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– What is it like?
– Well… You can say, she rose, as if on a rope. For a long time, slowly, tearing his palms into blood, but still. You have no idea what music is capable of. If you love her with all your heart. Well, no one imagined it. We were all incredibly surprised. But then they realized that everything was natural.
My companion wanted to object, but a Gypsy girl approached us.
– Do you want me to tell you a fortune, beautiful? – she asked cheerfully, squatting next to us.
Her curly brown hair fell over her face and she pushed it back with a shake of her head. The wind, frolicking, played with thick curls.
– Why not? I exclaimed enthusiastically. – It will be interesting!
– Then let’s go closer to the fire.
Rising, she beckoned us to follow her and stepped towards the dancing flame. I followed.
– Will you risk it? Eitan asked softly, touching my shoulder. “I just said it myself, it’s not safe.
– Not for me, – I chuckled. Believe me, I have strong immunity.
– And you believe she won’t lie?
– Let’s see!
I rubbed my hands in anticipation.
– Everyone doubts, – smiled the fortune-teller, who apparently had a sensitive ear, since Eitan’s quiet words reached her ears in the general hubbub of voices. But as they say, if you don’t try, you won’t know. Are you ready to try your luck?
– Is always! I assured her and, in confirmation of my words, extended my open left palm to her.
The girl took a closer look, and soon the smile flew off her face. She looked up at me with confused eyes, then again stared at the hand, squinting and bringing it up to her face, as if reading ancient lines written in small, illegible handwriting.
Finally, she slowly lowered my hand.
– Perhaps your companion is right in his doubts. – Not to say that the confession was hard for her: the fortuneteller’s pride was not hurt, rather, she was at a loss. – The art of divination must have betrayed me today. Eat and drink, and the future will be known when it comes.
She was about to leave, but I grabbed her hand just in time.
– Oh no, that won’t do. You did see something. Why don’t you want to say?
– I saw it. But it doesn’t make sense.
– Well, that’s up to me, – I said. – Spread it.
The girl shrugged her shoulders and took the hand I extended again. She looked at her, looked up at me, then at Eitan, as if looking for support, waiting for us to share her feelings. But we didn’t even know what it was about, so we could only raise our eyebrows inquiringly. And with a sigh, she spoke:
I see two births and two deaths. The road to the future, which will lead to the source of origins. An oath to be kept and yet broken. Seven unlit candles that burn brightly. An enemy who turns out to be a friend, and a confrontation that is devoid of essence.
Once again, lifting her eyes from the palm of her hand, she looked at me with a mixture of former uncertainty and sadness. But the neighing of horses and loud human exclamations interrupted the divination.
An armed detachment left the forest for a clearing. In the flickering light of the fires and behind the tree trunks, you couldn’t see much, but there must have been at least a dozen of them. Chain mail made of tight-fitting rings, sharp-edged swords, some have knee pads made of leather and even metal. In general, everything that helps vulnerable human beings feel invulnerable. I didn’t like the energy they gave off. Waves, barely accessible to human perception, but for me as obvious as a bright light or a suffocating smell of burning.
The leader rode forward, looked around the clearing with a hard look, lingered briefly on Eitan and me, but then seemed to lose interest and spoke to the others.
– Gypsy! His Excellency Anthony William Blade, Earl of Thornfolk, declares your presence in his territory illegal!
– We are a nomadic people, captain, – said the same man who first greeted us that evening, firmly but politely. – We are not subjects of the count, and we have no claim to his land. He can’t stop us from just passing through Thornfolk.
– You’re wrong. He has already banned.
The captain held out his hand. One of the escorts touched the horse and, approaching, handed him a scroll. The commander unfolded the document, glanced briefly at it.
– Would you like to know? grimacing in disgust, he turned to the Gypsy.
– No, – he answered, hesitating slightly. – I believe you. Well, tell the Earl we’ll move out in the morning and move towards the border of Thornfolk.
– Oh, no, that won’t do, – the captain objected maliciously. – You are here and have already violated the ban. We’ve already put up with you too long. Gypsy is a spot on a blank county map. You don’t know the laws, you don’t follow traditions, you don’t pay taxes. You worship the Prince of Darkness.
– Wow, it somehow got past me! – I exclaimed enthusiastically. – Is it really true?
– We offer prayers to both brothers, – the fortuneteller answered quietly, so that none of the soldiers could hear. “Our belief is that the world needs balance.”
The enthusiasm faded away, and I answered with a sour wry smile: moralizing about balance, as well as any others, irritated me. My attention was again captured by the military leader, who quite naturally concluded:
– The cup of patience is full, and punishment will befall you in full.
