Текст книги "Shadows of Alletria. Child of Mountains"

Автор книги: Иван Жолудь

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Иван Жолудь
Shadows of Alletria. Child of Mountains

To my beloved and only Elizabeth. You are my Sun and without you none of the worlds I have created can exist

Chapter I.Touch the clouds

The clear mountain wind, skirting the branches of the lonely rock juniper trees, gave off a slight coolness, complementing the already calm atmosphere of the Gaela Monastery.

" Huona, watch your breathing.Elder Valn, the abbot of the Monastery and current high priest, commanded as he passed his novice.– Without proper training, you won't be able to maintain the balance of life and magic power in your body, and that's…"

–Yes, yes. I remember: "The imbalance leads to certain consequences that only a true master or great sorcerer can reverse, namely, absolute loss of control over the body, release of energy and painful death," the girl interrupted Valna, who had already memorized the tedious instructions of the priest.

– In theory, you've memorized everything, which is commendable.The old man said, causing Huona to smile faintly.– But it still doesn't excuse you from practicing. As he finished, Valn turned to the monk standing at the entrance to the Monastery, who was beckoning the priest with a wave of his hand. – OK. Classes are over for today. Huona, you are free until tomorrow morning.

– Vladyka, what about the evening practice?– What is it? " the girl asked as the abbot hurried away.

– There are too many things to do today, so you can take care of your immediate problems. Let's take a short break from practice.

Huona shrugged her shoulders in disbelief and watched the monks enter the Monastery with an incredulous grin. She knew where the monks had taken the abbot, knew what the high priest would be doing, and that was what kept her busy, taking up all the soaps on the way home. Huona, lost in thought, walked without looking back along the dark stone mountain paths that led to the magnificent flower gardens, to the stone monuments, to the altars, to the local lake, and finally to the homes of the elves who lived in the Monastery grounds. For the mountain elves here, such scenery was commonplace, so Huona did not even pay attention to the beauty of her native settlement. Norg monasteries have never been as luxurious as any other Norg architecture can be compared to Elven, and the Gaela Monastery was not created for the purposes that savages pursue when they build such structures. Even without going into the structure of this place, you can understand that the Monastery is only a name, but in essence it is a mountain town, built away from the Norg and dwarf eyes, so that they do not disturb the local inhabitants; the houses are built on a level lower than the Temple buildings – the Altar of Gael, the dragon of the winds, is built on the top, very close to the Monastery, where monks and priests spend the night and perform their rites, there, in the courtyard by the main garden, the abbot and some monks teach their subjects to novices, to teach the younger generation literacy, herbalism, and magic.

Everywhere the flower beds were fragrant, and the fragrance of the rhododendron, the most beautiful flower of the mountain rosewood, just about to bloom, was carried by the wind into every house, enveloping every street with its delicate sweetness. Lost in her own problems, Huona had not even noticed that she had reached her home.

In the garden, Yuona and Zarri's mother Leta was working, pruning the arched vines and thick white rose bushes. Dressed in a light sky-blue dress, white elf sandals and a thin blue ribbon braided in her hair, Leta absorbed the full component of the image of a true mountain elf. The woman looked much younger than her peers, which surprised many residents of the monastery, and even the priests tried to extract from her the secrets of eternal youth, which Leta herself, to her great regret, also did not know, although she did not need such secrets, even with a cursory glance, you could understand that eternal youth was granted to the elf by nature itself at birth – soft, pale skin, like Her hair was thick and thick, and her expressive gray eyes glittered with the fire of life.

Huona opened the gate that led to the courtyard, and Leta, hearing her eldest daughter, greeted her with a broad smile and an embrace. Fixing her daughter's bangs that fell over her face, the elf carefully led the girl into the house, while not saying a word.

– Tired?Only after placing a bowl of sweet, fragrant, and warm herbal concoction on the table in front of Yuona did Leta ask a casual question.

– No, there weren't any particularly difficult exercises today. And no one let me into the Monastery.The girl replied vexedly, taking a sip from the bowl.

– I'm sure there were reasons for that. You know what day it is, so maybe that's why?Trying to lighten her daughter's mood, the elf continued.

