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"Ah, I've hurt your feelings! Go and cut your arms then, you like to do it! Go, go, you'll feel better!"
Squint-Eye practically went grey with rage.
"Lis, shut your mouth!" Orel yelled.
Enriki wrapped his arm around Squint-Eye's shoulders. "Bert, calm down, don't mind him. Lis is just upset. We all are," he said.
Squint-Eye lifted his hands and squeezed Enriki's fingers.
"It's all right, Rik, I'm in control."
"Where is your ring?" Lis said to Orel suddenly.
"Lis, leave me alone. Go away, all of you! Go!"
"Where is your ring?" Lis raised his voice. "If you don't tell me now, I'll punch your other eye, you know I have a heavy hand!"
"Just try," Tol interfered. "If you touch him, I'll knock out both of your eyes."
"What are you doing?" Enriki cried out in exasperation. "Let's keep at least some decency!"
"Nikto beat Orel up and took his 'royal' ring! And you talk about decency!" Lis was in rage.
"You also beat Orel up and more than once, I know!" Tol stood by Nikto.
"Only when he was begging for it!"
"Nikto didn't beat me up!" Orel yelled. "And I gave him my ring!"
Everyone stared at him.
"Are you complete mad?" Lis asked.
"I'm not going to explain anything! It's my ring, I can do whatever I want to it, got it?"
"I got it," Lis nodded. "You paid Nikto with your ring. You couldn't come up with anything better. I'm disappointed."
"Yes, I couldn't come up with anything better," Orel said quietly. "And I couldn't do anything else, I needed him, I was ready to pay any price, anything to be with him."
"So why isn't he with you now? Why did he take the ring and run?"
"He didn't run. He'll come and heal me! I believe him, do you hear?"
"Wait," Tol interfere. "Wait! I don't understand anything. What does it mean pay Nikto with the ring? Isn't he already with us?"
"He is with us but not with our lord Orel personally," Squint-Eye smirked. "So, you bought him like a whore, for a ring? Cool!"
"What?!" Tol got pale.
"No! No! Don't dare think that! I wanted to do it," Orel pressed his palm to the bandage soaked in blood. "But he hit me – that's why he hit me. It's my fault, I insulted him with my offer."
"So, you offered Nikto to sleep with you for the ring and he beat you up," Enriki said. "I was always afraid something like that would happen. I asked you not to harass him but it's useless to talk to you!"
"Oh my," Tol whistled. "That's something."
"He didn't beat me up, he just punched me slightly – and even that he did because he was full of drugs. He felt bad and I woke him up, nagged him…"
"It doesn't matter," Lis shook his head. "He didn't have the right to beat you, whatever happened. We talked about it, he promised me not to do you any harm and I believed him like a fool! Fine, I won't make this mistake again."
"I think he just couldn't control himself," To said. "I'm sure he didn't want to."
"Yes," Squint-Eye said. "Perhaps he believed it himself when he promised you but then he got angry and forgot about it for a moment. And when he came round, it was too late."
"He is not you," Lis muttered. "Nikto never forgets anything and he controls himself, you won't make me change my mind. I'm absolutely sure Nikto knew what he was doing when he hit Orel. And I'm sure he remembered his promise. But he did it nevertheless, he didn't care about me and our agreement. I will never forgive him that!" He stared at Orel. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Squint-Eye laughed suddenly, he was rolling in laughter like a madman. Everyone stared at him.
"Fuck! Bert, you said you're in control," Enriki said disapprovingly.
Squint-Eye covered his mouth with his palm, compressed his lips together with his fingers in expensive rings. Lis glanced at him quickly, then looked at Orel.
"Yes," he said. "I did a tremendously stupid thing believing Nikto. How could I even think one could negotiate with him about anything. I'm an idiot. It is written on his face that he is a traitor and can't be trusted."
"Stop it," Orel moaned. "You just wanted to protect me."
"Yes, yes, I did. But I didn't manage! And it is not for the first time, right, Arel? He hit you before, he hit you every time you harassed him, that's why you had that stupid idea to give him your ring. Oh gods! How could it even come to your mind? Where is your pride? Where is your pride, prince Arel Chig? Why did you harass him, followed him like a dog, debased yourself in front of this bastard who has shit instead of blood! He is a commoner, he isn't fit to hold a candle for you. Is it the way true princes treat slaves? You put yourself below him! You, you… you're really a fallen prince! Yes, you are!"
Orel got pale.
"Yes, Orel, that's how low you fell. Your friends say such things in your face, do you like it?"
"I don't say that," Tol said.
"Orel, you haven't been such a fool, what happened to you? Where is your brain, up your ass?" Lis was shaking.
"Get out," Orel whispered. "Get out, I don't need you."
"We are not leaving, we are not like someone else who ran away. We don't ditch our friends!"
