! With all your miserly management!

And then a mocking voice came from behind us:

- I hear from the misery.

We turned around slowly. The werewolf standing behind us gave out such a malicious grin. Well, yes, Lexan is the first hunter of His Imperial Majesty. He is able to track down and catch any creature, including evil spirits, so it was not difficult for him to track down drow and humans.

- But as? – Yuri asked in surprise, clearly hinting at the appearance of a werewolf in the office space, where only “our own” people are allowed to enter.

The werewolf shook his head wearily, flashed his green eyes and, grinning, said:

– Shaena was right.

- Who? – Yuri didn’t understand.

-Lady Veris? – I asked in surprise.

Another grin, then a graceful bow and formal introduction:

– Lek Saan Artuar Veris, Clan of the Prowlers, first house.

And I remembered the quiet words of Lady Veris: “Meet me at the palace, my brother works there.” And now I understood who our curator’s brother works, and, having taken a closer look, I was forced to admit that there was a similarity. And although the hair is not blue-black, the eyes have a greenish tint and there is something smoothly viscous in the gestures, like Veris’s.

“So you are Lady Veris’s brother,” I voiced my assumption.

“The eldest,” Lexan confirmed, “is already illegal.”

- How is that? - I did not understand.

A mocking grin and a patronizing:

– Don’t bother yourself with extraneous problems when you have plenty of your own. Yes - Ultan is tearing up and rushing, return to control, both of you, preferably before Lord Thiers appears.

To all this, Yuri chuckled defiantly and brazenly declared:

- We'll be back. At seven in the evening, as it should be, but at the moment we have an assignment from management, and we are very responsible workers, I must note.

Unpleasant situation. But Yuri suddenly extended his hand, knocked on the wall three times and said sadly:

- Help me out, huh?

The next moment we fell into the Abyss.

* * *

First we fell down, then up, and finally somewhere to the left, and I could barely restrain myself from squealing, but I grabbed the drow’s palm so hard that I cut it with my nails until it bled. Yuri endured it bravely. And then we were thrown somewhere into a large room filled with steam and the aromas of food, and we found ourselves sitting on sacks of flour... My dress!

“Eared, drow don’t eat that much,” someone remarked in a deep voice.

– Have you ever been to dinners in the Western Kingdom? – getting up and helping me get up, Yurao asked curiously.

“N-no,” came the answer. “But I once saw one of the drow eat an omelet with pleasure, and savored every bite from the handful of substance that lay on his plate.

Yuri froze, looked at someone behind me and asked gloomily:

-Are you sure it was an omelette?

I turned around. A huge werewolf, one of those who turn into club-footed and the most dangerous inhabitants of the forests of the Borderland, adjusted his white apron and thoughtfully remarked:

“Or,” confirmed Yurao. - It’s a thrill to devour the most valuable thing from your enemy. And we love smart enemies, I would even say we value them.

I felt nauseous. Cooks too. Yur stood with his chest puffed out proudly and showed the image of a drow frightening in cruelty.

- Ugh, Abyss! - The werewolf sighed sadly: - But I still couldn’t understand what kind of spices he used... And then, I’d like to take it and fry it in an egg... It’s completely primitive.

The drow stopped pretending to be proud of the dark underground people and became indignant:

- No, but do you think he should have eaten them raw? By the way, it’s disgusting as it is, but duty demands it, and if it’s also raw, then it’s absolutely disgusting!

I became more dizzy.

- Why raw right away? – the cook, in turn, was indignant. - Although, if with lemon juice and the right hot sauce...

Yurao raised his hand, cutting off the werewolf mid-sentence, and told me:

- That's it, Day, let's go before you start bragging about your breakfast.

I just helplessly waved goodbye to the cook, and we headed off to an unknown destination, maneuvering in the steam-filled room between tables, cooks, sinks... When we passed the kitchen and emerged through a long corridor almost to the very gate, not the central one, by the way, I still asked:

– Yuri, when did you manage to meet the cook?

- Day, we are in public service, right? – he asked impudently.

- So. - It seems so.

“Well then, let them feed me at the expense of the empire.” Moreover, I’m not particularly used to eating from the barracks, and yesterday I went directly to the food supplier, there was a gnome, he put me in touch with Borug, Borug is a good guy, he got to the heart of the problem right away, so the issue of food at the expense of the state was resolved quickly. By the way, aren't you hungry?

- It's a pity. - Drow sighed heavily: - We could come back, Borug cooks great.

But of course we didn't return. We walked happily along the alley between the trees blooming with dazzling yellow flowers, and in contrast to their sunny yellowness there were completely purple bushes, and the morning, although it was later, was delightful.

- Where we are going? – she asked, running up to the tree and burying her nose in the flowers.

The aroma is intoxicating!

– As always – to our own people. “Yur came up, tore off a branch, handed it to me and dragged me to the exit of the garden. “It will be much faster than going around asking each master what this demon actually expects from us.” No, we will follow the path of least resistance, and at the same time, maybe we’ll earn some extra money.

- Heart-to-heart conversations? “I walked, carried away by the drow, holding a flowering branch to my face, and enjoying the sweet aroma.

“As it turns out,” Yurao responded.

No one was waiting for us behind the narrow servants' gate. But the drow whistled softly, and almost immediately the clatter of hooves was heard, then a centaur already familiar to us appeared around the bend.

– Madam Riate, Lord Knights, good to see you! - And the smile is so happy.

“Dark ones, Mr. Swift...” I began joyfully and stopped short as soon as Yuri looked at me very displeasedly.

“Day,” Yurao said irritably, “take a closer look at his smile and note on his nose - when they smile at you like that, it means they want something from you.”

The driver, accused of something unknown, blinked in confusion, I quickly blushed, the drow finished off:

“I’m not talking about what Thiers wants from you.” – And the grin is so impudent.

- Day! “They took me by the shoulders and turned me towards the centaur, who no longer understood anything. “I’ll bet gold that Orug’s happy face is connected with a favor that they will now unobtrusively ask us for.”

The centaur embarrassedly picked at the stone road with his hoof, looked sideways at Yurao and, as soon as he opened his mouth, heard a decisive:

- No! “Yur pushed me towards the carriage. – No, and no again, I will not work for your entire herd for free. Let's go to the gnomes.

- We won’t go to the gnomes! – Orug was indignant.

“You won’t go,” Yurao agreed, “but we really need it.” That's it, let's go.

* * *

While still approaching the territory of the dwarven community, I noticed something strange - there were no more trees there. There were mountains. Tall gray mountains, blinding from a distance with their sparkling snow caps. There was also a fence – high and stone. And absolutely no gates.

“It’s strange,” Yurao said thoughtfully. -What's wrong with them?

The city road ran into a solid fence, four men tall, so we had to get out of the cart and go in search of the entrance. Yurao didn’t think for a long time, walked up to the wall and said gloomily:

A malicious sound came from behind the wall:

“Your own people don’t wander around without security in times like these.”

Yuri calmly replied:

“Our people don’t hang around at all, they’ve got their hands full, there’s no time for walks.”

And the wall in front of us melted away, forming a ragged passage. The drow passed first, gliding into the territory of the gnomes as a black shadow with a golden tail of hair sparkling in the sun, and only after that did they extend their hand to me. Following my partner, frankly speaking, I was amazed at the disgrace going on in the dwarven community - it was winter here! The real thing, with huge snow slides, ice-covered puddles, snow forts and kids having fun.

- And... what do you have? – the drow asked incredulously.

And then a joyful cry rang through the entire village:

– Officer Knights, Mrs. Riate! Where have you been?! “And the elder of the dwarven community, the master jeweler himself, the venerable Moles, hurried to us.

The dwarf, with his arms outstretched, hurriedly walked towards us, joyful and satisfied, and as soon as he came up, he hugged me, rewarded me with a strong handshake from Yurao and asked in surprise:

- Why were you late?

