The Mist and the Lightning. Part I

Orel made a few gulps.

"Shit! What is it?"

"Water. Just cold water. You forgot how it tasted?"

"Enough, enough," Orel sniffed and pushed his hair away from his face. He looked at Lis. "How dare you treat me like that? You hit me!" he said resentfully.

"And I'll hit you again, even harder, if you don't start pulling yourself together," Lis said.

He tossed Orel his clothes.

"Get dressed. Everyone is tired of waiting you downstairs. Tol wants to talk to you about his tattoos, besides, he is in love. Vil can't live for a moment without you, we're all tired of him. He has some problems with book-keeping. And we are going to the river, it's a wonderful day!"

"And Nikto?" Orel asked; his voice shook treacherously.

"Your precious Nikto, too. He's sitting there like nothing happened, in his sunglasses but without his mask, and laughs when Vil tries to flirt with Dony."

"What? Dony's there! Why didn't she leave?"

Lis shrugged.

"Dony and Mily didn't leave. Actually, they are going to the river with us."

"Dear me! I'm not going! You can perfectly do without me!"

"Yes, you are going. You need to have some fresh air – besides, we cannot do without you. Are you our master or not?" Lis looked at Orel seriously. "Are you not, any more?"

"Nikto butted me off," Orel said sorrowfully.

"Ah so. That's why you're crying like a rejected maiden," Lis laughed. "Frankly speaking, I didn't expect he would. He's even bolder than I thought. Well, now you can kick him out."

"No!" Orel grabbed Lis's hand. "I'll never kick him out!"

"You're going to look at him and suffer. Good luck."

"You don't understand anything, it's all my fault."

"Sure," Lis said. "I hope he didn't do you any harm. Because if he harms even a hair on your head, I don't know what I'll do to him."

"I can defend myself," Orel said in exasperation. "He was right. It was me who hurt him, believe me, Lis."

"I believe you. But he doesn't show it at all. You couldn't guess by his look when he came downstairs that something happened between you two," Lis smirked.

"What should I do? I ruined everything! But I love him! I don't want to lose him!"

Lis laughed.

"He isn't going to leave us, don't you worry, and he definitely likes you, I don't even doubt that. There is something in you that attract others. The main thing for you is to behave now as if nothing happened. Follow his example. You'll see, everything will work out. And you know, when the time is right, I'd like to talk to him myself because no one else can. Tol is a cheerful idiot, you're a love-besotted idiot. Enriki always has his head in the clouds. I need to talk to him and I'll ask about you, if you want me to."

"Yes," Orel nodded, "I do! I know you won't spoil anything. Talk to him. As soon as you have a chance."

"Okay, then we agreed. Now let's go – and cheer up."

Orel smiled.

"Thank you, Lis, you always help me."

"Let's go, Vil is waiting for you," Lis laughed.

"Oh shit," Orel said getting dressed.

At the door he stopped suddenly.

"Do I look all right?" he asked uncertainly.

"You're splendid!" Lis smiled. "Let's go."

Orel and Lis go downstairs where they discuss their plans for the day. They decide to go to the river and swim.

Tol asks Orel's permission to take along the Unclean, half-blood girl Asa – the girl from Borgan's school.

Orel decides to take along his favorite slave Mina.

They ride to the river, Orel with Mina, Enriki with Mily, Nikto with Dony. Lis rides alone, Vil rides alone, Tol and Asa ride their own horses.

Vil is very upset that Dony chose to ride with Nikto.

Chapter 16

At the River

They reached the river. Tol was bouncing like a child with joy; he was the first to jump down from his horse.

"Asa, take off your clothes and come to me!" he shouted to his girlfriend and ran into the water tossing off his clothes on the way.

While taking off his boots and pants he got caught in them and nearly fell. At last he got to the water and threw himself into it raising a fountain of splashes. He was shrieking with delight.

"Idiot," Orel said shaking his head and laughed together with others.

But it was not so easy for Asa to join Tol. Her horse reacted very badly at Nikto's stallion. It neighed wildly, trying to rear; she barely could control it. Spurring her horse with her heels she shouted some commands in Unclean. The horse didn't obey, it bared its teeth trying to attack the rival. Nikto's stallion snarled fiercely in reply and beat his hooves. At some moment they almost clinched attacking each other. Nikto barely managed to yank the stallion back but did it so abruptly that his horse reared and nearly fell.

