Sacrifice everything for the sake of moment. Only a fool can dare for it, but I have always been distinguished by an amazing recklessness. Poets also sacrifice their lives, waiting for the moment of inspiration. Unlike them, I still loved risking. By throwing in the most dangerous adventures, I usually wanted to prove my courage, but this time I was attracted to annoy Odil. To visit her on a visit to the ghost position and get out of this wasp’s nest, which she calls the castle, unharmed.

Perhaps her royal residence was the only one in the world in which the invisible guests cannot penetrate without permission. My subjects could penetrate without permission anywhere, but not here. All other windows and doors were available for them, despite the vigilant watch and gatekeepers. My elves could pass invisible past any guards, fly through an attic window, squeeze as the easiest smoke into the narrow slits or even pass through the walls, but in the case of Odil, none of these tricks has been triggered. Her spinners were better than any guards, and controlled everything. Neither the robber nor a conspirator nor an evil spirit had a progress in the queen’s castle.

I managed to put the vigilance of spinners. I was able to overcome the spells which enclosed the castle and flew up to the window of the throne hall. I indifferently slid with a look on elegant guests dressed for ball. The magnificent throne, what was standing on an elevation under the purple canopy seemed poor to me in comparison with the one that was waiting for me in my castle. The candelabrums of a skillful forging also looked too rough in comparison with those which gnomes have long made specifically for my ballroom halls. I remained cool until a slim girl released from the circle of the cavaliers. For the backs of the fans it was difficult even for me to consider her, but as soon as she separated from the crowd, the light of all candles focused on her figure. A dress made of pink silk with an overwhelmed waist fit her. The satin ribbon covered the chest and was gathered in a bow on her back. The queen forced Rose to be content with the simple gems, but even Rose was not a princess, who would be able to take a look from her.

Freely she was for a short time, until the ranks of the guests were kept. Then on the one hand, the elderly music teacher began to read her lectures, on the other hand went the governess of the harsh appearance. It even seemed to me that now the evil couple will bring a beautiful child to tears, but Rose showed a good sense. In response to pretty unceremonious notations, she smiled very cute, said something biting and moved away, leaving her mentors to fade from indignation.

Probably, besides me, no one noticed that tears appeared in her eyes. I almost felt her despair when she quickly went, almost ran through the dark gallery, heading into her apartments. Even without being a sorcerer, it was possible to understand that even the gloomy clouds hung over Roshen would be more preferable to her than the society of envious persons.

I wanted to console the girl just how to do it. Awakening the dragon, the prince expected that he would scare people, and not sympathize with them. I was invisible to the eyes and inviolable for the charms. In one moment I found the room of princess.

Even the rays of the lamp in the bedroom could not exit my silhouette from darkness. As I guessed, Rose sat on the bed and cried. I came silently to her and stroked her slightly on the hair. She did not see me, but she felt the touch and recalled, like from the fire. I accidentally hit the ribbon and that fell out of her hair, the same thin like a walkway from the tears on the cheek of the princess.

«Do not cry, child!» I said, trying to give my voice a pleasant sound and sounds rolled on the bedroom, like magic music. Rose was fixed, for a moment it even seemed to me that she saw me.

«Who are you?» She asked persistently, it was clearly she felt next to her my presence.

«I am your friend, although other people consider me as their sworn enemy.»

«Where are you?» Rose, squinting, looked in the right direction, but did not see anyone. «Show me, I ask you,» she whispered, and it was unlikely that someone who turned out to be in my place could refuse to such charming creation.

«Not yet time,» For the sake of it, I retreated away from the light of the lamp, at least I managed to interest the girl with my unusual invasion and she no longer cried. «Do you want, I will bring you a few jewels or any thing you dream about,» I suggested without much hope, it was unlikely that she wanted to take gifts from the ghost. «During the night, I could fly through the whole earth and bring wonderful things from the farthest countries for you.»

«Are you an angel?» Her question put me in a dead end.

«Otherwise, how can you fly through all the earth in one night?» continued Rose.

«I flew here. I live in the far country, in that state that you can not find in any map.»