We looked at each other and looked at the gnome in confusion.

“Two hundred and forty-two years for the capital’s dwarven community,” Master Moles explained in confusion. – I sent you an invitation yesterday. On crepe paper with gold embossing, as dear guests... - We continued to look at the venerable gnome in bewilderment. - How so?! – he was amazed. – Madam Riate, they handed it over to you personally...

A terrible chill ran through my skin...

The gnome somehow immediately realized that something was fishy. He frowned, even frowned, pulled his eyebrows over his eyes, twitched his nose nervously, followed by his beard, and then the venerable dwarf slowly said:

– Maybe like with my brother-in-law Dukt, right?

“We need to check,” Yurao confirmed gloomily.

And the question of the guardian spirit, and this time without malice at all:

– Isolate?

The dwarf stood a little longer, stern and concentrated, and then said thoughtfully:

“That’s what I think, Lord Knights, you came yourself, as I understand it?”

Yurao looked nervously at the wall and said what the dwarf was the first to think of:

- And someone will appear by invitation!

- Tea, shall we call the guards? - asked Moles.

Yuri looked at me, I shook my head negatively and quietly answered:

“If they come, it’s better to go straight to Lord Thiers.”

“I agree,” the drow supported my decision.

The dwarf did not argue.

- Let's go. - He sighed heavily: - Apparently, you came to us to talk, since you didn’t know about the holiday.

And he led us between the snowy rubble, introducing us to the holiday:

– Our community was founded by two brothers – Horus and Zloust Mogry. There, if you can see from Sedova, there are two faces on the mountain.

We looked in the indicated direction - and as it turned out, on each of the illusory mountains the face of a gnome was carved.

– Our most outstanding ancestors! – Mr. Moles said proudly. – Every year we exhibit it so that the younger generation does not forget history.

The stern faces of the great ancestors looked menacingly at the children having fun, the youth squealing with delight rushing down the slope, the young mothers carefully looking after the little ones, the older mothers jealously watching the gnomes and older gnomes who did not notice anything except each other and this a delightful winter day under the bright spring sun. The gnome-dads had fun in their own way - the younger ones boasted of their successes over a glass of intoxicating brew, and the older gnomes patronizingly hid their smiles in their beards, but did not interrupt those who were showing off, condescendingly allowing the gnomes to make mistakes themselves and learn from their example.

“It’s just like I was transported back to childhood,” Yurao admitted to me.

- How many years did you live with the dwarves? – she asked, bending down and helping the baby who had rolled right under his feet to get up.

- Seven. – Yur supported us, because we had entered the slippery part of the path. “It so happened that my mother did not share her position in the army with my father, they had a row, my father got ready, took me, kissed Ri goodbye, and we left the Western Kingdom.

- For how long?

“Yes, forever,” the drow answered carefree. “Before leaving, Papul cleaned up the faces of everyone who looked at Mommy. And these were all the highest ranks, so there was no way we could go back, our aunts would have been killed in their sleep.

I look at Yurao in amazement. Of course, none of my business, but still:

- Why aunts?

The cheerful look of golden eyes and patient:

- Day, we are drow. Drow, do you understand? We clean each other's faces exclusively in ritual fights, and when we leave the circle of death, all the claims of the vanquished against the winners remain there, and only there.

I didn’t understand and still:

“Then why were your aunts unhappy?”

– My dad is still a bit of a gnome. – Yurao beamed with a proud smile. – For each battle, a condition was set, the losers were obliged to fulfill. So the aunts were very angry, I generally keep quiet about my mother.

“I didn’t understand anything,” I honestly admitted to my partner.

But there was no longer an opportunity to continue the conversation - we approached the house of Master Moles, and the dwarf, opening the doors, stepped aside, letting us pass ahead.

We were the first in the living room of the cozy dwarven house; the others had not yet arrived. Pointing to the sofa, Moles himself sat down in the chair. He frowned thoughtfully, his fingers nervously tugged at the end of his beard, his eyes slightly narrowed. And I suddenly thought that the venerable Mr. Moles was probably very old, although you couldn’t tell by his appearance: there was no gray in his beard or hair.

- Why is this being done? – the dwarf said thoughtfully. – Should we look at our own people with caution?

“We haven’t found out anything yet,” Yurao said sternly.

“Dukt, now here’s the boy Tomarsov,” Master Moles continued, as if he had not heard the drow’s words. - Well, let’s say, I suspected my brother-in-law - there are a lot of strange things, but Oyveg Tomars... except that he was nervous and didn’t show up from the house today, and so, honestly, there are no strange things in him... Oh, and evil times have come, Mrs. Riate, Lord Knights.

I understood the dwarf’s fears, and in general it’s creepy to know that someone you trust could turn out to be... like Dukt. That’s why I didn’t remain silent:

– Honorable Mr. Master Jeweler Moles, – there should always be politeness, – perhaps you will be reassured by the information that other entities can enter the body of a gnome in one case – if the gnome loses the desire to live.

The beady gray eyes of the gnome looked at me carefully, and I continued:

“Mr. Honorable Master Dukt lost his beloved Lady Dukt, he grieved very much, and we suspect that this is what allowed the magicians to use his body to inhabit another entity.

I couldn't say anything more, but Moles didn't need to. The community elder exhaled with noticeable relief, smiled, causing cobwebs of kind wrinkles to appear around his eyes, and said confidently:

- No, Oyveg Tomars loves life, and more than life he loves the daughter of old Urs. And how he loves her - he got three jobs just so that the wedding could happen sooner. The elders chuckle and say: “Oiwe, should I sell you an extra hour in the day?” “Then he frowned and said menacingly: “Looks like... they sold it.”

Yuri nodded meaningfully, but was in no hurry to say anything.

There was a knock on the door, and Master Moles went to open it.

Six dwarves entered. Two gray-bearded, but strong and wiry old men shook hands with the owner of the house, approached Yurao and also shook hands. We sat down. Only after that did the others enter. Among them stood out a tall, surprisingly for a mountain people, broad-shouldered dwarf with a black beard and hair and a gloomy look that sent chills down your spine.

Those who entered simply bowed to us and all sat down too. The cozy living room immediately became crowded. Master Moles returned to his place and began speaking:

– Respected elders, meet the co-owners of the private investigation office “DeYure”, Mrs. Deya Riate and Lord Yurao Knights. The companions work temporarily at SBI, at the invitation of Lord Thiers himself.

If at the beginning of the performance they looked at us rather with mocking curiosity, then after the mention of the master’s name, curiosity gave way to deep respect.

“Mistress Riate, Lord Knights, meet the council of elders of the capital’s dwarven community,” Master Moles continued. – Honorable master winemaker, Mr. Grovas. “The first of the gray-haired men bowed his head slightly. – Venerable master jeweler, supplier to the imperial palace, Mr. Soler. – The second of those who entered also bowed his head slightly.

Needless to say, Yurao and I were now looking at him. And very greedily and expectantly. Master Moles barely wanted to continue, but Master Zoler interrupted him with a mocking tone:

– And what do the investigators want?

The gentlemen investigators were embarrassed, or rather I was embarrassed, Yuri cheerfully answered:

- And why was Mr. Jeweler afraid? We have nothing to do with the tax service, we are not interested in income, we are not strigoi or badzullas.

“Oh-oh,” all the dwarves said at once.

“I was in office the other day,” Master Zoler began, “so it’s like the wedding of the emperor’s daughter, all the ladies of the court are preoccupied with new jewelry, so the income has been received, so I’m going to unfasten it.” And they!

There is a tragic pause, and everyone silently listens to hear:

“They told me: “All transfers only through the Imperial Bank.” I told them: “Reverends, where have you seen this?!” Since when?" - “New imperial decree,” they say, “all payments through the Imperial Bank.”

