The Mist and the Lightning. Part I

"Wait," Enriki said, "you're not an Unclean, are you allowed to bear such signs?"

"Yes," Tol said. "Nikto has them. But he only has brands, without paint, so you can't see them. And he isn't allowed to use paint."

"Aah," Orel drawled, "he isn't cool enough, right?"

"What are you comparing: Nikto who's spent all his life with the Unclean – and you!" Enriki said.

"It doesn't matter," Tol said happily. "Borgan said I could have them only over my canine teeth, nowhere else, but with paint – because I'm a nobleman and noblemen are permitted anything!"

"Total bullshit," Lis said.

"I've even sobered," Orel said. "Tol, let's leave this topic alone for a while. Tell me about the Lower City, okay? What were you doing there?"

"Oh no! I'm bored of recalling it all over, the guests are coming…"

"The guests will wait. Tell me, I order you!" Orel sat down in the armchair and lit a cigarette.

"You can start," he looked at Tol expectantly.

Tol sighed and started telling:

"We went to the Lower City.

It was the fifth or sixth tier, I don't know, there is a valley behind the river – well, it was a bit farther.

Streets there are like shit, I can tell you, the road is horrible, 'cat head' stones and half of them missing, I was afraid my horse would break its leg. And sometimes the streets are not paved at all, there's just dirt. I can't imagine how they paved them!

Nikto told me:

'Don't rush like that, follow me.'

I said: 'What a shitty place!'

Houses around were no better: almost no windows, unpainted, and no people at all – and if we saw someone, they ran away at once.

Do you know how unpleasant it is: you're riding – and then you hear shutters over your head close, and the doors, too. And no one around.

I saw street whores there, nice girls – I just wanted to take a closer look and then they saw us and ran! All of them ran away in a moment, I was even angry. I'm not used to that, girls running away from me – they are not standing there to run when a man comes up, are they?

I ask:

'Nikto, why are they running away, are we so scary?'

He laughed and said:

'Of course, we are,' he's so calm, like he cared for nothing.

But I was so angry I was going to catch someone and beat the shit out of them not to run away from me next time.

I say:

'Nikto, how are you going to gather people if they're hiding like mice in their burrows?'

He says:

'Don't worry, I'll gather them,' and laughs.

Imagine him in that mask, with black glass instead of his eyes… He turned to me, I looked at him: no face, no eyes, everything's black. And his voice, it seemed to me even nastier than before. A creepy voice, really, nothing of a human in it, no matter what he said about himself.

Borgan asked me later:

'Do you believe Nikto, Tol, when he says he's human?'

I said:

'No, I don't, a human won't have a voice like that.'

And Borgan laughed:

'People called him 'Mute' for a reason at Coliseum.'

I say:

'They called him 'Mute' at Coliseum because he fights silently, never even makes a sound during the fight. Even when Nevil cut him down badly, he just fell without a sound, then they started calling him 'Mute'.'

He:

'You believe only your ears, don't you?'

I say:

'Of course I believe my ears! I talk to him, he can't be mute! Are you joking, Borgan, thinking I'm a fool?'

He:

'No, I'd never allow myself anything like that in my life! You're the best guy from the Upper City I've met! And believe me, I met many of them. But as soon as I saw you and found out you're from the Upper, I understood it was my destiny that gave me a chance to make friends with such a great gentleman from the Upper City like you. Nikto knows whom to choose as his friends!"

"Tol, Tol, wait," Orel interrupted him, "what is this bullshit you're telling us? Keep your imagination at bay. And start from the beginning, you haven't got to Borgan yet, my head is going to split! Please, Tol, spare us, try harder."

"I try hard," Tol said resentfully.

"Nikto knew whom to take along to the Lower City," Lis said. "Toll will never be able to explain us what they did and what really happened."

"Do you mean I'm an idiot?" Tol yelled.

"No," Lis said calmly, "I mean that Nikto is very cunning and deceived us – as always, and we won't find out anything from you."

"You will!" Tol shouted. "And he didn't deceive me! He didn't do anything LIKE THAT at all! I don't know what you try to catch him on!"

"Just listen to yourself!" Lis shouted unable to bear it. "'He didn't do anything like that!' What do you mean 'like that'? What do you mean saying 'he didn't do anything like that'?"

"Don't yell at me! Anything means he didn't do anything bad! No ruses against us."

