Ви Корс - The Mist and the Lightning. Part 17

He again looked closely at frozen Lis, held out his hand, turning his hand towards him, looking at the inscription “Impudence”. Reds were calm about body modifications, and for warriors it was often mandatory: scarring, tattoos and piercings were not considered a sin and an unnatural distortion of the divine image of the ancestors, desecration of the body, created by the gods in their own image and likeness.

“You had scars on your face, now they are gone. Where are your battle scars? Did they disappear after thirty too?”

“No.”

“Did you remove them? Are black healers so advanced in medicine?”

“Yes, I got rid of the scars on my face.”

“Why so? Didn't you have the audacity to wear them with pride?” Igmer grinned.

And Lis said nothing.

“Okay. Congratulations. You took over the Ore town thanks to Kudmer’s stupidity. You are lucky. This fat fool was never clever, but this time his head just went blank, he kept repeating: “We will meet them behind the wall. We will meet them behind the wall”, as if a demon had possessed him, he behaved like a possessed person. However, it doesn't matter anymore. Tell me what do you intend to do next?”

“I don’t know yet,” said Lis.

His father looked at him very closely.

“You know. But you don't want to tell me. I'm not your enemy.”

Lis reflexively reached for his cigarettes and lit one. Igmer just shook his head silently and winced. Lis, without taking a couple of puffs, quickly put out his cigarette in a porcelain vase:

“Sorry.”

“What to do now, it stinks anyway! Smoke! What a disgusting habit!”

But Lis didn't light a new cigarette. He still tried not to meet his father's eyes:

“I really don't know yet,” he repeated and quickly looked at Igmer, who looked at him reproachfully.

“Some time ago I heard rumors that red commander Sigmer had appeared across the river. With his army, he cleaned the territories and put things in order, burned the regional outpost. I…” Igmer hesitated. “I wanted to believe and didn’t believe. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t think of anything, I buried you and mourned. And I was afraid that I was just flattering myself with false hopes, and there was an impostor walking across the river, hiding behind your legendary name. But when I learned that Sigmer had captured Crimson Rock… then… I believed it was you. Only you could do it! Crimson Rock is too tough for anyone. And I left the Upper World, I was waiting for you here. Because I knew my Sigmer would not stop and would move on. I knew that you would come to Ore town.”

Lis was silent, his head bowed.

“Do you know what to do next?” Igmer took out Marcus’ folded leaflet from his pocket. “And what's that?”

Lis looked at the leaflet:

“Just agitation.”

“No. Not just agitation. We thought about it with you, planned, dreamed. Many reds are thinking about independence. And now even more. We are tired of the war with the blacks. The war turned into an absurd and unpromising action. You appeared at the right time and in the right place.”

And, since Lis was still silent, his father asked:

“Tell me, how did you manage to survive in the Black City, among enemies?”

“I took on the service of Prince Arel Chig… Chester, he needed an experienced strategist in the fight against competitors for spheres of influence in the city.”

“Are you taking substances?”

Lis shook his head slowly, and, lifting the sleeve of his jacket, showed his father a chained wrist.

“Didn't you take it off? Didn't get rid of it?” His father was surprised. “Do you still wear the bracelet with which I chained you?”

“Yes. I never took “black water” again, I kept my vow to you.”

“I believe you,” Igmer said, “simply because if you continued to do this, you would not be sitting here now.”

And Lis finally looked at him point-blank.

And Igmer for the first time in all this time changed for a second in his face:

“Now I recognize you,” he whispered and was the first to look away.

He got up:

“You probably need to put yourself in order and relax…”

“No. I have a lot to do.”

“Okay. We will still have time to talk, discuss further actions, and you will see that I am your ally and you can trust me.”

“I trust you. I would like to introduce you to my comrades and friends.”

21

Overcoming obstacles

Lis, along with his father, entered the living room, where his friends were waiting for him.

“This is my father Igmer,” said Lis, “father, this is Prince Arel Chester, my patron in the Black City,” Arel, having heard these words of Lis, as always looked at Igmer with arrogant indifference and superiority and, as usual, said nothing.

And Kors even with some envy thought about how the prince managed to make such an expression on his face, despite the still clearly visible bruise under his eye and a black dot on the tip of his nose.

“This is Vitor Kors,” continued Lis, and Kors was pleased that he introduced him, though not the first, but immediately after Arel, “Vitor Kors is the father of my wife Karina, and he helps me in everything,” said Lis. Kors tried to make the same face as Arel, not knowing that he did not need to do anything for this.

Lis’ father smiled a little, and although Kors didn’t hear his thoughts, he realized that he remembered his name and knew who Vitor Kors was, but Igmer didn’t say anything.

“This is Nik,” Lis continued, pointing to Nikto who got up from the chair when Lis and his father entered the room, “Nik is the commander of the unclean.”

“Nik Kors is my son,” said Vitor Kors.