«So beautiful?» she asked in more joyful tone. Rose led her interrogation with a truly childish excitement.

«Yes,» I agreed. «And there is still very dangerous.»

«And you are not afraid of living there?»

«No,» I answered at such a naive question quite seriously, without even smiling. «For me, the local ruler does not offer any threat.»

«Why?»

«It is me!»

On the moment, Rose kept even silent from amazement. It seemed to me that she was now afraid and would begin to call for help, but she was still interested in looking into the emptiness, just at the place where I stood.

Making sure that she does not distinguish my silhouette, and only looked in the direction where the voice came from, I approached her and touched her hair again.

«You are even more beautiful than on the stage!» I noticed delightedly, and felt her thin shoulders shuddered from amazement.

«Yes, I was there to watch you,» I replied to an unspoken question. «By the way, it was stupid to say that you saw an angel in the theater’s box.»

«But I really saw,» Rosa reached for a candle, but even without touching the candelabrum standing on the table with one mental strengthening I pushed it aside, so that her fingers almost didn’t reach a copper handle. The icon-lamp also began to shine a little weaker, I did not extinguish it completely, because, unlike me, Rose could not distinguish colors in the darkness.

«Have you told about the angel to the whole court?»

«Only to a few people, but they did not believe me,» Rose explained with contempt. The development of insights in her was ahead of years. Living at the court, in the circle of gossips and intriguers she exposed the lies in her surrounding.

«Maybe you’ll show me?» Rose got out of the bed, made some incorrect steps on the carpet. She pulled her hands forward like a sleep-walker, trying to touch someone in an empty space.

«My appearance will mislead you,» I patiently explained. «Remember, princess, a stranger can take you the most direct road to the gates of hell.»

I gave her a subtle hint, rephrased something a little that I said once. Did she recognize my voice? Or did she just guess? Usually she had enough a word to understand the truth.

«So your appearance is deceptive if invisible can have some kind of appearance in general,» Rose dropped to the couch and laughed quietly. «Not all that is gold that glitters. Is it right?»

«Yes,» no one could say more accurately. I got on one knee in front of the couch where Rose was sitting and stroked her on the shoulder. «In your life and in the vulnerable world, I am just… a shadow. You agree to call me your friend.»

«Yes,» she answered without thinking. «In addition to you, I have no one.»

Such sincere recognition would not leave even Vincent indifferent. Rose made it clear that only I had spoken sincerely to her. Or maybe she meant that no one in this huge castle wanted to understand her, look into her soul and discover surprising gifts there. I could not read her thoughts, they were not available to me. To read the thoughts of other people, I could, as the revealed book, but in the case of Rose, this book was closed.

In any case, now I felt obliged to stand up on the protection of an offended child. Sometimes Rose reminded me of a very beautiful doll, which by chance fell in bad hands. I could not leave her without comfort and therefore, despite the risk, I returned every night to her, flew through the window, and only if she slept accepted the visible human appearance. It looked like in the early youth, it was familiar to me how to hide in emptiness or fly over the world on gold wings. It remained only to hope that no one would look into the bedroom of Rose and would not see the angel to pray at her bed. In fact, I did not pray, I simply did not remember any prayers. I also believed that for the magician it was sinful to pronounce them. I kneel on the bed of Rose only to read my spells over her. My black magic gradually tied us to a solid thread.

Most often I brought to Rose some gifts – small, but graceful little things. There were many in my treasury. I had no opportunity to catch her thoughts and thus find out what she would prefer, I chose, relying on my own taste. I remembered that Florian taught me if you wanted to like the girl, more often would make her gifts and be as polite as possible. The beauty would not endure the rude pass even from the prince. Following this advice, I brought to Rose some gifts: a necklace, a diadem or just a thread of a large pearls, but Rose was not one of those whom you could make only gifts. She wanted to see me. It was immediately clear that Rose was not going to endure it for a long time.

