Mechanic

скачать книгу бесплатно


– Nicholas! – Excited Alice called me.

– Yes, I’m not sleeping anymore – I rubbed my eyes and stood up. I fell asleep in my clothes. Well, now I don’t need to dress. But the clothes were a little crumpled.

Alice came in, examined me, shook her head and ran her hand over my shirt. It smoothed out instantly.

– Thank you – I answered sadly.

In some measure, I felt sad to leave my home, my mother, the people I love. But I want to be a hero, and for this I need to learn, to become… and who I might become? A war magician? But I’m not a magician. Okay. First you need to find out what I’m worth. Can my mechanisms be really useful?

– Babe! I’m proud of you! You will study at the Academy! Show these magicians what your golden hands are capable of! Our world is full not only of magic! I love you! – Alice hugged me, sobbing under my ear. – I don’t want to part with you, but it’s time. The royal charioteer has already arrived for you. He will take you and Dinah to the palace.

I had never been further than the gate of our homestead, and now everything inside me was bubbling with excitement.

– I wonder how will we get there? By horse, by mechanical carriage or by air? – I said the last one and I held my breath. The father seemed to had got with the royal charioteer when he was returning home. I don’t remember, that’s what Alice told me.

– By air. I saw when the charioteer arrived. He is waiting for you below. Aphelia is just talking to him. – Aunt looked at my Inis and sighed. – Let him bring you good luck. I saw that he turned out to be your doctor too…

– What do you mean? I rolled my eyes.

– Even the fern tea does not cure in a day. And after the bird sat on your shoulder, your throat was healed – the shrewd woman smiled.

– I guessed it too.

Alice nodded and patted the bird on the tuft, which made it purr like a cat. I put on my shoes, lifted the bag and threw it over my shoulder.

– Let’s go?

– Let’s go.

Downstairs was standing Dinah, neatly combed, in an emerald-colored linen dress. She only wore it on holidays. In her hands, the girl was holding a brown hiking bag, twice the size of mine. The charioteer turned out to be a thin young magician a little older than me. With long jet-black hair, thin features and equally thin fingers. Surprisingly thin fingers. He saw me and nodded his head in greeting. Mom turned around with Reemay in her arms. Inis fluttered towards them and landed on Mom’s shoulder. She didn’t pull away. On the contrary, she smiled.

– And here is the bird I was talking about.

The magician eyed Inis with admiration.

– Peter, please, tell my husband not to be too strict with Nicholas. And be careful on the way.

– Of course, Aphelia. You will be sorely missed. See you in five years. Perhaps earlier.

Goodbye, – the magician bowed and, offering help to Dinah with the bag, left the living room.

Dinah waved me to join them and followed the charioteer.

I came up to my mother. The little sister was just pulling Inis by the beak.

– Nicholas, dear. If you need money, contact Peter, he will take you to Phaeton’s bank, and you will need to show it there, – my mother took off the neat signet with the Lodesco coat of arms, two crossed swords, and put it on my finger. – They will give you as much money as you need. Love you!

– Thank you! Mom, I will enormously miss you. And I will do my best to make you… and dad proud of me – I took my sister by the finger. – Reemay, although I am not a magician, I will try to protect you. Be blessed by Sherida! Love you!

I kissed both of them. I hugged Alice, approached Varya and grandpa Marash.

– Did you take a ruby? – he asked for the last.

Inis flew over my shoulder, exposing a red breast.

– Yes, I took it, now the ruby will always be with me! – I pointed to the phoenix.

Marash is smart. He understood everything and winked.

– Good luck! Let Sherida protect you and Dinara!

Chapter 3

The charioteer Peter waited until I approached and only after that, connecting his thumb and forefinger of both hands, he created the end rings from them. He cast a spell and under us, right on the ground, a fine net, like a cobweb, appeared. I saw this for the first time, as did Dinah, who froze in surprise.

– Don’t be afraid. You can sit down if you like.

