Текст книги "The Mist and the Lightning. Part VII"

Автор книги: Ви Корс

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“I understand,” the doctor nodded, “I will organize everything. We will support him as long as needed. And we can even treat him, I think there is a running infection in the blood and liver…”

“Don’t treat. Just give it a minimum so that he moves and that's it.”

“Yes. Can I go?”

“Go, and… thanks for the help.”

“I’m always at your service.”

The doctor left, and the soldiers, on the contrary, habitually approached the victim. They knew that all interrogations end in such a way, and this will not be an exception.

“Undress him,” Kors waved his hand wearily.

He sat at the table and covered his face with his hands, as if gathering his thoughts.

A few thuds were heard, he knew that the guard, undressing Nikto, had already begun to act.

“Wow! What does he have there? Some kind of piece of iron… Sir Kors?”

He took his hands from his face:

“Well, what's the problem…” And fell silent, staring at Nikto as well. Probably, it was a very stupid sight, Nikto in Arel’s belt of fidelity.

“That's even how…” Said Vitor Kors, somewhat perplexed.

“To take off?” Asked Nolan.

“No. Don’t. Let it remain so.”

“And what is this, sir? Some kind of protection?”

“Well, you have to ask him. Just I don’t think that he will tell us about it now.”

Kors examined his tattooed hips, and a chain encircling them. He looked at the crooked sign of Prince Arel, with a healed burn instead of a bird's head.

“Nikto, how did you think to take me for a ride, disfiguring his body like that? Didn't Arel tell you how my interrogations usually end?”

“He told me,” Nikto said.

“And what did you hope for, you didn’t think how it would infuriate me?”

Nikto was silent and didn’t raise his head.

“Or did you want to infuriate me?! Throw this in my face and say: “See what I did?”

Nikto raised his left hand to his face, put his fingers under the edge of the half mask near the ear, and pulled it away, tearing it from the skin, revealing the scar.

“See what HE did? The one you wrote to the dead! He got involved in the stories one dumber than the other! He cut himself in despair.”

“I'm glad he resisted. It pleases me!”

“Enjoy it!”

“His grave will be beautiful! Do you believe me?!”

“Yes! Cram him into the grave quickly, out of sight. And then howl in sorrow as if for your wife, for the rest of your life! Bury him deeper, no matter that he is still alive!”

“And what is this?” Suddenly Kors asked himself rather quickly, and going up to Nikto, who pressed into the wall, leaned over him and with a sharp movement tore off a thin gold chain with a small ring on it from his neck.

He clenched the ring in his fist:

“Don't you dare desecrate her memory!”

“This is my girlfriend’s ring,” Nikto said defiantly, “why do you care?”

Kors looked at him a little in surprise and grinned:

“To begin with, this ring… however… what a difference now.”

He returned to the table and, opening his palm with a strange expression on his face, looked at a small piece of jewelry.

“Lead him away,” he finally whispered. “Take him away! And… damn you!” He cried when the convoy picked up Nikto from the floor and putting a bag over his head, dragged him out the door.

Chapter five

Afterwards

“Well?!” Karina in joyful excitement ran into the interrogation room. “Did you make sure? I couldn’t wait when you finish…” She looked at her frozen, hunched father, on an overturned chair, blood on the floor, a hill of bracelets of Nikto lying on the edge of the table.

“What did you do with him here?” Her voice became deaf, “Are you out of your mind?”

“Don’t dare,” Kors rose sharply, suddenly shouted at her so that Karina's tears came involuntarily because of this evil shout. But she restrained herself:

“You can… you can, at least explain to me.”

“Nikto is a demon!”

“Nonsense! I don’t believe in demons!”

“And I believe!”

“And you will execute him?”

“Sure! But first, I will avenge him, cruelly I will avenge! I’ll give him a walnut finish, my daughter! I have some thoughts on this subject, I’ll mock him great, be sure!”

“Gods! You already scoffed at him enough! Much more than enough! You didn’t even look at him, without understanding, you sent him to the mines! And if then I talked with him, then I saw him… It is quite possible then he could still be saved and he would not be so spoiled!”

“I don’t have time to meet and interrogate personally everyone!”

“But you regret doing so then? Are you sorry? Well, confess to me! Confess that you could have done differently!”

“I could. But I don’t regret it!”

“You regret!”

“Well, I'm sorry, but I don't care what you think about it. And then it was too late! And now even more so.”

“I don’t think so, he’s not as bad as he seems, he’s better than other people of the prince. Well, of course! How could I have thought that you would accept him! How would you introduce him to all your pompous friends. Tell them that your son is a slave, a rag from the “Lower”, and a half-breed.”

“And a drug addict.”

“Yes!”

