Ви Корс - The Mist and the Lightning. Part I

They stayed alone in the huge hall.

"Treat yourself, Nikto," Orel said. "You'll like what my cooks do. Everyone likes."

"But Nikto is not everyone," Enriki said.

"Ooh, I've just realized how hungry I am," Tol said grabbing his plate. The friends laughed.

"Don't pay attention," Orel said. "We're laughing because he always says that, no matter how many times a day he eats."

"He is always hungry," Enriki said.

"Yeah, that's true," Tol said with his mouth stuffed.

"Hey, Tol, we haven't had a drink for our new agreement yet," Orel raised his goblet.

"Huh? I think we have, when we agreed," Tol said without blinking.

"Fine, stop eating, let's drink for the beginning of our joint business," Orel reached his goblet over the table and everyone joined him raising their goblets.

"Now, pour yourself what you want, without servants. We are of easy manners here, even though I am a prince," Orel said. "What do you think about telling us a little of yourself?" he asked Nikto.

Nikto who didn't expect this question clasped his throat choking and barely managed to swallow.

"Oh gods, you'll kill him with your questions!" Tol said chuckling. The others laughed, too.

"Aah, he's really feeling bad, poor guy."

Nikto rose from the table, sat down on the stairs and coughed, turning away from them.

"Orel, slap his back!" They were dying with laughter. Finally, after clearing his throat, Nikto came back to them. Orel looked at him smiling.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, sorry."

"No, I'm sorry, I chose a bad time for asking, you didn't expect it…"

"You're fucking bonkers, man!" Tol said.

"Fuck off."

"What?"

"You heard what! Fuck off of me."

"Do you hear, Orel, he's telling me to fuck off!" Tol was laughing.

"Enough! You're a bunch of idiots!" Orel yelled making a strict face. "Stop laughing and eat!"

He didn’t pull it off though, started laughing, too, and the others followed his example.

"I'd like to talk about business," Orel said at last.

Tol hiccupped. Nikto lit a cigarette leaning against the back of the chair.

"What we told each other before was not true or partly true. What we learned about you from others needs to be confirmed," Orel said. "I don't want to go deeper into it but there are some things we need to clarify here and now."

"I can tell of myself," Nikto said, "if you tell me of yourselves. And if you are honest about it."

"All right, what do you want to know?" Orel said. "We have nothing to hide."

"You start."

"What is your real name?"

"Not again," Enriki moaned. "Aren't you tired of it, Orel?"

Orel glanced at him in annoyance. "Shut up."

"Orel, it's silly."

"Shut. Up."

"My name is really Nikto 1, as funny as it sounds. I have a nickname instead of a name. There was time when it angered me deeply but then I got used to it. I don't have a family name or father's name either."

"No name, no family name, are you a commoner?"

"I don't know my real parents."

"Who named you then?"

"My foster mother."

"She was a jolly woman, it seems," Enriki said.

"She was a witch."

It was Lis's turn to choke. He whispered shaking his head. "A foster mother, indeed."

"Lis, I've had enough of you," Nikto said.

"What do you think, Nikto can't have a mother?" Tol said digging with a fork in his teeth.

"He can," Lis said in an icy voice.

"That's enough about me," Nikto said, "now you tell me of yourselves."

"You can ask." Orel smoothened his long dark hair.

"Why are you called Orel 2?"

"Ha." Orel laughed. "I don't even remember that, my ancestors thought an eagle was their forebear, something like that. I'm the last scion of that ancient, formerly royal family. Prince Arel Chig from the family of Eagle."

"Cool," Nikto said. "Now Lis."

"My name is Atley Alis," Lis said without enthusiasm. "Atley son of Alis."

"Why Lis 3?"

"Can you guess it?" Lis tossed his dark-red hair gathered in a ponytail on his nape. Nikto smiled.

"You can guess," Lis stated. "No more questions then?"

"You're not a Black, are you?"

"No. I'm a Red half-blood." Lis winced. "My father was a Red. Something else?"

"Your teeth, they are filed in the way only Red warriors file them. Are you one of them?"

"In the past I was," Lis smirked. "I betrayed them and joined our side."

"Cool, too," Nikto said. "Now Tol."

"At last! My name is Ram Murh! These bastards call me Tolsty 4just because I'm taller and stronger than them! And then they got tired of saying such a long word and they started calling me Tol! I'm not a commoner or a half-blood! I'm a true Black, a native citizen of this damned world! My father owns huge lands in the southwest, only I don't like it there, it's boring."

"As far as I remember, there are only forests."

"Yep."

"And you're the owner of those forests."

"Not yet," Tol laughed. "In ten years, maybe."

"Enriki, now it's your turn."

"I'm from the city and my family lives here. And I'm the only one Orel didn't come up with a nickname for. My name is Enriki Galas and I'm a former investigator, eight years worked for the secret police."

"I think I want to be your friend!"

"Do you like my people, Nikto?" Orel smiled.

"Chosen with a great taste, I'd say."

"Then a question for you," Orel paused. "Is it true what the Unclean say? There is a creature from another world behind you."

"If I say there is a part of the truth in these words, will it be enough?"

"Yes," Orel said. He was looking at Nikto as if he saw him for the first time.

"Do you meet with *him*?" Tol asked; he seemed careless as always.

"What?"

"You know, I've decided I'll take back all the bad words I said to you," Tol laughed. But the others didn't feel like laughing.

"Fine," Orel said at last. "We've cleared it and won't talk of it again."