Everyone was silent in shock, and only I couldn’t stand it:

- And what did you do? Have you listed it?

- I?! “They looked at me strangely.” - Girl, who taught you about life?

I even felt somehow uncomfortable, but that was for me, and Yurao brazenly said:

“They taught her life well, I’m just in charge of tax deductions in our office, while Daya is still receiving education in her field. So how did it all end?

The dwarf rubbed his gray beard, squinted slyly and said:

“The emperor’s decree is for all sorts of lords, but we, the people of the foothills, know our rights. Neither the strigoi nor the emperor himself can oblige payments to be made through exactly a single bank; this is not by law. But if the law is passed, a base is laid for it, and the Imperial Bank is placed over all the banks, and a gold reserve is provided for it, then you are welcome to write decrees.

“And they won’t manage it in five years.” – The second of the gray elders chuckled into his beard. – Did you go to Zhus?

- They removed Zhus. – Master Zoler threw up his hands. – And his deputies were removed, now the head of the tax office is Badzull Krivenik.

- Badzull? – asked the shocked Yurao. - Since when?!

I was also shocked to the core. Because strigoi are small, nimble, meticulous and punctual; Somehow, over time, it turned out that they are the only ones responsible for taxes. You can’t deceive or intimidate someone like that, and their documentation is always clean and orderly. The strigoi are the power of the tax service, and the badzulla are the power. They are the ones who deal with debtors and catch smugglers quickly, but if these dark roadside spirits were allowed into the service for monitoring immigrants, there would be no refugees in the empire - the badzullas know their business well. But to imagine a badzulla with rolling ghostly muscles bending over a desk and meticulously filling out papers?!

– When was it appointed? - asked Mr. Moles.

“The day before yesterday,” Zoler responded. - Apparently, they are taking advantage of the moment while the emperor is busy with his daughter. It’s a pity, our heir, I tell you, is not economical at all. His Highness's petitions lie unopened and unread for years. Either way, Thiers filed a petition in the morning, accepted it an hour later, listened to it, and resolved the issue. Yes, he’s formidable, yes, he’s stern, he takes one’s breath away, but he gets the job done.

I am silent, Yura looks at me cheerfully, Master Moles looks at me, then at Yurao.

“And so I mean,” Mr. Zoler began stroking his beard again, “tomorrow there are festivities, a wedding, and then I’ll go to Lord Thiers.” I have my own there, they will hand it over to Lord Cheivre, and he will bring it to the attention of the Emperor’s nephew, not for the first time. And let Thiers sort it out.

“He’s a good man,” supported Master Grovas, “he’s fair and will quickly restore order.”

The door opened. No knocking. A dwarf came in... with a trimmed beard, in chain mail, with a short sword on his belt, and asked gloomily:

- Shall we lead you here?

Master Moles nodded silently and, as soon as the guard left, he introduced the rest of the elders to us:

– Foundry master Orl. – The red-bearded dwarf bowed his head in greeting. – The venerable Mr. Hove, master of crystal crafts, master blacksmith Tomars. “That same black-bearded dwarf didn’t nod, looked at us gloomily, and that’s all.” – Master banker Mr. Desan.

The last dwarf nodded most cheerfully of all, and then asked:

“Aren’t you the same couple of drows and little men who pushed the head of security of the Imperial Bank into a seat?”

I blushed, Yuri chuckled, and the dwarf roared with laughter. Literally fell to the floor.

“Ahhh... I can’t...” came from the floor through the laughter. – A-ah-ah... poor vampire!

The rest, some smiled reservedly, and some looked at us in bewilderment. Master Moles, grinning, said:

- So, have you reached Lord Vitori?

“We don’t stop halfway,” Yurao answered proudly, “we have a reputation.”

And even the venerable master banker stopped laughing. He sat back down, straightened his caftan and said meaningfully:

- Yes-ah... reputation is a terrible force.

And still he chuckled, looking at me.

“Day, a little more and you’ll be the same color as your dress,” Yurao whispered to me.

And then the door swung open. First, they pushed in a short, dark-haired gnome, still quite young, and he had a funny goatee, then two strange gnomes entered - slender, beardless, except that their noses gave away their race.

- Tried to escape. – These gnomes were also not known for their verbosity.

However, few people were interested in them; now everyone was looking at the pale Oyveg Tomars, trembling from such close attention. But here he is... The gnome looked around at those present and stared at me in horror. Moreover, the horror seemed panicky - the gnome began to shake, he hiccupped nervously and began to slide to the floor - the guards barely had time to catch him.

The drow saved the situation:

“Listen, she’s meek, she rarely curses acute diarrhea, I swear by the Abyss.” Stop shaking and give us beautifully, clearly and thoroughly - who did you give the invitations to?

Oyveg Tomars stopped trying to fall and exhaled sharply:

- To her. Mrs. Riata.

And here Yuri leaned forward and said gloomily:

Everyone looked at him at once. Master jeweler Zoler cautiously asked:

- Seer?

“Yes,” confirmed Yurao.

The dwarves nodded, and all attention returned to the young dwarf.

“Don’t be silly, tell it like it is,” the black-bearded master blacksmith Tomars suddenly said. “If you punish me, I will punish you, but answer to your own people honorably!”

For some reason, Oyveg looked at me again, then at my father... but didn’t have time to say anything.

“Deya...” half-moan, half-whisper, “Deya...”

Without thinking for a moment, she pulled off her sleeve, squeezed the knot on the amulet and now stood, counting the beats of her heart... First... second... third...

The scarlet flame roared!

When the master stepped towards me from the roaring flames, the first thing I experienced was incredible relief! He is alive, everything is fine with him, but I just imagined it. But as soon as the flame died out - a darkened face, black veins appeared, compressed lips. And a roar:

- Nites!

Yuri didn’t even dare to joke, he just stood up quickly, pale, confused and not understanding anything. As I. And I look at Ryan. The master tore his eyes away from the drow, glanced at me, exhaled sharply, his face returned to its former imperturbable appearance, and the lord director dryly asked:

-What are you doing with the gnomes?

I don’t even know what to answer to this, so I answered as Yurao would have answered:

- The secret of the investigation.

The master’s gaze became thoughtful, then he finally noticed that we were not alone in the living room and looked at the gnomes. All the elders of the capital's dwarven community, somewhat shocked by the appearance of Lord Thier himself, quickly rose and bowed deeply. Ryan responded with a restrained nod, looked carefully at the master jeweler Zoler and asked me:

– Did you take the path of least resistance? Okay, right move. But that's not the question. - A close look at Yurao and a question to him: - Lexan gave you an order to report to the department?

In general, he said, but we did not take the words “Yes - Ultan is tearing up and rushing around, return to control, preferably before Lord Thiers appears” as an order.

“Master...” I began.

But Yurao interrupted me, trivially tugging my hand, then said:

- Guilty.

The Lord Headmaster said dryly:

- I know.

This was the end of Yurao, although I didn’t intend to remain silent, but I also didn’t want to explain it in front of the dwarves. Ryan himself turned to the venerable Mr. Moles, and we all heard something:

- Dark ones. In the morning, a package with an invitation addressed to Dei Riate and Jurao Nytes, signed with your name, was handed over to the department. Who was supposed to give it to my fiancee?

They didn’t answer him, but everyone looked at the trembling Oyveg Tomars at once. The master turned around, looked at the dwarf with an attentive, appraising glance, and then turned to Moles:

– Can I get permission to interrogate a member of your community?

I’m beginning to understand what was meant by “we know our rights.” The master jeweler looked questioningly at the gray-bearded elders, who, in turn, looked at each other. The master winemaker, Mr. Grovas, took the floor. Moreover, the dwarf first stood up again, then bowed low to the master and respectfully said:

– The Dwarven community is categorically negative about government interference in the internal affairs of our people, but in view of the boundless trust in you, Lord Thiers, we undoubtedly give permission. “Then, somehow hastily and completely unexpectedly: “I don’t know if you remember, but in Ardama you saved my sons, who were sent to study with their uncle, and I believe that you will not harm Mr. Tomars’ son.”