"Would you know if he did? You're an idiot! He'd deceive you without even making an effort – and he and Borgan did that!"

"They didn't deceive me! I'm not an idiot!"

"Who's that Borgan? Is he human?"

"No!"

"What then? He's an Unclean, isn't he?"

"Yes."

Lis got up.

"Can you imagine an Unclean, seeing a human for the first time, say to him something like that: 'Ah, you're so wonderful, Tol! You're so smart, Tol!' Sure thing he was laughing at you. Ridiculing you and thinking probably 'what fools those humans are!' If you don't lie, that is, that he said that."

"I don't lie!" Tol shouted. "I don't lie! He said that to me! And he wasn't laughing. He respected me because he is an experienced warrior and he saw how cool I was! And I'm not surprised that he liked me. He wouldn't like you, that's for sure. And that's why Nikto took me along, he is my friend and not yours! And don't you dare! You weren't there, you didn't see anything, you don't know anything, so shut up! I was there, I know better! And I would notice if they cooked something but everything was open! Open! But you wouldn't understand that. Everything was open, Orel," he said in a calmer voice, turning to Orel, "believe me."

Orel was silent, not knowing what to say.

"I was afraid of being there with Nikto, really afraid. But I didn't show that. They could do anything to me! I know it's silly to think so and they had no reason to harm me, it was just a business trip and Nikto is our teammate and yet… It wasn't easy to be there.

Later, when Nikto left me alone among them – and I used to hear for all my life what fools and animals they are, that they have no brains, only hatred towards humans – do you know how hard it was? To stay alone among them like that…

And do you know, Orel, they were just like us, absolutely! I didn't notice even one of them looking at me with hatred. They looked with curiosity, maybe, and even more with respect, and then lowered their eyes.

When I was choosing them, the ones I didn't choose didn't look angrily at me, no, they nearly wept in despair that they couldn't get a job, and I felt sorry for them. Because they only needed a job from me, nothing else.

And when everyone was running away from Nikto in the streets, I asked:

'Why are they so afraid of you?'

He says:

'I'm from the Unclean District. They are afraid of everyone from there.'

I was surprised.

'Isn't it the Unclean District?'

He:

'No, it's still far from there. It's humans who live here. Mostly poor ones, and criminals, too, runaway slaves but they are humans. Though you probably think that everyone who lives below the third tier is an Unclean.'

…And don't you interfere, Lis, with your clever ideas, I understand and see everything. And Nikto talked to Borgan just like he talks to us: he told him the main thing about the business and then kept silent. And he didn't take off his mask. He asked later:

'Will you go with me to the Unclean District?'

I said to him:

'Nikto, are you sure I can go with you, I'm human.'

He says:

'You can go, I swear to you.'

I said:

'No, I won't go.'

Then he says:

'Fine, stay with Borgan and choose mercenaries – whichever you want from the ones he offers you – and take them to our territory, I'll come later. You'll pick a hundred of them and I'll pick a hundred.'

We did everything as we agreed. It could appear strange but there was no deception from them, everything was much simpler.

They even looked like us.

Borgan has something like a military school there, it is equipped as good as the one in the Upper City. He took me around to see all the ranges, showed everything, explained everything, even though he's an Unclean. But he was treating me better than some humans. I don't know if it was because of Nikto or not, but he really said he liked me.

He says:

'Come to visit me, Ram Murh from the Upper City, I'll be always glad to see you! Come any time, alone, without Nikto, we'll have a drink and chat.'

I say:

'Don't call me Ram Murh, everyone calls me Tol.'

He laughed. It was Nikto who introduced me when we arrived. He said: 'It is Ram Murh from the Upper City, he needs your people to guard his territory in the Lower City.'

Yes, it was simple like that. Borgan looked at me, at first somewhat in surprise, then with joy, and says:

'You're from the Upper City! Congratulations! When I look at you, I begin to believe something good can happen in this world after all. You give me hope that not everything is lost.' Then he turned to Nikto, and says: 'Thank you for introducing me to such a fine gentleman, it is like honey to my wounded soul.'

Nikto also laughed. I was embarrassed, and say:

'I'm a human, and you?'

He:

'And I'm an Unclean," and laughs happily.

Later, when Nikto left and we waited for people to come, he asked me about the place where I was born, poured me a tasty drink…"

"You were drinking with an Unclean!" Enriki looked up in horror.