"So, you're an Unclean, aren't you?" Enriki asked.

"Not at all."

"You look like an Unclean."

"He looks like a half-blood," Tol said.

"The Black have dark hair and eyes," Orel said. "The Red have red hair and yellow eyes. Nikto has blonde hair and light eyes, he looks like someone from the White world."

"I spent my childhood in the southeast near to the entrance to their world," Nikto said.

"Have you been there?"

"Yes."

"Have you seen the sky?"

"Yes."

"How does it look?"

"When it is covered with clouds it looks just like ours."

"So, what are you? Are you a White half-blood?"

"Yes."

"You still look like an Unclean to me," Enriki said.

"I've lived among them a lifetime."

"Oh, Orel, you have a knack for making pleasant acquaintances," Lis said.

"Now we have two half-bloods," Tol said. "Lis is a Black-Red and Nikto is a Black-White."

"Rather Unclean-White," Enriki corrected him.

"The Red and the White races belong to the upper world," Lis said, "they cannot have children from the Unclean, you should know that. Only the Black race that belongs to the lower world can interbreed with the Unclean, and even then not with any Unclean."

"Nikto, can you make a baby to your Unclean girlfriend?" Tol asked.

Nikto laughed. "No, Tol. She is too alien. I think I can't have children at all, as many half-bloods can't."

"How old are you?"

"I don't know exactly. Same age as you are, I think."

"I'm twenty-one and Lis is twenty-nine."

"And I'm probably somewhere between you."

"You look cool," Tol said. "You would be handsome if not for the scar."

"And tattoos," Enriki added. Nikto lowered his head and kept silent.

"Stop embarrassing him," Orel said somewhat nervously. "Enough of your questions, let's have a drink!"

Chapter 5

In the Morning

"Orel, do you understand what you dragged us into?" Enriki said. "Didn't you reassure us saying that the Unclean were lying?"

"Didn't you say you'd never believe that bullshit of the Unclean?!" Lis added.

"I still can't quite believe it myself." Orel spread his arms.

"Are you mad? He said it yesterday himself, literally: my mother is a witch, my father is a devil!" Lis hissed at him.

"He didn't say his father was a devil… literally," Orel muttered in annoyance.

"What are you trying to achieve? Orel, think who you want to have business with!"

"Do you mean 'who you want to have'!" Orel shouted.

"You said that, not me," Lis said.

"Tol is on my side. Tol isn't afraid of him."

"Tol is an idiot," Lis said.

"Tol wouldn't like you saying that," Enriki interfered.

"And I shit care if he wouldn't! Everything's going to hell and I don't care what Tol likes or not," Lis raised his voice.

"You're panicking because of nothing."

"Yes. Sure."

"What can he do to us?" Orel leaned over the table to Lis. "Kill us and start living in my castle? Take away our streets? It's ridiculous, Lis."

"He can take away you power."

"Oh really? And become a prince? Prince Nobody! I don't have so much power to tempt anyone to take it."

"We will become his puppets. And you have already become one."

"So far he's obeying me."

"Such hubris! He's a wolf in a sheep's skin. Yes, that's true, he pretends to be a misfortunate cripple but his eyes give him away. His cold calculating stare. In his heart he's laughing at us. He's so confident that he doesn't even mind me, my digs only amuse him, I feel that!"

"Lis, you've lost your mind," Orel said slowly; he looked at Lis in surprise and with some sympathy.

"Don't look at me like that, Arel, do you hear me?"

"Sit down," Orel snapped. Lis obeyed hugging his head.

"Oh gods, what's going to happen to us!"

"Why do you keep silent, Enriki?"

"I don't know, Arel. I don't think Nikto wants your castle. I'm more concerned with your intentions. Arel, forget your plans."

"But I fell in love with him! I need him, I want him, want him every minute! The more I look at him, the more I want him!"

"So, who's losing his mind?" Lis said skeptically.

"Orel, leave everything as is, let him stay with us. But for gods' sake, don't touch him – I'm afraid for you," Enriki said.

"Easier said than done! I can't. I want to touch his hair. I can't stand it any more!"

"You're a pervert," Lis winced, "thinking with your ass, not with your head. But if you get together with him, you won't break away from him easily. He's not Toby who was your toy and then you dropped him. Nikto is different – do you understand you want to fuck the son of the Devil? It's the worst thing one can come up with."

"It excites me even more."

"Orel, I beg you, stop," Enriki moaned. "What do you like about him? His hair? He's probably never combed it. It's dirty and twisted. And his hands – fingers black with tattoos! And what about his face – one has to be totally crazy to tattoo his face!"

"Orel doesn't see it," Lis interrupted. "He's got into a trap. I bet you even like his tattoos. He looks like a painted jug but it arouses you, doesn't it?"

"No," Orel snapped. "Enough. Lis, you belong to me and you know you can't just leave me: either you obey me or one of us dies. Do you want that?"

"I won't fight you," Lis said. "You'll kill me and I want to keep living to see how it ends. I obey your will. Cherish your cripple."

"Don't call him a cripple!"

"Your wish is my command, my lord."

"I order you to become his friend as soon as possible, do you hear?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Right. Enriki, I'm talking to you, too."

Enriki bowed his head. "Yes, my lord."

"Uugh, I'm so hungry!" Tol tumbled into the hall loudly and stopped, looking at everyone in surprise. "Are you praying or what? Ooh, buns for breakfast…" He froze catching Orel's burning stare. "All right, all right, I'm not saying a word."