“With a redone body, a disfigured face, head to toe covered with tattoos, the prince’s slave wearing his…” Kors froze in mid-sentence.

 “Wearing his what?!” Karina didn’t understand.

 “His brand. The brand. Clear?”

“Yes! It's so awful! It outweighs everything, and the fact that he is your blood and flesh and that he is your desired son and son of your beloved woman. I wonder if his mother would accept him as anyone? I don’t really know him, but I accept him as my brother, no matter what he is!”

“You won't accept him. Neither I nor you. He is not a member of our family – he is nobody, in the literal and figurative sense of the word!”

“You are so embarrassed about him that you are ready to believe and convince yourself that demons exist, and they inhabit human bodies and live in our world.”

“Yes.”

“Father, don’t you find it funny yourself?”

“It’s not funny! It’s not at all funny, Karina. And I hope that when you were there in the castle, you didn’t communicate with him.”

“I communicated with him! He saved my life, in the “Lower” people of the Black Bey ambushed us, and Nikto closed me with his body, and received a strong poke in the stomach.”

“You lie, I didn’t see any scar on his stomach, just a small burn, and even that seemed to be putting out a cigarette. What I quite believe. He has a scar from a stub on his stomach, not a sword!”

“Because he used the “black water” and “sama” to heal the wound and stay alive. I saw it! He saved me! And I thank him for that!”

“You hope you didn’t tell him in a burst of gratitude about your assumptions about your relationship?”

“No, I didn’t. But I showed him mother’s medallion.”

“Oh! Now it’s clear how he knew about Iness.”

“Yes. And I think he understood everything, and if he didn’t understand, then I will tell him anyway! Let it be for him even a small consolation that I admit him, since his father betrays him and betrays him time after time!”

“You won't tell him anything! You won’t even get close to him. By the way, he is contagious. You are very lucky that you didn’t pick up an infection from him in the Castle. Why are you keeping silent? Agree, lucky?”

Karina pulled herself together:

“It doesn’t matter! What matters is what you are going to do with him! Is not a drop of gratitude stirred in you after I told you? That he saved my life.”

“No. Quite possibly, it was all rigged. He is cunning. He almost took me for the ride as well as you. He managed to deceive you!”

“What does it mean: “He almost took me for a ride? You scare with these words.”

“Never mind. The main thing is that I resisted.”

“Have you even tried to talk to him? Or did you immediately hit him, father?” Karina looked doubtfully at the dried blood smeared on the floor.

“Well, why couldn't you just try to talk to him?”

“No need to make me a monster, as you love it! I talked to him normally! I behaved with him kindly!”

“Are you serious?!” She was delighted. “And he?”

“He… he also behaved normally,” Kors muttered.

“Here you see! When a person is treated in a good way, he behaves appropriately! I knew this, he wasn’t at all some kind of a moron and a drug addict, how you present him. Ruined his soul and became a demon! Nonsense! There is still a lot of good left in him. It's just that no one has ever treated him humanly. He saw only evil. And you were no exception. I am very sad, father, you, who may be the only one who could, who had to support him, seeing his brand and what else, immediately turned away with disgust! I hope he still doesn’t know that you are his father, otherwise he really felt very painful. If I had a son, I would accept him in any way, even demon, at least a thousand times a murderer and a criminal. This is your child! What else can you talk about!”

“I think he doesn't know,” Kors said.

“What doesn’t he know? That he is your son?”

“Yes.”

“What was it worth talking to him calmly? Just try to find out?”

“I talked to him! I figured out! Look.”

“What is it?”

“Your mother’s engagement ring. It hung on his neck.”

Karina took the decoration:

“Lay me like a seal on your heart, for love is strong as death.” She said. “You have exactly the same. I remember this engraving.” She looked at her father’s right hand, Kors never took off his ring, he wore it all his life, and Karina from childhood remembered it.

“Yes.”

“So he knows?”

“No. He believes that this is a ring of his girlfriend.”

“Rosa?”

“Yes. If he doesn’t deceive me on purpose.”

“So mom…” Karina hesitated, and tears appeared in her eyes, “she put her wedding ring on his neck…”

“Apparently so.”

“So you find him and recognize him! Do you still doubt it?!”

“Never mind. Don’t get involved in this anymore. Listen to me and don’t meddle, I beg you, Karina. I ask you in a good way, still!”

“Father, you're wrong…”

“Leave me. Go do something.”

“What?!”

“Go, talk to Donatella Valerie. She went to the doctor. Clive watched her. Her doctor was questioned and claims that she had a concussion. She was hit with something heavy on the head, but she says she fell down.”

“I don't care about that! It is not interesting. And even if she was hit. Even if you are hinting that Nikto hit her, then there is a way for her. I will not collect facts against him!”

“I don’t claim that it is he. So go and bring me evidence that it’s not him.”