Rian did not show his surprise at the dwarf’s words and answered with dignity:

- And w-w-you have all the nightmares. – The dwarf, apparently, was surprised that the master knew his name.

Rian, having decided the matter with the gnome, ordered me:

– After a conversation with the master jeweler, the venerable Zoler, to the department.

She nodded silently.

The scarlet fire roared. The master pushed the reluctant gnome into him and stepped in himself.

The flame died out, the gnomes' living room plunged into darkness and silence.

Then Mr. Soler asked:

- Of all this, venerable masters, I did not understand only one thing - to whom did we send the invitation?!

“Us,” Yurao answered dully, sitting down on the sofa and pulling me along with him.

“You,” agreed the gray-bearded elder. – What does this have to do with the bride of Lord Thiers himself?

Yuri hugged me by the shoulders and asked caringly:

- How are you?

She silently shrugged her shoulders, looking gloomily at the place where the master had just been.

“Don’t worry, I understood everything,” Yurao tried to calm me down. “The venerable gnomes mentioned to us that all the messages for Thiers went through Ultan Sheivr, and this was not the first time this boy Tomars sent them. So, Mr. Moles?

“That’s true,” the dwarf did not hide.

- Well, obviously the message was corrected and passed on to the demon, and this Ultan, I tell you, is not as simple as it seems, Thiers does not keep simple ones at all, so he realized that the message was forged, and that’s why he rushed after us...

That is why the werewolf Lexan was sent after us, but we still escaped from the palace. Oh, Abyss!

- So who is the bride?! – Master Zoler impatiently repeated the question.

“And you’re looking at her,” Master Moles said somewhat sarcastically. “True, I didn’t expect that the bride... But I immediately realized that the matter was not pure between Mrs. Riate and Lord Thiers himself. So here she is – the bride.

- It can’t be! – Master Zoler exhaled.

- Thiers himself and... and here she is? - Mr. Master Winemaker Grovas echoed him.

I was offended to the point of tears, but this was for me, and I also had Yurao, and so Officer Knights did not remain silent:

- What do we need Thiers, we have a wide choice - from Lord Ellohar himself to the crown prince! - And he looks so innocent and innocent. – By the way, who specializes in marriage contracts?

I groaned, the dwarves turned their surprised glances from me to the drow. Master banker Mr. Desan, stroking his red beard, asked thoughtfully:

– Whose marriage is it?

“Yes, it’s necessary for Deya,” Yurao answered brazenly. “Judge for yourself, we have a common cause, and she’s getting ready to get married!”

The dwarves judged and issued:

“Dark lords are complicated,” began the master jeweler Zoler.

“Particularly among the higher ones, the wording here should be chosen carefully,” added the grey-bearded Grovas.

“You should look at the strigoi, Doha is there - that’s where you need to go,” advised the venerable Mr. Desan. “I’ll give you a letter of recommendation, so he’ll accept it honorably, and the contract will be a noble one.”

Well, this is where my excerpt ends:

“I’ll go to the strigoi myself,” my partner “reassured” me. “You people are not safe with them, they start drinking you, so without you, Day, don’t even try to persuade me!”

I didn’t persuade, I quietly, calmly and very decisively promised:

– I’ll give the droutettes your location.

Yuri even stopped hugging, taken aback by my words. And in general, I immediately closed the topic and moved on to work issues:

“Master Moles, venerable Master Soler, how long has the dwarven community been supplying jewelry to the highest aristocrats?”

The dwarves looked at each other, and the venerable Mr. Soler was sarcastically curious:

- Lost what? - but, without waiting for an answer, he stood up, waved his hand at us, ordering us to follow him, and left the house of Master Moles.

Yurao and I, of course, followed him.

* * *

I had never been to a jewelers’ workshop before, but I imagined something amazingly beautiful, twilight, jewelry laid out on black velvet, sparkling precious stones, gold bars... Everything turned out to be completely different - a spacious, bright room under a roof, with a roof in two places was replaced by huge windows for additional lighting, piles of dull rings, earrings, chains, covered with some kind of whitish coating and not at all beautiful, gold not in ingots, but in coils of wire, precious stones in expressionless boxes mixed together and tables with magnifying crystals attached , firestones, tools almost like in a forge, only much smaller...

“The Holy of Holies, my personal workshop,” Master Zoler said with undisguised pride.

My partner and I looked at each other, and it’s good that Yur knows how to praise:

- A good workshop.

- The best in the capital. “The dwarf was definitely proud of himself.” - Now tell me - why did you come to us? Just you, Lord Knights, go over there to the window, there’s a free chair there, and you, Mrs. Riate, come here, here’s a chair for you, and give me your right hand.

And they pointed me to the table most littered with gold items and even pulled a chair towards it. The master jeweler himself sat down in his place, habitually braided his beard so as not to get in the way, and plunged into the depths of the drawers he was pulling out with a strange muttering:

- So-o-o... this is the prince’s, this is the princess’s, ah, here we have Lord and Lady Thiers, and where is the master’s? It was... Oh, exactly, exactly, how could I forget...

And a small black box was taken out onto the table. Zoler himself straightened up, pushed the cabinets back, winked at me cheerfully and said:

“Remember, forty years have passed, but I still keep it.” – And the dwarf deftly opened the box.

At the first moment I was blinded by a reddish glow, then I was able to see two rings with strange black stones, in which a red flame seemed to be locked, causing the diamonds to sparkle and sparkle. Made of pure gold, they were so similar to the modest ring in comparison that now adorned my left hand. And mine didn’t have that reddish shine...

- I did it myself. - The master jeweler took out a large ring and handed it to me: - Look, pure gold was used only in decorative elements, and red gold was cast, a special heat-resistant one was cast, because they would imprison fire in the stone - they told me, but there would be a flame there or something - not specified. Oh, what a difficult order!

She carefully took the ring - a man’s one, so impressive - and voiced the question that she could not help but ask:

– Who are these rings for?

The old gnome had been staring at me intently, probably since the moment I took the ring, and now, when our eyes met, he did not look away, and continued to closely watch me with some insight.

- Apparently, for Thiers. “Yurao stood up, came over, took the ring from me and thoughtfully asked: “Day, do you remember that bill?” And the date “forty years” sounded there.

Forty years ago, on the crown princess’s birthday, the emperor opened an account, as the master said, and there was also a hint in Rian’s words that he refused to give one of the gifts to Aliterra. And now I see, undoubtedly, wedding rings...

“She was still very young then.” – The dwarf took the woman’s ring and began to twirl it thoughtfully in his fingers. – Young, in love, all in a kind of flame of nervous anticipation... And at the same time, she didn’t even doubt his answer... positive. We drew sketches together, I cut the stones, Her Highness poured flame into them - drop by drop, so as not to destroy... Yes... - He inserted the ring back into the box and closed it with an unexpectedly loud bang. - So, let's get back to business. Your pen, Mrs. Riate.

I silently handed Master Zoler a ring, made, as it turned out, for the master, but did not give my hand to take measurements. She folded her hands on her knees and looked intensely at Yurao. The drow understood everything without words:

- Dear Mr. Zoler, Day is not used to rings, it’s funny to say - she even returned her engagement ring to the groom a couple of times, so let’s move on to another ring. And so, please tell me, which of the dark ladies wears such a silver ring with a purple stone?

The dwarf looked at Yurao with a grin, and then turned to me:

– Madam Riate, modesty is good, but not in your case. I am the only jeweler who serves the entire high society of the Dark Empire, and either you here and now let me take your measurements from your charming fingers, or Lady Tanguirra Thiers will lead you to my jewelry shop, located in the center of the capital. It's up to you to decide, of course.

