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She glanced sideways at her youngest daughter, who was handed over to a monastery for lack of a dowry.
– Barbara’s parents wanted what was good for her, tried to protect her, – objected the novice with a broken lock. – An unmarried woman has nothing but trouble in the world. So they sent her here to protect her from a difficult fate.
– How do you know, Agna? – snorted the one whose family my hands itched to punish. You might think you’ve lived a lot in the world.
Apparently, the brunette’s sermons and her inexhaustible faith in the good infuriated more than just me.
– I’m an orphan, – she explained calmly when I arched an eyebrow in question. “I have lived in the monastery since childhood. The nuns have replaced my family.
– And how did you get here? I asked the fourth novice impatiently. Did your parents send you too?
No, I came myself.
The girl fell silent, looking out the window, and Barbara soon added:
– She had an unhappy love. First he promised to marry, then he left.
It may seem strange that the girls were so willing to share with me, a complete stranger (and even not quite a person), their and other people’s secrets. On the other hand, such behavior is natural, given that they had no one to communicate with except each other. In addition, I gave free rein to my essence a little, so that the novices liberated themselves in my presence faster than would have happened in the normal course of events. She considered that it would not hurt them to throw off the raid of conventions for a while. Not completely reset, of course, but slightly lowered.
– So what? I was surprised. – Is this a reason to go to the monastery? She stabbed the groom with a knife, and went on.
The novices, including even the idealist with the strand, smiled restrainedly, from which I drew a sad conclusion: they are sure that this is a joke. Even though I was being completely serious.
– She’s right, – said the eldest daughter. True, I meant, of course, not a knife. It’s a pity. Such a man is not worthy of love.
– That’s right, – I agreed, settling into a comfortable position and stretching my legs. Apparently, such a pose was considered indecent, as the girls looked at each other in bewilderment. – For me, if you fall in love, then only in an ideal. Angel in the flesh.
– So what’s the deal? Fall in love with me!
No one but me heard this voice, nor did they see its owner – an impudent, handsome male with white wings and an incredibly self-satisfied smirk on his face.
I hissed. Silently, so to speak, mentally.
– So what? – the feathered one, freely located on the windowsill, continued to sneer. – I’m an angel, the most that neither is real. True, not in the flesh, but, as they say, everyone has their own shortcomings. Plus, it can be fixed if needed.
– I certainly won’t need you, Matariel, – I said. – Why did you even come here?
The communication was still telepathic, so the girls didn’t hear a word. True, they could notice that the expression on my face changed, and attention to the general conversation was reduced to zero. However, they might not have noticed if they were sufficiently carried away by the conversation.
Matariel threw back his head and laughed heartily.
– You can say that you came to the abode of the Light One – and you ask why I dragged myself here?
– Not to the monastery of the Light One, but to the convent, – I corrected. – Is it proper for angels to spy on novices?
– Why not? he replied carelessly, shaking his leg.
– Shut up, Matariel! It is not good to have conversations with the servant of the Prince of Darkness!
Wow! Yes, there are a whole bunch of them. I angrily turned my head to the second white-winged one, less handsome and less frivolous. He didn’t sit on the windowsill, but stood at the opposite end of the room, but considering its modest size, it wasn’t that far away.
I lifted my upper lip to show off my teeth.
– Come on, Puriel! Matariel waved him off without malice. Why not chat about this and that with a nice girl?
The second glared angrily at his brother, as if trying to incinerate him with a look. Trying hard. To incinerate is my prerogative.
– This “sweet girl” is a fiend of Darkness who descended to earth to lie, kill and lead mortals astray.
– You exaggerate, – Matariel replied carelessly and winked at me in his own way, which made my eye twitch.
– Not at all. Since her arrival on earth, she has already killed one person, seduced another, and destroyed a nascent family.
That is, he followed my every step. Wonderful. No, I didn’t growl, just smiled a little, but that was a much worse sign.
– Well, the deceased was a murderer and a rapist, so consider that she freed this world from him, – Matariel objected.
Wonderful. So this one was also following my every move.
– One of the women he had yet to take by force would give birth to a child. This child was supposed to bring a lot of good to the world, – Puriel bent his line. – We must not interfere with the life of mortals. A small thing that seems right to us can harm a great one. The prince’s ban was not in vain, and you are well aware of this. And even now she seduces these novices who have embarked on the right path and are ready to devote themselves to the Light.
– Don’t worry, – Matariel answered, not at all impressed by the heartfelt speech of his brother. – Even if one of them decides to leave the walls of the monastery, it doesn’t matter. What if one day she will have a child who will bring a lot of good into the world?
