Ви Корс - The Mist and the Lightning. Part I

"By the way," he said a little later when noticing that Orel had calmed down, "where is Nikto? Doesn't he have breakfast with us?"

"I sent a servant to bring him half an hour ago," Orel said. He rang the bell.

"Did you wake up the master?" he asked a shaking servant.

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

"He said," the servant started shaking even more, "…'go to hell!' I was afraid and left. I'm very afraid of him." The servant sobbed and fell onto his knees. "I thought he'd kill me! He looked at me – like I wasn't there – and said: 'Go to hell!' and my legs seemed to carry me to the door by themselves," the servant cried.

"All right, you idiot, you can go. I'll wake him up myself," Orel said.

"Yeah, you try," Tol winked at him.

Orel walked up the stairs and quietly entered the room that had been offered to Nikto yesterday. It was one of the best rooms in the castle.

A splendid bed with a canopy was located on the dais near the wall. The floor was covered with expensive furs. They were littered with Nikto's weapons, his clothes and bag.

Orel approached soundlessly.

Nikto lay in bed on his side, covered with a fur layer up to his waist. He was asleep. Orel stopped and looked at him. Nikto didn't move. Orel smiled and slowly reached to his belt. Carefully, he took out his knife without taking his gaze away from the sleeping man. He raised the knife aiming at Nikto's closed eye. His muscles were taut, he was ready for Nikto to wake up any moment. But Nikto kept breathing evenly and Orel relaxed his hand, lowered it slowly, nearly touching Nikto's eye with the tip of the knife.

"Bingo," he said quietly, then took the knife away. "Lis is just an idiot."

Something crunched under his boot and he jumped back, frightened. Looking down he saw it was just one of the pills that fell out of Nikto's carelessly tossed bag. He picked up a few smooth white capsules.

"What could it be?" He dropped them back on the floor. "Hey, Nikto, wake up!"

Nikto stirred, opened his eyes slowly. He looked at Orel as if he was seeing him for the first time in his life. Orel felt uneasy.

"Hey, come round," he said apprehensively.

"Aah," Nikto drawled. "Prince Arel Chig." He turned to his back, stretched his arms, then covered his face with his palms. "All right, all right, I'm getting up." He took his hands away from his face. "Shit, it's too light here!"

Orel watched him silently.

Nikto sat up in bed shaking his shaggy head. He raised his face looking straight ahead of him with a strange, empty look.

Orel who stood at the side backed away in fear.

"Nikto, stop fooling around," he said.

Nikto turned to him looking through him.

"Orel," he said, "leave now, please. I'm coming down in a moment."

Orel recoiled, then left the room. He walked down to his friends.

"What happened?" A chorus of questions met him.

"Nothing." Orel managed to regain control.

"You look even worse than the servant did!"

"I said everything's all right. Tol, pour me some coffee," he ordered in annoyance.

Gulping his coffee, he looked at Lis.

"Lis," he said quietly, "I could've killed him ten times right now, do you hear me? Ten times! And I'll spit at your face if you say he was giving in to me on purpose."

"Is it true?"

"Yes!"

"I don't know," Lis said shakily, "I don't know."

"I know," Orel interrupted him. "He trusts me and he isn't dangerous to us."

Nikto slowly walked down the stairs and approached the company.

"Hello," he said.

"Good morning," Tol waved to him. "You don't look good, you know."

"Orel, may I sit with my back to the window?" Nikto asked.

"Fine," Orel said. "Enriki, let him sit in your place."

Enriki exchanged places with Nikto in surprise. Now Nikto was sitting on the right from Orel, next to Lis. He took a cup silently and started drinking.

"Nikto, you didn't warn me the daylight caused you such problems," Orel said, "and today isn't even sunny."

"I'm okay," Nikto said, "I've just forgotten when I got up in the morning for the last time."

"I wouldn't say you're okay," Orel said. "You're totally NOT okay, in fact."

He leaned towards Nikto.

"Loot at me."

Nikto slowly looked up.

"Tell me the truth, do you see anything?"

"Yes," Nikto said quietly but firmly. He lowered his eyes again.

"What are you talking about?" Tol asked in surprise.

"The thing is, my friend Tol, Nikto doesn't see shit when it's light!"

Lis turned to Orel in astonishment.