– Yes, I hope so. Nothing could have happened today, right? Not on this day – " taking a sip of the decoction and pausing for a moment before each new sentence, Huona looked very tense and agitated.

– No, I'm sure it's all right. If something had happened at the monastery, we would have been one of the first to be notified. And since you've been released for the day, would you mind spending some time with Zarri?" She's definitely up to something, and I doubt she can handle it without your help.

– Nu-uu, " Huona said, hoping to think of an excuse for refusing."Okay, maybe it's really important. I'll just wash my face."

– I'm so glad you're willing to help your sister. I'm going to keep working in the garden, or our roses will wither away completely. Zarri is probably waiting for you by the lake, on the rocks.

– Huona nodded affirmatively as Lethe left.

Outside in the backyard, she went to the spring and doused her face with cool water from the mountain spring, then looked up at the mirror hanging on the wall. Strands of straight, slightly wet, dark brown hair stuck together, sticking to the sun-tanned skin. After arranging her hair behind her short, elven ears, Huona once more passed her spring-wet hand over her fair face, which left her rosy cheeks with drops like morning dew reflecting the rays of the sun above the mountain peaks. Her clear, light-brown eyes, framed by a greenish border, also reflected sunlight that glinted like sunbeams flashing on their lenses. Droplets of water, flowing into the hollows of particularly attractive, reddish lips, gave them volume and moisturized the dried skin. Adjusting the light blue-and-green tunic that covered the girl's light and slender figure, Huona tied up the curls that fell over her face with a ribbon and, brushing away the last of the water with a soft towel, moved away from the mirror.

After hugging Leta goodbye once more, the girl left the courtyard and slowly walked towards the lake. When she reached the edge of the residential area, Huona stopped and looked at the small group of acolytes and altar guards standing to her right. A plump, short elf with black hair caught her attention – it was Kait, a good friend of Huona's and another of their mutual friends, who was whispering to the other guards in the dungeon. She couldn't catch the conversation – the words were barely audible at this distance, but the mere presence of the guards here, when they were supposed to be on duty in the casemates below the monastery, made her very nervous. Having learned nothing from the conversation of the elves, Huona calmly went on, determined not to interfere with the affairs of the temple servants.

****

A young elf woman was sitting on a low rock formation, her feet dangling down to the azure lake water. The girl tilted her head thoughtfully and sadly, so that her long and fair hair, swaying in the wind like ripe wheat shoots, lightly touched the surface of the cold stone. Her gaze was so sad that it seemed that if you looked into her gray eyes for even a moment, you could feel the freezing chill brought by the chilling wind that came from the image of the elf. From a distance, it looked like a statue of a slender and twisting aspen branch, the heroine of ancient elven legends, who in empty expectation, hopelessly lowered her eyes to the freezing water of the lake. In her hands, the girl tightly clutched a carved box, painted with bright and bizarre patterns and a little shabby with age. Straightening her greenish tunic, the elf adjusted her hair slightly so that it wouldn't slide on the stones, and went back to her thoughts, clutching the precious box even more tightly.

–Zarri.Huona, who had been standing at a little distance, watching her sister's thoughtful face with a smile, suddenly said.– Why is it so gray?"

" Huon!Zarri exclaimed happily, turning to her older sister.– I thought you weren't coming." Today is a special day…

– That's why I was released early. I see you wanted to do something?"Huona sat down next to her little sister.– So why are you so glum?"

– I really need your help. Can you come up to the Wards with me to fill the phylacteries?"

– Why do you need to fill your phylacteries?The elf asked in surprise as she glanced at the box.

– Need."I've started preparing for the Day of Eire, and for one of the rites I'll need the energy of the wind ward.

" Hmm." Well, at least it's clearer now.– Rising from the stone, Huon answered-Well, if it is necessary, then let's go to the Amulets.

– Hurray!jumping up from the rock, the young elf exclaimed happily.– I knew I could count on you!"

After descending from the lake down the path to the mountain ranges, the girls slowly walked along the wooded part of Temple Peak, and talked about abstract topics. During this month, huge rose trees and averin bushes were beginning to bloom in the forests, and on small bushes and just above the grass, strawberries, cranes and sugars were already ripe, the sweetness of which was not inferior to the taste of huge and complex desserts served in palaces and at balls.