He seemed to take pleasure in making Puriel go wild. It must have been an old conflict, although the behavior is still not very angelic, however…
– I leave it to you to sort things out on your own, gentlemen. When you decide among yourself who I really am, a fiend or a sweet girl, you can send me a note.
As soon as I finished, or rather, thought of these words, I ran out the door after the novices – very loud voices could be heard from outside.
The spectacle opened up to us is very specific. Several nuns literally clung to Eitan, who, to his credit, stubbornly tried to escape from the grip. However, it did not turn out very well: firstly, there was a numerical inequality, and secondly, he was clearly afraid of harming women, and in general he tried to behave decently. The same cannot be said about his “opponents”, whose ranks threatened to be replenished at any moment, since many sisters gathered in the courtyard, devouring my companion with hungry eyes. The noise was mainly made by the Mother Superior, who was trying to call her wards to order.
To me, unlike her, the background of what was happening immediately became clear. It seems that while revealing my essence in order to liberate the interlocutors, I miscalculated a little and liberated the entire monastery at once. And in it, as you might guess, there were many women who were hungry for male affection.
However, it is worth noting that not everyone was interested in Eitan. There are a couple of nuns with increased interest devour each other’s glances. Another prays with her nose buried in the breviary and does not notice anything around her. The pious Agna looks around with bewilderment and fear, but there is not a hint of lust in her eyes. Who would doubt that. Well, the Mother Superior, to her credit, is literally tearing herself up, trying to make everyone behave decently. However, the saint is unlikely to succeed. But the demon has more chances.
I began to descend the stairs from the long terrace from which we had so far observed what was happening. I mentally uttered the words of the call, and by the time my foot touched the ground, the rashtang was already hoofing in the yard. Busy, by the way. I think the groom, if there was one, was quite surprised.
The expression on the face of Eitan, who was hopelessly kicking away from the ladies, seemed so amusing to me that I could not help laughing. Mother Superior didn’t like it, moreover, she obviously suspected something. But no action was taken. Easily dispersing the out-of-control nuns, I grabbed my companion by the shoulder and pushed him towards the chariot. It didn’t take long to persuade him. I took the reins in my hands and, without ceasing to laugh – there were already tears in my eyes – I gave the command to the rashtang to advance.
Chapter 5
– The second time I save you from women. It’s becoming a tradition! I said, laughing again.
Pine trees with occasional patches of firs and the earth strewn with fallen needles rushed past, reaching for the sky. The rashtang moved quickly, and it was difficult to see anything properly, but I definitely liked the smell of pine needles.
– Stop doing that! Eitan bucked, for some reason not laughing.
His brows furrowed angrily on his reddened face. The forest air didn’t seem to do him any good.
– Why? It really was funny.
– Neither the prince is funny. Everyone went crazy.
I didn’t argue with the angry man, but instead remarked:
– It’s already getting dark. It’s time to look for a place to sleep. – And, unable to resist, she added: – Since we did not manage to spend the night in the monastery with you.
Eitan’s eyes flashed angrily, but did not snarl, especially since the rashtang significantly slowed down the run, and we got the opportunity to look for a suitable place to stop.
– Look, it looks like someone is already there. I pulled on the reins and pointed into the depths of the forest, where the flames of the fire gleamed. – Shall we join? Maybe you can get something tasty.
– We have enough supplies of our own, – the companion grumbled.
However, it was not a refusal, but rather a manifestation of a bad mood. Eitan had nothing against the company and, grabbing a bag with the supplies mentioned, jumped to the ground. The two of us walked towards the nearest trees. I left Rashtanga to myself, and the guy either did not pay attention to this, or already managed to understand that this is in the order of things and you should not be surprised.
It soon became clear that two whole fires were burning ahead. A cheerful wind brought the smell of smoke and ringing cheerful voices. The darkness did not have time to finally thicken over the forest, and we easily spotted bright scarves and colorful skirts between the trunks.
– It looks like a Gypsy, – Eitan determined.
I peered ahead with redoubled interest. The Gypsies were a nomadic people who did not change their habitual way of life even after all the others quietly settled in the steppes, some in the foothills, and some in the hot desert. They were known for reading their hands, singing merry songs, and not accepting a roof over their heads. Well, and one more thing.
– I advise you to hide the purse, – Eitan warned.
– Nonsense! I didn’t agree. – You people love to invent scary tales about those who are even slightly different from you. And accuse them of all mortal sins. I guess it helps to deal with the eternal human uncertainty.
What other uncertainty?
Eitan slowed down, as if by accident, and he looked at me with a suspicious squint, as if he was trying to read something special in my face.