"Yes, I was. He offered us a drink from the very beginning. Nikto drank it – I don't know how he does it, without taking off his mask, but I refused at first, I was afraid. But when Nikto left and I got used, I decided to try, really wanted to try.

They have such a delicious drink, shit, I could've drunk more of it! But I didn't want to get drunk.

Oh, and when we walked around, Borgan was showing me everything… I was without my mask, took it off because I can't wear it for long. I can't drink and smoke in it, like Nikto does.

So, there were girls – they were training… Half-bloods but aah, so beautiful!

One of them ran up to me and started babbling something in her Unclean, so friendly. And I didn't even understand a word, was standing there like dumb. Borgan said to her something and we left. I liked her so much! Borgan noticed that and asked:

'Do you speak Unclean?'

I say

'No.'

He says:

'She only speaks Unclean. Do you like her?'

I say honestly:

'Yes.'

He says:

'If you talk to her in your human language, she'll scratch out your eyes. But she likes you, too, so learn our language.'

I say:

'No-o, I can't, I'll break my head learning your language, it is so difficult, I can't even imagine how you speak it.'

He laughed, and says:

'Did you try to learn it?'

I say:

'Of course, but that's not for me.'

He laughs; rolls with laughter, really, and says:

'You must have had bad teachers. Come to visit me, I'll teach you everything you need to know in two hours.'

I say:

'You're kidding about two hours.'

He says:

'You can't even imagine what powers you have, you just need to know how to release them!"

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Lord Arel Chig, guests are here."

Orel flinched.

"Shit! Tol, you talked me to death. Time to go," he turned to his friends.

Orel introduces Nikto to his friends.

The party goes on long after midnight.

Tol, heated with drinks, is unable to cope with his feelings to the half-blood girl from Borgan's school. He leaves for the Lower City.

Nikto takes Enriki's sister – Mily – and her friend Dony to his room. They have a great time in a threesome; closer to the morning Orel joins them. Nikto shares his girls with him.

Chapter 15

Orel and Nikto

For a few moments Orel sat stunned.

"Oh shit," he said at last. "Your tricks again?" He looked up at Nikto.

"What tricks?" Nikto asked in annoyance. "Do you want to have problems with Enriki?" He yawned and started dressing. "Shit, I can't see anything!" he snarled angrily.

"But how did you know Enriki was going to see Mily?"

"How did I know?" Nikto got surprised. "What time it is! It was time for them to leave, that's all."

"Did you feel it?"

"Did I feel? Well, if you like to think that…"

"Do you feel me?" Orel asked quietly.

"Sometimes," Nikto said, "sometimes I feel you. Especially when your feelings, hm… protrude," he laughed.

Orel's face changed in shame, he turned away quickly.

"Don't flinch like that," Nikto reassured him, "I can't see you anyway. Though you probably look funny at the moment," he laughed again.

"I need a drink," Orel said, "to clear my head."

He reached for a bottle on the bedside table, grabbed it with shaking hands and gulped greedily.

"I need to clear my head, too," Nikto said.

"Are you going to have a shot?" Orel asked.

He leaned against the pillows comfortably and relaxed a little.

"Yes," Nikto said. "I'm so tired of it!"

He sat down with his back to Orel, found by touch the flat box in his bag. Orel looked at his hair admiringly, it covered Nikto's whole back, the tips lay on the bed. The lowest layer of his hair was made of four braids. They were so long that Nikto double-folded them and the slaves put equally distanced silver clamps with black and blue gems on them.

"Nik, why do you braid the lower part of your hair?"

"If I leave it loose, there will be too much of it."

"Why is it of various length? The strands around your face are short, most of it reaches to your waist and the lower part is the longest!"

"It is the way the witch's daughter, my half-sister, did it, a long time ago. It stays like that since then."

"It is so thick and beautiful," Orel carefully reached his hand and touched the tip of one of the strands.

Nikto flinched and Orel jerked his hand back abruptly.

"Don't make me leave," Orel said, "I so want to have a chat with you."

"Why do you think I'm going to make you leave?" Nikto grinned.

"You're going to take a shot and you always do it alone."

"Stay if you want. But I inject it in my neck lately, it is not a nice sight."

"In your neck?"

"Fine, stay but don't ask stupid questions, shut up."