"He didn't ditch me!" Orel shouted. "He'll come back!"
"If he comes, I'll sort him out," Lis didn't stop. "And I don't care about those scary tales of him!"
"Just try to say something to him! I'll kill you!" Orel growled.
"You're defending him," Lis smirked. "And he is an evil, lying bastard. And a thief!"
"I gave him the ring, I gave it to him!"
"Do you think he is not coming back?" Enriki asked Lis.
Lis shrugged. "I don't know. It depends on what he wants. If he wanted the ring, we won't see him again."
Squint-Eye got up and came up to the bar.
"Why would he need the ring? It's bullshit!" He poured a drink.
"Stop drinking in the morning," Enriki said.
"Enough of watching over me," Squint-Eye snapped. "Ooh, there is a lot of shit." He opened a casket on the table. "No, he'll definitely come. There is all his money, jewelry and drugs."
"Squint-Eye, stop rummaging through someone else's things!" Enriki gasped.
Squint-Eye took out a few capsules.
"I wonder what it is. A medicine or…"
Lis and Tol walked up to him. Lis took several capsules from the casket and put into his pocket.
"What are you doing?" Orel asked darkly.
"I'll show them to knowledgeable people to check something. Soon I'll know everything about your beloved."
"You fool," Orel said. "Ask him, he'll simply tell you."
"No, I've had enough of his tales, now I know their worth."
"Don't play an insulted gentleman, he didn't deceive you. Nikto didn't touch me, not even once!"
"Yes. Calm down, I know."
"I think it was stupid to demand such promises from Nikto," Squint-Eye said. "No matter how much he'd try to control himself, his real essence would come out, sooner or later. He is not human, the whole city knows that. He is a dangerous predator, you have to be careful around him – since Orel decided to take him on our team. I don't mind Nikto but we have to take his nature into consideration and remember that he lives according to different concepts."
"He is human! You don't know him at all!"
"Well, now you know him," Squint-Eye smiled dreamily.
Tol took out Nikto's jewelry, the chain with nose and ear rings.
"Wow! It's heavy!" Tol admiringly weighed it in his palm.
"Put this disgusting thing back," Enriki winced.
Tol looked at Orel.
"Can I try it on? I wanted to see how it looks on me for a long time!"
"Why are you asking me, it's not mine," Orel turned away; he felt sick.
Tol came up to the mirror.
"Beautiful!" he whispered admiringly, pulling out the ring from his nose to put on Nikto's chain.
"We need to bring a doctor," Lis shut the casket. "We're wasting time."
"I won't let the doctor touch me," Orel shouted, "I'll kill him, I have enough strength for that, rest assured!"
"But why, for fuck's sake?"
"Because Nik will heal me, that's why! He wounded me and he'll heal me!"
"But it is stupid, Arel! Let me take a look, at least!"
"No! Get your hands off me! Get your hands off, Lis, or else!"
"You're burning! Oh gods! You have fever!" Lis grabbed Orel and yanked the bandage off. Orel screamed wildly. There was a crimson swelling in the place of his eye, seeping blood and white mucus.
Enriki covered his mouth. It seemed Squint-Eye's bad eye managed to look straight at the moment when he stared at Orel. Tol dropped the chain, forgetting to stick the ring into his ear, and the chain hung swaying onto his chest from his nostril.
"He knocked out your eye!" Lis screamed holding his head. "What shall we do? He mutilated you! Gods, what shall you do? You're a warrior! How will you fight without an eye? How?"
"Well, I do fight, after all," Squint-Eye said. "Orel will get used with time, I'll help him."
"What? What are you talking about?" Lis was ready to pull out his hair in anger.
"Nik will heal him," Tol said taking off the chain. "He did heal Asa."
"Orel, my poor Orel, forgive me! I'll bring the doctor!"
"No!" Orel tried to get up to stop Lis.
Lis ran to the door and at this moment it opened and Nikto entered the room. He and Lis nearly bumped into each other. Everyone froze.
"Curse you!" Lis shouted. "Curse you, you freak!"
He slapped Nikto's cheek, then the other, the first again, then once more, it happened very fast. Nikto pressed to the door, he was without his mask. Lis yanked off his glasses. Nikto screwed his eyes shut, tried to cover them, he didn't even try to counter Lis. Lis grabbed his hair, yanked it with all his force, pulled Nikto closer at first and then pushed slamming Nikto's head against the door.
Orel got up but grabbed his face moaning and fell back onto the bed.
"Pull Lis away!" he yelled with his last bit of strength.
Tol rushed to Lis, wrapped his arms around him from behind. Lis turned to him.
"Don't touch me, I'm all right. It's over."
He walked away from Nikto.
"If I'd wanted to kill or maim him, I'd have done that, you wouldn't have time to stop me. But I didn't harm this animal because I hope he might really help Orel."