– Can I ask around about Dragonborn?Zarri plucked a pair of bright blue sugar berries from a nearby bush.

– Don't call him that. "He has a name," said Huona, slightly offended, " So what do you want to ask about Trion?"

– I have a lot of questions. You're one of the lucky ones who managed to spend a lot of time with him.

– I think you'll have a chance to meet him in person tonight.– calmly and briefly answered the girl.

–Yes, but your relationship is much closer, so I'd like to ask you around before we meet in person."

" Ha…much closer," Huona whispered, smiling.

– The whole monastery is already buzzing about the fact that you are in love with each other.Smiling sarcastically and with interest, Zarri seemed to expect her sister's violent reaction.

– I was actually hoping you wouldn't hear me whisper.Huona continued calmly, ignoring her sister's words.– Yeah, it's hard to hide your love for the Son of a Dragon… but maybe it's just as well.

– You are now the beloved of a local deity.Zarri said dreamily.

" Ha, ha," Huona giggled, and like a modest girl, her cheeks turned a little pink.– In a way, that's true. Okay, stop embarrassing me, I thought you wanted to ask questions.

–yes. I've been wondering for a long time, is he really a dragon child?Running closer to her older sister so that she could see her eyes, the girl asked.

" Yes, his father was one of the priests of the Order of the Temple Archmagisters.

– You mean the Order of the Five Talons?"Zarri corrected her sister.

– I see you've delved into the history of the Ancients and the culture of the Dragon Pantheon.Huona said, turning to the girl in surprise.

– You have a lot of books on this topic.

– Did you go through my stuff?"Huona asked, sounding even more surprised, interrupting her sister a little angrily.

– No, you just left one of the books on the kitchen table. So I took it to read.

– Damn it, I'm so absent-minded."It's good to be in the house," Huona said. Please don't forget to give it back to me." These are Trion's books.

– I know there's still half a book of his notes near the end. I didn't expect to understand anything from this book, but thanks to his notes, in which he deciphered almost the entire history of the Order, I was able to read the original.

– Have you read the whole book? How long did it take?

– Not for long, two days.– dozhivaya sweet blue berries sugar, answered the elf.

– There's also a thick volume! You've mastered a huge book in a couple of days… you barely had enough time for ten pages before that!

– It's never too late to start improving, especially since the book is very interesting.

– Well, you can't even argue with that.She confirmed Huon's sister's words.

The girls came to the cliff, the bridge over which led further on the way to the Amulets. Old and rotten logs were attached with frayed ancient ropes, which made it scary to step on the bridge even with one foot, let alone cross to the other bank. In the days of the Ancients, there were unprecedented beauties here, but only now only the ruins of unimaginable architecture remind of the greatness of the civilization of the first elves. In the old days, the water in the current cliff lapped like a huge and raging river, passing through the entire Gaela Range and falling in a high waterfall almost at the top of the Temple Peak. The river was crossed by a wide bridge built of dark stone, which the Ancients extracted from the very depths of mountain mines, for the construction of especially beautiful architectural monuments. On this bridge, at one time, caravans and scientific expeditions passed, the path of which ran through most of the lands of Alletria, not even skirting the territory of the Norgs, and all that remains of it now is a few pillars that did not collapse, resting on the bottom of a small river barely visible below, on which mosaics and sculptures based on ancient legends are carved, barely distinguishable and

When Huona had taken a step and made sure that the bridge was still in use, she took her sister's hand and walked cautiously across the river. The tree crumbled with each light step, and Zarri squeezed her eyes shut, clutching her older sister's hand tightly as she walked with her eyes closed, still afraid to open them and see the bridge falling with them. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and Huona held her little sister by both hands so that she could safely get off the bridge, and then went on along the wooded path.

– So, what does it look like?Zarri broke the silence."Does he really look like a dragon?" With fangs, animal eyes, and a tail?

– Don't-her-t, what are you.the girl said, laughing.– He's just an elf like everyone else, just more agile and has stronger magical abilities.

– What about the scales? Everyone said there were scaly growths on his hands…

– "It has no scales," Huona answered, laughing even louder, and each time surprised by the stories of the young novices.– He has extraordinary drawings on his hands that resemble scales. But I do not know where they come from.