– I protest! Everyone stared at Eitan with a fair amount of amazement. – Mr. Captain, I understand the nature of the accusations, but I believe that a case of this kind should be considered thoroughly. – My companion spoke confidently, harshly, but did not deviate an inch from the framework of etiquette. The Prince of Light will figure out how he did it. – It so happened that we accidentally met these people when the sun was going down. This allowed us to get a certain impression of their habits. They are friendly and hospitable. They were ready to share food and lodging with us. They did not show a single sign of hostility, did not try to steal or harm us in any way. And I did not see them praying to the prince of Darkness, although, of course, I know little about this side of their life.
The Gypsies listened in silence, holding their breath. Hope arose in someone’s hearts that the soldiers would heed the stranger’s words. Someone did not count on concessions, but was grateful to a random fellow traveler for words of support. The thoughts of others were occupied exclusively by the count’s detachment. The interest of the soldiers was of a slightly different kind – they were more curious about where this guy came from (given that he clearly did not belong to the Gypsy people) and what he needed here.
– Who is that? the captain asked his assistant quietly.
The question was not supposed to reach outsiders, but my hearing is more subtle than that of humans.
– Looks like a nobleman, – he answered even more quietly. – The identity is unknown to me. I had never seen this man or his portraits before. But he, of course, is not a gypsy, rather a local one. And not from the common people. Maybe some kind of impoverished aristocrat…
– I see, – the captain interrupted rather rudely. – Listen, sir! he turned to Eitan. We have listened to your recommendations. But we have an unequivocal order given personally by the Earl of Thornfolk. We cannot go against him. Therefore, I beg you – and you, lady – to step aside. You can still find a nicer place to sleep. And we have our own business here.
It would be interesting to know what. – My companion still behaved calmly, but he did not even think about leaving, I saw this clearly. – You are not going to, the right word, to take all these people with women and children to prison.
– Oh no! I stretched and stood beside him, gazing intently at the captain’s face. “They’re not going to throw anyone in a dungeon. Isn’t that right, Commander?
He didn’t say anything, but there was no need to. His facial expressions, silence, the hand that eloquently touched the hilt of the sword – all this left no doubt about the purpose of the detachment sent by the count.
– You are going to cut all these people, – I stated in a calm, measured, almost casual tone.
I did not realize anything new, so the information could not shock me. Eitan didn’t seem too surprised either. I think he, like me, expected something like this. His hand already involuntarily reached for the scabbard, in which, however, only a dagger was hidden. The family sword, alas, remained in the Villa.
– If you don’t want to leave, it’s up to you! the captain barked, not intending to mess with us anymore.
In his view, everything was simple: he gave people a chance to leave without loss, and if they did not use this chance, who is to blame? Fools always suffer. – By order of the Earl of Thornfolk, the heretics are to be exterminated, – he announced, chopping his words, but at the same time trying to speak quickly so as not to leave time for the people to do anything. The verdict is final and not subject to appeal. To battle!
And in chorus, the swords being taken out of their scabbards gnashed.
I am not a seer or a fortuneteller, but where I come from, time is perceived differently. And if I wish, I can see with my own eyes – no, not the future (and timing does not play any role here), but the most probable development of events. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to do so. The screams of the wounded and the moans of death mingled with the real screams of frightened people in a convulsive cacophony sounded in my ears. Powerful horses, literally trampling men and women. Blades wielded by riders to drive down foot soldiers. Short daggers used to finish off the wounded. A man living his last seconds, stretching his hands to his shattered chest. A woman lying face down in the grass is completely still, and only her long brown hair is becoming more and more densely stained with scarlet. With a squeal, children rushing about the clearing, who are sooner or later found and silenced with two or three blows of a dagger. Blood coagulates quickly. The carpet of pine needles is unnaturally reddening. Scraps of bright tents rush about in the wind in meaningless and shapeless patches. The instigators will go to the tavern and quickly forget about everything that happened in the clearing. This is not their first raid, each of them knows his business too well. But the memory will remain: the forest will take care of it. Hundreds of years will pass, but roots and crowns, moss and grass will forever remember every groan and every swing of the broadsword. And the forest will never be the same.
I shook my head, returning to the reality in which everyone was still alive. first fractions of a second. The cavalry began to advance into the clearing. The jeepsies, not expecting such a turn, hesitated a little, but now they scattered in all directions. I took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of pine needles through my nose, feeling the warmth of the resin that did not have time to harden. Several suitable trees were quickly found. A slight movement of the hand – and a tall dry pine tree fell into the clearing, breaking branches with a crash, touching the bushes and trees below, raising a pile of dust, from which everyone coughed, who had the imprudence to be too close to the place of the fall. The horsemen had to retreat, and the barrel reliably blocked the clearing, separating the warriors from the jeepsies.
The second pine was also almost dry, only a few needles were still green on a couple of branches. This time someone was hurt: warning exclamations and frightened cries mixed with groans. A third tree fell on top of the second, making the barrier more imposing. Fourth, fifth… Enough.