And on the face of Lis was reflected some surprise, but he remained silent, and his father perceived this, in the opinion of all those present, the unexpected revelation of Kors with absolute indifference.

“Zaf is an officer of Nik, and Parky is the captain of Vitor Kors,” Lis introduced also the unclean ones, without in any way indicating their belonging to another race, however, it was understandable anyway.

“I’m glad to meet my son’s comrades-in-arms,” said Igmer on duty, “and I congratulate you on your victory.”

He spoke in black with a slight accent of reds.

After a pause and waiting for a while, seeing that everyone was silent, he added:

“I support the idea of independence of the red underground people and I am not your enemy.”

“Well,” said Vitor Kors, realizing that the awkward silence is dragging on, and none of them, including Lis, were eager to speak, “in this case, I consider it expedient to organize a meeting of the commanders as soon as possible and discuss further actions.”

“Yes,” Lis agreed immediately.

“Shall I sketch out a plan of priorities?” suggested Kors.

“I will be very grateful to you,” said Lis, and now Kors was already surprised, but he quickly pulled himself together, returning business concentration to his face:

“We need to take control of the main vital points in the city: mines, market, temples of the gods, jewelry workshops and offices of usurers.”

“Post and Bank,” added Igmer.

“Yes,” agreed Kors, without showing that the word Bank was not too familiar to blacks, “and it is also necessary to close the city for entry and exit.”

“Nik, will you close the Portal?” Asked Lis, he looked now somehow confused, and it was so unlike him.

“Yes,” said Nik, “I'll block it.”

“There is more than one Portal in the Ore City,” Igmer said, and Lis turned pale.

“Nik, we need to find and close all the Portals,” Lis said, and there was clearly an alarm in his voice.

“Mmm,” Nikto thought a little, “I’ll start with what is in the palace, and then I'll try to come up with something.”

“All portals of the city are interconnected,” said Igmer, “there is a special key-password, and I know it. If you understand the operation of the Portals, I will give it to you, and from here you will use the password to open the exit to another Portal, seal it and open the next one. In this way, through the main Portal in Kudmer’s Palace, you will seal all the Portals associated with it in the city and surroundings.”

“Nik is very good at working with Portals,” Lis said, and there was a little confidence in his voice.

“Yes, I see,” said Igmer, his face continued to remain the same impassive, and it was not clear whether he answered sincerely or it was sarcasm.

“While Nik is doing this, I think I will have time to write letters to the heads of the seven main families of the city,” Kors decided to close the topic of Portals. “The heads of families should come to bow, demonstrate to us their submission and give the symbolic key to the city.”

“I did it in advance,” said Lis’ father, “after Kudmer announced to me that he was going to go beyond the wall, I had not the slightest doubt about your victory. Therefore, I wrote many letters, and also to the heads of families. My name will be a good reason for them to come. Besides, I know red etiquette and some subtleties. Each family has its own primary color, and I wrote letters for them on the appropriate paper, red, orange, yellow and so on. This will endear them to you, they will understand that you are not invaders or outsiders. Pressure is not the most advantageous option in this case, but it would be appropriate to enlist their support and location. So my courier is just waiting for an order.”

And Kors looked intently at Igmer, who, watching him, perfectly caught this look and smiled again with the edges of his lips, but a little stronger.

“And I also think,” with an effort, but continued Kors, “that now it will not be a war, but politics, and I understand politics, and therefore it is necessary to write as many more leaflets as possible about independence and the sale of diamonds. And let Tol’s artist draw pictures for commoners, draw as he can intelligibly: an ugly fat red from the Upper World and poor miners who give him diamonds, and their thin emaciated children in rags are standing nearby and crying!”

Igmer chuckled, shaking his head.

“There is a printing house in Ore town. It can print flyers, newspapers and orders. There are artists there too.”

“It is wonderful!” Kors didn’t give up. “It is necessary to outline the basic rules of the new order, prescribe punishments and fines, and also hang them all over the city. And hang a couple of dissenters in the square. I also consider it necessary to introduce a curfew.”

“Yes,” said Lis.

“Then get to work! And let's gather in the main hall of the palace in two hours for a final discussion. By this time, I will try to sketch out some basic theses.”

“The palace has a special conference room for such events,” said Igmer.

“Do I have to attend?” Zaf asked somehow without much enthusiasm.

“Yes!”

“No.”

Kors and Nikto spoke simultaneously, and Zaf froze, not knowing what to do now.

“I’ll give them everything they need,” Nik said. “They are warriors, not politicians.”

“And me too,” Lis said barely audibly, somehow sadly, but no one paid attention to his words.

“Okay, Nik, after all, they’re under your command, do as you see fit,” said Kors. “I don’t mind at all.”

“I, too, will not embarrass your commanding staff with my presence at the meeting,” said Igmer, “I am still a stranger to them. Will Zagpeace Gesaria be there?”

“Yes.”

“I’d better start mailing letters and visit the head of the purple house in person.”