“Will this change anything?”

“I don't think so.”

“Then I don't want to!”

“You have to do your job and my orders! Why is Clive doing his job, and you are not? Do you want me to fire you?”

“In that case, I’d better go and question Zara, according to agents, a former slave from the farm…”

“Why do you need her? Because Lis visited her? You are fixated on Lis, and Arel, and now Nikto!”

“I'm not fixated!”

“Zara is of no use to us!”

“As well as Doni!”

“Why should I argue with you?! To persuade you! You constantly do everything contrary to! I didn’t let you go to the Castle to Arel. I didn’t let you make friends with them. But you wanted to figure it out! You want to figure it out on your own!”

“But my information helped you, and try to say that it is not so!”

“How did it help me? You were just trying to find reasons to soften the accusations. They are all victims of circumstances! And Chris Wass, and Vish Cazen provoked Arela themselves, going up to him at the autumn ball, and summoned him to the battle.”

“Yes!”

“And in your words I provoked Arel, and because of my words he killed Lamy.”

“Yes!”

“And now you don’t want to go to Doni Valerie, because you don’t want to know that your unhappy offended friends beat her on the head.”

“I just want justice, father. I still don’t know for sure what happened to my maid, and who is guilty of the death of the singer from the “Lower”. I don’t justify them, but I want everything to be fair!”

“I will remove you from this business altogether! Do you understand me, Karina?”

Chapter six

Karina and Dony

       “I'm in a hurry, I have a lot of things to do,” Dony was not at all disposed to host Karina as a guest. She didn’t even offer her tea.

“I won’t take you much time,” retorted Karina, starting to get angry, she didn’t want to do this job, she was sick of learning something from Dony, because she didn’t see any point in it. This was a meaningless task, which her father sent to fulfill just to occupy her with something else, so that she didn’t interfere with him with her conversations about Nikto. Waste of time. But, unfortunately, Karina had a rule – if she took up work, even it was most uninteresting, she should have done it well. If possible. As best as possible. And so she was sitting in Dony’s living room and was angry. Slaves and servants scurried past with boxes and suitcases, the bustle of moving was in the air.

“You see what’s going on,” Dony told her nervously, “I haven’t packed anything yet, the move is like a fire or an earthquake. At four my fiancé arrives, but nothing is ready, I still need to make up!”

“Now it's only half past three,” said Karina.

“Yes! During half an hour it is impossible to have time to put yourself in order. However, you don’t understand it, you are a warrior, not a woman.”

Karina silently swallowed a mockery, or what it was. She should just do her job well.

“You look beautiful without make up as well,” she said as good-naturedly as possible, not at all sure that her words sounded really sincere. And not because Dony looked bad without makeup, but simply because Karina didn't give a damn about it.

“Ah, don't talk nonsense!” Dony turned away from her, peering attentively at the surface of the mirror. “When I am without make up, I look ill, pale and tormented.”

“But you really were sick recently,” Karina remarked, glad that there was something to cling to in the conversation.

And Dony froze with a snow-white puff in her hand.

“I am absolutely healthy. And if I was sick, it was a very long time ago,” she said in an icy tone.

“I just have to do my job well,” thought Karina once again and said:

“You had a concussion.”

“Is this an interrogation? You follow me!”

“What is it about my simple question? Why are you so nervous?” Karina shrug her shoulders.

“Have you come to ask me about this?”

-Dony, we were hanging in the same company, we were almost friends. We could be close friends if you wanted to. What is strange that I came to find out howyou are doing and say goodbye? After all, you are leaving.”

“Yes, I'm leaving. We can write letters to each other if you want to be friends.”

“And aren't you sad to leave all this? Your own theater…”

“No! I want to have a family, give birth to a baby. I will write new plays. There, by the sea. I will be a writer. I will have an ideal life with my beloved man, which I also wish you, Karina. Finally find your ideal man, your second half, and become happy.”

“But wasn’t Nikto your ideal man?” Karina suddenly caught herself thinking that she could hardly pronounce that name.

Doni laughed pretendedly:

“Karina, it’s all in the past, and I'm leaving. I'm leaving! Understand?”

She seemed to be running away from something, a thought flashed across Karina, as if afraid. She is afraid!

“Have you quarreled?”

“No! Karina, what do you want from me?!”

“Heck!” Karina could no longer drag this out with Dony. “I just need to find out who cracked you on the head so that you had a concussion!” She could not stand it.

“How rough! But at least thanks for the directness. I fell down! Is that all?! Is the conversation over?”

Karina stood up, Dony turned to the mirror, furiously began to wave her brush, putting pink blush on her cheeks.