Dony screamed in fear. Asa yelled at Nikto in Unclean and her gestures were so eloquent that it was clear what she wanted to say even without translation. Nikto answered her with equal courtesy. The friends were rolling with laughter looking at them. Enriki, bending with laughter, carefully took off his sister from the horse.

"I'm afraid for Dony," she said nervously, "stop laughing, now!"

At last Nikto and Asa moved their horse apart for a significant distance. Asa dismounted and ran up to Tol who was coming out of the water. He hugged her.

"What happened?"

She answered something in Unclean pointing at Nikto and making a face. The friends came up to them. Dony was smiling.

"What kind of a shitty horse you have!" Tol said.

"Like horses, like masters," Enriki said.

Everyone stared at him – such a dig was unexpected – but then they laughed again.

"It was fun," Lis said stifling the laugher. "But I want to swim at last."

He started undressing. Nikto took off his mask and pulled off his sunglasses cautiously, he was screwing up his eyes and rubbing them.

"It's okay, the sun is behind the clouds," Tol laughed.

He wrapped his arm around his half-blood's muscular waist and smiled watching Nikto's attempts to open his eyes.

"It is never sunny for you," Nikto said in irritation, "but it's always too sunny for me."

He put on his glasses again.

"Poor Nikto," Dony said. She had already undressed and now was clinging to him. "Let's go and swim," she purred.

Nikto stripped and unclasped all the bracelets on his arms. He kept the black cloth, though. Everyone looked at him with interest, examining his tattoos. He noticed that and turned silently letting them see him better.

"Yeah, impressive," Lis said.

Enriki screwed his face as if he was going to puke but didn't say anything. Asa noticed that and said something to Nikto in Unclean. He shrugged in reply.

"What did she said to you?" Tol asked.

"She asked me if she should undress."

"Of course!" Tol shouted. "What the fuck?! There's nobody to be ashamed of! Tell her to strip, tell her, Nikto!"

Nikto smirked.

"She understood, calm down."

Asa blushed and stripped baring her dark body covered in an ornament of tattoos almost all over. She looked at the people and cursed in Unclean. Everyone laughed.

"Let's go," Orel said and entered the water.

Mina followed him very carefully. Then Tol ran into it, yelling wildly, showering everyone with splashes; he dragged Asa with him. She laughed and shouted something at him in Unclean trying to avoid splashes. Then the others, laughing and splashing at each other like children, ran into the river. They swam and play in the water until they got cold. Then, shivering and with their teeth chattering, they hurried ashore and started drinking to get warmer.

"I want to play that… ah… a ball!" Tol screamed. "Let's go and play!"

"How are we going to play?" Enriki asked. "A team to a team?"

"Yes," Tol said, "teams are a great idea. I'll decide who plays with whom."

"Don't count on me," Orel warned, "I want to have a rest."

"Fine then. In my team there are me, Asa, Nikto and Dona."

"Dony," she corrected him.

"Tol, you'll lose if you take me," Nikto said. "I can't run." He stood wringing his wet hair.

"Wait, Tol," Enriki interfered. "If you're playing with your Asa, then I'm playing with my sister, right?"

"Yes, a pair to a pair," Tol said.

"If you also have Nikto and Dony, then who'll play for our team?" Enriki's sister asked.

"Vil," Tol said and laughed.

"But I don't have a pair," he said apologetically.

"Borrow Orel's Mina," Tol found a way out. "Mina, do you want to play?"

"If you want, you can go," Orel said.

Mina laughed happily.

"Mina is good," Tol said, "I wouldn't mind her on my team."

"No, you won't have her," Enriki snapped.

"Wait," Vil recalled suddenly, "You forgot Lis!"

Lis, who'd just come out of the water, brought a bottle to his lips.

"What's Tol again having against me?" he asked between gulps.

"He forgot to include you into the game," Vil reported.

"But we don't have a place for Lis," Tol objected. "We have four people and four people, two teams, two girls in each. Where should I put Lis?"

"Then Orel has to play, too," Enriki said. "Orel, join our team."

"No, I said I won't," Orel lay down on his back and closed his eyes.

"You see," Tol said happily, "Lis doesn't fit."

"Okay, okay, forget about me," Lis didn't seem upset.

"It's settled then!" Tol smiled. "Let's go!"

They walked to a clearing not far away.