For me, the very presence in the castle was rather uncomfortable. I had the pressure on the skin of someone else’s and very strong magic. Sometimes it even seemed to me that it was time to leave on the pillow of Rose the last gift, a black velvet mask, and fly forever, but nevertheless I returned every time, getting ready for a feeling of discomfort, which would certainly pursue me in the castle of Odil.

It’s time to end with night visits and all this gloomy romance. If I continue such a pastime, the affairs of the Empire will be neglected as the control over Lara and the decoding of the scrolls. Another would be satisfied on my place that he picked up a rip out of a ribbon, but it was not enough for me. I was increasingly convinced that it was not for Rose a place among people. The otherworldly world attracted her, as it long ago attracted me.

Once I had urgently to fly away, because the maid knocked up to Rose. I accidentally took with me some subject. It was a book in soft leather binding. My first thought was that it should be returned back, but gradually good intentions were destroyed and I revealed the book, probably because I knew in advance – this was a diary of princess.

What did she write?

«The sixth of July: A new minstrel appeared in the castle. It was useless to ask seneschal about who accepted him to work, let him in the castle’s gate, a young man, as if arose from emptiness and now played on every feast. He is ugly, possibly because of too much tan, but the sounds of his viola enchant animals. When he plays the canaries in the cage behave as if they are ready to fulfill any of his order, and hunting dogs fearfully pumped to the walls when the minstrel passes by them. Often I catch his look on me. He looks as if he knows what I think. Only magicians looked at those who were stamped with evil. I begin to think about it, and suddenly this minstrel knows that at night he visits me… Someone, unnamed, invisible and mysterious.»

Then it became more interesting. I knew that I had no right to read it, but I could not keep from reading it.

«The seventh of July: I again heard his voice coming from emptiness. I almost feel his touch. I no longer ask him «Who are you,» because I know in advance the answer. Are you a dream, an illusion, a self-deception? I am not a sacrifice for any of these three assumptions. Now I know for sure, I have an invisible friend.

The eighth of July: Shantel caught my hand in a dark corridor, where there was no one except for us two, and I was afraid. Of all the royal spinners, Shantel is the strangest. Her cat’s eyes seem to look into the soul and laugh at what they see there. She did not threaten me, did not try to scratch with her sharp nails, but it was still scary to me. Shantel resembles a predator, a well-groomed, spoiled panther, which does not hunt because the hungry, but simply from the whim. She looked at me for a long time, and then called the poor thing, shook her head sympathetically and added that I probably didn’t even suspect that the demon visited me. In her, everything is a false pretence. You can not believe her words, but this time it was difficult not to believe. Well, if she is right, then it means that I am… in love with the demon.

The ninth of July: I’m waiting again that he will appear to me. Shantel advised me to lock all the windows overnight. I’m afraid, no matter how she tried to prevent his arrival, because then she will make me doubly unhappy. If only annoying courtiers did not insistently climbed into someone else’s case, then it would be much easier to live.

Tenth of July: Last night an incredible happened. I saw him and found out. I woke up somewhere at midnight, looked at the night starry sky and the silhouette of an excellent gold-haired young man appeared in the opening of the arched window. There are no such as he in the capital or at the court. He seemed to come from another world – that world where there are elves with pale flickering skin and other creatures unknown to us. My first thought was that the window is located on the very top floor of the castle, it is impossible to get it just like that, and even if my bedroom was located at the very bottom it is necessary to overcome the moat. The night guest flew over the ground, and his cloak waved in the wind, like a live flap of fire, red against a dark sky. I do not remember I climbed the windowsill before he stretched me a hand or after, I remember only a mad flying over the sleeping capital, the cycle of colors, sounds, night lights. The whole city was lying down under us, as in some fabulous dream, the attic pipes, the spire of the town hall, the dome of the cathedral, the road, twisted past the houses, and even covered with skin a roof of some crew.

I clung to camisole of one who carried me over the earth, without even immediately realizing that it was not natural for a person, but unnatural. He easily descended down, in the city, we fell on the roof of the crew and the fast wind, having fun, hit our faces. Laughter of my satellite resembled a silver chime. We both laughed, because we had fun to rush along the sleeping city on a flat roof of the carriage. Horses anxiously rusted, having honed the presence of strangers. In order not to fall, I tried to hold on to my mysterious acquaintance all the time, and when the next morning I woke up, it would be that all this was a dream, if there was not a polished gold button, pulled with a piece of pale blue brocade in my hand.