– Suddenly I’m not the right one, – I explained, not caring in the least about his suspicions. “Suddenly something is wrong with me. As long as everyone behaves like me, such doubts can be ignored. But as soon as someone else looms on the horizon, anxiety begins to torment you with renewed vigor. And the decision comes by itself. To prove that the other one is worse than you, that his way is definitely wrong. And it is better to completely drive away or destroy. You think this will solve the problem. But, here’s the problem: others disappear, but anxiety remains.
– So you are convinced that you should not worry about money? – pragmatically inquired Eitan, pretending to have missed the whole philosophy on deaf ears.
– I definitely shouldn’t, – I beamed. – I don’t have any money.
The companion grinned. The monastic adventures began to be forgotten, and his mood improved significantly.
– So you think the Gypsy rumors are prejudice? – he chuckled. – What about divination? Do you think they are telling the truth?
– Some certainly, – I replied with conviction. Gypsies have the highest level of foresight among the living. But do not rush to trust. I raised my index finger in warning. – A fortune teller is different for a fortune teller. I met one soothsayer who looked at the lines of the hand, understanding absolutely nothing about them. There were no abilities – and that’s it. But there was nowhere to go, everyone went to her to ask about the future, and waited for answers. Well, that’s what she told the clients, what would come into her head. And once – I don’t know with what joy – she predicted to an impressionable boy that in the coming year he would face a painful death from damage to internal organs.
– I see, – Eitan nodded. – Nothing happened to him in a year, and when the time expired, he called her to account?
– If only, – I replied. – As I said, the guy turned out to be very impressionable. After leaving the fortune-teller, he was never able to return to normal life. I only thought about how little he had left. And everyone was waiting for a terrible disease that would bring him to the grave in a matter of weeks. As a result, he could not stand the constant nervous tension and committed suicide. But since the wounds were inflicted clumsily, he did not die immediately. Lasted about a week.
– And died from damage to internal organs?
Eitan, gloomy, slowed down again, almost stopped.
– Exactly, – I confirmed. – You see, predictions come true more often than the incredulous tend to believe. But the question is why does this happen. Because Gypsy was good at hand reading? It happens. Although the future is not carved in stone, and even the lines on our palms can change in some cases. But it also happens that the prediction feeds itself.
I walked around the pine, putting my hand on the uneven bark, feeling the energy that the tree breathed. Yes, I remember, I love coniferous forests. They willingly share their strength with travelers. And, of course, not a drop is lost on this. Sharing energy is like bleeding. The new one works better than the old one.
– Of itself? What is it like?
– It’s very simple, – I shrugged. If there were no prediction, there would be no realization. This is a very common thing. Surely you have heard that famous story about the poor fellow who was told that he would kill his father and sleep with his own mother?
– I vaguely remember. But no details. It looks like it ended badly.
– Worse than ever. Hearing the prophecy, he ran away from home to be away from his parents, but, the trouble is, he was an adopted child. On the road, he met and killed a man who was none other than his real dad. Then you will guess. And if there were no prediction, he would sit quietly at home and, maybe, he would never meet his real parents. So think carefully before you turn to a fortune teller.
– I don’t tend to go to fortune-tellers at all, – Eitan said.
– Not inclined, but I came to them, – I chuckled.
Despite our slowness, we finally reached a clearing in which the well-fed flames of two fires danced merrily. Small brightly colored tents were set up under the trees, and men and women in traditional gipsy garb, mostly barefoot, walked across the short grass. The prickly needles, inevitable in a pine forest, did not bother them at all.
– Can I join you, kind people? I asked cheerfully. We have fresh rich bread, which we will be happy to share.
We also have food. A middle-aged man with a short thick beard waved his hand in greeting. – Come on. Gypsies are always happy to have guests.
– It’s interesting that the most hospitable are those who have no home, – I teased.
Eitan gave me a warning pinch on the arm, I must say, quite painfully. But the friendliness of my tone was obvious, so the addressee only chuckled.
– The Gypsy house is a sky strewn with lamps of stars, – he objected. Wherever we go, he is always with us.
– Beautifully said, – I said.
Eitan and I sat down on the grass not far from the fire, but at the same time a little apart. Why without the need to invade someone else’s space? Moreover, the evening was warm, and human bodies did not require the proximity of fire.
– What happened to her, that fortune teller? – Eitan suddenly asked.
– Which one?
– The one who foretold the death of a young man.
– Oh, with her… Yes, in general, nothing good. – I wondered if I should go into the details of a mortal, but in the end I decided not to torment myself with ethical questions. I’m not an angel after all. – She died, fell into the Darkness, and spent… let’s say, a lot of time there. But then she got out anyway.
– Did you repent of your deed? he raised an eyebrow.
– Getting out of the Darkness is not so easy, – I laughed. – No, she got out of the songs.
If before Eitan was surprised, now he was simply taken aback.
– Songs?
I nodded.