"Still suffering?" Lis asked Orel when Tol and the others moved away for some distance.

"Yes," Orel said simply.

Lis sat down next to him, he watched with interest how Tol measured the clearing with his steps, making some marks with his sword on the ground.

Orel turned onto his belly and put his head onto his arms.

"How's Nikto going to play?" he said.

"You mean he's lame?" Lis asked.

They watched Tol and Enriki make some kind of gates with two swords they shoved into the ground in their sheathes, first on one side of the clearing, then, after Tol measured everything with his steps again, on the other side.

"Tol will likely make him a goalkeeper," Lis said. "Tol is smart about such things."

They saw Tol discuss something with his team, then point at the gates and at Nikto.

Orel and Lis laughed.

"Exactly as I said," Lis lit a cigarette, "he did just that."

Orel lay down on his face on the ground, not supporting himself with his arms any more.

"I love him," he moaned, "I love him so much!"

Lis shook his head; he was watching the game.

"Wow! Mina nearly missed a goal!"

Orel raised his head and looked up again.

"They made Mina a goalkeeper?"

"I think they're right," Lis said. "Now it's actually Enriki and Vil against Tol."

"Really? Don't you count his Unclean? She's worth of two men."

Lis laughed.

"You're probably right."

The game continued; Lis and Orel heard joyful shouts of the players. Nikto deftly kicked a ball away from the gates of his team. He was laughing. Orel and Lis looked at each other.

"Here you are," Lis said. "You were worried how he'd play."

"I love him," Orel didn't look away from Nikto.

"Enough of lamenting," Lis winced. "I'm sick with your wails."

"He's the best," Orel said without paying attention to Lis's remark. "I can't look at him, I cannot bear it." He put his head down on his arms, pressing his face into the grass.

Lis looked at the players absent-mindedly.

"I don't understand," he whispered suddenly.

"What?"

"I don't understand," Lis said louder.

"What don't you understand?"

"I don't understand anything," Lis said rather to himself than to Orel.

They kept silent for a few minutes.

"I wonder how old he is," Lis said suddenly.

Orel raised his head.

"You mean Nikto? I don't know."

"He is very young," Lis continued. "Now as he's laughing and playing with them, I wouldn't say he's even twenty."

"He said he's about as old as we are," Orel said.

"No, he's clearly younger than you and me. Younger than me, at least, that's for sure, and a lot, for seven years at least."

"It can't be!"

"Just look at him."

Orel looked at the players. Asa managed to score a goal against Enriki's team at last. Tol roared with delight, Dony and Asa shrieked. Nikto was as happy as the others, he raised his fist sharply as if saying: 'Yes, we did it!' He looked very satisfied.

"He's content," Orel said, "I'm suffering here and he's content!"

"I couldn't even imagine he was able to enjoy himself," Lis said surprised.

"Yes, I agree, he is younger than he seems at the first sight," Orel said. "The scar makes him look much older."

"Now as he's playing he looks like a boy," Lis shook his head. "But he is not human, I won't be deceived by this creature."

"Tol scored a goal!" Orel screamed happily. "Two to nil! You said something about Nikto?" he looked at Lis. "Sorry, I missed it."

"No, it's nothing," Lis waved his hand. "Nikto. Nik-to, Nik-to," he pronounced with various intonations and suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh gods! It's that simple! Why didn't I guess before! The answer was right on the surface but I didn't see it!"

Orel looked at him in perplexity.

"Lis, what are you talking about?"

Lis turned to him, his eyes shining.

"He's Nikto in the direct meaning of this word. Do you understand?"

"Yes, his name is Nikto, so what?

"It is because he really is Nikto – nobody!"

Orel glanced at him.

"Your logic bewilders me, Lis."

"It doesn't matter," Lis again looked at the players. "Two to nil, you say?" he smirked. "He's gonna miss a goal now if he doesn't want to spite us."

"What can he do to spite us?"

"I said he had to miss a ball, and he knows that, that's why he won't miss it not to confirm my suspicions."

"Do you think he knows what you've said? That he's gonna miss a goal?" Orel said in surprise. "Did I get you right?"

"Ooh, he missed!" Lis said.

"Fuck! How did you know he'd miss?"

Lis laughed. "They'll win with a minimal advantage, not to hurt the feelings of those who play in Enriki's team."

"But why are you so sure?"