Peter parted his arms, and the net curled around us in a huge ball, slowly lifting up into the sky. I felt dizzy. Is this the magic of the air? It’s amazing. We were getting higher and higher; the homestead remained a toy house below. Fields, forests, lake – everything was as drawn, drawn on the board of the earth. Only the mountains in the distance hung menacingly and seemed larger, as the sun with golden satellites around. The surrounding was incredible, unreal. We were frozen high above the ground.

– Get ready, now we will move very quickly.

Before I even had time to open my mouth, we began to move at a breakneck speed. A light stream of wind penetrated the magic ball that was carrying us. Forests, settlements, cities, rivers flashed below… Cargo ships appeared in the clouds above and below us, moving like lazy celestial whales. Everything would be fine but the miasma left by the ships, seemed black ribbons. The magicians didn’t think about the moment of air pollution by massive mechanisms. But I will try to find a way to fix their shortcomings.

A huge ring-shaped city appeared on the horizon. It hovered above the ground. Buildings were located under it. The closer we flew, the blacker were the bald spots in the ground. In some places, houses were smoking. But the city in the sky sparkled with untouched beauty. We rushed a little higher, and finally, the ball landed on a green platform, I think, it was grass. As soon as Peter’s net opened, I fell out on all fours. I was awfully dizzy. Dinah turned out to be stronger. She was squatting. She just turned a little pale. Peter gave Dinah his hand and helped me to get up.

– Sorry, first-time airborne travelers usually feel this way, but sometimes even worse.

– Really? Or are you just soothing? It seems that I’m going to vomit now. – I covered my lips with my hand.

Peter smiled apologetically; he was sincere. Inis clutched at my shoulder with his claws and fluttered his wings slightly. I felt better. Much better.

– Thank you, – I whispered. – Can you help Dinah?

Phoenix nodded and jumped onto my friend’s shoulder. Dinah recoiled, but when she realized that she was being healed, she smiled surprisingly and nodded to me. Inis came back.

– I see you’re okay. Now we will go in a carriage. We cannot travel here by air. Only in case of emergency. Dinara, may I help you? – waiting for a nod, Peter grabbed her bag and headed towards the carriage harnessed by mechanical horses. I looked over the edge of the green platform on which we were standing.

«Below, city life is in full swing, apparently it’s the capital. And then where are we, if the capital is below?»

– All this territory belongs to the palace of king Pontiar – Peter replied.

– Did I ask it out loud? – from embarrassment I was thrown into a fever, my cheeks were flushing.

– No, – the magician answered calmly. – This is a common question for everyone who gets here for the first time. The city suffered a little after the battle, but the magicians are quickly restoring the destruction. And there… – Peter pointed to a tall, snow-white building on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by woods and gardens. – There is the Royal Academy of Magic, where you will study.

I lost my breath with admiration. The academy was not only untouched by the hostilities, but also shone with splendor, only black flags flashed along the entire perimeter of the fence, were darkening what I saw. Dinah silently looked at the academy, whitening below and rising up with its thin turrets.

– Nicholas, please, the crew will wait, the king won’t.

I understood everything and dived into the cart. Outside, it was nothing special, the usual metal construction with rectangular windows. The inside it was better: soft upholstery, it seemed to be velvet, comfortable seats, even pillows. And what was interesting. The horses. A real piece of art. They were so beautiful, all the details were thought out: a lot of screws, gears, jour details. And they were revived by top-class magic. I’m sure the magic in them is not for one day. I was watching the honed movement of the animals through the window, right behind Peter’s back.

We drove off the platform onto the pavement. We were surrounded by high hedges, so nothing could be seen yet. But when the fence ended, the palace appeared to our eyes. It was a magnificent ensemble of numerous structures arranged in a spiral. A wide road led to the central palace with a white dome, along which mourning flags were tormenting our eyes. We understood that this was an honor to those who had been taken away by the battle. Dinah and I grew up in a cozy, but small box, and now we were in a world that we have only heard of. We looked with full attention. The houses were similar to book illustrations. Dinah hid and wasn’t even breathing. I understood her, my head was spinning too. We drove into the palace town. On every side street there were guards: golden armor, halberds in the hands. There were black ribbons on the roofs.