– The books don't say anything about it?Zarri asked, wanting to know more about Trion.

– There is no exact information, except that most of the members of the Order had such drawings, only each one has its own meanings and patterns. I'll ask Trion about it, see if he can tell me anything about such rites in the Order.

– All right, all right. One last question for now. We're getting close to the Wards anyway.

– Indeed, because of the conversation, I didn't even notice that we had come a long way through the forest, " Huona added quietly, pleasantly surprised by the circumstances.

– How does he kiss?Zarri asked with a wide smile, her eyes darting to her older sister's face as quickly as possible.

" Zarri!Huona drawled, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.– What kind of questions?"

" Hee-hee –" the young prankster laughed loudly, straightening her curls in the wind."La-aa-bottom, I was joking. You don't have to answer, but tell me about his magical abilities, since they are so powerful.

– No one else has such magic, not the mountain elves, not the sun elves that Trion belongs to, or the Norg shamans. It has something to do with his father and being a member of the Order of the Five Talons. He has incredible fire and wind magic, which he can effortlessly combine to form even more powerful spells, and he can also talk to various draconids-wyverns, hydra, and, of course, dragons. He can also make contact with other monsters, I've already heard a couple of stories.

– It's amazing. I've never heard of elves talking to monsters before!Zarri said admiringly, already anticipating interesting stories from Trion himself.

– I doubt we'll ever hear any more. The rest of the order's priests are dead, so Trion is the last of the elves with such abilities.Huona breathed in frustration, realizing the position of her object of sighing

– Now I understand why the Elder is so protective of him. How does he even live in the casemate…?Zarri mused, not even waiting for a response from her sister.

– Everything was fine, but the last time we met, Kyte told me that Trion had been raving about the plot for more than a week, hearing the whispered conversations of the plotters who were planning an attack.Huona said suddenly

– What do you think of that?"Zarri asked, surprised by her older sister's response.

– I'm worried about him. Almost three years of living in an empty casemate, locked up and unable to leave his reservation… I just want to know that everything is fine with him-excitedly and sadly said the girl, and these words in her shining eyes flashed a light of fear-But I have not been allowed to enter the Monastery for several days.

– Okay, "Zarri said, running away from her sister, who was frozen in place," I've already learned a lot, now all I have to do is meet the Great Son of the Dragon in person.

Looking up, Huona saw five shining pillars of light rising high into the sky, as if resting on fluffy clouds. The girls were so engrossed in talking about Trion that they could easily have missed the right path leading to the top, to the very pillars of light that emanated from the Wards. Zarri, well ahead of the lagging Huona, was the first to climb to the Altar of Knight's Wards, through which the phylactery was to be filled. Placing the box in the center of the altar, the girl removed a pendant with a purple stone that shimmered like mother-of-pearl from her neck and, leaving it next to the phylactery, went to one of the wards. There were ancient runes scrawled on the stone wheel, which framed a small design that vaguely resembled wind currents moving towards the ancient altar. With a wave of her hands, Zarri let out a fairly powerful gust of air from her small palms, aimed at the runes of the amulet, from which they gradually acquired a glow, lighting up clockwise, one by one. The glow grew brighter, bursting out of the stone ward in slow, careful tongues of non-scalding blue flame. The stones on the box in the center of the altar table also began to twinkle, like stars in the night sky, which flickered on and off again, giving their light to the neighboring ones. When the box finally began to shimmer and warm steam began to flow from under the closed lid, Zarri went back to the table and put the pendant back around her neck. The box abruptly went out and once again stood calmly on the gray stone, the runes on the amulet also lost their radiance, until they did not lose their magic fire at all.

" All right, we can go back.Picking up the phylactery, Zarri said, calmly approaching her sister.

There was a soft flapping sound from the girl's back, like a cloth fluttering in the wind. Grabbing her sister's arm, Huona pulled the girl toward her, and then both of them froze for a moment in shock – a couple of meters away, at the very edge of the cliff, three huge lizards soared into the sky and, flying over the very heads of the elves, flew towards the Monastery.

– Who is it? Winged?Zarri asked, clutching at her older sister in bewilderment.