"Aren't you sure? You admired him so often that infected me with it. Could he really miss that shitty goal? What do you think?"

"No, of course not!" Orel laughed. "You're a real bastard, Lis."

He looked at the players.

"He missed another, and I swear, it looked very natural!"

"Now they are equal," Lis summarized, "he won't miss again. Everything depends on Tol, Dony and Asa, if they score a goal, they'll win. That's fun!"

"Maybe he's really just playing," Orel said. "So what if he misses, everyone would miss in his place. Can't that be?"

"It can. That's the thing: I cannot be absolutely sure. I cannot catch him. I'm not sure of anything! Maybe he's really just playing, I don't know!"

"Then why to think about it," Orel shrugged. "He's having fun, he enjoys being with us, we enjoy being with him. He is handsome and smart, what else do we need?"

Lis laughed. "Hey, what's between him and Dony?"

"Nothing. He just fucked her."

"Already?!"

"Last night. And in the morning we had fun all together, he and I fucked Mily and Dony in turns."

"Wow! You really find time for everything!"

Orel laughed recalling. "Just imagine what Enriki would think if he knew the two of us fucked his sister together for an hour. She nearly passed out!"

"She and Enriki are so different," Lis said.

"They both are somewhat bonkers," Orel smiled, "just in a different way. But I don't care. I enjoy being with Enriki, and with Mily, too, they are my family."

"Yes," Lis said. "We all are one family."

Later, when after finishing the game the others came back to the river, they swam again and returned back to the city.

Tol goes to see Asa off.

The others go back to the castle and Vil burdens Orel with book-keeping.

Nikto goes to his room with Dony.

Enriki is going to the king's palace to do something about Squint-Eye's liberation. Later he leaves taking Mily and Dony along.

Orel, Nikto, Lis and Vil go to 'Backara'. Tol also has to come there.

They get some initial information about the fight with Bey's people.

Bey finds out that Orel used the help of mercenaries from the Unclean District and is enraged.

Chapter 17

The Ultimatum

They were almost at the gates of the Lower City when they saw several riders approaching them.

"Arel, they are Bey's people," Lis said quietly. "What do they want here?" He tensed holding the bridle of the horse in his left hand and ready to pull out his sword with his right one any moment.

"Calm down, Lis, don't freak out." Orel stopped his horse.

Four riders came up to them very closely.

"Prince Arel Chig, I presume," one of them said to Orel. Orel took off the mask that hid his face.

"What do I owe this honor to?" he asked coldly.

"I am Edin Ol," the rider introduced himself. He was the only one in a mask.

"So what?" Orel snorted.

Ol smirked. "Don't pretend you don't know who I am. I'm Black Bey's right-hand man and you know that."

"What do you want?"

"I need to talk to you on behalf of my master." He pointed at the open restaurant in the corner of the street. "Let's go there. I don't need to get in trouble with the guards." He glanced at the passer-byes who hurried past them, casting fearful and displeased looks at the people who blocked the street.

Orel shrugged indifferently.

"Fine but I'm short of time, remember that."

"All right," Edin Ol turned his horse to the restaurant. His riders followed him.

Orel glanced at Vil. "Go home," he ordered.

Vil looked at him pleadingly. "Orel, please let me stay with you," he said quietly in such an unusual begging manner that Lis whistled in surprise.

"I don't repeat twice. Go!" Orel snapped; Vil's pitiful gaze didn't affect him.

"Orel, please…"

Orel reached for the sword behind his back.

"One more word and you're dead," he said slowly.

"I'm sorry," Vil sniffed. He was nearly in tears.

Orel turned his horse to the restaurant; Lis and Nikto followed him without saying a word to Vil. Vil stayed in the street alone. After a while he finally spurred his horse in fury and rode away.

Three of them entered the restaurant and sat down at the opposite side of the table where Edin and his people already sat. The waiter wasn't in a hurry to serve them. Customers watched them in fear but didn't run – it was the Upper City where people were not that terrified.

"I'm listening," Orel said looking at Ol in contempt.

"Bey sent me to talk to you, it's just a conversation, nothing more."

"I got it. And?"