– This is a military city. This is where the war magicians of the Royal Guard and their families live – explained Peter.

Really. On the streets, behind the backs of the warriors, we watched children playing with metal rings, someone flew long kites. The flags of the seven worlds hung everywhere as a homage to our history. But not all children had happy faces. Some babies clung to their mothers. Those, wrapped in dark robes, looked like stakes of a burnt forest. Lonely, hopeless, scorched from within. They hugged their child like the only spark of Sherida that kept them in this world.

I swallowed, realizing the pain of their loss, and sank into the seat. Dinah sighed heavily, frowning. A floral scent would normally be intoxicating, but not right now. There was the scent of lavender among them. Mom’s smell. There was a squeeze in my chest, an unpleasant feeling was painfully pulling and curling up into a stone ball, approaching my throat. I was lucky, my mother was alive and my father too. And some of these kids had no one left. Absolutely.

Three-story stone buildings were towering on either side of small streets. There were also small groceries, which were empty now. And here there was, the royal residence, just looking at it, I didn’t feel joy.

– Is this an elf? – Dinah poked her finger at one of the war magicians, distracted from heavy thoughts. He seemed to wag his ear.

– Yes. Elves – are hardy and courageous warriors. They don’t even need to attend the magic academy; they are perfectly trained in everything in their forests. But you will surely meet them among the magisters, as well as among the students – Peter replied.

– I wonder where will they assign me? – Dinara asked and blushed under Peter’s gaze.

– Are you a fire magician?

– Yes – my friend shyly lowered her eyes.

It was the first time when I saw this beast behaving like that. Where did the roughness go? No, well, of course, she embarrassed sometimes. But this time, she was very strange…

– So, to the Firemen’s faculty – answered the charioteer.

Dinah’s eyes flashed with delight. Inis perked up, and I looked out the window. We drove up to the palace. In close up it seemed incredibly tall and monolithic. Arched windows with floral ornaments, colored stained-glass windows under the main dome. Fountains on both sides of the steps, above which spheres of water were circling in a wondrous dance.

The carriage stopped. We went out and looked around. The palace was on a higher ground, and there were incredibly many steps. No end of steps. Dinah and I exchanged glances and started a steep ascent. The sun was striking down my head, my boots were causing a blister, rivers were flowing down my back, tickling my shoulder blades. Honestly, after the hundredth my feet were falling off. I looked back. Dinah stayed behind, trying to catch her breath. We didn’t get over even the halfway. I wanted to help her, but Peter got ahead, going down after Dinah, and… he picked her up. Just think, he was so thin in appearance, well, so weakling, but he turned out to be hardy and strong. Yeah… Appearances can be deceiving! I drew conclusions. Passing by, he had time to whisper:

– Keep up, Nicholas Lodesco.

I did my best. When the last steps were conquered, I allowed myself to sit down. What a beauty! From a height, the territory of the royal palace looked gorgeous. Among the green vegetation appeared the orange roofs of a military city. How interesting it is to learn and see something new. It was as if I was looking at a picture.

– Lodesco! – Peter called me.

– I’m coming.

Phoenix took off and made a couple of rounds. He didn’t fly far. A red ribbon of light was sliding behind him, as if it was putting on a painting, a mark of our appearance. Two magicians, standing at a high double door, opened it to us, looking with interest at the bird. Peter wasn’t an exception; he stopped for a moment, admiring the flight.

Sail vaults, arches, colonnades and an ample dome in the center. At its base, we could see the same multi-colored stained-glass windows that we had observed from the outside. The echo of our steps was heard, it seemed, in every corner of the palace. It was uncomfortable, I felt I was a stranger here. Dinah tugged at my sleeve to get my attention. The wall frescoes were depicting the seven elements, as well as the seven deities of the magical worlds. We turned our heads, looking at the surrounding beauty. And the statues! They were a hundred times higher than us! Only magic can create such a thing. The gods were glorious in these marble sculptures.