She silently extended her right hand. Master Zoler professionally, quickly and carefully began to take measurements from all the fingers, then measured the wrist at the base, in the middle and at the elbow, for which I had to stand up. Then, taking out an impressive book with gold embossing, he opened the required page, entered the measurement results, and made some notes. And only after that it sounded:

“As I understand it, it is very important for you to find out which lady wears a silver ring?” “My partner and I nodded in agreement. The dwarf spread his hands and said: “I’m very sorry to disappoint you, but no one.”

- That is, how - no one? – Yurao asked in shock.

“You better sit down,” Master Zoler advised with a kind smile.

Drow went to the window, took a chair, returned and sat down next to me. The dwarf nodded, folded his hands on his stomach and began to kill our entire theory about the rings:

– Silver among dark ladies is considered to bring bad luck, and therefore you will not find silver jewelry either among the ladies themselves or among their servants.

The anticipation of the case being solved soon began to melt away like snow on the first day of spring.

-What about the lords? – Yurao asked dully.

- Only two people wear silver rings - Lord Garrian from the clan of Those Who Come in Dreams... - And Yurao and I knew this ring: we ourselves gave it to the vampire Garra Aeshessi for her brother. -And Lord Alsair.

- Lord Alser? – I asked again.

“Yes, eldest,” confirmed the dwarf. “I made it myself thirty-six years ago.”

And here is a dead end. I looked at Yurao in confusion, and he responded with an equally upset look.

“Master Zoler,” I didn’t want to give up, “and someone else from the jewelers...

“Mistress Riate,” the venerable dwarf interrupted me, “for seventy-two years I have been His Majesty’s official jeweler, and for at least fifty years I have been the only one worthy of the trust of the highest aristocracy.” Naturally, most of the products are made by my apprentices, but I accept orders myself, stipulating the design, appearance, materials and the actual amount of magic, if the customer is going to invest it. And therefore, I can declare with full responsibility that the decoration you described is not in the palace.

Dead end! Dwarves value their word, and the master jeweler would not say so if he were not one hundred percent sure.

- Here is the Abyss! – Yurao cursed.

* * *

We didn't stay for the dwarf festival. Having left Master Zoler, we left the territory of the dwarven community and stood right next to the stone wall into which the road had crashed. There, behind, the dwarf children were noisy, throwing snowballs at each other, here, in front, the sun was shining brightly, the birds were singing, the trees were blooming... Darkness reigned in our souls!

“If Zoler claims that the ring is not in the palace, then it is not there,” Yurao said what was already clear.

“It’s a pity,” I echoed.

“Let’s go to the tavern,” the drow suddenly suggested.

I look gloomily - we both understand that we won’t go, we need to return to the department.

“Eh,” the drow expressed his regret and, putting two fingers in his mouth, whistled shrilly.

Almost immediately the clatter of hooves was heard - soon Orug appeared around the bend.

* * *

They returned to the palace in silence. And as soon as they got out of the cart, they heard:

- Riate, Nytes, get to the controls quickly!

They looked around, somewhat surprised by the voice that came out of nowhere. The vampire guards felt sympathy for the unfortunate us and pointed to the pillar. Taking a closer look, we saw the morph.

– Should I repeat it twice? – he asked sarcastically.

We slowly trudged towards the entrance.

On the way, Yuri suddenly said:

– Why do I feel so unhappy?

I said nothing.

Yuri, after a short silence, asked in a whisper:

-Is Thiers very stern?

She nodded silently.

I didn’t want to go anywhere anymore. Yurao felt sorry, he felt sorry for himself, and it was a shame that he found himself in a dead end. I wanted a miracle. Big, unexpected and saving. And preferably a mystery-solving one.

But today everything was against us.

As soon as we entered the hall, we encountered the demon Ultan Sheivr.

“You,” hissed Deputy Lord Thiers, rapidly changing the color of his eyes, “you!”

We remain repentantly silent. The demon growled lowly, then hissed:

“Madame Riate, on the second floor, Lady Thiers is waiting for you, and you must stay with her for two hours - Lord Thiers’s order.” Officer Knights, escort your partner and return to headquarters.

Here... The Abyss!

- Execute! - Lord Shavre growled.

We trudged towards the stairs. We walked slowly... I would have been happy to stretch this journey for two hours.

– And why straight to Lady Thiers? – I stopped and asked.

- Apparently, the department is conducting an interrogation. - Drow shrugged: - Perhaps not only the gnome, Thier acts quickly. So he sent you to mommy so that you would not be present at the execution.

We started to climb the stairs. Slowly. As slowly as they could... but the stairs ended anyway. And there, one of those lords who tried to escort us last time was already waiting for us.

“Mistress Riate, Officer Knights,” the half-demon greeted somehow mockingly. “Lady Thiers didn’t wait for you, so follow me to the dance hall.”

And here it is - a huge, dark and terrible Abyss.

We had to follow the messenger faster than we would have liked, but slower than he expected, and we also talked on the road.

– Day, have you seen the lords’ dances? – Yurao asked.

“I even had a chance to take part in one of them,” I answered sadly.

“Oh,” said the drow. – You know, the dark ones are proud of their ability to restrain themselves, so their dancing is a continuous exercise of endurance.

– An interesting remark, and most importantly – completely consistent with the truth. “But I still blush at the very memory.”

The half-demon gracefully turned around, looked at us with a mocking glance and led us further. To a very familiar, not so long ago broken door.

“Yur,” I moaned, “don’t leave me.”

“Together until the end,” my partner resolutely assured, squeezing my palm. “Until the most significant gold reserve in the empire, Day, and until then, don’t even hope to take time off from work.”

They kindly opened the doors for us - we had to enter.

* * *

Ware. The second traditional dance at the court of the Dark Empire. A deafening, nerve-wracking melody, couples circling the hall in passionate embraces, the Crown Princess with her fire of hair standing out among the dancers, Yurao and I, frozen on the threshold of the hall at the moment when, with their hands down, the ladies squat, without taking their eyes off their partner...

“And I’ve been on a starvation diet for two days,” the drow groaned.

- AND? – I asked, dumbfounded by such a confession.

“And I can’t stand it,” Yurao admitted, letting go of my palm.

The palm did not let go, all fingers clinging to the drow's hand.

“She herself, really,” I blatantly lied. The influence of the dark lords was taking its toll.

I look pitifully at Yurao, very pitifully.

- I warned you! - he began instructively, immediately forgetting about the dancers. “I told you right away - a contract, Day.” And it would have been written there in black and white: “No dancing.”

She looked at the dance again... Swallowing nervously, she said:

- Let's go to the strigoi.

“Not even a year has passed,” Yurao chuckled and turned around to open the door.

Alas, we have already been noticed. The music was interrupted at the most touching moment, and, as soon as the glass stopped shaking from the melody, Lady Thiers’ affectionate exclamation was heard:

- Deyushka! - And then dissatisfied: - Why so long?

And both half-demons turned out to be standing at the door, and their faces looked like they wouldn’t give up without a fight, it was immediately obvious.

- How wonderful! “Lady Thiers was already heading towards us.” – Will this be your partner while Ryan is busy?

Yuri howled.

- Let's go! “Not noticing our despair, the lady came up, turned us around and pushed us towards the windows: “Now we’ll go through the whole dance from the beginning, and then it’s your turn.” “And just as I was about to be indignant, the lady insidiously added: “By the way, Knights, wasn’t it you who the angry Lord Cheivre was looking for?” I don’t know what you did, but believe me: dancing is the least of the punishments you could be subjected to. In general, I am sincerely surprised by Rian’s gentleness; he usually does not forgive such things.

And the drow immediately didn’t want to leave. And I am indignant.