– No, did you see the webbing on his wings? The winged feet don't look like that. They were mountain wyverns.Huona replied, recovering from the unexpected encounter."Hurry, we need to get to the monastery as fast as possible, they're going there!"The girl shouted, pulling her sister after her.

****

With a single sweep of its powerful tail, an old wyvern with slightly frayed wings tore down the archway of the stone archway, covering several guards with it. The Templars swung their engraved blades, glittering in the sun, and charged at a pair of young animals that were rampaging around the main square. The lizards flew in circles around the garden, playfully clashing in battle with each other and did not even pay attention to the approaching opponents. When one of the elves finally gave the party away with his furious war cries, the wyverns scattered to either side of the garden and swooped down in a slicing maneuver, knocking the temple guards to the ground. The fallen elves were about to get up, but the merciless lizardmen landed on top of their immobilized enemies. Bones crunched under heavy paws, and even the heavy armor that the dwarves had forged especially for the Monastery's guards couldn't withstand the force of the blow. The poor devils died under the clawed paws of bloodthirsty lizards, without the ability to resist the monsters.

– Get down!"Kait shouted as Yuona ran up, spotting a flying clot of wyvern acid from afar.

–What's going on?"– trying to shout over the screams of the dying and the sounds of battle, the girl asked.– Why did they attack the Monastery?"

– We don't know.The guard shouted as he ran to safety."The lizards arrived so unexpectedly that we didn't have time to raise the alarm.

– Where is the Elder?Zarri asked, tapping into the conversation.– I don't see him on the battlefield.

– He is near the Monastery fighting off the alpha male of this pack with other guardians. Now is not the time to talk, I need to help the others, so find a place where these creatures can't reach you and keep your head down until everything calms down.The templar said in a commanding tone, already gaining on his squad

– Well, no way!Huona shouted angrily and resolutely – " I'll find the Elder, they might need help."

– Will you leave me alone with these winged monsters running around?– Looking into the eyes of her sister, Zarri asked – Well, no, I'll go with you too.

" Zarri is not safe," Huona drawled, trying to dissuade the young elf

–no. This is not up for discussion. I'm coming with you, period!– strictly answered the girl, catching up with her hurrying sister.

The lizards tore down everything they saw in their path, sometimes smashing down stone structures, sometimes spitting acid on monastery gardens and houses. There was chaos all around, noise, confusion, the screams of wounded or burned guards mingling with the clang of steel swords against the tough scales of wyverns, maintaining an unbearable atmosphere of madness around the bacchanal. The dying Templars crawled along the blood-soaked ground in the hope of escaping, but the lizards caught up with them and tossed the pain-stricken elves into the air, playing with the bodies of the guards as a cat plays with a trapped mouse. Most of the inhabitants of the monastery settled in houses that the monsters, for unknown reasons, did not attack, passing through each house in pursuit of warlike templars and monks. It seemed that the lizardmen were selective in their goals, attacking only warriors and magic-wielding monks, but what was driving the unexpected rampage of the dragons, who had previously lived peacefully in their caves, only occasionally attacking passing caravans, was still a mystery. The monks were lost in the chaos, torn by difficult elections that would have a lot of consequences. There were guards who were slowly losing their vitality and needed to be helped to heal the warrior's wounds, for which you would most likely pay with your own life if you didn't have time to escape from the wyvern that had overtaken you. Or you can just run away from the battlefield, letting the poor guy die in the clutches of ferocious monsters, for which you will reproach yourself for a long time, realizing the weight of your guilt. Of course, most of the priests, ignoring possible remorse, hurriedly left the danger zone, locking themselves in the Monastery, like cowardly rodents hiding in their burrows in case of danger.

– Cowards! Traitors and scoundrels!Elder Valn shouted from the locked door of the temple – " Saving your own skins at the cost of the lives of others, isn't that what your abbots and ancestors taught you?"

– Accept your death with dignity, old man, " one of the priests replied through the locked door."Today, everyone is saving themselves as best they can.