"It can't be!"

"Oh fuck," Enriki said.

"Is he like an owl?" Tol asked.

"I don't know! Maybe, even worse than an owl!"

"I can see!" Nikto said defiantly.

"Really? What is Tol holding? Answer me!"

Tol froze in fear with a piece of bun in his hand. Nikto even didn't glance at him.

"Orel, I'm all right."

"What is Tol holding?"

"Orel…"

"What is Tol holding, fuck you!"

"Bread, bread," Nikto hissed. "He's holding bread."

Tol frantically put the bun back.

"Orel, stop it. Please?" he said.

"Nikto, don't get on my nerves," Orel said. "If you do, you'll regret it."

"What do you want from me?"

"Truth."

"Yes, the light blinded me at first but now it's all right, A few more days and my eyes change their mode completely. My vision will be better than yours."

"We are going out and it is much lighter in the street than it is here!"

"I'll put on sunglasses."

"Fine, we'll see." Orel took out a sheet of paper from his pocket. "It's your pass to the Upper City. You just have to put your name into it. Your name will be Nik – I decided to call you that. Tol, give us ink and a quill. Can you write it yourself?" He gave the paper to Nikto.

"Enough of testing me!" Nikto took the quill and wrote confidently: Nik To.

Orel smiled.

"Good. Name is Nik, family name is To."

The friends laughed.

"All right, put on your mask and sunglasses, I don't know how you're going to put them both, and we're going to the city. Does your horse see by day?"

"Yes," Nikto snapped.

"Let's go! Enough stuffing yourself, Tol, we're leaving."

"Nikto, put on some gloves, too," Enriki added. "Your hands are somewhat…"

"I got it."

They rode through the castle gates: first Orel on his black beauty, without a mask and a hood; his dark-brown hair streamed in the wind. Lis followed him, then Enriki, Nikto and the last was Tol.

Lis came alongside with Orel on the slope of the hill.

"Orel, I saw that. Nikto didn't look what Tol was holding, not even once," he said quickly.

"What do you mean?"

"He just knew what Tol was holding."

He didn't give Orel time to answer and spurred his horse forward.

Chapter 6

In the Arbor

"Do you like our domain?" Orel asked Nikto proudly.

"Yes."

They were sitting on the second floor of the restaurant in the Upper City: it was an arbor made of carved stone, decorated with ivy. It was quiet and fresh here; just some music and noise of crowds reached them from the square.

Tol sprawled in the chair; he took off his cloak and closed his eyes. Enriki sat next to him and smoked thoughtfully. Lis looked down at the square leaning with his cheek against the tracery grate and pushing away the leaves of ivy. Orel put his legs on the table. Nikto, as usual, leaned against the back of the chair; his face was hidden by a black mask. Black glass glimmered in the slits for the eyes. His hands were covered with gloves, the fingertips cut off not to impede his claws.

He smoothened his shaggy hair lazily.

"They went just crazy when seeing me," he drawled.

"They'd gone even crazier had they seen you without your mask," Tol said.

"Never mind, they'd get used," Orel said. "Take off your mask."

"Let the owner bring our drinks first," Nikto objected.

"Don't mind him."

Nikto pushed the lower part of the mask down slightly and put a cigarette into the opening. "No," he said. "I don't mind him but I've had enough of everyone staring at me."

"And I've had enough of talking to a man without a face!"

Nikto stubbed the cigarette harshly and tore off the mask; his face was angry, eyes glaring fiercely. He tossed the mask on the floor.

"Happy now?" He turned away from Orel. Leaning on his elbow on the table, he covered the scarred half of his face with his palm and lit another cigarette.

"Orel, you hurt him," Enriki said.

Orel touched Nikto's hand that held the cigarette.

"Hey," he said quietly, "I always ask you to take off your mask because I like to see your face, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Fine, fine." Nikto took a drag. "I've got it. But I'm tired of it: put on the mask, take off the mask, put on the mask, take off…!"

"I'm sorry," Orel said.

"Let him wear it when he feels like," Tol said.

"Then he won't take it off at all," Orel objected. "It's made in such a way he doesn't need to take it off at all. Am I right, Nikto?"

"Yes, you are."

"And I don't like it."

"Why do you care?" Nikto asked in annoyance.

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