- Music! - Lady Thiers commanded, leaving us standing at the window, and she went to a small table, where, besides her, several other ladies were sitting, heatedly discussing something.

Apparently, a wedding, since I saw a sheet with the title “Menu”. Yes, the monster-in-law can do several things at once. True dark.

“The plan of action is to break out the glass, jump into the trees, then run to the gate, and then they’ll cover their own,” Yurao suggested in a whisper.

– Do you mean centaurs? – I asked indifferently.

“Them,” Yurao did not deny. - Day, what are you thinking about?

“I want a miracle,” I admitted, looking at the beginning dance.

There was no miracle, there was war music. Quiet at the beginning, like the growing noise of the wind, the melody hit the ears of both the wind and strings, entering at once, and the dance, like the dance of two wind-blown leaves, when the couples swirled, barely touching each other’s fingers, quickly turned into... something very training endurance .

“It’s very similar to the dance of the seven demons,” Yurao responded thoughtfully. – One of the traditional dances in Chaos, only there the partners change and there are three girls and seven men, and the melody is constantly speeding up. If I'm right, there will be an Abyss now.

There was no abyss, there was a dance in which the partners, wrapping one leg around the partner’s waist, so that this same leg opened up to the thigh, bended backwards, touching the floor with their hands. Personally, I am not capable of this, not only for moral reasons, but also for physical reasons. And in this position, the lords grabbed the ladies by the waist and circled them around...

I catch Yurao’s searching gaze on me. Pursing his lips skeptically, the drow said:

- No, you won’t be able to pull it off.

I understood this myself. And the dance continued - and the ladies, still caught up in the same way, were now lifted up, still in the same rotation. It looked amazingly beautiful, but I categorically refused to participate in it.

“Window, park, centaurs,” the partner recalled the action plan.

- And then? – I moaned.

“We’ll go underground, we’ll work for the enemies of the empire, by the way, they pay more.”

There was a grain of common sense in all this. But the most important thing is that the proposed development of events did not include dancing, and this was already a huge plus. She silently and expressively looked at the window.

- Deya, don’t get distracted! – The father-in-law was on alert.

We watch the dance. He reached the squats of the lords in front of the ladies.

- Oh, look! – Yuri pulled his hand. “That second one from the right is clearly taking advantage of the situation.”

The fingers of the second lord from the right from the door, as if by chance, ran over the chest of the lady who was barely breathing from such a lady, and all this in an eye-to-eye position, and after that the lord had a barely noticeable victorious grin.

- He was in vain, the baby didn’t fall for it. “It seems the drow is starting to like what’s happening.” - Oh, look at her left leg!

The lady's foot shifted slightly in the next element of the dance, as if by accident, and the heel thoroughly pressed the lord's foot. The dark one turned gray, the smile did not disappear from his face, but it no longer glowed with a victorious grin. But a purely hunting interest flashed through his eyes. However, as soon as the lord performed the next element, when his hands were supposed to slide over the shoulders and to the waist, and go down a little lower, an angry voice was heard:

- Lord Neas!

The father-in-law is always vigilant.

– By the way, I would include in the contract a ban on the approach of the mother-in-law. Or limited it to a distance of a hundred steps,” Yurao suggested thoughtfully.

“Wonderful idea,” I thought sadly.

And then a miracle happened. A real miracle!

Blue flames roared!

It flared up right in the middle of the hall, scaring away the dancers, and as soon as it died down, Lord Darren Ellohar appeared in our eyes in the black uniform of the Master of Death, with a braided braid and two dagger hilts. Moreover, in his hands there were really only handles. The master looked around those present with an air as if everyone was confused here, until his gaze stopped at Lirran.

- Oh, you Abyss! - exclaimed the lord. - Little fry, you've grown up! Where are your skinned knees and crooked pigtails?!

The half-elf quickly blushed.

- And even without a doll? – Ellohar continued. “Well, the same one, remember, without an eye and with a crumpled arm, we also put a plaster on her and treated her for a broken heart.”

The girl, despite her embarrassment, still decided to answer:

- Nightmarish, Master Ellohar. Naturally, I cherish that same doll as a memory of the day when you broke my grandmother’s heart, but for some reason we treated the doll.

“They simply didn’t trust me with my grandmother, otherwise I would have taken on her treatment,” the master answered cheerfully.

– I sincerely understand grandfather. – Lirran’s smile suited him very well. – After all, the doll’s problems with vision and limbs began just after your miraculous cure.

Ellohar thought for a moment and retorted:

“I even restored her hair.”

“Of course,” the girl agreed politely. – You glued them yourself... crookedly, it’s true, but the fact remains that you glued them.

Ellohar simply smiled at her, Lirran curtsied gracefully, Tangirra quickly rose from her seat, the master, not caring about those present, turned to me, and away we go:

- Deya, my darling, how glad I am to see you!

- Ellohar! – the father-in-law hissed.

Half-turn and perplexedly feigned:

And the lady, already ready to burst into a tirade, after these words simply... froze, slowly becoming furious.

- Don’t be so embarrassed, it wasn’t your bedroom.

Ellohar said this with such an air that everyone had the same thought: “Whose?” But the master never cared about satisfying other people’s curiosity, and therefore, not caring about the opinions of others, he turned to me again and asked:

- Busy?

- No! – Yurao and I answered at once.

- Yes! – Lady Thiers’ scream shook the windows. - Dea has a dancing lesson, Lord Ellohar. And I sincerely advise you to keep your raking paws away from other people's brides!

- And dolls?!

“And dolls too,” hissed the monster-in-law.

- What kind of woman...

Lady Thiers moaned, barely holding back and not succumbing one bit to the master’s trick, but he didn’t expect this, he continued mockingly:

– Tanguirra, I’m amazed! To the very depths of my dark soul, where even my greedy raking paws cannot reach. I'm amazed! No, really - what a woman she is, ready to defend the honor of not only her daughter-in-law, but also the doll of her already grown-up granddaughter. Lady Thiers, I'm proud of you! Sincerely! Enthusiastic. Endlessly. By the way,” his expression became surprised, “what is that on your dress?” Over there, just above your right... hmm, well, in general, there?

Everyone looked at Lady Thiers's dress except herself. The father-in-law stood and glared at the master with an attentive, suspicious look.

– It didn’t work, did it? – not at all upset, Ellohar asked impudently.

The lady's dark eyes flashed with golden flames, after which she said gloomily:

“Lord Ellohar, I am endlessly amazed by your resourcefulness in ways to achieve your goal, but you should not forget with whom you are dealing.”

- Mmm, are we threatening? – the master asked mockingly.

Ellohar smiled a little ironically and looked down at the lady a little from above.

“As for Deya, she will stay here,” the father-in-law added, smiling somehow predatorily.

And I would never have guessed what was happening if it weren’t for Ellohar’s cheerful question:

– We’re blocking my magical flows, right?

“Exactly,” Lady Thiers did not deny. “The palace, Lord Ellohar, who is infinitely disrespected by me, is controlled by me, and you will not be able to burn through the passage any more.” To the Abyss all your blue flames on the territory of my palace!

Yuri whistled more respectfully than in surprise, and asked me in a whisper:

– Do you understand what happened?

“No,” I admitted in the same whisper.

“Lady Thiers has isolated the palace. Just now. This is power... We write two hundred steps into the contract, no less.

I didn’t answer Yurao, I, frankly speaking, was waiting for Ellohar’s response, and the master, winking cheerfully at me, sadly asked Lady Thiers:

– Should I wander here on foot now?

- Exactly! – repeated the insidious monster-in-law.

And then Ellohar, throwing his head back a little, laughed loudly. It was just laughter, and I don’t know what was more in it - fun or ridicule of Lady Thiers. It turned out that it was ridicule, because, having laughed it off, Ellohar said reproachfully:

- Tanguirra, Tanguirra! “He grinned: “When will you understand that we are in different weight categories, dear.” Absolutely different.