Now I have a proof that all this was not a dream. So, the voice sounding from emptiness was not a self-deception and not in a dream I saw how the bone comb flew into the air to comb my hair. It was in the hand of an invisible guest. I hope this guest will come…»

I put her diary in my pocket and decided that by all means I should return it. Probably, I made a miscalculation, taking Rose with me into the flight, but it was not possible to resist. In the wardrobe I found that camisole, in which I was dressed yesterday and was convinced that a single button was missing. There is a proof for Rose that her visitor was a creation from another world, but she is smart enough to be secretive and not tell anyone about her secrets. If she told, a trap would wait for me in the castle next night. Since I managed freely to penetrate inside, without a trap, nor placed networks, it was possible to believe that Rose was silent. Staying invisible, I walked around most of the castle, and accidentally looked into the room where the town’s tailor worked. She pushed the train of the wedding dress with the pins, and there was a queen herself and gave instructions. I did not want Odil to feel my presence, and I also did not want to leave without learning, why the wedding dress was here. I heard the words «Tomorrow will try it on the princess.» I became angry at the end. So Odil decided to acquire an ally in the war, and now this aspirant to the hand of the princess entered the capital, secretly, under the cover of the night, so that the plans were not broken.

I waited until there would be no one in the room, and then hacked the door, went to the mannequin and ripped out the outfit in a moment by a hand with golden claws. They appeared only when the dragon acutely needed a victim. The shreds of the spoiled scarf and sparkling rags could not satisfy the need of blood. Small pearls from the dress, crunched under my feet when I left away. On this night I did not visit Rose, I had a case more important. I hurried to another no less important meeting.

I was angry like never. Even Percy, kindly having met me at the gate of the capital and who offered me a horse, so as not to search the city on feet, just in case he went aside, barely had time to transfer reins to me. It’s good that he accounted for my desire, before I hacked the first stable. In such a mood, as now, I was capable of everything. I hid a clawed hand in the folds of the raincoat, but the horse, even though it was a punished elf, frightened snapped under me. Such rider did not please everyone, because if I did not find my rival, then I could tear the throat of any animal which would be near me.

I caught up I was looking for in a deserted and dark street. A black cloak was waving behind me, claws on my hand were hot and burned. Light moon. My opponent left the horse in a paid stable and now he was looking for an opened tavern. From the tavern, where he had time to look before, he was lured out by one of my fairies – a beautiful, winged, deft intriguer, she was ready in everything to help the emperor. In the castle, he was going to go during the day. Interestingly, he thought, having seen a rider with a dazzling and white skin that it was the personification of the angel of death. I didn’t have time to read his thoughts. The rage took a lot of strength, including the magical.

«Who you are?» he whispered and barely backed out of the road. In the voice, it was clearly distinguished the fright, a relatively reverent thrill in front of the highest sign.

«You know the old proverb «At midnight on the city streets rides death?» I asked in an inspected tone and took out a hand with the golden claws from the cloak. He did not even have time to scream. The sharp claws dug in an unprotected throat. Blood was applied along the embroidered collar, and my rage began to cool. I left the corpse right on the pavement. In the same way, I once left my bloody messages to Odil on the tracks of the royal forest. Only this time the message was intended not only to her. I tore to pieces the shirt on a dead body and wrote with sharp claws on his chest my note. Unlike paper, the skin was torn and bled, but the scratched letters turned out to be more or less smooth. The famous stamp, just a few words «the one you remember,» should have said a lot not only to Odil, but also to Rose.

Somewhere in the distance there was a fight of tower chimes. This sound was supposed to be the last thing that the victim heard before his death, but the clock was late or simply, I had too hurried. Remembering that the horse of the murdered remained in the stable, I headed there. Percy, hidden around the corner with the charming winged patriot, did not even try to delay me. I remembered how Chimera killed the horse of Francesca, just also, I scratched the throat on someone else’s horse and those who were stupid enough to regret it. Calmly stand in the stalls were only those who recognized in me the strongest than everyone who still gave orders.