– We came. Don’t speak until you are asked, answer shortly and to the point, don’t argue and don’t talk back – Peter instructed.

Dinah lowered her head. She is a housemaid and knows how to behave in such cases. But, I don’t.

Guardians at the throne room door crossed their halberds.

– Peter Orro has delivered Nicolas Lodesco and Dinara Lezy. His Majesty Pontiar is waiting for us.

The guardians removed their weapons and parted. Golden armor gleamed, as the war magicians’ eyes did. Apparently, they were elves, judging by the long white braids on their backs. Arrah! Evidently, they really are in honor of the king, since they are serving at the throne room. So close to the ruler. I was eager to see Pontiar. The door flew open.

– Leave your things here! – one of the magicians ordered in a stern but pleasant voice.

No sooner said than done. We left our bags in the corner by the door and slipped inside.

A long hall – several rows of columns, a painted ceiling, a marble floor, in the reflection of which one could thoroughly see oneself. I straightened my tousled mane. Inis helped a little with his pointed beak.

– Thanks, my friend – I stroked the chest of the phoenix. He rumbled contentedly and raised feathers, as if he was preparing for the defense.

There was a throne at the very end of the hall. Headboard had the form of the sun, the rays of which went to the sides. But the place was empty. There was no one here at all.

– Where is the king? – I asked in a whisper.

– Did you think he would be here all day waiting for you? – Peter chuckled.

I couldn’t keep from smiling either. Well, yes, even the fool understands that he wouldn’t.

– Don’t worry, they’ll inform him now.

Dinah was silent, she was looking around with her huge green eyes.

There was a smell of books and, for some reason, sand, probably because there was a lot of stone: marble, columns, walls, a vault.

We stopped about fifty steps from the throne and we were waiting. I looked at the floor-to-ceiling windows. Behind them widened the blue sky and golden satellites that circled our world. It didn’t take long.

A door creaked to our left, and from behind the curtain came several funny short men with starched frills and short striped pantaloons. One of them was carrying a forged lantern in which a bright light was burning. The symbol of our goddess Sherida. The rest stood on both side of the throne. A man appeared at the door; his features were familiar to me. His brown hair, honey-mustard eyes and chin like mine. But between the eyebrows and at the mouth there were deep wrinkles. There was no joy on his face, only unquestioning obedience. A stern, hard look in my direction, and my heart almost broke my ribcage in panic.

– Father… – I whispered.

My palms were sweating and my mouth was dry. I was terribly nervous. I haven’t seen him for eleven years. I kept thinking what I would say when I meet him. Otherwise, I will remain silent, giving away everything that has accumulated over the years, just with one glance.

Phirin Lodesco was holding the curtain, behind which his Majesty Pontiar appeared. A man in a burgundy mantle with a high gilded collar. Three golden rings were also shining on the sleeves, symbolizing the Monarch of Pyramid. I thought he would be broad in the shoulders, tall, formidable, making you tremble at a glance. Like my father. But no. Pontiar is actually a man of average height and my father’s age. Straight fleshy bulbous nosed, long light beard. Sharp, scanning gaze and a high, streaked forehead.

I just froze, watching the king, father, retinue and the guardians who joined this procession. When Pontiar sat on the throne, he cleared his throat and motioned to my father to bring up Dinah and me. Peter bowed and stepped aside. My father strode towards us, stopped beside and addressed me in a soft bass.

– Nicholas, I’m glad to see you. You’ve grown up… – my father’s voice wavered slightly. He shifted his gaze to my shoulder and raised a dark, broad eyebrow. – It’s him?

I nodded. Inis also shook his tuft, proudly raising his beak.

Father ordered to follow him. Pontiar was looking at my phoenix, me and Dinah with interest.

– Nicholas Lodesco, Phirin’s son, did you create this bird?

– Yes, your Majesty, – I answered essentially and bowed.

– Did you, lady Dinara, breath the magic of life?

Dinah nodded, crouching in a light curtsy. She was nervous, but she was carefully concealing it.