“Maybe you should, nevertheless, return to your female destiny, Karina, it seems to me that what you are doing doesn’t suit you at all,” the ex-girlfriend of Nikto blurted out suddenly quite sharply. “Before it's too late! Love someone in the end, and stop shaming!”

Karina froze on the threshold, not looking back, she seemed to force herself to step over it:

“Goodbye, Dony!”

“Good luck!”

*  *  *

“I just had to do my job well. Damn!” Karina angrily kicked the column to which her horse was tied.

Well, Dony may go to hell. She is afraid of something, very afraid, that's for sure. Well, okay! All the same, it doesn’t matter, and nothing will change. Nothing. It is so?

Chapter seven

Karina and Zara

Everything was different with Zara. She herself opened the door for her. She had a small apartment on the very border of “Upper” and “Lower”, most likely not even an apartment, but a little room. Pretty poor thing.

“I was sleeping,” Zara explained languidly, “I apologize for making you wait…”

And Karina looked at her in all eyes and couldn’t hide it. This girl Zara… she was pretty sweet, maybe even beautiful, but with some rude predatory beauty. And most importantly, she was all covered in tattoos. The short towel which she turned around herself didn’t really cover anything. Legs, arms… When she lazily straightened her black hair, Karina saw that even her armpits were tattooed. “Gods! It's probably terribly painful!” Flashed through Karina's head. She saw black patterns on the temples of Zara, and they obviously continued on and moved to the forehead, only they were hidden by a thick long bang. For some reason, Karina became very interested in what was tattooed on Zara’s forehead, under this fringe.

“I work in the evening, I dance,” Zara said, “and during the day I sleep. Now… I will show you all my documents. I have all the documents. I've been checked many times already.”

“You dance?”

“Yes, striptease,” Zara grinned, “in one eatery nearby, but this is not forbidden, right? I'm not a prostitute!”

“It’s interesting what makes people cover their bodies with tattoos like this, go dance striptease, how crappy her life should have been, why did she do that with herself,” thought Karina.

“That's all here,” Zara handed Karina a stack of stamp papers.

“I believe you.”

Zara shrugged.

“Then what do you need? Will you drink something? But I only have strong drinks,” she grimaced in a smile, and, having folded in a certain way the filter of a cheap cigarette, lit it.

“Yes, I’ll have a drink,” Karina agreed, not believing her ears. For some reason, next to this girl, she immediately wanted to drink, just looking at her, no other thought came to her mind. Well, what else to do with her? Only to drink!”

“Ah, great!” Zara yawned and slowly walked over to the loose buffet.

“One person bought me out. My owner. In his will, he wrote that he freed all his slaves after his death. He was alone. And old,” Zara handed Karina a small glass filled to the brim with a dark, sharp-smelling liquid.

Karina drank it in one gulp.

“You don't look like a snoop,” said Zara, “however, I’m saying that all the documents are in order. I am a free city dweller now. I wish the kingdom of heaven to my lord. And let him feast with the Gods at the same table forever!”

“He freed all his slaves?”

 “Yes. I was very lucky,” Zara drank her glass too:

 “Some more?”

Karina nodded.

“The old man was very kind.”

“I know that your documents are in order, and this person made sure that you did not have problems with the law. Well, only if you yourself don’t make them.”

Zara raised her thickly blackened eyebrows:

“I am not looking for adventures.”

“I hope so. Friends should also be chosen with caution.”

“Clear. I have practically no friends. Rather, I don’t have them at all, with friends it’s only an extra mess, I know this, life has taught me.”

“No doubt.”

“Well, so which of my friends did you come to talk about? I have nothing to hide.”

 “Do you know Atley Alis?”

Zara wrinkled her nose, remembering.

“He is calles Lis,” Karina remarked curiously and wondered if Zara noticed how treacherously her voice trembled.

“Ah! Lis!” Zara laughed. “He’s a scum! But charming! No. He is not my friend! And not even a buddy. He dropped in a couple of times, gave a long song and dance.” She abruptly moved closer to Karina, causing her to involuntarily recoil.

“He promised that he would promote me and make me the King’s mistress. He said he had influential friends in the palace, everything was a complete chatter!” Zara stood up abruptly, again pouring herself a glass and lighting another cigarette, “Where is all his promised?! Chatterbox! There’s only one benefit from him – at least he fucks well. Beautifully takes a woman… Hey! Are you leaving?! Did I say something wrong? Who are you?”

“Heck!” Said Zara to herself, when Karina hastily ran out the door, “Was it a snoop, or his girlfriend? Oh shit!”

And she laughed.

Chapter eight

The ball (the beginning)

“No,” Karina raised her voice, “I don't believe you!”

“Believe me,” Clive Gabriel grimaced in a smile, he was sitting in her room now, as at home, drinking strong coffee with alcohol and bulging his already bulged eyes. And he also was saying terrible things.