A golden flame flared up. Bright, dazzling and, judging by the expression on the monster’s face, having nothing to do with her.

- Something like that. – Yes, the master was undoubtedly just mocking. - Hello my husband. Riate, Nytes, will you stand for a long time?

Yurao and I looked at each other and silently stepped into the flames. It followed us:

- What the…

But Lady Thiers was interrupted by Master Ellohar, reproachfully saying:

“Do you really think that I could take Deya without Rian’s permission?”

The answer is silence. And then a mocking one from Ellohar:

– You think correctly, I must admit. In general, as I understand it, you will talk to your son on your own? I've always admired you, Lady Thiers.

* * *

When the flames died out, Yurao and I found ourselves on the deck of a black ship. Black sails blown by the wind rustled overhead, around us were adepts of Death dressed in black, and the frightened crew of this very black ship huddled in the corners. And there was no one on the pier at all - the people stood in fear, about five hundred paces, in fact, from the gangway, looking in horror at what was happening. And also - the sea here was blue, which means we were on the territory of a human state.

The flames roared behind us. Before we had time to turn around, the heavy hands of Master Ellohar fell on our shoulders and he said with enthusiasm and mockery:

- Let's have fun!

Someone howled. I didn’t immediately understand who it was until I saw a black-bearded man with a bandaged eye standing at the helm. So he howled.

End of introductory fragment.

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– Adept of Riate! “The master’s somewhat dissatisfied voice tore me from my thoughtful study of the board, where notes, diagrams and other investigative materials were placed.

For a moment, I even felt like I was in the academy, except that Lady Mitas was not there, but after the Lord Director’s shout, all eight members of the empire’s security service present looked at me. They looked at me in bewilderment, accustomed to Lord Thiers calling me exclusively by name.

- Deya, come to me! - a menacing roar from the authorities.

No, well, as Lord Director, Rian was still more reserved, but as the head of SBI, sometimes he simply scared me.

She quickly walked around the tables, headed to the door of his office, grabbed the handle and suddenly realized that I was standing and thinking, what have I managed to do?! We came to work together, first we were transported to the hall of the imperial palace, then, holding hands, we leisurely went down the stairs, and we were in no hurry to walk along the levels, knowing full well that then there would be no opportunity to be alone. And then, as soon as we entered the office, I went to my desk, Rian to her office. And that’s all... I didn’t steal from libraries, I didn’t have time to curse anyone, and I didn’t leave work without asking.

The door swung open, revealing Lord Ryan Thier.

“Day,” the master said, barely restraining his irritation, “if I call you, you should come immediately.”

“I understand that,” she did not deny her guilt.

A look of bewilderment flashed across the master’s face, and I was asked the question:

– Then what is the reason for the delay?

The master of dark magic, Lord Rian Thier, directed a gaze at me, eyes as black as the Dark Art itself. The Adept of the Academy of Curses realized with horror that she had managed to do something somewhere, and now a large and menacing Abyss would come to me.

“You see, dear,” a deceptively soft voice, “two interesting documents were found on my desk this morning. One is a report addressed to me, which reports that a certain Dea Riate, the wife of Night Guard officer Jurao Knightes, being in an interesting position, cursed the head of security of the Imperial Bank, as a result of which he suffered moral and physical trauma.

“Oh,” I muttered.

- By the way, what is this curse? – the master asked in an icy tone.

“Acute diarrhea...” I began and then decided to smooth it over a little, saying: “Emergency indigestion.”

- Ha-ha-ha! – the morph said, sliding off the chair.

“What a scary woman,” the drow remarked.

“Mistress Riate, in the future, you shouldn’t expose yourself like that,” Lord Cheivre interjected. – Curses are a punishable thing; at a minimum, this is a reprimand that will be entered into the documentation.

I blush slowly and thoroughly.

Ryan looked at me reproachfully and walked away, letting me into his office. But as soon as the door was closed, cutting us off from the group, he gloomily quoted:

– “The wife of the Night Watch officer Jurao Nytes, being in an interesting position”...

- Oh, so it’s not because of the curse that you’re angry? – I guessed.

A puzzled look and a questioning question:

- Why should I be angry about the curse?

– Why are you even angry? – I asked no less perplexed.

“Yes, you need to get used to it,” the master said thoughtfully and returned to his place.

As soon as he sat down, he handed me a scroll with the words:

– He called it “adept Riate” because Dara forwarded the list of literature on all subjects, as well as the requirements for the thesis from Okeno. Take it, watch it before the drow appears. When he returns, both of you will come to see me. That's all.

The SBI department resembled a torn up anthill. The employees of Lord Thiers' group scurried with the lists obtained by Jur and me, either in or out of Ryan's office. The master really preferred preventive measures, and therefore now most of the lords theoretically involved in the conspiracy were simply sent away from the capital for various reasons. In the morning, forty-seven received orders to be assigned to border fortresses, more than seventy went on an urgent mission, fifteen were sent to the Third Kingdom to maintain order. Lord Ryan Thiers used the simplest and most effective of techniques - divide and conquer. And everyone was involved in solving this problem... except me.

I, in a new dress, which was slightly annoying with frills on the sleeves, sat and waited for Yurao, and he was most shamelessly late for work. In addition to waiting, I tried to systematize the available information and, in general, indulged in memories. And my thoughts revolved mainly around artifacts. I remembered our very first case, Yur and Ri, who brought a huge mirror, the crown princess with a man’s ring on her hand, which I then suspected was an artifact of metamorphs...

And some elusive thought flashed through. Strange, almost incredible, but still. The metamorph artifact stolen from them by the Dream Comers clan, and Rian’s words that “the metamorph artifact, the same one that you stole from the crown princess’s hand, once belonged to the head of the Order of Dark Fire.” And the head of the Order of Dark Fire is, in fact, the magician Selius... I held my breath, trying to catch the thread of reasoning. But she slipped away again.

Taking a sheet of paper and a pencil, she thoughtfully began to draw that same blackened silver ring with a diamond in the shape of an ellipse. My drawing came out more schematic than figurative, because we were taught how to draw diagrams, but I never had the ability to draw, and yet I managed to recreate a more or less acceptable look. And now I looked thoughtfully at this very ring, and some guess still did not want to form into a normal thought.

The door slammed, then a cheerful and even joyful sound was heard:

“An hour and twelve minutes late,” said the voice of Ultan Sheivr, “first warning.”

Yuri silently walked towards me, plopped down on the chair next to me, moved closer, hugged me, and looked over his shoulder at the drawing.

“Our first job,” he said, not without pride.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“I’ll never forget how you tore it off the crown princess’s finger.”

Pause, then guarded:

- Day, what's wrong?

“I don’t know,” I said thoughtfully, continuing to look at the ring, “but something is wrong.”

- With a ring? – Yuri immediately joined in the discussion of the situation.

- Maybe. – I turned the sheet over in my hands. - Tell me, what is he missing?

I actually meant the drawing, I thought maybe I forgot something, but then Yurao cheerfully answered:

And it struck me like lightning!

Our conversation with Lucky in the other world before a lecture by the spirit of a human magician and the words of the dragon: “Selius, head of the Order of Dark Fire. Rare scum. When they were captured, he killed his wife. He strangled him himself, in front of the Black Riders, and then burned him. They said it was out of jealousy, but knowing this bastard, I can say for sure that he hid his ends in the water. I mean, she knew something, he hid it in the most reliable way and even burned the remains, solely so that the necromancers would have nothing to work with. You should have seen her eyes when he started strangling her!”

The magician Selius had a wife! They were a couple! There should be two rings! It is undoubtedly masculine, but it must also be feminine, and probably with similar properties! And Selius’s wife was a sea witch! A witch killed by her own husband...