Nikto turned away and injected the needle into his neck by touch, right under the collar. They kept silent for a while. Nikto lay down on his face on the bed and stayed like that. Orel closed his eyes falling asleep. Suddenly Nikto sat up abruptly. Orel, awake at once, sat up, too. Nikto rubbed his eyes, he was looking around blinking, then held his head and said something harsh in Unclean.

"This white mist is going to be my end!" he snarled and hit the back of the bed with all his might. The oak back shook but withstood the blow.

"Hey, don't break my bed," Orel said in exasperation. "Put on you sunglasses."

Nikto got up silently and quite confidently walked up to the mirror where he left his sunglasses. He found them by touch but before putting them on he took one of the jars, poured its content onto a towel and wiped the grey paint from his face, quickly and sloppily. Then he put on his sunglasses, looked at himself in the mirror and wiped off the rest of the paint.

"How did you pick the stuff you needed?" Orel asked.

"What? I smelled it. I can smell where something is."

"Can you see?"

"Not as much as I'd like to!"

Nikto returned to the bed.

"I need 'black water', I can't any more…"

"Do you have it?"

"No! I must go to the Unclean for it!" he said it so angrily that Orel flinched involuntarily.

"It all goes to hell!" Nikto said. "It all goes to hell again!"

"I've never seen you like that," Orel was frightened. "You look like you've come from hell yourself."

Nikto laughed mirthlessly. "Fine, I'll control myself. You know little of me, I'm not so cool as you think."

"We all are not so cool as we seem," Orel said.

"No, you're cool, Arel, cool indeed," Nikto lit a cigarette. "Just the thought that you're a prince makes you very cool."

"Yes, I'm proud of being a prince," Orel said. "What's wrong with it?"

Nikto shook his head.

"Nothing."

"I can't imagine how you can inject a needle in your own neck, without seeing a shit, anyway!"

"I'm used to it," Nikto said. "I feel my vein with my fingers and practically hear blood filling the syringe. I count necessary time and push back," he made a pause. "I did it so many times that I don't think about it any more, my hand is doing it by itself."

"But why in the neck…"

"It's more convenient like that, my arms are finished."

"Can you heal them?"

"Don't be a child, Arel! If I don't stop using 'water', it only gets worse."

"But can you replace it with something?"

"And what am I doing right now, in your opinion? But I can't any more. I'll hold on for a few more days, no further."

"And then?" Orel asked.

"Then I'll die," Nikto said very calmly.

Orel stared at him in horror: "Are you joking?"

"No, I'm not."

"But you can't die just like that!"

Nikto laughed.

"Sure I can. But don't worry, I'll come up with something."

"If you need 'black water', I'll give it to you, I have it."

"You do? But why?"

Orel was satisfied with Nikto's reaction.

"Yes, I have 'black water'. I'm a prince, I have everything, even this! Do you need it right now?"

"No, not now, in the evening… or tomorrow. The longer I do without it, the better it is. Even an hour matters."

"Fine. But don't delay it too much so that we don't have to give you a shot again. Lis couldn't inject it in your neck that time, your collar was in the way. And if he sticks it there again…" Orel laughed, "…and with 'black water'…"

"I've spent two months without 'black water', so, one injection will be enough for me to live for a month without it normally."

"But are you going to take your shots all the same?"

Nikto smiled.

"Of course. I can't do without them."

"So, I get it you can't quit 'black water', you can only stretch the gaps between the doses – replacing it with lighter stuff."

"If you can stand a year without it, then you can use 'water' once in five years and twice a months a substitute. I've seen people like that. They didn't want to die."

"But could they snap?"

"Every day," Nikto said. "They could snap every day."

"Could you live for a year without 'water'?"

"No, I can't even stand two months," Nikto laughed.

"It's your misfortune, not your fault," Orel said.

"Oh forget it. What are you going to do today?"

"I don't know yet. I'd like to get sober at last but I probably won't manage. Did you like Enriki's sister?" Orel suddenly asked laughing.

"Yes, she is wonderful," Nikto said, "and her friend too."

"Do you know what I've noticed?" Orel said looking at Nikto and smiling. "Every woman likes you. They are just going wild because of you – and they are not afraid."

"I love women and they love me," Nikto smiled.

"You're lucky!" Orel said. "They don't love me."

"Come on. Don't play modest. Everyone loves you – even more than you deserve."