"Leave the Lower City, prince," Ol said quietly but firmly. "Leave it in an amicable way. Bey still gives you such a chance. You have no business in the lower streets; they belong to those who were born and live there. You came from the Upper City, we'll drive you away. Just like you, rich bastards, drove away and closed the access to the Upper City for commoners. Yours is the Upper City, the Lower is ours. Enough of trying to grab both yours and someone else's, Arel Chig, you've lost any shame. You invaded our streets using your nearly limitless power and money. But we've had enough of you! We tried to bear with you and your people to the very end. But now we cannot stand it any more. We cannot stand what you're doing in the streets of our Lower City!

"Now I see you finally lost your mind if you brought mercenaries from the Unclean District to our Lower City! How dared you litter our city with the Unclean from the valley levels? How dared you bring half-bloods from behind the river to our neighborhoods! Bey warns you for the last time. Either you take away your Unclean trash," Ol quickly glanced at Nikto, "or the whole Lower City rises against you. People don't want to live next to those creatures. You don't care shit about their safety, I understand it, you're safely hidden behind the strong walls of the Upper City and you don't care what happens to the people in our streets, you just want to get more money from them.

"Isn't it so, prince? Even though you already have more money than you need but your greed doesn't have any limits. What will those bastards you gathered do to peaceful citizens? If you don't take them away, we'll unite with the owners of the northern and eastern territories, they are ready to do that. When it concerns protection of our people from the Unclean, we act together. You're a stranger in our territory and everyone will be against you. Do you understand it? That is why – stop until it is too late. We're not afraid of you or your allies.

"We'll dispose of you, we won't let you litter our streets and set a new order here. The Unclean will have no place in the Lower City!

"If you want to deal with them – go there and don't soil the Lower City with your presence. You're a disgrace among humans. Your rich friends kicked you out but we'll do the same. We won't let you ruin our city, our streets. Do you get that?"

"I would kill you right here," Orel said calmly, "but I want you to pass my words to your master. I won't take the Unclean away from my streets and I'll bring more if need be." He kept silent for a while watching Ol's reaction. "And I shit care about your threats. If Bey doesn't submit, I'll tear apart the whole Lower City. You want the war – you'll have it. I'll kill everyone. Everyone who lives in your streets. I'll raze your streets to the ground and will inhabit them with the people I want.

"You're right, I don't care about people who live there and that's why I can do things that will make you regret a million times that you opposed me. I'll slaughter the whole Lower City if I want. You cannot stop me! I'll tear you apart just for fun! If you care so much about peaceful life of common people – which I really doubt – think twice before opposing me. They'll die because of you. They'll suffer and it'll be your fault. Don't even try to touch me – I will do whatever I want. I didn't touch you but you made me and I won't stop until I take everything that belongs to Bey. I'll take all his streets! And he will swallow it. I don't envy you, there are difficult times in store for you," he smirked. "That's all, I don't have anything else to say to such an idiot as you. If Bey cares, let him come and bow to me." Orel laughed.

Edin Ol was red in face, barely controlling himself.

"So, that's it?" he hissed through the clenched teeth. "You're declaring a war."

"Yes, that's it."

"You'll regret it!"

Orel got up. "Let's go," he said to Lis and Nikto, "we have nothing to do here."

They left the restaurant.

"You're insane," Lis said when they reached their streets. "The whole Lower City is going to oppose you. And they will be right. We'll be eliminated."

"I'm not afraid of anything," Orel said. "I have friends and they'll help me, won't they?" He turned to Nikto.

"You can always count on me," Nikto said. His face was tightly covered with a mask, black glass glittering through the eye-slits.

They arrive at Orel's military camp where he decides to arrange a show trial for Bey's captured people.

Before his warriors, Orel executes the captives with his own hand.

Their chopped-off heads are sent to Bey.

Later Nikto goes to the castle and injects himself 'black water'.

For the whole next day he doesn't come out of his room. The friends go on with their business without him. At night Lis decides to talk to Nikto, and Nikto allows him to enter.

Chapter 18

Conversation between Lis and Nikto

Nikto got up greeting Lis. Leaning against his cane, he walked up to the bar. Lis sat down in the armchair and watched him silently. Nikto tried to take a bottle and pour a drink but his hands didn't obey. His fingers didn't bend; they were so swollen and blue as if someone beat them with a hammer. His cut fingernails blackened, the tattoos on his fingers and hands looked like black burnt furrows. After a few unsuccessful attempts to pour drinks for Lis and himself, he turned back. His face was covered with a mask.

"Lis, can you pour a drink for us?" he asked.