I left, leaving a bloody trail. A hand who took a normal look was much more pleasant without the heavy claws, but even on smooth skin remained blood. There was a big noise in the city. Percy, who remained to post the events, then reported to me. He was always interested in the scandalous news, especially when he himself knew who had caused an alarm. There was much gossip and people built assumptions. Odil also knew who was to blame of the alarm, or rather guessed, reading the bloody letter. And Rose even if she was not allowed to approach the crime scene, for sure, heard news from the courtiers. I was sure that she had enough intelligence to connect the details of the puzzle. She compared the facts and guessed that this was her mysterious friend who did her a next service.

I doubt that Rose wanted to drop a curtsy before her parents chosen one. With such a very self-will, it would be preferable to make a choice unassisted, and she did it. She chose the worst of all evils.

Neglecting the arguments of the reason, as soon as it was dark, I went again to a familiar window. It was very high necessary by the moat, and was not available for the one who could not fly, as Rose herself had already noticed in her diary. Usually, the windows were hospitably open, but this time someone closed them, and before the glass put the lead binding. Shantel guessed too quickly, even Vincent did not suspect me and she already has suspected something. I decided to turn into a golden winged snake.

As soon as Rose entered the bedroom, she immediately opened the window and pushed the binding. She waited for me, but saw on the windowsill only the thing that it was promised to her for a long time – my theater’s mask. I managed to drop easily it up the edge of the wing, so that Rose probably thought it seemed that the subject was materialized from the air. I knew that now Rose spins a mask in her hands and wants to ask some questions. I really wanted to look at her, because this visit could be the last. I broke off from the wall to which I was pressed and flew up the window’s level. Rose was amazed. She opened her mouth from surprise, but the words were frozen on her lips. She saw in front of her a very beautiful golden creature. Only here the dragon was not so harmless as a sea skate. Another girl at the place of Rose awarded such a spectacle only if she was chosen as my next victim. But Rose, as I have already noticed, was special. Too bold to call for help, she firmly pressed the mask and silently, but with interest looked at such an unusual phenomenon.

The creature from another world waved the wings and disappeared, and Rose did not move away from the window.

I went down to the inner courtyard with a certain goal. The sentries that looked down from the bastions would see in front of them just a nobleman, which could visit the castle or consist in the king’s retinue. A deep well, filled with water, would help the winged snake in a moment to disappear, diving deep into and emerging already in the nearest river. In the courtyard there was only one thin and rather strange boy. The one I was looking for. It was a boy with burnt skin. He deftly attributed his misfortune to what he tanned while he traveled around the desert, but even with such cunning, like his, he could not cope with envious competitors. Musicians who were long at the court did not want to endure a novice. Now that the case took the most serious turnover, Harry ran away from the feast room and thought over his failures alone. More precisely, he thought about where he was going to go now.

He even put out the lantern so that no one could prevent him. It was inconvenient to go to a person if he would be alone, but maybe I was exactly that whom Harry had long expected.

He felt someone touched his shoulder, but when he turned around, I was already far from him. By joyfully burning of his eyes, it was immediately possible to understand that a meeting with an unearthly creature was a miracle that he dreamed of many years.

«Monseigneur… Your Majesty..,» Harry was confused, obviously not knowing how to contact me.

«Only monseigneur is enough,» I allowed graciously. «Your Majesty» sounds in my opinion too pompously, besides in the country where there is already one king.»

«Besides, there are too many kings, but they have no of your power to be completely taken,» Harry picked up. He obviously knew a lot or managed to ask.

«Who told you about me?» I asked, although I already knew the answer in advance.

«They,» Harry glanced at the illuminated window. There was a workshop of six spinners.

«You are in a difficult situation, Harry. In general, like any minstrel. It seems not the servant, and not the courtier. So there is something between an artist and a temporary job seeker.