"Do you know – I think you don't miss your Unclean at all."

"She is not mine, rather I'm hers. She's a real bitch, just like all other Unclean!"

"Does she love you?"

"Both loves and hates."

"And you her?"

"Me too."

"I don't know if you heard but I had a wife a long time ago," Orel continued. "Father made me marry a girl: I was sixteen, she was fourteen. I hated her! We spent a year and a half together, tormenting each other. She didn't like anything I was doing. I already started doing what I do now. She hated my friends, despised me and them. When my father died, I wanted to kill her but she probably figured it out and ran away. At first to our estate in the east, later somewhere to the border with the Reds. Tell me, is she alive, what you think?"

"Orel, I don't know."

Orel looked at him.

"You know. I can't see your eyes but I'm sure you're lying. Can't you answer even one of my questions honestly?"

"I honestly told you I'm an addict. Is it not enough for you? And are you always honest with me? Or with Lis, or Tol? I don't even mention Enriki. You lie to them and they lie to you."

"How do you know that?" Orel tensed.

"You're trying to catch me on my words but it's useless. Even a fool can notice you always hide something from each other, no big mystery here."

"Really?"

"Really! I don't need to read your thoughts to notice how you look at me, how you touch my hair secretly. Why do you do that, Arel? I bet you don't know yourself."

Orel swallowed hard, unable to say anything.

"So, why do you keep silent? Why can't you be honest? You demanded me to be. Why do you always make me so angry? I'm irate when you look at me like that. I want to hit you hard but as far as I see you'll enjoy that! Yesterday you were ready to let me do whatever I wanted to you. Why do you do that?"

"I behave like a fool because I like you very much and I can't control myself!" Orel raised his voice. "I want you to be near all the time! I like to look at you!"

"I'm not a toy!"

"I know, I know," Orel said quietly and pleadingly. "But I can't do anything. I don't treat you as a toy, no, I don't want to hurt your feelings at all. I just… I just… I love you!"

"What? No, Arel! You can't love me, you can't love anyone but yourself! I'm your next whim, your caprice. You have everything and you don't know what else to want!"

Orel was nearly in tears.

"Nikto, don't say that! It is not true! I'll die if you turn away from me, I can't stand it!"

"Yes, you're used to getting everything you want, aren't you? Well, just do it then! Why are you so shy? Orel, go ahead, what do you want? Hug me, kiss me, fuck me?"

Orel covered his ears.

"Shut up, please, I beg you!"

"No, I'm not going to shut up!" Nikto grabbed Orel's wrists and pulled his hands away from his ears forcefully. "Do you like my hair? Here, touch it! Touch it!"

Nikto yanked Orel closer and pressed Orel's hands to his hair. Orel started crying. Nikto let him go but Orel didn't take his palms away from Nikto's hair, he passed his hand over it gently. Nikto took off his sunglasses and looked at Orel very seriously. Orel raised his eyes. They looked at each other. Nikto didn't look angry any more, he smiled at Orel slightly. And then he suddenly grabbed Orel's hand and pressed it to his face hard, to the scar. Orel felt harsh, jagged edges of the scar sticking into his palm, his face distorted with disgust; not knowing what he was doing he instinctively tried to jerk his hand away but Nikto held it and Orel managed just to move it a little. It got even worse because this way his little finger slipped into the crack on Nikto's face.

Nikto pushed him away.

"What a fucking idiot you are, Arel! Get out, get out of my room!"

Orel ran out without saying a word. He broke into his room, tossed himself down on his face onto his bed and cried until Lis came to him.

* * *

"Oh gods, what is it?" Lis exclaimed entering Orel's room and seeing him

"Go away, Lis, get out! Now!" Orel yelled at him.

But Lis didn't leave. On the contrary, he walked up to Orel, yanked him up by his wrist and slapped his cheek sharply.

"Come round at last, Arel, fuck you!"

Orel silently kept smearing tears over his handsome face.

Lis grabbed the paint neutralizer from the table, gripped Orel's hair, yanked his head back and poured the whole phial onto his face.

Orel screamed, screwing his eyes shut.

"You'll burn out my eyes, idiot!"

The paint on his face faded significantly, his skin acquired more or less acceptable color, even if not quite natural all the same.

"That's better," Lis said. "You're hysterical with your endless drinking. Here, have that." He shoved a glass at Orel's face.