– The gods will punish you for your treachery!Valn shouted furiously, abandoning all attempts to negotiate with the terrified monks.– The death of all these people will be on your conscience…

After taking a few steps down the stairs and leaving the pillared terrace, Valn looked around for his enemy. Growling fiercely, the old male flew down from the temple roof like a tornado, landing in the very center of the courtyard. This wyvern was three times the size of its own kind, larger and stronger than even the largest of its kind, an old man covered from muzzle to tail with scales that were horny like stone growths, which even a well-equipped warrior could not break through. With its wings, the lizard could take down a squad of heavy infantry, and with the spiked tip of its tail, it tore down walls and towers built of strong stone that were beyond the power of even a well-assembled battering ram. The monster's fangs and horns were as sharp as sharpened dwarven swords that could split heavy carapaces of black silver, and the monster wielded them as well as a swordsman wielded his blade.

– I'm not afraid of you winged serpent!Valn shouted as he lunged at the alpha male.

The beast snarled angrily and swung its long neck, waiting for the elf to reach a certain point. Waiting for the right moment, the lizard lowered its head to ground level and let out a deafening wail that made the Elder's ears bleed. Covering his ears with his hands, the priest fell to the ground, screaming in agony.

– Valn!Leta shouted as she ran up to the temple, sending a magical swirl through the wyvern.

Kicking up dust from the stone-paved square, the tornado summoned by the elf rushed at the monster, which did not frighten the dragon in any way. With a flutter of its wings, the old dragon dispelled a powerful spell and charged in mid-flight. The elf loomed in front of the lizard, running left and right to confuse the monster, but the wyvern was constantly spitting blobs of caustic acid, blocking Lethe's escape routes. When there was nowhere else to run, the woman stopped and wrapped herself in a barrier of winds that was supposed to protect her from the monster's venom, but the cunning lizard was no longer going to attack from a distance. The dragon took the elf down with a flutter of its broad wings, then launched a powerful charge at the immobilized opponent.

" Mother!Huona cried through her tears, having lost all hope of saving her mother.

The lizard lifted its head and opened its mouth wide, preparing for a final attack, but a deep, commanding voice came from the temple roof behind it:

–Incurventur ante dominum!– hearing these words, the lizard jumped away from the fallen elf and turned in the direction of the speaker.

On the roof of the temple, a tall sun elf with glittering scales on his hands was walking slowly down the tiles. The elf's broad-shouldered and slightly thin frame spoke of a strength and agility that the Dragon's Son had in common. The lizard obediently took off and hovered in the air near Trion, who was standing on the edge. Holding the dragon's mouth, the elf looked into the monster's small, pain-filled, bestial eyes, then carefully examined the wyvern. After a few seconds of thinking, he opened the monster's mouth and pulled out one of its fangs. The Wyvern howled in sharp pain, shaking its head, but quickly calmed down.

" Tu libero damnant te,"the elf said, stroking the dragon's face. The monster let out a booming roar as the other wyverns swarmed around the temple.

Trion leapt onto the dragon's back, holding on to the lizard's dorsal growths as he descended to the ground. Drawing a knife from its scabbard at his belt, the elf shone in the sunlight and plunged it between the scales into the old lizard's throat, which quickly killed the monster. After circling the dead leader's body, the rest of the wyverns immediately flew back to the mountains, leaving the Monastery grounds.

– Poor guy.Trion said sadly, stroking the dead wyvern – It didn't deserve to die like this…

–What happened to him?"Huona asked, coming up to her lover.

– Merciless monsters are responsible for his death, and they have doomed a harmless animal to suffer for a long time… " Tryon drawled slowly, not taking his eyes and hands off the dragon."There were runes etched on his fang, and someone cursed him for personal use. The crazed lizards attacked the Monastery, sweeping away everything in their path, just to get rid of the excruciating pain.The elf paused for a moment, taking his hand away from the dead monster and looking at Huona.– We need to find their nest, because there's something there that's driving this pack crazy."

The elf's amber eyes, like two shining suns, expressed all the sadness and pain he had absorbed in saving the wyvern from its torment. His bronze skin glistened like polished metal in the afternoon sun, and his tousled, slightly curly locks swayed in the light mountain wind. Running her hand over the elf's hundreds of lash-scarred back, Huona took his hand.

– His abusers will pay a huge price for what they did.The girl said, trying to calm Trion down a little.

" Yes, cor meum, you're right. Just as the priests who betrayed you paid for their cowardice.– hugging his beloved tightly and leaning on her shoulder with a slightly wet cheek from rolling down tears, the elf replied.