The jeepsies realized that they needed to seize the moment, and fled in all directions. Hiding in the forest will not be difficult for them. But we shouldn’t have hesitated either. It seems that the horsemen have nothing to complain about, but they will want to recoup someone for their failure. I pulled Eitan by the sleeve, and he reacted quickly, and there the rashtang arrived in time. It’s strange, of course, when a chariot rushes without a road through a thicket, but who will notice in the dark and confusion?
– Do you even realize that your heated performance in front of the guards was doomed to failure in advance? – I asked curiously an hour later, stretched out on the grass with my hands behind my head.
Eitan habitually sat by the fire, clasping his knees with his hands.
– Do I look like an idiot? he wondered.
I propped myself up on my elbow, examining him, lazily shrugged my shoulders, and lay back down comfortably.
– I do not know. Haven’t seen them in a while.
Eitan raised his eyes to the heavens in annoyance. But no one looked from there with a sympathetic look. Between the oncoming clouds, rare tiny stars blinked fearfully.
– I knew very well that they were of little interest in my opinion, – he condescended to answer.
– Then why didn’t you keep it to yourself?
– I think that in some cases it is necessary to do the right thing, even if it does not change anything.
– Why? – I thought, drummed my fingers on the damp earth. – So that nightmares do not torment you at night? To feel like a good person? To be respected by others?
– That’s how I was brought up, – snapped Eitan, but still considered it necessary to clarify: “If one, second, third, fourth know that they can’t change anything, but still do the right thing, sooner or later something will change. Even a mountain can move.”
– Perhaps. He glanced at me in surprise, apparently expecting ridicule, and not easy agreement. Not wanting to disappoint anyone, she added her fly in the ointment: – Only the concept of “correct” for each of them will be different, so the mountain will not move. Unless, of course, someone pushes her harder.
– For example?
– Yes, you never know, – I answered vaguely, looking into the dark sky.
– Who are you, Arafel?
The question took me by surprise. I propped myself up on my elbow again to meet the overly attentive gaze.
– Just a girl.
Eitan laughed.
I sat up, frowning, smoothing my tousled hair and wrapping my arms around my knees, waiting for this misplaced bout of fun to end.
– No ‘just a girl’ would answer like that, – he said at last.
– But as? I pricked up my ears.
– Well, for example, – Marta from the village of Rotten Stumps.” Or “the blacksmith’s daughter”. But not a “girl”. Would you even say “man”!
I bit my lip in annoyance because that was what I had originally intended to say.
Do you think I’m blind? You took the spell off me without even coming close. Let’s say you’re just a witch. Strong witch. But then it gets more interesting. You struggle with all your might not to enter the temple. And when I did go in, do you think I didn’t notice what happened there? You were not reflected in the mirror surface, and this scared the old woman to death.
– She got scared! I snapped. – There would be something to be afraid of! Who needs it?
– Then the nuns went crazy when you came to the convent, – he continued with the insistence of an enraged prosecutor.
– They were crazy about you, so you can still argue who is to blame! – I retorted.
– And I also felled the trees in that clearing?
– An earthquake, a coincidence. A natural phenomenon. Maybe it was the Prince of Light who intervened, I suggested caustically.
– An interesting earthquake. Local is. One clearing shook, but the rest of the forest – as if it had not happened.
– I am not responsible for your local forests.
– What about your horse? This is a completely different song. It gallops without a road, barely touching the ground, and at such a speed that any riding horse will envy.
I folded my arms across my chest and looked accusingly at Eitan. Well, now what to do with it? Incinerate on the spot?
– Okay, let’s say you caught me. I’m not a person. And he is not a horse. What’s next? I warn you right away: garlic will not help. I can’t stand the smell, but I won’t scatter ashes. And the sign of the Prince will not help: that old woman has already tried. I will only get angry. Aspen stake is better. The tree, of course, does not matter, but if you hit the vital organs, I will die. But can you get to me?
From such pressure, Eitan was embarrassed.
– I’m not going to do anything. I just wanted to ask. Who are you really?
I let out an unintelligible exclamation, meant to express my annoyance.
– I don’t know how to say it! You don’t have such a word. In order for a word to appear, a concept is needed. And you have no idea what is happening in my world. Well, if you like, you can call me a demon, – I relented, although I grimaced at such a wording. – In your language, this is probably the closest.
Eitan still got it, judging by how convulsively he swallowed.
– I didn’t think demons… looked like that.
– Demons don’t look like anything, – I snapped. We are incorporeal and can take on different forms. And I ask you not to confuse me with all sorts of primitive beings who are not interested in anything but to devour energetically.
Eitan did not quite understand what I was talking about, but it seems that a new thought occurred to him, as he closed his eyes and began to massage his temples with his fingers.
– So I slept with a demon, – he finally stated. Will I go to hell?
I batted my eyelashes in bewilderment, and then burst out laughing so that I fell back onto the grass and clutched my stomach with both hands.