“Deya...” called Yurao.

- Wait, not now. - I jumped up.

Never agree to perform dubious rituals in the Abyss! Never! Especially if it was conceived by the ruler of the worlds of Chaos, and in the company of a winged demon, the heir of Hell and your favorite dark lord. What if it is in the Abyss that it becomes clear who is the true heir of the blood and who is actually being hunted for a long time? And then you will have no choice but to lie to the eyes of the most powerful demon of all worlds and try to find the one who, for centuries, hiding behind masks, accumulated resentment and hatred and was preparing to take revenge...

Elena Zvezdnaya

Lesson Seven: The Danger of Blood Heritage

* * *

Adept Riate,” the master’s somewhat dissatisfied voice tore me from my thoughtful study of the board with the list of crimes. I even for a moment felt as if I was in the academy, except that Lady Mitas was not there, but after the shout of the Lord Director, all eight lords present looked at me. They looked at me in bewilderment, accustomed to Lord Thiers calling me exclusively by name.

Deya, come to me! - the menacing roar of the authorities. No, well, as Lord Director, Rian was still more reserved, but as the head of the SBI, sometimes he simply scared me. She quickly walked around the tables, headed to the management doors, grabbed the handle and suddenly realized that I was standing and thinking, what have I managed to do there?! We came to work together, first we were transported to the hall of the imperial palace, then, holding hands, we leisurely went down the stairs, and we were in no hurry to walk along the levels, knowing full well that then there would be no opportunity to be alone. And then, as soon as we entered the office, I went to my desk, Rian to her office. And that’s it... I didn’t steal libraries, I didn’t have time to curse anyone, and I didn’t leave work without asking. The door swung open, revealing Lord Ryan Thier.

Deya,” the master said, barely restraining his irritation, “if I call you, you should come immediately.”

I understand that,” she did not deny her guilt.

A look of bewilderment flashed across the master’s face, and I was asked the question:

Then what is the reason for the delay?

Master, you should have heard your tone,” I couldn’t restrain myself. - Besides, as soon as you said “adept of Riate”, I immediately began to think what I did wrong, and most importantly, when I managed to cause your dissatisfaction and with what.

The master of dark magic, Lord Rian Thier, directed a gaze at me, eyes as black as the dark art itself. The Adept of the Academy of Curses realized with horror that she had managed to do something somewhere, and now a large and menacing Abyss would come to me.

You see, dear,” a deceptively soft voice, “two interesting documents were found on my desk this morning. In one, a report addressed to me, which reports that a certain Dea Riate, the wife of Night Guard officer Jurao Knightes, being in an interesting position, cursed the head of security of the Imperial Bank, as a result of which he suffered moral and physical trauma.

“Oh,” I muttered.

By the way, what is this curse? - the master inquired in an icy tone.

Acute diarrhea... - I started, and then decided to smooth it out a little, saying: - Emergency indigestion.

Ha ha ha! - the morph said, sliding off the chair.

What a terrible woman,” the drow remarked.

Madam Riate, in the future, you shouldn’t expose yourself like that,” Lord Cheivre interjected. - Curses are a punishable thing, this is at least a reprimand with entry into the documentation.

I blush slowly and thoroughly. Ryan looked at me reproachfully and walked away, letting me into his office. But as soon as the door was closed, cutting us off from the group, he gloomily quoted:

- “The wife of the Night Guard officer Jurao Nytes, being in an interesting position”...

Oh, so it’s not because of the curse that you’re angry? - I guessed. A puzzled look and a questioning question:

Why should I be angry about the curse?

Why are you even angry? - I asked no less perplexed.

Yes, you need to get used to it,” the master said thoughtfully, and returned to his place.

As soon as he sat down, he handed me a scroll, saying:

He called it “adept Riate” because Dara forwarded the list of literature on all subjects, as well as the requirements for the design of the thesis from Okeno. Take it, look through it before the drow appears, when he returns, you both will come to me. That's all.

* * *

There was efficiency and focus in the management of SBI. All members of Lord Thiers' group scurried with the lists obtained by Jur and me, either in or out of Ryan's office. The master really preferred preventive measures, and therefore now most of the lords theoretically involved in the conspiracy were simply sent away from the capital for various reasons. In the morning, forty-seven received orders to be assigned to border fortresses, more than seventy went on an urgent business trip, fifteen were sent to the Third Kingdom to maintain order. Lord Ryan Thiers used the simplest and most effective of techniques - divide and conquer. And everyone was involved in solving this problem... except me.

This book is part of a series of books:

Adept Riate,” the master’s somewhat dissatisfied voice tore me from my thoughtful study of the board with the list of crimes. I even for a moment felt as if I was in the academy, except that Lady Mitas was not there, but after the shout of the Lord Director, all eight lords present looked at me. They looked at me in bewilderment, accustomed to Lord Thiers calling me exclusively by name.
- Deya, come to me! - the menacing roar of the authorities. No, well, as Lord Director, Rian was still more reserved, but as the head of the SBI, sometimes he simply scared me. She quickly walked around the tables, headed to the management doors, grabbed the handle and suddenly realized that I was standing and thinking, what have I managed to do there?! We came to work together, first we were transported to the hall of the imperial palace, then, holding hands, we leisurely went down the stairs, and we were in no hurry to walk along the levels, knowing full well that then there would be no opportunity to be alone. And then, as soon as we entered the office, I went to my desk, Rian to her office. And that’s it... I didn’t steal libraries, I didn’t have time to curse anyone, and I didn’t leave work without asking. The door swung open, revealing Lord Ryan Thier.
“Day,” the master said, barely restraining his irritation, “if I call you, you should come immediately.”
“I understand that,” she did not deny her guilt.
A look of bewilderment flashed across the master’s face, and I was asked the question:
- Then what is the reason for the delay?
“Master, you should have heard your tone,” I couldn’t restrain myself. - Besides, as soon as you said “adept of Riate”, I immediately began to think what I did wrong, and most importantly, when I managed to cause your dissatisfaction and with what.
The master of dark magic, Lord Rian Thier, directed a gaze at me, eyes as black as the dark art itself. The Adept of the Academy of Curses realized with horror that she had managed to do something somewhere, and now a large and menacing Abyss would come to me.
“You see, dear,” a deceptively soft voice, “two interesting documents were found on my desk this morning. In one, a report addressed to me, which reports that a certain Dea Riate, the wife of Night Guard officer Jurao Knightes, being in an interesting position, cursed the head of security of the Imperial Bank, as a result of which he suffered moral and physical trauma.
“Oh,” I muttered.
- By the way, what kind of curse is this? - the master inquired in an icy tone.
“Acute diarrhea...” I started, and then decided to smooth it over a little, saying: “Emergency indigestion.”
- Ha-ha-ha! - the morph said, sliding off the chair.
“What a scary woman,” the drow remarked.
“Dangerous,” Mr. Desver added with a laugh, and another person is called.
“Mistress Riate, in the future, you shouldn’t expose yourself like that,” Lord Cheivre interjected. - Curses are a punishable thing, this is at least a reprimand with entry into the documentation.
I blush slowly and thoroughly. Ryan looked at me reproachfully and walked away, letting me into his office. But as soon as the door was closed, cutting us off from the group, he gloomily quoted:
- “The wife of Night Guard officer Jurao Nytes, being in an interesting position”...
- Oh, so it’s not because of the curse that you’re angry? - I guessed. A puzzled look and a questioning question:
- Why should I be angry about the curse?
- Why are you even angry? - I asked no less perplexed.
“Yes, you need to get used to it,” the master said thoughtfully, and returned to his place.
As soon as he sat down, he handed me a scroll, saying:
- He called it “adept Riate” because Dara forwarded the list of literature on all subjects, as well as the requirements for the thesis from Okeno.