«If I found Mr. like you, to whom I could serve constantly,» Harry said deftly. He himself rushed to service, so why I did not invite him.

«That’s just what are you suitable for? Do you have any special talent, which is not useless for the owner like I.»

«For example?»

I clicked my fingers, carving a spark of fire, of which there was a tiny silhouette of a soaring bird in the air. The demonstration of magic produced a strong impression on Harry.

«For example, a magic talent,» I explained.

«Any bird,» Harry pointed with his finger to the silhouette melting in the air, «and any animal will not be able to resist the sounds of my viola.»

«Do you charm only animals?»

«People, unfortunately, I can not. Otherwise, my current situation would not be so bad,» he stated with sincere bitterness, obviously stuck on sympathy.

«Okay. Tomorrow closer to the night leave the castle and go towards the wasteland. You will get to the dissolution of the roads, try to get away from the cross and wait. Exactly at midnight I will send someone after you. You will immediately recognize my subjects. Don’t be afraid of anything, go for the conductor, even if it is a gnome or an elf, or a winged capricious lady. Their appearance should not confuse you, like their manner, otherwise you will not be able to take care of you among us.»

Harry’s eyes flashed with gratitude, but I made him a sign to keep silence.

«And it has been said too much, and here is someone else’s territory and other people’s spies.»

«Why don’t you want to take it all?» Harry was sincerely amazed.

«Because there is nothing here that I could envy,» I threw sharply before leaving Henry in the same loneliness. He had a hope now.

I decided that Harry would rule the living creatures in the basements of my theater. For a person, such work, of course, was not at all sugar, but if the minstrel would be able to charm of his music the rats, then it would be no harm from it. I called the main theater in my empire «Theater of Shadows», in memory of that I saw in the valley. Rats were found in the basements, not because I could not destroy them, but because I designed such a terrible army in case of any war. The army of rats could destroy any of the rather attractive cities of Henri or Odil. Then they didn’t want to fight with me. But in my absence, the future military forces did not want to behave comfortably. In addition to me, they did not obey anyone, and no one had a desire to mess with them. But Harry with his music would be able to lure them back into the basements every time they want to look for food in the wardrobe or in the hall of the theater.

In the forest I noticed a group of loggers, who were responsible for providing fuel to royal castle. A pretty attractive young page who understood well in the forest’s life, discouraged them to cut young trees, and pointed out the dried trunks, just suitable for the castle. He himself took the hatchet to help them. The clever boy was so beautiful that I was jealous of him himself. I tried to find out what his name was, but in his quite tangled thoughts I could read only one female name. In addition, the very thoughts were almost inaccessible. It seemed rather strange that he had in his memory only name of princess. I wanted to lure him into the thicket, and finish with another victim. I tried mentally to call him to me, but nothing has been achieved. Only at the third attempt, I succeeded. The page turned, obviously noticed my silhouette among the trees and obediently followed me into the forest.

«Wait!» called a woman’s voice. The page took off his beret, and a wave of long curls fell on his back.

«Rose!» this time I was, however, stunned. Of course, I knew that she had made a habit of walking around on the streets dressed as a page, but did not think that one day this masquerade will make such an impression even on me.

There was an owl behind me on the tree. The sound of its voice seemed ominous. Rose saw something over my shoulder, and her pupils were dilated from terror.

«I knew that this tree is cursed,» she said, pointing ahead.

There was just the one spreading elm tree under which I left torn carcasses of animals that have reported them to Odil, but now I did not feel the smell of blood. All shed blood for a long time absorbed in the ground here, and to the terrible memories suddenly mingled another frightening sound, the creak of dry branches and the friction of the rope, as if something heavy swinging above the ground. Hanged! I knew it even before I turned around and a dead man reminded me a rag doll. It was she. It was a woman in a red dress with a bruised skin.

«This is Janet – my maid,» Rose said. «The one that did not have a bad habit to check what makes Ms. at night.»

The owl sat on that same branch, which was attached to the rope.

12 Kolejny

Dragon’s Empire – 4. Rose for dragon

Night visits

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